Our Producer Chats with Vanessa
Producer Shoshi Shmuluvitz turns the mic on Vanessa to unpack the personal story behind So Your Parents Are Old—and to talk about what it’s been like turning the messiest chapter of life into a podcas...
29 Dec 202514min
My Dad Was in the Mob with Barry Rothbart
Vanessa is joined by Barry Rothbart, whose relationship with his father was fraught for many years. What do you do when your dad is both as bad as he seems, and worse—and you love him anyway? For more...
22 Dec 202536min
Balancing a Professional Lady Life with Caregiving, with Corinne Low
Economist Corinne Low maps the math of women’s time to understand why “having it all” isn’t really possible, especially when aging parents enter the equation. She gives practical advice on how to buy ...
16 Dec 202538min
Living in a Time of 'Anti-Compassion' with Alissa Quart
Journalist and author Alissa Quart joins Vanessa to talk about how to turn a parent’s art into a living legacy while navigating the impossible “third shift” of caregiving. They also zoom out to discus...
8 Dec 202531min
Collin Moulton's Clean Comedy
Collin Moulton’s parents hadn’t spoken in decades—until their failing health forced a reunion no sitcom could script. The comedian joins Vanessa to talk about the chaotic final years of his parents’ l...
2 Dec 202529min
Singing To My Mom with Amara Walker
Journalist and former CNN anchor Amara Walker opens up about her mother’s Alzheimer’s—how she found support in community, how she talks to her children about their grandmother’s illness, and how she a...
25 Nov 202542min
Laughing Through Medicare Appeals with Kathleen Madigan
Comedian Kathleen Madigan has turned the trials of caring for her parents into some of her sharpest material. She joins Vanessa to commiserate about Medicare and creepy porcelain basement dolls—and to...
18 Nov 202542min
My Mom Celebrated Life with Erika Christensen
Actress Erika Christensen joins Vanessa to talk about her new film After All, where she plays a daughter caring for her ill mother. Together, they explore the unexpected intimacy of birth, death, and ...
11 Nov 202536min
