We spend nearly two decades raising our kids to become independent—and then they do exactly what they’re supposed to do: they leave. So why can the empty nest feel so destabilizing?

Clinical psychologist Dr. Joann Finkelstein, and author of Sexism and Sensibility, joins Jamie Stein to talk about the transition no one really prepares parents for: what happens to us when our kids don’t need us in the same way anymore.

Jamie and Joann get into the grief that can come with an empty nest—even when you’re thrilled for your kids—the loss and evolution of our identity as mothers, and the question so many of us suddenly find ourselves asking: What’s my job now?

They also talk about how to raise confident, independent girls in a world where sexism hasn’t disappeared—and how our instinct to jump in and solve every problem can sometimes get in the way of building their agency and confidence. Joann shares what subtle sexism can look like, why girls may internalize it without realizing it, and what parents can do differently.

It’s a conversation about raising girls, letting go, staying connected and figuring out who we are in this next chapter.

In My Hometown with Jamie Stein — conversations about life, health, culture and everything we’re talking about after 40.