Author and activist Shannon Watts wants you to let go of the guilt
“Mom guilt is the system’s way of trying to keep us in check, when really, there's no need for that suffering.”
This week I am talking with badass advocate and "summoner of women's audacity," Shannon Watts.
Shannon is the author of Fight Like a Mother and host of the Substack newsletter “Playing with Fire,” where she addresses overlooked topics head on, such as ADHD in women and girls and the benefits of hormone therapy for relief of menopause symptoms.
Shannon is the founder emerita of Moms Demand Action, the grassroots movement for common sense gun reform that grew to include more than 10 million members who have helped pass over 500 gun safety laws across the country. She’s been named Glamour's Woman of the Year and one of Time's 100 Most Influential People. And she's working on a new book about women in leadership that'll be out in the summer of 2025.
It was an honor to talk with her and we really broke it down.
Listen to Shannon’s episodes:
Shannon Watts, practical matters: The Facebook post heard 'round the world, the upsides of ADHD, and a standing desk fail
Shannon Watts, inner stuff: When your inner critic is terrified you'll come off as corny or woo-woo + taking aim at mom guilt
Shannon Watts, what’s next: Being OK with not exactly knowing what’s next + recipe for the perfect cup of coffee
Or, listen to Shannon’s full interview in one, ad-free episode, by becoming a paid subscriber 👇🏻
“I sit down in front of the computer every time and I say, ‘I am open, I am safe, I am just gonna write. No one's judging me.’ And that has made a world of difference.”
Things we covered:
Knowing when it's time to transition out of what you've been doing
ADHD and how its effects have changed as she's gotten older
Switching gears from being a very public person who had to keep her private life private (to not feed the trolls) to a private person who talks about private things (menopause, ADHD) publicly
Honoring the desire to have more information (and to share that information once you find it)
The incredible origin story of Moms Demand Action (or what I call, "the Facebook post heard 'round the world)
Her standing desk fail
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The "small miracle" or crystallizing a thought in a way you hadn't been able to articulate before
How getting reiki helps her write
The huge difference in the lived experience between Gen X women and their mothers
Taking aim at mom guilt
The woo woo retreat that almost made her run for the door, but turned out to be a much-needed entryway to being playful
Knowing that it's time to shift into a different way of being, but not yet knowing exactly what that looks like
The reality show she watches until the wee hours whenever her husband is out of town
“With my ADHD, my brain says, ‘It might be a good idea right now to organize your closet by color. Have you done every single piece of laundry that there is to do? Um, what about spring cleaning? That is something that you might want to do instead of writing.’ It takes me forever to get going, but once I do, the house could be on fire—I’m not getting out of that chair.”
Specific things we discussed:
On with Kara Swisher podcast
Morning Joe podcast
We Can Do Hard Things podcast
Pulling the Thread podcast with Elise Loehnan
The Heart’s Invisible Furies, by John Boyne
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Where to find Shannon:
Shannon’s Substack, Playing with Fire
Shannon on Instagram
Listen to past episodes:
Eric Jay Dolin, practical matters: A path to writing that’s lined with seashells and diplomas
Eric Jay Dolin, inner stuff: Riding that balance of being grateful for the audience you have, while also hoping to grow it
Eric Jay Dolin, what’s next: Visualizing selling 500,000 copies + why chicken parm is the perfect food
Kate Schapira, practical matters: How one act of inspiration (mixed with desperation) turned in to a book + dealing with climate anxiety
Kate Schapira, inner stuff: Getting comfortable with the vulnerability of "telling the truth and showing your butt" in your writing
Kate Schapira, what’s next: Finding ways to share your work with more people that feel good, helpful, and nourishing (not like selling or marketing)
Jacquelyn Mitchard, practical matters: On deleting Oprah Winfrey's VMs + writing a book, one sentence at a time
Jacquelyn Mitchard, inner stuff: Cultivating the relationship between author and reader when "every sentence is a struggle"
Jacquelyn Mitchard, what's next: Owning your jealousy of other writers + gobs of amazing book recommendations