Selena Meyer and Taylor Headrick sit inside a small studio with two microphones. As they talk about whatever is on their mind, a pink florescent light that reads “Mean Moms Club” shines behind them.
Since April, the two New Caney High alumni have met each week at Headrick’s photo studio in New Caney to record their podcast, which focuses on changing the narrative on what it means to be a mother today.Â
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“We have been, in the last six months, on a journey of finding ourselves after motherhood,” said Meyer, 35. “The way that society makes a lot of women feel and mothers feel is you are mom and you are just mom. And that’s it. And that’s all you’re supposed to do is sit at home, cook and clean and be a mom. I feel like our generation of moms, we’re breaking that.”Â
What started out as therapy for the two best friends has given other women in the area a voice to share their experiences of motherhood. They each have three children.Â
Breaking barriers
Every week, Meyer and Headrick, 32, choose a topic to discuss for the podcast, taking stories from their personal lives or discussing the latest news in pop culture.
They both were inspired by comedy podcast shows such as “2 Bears, 1 Cave” with Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer and “Call Her Daddy” with Alex Cooper.Â
While both like to joke around and have fun, they don’t shy away from more serious topics such as infertility and coping with the loss of a child.
After gaining a following, several mothers in the area have reached out asking to be on their show. One person in the area asked to be on their show to share her experience the death of her 1-year-old child in a car crash.
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“People had heard this story,” Meyer said. “And she was like ‘I want to tell everybody exactly what happened. Because I want people to know that this can happen to you.'”
Since debuting their first episode April 7, the podcast has gained more than 1,000 followers total across social media platforms, including YouTube, Tik Tok, Spotify and Instagram.
Their latest episode is about a mother who has an Only Fans account, a subscription service primarily used for sex workers.Â
Sex is a topic the two discuss occasionally, which Meyer said is something society frowns upon.Â
“Society makes a lot of women and moms specifically, feel like they can’t talk about this kind of stuff,” Meyer said. “Because then you’re like a trashy mom…it’s like you’re not supposed to care about that anymore. It’s supposed to be whatever society tells you. This is what kind of mom you have to be. This is what you’re allowed to post. And we’re trying to break those barriers.”Â
‘You’re not broken, you’re a disco ball’
While Meyer and Headrick went to the same high school, the two did not become close until they started working with each other. Meyer is a hair and makeup artist and Headrick is the photographer and owner of Graceful Wishes Photography.
They would work alongside each other for weddings, bridal and baby showers, Meyer said.Â
Meyer had been living in Austin, before moving back to the New Caney area about two years ago, she said. Not too long after, both of them decided to start the podcast.
The podcast name comes from the film “Mean Girls.”
Headrick converted a small corner in her New Caney photo studio into a recording area for the podcast, adding a few tables, a backdrop and a sign with the name of the podcast. Several disco balls are displayed around the set up, one symbol of Headrick and Meyer’s friendship.
“Disco balls are hundreds of pieces of broken glass,” Meyer said, as both she and Headrick showed off a tattoo they share of a disco ball on their arms. “You’re not broken, you’re a disco ball.”Â
As the podcast continues, Headrick and Meyer hope to continue mixing up content with some episodes that are more fun focused and others that focus on serious topics such as postpartum depression.
“I would love to bring my husband on and just hear him tell people how hard it was for him while I was going through it,” Headrick said. “Because my husband does listen (to the podcast). So I know if he’s listening, other dudes would listen.”
The community has been in support of of the duo, with the East Montgomery County Improvement District recently giving the podcast a shout out on its Facebook page.Â
“It’s been incredible,” Meyer said. “We’ve had a lot of support…the outpouring love and support has been really great. It definitely helps us keep going.”
