In this episode, I chat with Elena Bridgers, science writer and author of Motherhood Until Yesterday to talk about the lie most moms are living under: that motherhood should feel natural, effortless, and fulfilling on its own. Instead, we uncover why modern motherhood feels so hard and why it’s not your failure, it’s the mismatch between how humans evolved to raise children and how we’re expected to do it now. Elena explains how real human parenting used to look, why community and support were the norm, and why isolation and pressure leave so many mothers overwhelmed and exhausted.

We also dive into the narratives many moms inherit from religion, feminist ideals, and internet culture that frame motherhood in ways that help just about no one. Elena’s work blends evolutionary biology, anthropology, and real-life experience to help mothers feel seen, understood, and less alone.

Elena Bridgers Links:

📍 Newsletter — Motherhood Until Yesterday (Substack): https://elenabridgers.substack.com/ 🌍 Website: https://elenabridgers.com/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elena.bridgers/

All the Carah Burrell links 🔗 https://linktr.ee/nuancehoe

Carah Burrell Substack: https://substack.com/@carahburrell?

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📫 Contact Nuancehoe: thenuancehoe@gmail.com

What are the chances of a guy like Jesus and a girl like me ending up together? Not good. But I'm throwing my life into the turmoil of holiness anyway to get some data! I'm making my way through a year-long course on secular spirituality, and now it's time I introduce my project for 2026, working title: Mormonize Me. In this first episode, I introduce my ideas and talk to experts and friends like Britt Hartley @nononsensespirituality , Eve Pearce, Shaun Miller, and Eric Moutsos @ericmoutsosshow

All the Carah Burrell links 🔗 https://linktr.ee/nuancehoe

Carah Burrell Substack: https://substack.com/@carahburrell?

Help me continue making important, hilarious content by becoming a one-time or monthly donor!

🤝 DONATE via DONORBOX! https://donorbox.org/thanks-for-the-amazing-content-carah-let-me-help-you-keep-it-funded

👩‍💻 Join the Hoetown community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nuancehoe

🍯 Tip Jar (Venmo: CarahB): https://account.venmo.com/u/CarahB

📫 Contact Nuancehoe: thenuancehoe@gmail.com

1. CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes frank discussion of racism, domestic violence, religious trauma, online harassment, and threats.
2. Today, we dive into de-radicalization, Christian nationalism, and the real human cost of propaganda, featuring Jennie Gage from Life, Take Two a former white supremacist and ex-Mormon. Jennie rebuilt her life through community, accountability, and hard truths. We talk about how racism was spoon-fed to us as normal, and how indoctrination separates people from themselves and the beautiful world around us.
3. Life Take Two channel, "How MAGA Destroyed My Life": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXQa7jW_QmY
4. Jennie's Substack: https://lifetaketwo.substack.com/p/i-was-a-white-supremacist?r=35knav&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
5. Business Insider Article: https://www.businessinsider.com/trad-wife-on-tiktok-shares-idyllic-lifestyle-risks-money-2024-3
6. All the Carah Burrell links 🔗 https://linktr.ee/nuancehoe
7. Help me continue making important, hilarious content by becoming a one-time or monthly donor! 🤝 DONATE VIA DONORBOX! https://donorbox.org/thanks-for-the-amazing-content-carah-let-me-help-you-keep-it-funded
8. 👩‍💻 Join the Hoetown community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nuancehoe 🍯 Tip Jar (Venmo: CarahB): https://account.venmo.com/u/CarahB
9. 📫 Contact Nuancehoe: thenuancehoe@gmail.com