DEEP DIVE: Leslie Forde of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood | Parenting Tips From Funny Moms

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

Kids & Family, Comedy, Parenting

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 May 2026

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This Deep Dive series revisits some of our past episodes on discerning what we need as moms, and then asking for it confidently. Most of us know about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the pyramid pattern through which human needs and motivations generally move upward. We can't worry about what's at the upper levels of the pyramid until and unless the more basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid– food, warmth, safety– are met first. Leslie Forde, founder of ⁠Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs⁠, has rethought that pyramid for the way we live our lives as mothers. There's a reason there's not enough bandwidth in our lives for fun and connection and self-actualization. Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs provides moms with products, research and community to reclaim time from their never-done to-do lists. In this episode, Leslie explains: Why mom's hierarchy of needs is a little different than Maslow's When and why your hierarchy of needs might shift How to prioritize your career, healthy relationships, and self-care in your own hierarchy Leslie says that it's important to realize your health and wellbeing is equal in importance to your children's health and wellbeing, and once you internalize that, you can start to make room for your own needs without feeling guilty or frivolous. Here's where you can find Leslie: Facebook: @MOMSHIERARCHYOFNEEDS Twitter: @MOMSHIERARCHY IG: @MOMSHIERARCHYOF_NEEDS ⁠Leslie's TimeCheck app⁠ ⁠https://momshierarchyofneeds.com/⁠ Our episode ⁠"Isn't This Supposed to Be More Fun?"⁠ Sign up for the What Fresh Hell newsletter! Once a month, you’ll get our favorite recent episodes, plus links to other things to read and watch and listen to, and upcoming special events. 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: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:31.9	Hello, everyone and welcome to Fresh Take from What Fresh Hell Laughing in the Face of Motherhood.
0:36.7	This is Margaret. And this is
0:38.1	Amy. And today we're talking to Leslie Ford. She is the CEO and founder of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs,
0:44.9	an organization committed to the well-being and growth of moms, both at home and in the workplace.
0:50.5	Mom's hierarchy of needs provides moms with products, research, and community to reclaim time from their never done to-do lists for their own well-being.
0:59.5	Leslie has held brand management, product marketing, and business development roles, and for the past decade, she's focused on children's education, mental health, child care, and elder care.
1:10.1	Leslie is a frequent speaker, researcher, and
1:12.4	consultant to organizations on how to support parents in the workplace. Welcome, Leslie.
1:17.1	Thank you. I'm so thrilled to be here. Can we start by your company is called Mom's Hierarchy of
1:23.4	Needs? I want to start by describing Maslow's hierarchy of needs just in case people aren't
1:27.9	familiar with what you're talking about. I'm happy to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, kind of unlike
1:34.1	mom's hierarchy of needs, it's a bit more linear in that it displays all of the things that we
1:38.9	consider, you know, vital for our health and for our wellness, like, you know, food, shelter, like the real basics
1:47.6	are down at the bottom of the hierarchy. And most people kind of explain Maslow's as once you've hit
1:53.7	those foundational priorities for your, you know, for your survival, then you can ascend to the next
2:00.7	level, right?
2:01.6	And it goes all the way up to what you would consider your aspirational goals.
	...

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