Hi, I'm Anna Marie Cox. Welcome to With Friends Like These. On this week's show, we're

going to talk about moms. That's not quite right. We're going to talk about mothers.

No, we're going to talk about motherhood. If, like me, you're not a mother. Perhaps you

think this is something you don't need to concern yourself with, I would urge you to consider

the fact that the idea of motherhood blankets our culture for everyone. That idea affects

how you feel about your own status as a mother or as a not-mother. It affects how you feel

about your own mother. It affects how you see other people who are mothers or not mothers.

Being is through this discussion is Liz Lins, who was on the show before to talk about

another memoir come piece of social criticism, Godland, a story of faith, loss, and renewal

in middle America. Today, we're talking about her latest book, The Labored, A Vindication

of the Rights of Pregnant Women. And she is coming right up.

With friends like these, it's brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp wants to know

what interferes with your happiness. And dear listeners, that makes me laugh every time

I come across it because BetterHelp is great. I love their sponsor. And we just don't

have time for a list of things interfered with my happiness, not here in January of the

Year of our Lord 2021. I'm guessing it's the same for you. If there is a person out there

who doesn't need or want counseling, I'd off my cap to you. If you're one of the many

that do want to talk to someone about the hell year, BetterHelp will assess your needs

and match you with your own license professional therapist. You connect in a safe and private

online environment, making it so convenient, you can begin communicating with your therapist

in under 24 hours. It's not self-help. It's professional counseling. You can send a message

to your counselor anytime and you get a timely and thoughtful response, plus you can schedule

...