![Don't Mom Alone Podcast - When Friendships Get Messy: Healing, Humor & Finding Your Chicken-Fried Women :: Melissa Radke [Ep 519]](https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/episode_images/dd1312349f43fb37df455b2f882bcaa2fbe73d3c442bfdfea1beb0096b7a0411.avif)
When Friendships Get Messy: Healing, Humor & Finding Your Chicken-Fried Women :: Melissa Radke [Ep 519]
Don't Mom Alone Podcast
04/21/25
•39m
About
Comments
Featured In
Get ready to laugh! Today Melissa Radke joins me for a hilarious and heartfelt conversation. Her new book Chicken-Fried Women will make you giggle, cry, and think about the women and friendships in your life. We cover many hilarious topics including spray tans, garage sale bras, swim gym, southern church in the 80’s, and laundry on the couch. At the heart of the book is how to navigate adult friendships and here is more of what we talked about:
- What it means to find your people—your chicken-fried women- battered and bruised but still tender on the inside
- Healing a mother-daughter relationship with kindness and boundaries
- How to divorce a girlfriend (and maybe get her back)
- Stick around to the end where Melissa shares the best advice on what it feels like to build your own table (even when it’s hard or uncomfortable)
- Website: HOME | MELISSA RADKE
- Facebook: Melissa Radke | Facebook
- Instagram: Melissa Radke - Lifestyle, Parenting, Relationships (@msmelissaradke)
- The Radkes (TV Series 2019) - IMDb
- Chicken-Fried Women: By Melissa Radke
- CynthiaHeather (@thesidetrackedshow)
- Your Funny Mom Stories [Ep 302]
- Don’t Dad Alone :: Dustin Nickerson [Ep 472]
- Sidetracked by Naming Body Parts, Steaks for Lunch, and Summer Dilemmas (when you’re not in Italy) :: Cynthia and Heather [Ep 476]
- Gabb phones and watches: Protecting your kids has never been easier. For the best deals, sign up to Gabb today – no contract required – at GABB.com/dma.
- Storyworth: Give all the “moms” in your life a unique, heartfelt gift you’ll all cherish for years–storyworth! Right now save $10 on your first purchase when you go to storyworth.com/dma.
- Function Health: Function currently has a waitlist, but they are offering my audience the chance to skip it! Head to functionhealth.com/DMA or enter code DMA when signing up to skip the waitlist!
- Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.
Previous Episode
Today Dr. Kelly Jameson joins me to help us understand the many dynamics of teen friendships. Although this episode mainly applies to girl moms there is advice for the boy mom in this episode as well! Kelly is a trained systems therapist who practices narrative therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Through her many years of listening to families and teens, she has learned how to navigate the difficult years of teen and tween friendships and how to help parents coach their kids. Here is some of what we cover:
Connect with Dr. Kelly Jameson:
Related Episodes:
-
The rise of “friend hoarding” and large group dynamics in 2025 - What qualifies as “mean girl” behavior—and why it’s all about power dynamics
- Coaching sons to stay out of the drama—and why that matters
- How moms are becoming more enmeshed in their kid’s friendships and the damage that causes
- The 3 types of friendships every kid should understand
Connect with Dr. Kelly Jameson:
- Website: Kelly Jameson - Therapy. Speaking. Consulting.
- Facebook: Kelly Jameson, PhD | Facebook
- Instagram: Kelly Jameson, PhD (@drkellyjameson)
Related Episodes:
- Back-to-School and Tech Toolkit :: Dr. Kelly Jameson [Ep 422]
- Helping Our Kids Foster Friendships :: David Thomas and Sissy Goff [Ep 338]
- Important Topics to Cover with Tweens and Teens about Manners, Technology and Friendship :: Lee Cordon [Ep 408]
- Thrive Market: Ready to make the switch? Go to ThriveMarket.com/dma for thirty percent off your first order, plus a FREE sixty dollar gift!
- The Chosen: Last Supper–The people welcome Jesus as king and expect a revolution. Threatened, the leaders will go to any length to ensure this Passover meal is Jesus’ last. You can get your tickets now at TheChosenLastSupper.com
- Thrive Causemetics: Try your new trusty favorites with an exclusive set for our listeners. New customers can get the Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara and a mini-sized Brilliant Eye Brightener at a special set price with free shipping. Or save more with 20% off your first order at thrivecausemetics.com/DMA.
- Honeylove: Treat yourself to the most comfortable shapewear on earth and save 20% Off sitewide at honeylove.com/DMA
Next Episode
Do you often feel like something is holding you back? You can’t quite get to where you want to go professionally, relationally, or in personal habits and goals?
Today Mary Marantz is here to tell us about the mental shifts that change everything. Mary’s story is riveting from growing up in a single-wide trailer in the mountains full of dirt and memories to Yale law school, she has stories to tell! Through her many experiences, she has learned how our self-limiting thoughts can hold us back and how to overcome them. Not through the typical “get it boss girl” mentality but practical steps that lead us to a life we want to live and enjoy, and how to lead our kids well in the area of achievement. Here are some of our topics:
Connect with Mary Marantz:
Links Mentioned:
Today Mary Marantz is here to tell us about the mental shifts that change everything. Mary’s story is riveting from growing up in a single-wide trailer in the mountains full of dirt and memories to Yale law school, she has stories to tell! Through her many experiences, she has learned how our self-limiting thoughts can hold us back and how to overcome them. Not through the typical “get it boss girl” mentality but practical steps that lead us to a life we want to live and enjoy, and how to lead our kids well in the area of achievement. Here are some of our topics:
-
Why fear is a boring liar — and how to manage it - The "fear of success" and why it keeps us playing small
- How childhood environments shape adult confidence: the power of speaking life over yourself and your kids
- Feeling like everyone has a manual on how to do life and we have missed it
- How to handle imposter syndrome and look for the “evidence to the contrary” of the lies in our head
Connect with Mary Marantz:
- Website: Mary Marantz - Home
- Facebook: The Official Mary Marantz Insiders Community!
- Instagram: Mary Bess Marantz (@marymarantz)
Links Mentioned:
- Underestimated: By Mary Mrantz
- Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots: By Mary Marantz
- Dirt: Growing: By Mary Marantz
- The Agile Mind: By Estanislao Bachrach
- Quiz
- Underestimated
- Discovering the Gift of You When You Feel Lost in Motherhood :: Chrystal Evans Hurst [Ep 507]
- When You Need a Personal Revival :: Cleere Cherry Reaves [Ep 504]
- Choosing Connection Over Critique :: Rachel Macy Stafford [Ep 280]
- Branch Basics : Make this year the year you say goodbye to toxic products! Right now, our listeners get 15% off the Premium Starter Kit by using code [DMA] at BranchBasics.com. Make 2025 your cleanest, healthiest year yet with Branch Basics!
- Function Health: Function currently has a waitlist, but they are offering my audience the chance to skip it! Head to functionhealth.com/DMA or enter code DMA when signing up to skip the waitlist!
- Thrive Causemetics: Try your new trusty favorites with an exclusive set for our listeners. New customers can get the Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara and a mini-sized Brilliant Eye Brightener at a special set price with free shipping available at thrivecausemetics.com/DMA . Or save more with 20% off your first order.
- Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted