Under the Influence with Jo Piazza
Episodes
Let's Talk About the Mrs. America Pageant
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Until about six months ago I didn't know that the Mrs. America pageant existed. And when I did some research and found that it originally judged conte...
The Evangelical Christians Are Coming in Hot on Instagram
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You know who is alive and well on Instagram? Jesus. And I say that without judgment, but it is true. Whether you realize it or not religion, namel...
Who Needs Some Social Media Therapy?
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Social Media anxiety is now a staple of many, many, many conversations in therapy. People come to the couch to talk about how Instagram and TikTok mak...
The Nanny Wars on Social Media
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nanny shaming in mom Facebook groups, parents hiring $125 private investigators to spy on their caregivers, nannies losing their jobs because of an an...
Who Does Instagram Choose to Censor? (Hint: Women)
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who chooses what we see on social media? Instagram (META) and other social media companies have the power to pick and choose what images they want to ...
Sobriety and Social Media with Suzanne Warye
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's Dry January time for a lot of people. What better time to dive into the world of sobriety influencers. Finding sobriety is different for everyone...
Breaking: Ballerina Farm Had Her Baby...Why Do We Care?
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we care about an influencer baby we will never meet? Ballerina Farm just gave birth to her eighth child.....and the Internet can't handle it....
Pranking Babies and Posting Potty Training With Fortesa Latifi
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you are potty training a child these days social media is probably serving you all sorts of potty advice. One of the most surprising accounts we ha...
New Years Resolutions That Do Not Suck
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is there anything lamer than New Years’ resolutions? Part of me thinks that New Year's resolutions are bs. And the other part of me thinks, you know...
Are #TradWives Dangerous or Just Ridiculous With Kathryn Jezer Morton
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's settle this debate once and for all...is #TradWife content actually dangerous, or just stupid? Today I talk toThe Cut's Brooding columnist Kathr...
The #TradWives Are Coming For Your Husbands (According to the NY POST)
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A story went viral on the NY Post and Reddit in the past 24 hours claiming that a husband left his wife because he became OBSESSED with a #tradwife on...
Ruby Franke Pleads Guilty to Sickening Child Abuse
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Breaking news over here. After months of anticipation, Ruby Franke, the mom influencer who was charged with abusing and starving her children, finally...
Getting Rid of Mom Shame with Emily Oster
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Will daycare give your kid attachment issues? Are you breastfeeding wrong? Is sleep training the worst thing you can do as a parent? Being a mom often...
The $59 Million Wedding That Destroyed Social Media
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to an Under the Influence - Too Much Money crossover episode! By now you've probably heard about the $59 million wedding that has everyone go...
An Update On Katie Sorenson From the Michael's Parking Lot
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How many of you remember the Katie Sorensen story? Maybe you don't remember the name, but you might remember the episode we did a couple of years ag...
Debunking the Lies of Parenting Influencers
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
No one should ever shame you for how you parent on Instagram. I have said it before and I will say it again—if you feel shamed then it is time to un...
Confessions of a Former Trad Wife
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this incredibly brave interview we speak with a woman who considers herself a former trad wife. She got married young and had kids young. Her husba...
Newborn Advice No One With Tell You With Modern Mom Probs (Tara Clark)
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The postpartum period is a clusterf*ck dumpster fire of hell and do not let anyone tell you different. It is also magical and wonderful and life-chang...
The Hatred of Women on the Internet with Taylor Lorenz
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does the Internet fundamentally hate women? Social media platforms can be a battleground, often subjecting women to harsh criticism and verbal violenc...
Let's Quit the Parenting Advice Influencers
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mini bonus for anyone who needs a post holiday reminder that you're amazing and no one should tell you any different. Parenting advice influencers are...
The Exquisite Joy of Quitting Instagram with Marlee Grace
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our constant quest to stay connected, Instagram and other social media platforms have become staples of our daily lives. Yet, there is a growing co...
Botched Liposuction on TikTok
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Back in July, an Ohio plastic surgeon lost her medical license after the state medical board investigated her for live streaming operations on TikTok ...
Introducing TOO MUCH MONEY
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jo has made a new podcast and here is a sneak peak of the first episode. From Jo Piazza and Doree Shafrir, the host of the hit podcast Forever 35 come...
Fear and Finance with Farnoosh Torabi
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What are you afraid of? Today we are talking about fears and finances. Because our phones are listening to us all the time they can probably hear us w...
You Are a Good Mom
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I want to tell all of you moms out there something very important today. You are a good mom, a good parent, a good caretaker. You are good. You are go...
Are Trad Wives Happier Than You?
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are trad wives happier than the rest of us? So many of the women I know who are bad-ass boss babes struggling to juggle it all—career, relevance, fu...
Protecting Boys From Toxic Social Media with Peggy Orenstein
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Subscribe to the Over the Influence newsletter HERE for episode transcripts, bonus content and more of my ramblings about weird stuff on and off the I...
Don't Spy On Your Kids' Phones with Dr. Devorah Heitner
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Order Devorah's Book HERE Subscribe to the Over the Influence newsletter HERE for episode transcripts, bonus content and more of my ramblings about we...
A Look Into Cancer Influencing with Kelli Stuart
29 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A couple of years ago, Kelli Stuart was diagnosed with breast cancer after she went in for a routine mammogram and it did not go the way she expected....
Would You Pick Your Kids Nose on Instagram? With Mom Uncharted
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of parents are putting really gross shit of their kids online every single day. And millions of people are watching it. Millions! Millions. We a...
What Do We Do With Mom Rage? With Minna Dubin
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You can read Minna's original piece in the New York Times here and buy Mom Rage here. As always, grab your Sicilian Inheritance often and early. I nee...
Is Lex Delarosa's #TradWife Account Satire? with Lex Delarosa
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this week we asked whether the "traditional wife" Lex Delarosa was trolling us with her Instagram account. So many of you were convinced that ...
Soft Girls Don't Want Your Hustle with Steph McNeil
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you heard about #softgirls? They're young women who want to check out of hustle culture. Their greatest dream is to achieve nothing. She doesn't ...
All About #TradWives with Anne Helen Petersen
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe to Anne Helen Petersen's Substack Culture Study. Read her piece on #tradwives here. And listen to her podcast Work App...
Can I Quit Being Influenced with Jessica Elefante
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jessica Elefante used to be part of the problem. She was a brand strategist and marketer who created fake problems for us so we would buy things and d...
Influencer Kids Are Probably Fed Up - With Fortesa Latifi
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What will happen to all the kids having their lives made into content? How do they feel? Maybe they're fine, maybe they're miserable. It is so hard to...
Is a Sick Child Content? With Fortesa Latifi
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What line do we cross when we post pictures of sick kids to social media and why does the Instagram algorithm and content machine seem to promote thes...
Just Feed the Damn Kids—With Virginia Sole-Smith
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Feeding kids is hard. It doesn't matter if you have a sushi-loving toddler or one who eats three beige foods. There is judgement and stigma about ever...
Meta is Stealing Our Words! What Will They Take Next?
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The robots are coming for all of us. Companies like Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, are using books to train their AI machines without aski...
Munchausen by Proxy on the Socials
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Munchausen by Proxy has gotten a lot of attention lately with Patricia Arquette's star turn in the series The Act. MBP refers to when a caregiver abus...
Infamous! A Chat About Ozempic
23 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You can download all of the Infamous episodes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-the-future-and-everybody-is-thin/id1652941051?i=10006287...
Even More Ballerina Farm
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Well we just had too much to say about Ballerina Farm to keep it to one episode. Her brand has become a mini empire and I look at it a little like Ree...
A Very Mrs. American Ballerina Farm
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Buy Sara's book y'all. MOMFLUENCED is an incredible read. You can also subscribe to her substack here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...
Quick and Dirty Ruby Franke Update
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Quick update on the Ruby Franke story wherein everyone throws everyone else under the bus. Kevin Franke says he and Ruby were separated! He has been i...
Who the hell is Ruby Franke?
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thank you to Jessica Grose for joining me on today's adventure. BUY HER BOOK. She is a national treasure. Screaming on the Inside was just released in...
BONUS: The Business of Laura Ingalls Wilder
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Laura Ingalls Wilder probably couldn’t have imagined the multi-million dollar media empire that would emerge from her books. From the television sho...
Women's Day Off the Internet is Not Today
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
But it is coming. We decided that maybe Jo's birthday isn't the most impactful day for women to shut down the Internet and truth be told we also got c...
Bonus: Third Wheel with Jenny Mollen
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The social media influencer has officially replaced the plucky girl journalist as the heroine of choice in women's fiction. The latest and most hilari...
A Wild Request
09 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jo and Glynnis are making a new show and they need your help... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices....
Bonus: Holly Frey In Conversation With Seneca Women to Hear Winners Kris McDaniel and Andi Gordon
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Holly Frey, host of Stuff You Missed in History Class, sits down with Kris McDaniel and Andi Gordon, two winners of Seneca Women to Hear: Search for t...
Bonus: Secrets of the Sprakkar with Eliza Reid
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As women’s rights are eroding in the United States, our Women’s Day Off (the Internet) is becoming increasingly necessary. While we plan it, we ta...
The Future
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Prepare your flux capacitor because we’re going back to the future. In the final episode of Season 2, Jo talks to experts in social media to predict...
Do The Hustle
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
These days it seems like everyone’s houses look remarkably similar. White kitchens, brushed brass accessories, exposed beams and all the shiplap. Wh...
Save Me
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There truly is an influencer for everything! After spending a week in the hospital when her son got a concussion (don’t worry, everyone is ok), Jo l...
Do No Harm
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Influencers pop up where women need them most. They create a space to discuss taboo topics and provide resources when social structures fail us. Ferti...
The Parasocial Socials
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It is nearly impossible to find a therapist that is covered by insurance, doesn’t have a waiting list, or even just returns your phone calls. Nowada...
Bonus: A Little Dash of Comfort with Kate Baer
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we dove down the rabbit hole of mental health Instagram. We're all in the midst of a mental health crisis right now and frankly we could all...
Introducing: The Rise and Fall of LulaRoe
06 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to host Jo Piazza take on the role of guest on a new podcast about the LuLaRoe scandal hosted by Buzzfeed writer Stephanie McNeal. #BecauseofLu...
Where’s My Village?
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re in the midst of a mental health crisis. And women, especially mothers, have been hit the hardest. But what is an entire generation of mothers ...
Rule 35
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If it exists in the world, there’s an influencer for it. Teachers absolutely fit the bill as Jo learned when a listener reached out to her about her...
I Can't Quit You (or Can I?)
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What would it take for you to get off Instagram? The promise of better mental health? An urge to detangle yourself from the algorithm? Or maybe it wou...
Women's Day Off the Internet
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Remember the day Instagram went dark last fall? We sure do. It woke us, and so many influencers, up to how precarious making your living off social me...
Under the Influence Season 2
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on Instagram, we're here to blow everything up. On season 2 of Under the Influence, we’re exploring wha...
Bonus: Pay the Bookstagramers!
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Momfluencers aren’t the only online creators that have to fight for fair pay. Bookstagram is full of women posting dreamy photos of books and though...
Bonus: I Wiped My Kids From My Instagram
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A stranger recently approached Jo's kids and their babysitter on the playground. She acted like she knows them, like she knows Jo. But none of it is t...
Bonus: In the Michael's Parking Lot
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a mom influencer broadcasts the attempted kidnapping of her children in the parking lot of a crafting store in California wine coun...
Is This The End?
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Over the course of a year of reporting on mom influencers we watched the business model evolve and shift in myriad ways. There are brand new mom influ...
It’s Time For A Reckoning
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the influencer industry, women make more money than men, but, as in the real world, there's still a steep racial pay gap. There’s an Instagram ac...
Burning Cats
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s no secret the internet can be a terrible place to be a woman. Any woman who ends up in the spotlight faces an intense amount of criticism and h...
An Intermission
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the past six episodes, we’ve travelled far and wide across Instagram’s momosphere. We’ve gone through the history of influencing, learned how...
The Sharenthood
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The French have laws limiting parents who Instagram their children. We have no such restrictions in the United States. In fact, social media and the w...
If You Build It, They Will Come
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What goes into making the perfect Instagram post? After being unceremoniously rejected from the Harvard of influencing, Jo manages to convince RewardS...
An Authentic Woman
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Authenticity might be the most over-used word in the influencer industrial complex. But what does it even mean? What the hell is an authentic woman? A...
A Shoppable Life
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There is a Harvard of influencing. Yes, you read that correctly. And we're going there...or, at least we're applying. Until recently Instagram was for...
Women's Work
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mom influencing is a multi-billion dollar industry. How the hell did we get here? How did influencing become a job? Why doesn’t Wikipedia mention mo...
A More Perfect Mother
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s two in the morning and journalist and author Jo Piazza cannot stop scrolling and scrolling through Instagram, gazing at picture-perfect images ...
Under the Influence with Jo Piazza
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Under the Influence is a deep dive into the Mom Internet, a place haunted by aspirational marketing where every mom is a social media influencer tryin...