Goals, Grit, and Some Woo Woo Sh*t
"BREAKING NEWS: Your dream life (and your dream bod) isn’t just going to happen because you made a vision board. Join Oonagh Duncan (fitness expert and bestselling author of Healthy As F*ck/Ditch The Diet) to examine the habits of kicking ass every day - so you can create a life of no regrets. Whether you want to lose weight, get rich, or save the whales while writing bestselling mystery novels- get ready to be inspired. This isn’t about incantations and putting the right crystals in your bra. This is about having the courage to take responsibility for your life, the grit to do the actual work and—most importantly—constantly training your brain to be your b*tch. Here’s what you can expect: Sometimes you’ll get the most tender loving b*tch slap in your ear about why you need to exercise - even when you don’t f*cking feel like it. Sometimes you’ll get a sleep expert teach you the exact steps on how to fall back asleep at 3am so you don’t feel like a zombie all day. Sometimes you’ll hear from someone who ran the marathon, kicked the addiction or manifested their dream threesome on the beach and you’ll think “If they can do it, so can I” And when you start thinking thoughts like that… you will be inspired to stop drifting and being a victim of your circumstances - and start actively creating the life you want. It takes Goals. It takes Grit. And it takes some Woo-Woo Sh*t."
Goals, Grit, and Some Woo Woo Sh*t
Meet The World's Worst Mom with Lenore Skenazy
Okay, so you’ve probably heard the story: a New York mom lets her 9-year-old ride the subway alone… and the entire world loses its mind. That mom is my guest today, Lenore Skenazy, and she’s been lovingly (and infamously) dubbed “The World’s Worst Mom.” Spoiler: she’s actually one of the bravest, funniest, and most sensible voices in parenting today.
Lenore’s simple act of trusting her kid sparked a global conversation about parenting, independence, and the culture of fear we’ve all been marinating in. She went from being vilified on morning shows to becoming the president of Let Grow and the author of Free Range Kids, a whole movement dedicated to giving kids back their confidence (and parents back their sanity).
And honestly? Talking to her made me do a little gut-check of my own. When I imagined sending my son on the subway at 9, my first reaction was, “Oh hell no.” But then I thought about it—what was I actually afraid of? Abduction? Not really. More like him getting lost and maybe a little scared. And then I thought… wait. Isn’t that kind of the point? To let him practice being lost and then figure it out? (Cue me rethinking all my “just let me do it for you” parenting moments.)
In this episode, we dig into why we’ve become so terrified of letting kids do literally anything, how “worst-first” thinking has hijacked modern parenting, and why giving kids independence isn’t neglect—it’s actually the best gift we can give them. Lenore even tells me about a mom who was spoon-feeding her 10-year-old (yep, you read that right) and what happened when that kid finally learned to cut his own mango. Spoiler: it’s glorious.
If you’ve ever caught yourself hovering a little too close to your kids or wondering if you’re “doing it wrong,” this episode is your friendly permission slip to breathe, back off a little, and let your kid surprise you. And if you’re not a parent? Trust me, this convo still hits. It’s really about fear, resilience, and how much we all grow when we’re allowed to stumble a little.
What’s Inside:
- The wild story of how one subway ride made Lenore a global headline
- Why fear has become the default mode in modern parenting (and how to break free)
- The surprising ways overprotection backfires on kids’ confidence and resilience
- Practical steps from Lenore’s Let Grow project that help families rebuild independence
So here’s the mic drop: are you living out of fear, or letting yourself and your kids grow into the badass humans you know you can be? If you’ve got a “world’s worst mom” (or dad) story of your own, I want the tea. DM me on Instagram and let’s laugh, cringe, and maybe rethink some of this parenting madness together.
Mentioned in this episode:
Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy
Peter Gray’s book Free to Learn