Mother and System Fixer

Mother and System Fixer

From Our Voices, Our Future by Meghan Etsey, Rhea Manohar, Meenu Immaneni, and Laura Uricoechea

March 20, 2026 · 20 min · Season 2 · Episode 48

About this episode

The episode discusses the systemic issues surrounding motherhood and caregiving, featuring insights from Stephanie Fornaro.

In this episode of Our Voices, Our Future , we sit down with Stephanie Fornaro, founder of Hello Nanny!, to unpack the structural realities of motherhood that too often remain invisible, yet deeply shape mental health, careers, and family stability. During this episode, we talk about postpartum depression as a systemic outcome, not a personal shortcoming; the overlooked numbers behind caregiving, unpaid labor, and burnout; and how inadequate childcare reverberates far beyond individual households. Stephanie reframes care as economic and public health infrastructure, challenging long-standing narratives that position support as indulgence rather than necessity. We also discuss practical interventions, policy implications, and the mindset shifts needed to move caregiving equity from private struggle to collective responsibility. To learn more about Stephanie and Hello Nanny!, you can visit her website: www.hellonanny.com You can also reach out to Stephanie via email: stephanie@hellonanny.com You can find more information about the work AMWA’s Advocacy Committee has done and how to join their efforts here: https://www.amwa-doc.org/our-work/advocacy/ You can find more information…

People in this episode

Guest: Stephanie Fornaro

Topics covered

  • motherhood
  • mental health
  • caregiving
  • childcare
  • policy implications

Keywords

  • postpartum depression
  • unpaid labor
  • burnout
  • caregiving equity

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Hello Nanny!

Books & works: Our Voices, Our Future

More episodes of Our Voices, Our Future

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Our Voices, Our Future podcast page.