Send us a text

In this special re-release, we are officially introducing a past guest as our new co-host. Learn more about Zara's story in this episode, and tune in next week for part two of her story.

Why does parenting in America feel so much harder than it should? Today, we’re joined by Zara Hanawalt, a freelance journalist who has spent nearly a decade covering parenting, motherhood, women’s health, and culture for outlets like Vogue, Parents, Glamour, and The Everymom. But even after years of writing about reproductive health, she was completely unprepared for her own journey into motherhood.

Zara gets real about her struggles with infertility, the challenges of carrying twins, and the prenatal and postpartum realities that no one warns you about (like PUPPP, Post Preeclampsia and so much more). She also shares her perspective on why the system—not mothers—is setting parents up to fail, how American parenting culture has evolved in the past decade, and what we can do to push back against unrealistic expectations.

Learn more about Zara here > https://www.doyouwantthetruthpod.com/our-guests/zara

Episode Highlights:
[02:00] Zara’s infertility journey & how she conceived twins via IUI
[09:30] The complications of a high-risk twin pregnancy
[18:45] Why postpartum hit harder than she ever expected
[25:10] Feeling completely unprepared for the overstimulation of motherhood
[33:40] The broken “village” and why moms today have less support
[40:15] Why parenting in America feels uniquely hard & how we can change the conversation
[52:00] The unexpected joy of realizing she’s her kids’ safe space

Links & Resources:
📖 Read Zara’s work in Vogue, Parents, Glamour, The Everymom, and more
📢 Follow Zara on Instagram & TikTok for more conversations on modern motherhood
👶 Learn more about fertility & postpartum resources at www.postpartum.net

Support the show

Website: https://www.doyouwantthetruthpod.com

Connect with Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/samanthastrom

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthastorms

Connect with Zara:

Zara Hanawalt https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-hanawalt/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@zarahanawalt

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zarahanawalt/

Send us a text

In part two of this powerful conversation, Paige Connell returns to share the deeply personal story of what happened after the breaking point—the day of the diaper pail and the dishwasher. What followed wasn’t the end of her marriage, but a hard-won beginning.

We talk about the real work of rebuilding a partnership after years of resentment, mental overload, and feeling like the default parent. Paige opens up about navigating the Fair Play method with her husband, the realities of balancing neurodivergence in a marriage, and the emotional toll of being the one to initiate all the hard conversations.

We also get into the guilt that lingers even in equitable partnerships, how motherhood has shaped her identity, and what it means to unlearn productivity as self-worth. If you’ve ever felt unseen in your relationship, or stuck in the narrative that “it’s just easier if I do it myself,” this conversation is for you.

Paige also shares a personal update about the podcast and what’s next.

🕒 Timeline Summary:
[0:24] – The diaper pail & dishwasher moment: how one cut finger became a breaking point.
[2:00] – Paige lays it all on the table: what she needed from her marriage to stay.
[4:07] – Why the “dishwasher fight” is never really about the dishwasher.
[5:29] – How they implemented the Fair Play method (and made it their own).
[8:00] – Rebuilding trust after burnout, broken promises, and emotional distance.
[13:05] – Neurodivergence, organizational labor, and unlearning the “I’m just better at it” trap.
[19:31] – Working for yourself, fighting guilt, and reclaiming your own time.
[23:01] – Corporate parenting vs. being your own boss: the invisible weight of PTO, holidays, and school breaks.
[30:22] – The myth of the modern “village” and the impossible standards of intensive parenting.
[38:34] – What Paige would tell her best friends before they become parents.
[39:37] – The joy of watching your kids become people—outside of you.
[41:45] – Paige’s heartfelt farewell from the podcast.

🔗 Links & Resources:
Learn more about the Fair Play method by Eve Rodsky: Fair Play Life

Book mentioned: This Is How Your Marriage Ends by Matthew Fray

Follow Paige: @sheisapaigeturner

Support the show

Website: https://www.doyouwantthetruthpod.com

Connect with Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/samanthastrom

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthastorms

Connect with Zara:

Zara Hanawalt https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-hanawalt/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@zarahanawalt

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zarahanawalt/

Send us a text

Well, the time has come. You’ve heard her voice, you’ve heard her hot takes, and now you’re getting the whole story. In this episode, I turn the mic toward Paige Connell aka @sheisapaigeturner.

We get real real. Paige walks us through the beautiful, messy, emotional tornado that has been her path to motherhood—starting with a teenage AIM love triangle, through pregnancy losses, fostering two toddlers, navigating IVF and surviving a traumatic birth

If you’ve ever wondered how someone goes from "let's not not try" to four kids in five years. (Yes, four kids. In five years. Wild.)—all while staying married, organized, employed and mostly sane—you’re in for a treat. Plus, we talk domestic labor, postpartum absurdities, and more.

🕒 Timeline Summary:

[1:22] - That time Paige's teenage AIM crush ditched her best friend… and became her husband.
[6:11] - The “am I hungover or pregnant?” moment that turned into an ectopic pregnancy.
[11:46] - Fostering toddlers while grieving a pregnancy loss—because why do things the easy way?
[25:54] - IVF with toddlers during lockdown… nothing to see here, totally normal.
[33:35] - That time her placenta overstayed its welcome… by several surgeries.
[41:50] - Choosing a C-section (plus surprise hysterectomy!) with 40 people in the room.
[50:26] - The unexpected joy of watching your kids turn into tiny weird humans.

🔗 Links & Resources:

• Follow Paige on Instagram: @sheisapaigeturner
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston) - Website
• Interested in fostering in Massachusetts? Learn more: DCF MA Foster Care

💬 Final Thoughts:
If you’ve ever wanted to hear a woman survive an ectopic pregnancy, foster two kids, endure a pandemic pregnancy, lose a placenta and her uterus—all while staying sarcastic and showing up as the other half of this show—this episode is your moment.

If you laughed, cried, or screamed into a pillow (relatable), don’t forget to rate, review, follow, and share the podcast. We love ya for it.

SUMMARY OF TOPICS WE COVER

• Met husband at age 14, dated at 16, and are going strong 18 years later
• Always planned on having four children, influenced by both coming from larger families
• Began fostering process at age 28, taking nearly a year to become licensed
• Experienced two ectopic pregnancies requiring surgery and removal of both fallopian tubes
• Fostered and later adopted a one-year-old and two-year-old in 2019
• Underwent IVF to conceive two biological daughters
• First birth resulted in severe complications with retained placenta, requiring multiple surgeries
• Second birth required a planned C-section with emergency hysterectomy due to placenta accreta
• Navigated pandemic parenting with daycare closures while working full-time
• Experienced inequitable division of household labor dur

Support the show

Website: https://www.doyouwantthetruthpod.com

Connect with Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/samanthastrom

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthastorms

Connect with Zara:

Zara Hanawalt https://www.linkedin.com/in/zara-hanawalt/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@zarahanawalt

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zarahanawalt/