Introducing: Dear Mothers

A new, non-advice column

Our first two letters are live!

Dears Mothers #1: for Maxed Out Mama

Dear Mothers #2: for Writer Who Doesn’t Write Any Longer

---

Years and years ago, I fell in love with a podcast called Dear Sugars, inspired directly by the cult-favorite advice column.

While I adored the hosts themselves—Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond—the premise of the show is what captivated me most. Each week, Cheryl and Steve read letters from people all over the world seeking guidance, and offered radical empathy as a response. Occasionally, they offered actual, tangible advice, but more often than not, Cheryl and Steve responded to the letters with a related story or anecdote of their own. A kind of “me, too” moment played out in real time.

I devoured the show. Then I devoured the column. Then I devoured the book, Tiny Beautiful Things. I couldn’t get enough of this compassionate, back-and-forth dialogue between writer and reader, host and listener. I became completely enchanted witnessing the hope and wonder and love of heartache meeting empathy via an exchange between strangers.

One of my all-time favorite creative mantras is go where the energy is. This means when fireworks start popping in my brain, I pay attention. When I feel my heart skip a beat over a new idea, I immediately drop what I'm doing and sprint toward the possibility.

With that, I’d like to introduce our latest creative project: Dear Mothers.

What is Dear Mothers? It’s a gentle space, where a story meets a story. It’s radical empathy in practice. It’s a form of hospitality, an invitation for you to become an active participant in the stories we write. I guess you could call it a collection of love letters, from us to you. A collaboration rooted in our mission to make mothers feel safe, known, encouraged and loved. ❤️

And here’s the best part. We need your help to get this project off the ground.