Need advice? Ask a New York Jewish mom and her clinically-trained therapist daughter. Shain and Sarah share a fascinating mother-daughter bond, in which they welcome discussions, disagreements, and debates.
Bring your questions—any questions—and you’ll get a wide range of guidance, a little tough love, a lot of support, and plenty of humor.
Submit your question or any issue you need advice on here (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQpoAX6aWuI4B-Kjbf5SePSrhc3XyFtS-_v31Bvqos6wm6-g/viewform?usp=dialog).
Visit Sarah's website to learn more about her Denver-based couples therapy practice here (https://www.whatsthepointtherapy.com/).
17: Same Family, Different Childhoods: Did We Really Have the Same Parents?
This week, Shain and Sarah are joined by Sarah's siblings, Mara and David, to pick up a conversation that began in Episode 15: How can three children raised by the same parents have such different experiences of them?
Mara reflects on growing up with a younger version of Shain, while Sarah considers how their different personalities and circumstances shaped the relationships they each developed with their mother. David shares how being diagnosed with cancer at 18 changed the dynamics of their entire family—and especially his relationship with his father.
Together, the four of them explore how siblings can remember the same family differently, the ways parents change between children, and how much of who we become is shaped by what happened to us versus how we learned to respond to it.
Their conversation also turns to a bigger question: Do we always need to unpack the difficult parts of our past, or can some things simply be left alone?
As Shain looks back on the mother she was and the relationships she now has with her three grown children, the conversation becomes a reflection on what parents pass down, what children carry forward, and what it means to understand each other more fully over time.
Have a question you'd like answered on-air? Submit it anonymously through our Google Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQpoAX6aWuI4B-Kjbf5SePSrhc3XyFtS-_v31Bvqos6wm6-g/viewform
All submissions are anonymous: even though you sign in with your email address, we do not have access to it unless you purposefully toggle on the option to share it.
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listentomymother
4 Aug 2026
16: On Boundaries and Aging: Who Do You Want to Be for Your Parents?
This week, Shain and Sarah respond to a listener who asks a question many adult children eventually face: How do you set boundaries with an aging parent who needs more emotional support than you have the capacity to give?
What begins as a conversation about boundaries quickly becomes something much larger. Drawing from their own experiences caring for aging parents, Shain reflects on the regrets she carries, the repair she longed for, and the compassion that only became possible with hindsight. Sarah explores what boundaries actually are—and aren't—and considers how adult children can care deeply for their parents without losing themselves in the process.
Together, they examine the complicated intersection of obligation, resentment, identity, and love. They ask what we owe the people who raised us, how our lifelong relationship with a parent shapes the way we care for them in old age, and, ultimately, who we want to be when someone we love needs more than we can give.
It's a thoughtful and deeply compassionate conversation about aging, family, and finding a way to care for both ourselves and the people who once cared for us.
Have a question you'd like answered on-air? Submit it anonymously through our Google Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQpoAX6aWuI4B-Kjbf5SePSrhc3XyFtS-_v31Bvqos6wm6-g/viewform
All submissions are anonymous: even though you sign in with your email address, we do not have access to it unless you purposefully toggle on the option to share it.
Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/listentomymother
24 Jun 2026
15: "What Do Children Need Most From a Mother?"
This week, Shain, Sarah, and Sarah’s sister Mara gather in Phoenix to discuss Heartwood by Amity Gaige—a novel that sparked a much larger conversation about mothers, daughters, and the stories we tell about our families.
What begins as a discussion of the book’s intertwined mother-daughter relationships quickly becomes a reflection on their own. Together, they explore how siblings can grow up with completely different experiences of the same parent, what children need most from the people who raise them, and the tension between accepting our parents as they are and longing for the parents we wish we'd had.
Along the way, Shain reflects on how her approach to motherhood changed over two decades and two daughters, while Sarah and Mara share their perspectives on growing up with the same mother at very different stages of life. Their conversation touches on attachment, expectations, repair, and the possibility of growth on both sides of the parent-child relationship.
It's an honest, funny, and deeply personal conversation about family, memory, and what it means to love imperfect people.
Have a question you'd like answered on-air? Submit it through our google form. All submissions are anonymous: even though you sign in with your email address, we do not have access to it unless you purposefully toggle on the option to share it.
And follow us on Instagram at @listentomymother !
3 Mar 2026
14: The Staying and The Leaving: Does Sarah Have Abandonment Issues?
Shain and Sarah start with a conversation about discernment counseling, which is a style of counseling used when couples can’t decide whether to stay married or separate. But as usual, the clinical conversation turns personal.
Shain reflects on her own marriage, the fights, the “f* you” that didn’t end it, and the decades it took to reclaim her voice. Sarah shares how a childhood of people coming and going shaped her attachment style and why abandonment doesn’t always look the way you think it does.
It’s an honest, funny, sometimes raw conversation about staying, leaving, invisibility, resilience, and the long road to feeling seen.
Have a question you want Shain and Sarah to answer on-air? Head to bit.ly/listentomysubmission and send it in.
All submissions are anonymous. Shain and Sarah want to hear what you’re navigating!
Stay connected on episodes and more on Instagram at @listentomymother
3 Feb 2026
13: Grief and Loss: Are We Quitting Relationships Too Fast?
Hosts Shain and Sarah explore grief, estrangement, and modern family dynamics, questioning if society is too quick to abandon relationships and discussing healthy boundaries.
25 Nov 2025
12: A Digital Timecapsule: "How Did Your Family Relate to Religion?"
Shain shares her experiences as a support person during crises, while Sarah Brown interviews Shain about her Holocaust-survivor parents and Jewish identity, revealing the impact of their religious backgrounds on family dynamics.
28 Oct 2025
11: The Comparison Trap: "How Can I Make Peace with a Path That Didn’t Pay Off?"
Hosts Shain and Sarah explore redefining success after a career risk doesn't pan out, offering insights on releasing shame and moving forward with purpose in this interview episode.
30 Sept 2025
10: Friendships in Transition: “Should I talk to her about her boyfriend?”
Shain and Sarah explore a listener's question regarding a drifting friendship, discussing grief, boundaries, and staying connected without judgment as relationships evolve.
26 Aug 2025
Stuck In The Past: “Why can’t I let go of resentment?"
Host Shain and co-host Sarah explore how to release past resentment and rebuild intimacy in long-term marriages, offering both personal stories and therapeutic insights.
29 Jul 2025
Questioning Motherhood: "Do you ever wish you didn't have kids?"
Host Sarah interviews Shain about the complex feelings surrounding motherhood, exploring societal expectations and personal uncertainties about having children.
24 Jun 2025
Relationship Breakdown: "How Do I Reclaim My Peace?"
Shain and Sarah explore neighborhood relationship dynamics as they advise "Bella" on reclaiming her peace when a neighbor suddenly turns hostile in this interview episode.
10 Jun 2025
Mini Episode: "Why Are You Flying Into a War Zone?"
Hosts Shain and Sarah explore Sarah's impending journey to Israel during a period of international unrest, revealing differing anxieties among Jewish communities globally in this episode.
27 May 2025
Confidence: "Do I Still Have What it Takes?"
Hosts Shain and Sarah analyze a submission from Nurse D, exploring the intersection of aging, identity, and self-worth as it relates to confidence in one's career.
13 May 2025
Body Shaming: "Where did you learn that?"
In lieu of a listener's submission, Shain turns the mic toward Sarah and asks, "If you could ask me one question before I die, what would it be?"
What unfolds is a raw and real conversation about how a mother’s words can become a child’s self-talk, the legacy of body shaming, and the lifelong echoes of the way we were seen as children.
29 Apr 2025
Family Communication: "He really cannot read the room!"
It's a family affair as Mara, Sarah's older sister, joins Shain and Sarah to talk about antisemitism, the legacy of holocaust survivors (and whether or not humor is an appropriate part of remembrance), and the pitfalls of family communication.
15 Apr 2025
Love Languages, Misfires & Marriage Math
In this episode of Listen to My Mother, Shain and Sarah are joined by Sarah’s dad for a raw and real conversation on emotional intimacy, what it means to feel seen, and how love can get lost in translation.
They respond to Amber, a listener who feels invisible in a long-term relationship despite friendship, fun, and great sex. Together, they unpack the science (and not-so-science) of love languages, the quiet heartbreak of unmet needs, and how understanding your partner’s dialect of love might just save the relationship.
Oh, and they also roast each other. Gently.
Got your own question for the mother-daughter duo? Submit it at bit.ly/listentomysubmission
Follow us on Instagram:
@listentomymother & @whatsthepoint.therapy
14 Apr 2025
Burnt Out, Grieving, and Punching the Time Card
In this powerful first episode of Listen to My Mother, meet Shain—a New York Jewish mom with decades of lived wisdom—and Sarah, her daughter and a practicing therapist. Together, they tackle a deeply personal listener letter from Kelly, a healthcare worker who’s completely burnt out after years on the COVID front lines, family trauma, and pregnancy loss.
With heart, humor, and raw honesty, Shain and Sarah unpack burnout, grief, the emotional toll of always being the “fun friend,” and what it means to ask for—and give—yourself permission to rest.
Whether you're a mom, a daughter, a caregiver, or simply someone trying to hold it all together, this episode will make you feel seen, supported, and maybe even a little lighter.
Got a question for the mother-daughter duo? Submit yours at bit.ly/listentomysubmission
Follow along on Instagram: @listentomymother & @whatsthepoint.therapy
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 16 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
19
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact Listen To My Mother
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Listen To My Mother
Who hosts Listen To My Mother?
Sarah and Shain host the show. Published by What’s The Point? Media.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes monthly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Listen To My Mother take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Host of Listen To My Mother?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
