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Starr Struck Radio

A podcast about living a creative, inspired life. Hosted by Mary Catherine Starr of StarrStruckBlog.com. In the current season Mary Catherine is joined by her friend Sara Meeks to discuss topics related to motherhood. Past seasons were focused on a variety of lifestyle topics and were co-hosted by her husband, Ben Vaneria.
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Feb 20, 2024

We did it! We’re back! Ben and I recorded our first podcast episode in about 7 years and it’s finally live [for paid subscribers] on my Substack. To listen you can become a Substack subscriber here. In addition to one new podcast per month you'll also get access to: 

  • 4 New exclusive, autobiographical comics per month (1 per week, none of which are shared elsewhere)

  • Monthly newsletter containing curated lists of the simple pleasures that are bringing me joy (#simplejoysoftheweek for OGs!)

  • Q&As and community conversations 

  • Conversations in the comment section of the newsletters

  • My gratitude! Because being a subscriber means that you believe in me and my work and that means the world to me. 

Thanks so much for being an OG podcast listener!

xoxo,
Mary Catherine

Feb 26, 2018

In this week's episode + the Season 4 Finale of Starr Struck Radio's mom-centric season, we discuss some of the surprises and unexpected experiences that accompany childbirth, motherhood, and child-rearing. There are so many things we were unprepared for before becoming moms! 

Learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks so much for listening to this season!

Feb 5, 2018

In this week's episode of Starr Struck Radio's mom-centric season, we talk about the challenges of being a mom in the digital age; we discuss some of our personal struggles with being a mother to young children at a time when the internet, smart phones, and screens are such a big part of our lives, and we invite Sara's boys onto the show for a kid's perspective on the topic ;) 

Learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!

Jan 22, 2018

In this week's episode of Starr Struck Radio's mom-centric season, Mary Catherine and Sara do a little New Year's catching-up + share some updates on topics/situations discussed in past episodes. More specifically, we chat about Sara's new miraculous cure for chronic back pain (!), baby sleep (AGAIN), speech improvements, daycare while on vacation, doggy boot camp, and of course, #momwins and #momfails. 

Learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!

Dec 18, 2017

It's our special holiday bonus episode of Starr Struck Radio!!!! In this week's show, Mary Catherine and Sara share listener-submitted #MOMFAILS...and they are awesome/horrible (in the best way possible). A must-listen for overwhelmed moms everywhere :) Thanks to everyone who sent in your stories! 

To learn more + view the shownotes, visit StarrStruckRadio.com

Dec 11, 2017

In this week's episode of Starr Struck Radio's mom-centric season, Mary Catherine and Sara discuss the craziness of momming during the holiday season and share some kid-friendly travel + holiday tips that will {hopefully} leave you feeling better prepared to brave the rest of 2017. Learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.

Nov 28, 2017

In this week's episode of Starr Struck Radio's mom-centric season, Mary Catherine and Sara discuss the stressors + pressures around developmental milestones and how the idea of milestones can add unnecessary anxiety to a mother’s life [because as you know by now, everything adds anxiety to a mother's life! Hooray!]. Learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.

Nov 13, 2017

In this week's episode of Starr Struck Radio's mom-centric season, Mary Catherine and Sara discuss the thoughts, anxieties, and calculations that go into making the decision whether or not {or when} to add another child to the family. It's a big topic! Learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.

Oct 30, 2017

In this episode of Starr Struck Radio's mom-centric season, Mary Catherine and Sara discuss the horrors of sleep regressions, their own personal experiences with them (including recent issues!), how to get through them, and why middle-of-the-night wakings are so freaking hard for parents to deal with. The perfect listen for all sleep-deprived parents. Learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com

Oct 16, 2017

In the second episode of SSR's new mom-centric season, Sara and Mary Catherine discuss their personal experiences with the ways in which childbirth and childrearing can wreak havoc on your body and ruin it forever (only half-kidding). Learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.

 

Oct 2, 2017

The first episode of SSR's new, mom-centric season! In this episode you'll learn all about the moms hosting Season #4--a season that will be focused on sharing the anti-highlight reel/anti-Instagram version of being a mom and discussing anecdotes, lessons, and challenges from the best + hardest days of our lives parenting young children. The show starts with Mary Catherine and Sara each introducing themselves and their families and ends with a discussion of some recent mom wins and fails. Learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com

Sep 5, 2017

A follow-up/bonus episode in which we *finally* return to share our thoughts on being parents--an entire year after our daughter was born (!!!). We discuss the biggest surprises, challenges, and joys of parenting and at the end of the episode, share the future of Starr Struck Radio.

Thanks for listening! You can comment on the episode and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. 

Aug 17, 2016

Ben rejoins the show for a special Third Trimester update--to complete the series and follow-up on our past episodes about The First + Second Trimesters of pregnancy. We share what's been going on over the last 3 months of pregnancy and how we're both feeling now that we're in our "due week" and final stages of pregnancy. Eek! It's all so crazy! 

We'll be back again in another month or two to share our birth story and thoughts on life as parents to a newborn. As always, thanks for listening! 

You can comment on the episode and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. 

May 31, 2016

Welcome to the last episode of Season #3! If you listened to last week’s episode, you’ll know that Ben has proclaimed that this episode will be his last (although he has promised to return for an episode about the third trimester and one episode post-baby to update all of you on how we’re doing). So, this week we discuss the past 17 months of podcasting together, what it’s been like, what we've learned, why Ben wants to "retire" from Starr Struck Radio, and more.

You can view the shownotes at comment at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening to Season #3! Stay tuned for Season #4 sometime in the late fall of 2016 or early 2017...  

May 17, 2016

This week's episode is a doozy. It starts with Ben dropping a bomb right at the beginning of the show, and it goes *slightly* off the rails from there...but, here we are: The Second Trimester.

This episode is obviously a pregnancy update and a follow-up to Episode 39: The First Trimester. Just like our last pregnancy check-in, we use this episode to discuss how we’re feeling and what’s going on at this stage in the process. Yes, it veers towards couples therapy for a few minutes near the end, but what can we say? We're a couple talking about our feelings on a podcast every week--it's bound to happen every once in a while! We appreciate your sticking with us through all of our ups-and-downs ;) 

Thanks for listening! You can comment on the episode and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com

May 10, 2016

In this week's episode, we're talking self-improvement: we discuss the importance of growth, or self-help, self-study, continuing education--whatever you want to call it--and what can happen if you overdose on self-improvement, or at the other end of the spectrum, don’t continue to challenge yourself or focus on learning + growing enough.

Obviously, as with everything, there’s a balance, so we discuss what this balance looks like and enjoy a few laughs while doing so ;) 

You can comment on the episode + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!

May 3, 2016

This week, if you can’t tell from the episode title, we’reoverwhelmed. Both of us. So, we talk about overwhelm, being anadult, and how life, work, + household responsibilities can becomepretty overwhelming at times--especially when you’re gearing up fora big life change.

We start the show by talking about the dentist and birthdays,and then delve into the topic of overwhelm and what it means to usright now. If nothing else, we hope that this episode makes ourfellow overwhelmed-ers feel less alone!

You can view the shownotes and comment on the episodeat StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanksfor listening!

Apr 26, 2016

In this week's episode we discuss relationships and technology, and specifically, how we’ve seen our devices impacting our relationship in a negative way as of late.

We share some examples from our day-to-day life that demonstrate how technology can cause issues for a couple, we discuss how technology can both help and hurt relationships over the long-haul, and then close by sharing some ideas for ways that couples can get better at using their technology mindfully so that their relationship doesn’t suffer because of it.

You can view the shownotes and comment on the episode at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!

Apr 19, 2016

In this week’s episode, my good friend Sara is back and we’re talking pregnancy: specifically, the things that no one tells you about pregnancy until you’re actually pregnant and experiencing it firsthand.

Even if you aren't pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant anytime soon, this episode is a helpful inside look at the experience of growing a human being in your belly {crazy!}. 

You can comment on the episode and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!

Apr 12, 2016

Season 3 is {finally} here! And we're so glad to be back. This week we play catch-up: we share some updates, discuss a few things that we learned while traveling over the break, and talk about some recent life changes.

You can comment on this episode + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for joining us for this new season!

Feb 23, 2016

The last episode of Season #2! As we mentioned last week, we'll be taking a 1-month break in between seasons before coming back for Season #3 in April.

So, to celebrate the end of our second season, have some fun, and mix things up a bit, we use this week's episode to do a little Q&A; each of us came to the taping with 5 questions for each other--questions that we hadn't seen beforehand--and simply asked each other those questions (and obviously, answered them) on air. The goal of this little Q&A? To allow you to get to know us better {as if you don’t already know a lot of weird + intimate things about each of us and our relationship!} and to share a snapshot of where we are in our lives as the season ends. 

Thanks for listening to this episode and Season 2! You can view the shownotes and comment at StarrStruckRadio.com

Feb 16, 2016

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about thought patterns--specifically negative thought patterns that we both {ahem, Ben} struggle with and then some ways to turn those negative thought patterns into positive ones.

In particular, we discuss our experiences with negative forecasting, pre-paving and manifesting. What is pre-paving? What exactly is manifesting? Listen to the episode to find out ;) 

As always, thanks for listening! You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.

 

Feb 9, 2016

In case you missed our big news elsewhere, let this episode serve as our official podcast version of the announcement: Mary Catherine is pregnant. We're having a baby!

Thus, obviously, this week's episode is all about this upcoming change: how we got to the point where we both felt ready to start trying for a baby, what the pregnancy has been like thus far, how we’re both feeling about having a baby + about life after baby, and more. Get ready for an episode full of vulnerability, honesty, excitement, anxiety, and quite a few laughs...as per usual ;) 

And as always, thanks for listening! You can comment on the episode and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com

Feb 2, 2016

This week, we're talking about the challenges of trying to do it all (or have it all) and the fact that doing everything well--or up to your ideal standards--simply isn’t possible.

We get into this topic by sharing the ways in which we each face this reality every day in our own lives, and how we only see it getting worse as our family grows over time. To close the episode, we share some thoughts on how you can train yourself to let go of the things you simply cannot get to and how you can start to make more conscious choices about how to use your time and energy doing what matters most. 

You can view the shownotes and comment on this episode at StarrStruckRadio.com. As always, thanks for listening!

Jan 26, 2016

Ben is back and this week we’re talking about the challenges of “keeping up with the Joneses” or comparing yourself to others. But first, we do some follow-up from Episode 35: we've finished 'Making a Murderer' so we spend some time sharing our thoughts on that show (spoiler-alert!) and we revisit registries + thank you notes by discussing some listener feedback on these two subjects. 

Then, in the second half of the show we talk about how big life decisions can be influenced by what your peers and friends are doing, why it may be tempting to measure yourself against those in similar life stages, the potential pitfalls of comparison, and for those who need it, ways to avoid playing this comparison game.

As always, thanks for listening! You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.

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