Motherhood In Hollywood

Mike and Heather Spohr are like the dream team of funny parents. Mike is a Parenting Editor at Buzzfeed and Heather runs the wildly popular website The Spohrs Are Multiplying. Together they have combined their talent for humorous, relatable writing and turned it into a new book,  The Toddler Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Whiny Unfed. Our chat took place during some crazy wildfires happening in Southern California. Luckily they were not in harm's way because we had a lot to talk about. As a fellow funny parent (yes, I do say so myself) I couldn't wait to talk to them about how they started their blog and grew it to over 65 million visitors. That's a massive accomplishment! They tell me it comes from a committment to write every day and sharing real stories from their lives. In fact, they have shared a lot of heartbreak, and miracle moments on their website. And in an age where authenticity online is rare, it's refreshing to meet people who are so open about their lives, the good and the ba

One of the things I love about my podcast is that I get the opportunity to connect with people who are doing amazing things in our industry. Moms in Film is a great example of women who are taking control of their career and family to start conversations and make the entertainment business a better place to work. Christy Lamb and Mathilde Dratwa started Moms in Film a few years ago and it has grown to a bi-coastal organization with monthly meet-ups and events. Both filmmakers juggle their careers and family while also advocating for gender equality in film and television. I felt so inspired after my conversation with Christy and Mathilde and I know you will too! Make sure you listen to this episode to hear what they're actively working towards and how you can get involved. Then make sure you check out their website, momsinfilm.org and follow them on social media so you can be a part of their movement. We need more parents in this industry to stick together and support each other so we can continue to b

I sat down with Jordana Brewster at a recent holiday beauty bar hosted by Pond's and was immediately struck by how much she glows. The mom of 2 clearly has her beauty routine on point so I couldn't wait to ask her what she's doing, and how she's doing it and she was more than willing to dish on her faves. Heather Brooker and Jordana Brewster at the Pond's Beauty Bar event. But first, we chatted about Halloween with her kids Rowan and Julian. I've always wondered if celebrities do Halloween just like us regular folks and it turns out, they do, just in nicer neighborhoods. She said her family life is what keeps her grounded in the crazy world of Hollywood. She credits her role as Mia Toretto in the Fast and Furious franchise for re-invigorating her career. The box office numbers brought in from those films helped her to be able to be more choosy when picking other roles and she says it gave her the confidence to be able to start a family. There's always an underlying fear in Hollywood that if you want to h

Sleep is so precious. It's a beautiful thing really. And before you have kids people tell you things like, "sleep when the baby sleeps". Or, "get lots of rest now because you'll never sleep again." Now I can look back and say, I wish I had listened to those wise souls. I haven't had a good nights sleep in over 4 years. I decided to invite child sleep expert Jenni June to chat with me about child sleep issues in our house and answer listener questions. See? I'm always thinking about you guys! We chat about everything from newborn sleep and the 4-month regression to dropping the nap and co-sleeping with 6-year-olds.  It's a lot to cover in 45 minutes but Jenni is a pro and I knew she'd have the answers. She has studied the science and psychology behind child sleep. She's worked with thousands of families struggling with sleep issues and has hands on experience working with kids. I interviewed her for my website last fall when we were struggling with dropping the nap and her advice was a game changer. We d

I can't count the number of times lately that I've stopped to catch my breath at the sight of my tiny baby growing into a big kid. She is so tall, so talkative and her personality rivals any adult. I love watching her grow up and become the person she's meant to be and yet I want her to stay small and cuddle in my arms. I often wish there was a way to stop time, or slow down. Parents, ya feel me? That's the subject of singer/songwriter Nichole Nordemans new book, Slow Down. I sat down with Nichole after her recent appearance on Hallmark's Home and Family to talk about the inspiration behind her new book. She says she wrote it for her son Charlie's 5th grade graduation and was encouraged by her manager to record it. The response was overwhelming. It quickly went viral as parents all over the world connected with the message. Now she's taken that message and fleshed it out into essays for her book. In the book she talks about how there's no time machine, or button to push that would make time slow down so o

When I was researching funny podcasts about parenting before starting MIH, the first show that I came across was One Bad Mother and I immediately knew why it was so popular.  Biz Ellis & Theresa Thorn started One Bad Mother when they were new friends. And over the years, listeners have been able to get to know them, as they get to know each other.  As you can imagine, with that comes their funny, unique, and honest look at parenting and relationships. Sometimes they agree and sometimes they don't but it's interesting to hear them figure it out together. One Bad Mother is now consistently one of the top podcasts on iTunes because of it. Goals, people. Goals. Biz and Theresa have parlayed their podcasting success into a book called, "You're Doing a Great Job: 100 Ways You’re Winning at Parenting”. They are both big believers in encouraging other moms through their stories and life experiences so they don't feel alone. The book is filled with funny observations, affirmations, and words of wisdom that every mo

Jenni Pulos is having a major moment right now. She just welcomed her second child, daughter Georgia Grace, into this world and her hit Bravo TV show Flipping Out is about to debut its 10th season.  Can someone give this mama a round of applause, or mimosas? That's some exciting stuff! Jenni is Jeff Lewis' Executive Assistant on the show and is often his voice of reason when he's, you know, flipping out. We love this show because of the odd couple relationship Jeff and Jenni have. She tells me the great part of doing this show with Jeff is that they actually are friends in real life. And like most friendships, they go through ups and downs and major life changes together. She says their fights and disagreements are real, and so are the compromises they make when working it out. Due to the nature of reality TV we get to see some of the highlights of their lives play out before our eyes.  Like when Jenni met and married her now husband Dr. Jonathan Nassos. The couple welcomed their first child Alianna Mar

This is not fake news! We are really diving into the evolution of local news and what it means to be a mommy blogger versus press.  My guest this week is Special Events Producer and Freelance Publicist Jennie O'Hagan. Jennie started her career at KTLA in Los Angeles on one of the first morning news shows of its kind.   She still produces for KTLA on major special events like The Oscars red carpet coverage and The Rose Parade and has expanded her skills into PR. She has seen a lot of changes in local news over the years and has some wonderful insights on where it's headed. And because of her background, I wanted to know her thoughts on mommy bloggers as press. In my own opinion, they are not the same thing. Mommy bloggers are used as marketing tools for brands and studios to gain hashtag momentum or buzz about a specific product or project. They are not the same as mainstream media.     This is something that has been frustrating me lately because I get asked to cover press junkets and attend red carpet

Chris Hardwick is a self-starter who created an empire from his podcast. Sound familiar?  So I was thrilled to have the chance to talk with him at the Entertainment Weekly party at Comic-Con. We chatted about his new gig as host of NBC's The Wall and how he gets emotionally invested in the contestants and is truly rooting for them. He also shared some fantastic advice for anyone who has a podcast or is creating content. MIH is in its second year and I'm starting to feel the sophomore slump a bit. It's hard to stay motivated on a weekly show that you produce entirely on your own. Most people probably have no idea how much work I put into this podcast from booking guests, researching them, writing the blog post and editing the show. It's very time-consuming but I do it because it's also very rewarding. And I hope in someway my listeners get something out of it. Chris recently got married to Lydia Hearst, actress, model and heiress to the publishing fortune established by her maternal great-grandfather, Wi

My generation knows Ian Ziering from his character as "Steve Sanders" on Beverly Hills 90210. It was a show that defined a decade and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who has never heard of it. Now a whole new generation is getting to know Ian as "Fin Shepard" in the Sharknado franchise.  This epic battle of man vs shark is arguably another decade-defining role in his career, but not in the way he thought it would be. SHARKNADO 5 -- Pictured: Ian Ziering as Fin Shepard -- (Photo by: Yana Blajeva/Syfy) Ian tells me when he read the first Sharknado script back in 2013 his immediate reaction was to pass. He thought the sci-fi mash-up of sharks and tornadoes would ruin his career. But thanks to the urging of his wife Erin, who had one child in her arms and another on the way, he took it. Now it's become a global phenomenon and fans can't get enough of the campy fish franchise. Ian, his wife Erin and their two girls Mia and Penna In fact Ian says a lot of his career choices are different now that he's

Lisa Joyner has been working in television her entire professional life and is currently co-host of the TLC show Long Lost Family and. Her passion for adoption advocacy and stories that bring families together truly shines through and I believe many people will find it inspiring. When I was doing my research on Lisa for this interview I realized we actually have a lot in common. We both have Emmy's. We both got our start as journalists, reporting news in small markets across the US. And eventually we found our way into the entertainment world because let's face it, local news can be a huge bummer. Entertainment stories are fun and don't make you want to cry every time you report it. Something we both agreed on was how much your perspective on news changes when you become a mom. You suddenly don't want to report on murders and fires. There is a desire to look for something positive and uplifting.  And it was during her time as an entertainment reporter for outlets like TV Guide Channel, the NFL Network a

Every actor worth their salt will tell you Shakespeare is the ultimate actors dream to perform. We recently went on a family outing to watch Shakespeare's Measure for Measure in  Griffith Park produced by the Independent Shakespeare Company of Los Angeles and I can tell you, it brought up feelings...lots of feelings. It reminded first and foremost of my college days, when I actually felt like an actor. I was given meaty roles and could really dig into a character as opposed to the one or two line parts Hollywood throws my way. In fact I think that might have been the last time I saw Shakespeare performed live and it was certainly the last time I performed it.   As I watched this show it made me realize that I miss performing on stage, and performing in general. I don't get to do that much these days as Motherhood in Hollywood has taken over most of my free time and Chan has taken over the rest. So while I can't perform in a play right now, I'm more than happy to watch others perform and support wonderf

The Boss Baby star Alec Baldwin is no stranger to playing the boss which makes him the perfect choice to voice The Boss Baby. Who can forget his hilarious right-wing take on Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock? His back-and-forth with Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is TV legend. And now he can add a tiny baby with a big attitude to that list in The Boss Baby.   The Boss Baby tells the story of Seven-year-old Tim Templeton as he suddenly finds his share of parental love plummeting when his new baby brother (Alec Baldwin) arrives — wearing a suit and toting a briefcase — and makes it clear to everyone that he’s in charge. But when Tim discovers that Boss Baby is on a secret mission, he reluctantly agrees to team up with his pint-sized sibling for an epic adventure that might just change the world! The film is ultimately an adventure-comedy about family and belonging. In addition to Alec Baldwin, THE BOSS BABY features the voice talents of a stellar cast including Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Miles Bakshi and Tobey M

It's no secret there has been a huge rise in the amount of content available on streaming outlets. Remember when people starting raving about Netflix and you swore you'd never leave cable? Cut to many years later and I am eating humble pie. We dropped most of our cable outlets last year and only have the bare minimum tiered package. Any given night of the week you'll find us watching Netflix, Hulu or Amazon. My guest this week is a huge part of the reason why people have abandoned traditional cable outlets in favor of streaming. Carolyn Newman was the Executive In Charge of Development and Production at Amazon Studios before getting scooped up as the Vice President of Scripted Programming at Entertainment One (The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead). At Amazon Studios, she served as the point executive on such series as Bosch, Hand of God, Mad Dogs and Good Girls Revolt. Prior to Amazon Studios, Newman was VP Development and Production for Sphere Media, where she oversaw development and executive produ

I first met Sherri Shepherd more than a decade ago when I was a reporter in Tulsa. She graciously let me interview her for a feature story I was working on and I immediately became a fan.  She was funny, down to earth, and if I remember correctly, she couldn't wait to be a mom someday. Cut to many years later and her star has risen astronomically and she is finally a mom. When I met her she was starring on ABC's "Less Than Perfect" with Sara Rue. She also spent 7 years as a co-host on The View and is now starring in the new NBC comedy Trial and Error. She tells me that co-star John Ligthgow is a huge help to her on set with her son Jeffrey. And away from set she has an amazing support system in place to help when life in Hollywood seems overwhelming. She explains how friends like Niecy Nash and women she met in Mocha Moms are her lifeline when things get complicated. She has built a mom tribe of women who understand the challenges of motherhood in the entertainment industry and don't care if she's uber

There are few things in this world that will give me actual cool status and interviewing Paul Oakenfold for my podcast is definitely at the top of the list. For those unaware, he has been an influential part of the electronic music scene since the 80's where he eventually earned the nickname "Perfecto." He has worked with just about every major artist and band from U2 and Justin Timberlake to Ice Cube and The Rolling Stones. And after this interview I'm fairly certain we are going to be friends for life. So yeah, cool status achieved. Photo by Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for Friends N Family So why on earth is this legendary EDM pioneer and music icon on my podcast? Good question. I have to thank my friends at LA Travel Magazine for connecting us at their recent Taste of the World event at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood. Paul was making an appearance at the event to showcase his new tequila, Perfectomundo. He's invited me to try it and I have to admit that makes me nervous. Tequila is a bit of a truth serum

I have to admit for a long time I was very naive about how TV shows get made. As an actor that's really something I should have known and understood from the beginning. I feel like it would have alleviated a lot of the "why didn't they pick me??" moments after auditions. Thankfully I'm all caught up now and can thoughtfully talk to experts like my guest Lisa Sterbakov. She is a partner at Orchard Farm Productions along with Mila Kunis, Cami Curtis and Susan Curtis. Orchard Farm Production developed "Trapped" with Rob Zombie for the Starz Network   Lisa shared her story with me in her office on the Disney lot. She told me Orchard Farm Productions has developed and sold 12 shows including Hunted and Trapped since it started in 2015. That's an incredible accomplishment for a new production company. And I think it's even more fantastic because everyone at the helm of that ship is a woman. An all female led production company is virtually unheard of in Hollywood so I wanted to dig in a bit to her story and find

Courtney Thorne-Smith has been a working actress since she was 17 years old. And if you know anything about Hollywood, that is an amazing feat. Right now she's starring in Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery for the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel and I had the chance to talk with her about her role in a BONUS episode of Motherhood in Hollywood. She's playing Emma, a brilliant, dedicated, and driven archaeologist who discovers artifacts that have been lost for hundreds of years--and she's very, very good at it. Emma has recently unearthed evidence of a possible 17th century coastal Maine settlement that predates Jamestown, one of the most significant archaeological finds in years. But the dead body she uncovers on the site pushes Emma into a different kind of exploration. Her dig site is suddenly in jeopardy of being shut down, due to the meddling of local treasure-hunters and a second suspicious murder. Emma must team with the handsome FBI Agent (James Tupper) investigating the case to dig up dirt

We did it! We made it to our 100th episode! I say "we" because I know there's no way I could have reached 100 episodes alone.  There have been countless friends, family and fans who have supported this show and inspired me to keep creating. I have seen every Tweet, every Instagram comment, every Facebook comment and every email and I feel so honored that this show has resonated with you. I had no idea what I was doing or what to expect when I did my first episode with actress Jen Hasty. My audio wasn't great, my website was terrible, and I asked her way too many questions. But Jen, along with all of my guests, were gracious enough to lend me their time and let me share their story.  I have asked ridiculous questions that are too late to take back now (Do babies born in water like to swim??)  And had heartfelt, life-changing conversations with women who inspire me. My favorite episodes though have to be the ones I've done with my husband Chris.  He has been by my side every step of this process, watching

Summer is almost here and that means kids all over the land will be pool bound. So I invited water safety expert Lisa Cook from Kid Swim in LA to share some water safety tips for parents ready to dive in. When Channing was a tiny baby I couldn't wait to get her in the pool. She hated baths so I don't know why I thought she would like a huge, deep pool but lesson learned. She screamed so much the first few times I took her swimming. But I persisted in my efforts to get her comfy in a pool and now she LOVES it. I literally have to drag her out. The only problem is, she doesn't know what she's doing in there. She just flops around on the steps and holds on to me or Chris when she wants to float out farther. I think it's time she learns how to swim and I'm so glad Lisa gave me some advice.  In this episode we talk about: What age to start swim lessons A parent's role in the water The number one mistake parents make around water Is your child really learning to swim or mimicking what they've seen an