Who decided there was a “normal” way to move through the world anyway?

Andrea sits down with her longtime friend Dr. Julie Watson for a conversation about getting diagnosed with ADHD in midlife—and how finally having an explanation for the way her brain works changed the way Julie understood herself.

Because the diagnosis didn’t necessarily change the life she had lived. She’d still chased new interests, taken on big challenges, moved to new places, and followed the things that excited her. But knowing earlier might have changed the second-guessing, guilt, shame, and pressure she felt to fit in along the way.

Andrea and Julie talk about why ADHD can go unnoticed in women, the particular “Category 10 shit storm” of hormones, kids, aging parents, work, and relationships in midlife, and what happened when Julie finally stopped masking and let more of her weirdness show.

They also get into Julie’s decidedly unconventional approach to motherhood, the time she escaped her house in nothing but a diaper while her mom was taking a shower, caring for aging parents, and learning to find delight even when life looks very different than you expected.

Maybe understanding yourself doesn’t mean becoming someone different.

Maybe it just means you can finally stop trying so hard to be “normal.”

Catch Up with Julie:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjuliewatson/
• Website: https://www.juliewatson.com/

Follow Moms Unhinged:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MomsUnhingedComedy
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momsunhingedcomedy
• Website: https://momsunhinged.com

Just when you think you’ve figured out this whole motherhood thing, the kids go and change the job description.

Comedian Amy Brown joins Andrea to talk about raising two boys through all the different versions of motherhood—from being the fun, crafty mom to teaching a teenager to drive to figuring out how to get college-aged sons to tell you literally anything.

Amy also shares how a night with Cheez-Its and white wine led her to comedy, the parenting meltdown that turned into an accidental kick line, and why she’s decided chocolate chip cookies may be her best strategy for getting her kids to come home.

Because apparently the goal of motherhood is to spend years getting really good at a job while simultaneously working yourself out of it.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Amy Brown Comedy Podcast: https://amybrowncomedy.com/podcast
• Indoor Wife: Amy’s comedy special on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0eZEVW1Wfk
• Moms Unhinged shows: https://momsunhinged.com

Connect With Amy:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amybrowncomedy
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amybrowncomedy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjWEzSFwmUdD_vUneaHBEOw
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amybrowncomedy

Feeding a family starts out sounding simple. Then one kid won't eat that, another can't eat this, somebody has a texture issue, and somehow you're making three different dinners and wondering when you became a short-order cook.

This week on Moms Unhinged, Andrea talks with comedian Avril Granato about the never-ending job of figuring out what everyone is going to eat. From a child who wanted everything to be green to a traumatic bite of quinoa and the childhood “wish sandwich” Avril never forgot, sometimes getting everybody fed is enough of a win.

And just when you think the kids are the problem, Avril discovers her husband has been sneaking three blocks from the house to buy—and finish—an entire tub of ice cream.

Because sometimes dinner really is just: find something and eat it.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Avril Granato — Instagram | Facebook
• Moms Unhinged Comedy Shows & Tickets

There are parenting moments no book could possibly prepare you for. Like discovering your kid has been cooking ramen noodles in the bathtub.

This week, Andrea welcomes a token dad to Moms Unhinged. Comedian Dominic Syracuse is raising three teenage boys in a blended family—and has the very specific household rules to prove it.

Dominic and Andrea swap stories about the things kids do that leave you wondering how you're supposed to respond like a responsible adult. From watching your kids suddenly grow up to creating rules you never imagined you'd need, it’s a reminder that there really is no way to prepare for everything parenting throws at you.

Plus, Dominic shares how teaching acting in maximum-security prisons unexpectedly led him to stand-up comedy—and why telling his own unhinged parenting stories gets other parents to share theirs.

Because every family has at least one story that makes you think, “Surely this only happened in my house.”

Now we want to hear yours: What’s the weirdest rule you’ve ever had to make because of something your kid did? Send us a voice note on SpeakPipe. Your story might make it onto the podcast. https://www.speakpipe.com/MomsUnhingedPodcast

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Follow @DominicSyracuse on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dominicsyracuse/
• Comedy That Cares - https://www.cognitivebehavioraltheater.com/comedythatcares
• Moms Unhinged Comedy Shows & Tickets - https://momsunhinged.com/comedy-shows/

Naomi Fitter went into parenting thinking she’d do better. Then she had a three-year-old and a five-year-old.

This week, Naomi joins Andrea to talk about all the things you think you’ll never do as a parent—until you’re actually in the trenches. From swearing in front of the kids to running out of answers for the endless “why?” questions, it turns out the mom you imagined being before kids and the mom trying to get everyone through Tuesday can be two very different people.

They also talk about Naomi’s pandemic pregnancy, the adjustment from one kid to two, and why the school still calls Mom even when Dad is literally listed as the contact. Plus, Naomi shares how her kids are learning the exact words she wishes they wouldn’t, her painfully memorable start in stand-up, and how she became a comedian who can somehow work both motherhood and physics into a joke.

Follow Naomi:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naughtybutnerdy
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@naomi_fitter
• Article: Finally, The Perfect Time to Have a Baby by Naomi Fitter - https://thesyndromemag.com/finally-the-perfect-time-to-have-a-baby-by-naomi-fitter/

Follow Moms Unhinged:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MomsUnhingedComedy
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momsunhingedcomedy
• Website: https://momsunhinged.com

Why do we keep adding pets to our lives when the kids already need so much from us?

This week, Andrea is joined by Chicago-based comedian Colleen Brennan to swap stories about the pets their families probably weren't prepared for.

There’s a puppy returned for a suspicious case of “the mange,” a rabbit purchased by two unsupervised children, a betta fish injured with a slotted spoon, and a rescue rat named Elvira who was just a little too much rat.

And because every kid promises they’ll take care of the pet, Andrea and Colleen get into what inevitably happens next: Mom ends up taking care of it anyway. From childhood pet disasters to expensive vet bills and knowing when you’re better suited to being a pet aunt, this one is for anyone who has ever wondered, “Why did we think getting a pet was a good idea?”

Has your family had a pet adventure that still makes you laugh? Send Moms Unhinged your story here (https://www.speakpipe.com/MomsUnhingedPodcast). We’re collecting funny, strange and wonderfully chaotic stories from moms—and yours could make its way into a future episode.

Catch up with Colleen:

• Colleen Brennan
• Defending Indiana Podcast

Moms Unhinged Comedy Shows & Tickets: https://momsunhinged.com

Back-to-school is all fun and fresh pencils until Mom forgets breakfast.

Andrea still remembers driving her son to school when he announced he was hungry—and realizing she had been so busy getting everyone out the door that she had forgotten to feed him.

And somehow, that feels about right.

This week, Andrea is joined by comedian Stacy Pederson to look back at the absolute chaos of the back-to-school years: endless school fees, carpool lines, packed lunches, rejected baby carrots, back-to-school nights, sports schedules, and the approximately 4,000 things moms were expected to keep in their heads at all times.

How did we do this every year? And for the moms currently living it: we see you. September is coming.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Stacy Pederson: https://stacypederson.info
• Stacy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacypedersonofficial
• Moms Unhinged Comedy Shows & Tickets: https://momsunhinged.com

Your kids are fighting again. Do you step in? Make them work it out? Create an elaborate spreadsheet determining who gets the TV remote on Tuesdays?

Amanda Marks and Alison Lebovitz have been sisters their whole lives and podcast co-hosts for nine years, so they know a little something about sibling dynamics. The sisters behind Sis & Tell join Andrea to talk about the roles we fall into as siblings—and how those roles follow us into parenting.

They get into birth order, competing for Mom’s attention, raising kids with wildly different personalities, and the impossible question of when to intervene in a sibling fight and when to let them figure it out themselves.

Plus, Amanda shares the surprisingly effective system she created to stop her twins from arguing over the remote—a spreadsheet that somehow ended up governing everything from who got shotgun to who got the car.

Because maybe the goal isn’t raising kids who never fight. Maybe it’s raising siblings who still choose each other when they’re grown.

Catch up on the Sis & Tell Podcast - https://www.sisandtell.com/

Follow Moms Unhinged:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MomsUnhingedComedy
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momsunhingedcomedy
• Website: https://momsunhinged.com