DEEP DIVE: Giving Help That Works– And Asking for the Help We Need

DEEP DIVE: Giving Help That Works– And Asking for the Help We Need

From What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson

June 1, 2026 · 42 min

About this episode

The episode discusses effective ways to help others in crisis and the importance of asking for help as mothers.

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes on discerning what we need as moms, and then asking for it confidently. Do you hate feeling unable to help people in crisis, or do you worry about getting too involved and stepping on toes? There are ways to give help to people in need that are productive and considerate, and our listeners wrote in with some excellent examples. Amy and Margaret discuss: How to avoid the "let me know if you need anything" trap The "comfort in, dump out" model of caretaking The perils of too many lasagnas The best help you can give may be something that feels inconsequential to you but is actually a huge help to the people in need. Whatever your role ends up being during a crisis, accept it graciously, and don't expect a hero's fanfare for your efforts. Links! Anne Helen Petersen: ⁠A Shortcut for Caring for Others (and Being Cared for Yourself)⁠ Susan Silk and Barry Goldman for the LA Times: ⁠"How not to say the wrong thing"⁠ What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website…

People in this episode

Hosts: Amy Wilson, Margaret Ables

Topics covered

  • helping others
  • motherhood
  • crisis support
  • asking for help
  • caregiving
  • community support

Keywords

  • help
  • motherhood
  • crisis
  • support
  • caregiving
  • community
  • asking for help

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LA Times

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