The Kids or Childfree Podcast 73. Elissa Strauss on When You Care
In this conversation, Keltie is speaking with mom, essayist, and author, Elissa Strauss, about her book 'When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others'. Hear her and Keltie discuss:
- Elissa's personal experience with motherhood, including the parts she was most afraid of.
- The complexities of caregiving, particularly in the context of motherhood.
- How to navigate the challenge of maintaining self-identity while parenting.
- How social media is shaping perceptions of motherhood — and the messiness of real-world care.
- Why we need a broader understanding of care that transcends traditional roles and highlights the transformative potential of caregiving experiences.
- The magic of caring for others — and how we can experience this, no matter what we ultimately choose.
(1:40) Meet Elissa & hear about her path to motherhood
(10:38) Elissa's fears about caregiving as a parent compared to reality
(29:17) How formula feeding changed caregiving for her and her husband
(35:20) Fairytale vs. Nightmare depictions of motherhood
(46:20) Caregiving for childfree people
As mentioned in the show:Elissa is online at www.elissastrauss.com Pick up a copy of When You Care: simonandschuster.com/books/When-You-Care/Elissa-Strauss/9781982169275 Read Elissa's Substack at elissa.substack.com/ The piece Elissa's husband wrote about the impact of not breastfeeding their kids is here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/23/opinion/sunday/formula-breastfeeding-fatherhood.html Tune into the How the Wise One Grows episode featuring Elissa: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5IHtrBPfmBMO55I7Mz9sKm Tune into the How the Wise One Grows episode featuring Keltie: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Iw67drKUnzd1q1WjuzhUW?si=wCPBHC4vRa2Uwc-CGLO9dQ
Find Elissa on social media: @elissaavery on IG
linkedin.com/in/elissa-strauss-742720112/
About Elissa: Elissa Strauss is the author of When You Care: The Unexpected Magic of Caring for Others. She is a journalist, essayist, and opinion writer, and contributes to publications like the New York Times, The Atlantic, Glamour, and elsewhere.
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