Katherine Goldstein

Katherine Goldstein is an award-winning journalist and media entrepreneur, the creator of The F*ck Mom Guilt World Tour, and the creator and co-host of The Double Shift. Follow her on Twitter here.

What makes The Double Shift unique? Why are there no shows like it?
The Double Shift is the only show that puts mothers at the center of the biggest social and economic issues facing our world. I feel like our unofficial theme this year is radical transparency. We tell moving personal stories about the true cost of pandemic for moms, explore big ideas like UBI from a feminist perspective, and tackle and destigmatize mental health issues moms are facing right now. We talk about matriarchy, we report on game changing public policy initiatives. We are political and we are feminist and we exist to challenge the status quo of motherhood and unwind some of America's most deeply held beliefs about motherhood.

How has The Double Shift changed since it began?
When I was first pitching the show, I would explain that the show was "about a new generation of working mothers," (we've since changed our tagline) and not about parenting or kids. People would ask, "I don't get it. What's it's about if it's not about parenting?" and I would explain.. it was about ... the mothers themselves. People really didn't understand the idea of mother's having their own identity, seperate from parenting. I know that sounds bananas that this was in 2018, but it's true. I used to be militant about never talking about parenting because I had to prove it wasn't a parenting show. Now, at least, 4 seasons in, people get that a show can be about moms, and not about parenting, so now we can experiment with topics and formats a lot. At the beginning we were pretty strictly documentary/narrative and now i feel like we do everything. We've added a co-host, Angela Garbes, and I think that's enriched the conversation and perspective on the show a lot. I invited her to co-host with me after she was a guest of the show because I felt like we had different experiences but shared values. I think listeners love hearing her.

How has the podcasting space changed since you started the show?
When I was developing the show, back in 2018, the podcast space still felt like the wild west -- the industry felt more open and like it could support a lot of different kinds of shows. It's actually been sad to see a number of female-led shows I admire have ended since we started. In terms of smart feminist content, the ecosystem feels less robust, rather than more. I'm a little cynical about the big money coming in -- there's a lot of consolidation and venture investing and that has definitely changed the content landscape. This change inherently moves things more towards the "the middle" in terms of more formulaic popular content. One thing that hasn't changed: a lot of the industry is still dominated by male interests and tastes.

Can you describe your fans? Are most of them women?
I think a vast majority of our fans are women, and a majority are moms. But i do hear from plenty of people who don't fit those categories. I think the show could appeal to all feminists, all caregivers, or anyone who cares about moms. Our fans are incredibly devoted and community-minded. We're doing a push for membership right now, and when we offered to donate memberships to other listeners who want to be part of the community and can't afford it. A lot of people are now giving at a higher level because they want other listeners to be able to experience membership. I think that says a lot.

What do moms really want for Mother's Day?
I asked this question on our Instagram, and I got a cascade of answers that were basically like, "TIME ALONE A HOTEL ROOM ALONE TIME TO MYSELF OMG." which is pretty indicative of how unrelented the last year+ has been for moms. Our Mother's Day episode, out 5/5, gets into the historic reasons why so much of our caregiving and domestic labor is unpaid for and largely invisible in society.

How are moms underserved in podcasting?
OMG where do I start? Moms are underserved in podcasting the same way we are underserved in all of media. Most podcasts aimed at moms are about parenting and tips and tricks. But there's no lunch packing strategy that's going to fix the experience of motherhood in America. And in terms of more serious, journalistic coverage, I feel our experiences typically only get minimal airtime on big "general interest" shows, and then often fall into harmful cliches. There is so much more to cover! I wish The Double Shift had more competitors!!

What is one story that has stuck with you?
I feel like I develop deep relationships with out guests and their stories, but one from this season that i think about almost daily is the story of Jenna, a single mom/waitress in Mississippi on what the pandemic has cost her. We found her because she was an avid listener who wrote in.

What shows do you love?
Death, Sex and Money is a long time favorite, West Cork is a new fave, Others I'm into right now: Under The Influence & Zig Zag.

Thanks, Katherine!