Frank table talk on motherhood, sex, race and friendship.
The Unfiltered Mom brings Elizabeth Lewis and a circle of close friends together for frank, overlapping talk about motherhood, careers, sex, race and friendship. The range runs from smutty books and sexual liberation to sick kids, cancelled plans and an argument over whether Michigan drivers have any excuse to stay off snowy roads.
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The Unfiltered Mom is a conversation show built around Elizabeth Lewis and a small circle of friends, and much of its appeal comes from how little it tidies itself up. Lewis introduces herself as owner and CEO of Detroit Mom, and she ties the podcast to that community and to the isolation she felt as a teen mom. The talk moves at the pace of friends catching up. Voices overlap, stories double back, and tangents are allowed to run. For a show filed under motherhood, the subject range is wide. 'Smutty Books and Sexual Liberation' is billed in its opening as one of the spiciest episodes, and it travels from smutty books to a magazine left on a bachelor's toilet to a secondhand account of intimate surgery at eighteen. One speaker's takeaway from that magazine was that every image looked the same, which left her wondering how much had been retouched. Race gets the same directness. 'Traveling while Black vs. Muslim vs. White' sets the perspectives of Black, Muslim and white women next to each other. In it, a white participant says she has never scanned a room to check whether she is the only white person there. 'We’re Going There: Racial Injustices and Social Conflicts' turns some of its frustration on social media itself, with one speaker lamenting that a story lasting 24 hours now stands in for a face-to-face conversation where you can hear someone's voice catch. Work comes up too. 'Challenging Societal Norms around Careers as a Mom' weighs the judgment traded between employed and stay-at-home mothers. One woman expects to stay in corporate work; another praises the freedom to set her own hours and sleep in when sick, while conceding that some entrepreneurs work longer than people on a nine-to-five. Then there are the everyday frictions. 'Sick Kids & Social Challenges: Avoiding the (Mommy) Meltdown' deals with plans that fall through, whether with a spouse, with friends or over a play date, and detours into a spirited exchange in which a speaker from Virginia insists Michigan drivers have no excuse to stay off snowy roads. It closes by asking listeners to be kind to other moms walking the same path, because next time it will be their kid. 'We Just Wanna Be Couch Friends: Deep, Easy and Comforting' is about the friends who can show up at any hour. Not everyone at the table is ready for that: one woman leaves unannounced visitors outside once she spots them on her ring cam, a rule she traces to a childhood home that always seemed full of other people. For a first listen, the couch friends conversation shows the group at its easiest, while the travel episode shows what it sounds like when the talk turns serious.
Made for: Suits a listener who wants to hear mothers talking among themselves without a script, and who is comfortable going from frank talk about sex and race to sick kids, snowy roads and unannounced visitors.
What sets it apart: The material is the women's own lives rather than expert advice, and the show gives sexual liberation and racial perspective the same candor it gives play dates and pop-in visits, all tied to the Detroit Mom community Lewis runs.
Women need places to have honest, challenging conversations that disrupt the social narratives and expectations we are accustomed to.The Unfiltered Mom is everything you have been looking for, and more. Here is sisterhood. Here is honesty. Here is truth.In motherhood, marriage, friendship, and career, we can feel isolated and like we are the only ones going through something. This podcast reminds you that you are never alone and there are women who will truly see you.Elizabeth Lewis and friends will guide you in conversations you’ve craved for so long but never had access to. You can show up fully as you, without fear of judgment or not belonging. This show is for you.
A canceled date night hits harder when it took a babysitter and a minor miracle to arrange.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A warm, candid conversation about motherhood, work, and who gets to define success.
The episode looks at the familiar life script that says college, steady corporate work, good pay, loyalty, retirement, and insurance are the markers of a successful adulthood.
A candid look at how public distress follows parents into ordinary family life.
The Unfiltered Map gathers social issues, social media, friendship, family, and daily obligation into one tangled conversation. Elizabeth Lewis and her friends sit with the pressure to speak publicly when loved ones do not share the same views, and with the worry that staying…
A candid look at couch friends, unplanned visits, and the boundaries that keep closeness healthy.
The Unfiltered Math frames couch friends as a tender measure of closeness: the kind of people who can arrive without a formal invitation, sit with someone in an unfinished moment, and make space for a home or life that is not camera-ready.
A candid conversation about sick kids, canceled plans, and the sting of losing a rare date night.
A canceled date night, a sitter who falls through, or a sick child can turn ordinary parenting logistics into something sharper: the feeling of losing a rare chance to reconnect.
Parenthood and bodies, told one honest story at a time.
Elizabeth Lewis opens The Unfiltered Mom by challenging the idea that a doctor, lawyer, or high-paying job automatically means success, and she ties that pressure to her own decision to leave hospital work for Detroit Mom's blog.
"I will make the sandwiches" while other people "are ready for that smoke."
Elizabeth Lewis and Charmaine compare smutty books to porn, saying women want "an actual plot" and "a build," not just immediate payoff.
Elizabeth Lewis opens The Unfiltered Mom with a discussion of "couch friends," inspired by Nikki Marie Inc.
Elizabeth Lewis says moms need a "fast no and a slow yes" instead of a false yes.
On The Unfiltered Mom, doula Elise Bowerman discusses how birth experiences can shape a parent's later feelings about motherhood.
Elizabeth Lewis says losing both parents in 2018 made holiday traditions painful to recreate.
Charmaine says she skips weddings after friends' marriages ended quickly and questions spending on wedding gifts.
Host Elizabeth Lewis and friends discuss driving experiences from different racial perspectives, exploring white privilege and the importance of hearing diverse voices.
Host Elizabeth Lewis introduces a series on diversity, equity, and inclusion, sharing a conversation from Facebook about personal experiences with racism and privilege.
Host Elizabeth Lewis interviews Linda Walter about the Outdoor Adventure Center's COVID-19 safety measures for families.
Host Elizabeth Lewis discusses cannabis usage with guests, sharing her personal journey and exploring its role in motherhood and wellness.