For their milestone 400th episode, hosts Shanna Micko and Laura Birek hand the mic to the listeners who’ve been with them since the beginning
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, March 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — In 2018, best friends Shanna Micko and Laura Birek found out they were pregnant at the same time. So, they did what felt natural: they started a podcast. They hoped people would listen. What they didn’t expect was that those listeners would feel like family.
Since launching in August 2018, Big Fat Positive has published a new episode every single Monday without ever missing a week, amassing over 4 million downloads, a 4.7-star rating on Apple Podcasts and 4.8 stars on Spotify, and partnerships with more than 70 brands.
But what really defines the show isn’t in the download stats. It’s in the hundreds of touching reviews. “Laura and Shanna truly feel like mom friends who just get it,” writes one Apple Podcasts reviewer who has followed the show from her first pregnancy through a second. “Whatever chaos, worries, or ‘is this normal?’ moments I’m having — I’m not alone.” Another listener puts it simply: “Shanna and Laura honestly feel like my original mom friends. It’s totally my comfort show.”
For the landmark 400th episode, Shanna and Laura are turning the mic over to their community. The special episode features listener-submitted voice memos with questions about pregnancy, parenting, and everything in between — a fitting tribute to the audience that has made the show what it is.
“When we started this podcast, we were just two pregnant best friends who wanted to talk about what we were going through,” said Laura Birek, co-host and co-creator of Big Fat Positive. “Four hundred episodes later, we’ve built something so much bigger than we ever imagined. This community keeps us going, and hearing their voices in this episode felt like the perfect way to celebrate.”
“We always say our listeners feel like friends, but honestly, after seven years, they are friends,” added co-host Shanna Micko. “The fact that we’ve shown up every Monday for 400 weeks straight is because of them. We don’t take that for granted.”
About Big Fat Positive
Big Fat Positive is a smart, funny, and refreshingly honest podcast about pregnancy and parenting. Hosts Shanna Micko and Laura Birek share hilarious true stories, tackle tough parenting topics, and bring in expert guests for trustworthy, evidence-based insight. The show features popular segments and interviews with leading voices in maternal and child health, including Dr. Emily Oster, Virginia Sole-Smith, Dr. Mona Amin (PedsDocTalk), Erica Djossa, Dr. Nicole Rankins, and Jen McClellan.
The podcast’s audience is overwhelmingly composed of women ages 25–44, with 75% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher and 64% reporting household incomes of $75,000 or more.
About the Hosts
Laura Birek is a writer, podcaster, storyteller, and mom to two young boys based in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of Good To Go: A Fresh Take on Potty Training for Today’s Intentional Parent (Bloomsbury, 2025) and has written for Parents Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; and The Los Angeles Times. She holds an Master’s in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California.
Shanna Micko is a writer, podcaster, and storyteller with roots in improv and filmmaking. A graduate of USC’s Master of Professional Writing program and the Upright Citizens Brigade, she has performed live storytelling across Los Angeles and her work has screened at festivals nationwide. She’s mom to two girls in Los Angeles.
Big Fat Positive by the Numbers
400+ episodes — never missing a weekly release since August 2018
4 million+ downloads served via podcast host
6 million+ Apple Podcasts plays and 1.3 million+ Spotify streams
12,490 Apple Podcasts followers and 7,302 Spotify followers
4.7/5 stars on Apple Podcasts (861 ratings) and 4.8/5 on Spotify (224 ratings)
70+ brand partnerships for dynamically inserted advertising
2,300+ member Facebook community with 1,500+ active monthly members
Listen to Episode 400
The 400th episode of Big Fat Positive is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are found. Visit BigFatPositivePodcast.com for more information.
Media Contact
Big Fat Positive Podcast
Email: hello@bigfatpositivepodcast.com
Web: www.BigFatPositivePodcast.com
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