TGE Media The Great Equalizer

The Great Equalizer

An honest, unfiltered, unapologetic and (at times) irreverent parenting and lifestyle podcast about the realities of being a mom (or dad!) in the 2020s.

Launched in 2018 by journalist Sam Herbst and marketing maven Charlene Armstrong, this podcast aims to debunk the myth of “perfect parenting” through personal (and balanced) accounts of our mothering highs and lows all while tackling a host of relatable lifestyle topics.

And – because we can hardly pretend to have our own sh*t together – our episodes often include interviews with experts who do.

Our mission? A representative and inclusive parenting and lifestyle platform that strikes a realistic balance between celebration, commiseration and education, because motherhood and parenting is a complex beast and we shouldn't pretend otherwise. #nojudgies
Monthly English Explicit South Africa Kids & Family · Relationships Narrated by Production: Autumn Aperture ARGH! Studios Editor: Ray Herbst Sound Stephen Kriel
112 Episodes
1 – 20

BONUS | MOM RAGE! with author Minna Dubin

We have another all-new BONUS episode out today featuring the phenomenal Minna Dubin. Minna is a US-based journalist and author whose essays and articles on motherhood and identity have been featured across all the best known outlets, including the New York Times, The Times, The Philadelphia Enquirer, LitHub, and so…
23 Jan 1 hr 04 min

Episode 97: BARBIE! And the 'messy contradictions of motherhood'

It’s been a hot damn minute, guys and dolls! And not because we’ve been beaching. Nope, our fate has us suffering cold showers, walking in flats, considering the inescapable fate of death, drowning in a few existential crises, and pondering the fact that the patriarchy isn’t actually about horses. In…
14 Oct 2023 1 hr 29 min

Episode 96: BEING SOBER CURIOUS! with author Pamela Power

On this episode of The Great Equalizer, Sam’s lost faith in humanity, Charlene’s gone VIRAL (for all the wrong reasons) and we chat with author Pamela Power about being sober curious and the memoir she wrote about her year of not getting sh*tfaced (aptly titled My Year of Not Getting…
21 Jul 2023 1 hr 16 min

Episode 93: HOW TO TACKLE BULLYING! with educational psychologist Naledi Mokoena

Our three-part series on friendship with LEGO South Africa continues as we tackle BULLYING! and SELF-ESTEEM! with Sandton-based educational psychologist Naledi Mokoena. In this episode we focus on bullies and victims, and we talk about the different nuances that bullying can take on, from the more overt, obvious abuse to…
7 Mar 2023 1 hr 16 min

Episode 91: BACK TO SCHOOL! BACK TO ANXIETY! with psychologist Dr Jenny Rose

It’s a brand new year, folks! Replete with brand new anxieties (along with all the old ones) 😃👍🏼 First off the block is back-to-school anxiety, which we’ll be tackling on all fronts with the help of the loveliest parent-child expert around, the incredibly smart and sweet powerhouse, @drjennyrose. Jenny is…
9 Jan 2023 1 hr 09 min

Episode 88: OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS... BLEGH! We battle a case of the #hardjudgies

The gals from The Great Equalizer are BACK and finally together IN PERSON in our newly minted studio (whoop whoop). On this episode, Sam and Charlene acknowledge how hard it’s been to stick to our #nojudgies policy, especially when it comes to Other People’s Kids (blegh). Why does no-one tell…
4 Oct 2022 1 hr 09 min

EPISODE 85: THINGS PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO HEAR! with Ougat author Shana Fife

We catch up after a long hiatus (and a tough year, if we're honest). Amid Covid, money troubles, postpartum depression and losing ourselves in the shitshow that is 2021, Team TGE makes our way back to the microphone. We've decided that it's better to talk about the shit – the poo…
10 Nov 2021 1 hr 37 min
 bonus  

THE DARK SIDE OF MOTHERHOOD: Generational Trauma and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety

In this bonus episode Sam talks to clinical psychologist Slindile Mbatha about Intergenerational Trauma and how it intersects with motherhood. Mbatha explains what generational trauma is, how it can be recognised and how we break the cycle of trauma. The pair also deep-dive into postpartum depression, anxiety and intrusive thoughts…
20 Jul 2021 47 min
 bonus  

THE LONGEST, HARDEST BREAKUP: Letting Your Kids Go With Love

In this bonus episode of The Great Equalizer, Sam chats to mom-of-two Natasha Kisten. With two teenage boys of her own, Natasha has discovered how letting go isn't a once-off process that happens when our kids are old enough to fly the coup. Rather, there are different levels of letting…
20 Jul 2021 20 min
1 – 20