The Parent Chat with Dylan Dreyer

TODAY

You know her as TODAY’s candid third hour host. But Dylan Dreyer is also a mom of 3 boys, trying to figure out the big stuff: how to raise kind, confident, resilient kids and keep her sanity along the way. And like every parent, sometimes she needs…HELP! On The Parent Chat, Dylan calls in reinforcements -- from parenting experts with big advice to fellow working moms that can help all parents feel less alone. Because parenting doesn’t come with a manual…but it can come with a group chat.

Listen in PodNod RSS feed Show website

20 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes20

Newest first

Dylan Dreyer & FitDadCEO: ‘Complaining is part of the joy of parenting’ (April 2026)
Dylan Dreyer sits down with Dave Ogleton — aka @FitDadCEO — the TikTok and Instagram dad who's turned the chaos of raising six kids into hilarious, relatable parenting content. Together, they get into the parent you swore you'd be before having kids versus the parent you actually are: the rules you said you'd never break, the battles you get stuck fighting even when you don't care who wins, and the dinner table struggles over your kids immediately rejecting whatever you put in front of them.
Thursday · 26 min
Not Losing Yourself in Motherhood with Dylan Dreyer & Amanda Hirsch (April 2026)
Dylan Dreyer sits down with Amanda Hirsch — host of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast and mom of two boys — for a conversation about the fear nobody warned you about before becoming a mom. Not the diaper fear, the "what if I lose myself entirely and only care about snack schedules forever" fear. Amanda gets honest about how she nearly talked herself out of motherhood, the checklist she made before taking the leap, and what actually happened to her career once she had kids. Plus: parenting confe
July 23 · 32 min
Ashley Graham: Raising Men Their Partners Will Thank Her For (April 2026)
In this episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with model and entrepreneur Ashley Graham for an honest, hilarious conversation about what it's really like to raise three boys. Both boy moms get honest about the everyday chaos and the real work behind raising kind, emotionally intelligent men. From teaching manners and talking through big feelings, to modeling the behavior they want to see in the world, these two are thinking about the long game. Because at the end of the day, the goa
July 16 · 29 min
Two Child Therapists on Common Parenting Dilemmas: Screens, Co-Parenting, Holidays and More
In this week’s episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer shares how she first realized Calvin's nightly stomachaches weren't always physical, and what happened when she finally reached out to therapists Sissy Goff and David Thomas for help. The authors of Capable and co-hosts of Raising Boys and Girls break down the anxiety epidemic hitting kids earlier than ever: what the warning signs actually look like, why boys need to move before they can breathe through it, and how a calm down corner chang
July 9 · 31 min
What Parenting Actually Looks Like When You're Both Influencers
What does modern parenting look like when both parents are living their lives online? In this week’s The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with Bachelor alum Nick Viall and his wife Natalie Joy — surgical tech turned influencer, hosts of The Viall Files and Netflix's Age of Attraction — as they navigate life as parents to two-year-old River and twins on the way. They get real about screen time when your job is the screen, why Nick thinks being a girl dad is actually easier than he expected, and what it means to hand kids a phone in a world their own parents had no roadmap for. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
July 2 · 27 min
Advice for Anxious Parents: What to Say Instead of "Are You Okay?"
In this week’s The Parent Chat, clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Wendy Mogel joins Dylan Dreyer to make the case that our instinct to protect, schedule, and smooth everything over for our kids is actually making them more fragile — and what to do instead. They get into the real stuff: why "teacup" kids break under the lightest pressure, how to tell if your child's fighting with siblings is normal or a problem, and why the working parent guilt about overscheduling is largely misp
June 25 · 28 min
Making Space with Hoda Kotb! New Season, New Guests & Life-Changing Conversations
Ready to take a deep breath and find some inspiration? A brand-new season of Making Space with Hoda Kotb is officially here. Every Wednesday, Hoda sits down for open, soul stirring conversations with people who have walked through fire and come out stronger. This season, she’s diving into what it really means to pivot, heal, and find your purpose. Expect raw, real-life wisdom on navigating big transitions and the unexpected moments of grace that connect us all. Featuring incredible guests like
June 23 · 52 sec
Dylan Dreyer and The Office's Brian Baumgartner on Finding Your People as a Parent
On this week’s The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with her real-life friend — The Office star Brian Baumgartner — for a conversation about how hard it is to make friends as an adult, let alone find another family your whole family actually likes. They tell the full story of how they met, why their kids clicked instantly despite boys-vs-girls dinner table teasing, and what it actually takes to make family vacations work — including the ski trip where Brian's booming voice reduced Dylan’s so
June 18 · 28 min
The Celebrity Nanny on What Every New Parent Actually Needs to Hear
In this episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with Nanny Connie — baby nurse to over 257 families including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Jessica Biel — for a refreshingly honest conversation about how raising a child takes a village and why trying to do it all alone is the biggest mistake new parents make. Plus Nanny Connie's mantra that cuts through every parenting trend: the baby is the book. And her reminder that stars — they really are just like us.
June 11 · 23 min
Open Book with Jenna Returns! New Season, New Authors & Must-Read Summer Books
A brand-new season of Open Book with Jenna is here! Join Jenna Bush Hager every Thursday as she sits down with some of today's most beloved authors and storytellers for conversations about the books everyone is talking about. This season, we'll explore the hottest reads of the summer, the creative process behind unforgettable stories, the genres readers can't get enough of, and the movie and TV adaptations bringing favorite characters to life. Featuring guests like Emily Henry, Kennedy Ryan,
June 10 · 1 min
Stay-at-Home vs. Working Mom: Why the Whole Debate Is Outdated
In this episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with Neha Ruch, author of The Power Pause, for an honest conversation about what it really means to step back from your career for your kids, and how to do it without losing your sense of self. They dig into the questions parents actually wrestle with: How do you know if pausing is right for you? What do you do with yourself when the external metrics of success disappear? And if you can't pause — what then? Plus: why your career has zero impact on your kids (but presence does), the comparison trap that hits hardest at the playground, and Neha's parenting win — nailing the sex talk so thoroughly her son was horrified she'd done it twice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
June 4 · 28 min
Surviving the Teenage Years with 'Modern Family' stars Julie Bowen & Ty Burrell
On this episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with Modern Family's Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell — real-life parents of five teenagers — for an honest conversation about what happens when your kids stop needing you quite so much. They get into the questions parents of older kids are really asking: How do you keep the conversation going when your teenager shuts down? What do you do when you're 95% invisible and just waiting for that 5% moment? And how do you co-parent well after divorc
May 28 · 34 min
How to Handle Your Kid's Meltdowns Without Losing Your Own Mind
Dylan sits down with Kristin and Deena of Big Little Feelings to break down what's actually happening in your kid's brain during a meltdown, why reasoning with them in the moment never works, and what to actually do instead — whether your kid is a hitter, a scratcher, or a full public meltdown machine. Plus: what to do when you're the one about to lose it at 8pm and nobody is brushing their teeth, why forced sharing might be setting your kids up to fail, and the parenting confession neither of
May 21 · 29 min
Breaking Toxic Parenting Cycles You May Not Know You're Repeating
Clinical psychologist and The Conscious Parent author Dr. Shefali joins Dylan to unpack the childhood patterns most parents are silently passing down to their kids without realizing it. Are you the fixer who does everything so no one suffers? The fighter who learned to blow up from watching your own parents? Or the freezer who shuts down when the overwhelm gets to be too much? Dr. Shefali gets honest about her own cycles too — including the moment her daughter called her out mid-conversation fo
May 14 · 32 min
Picky Eaters, Bed Sharing, and Screen Time Limits: Emily Oster Answers the Questions You're Googling
Ever Googled your child's symptoms at 2 a.m. and ended up more anxious than when you started? You're not alone — and Brown University economist and author Emily Oster has made it her mission to replace parenting panic with actual data. In this episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with Oster to tackle the questions that keep parents up at night: How much screen time is really too much? What do you do about a picky eater? Does it actually matter if your child sleeps in your own bed?
May 7 · 29 min
Tig Notaro on Being the 'Not Favorite' Parent, Coming Out to Her Kids
Tig Notaro, comedian, writer, actress, and mom of twin nine-year-old boys, sits down with Dylan Dreyer to talk about the viral moment her sons discovered she was gay and the decision to cut back on touring so she could be more present at home. She opens up about being the "not favorite" parent for years, how her wife Stephanie quietly transformed the way she disciplines, and why she never read a parenting book before her boys arrived. Plus, the words her stepfather said to her that she's never
April 30 · 28 min
The Fear of Becoming a Mom Nobody Talks About ft. Amanda Hirsch
Dylan Dreyer sits down with Amanda Hirsch — host of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast and mom of two boys — for a conversation about the fear nobody warned you about before becoming a mom. Not the diaper fear, the "what if I lose myself entirely and only care about snack schedules forever" fear. Amanda gets honest about how she nearly talked herself out of motherhood, the checklist she made before taking the leap, and what actually happened to her career once she had kids. Plus: parenting confe
April 23 · 32 min
Raising Resilient Kids in a World That Makes Everything Too Easy
Dylan Dreyer sits down with TODAY Show colleague and chief consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen — two working moms raising three kids who grew up in very different worlds but landed in the same place as parents. Vicky, who came to the US as a refugee from Vietnam at age two, opens up about the strict, authoritarian upbringing she's deliberately doing differently while also finding ways to bring a little of that grit back into her daughters' lives. They talk about keeping communication open with t
April 16 · 30 min
Dylan Dreyer & FitDadCEO: ‘Complaining is part of the joy of parenting’
Dylan Dreyer sits down with Dave Ogleton — aka @FitDadCEO — the TikTok and Instagram dad who's turned the chaos of raising six kids into hilarious, relatable parenting content. Together, they get into the parent you swore you'd be before having kids versus the parent you actually are: the rules you said you'd never break, the battles you get stuck fighting even when you don't care who wins, and the dinner table struggles over your kids immediately rejecting whatever you put in front of them.
April 9 · 26 min
Ashley Graham: Raising Men Their Partners Will Thank Her For
In this episode of The Parent Chat, Dylan Dreyer sits down with model and entrepreneur Ashley Graham for an honest, hilarious conversation about what it's really like to raise three boys. Both boy moms get honest about the everyday chaos and the real work behind raising kind, emotionally intelligent men. From teaching manners and talking through big feelings, to modeling the behavior they want to see in the world, these two are thinking about the long game. Because at the end of the day, the goa
April 2 · 29 min

The Parent Chat with Dylan Dreyer

Dylan Dreyer & FitDadCEO: ‘Complaining is part of the joy of parenting’ (April 2026)

Not Losing Yourself in Motherhood with Dylan Dreyer & Amanda Hirsch (April 2026)

Ashley Graham: Raising Men Their Partners Will Thank Her For (April 2026)

Two Child Therapists on Common Parenting Dilemmas: Screens, Co-Parenting, Holidays and More

What Parenting Actually Looks Like When You're Both Influencers

Advice for Anxious Parents: What to Say Instead of "Are You Okay?"

Making Space with Hoda Kotb! New Season, New Guests & Life-Changing Conversations

Dylan Dreyer and The Office's Brian Baumgartner on Finding Your People as a Parent

The Celebrity Nanny on What Every New Parent Actually Needs to Hear

Open Book with Jenna Returns! New Season, New Authors & Must-Read Summer Books

Stay-at-Home vs. Working Mom: Why the Whole Debate Is Outdated

Surviving the Teenage Years with 'Modern Family' stars Julie Bowen & Ty Burrell

How to Handle Your Kid's Meltdowns Without Losing Your Own Mind

Breaking Toxic Parenting Cycles You May Not Know You're Repeating

Picky Eaters, Bed Sharing, and Screen Time Limits: Emily Oster Answers the Questions You're Googling

Tig Notaro on Being the 'Not Favorite' Parent, Coming Out to Her Kids

The Fear of Becoming a Mom Nobody Talks About ft. Amanda Hirsch

Raising Resilient Kids in a World That Makes Everything Too Easy

Dylan Dreyer & FitDadCEO: ‘Complaining is part of the joy of parenting’

Ashley Graham: Raising Men Their Partners Will Thank Her For