Mary Catherine (of @momlife_comics) and her husband, Ben, discuss marriage, parenting, household management, the mental load—and more!—on this podcast that delves deeper into the topics that she explores in her comics.
marycatherinestarr.substack.com (https://marycatherinestarr.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit marycatherinestarr.substack.com (https://marycatherinestarr.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7)
This episode starts off with some lighter reflections on Galentine’s Day and the beautiful depth of female friendships. But things take a turn when we start unpacking the differences between how men and women bond, and the elusive magic of finding a solid “dad group.”
We also dive into:
The Gender Divide in Friendships: Why do men default to side-by-side recreation (like golf or basketball) while women bond face-to-face? Also, it can be hard to make parent friends you actually want to hang out with when the kids aren’t around.
The “Masculinity” Debate: This is where things get spicy—we get into a fierce debate about domestic inequality and Ben shares some thoughts on how the push for household equality (yes, even just doing the dishes) clashes with “natural manliness.” I push back—hard—against this “internet bro” narrative, because being an equal partner in your own home does not emasculate you. (Do we need to cancel Ben now? Yikes.)
Rethinking “Date Night”: We talk about the absolute logistical nightmare that is the traditional evening date night—finding a sitter, the exhaustion, the expense—and share our new favorite strategy for staying connected: the Friday daytime lunch date.
This episode is a little bit of everything—including a reminder that if you’re currently navigating the messy, out-of-whack scales of household labor inequality, you are in very good company.
27 Jan 2026
Episode 22: There Is Something Living In Our Ceiling
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit marycatherinestarr.substack.com (https://marycatherinestarr.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7)
In this episode, Ben and I sit down for a conversation that is—thankfully—much more relaxed than our last one.
We start with a post-mortem on the “Great Christmas Gift Wrapping Experiment.” If you were hoping for a success story about a perfectly equitable domestic shift, well, there’s always next year…
We also dive into:
The Creator’s Dilemma: How do you keep making “silly little comics” about motherhood when the world feels like it’s on fire? I talk about the tension of being an artist in a heavy political climate and the fine line between staying informed and finding a necessary reprieve.
The Things That Go Bump in the Night: We are currently being held hostage by a mysterious creature living in our ceiling. We discuss the fear of living with unidentified nocturnal “skittering,” Ben’s refusal to call the exterminator, and the very real possibility that our house is actually Noah’s Ark for local rodents.
Humans or Dollar Signs?: A deep dive into the weird ethics of the service industry. Whether it’s teaching yoga or coaching basketball, we discuss what it feels like when your paycheck is tied to the number of bodies in the room and the mental shift from “government salary” to “self-employed hustle.”
Biological Debates: Is an owl a mammal? Ben has some thoughts. (Spoiler: He is very, very wrong.)
15 Dec 2025
Episode 21: I Am DONE Doing Everything for Christmas.
Mary Catherine Starr and Ben Starr discuss the overwhelming invisible labor of Christmas preparation and the mental load often carried by mothers, offering a candid conversation about gender roles.
Podcast Authority Score: 3 / 100
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YouTube
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