Rephonic
Artwork for Birth of a Parent
Pregnancy
Parenthood
Neuroscience
Metamorphosis
Testosterone
Fatherhood
Synchrony
Ritual
Child Development
Maternal Brain
Prolactin
Oxytocin
Eye Contact
Grandmotherhood
Philippines Study
Play
Brain-To-Brain Synchrony
Parenting
Predictive Brain

When a baby is born, a parent is born too. But what if that's more than a metaphor? Birth of a Parent explores the emerging science of how parenthood transforms the human mind. Host Michael Feigelson speaks with leading scientists, writers, and thinkers to investigate whether becoming a parent is one of life's most profound – and least understood – developmental stages.

By following the podcast, ... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes6Foundeda month ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ParentingEducationKids & Family

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Artwork for Birth of a Parent

Latest Episodes

Why does a bedtime routine feel so important? Anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas studies rituals, from firewalking ceremonies to family traditions. His work reveals why humans return to rituals whenever life becomes uncertain, and why parenthood may b... more

Sometimes a child is looking right at you and seems completely elsewhere, and sometimes they're completely with you. Developmental neuroscientist Vicky Leong studies those moments of connection, uncovering how parents and children synchronize their m... more

Why would evolution redesign a man's body after he has children? Anthropologist Lee Gettler helped uncover a surprising answer. His research on hormone changes including testosterone suggests that fatherhood doesn't just change how men think and feel... more

For centuries, scientists studied what pregnancy does to the body. Almost nobody studied what it does to the brain. Neuroscientist Susana Carmona helped change that, uncovering evidence that motherhood reshapes the human brain in ways scientists are ... more

Three quarters of animal species undergo metamorphosis. Why are we so sure humans don't? Historian of science Oren Harman takes us from butterflies to starfish in search of an answer, and toward a surprising way of thinking about what happens when a ... more

When a baby is born, a parent is born too. But what if that's more than a metaphor? Birth of a Parent explores the emerging science of how parenthood transforms the human mind. Host Michael Feigelson speaks with leading scientists, writers, and think... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Dimitris Xygalatas
Anthropologist, field researcher, writer, and leading expert on ritual
Episode: Ep. 5 - The Rituals That Hold Us Together (with Dimitris Xygalatas)
Vicky Leong
Developmental neuroscientist who studies neural synchrony between parents and babies
Singapore University or affiliated lab (as discussed in episode)
Episode: Ep. 4 - The Connected Mind (with Vicky Leong)
Lee Gettler
Anthropologist at the University of Notre Dame, leading researcher on the biology of fatherhood
University of Notre Dame
Episode: Ep. 3 - The Dad Bod Theory (with Lee Gettler)
Susana Carmona
Neuroscientist; director of the NeuroMaternal Lab, Madrid; author of A Mother's Brain, The New Science of the NeuroMaternal Revolution
NeuroMaternal Lab, Madrid
Episode: Ep. 2 - The Mom Brain Revolution (with Susana Carmona)
Oren Harman
Historian of science, writer, father
Independent
Episode: Ep. 1 - A Human Metamorphosis (with Oren Harman)

Host

Michael Feigelson
Host of Birth of a Parent

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#22
United States/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#80
United States/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#27
United Kingdom/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#84
United Kingdom/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#224
Canada/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#43
Australia/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#130
France/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#139
Germany/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#140
Italy/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#161
Australia/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#5
Spain/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#23
Indonesia/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#24
Spain/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#31
Ireland/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#32
Brazil/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#36
New Zealand/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#38
Chile/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#40
India/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#46
Mexico/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#53
South Africa/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#54
Switzerland/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#68
Netherlands/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#81
Ireland/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#91
Austria/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#103
Israel/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#118
Colombia/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#122
Taiwan/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#124
New Zealand/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#154
Indonesia/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#159
Brazil/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#159
Chile/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#180
Mexico/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#180
South Africa/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#206
Netherlands/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#217
Austria/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#221
Denmark/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#226
United Arab Emirates/Kids & Family/Parenting
Apple Podcasts
#231
India/Kids & Family
Apple Podcasts
#245
Switzerland/Kids & Family

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The Dr. Laura PodcastDr. Laura Schlessinger & SiriusXM
Always Here
Always HereAbby Howard and Abby Howard | Daylight Media
The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast
The Middle School Mary Poppins PodcastSuzanne M. Swain, EDS LMSW
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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Ep. 4 - The Connected Mind (with Vicky Leong)
Q: What does the research suggest about the role of play in synchrony and learning?
Play is not just a break from learning; it is a fundamental mode of engagement that creates the conditions for powerful synchrony, improves attention, and can translate to increased creativity and well-being in adults as well as children.
Ep. 4 - The Connected Mind (with Vicky Leong)
Q: Can you take me into that first experiment with a baby, two EEG caps, and a parent?
The setup required improvisation and flexibility because babies are unpredictable; the team created a relaxed, living-room-like lab environment, used distraction and playful cues to get usable data, and recorded the initial evidence of brain-to-brain synchrony.
Ep. 4 - The Connected Mind (with Vicky Leong)
Q: How do you explain what you study to parents when they come into the lab?
The work is about understanding how parents and their children connect in the moment and share a sense of being present, with synchrony arising from rhythms, eye contact, and shared attention that help kids learn.
Ep. 5 - The Rituals That Hold Us Together (with Dimitris Xygalatas)
Q: How does ritual affect a parent's own motivation and sense of control?
Ritualization acts like a personal sanctuary, strengthening motivation and signaling to children that certain activities are important, thereby making daily tasks feel purposeful rather than purely functional.
Ep. 5 - The Rituals That Hold Us Together (with Dimitris Xygalatas)
Q: Why do humans keep doing things that seem inefficient or unnecessary in the ritual context?
Because rituals provide meaning and structure that help people cope with uncertainty, making ordinary actions feel significant and more manageable within a shared framework.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Birth of a Parent

What is Birth of a Parent about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful exploration of how parenthood reshapes the mind, behavior, and social life through conversations with leading researchers and thinkers. Episodes repeatedly center on ritual, brain plasticity, and the biology of parenting, from how routines become meaningful tools for anxiety reduction and cohesion to how parent-child interactions synchronize learning and development. Noteworthy angles include the deep dive into hormonal and neural shifts in mothers and fathers, the metamorphosis of identity that accompanies parenthood, and provocative cross-cultural perspectives on rituals, care, and meaning in family life. The show frequently blends empirical research with accessible storytelling, personal anecdotes, and practical implications... more

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How many episodes of Birth of a Parent are there?

Birth of a Parent launched a month ago and published 6 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Birth of a Parent?

Recent guests on Birth of a Parent include:

1. Dimitris Xygalatas
2. Vicky Leong
3. Lee Gettler
4. Susana Carmona
5. Oren Harman

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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