The Hearth Matters project began with a growing realization that homemaking and motherhood, although foundational to every civilization, have become two of the most undervalued forms of work in modern culture. We wanted to understand how this happened and what it would take to change it.

Through essays and conversations on our podcast, my co-founder, Erin Szuma, and I explored what we lose when we stop valuing these mission-critical roles, and how we might begin the work of restoring their dignity, status, and economic viability.

Many of the ideas that emerged from those conversations eventually found their fullest expression in my book, Hearthbroken: Reviving Homemade Care and Connection in the Age of AI.