Comedy in the Crossfire: The Grit and Wit of Jennifer Rawlings
In this episode of Mom to MORE®, host Sharon Macey chats with Jennifer Rawlings, a fearless force in comedy, filmmaking, and motherhood.
Jennifer is an award-winning performer, writer, and documentarian whose sharp humor has taken her from comedy clubs to war zones. She’s done over 350 military shows, given three TEDx Talks, and created the acclaimed documentary Forgotten Voices: Women in Bosnia, now used at Harvard and UCLA as part of their curriculum. She’s also a proud mom of five.
Jennifer shares the tension between motherhood and ambition, from driving carpool in her robe to performing for troops overseas. She opens up about guilt, growth, and how being “just a mom” sparked her filmmaking journey—and why moms are built for reinvention and real-world impact.
Tune in for a real, hilarious, and inspiring conversation on finding your “more” beyond motherhood, listening with empathy, and raising your hand—even when you're scared.
[00:00] Introduction
[01:40] Jennifer’s background and raising five kids in LA
[04:05] Trading biology for comedy and taking the leap to stand-up
[06:15] The emotional tug-of-war between parenting and pursuing one’s passion
[10:44] Saying yes to unexpected opportunities and finding purpose in the process
[14:25] Embracing imperfection and how a simple question sparked change
[16:36] Making a documentary with zero experience (and zero budget)
[21:14] Mom skills that became filmmaking strengths
[22:57] Why finding common ground and listening matters more than ever
[30:05] Jennifer’s “MORE” and what continues to drive her forward
Meet My Guest Jennifer Rawlings:
Website: jenniferrawlings.com
Instagram: @jenniferrawlings
Substack: https://jenniferrawlings.substack.com/
Available on Amazon:
“Forgotten Voices :Women in Bosnia” a film by Jennifer Rawlings
https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Voices-Bosnia-Jennifer-Rawlings/dp/B07475LS8G
Please click below to watch Jennifer’s TEDX talks and read an essay from The New York Times:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWp3jzwOK40&t=180s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHYcJE6gmsw
Looking for More? Follow @momtomore on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. @Sharon Macey on LinkedIn.
Keep an eye out for episode #35 of the Mom to MORE® podcast where Sharon is joined by Neha Ruch, Founder of Mother Untitled and author of The Power Pause. Coming soon - you won’t want to miss it ♥
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Sharon (01:05)
Welcome back to Mom to More. I am so glad you're here today because my next guest is another first for me. Jennifer Rawlings is an award-winning writer, performer, filmmaker, and mother of five, and I bow down to you with all due respect. You may have seen Jennifer on Comedy Central, CMT, PBS, VH1, A &E, CNN, HLN. Inhale. In the film, I am battle comic.
Jennifer Rawlings (01:20)
you
I'm sorry.
Sharon (01:32)
which follows a group of comedians on a mission to entertain US troops or streaming on one of her three TedxTalks. Jennifer is a beloved keynote speaker at events across the globe and is known for her wit and inspiration. Using her humor to tackle serious subject matters, she was named one of the 21 change makers of the 21st century by Women's E News. For decades, Jennifer has entertained the troops performing in over 350, wow.
military shows in dozens of countries in both wartime and peace. Inspired by her time in various war zones, she added documentary filmmaker to her resume with Forgotten Voices Women in Bosnia, which received critical acclaim. Numerous universities, including Harvard and UCLA, included this documentary as part of their curriculum. She has written for TV, film and written after dinner speeches for world leaders and a Supreme Court justice and
Totally no surprise here, folks. She was also a stay-at-home mom. So, Jennifer, I am breathless from reading this.
Jennifer Rawlings (02:39)
Thanks for not including the typos in there.
Sharon (02:42)
Okay, didn't do that. I'm so glad you're here and there's so many things that I want to unpack. So let's just jump in.
Jennifer Rawlings (02:48)
Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Sharon (02:50)
So I start all my interviews with what I call my essential mom question. And that is, we know you've got five kids and where did you raise them? Well, yes, true. And yes. And I think you also said he was a new and improved husband. we like that. Yeah. Okay. We like that model. Okay.
Jennifer Rawlings (02:56)
Well, six if you count my husband.
He's my new and improved husband of 17 years.
So I have four biological kids and a stepson. I raised my kids in Los Angeles. And I have one girl and three boys, and then my stepson
putting them all in private schools was not in the cards for me. So they went to five different public schools and different magnet programs. And I would get up at five o'clock in the morning, make their sandwiches.
I didn't have time to get dressed, so I drove them in my robe every day in slippers and, you know, just did my best.
Sharon (03:32)
I've done that.
So why was it important to spend this time with your kids? Because it is so fleeting.
Jennifer Rawlings (03:45)
It's so fleeting and I mean, I did a little bit of both. I was home with my kids. I remember one time in particular, I got up quite early. I think it was three o'clock in the morning because I had to catch an 8 a.m. flight. I made my kids breakfast. I made their lunch. I flew to Dallas to tape a television show and was back in time to have dinner with them.
Sharon (04:07)
Well done.
Jennifer Rawlings (04:07)
And it was really important to me to be with them because I was like, you know, there's just such a small window of time to like, to build those memories.
but it wasn't always easy. I mean, I remember before the cell phones that we now have, I remember trying to make phone calls and having to like lock myself in my bedroom in my closet because they'd be fighting. Like I was trying to have a conversation.
Sharon (04:32)
I just want some peace and quiet and isn't it
ironic? And I think every mom says this, the moment you get on the phone is when they start bothering you.
Jennifer Rawlings (04:38)
Exactly, exactly.
Sharon (04:40)
Yeah. So talk to me about when did you realize you were funny and how did this unfold?
Jennifer Rawlings (04:47)
So I was actually going to, I was actually in college studying biology and I thought, oh, I'm going to be a pediatrician. And then I remember seeing standup for the first time and I was like, oh, I could do that.
it stuck with me and I got in my little car and drove to Los Angeles and I went to the improv and I was like, hi bud, I'm Jennifer, I'm a comic.
And he's like, okay. He was like, you're supposed to come back on such and such a night, put your name in a hat. But I really lucked out because he said, I go, well, why can't I just go on stage now? And he paused for a minute and goes, okay. And something in me, when I walked off stage, I knew better than to say, well, how did I do? Instead, I said, you know, you don't have to give me the best spots. I just want to work. And that's how I started my standup journey.
Sharon (05:37)
And then where were you in your mom journey with your standup journey
Jennifer Rawlings (05:41)
was a standup first, and
then I took about a decade off to have my kids, because my four biological kids are seven years apart. It was crazy town. I was in intensive care for three months when my last one was born. And so it was just really, really difficult. then I kind of slowly restarted again.
with my stand-up, but I was always kind of back and forth and pushing and pulling because,
you want to be a good mom, but then at the same time you're like, hold on, but I tell my kids that they can do anything they want. I need to believe that for myself.
so I'd kind of pump myself back up again to go do some work and then I'd go, I feel so guilty. I need to be back home again.
Sharon (06:29)
and that's hard because you want to be there for the kids and yet we're still humans and we have witches and we have exactly, exactly. And there's no reason why we can't do them.
Jennifer Rawlings (06:36)
Right, we have desires, we have dreams.
Sharon (06:42)
I know that when I, when my kids were younger, my oldest is 30, it was either, I was working in an office or I was working in my home and there was really no gig economy and I didn't have that opportunity.
Jennifer Rawlings (06:52)
yes, exactly.
it was very hard.
and then when I would be gone on the road, you'd feel so bad. And then,
at some point, I realized, okay, well, if I want to be a good mom to my kids, I can't totally ignore what's in my heart. You know, as, as far as an expression of, of what I'm supposed to be doing in this world.
Sharon (07:15)
I get that, I get that. And you were there for them. You made it work, right? But at first, wasn't your comedy more of like your hobby? And then it morphed into something more serious.
Jennifer Rawlings (07:26)
there was a couple phases of that. when before I had kids, it was my occupation. And then I had kids and then I was, you know, and then it's just the pain of going back out. And like, and I think it's the same whether, you know, you're a stand up comic or, you know, in in in the business world, to then come back from motherhood and go, Oh, but I, I was somebody back here.
You know, I do know how to do this and you have to reintroduce yourself. And I think that every woman has that struggle regardless of what her job is,
Sharon (08:04)
reproving yourself.
Jennifer Rawlings (08:07)
reproving, re-establishing and
I'm at the age where it wasn't cool to be a mom by the way at all, especially in Los Angeles. They'd going, what are you doing here lady?
Sharon (08:19)
explain that a little more, that it wasn't cool to be a mom.
Jennifer Rawlings (08:21)
Well, okay, so in the standup world, when I started off, first of all, the women comics who were invited to be a part of it often had, you know, kind of a harsher kind of side. You were supposed to kind of be like Roseanne or something.
Sharon (08:38)
Okay,
so in the stand-up world, it wasn't cool to be a mom. Okay,
Jennifer Rawlings (08:42)
In the standup world, it wasn't cool.
it was a man's business for sure. And I'm really happy that it's totally shifted for some women. And that's great.
I mean, I was 24 years old when I had my daughter, so.
Sharon (08:56)
Okay, you were young,
How has being a mom influenced your career? And when did you start going to war zones? I'm probably getting a little ahead of myself here, but how did that all play out?
Jennifer Rawlings (09:08)
a lot of times in the standup world you go to comedy clubs
which I did do in town in Los Angeles, but oftentimes you would then go to like to the Chuckle Hut in Indianapolis for a week. And I was like, well, I really can't do that. So it started off whereas I would go and open for country acts.
And because then I only had to be gone like one day and I could go do a big show with like a big country artist, tell my little jokes, come back and then, you know, drive carpool, go to the grocery store while my kids are kicking and screaming
and kind of have like
a hybrid existence. And
then one day, I'll never forget it. I get this phone call.
And the phone call was like, Jennifer, it's John blah, blah from William Morris. Who? John blah, blah, blah from William Morris. Your agent? And I'm like, you've never called me before, so I didn't recognize your voice. And he was like, how would you like to go to Iraq and Afghanistan and entertain the troops? It's really dangerous and the pay is terrible. And I'm like, a war zone, no money.
Yeah, I'll take it.
so when I first started going to war zones, it really shifted from when I started to the 20 years that I spent doing it. Because at first it was about a gig. It was about, even though
I didn't go there for the finances part of it. You got like a tiny, tiny paycheck.
But when you really see what's going on in the world, it totally shifted the way I saw the world. And then it kind of became about, OK, well, these are like 18-year-old kids, many of them, that I'm entertaining. And if they can go and be in Iraq or Afghanistan or Bosnia or Kosovo for a year.
I can go there for two weeks or a month
whatever that looked like. And so it started as one thing and totally shifted to something else. And I think that it was really motherhood that kept me doing it because these are somebody's children.
They are scared. They are away from home. And you know, if me, a mother can, you know, make them laugh by telling a dirty joke or whatever, then I wanted to be that person. But the interesting thing is, is when you do go to war zones, the show is one thing, but the real joy both
Sharon (11:21)
Probably the age of your children. Yeah.
Jennifer Rawlings (11:51)
at least for me and I think for them is the time before and afterwards when you get to like, you know, give a hug and yeah, give a good mom hug and, you know, listen to their stories. And so that was the most rewarding part for me.
Sharon (12:00)
Give a good mom hug to those boys.
How fabulous is that? Did you have a favorite
joke that you like to tell?
Jennifer Rawlings (12:12)
One of the things I always open with is, I've been trying to lose 10 pounds all day. It's mostly postpartum weight. I just had a baby like 25 years ago. That's one of the ones I always tell.
But I mean, more sense, I definitely am dirtier because, you know, they're 18 year old kids. You got to give them what they want.
Sharon (12:35)
Exactly.
I hear and what I can sense as a mom is that you were doing this, there were some parts of it that were like amazing. But there's insecurities and struggles that come with everything. So I want to talk that because we all have them. And when we had first spoken, you said you had failed a million ways. And as a mom,
I totally feel the same. And I think a lot of, you know, mom's listening can go, oh yeah, me too.
your daughter, I think said something that turned things around. What was that?
Jennifer Rawlings (13:08)
that is true. Like every single thing I did, like I thought I am not as good as all these other moms. I mean, they like, you know, first of all, they drive their kids in clothing. I'm in a robe. They have makeup and shoes on and I just never felt mom enough. And
always felt like everybody else is better than I am and all these kinds of things.
And
I think what you might be alluding to is when my daughter was a teenager, I was reading an article in a newspaper and it was about this woman in Darfur and her child was starving to death. And as I'm reading this article, I'm like crying and my daughter looks at me and she goes, what are you crying about, mom? And I'm like,
Well, it's just so sad what goes on in the world and how people suffer. And she goes, well, what are going to do about it? I'm like,
about it. I mean, what I wanted to do was like smack her face, but I lived in California. actually, I'm kidding.
Sharon (14:17)
That's illegal. okay. So when she said that, what did
when she said, are you going to do about it? Where did that take you? Like what?
Jennifer Rawlings (14:25)
Well, when she
said, what are you going to do about it? thought, what, well, first of all, what could I possibly do about anything? I'm just a mom.
How could I ever create change? How could I do anything to help anybody because I can't even manage, you know, getting my car washed. know? And, but that question, it really ate away at me all night and all day. And I was like, what am I gonna do about it? And so the next morning I like woke up and I was like,
Okay, know, I think at this point I'd been going to war zones for decades. And,
the interesting thing is whether it's Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, the names change, but the stories kind of always remain the same. the war continues to destroy lives. And so I thought, okay, I'm gonna go to Bosnia and make a film about women in the aftermath of war. That's what I'm gonna do about it.
And so without my daughter being such a smart aleck, I don't think I would have ever gotten there. I think it's really great when our kids challenge us because sometimes they see us totally different than we see ourselves.
Sharon (15:37)
so you decided to become a documentary filmmaker and you did.
Jennifer Rawlings (15:41)
Yes,
and
Okay, so there was only a few obstacles with that. One, I'd never shot a home movie before. Two, I have zero technical skills, zero. Like, I'm pretty sure I'm flashing right here behind me. Number three, and the biggest one of all, no money. Like, I'm not a wealthy woman. I didn't know how I was going to finance this. And, you know, so I called a couple friends and I was like, hey, I have no idea what I'm doing.
Sharon (15:51)
obstacles in human behavior.
Jennifer Rawlings (16:09)
but I'd like to make a film about women in the aftermath of war. Shockingly, they both said yes. And that's how that journey started.
Sharon (16:17)
with me.
Jennifer Rawlings (16:17)
I bought a camera
and a plane ticket and without any crew or any knowledge of what I was doing, I just went.
if you're a mom out there and you want to do something and you are like, well, I don't know how to do it. I can't afford to do it. And,
I have no business doing it.
You definitely do. You just do it.
Sharon (16:36)
Right.
And you know what? You just brought up something that to me is like one of the pillars of Momtimore and this whole reinvention process is yes, we have fear. Yes, we have insecurities. That's probably when you need to take that step and go, I'm walking into wherever that takes me.
we have the ability, we have that internal strength because God, we've been a mom.
Jennifer Rawlings (17:00)
We've been a mom. I mean, we can handle
it.
Sharon (17:03)
And then to have that,
we can handle anything. And I think oftentimes moms don't realize how very strong we are until you have that opportunity to really challenge yourself.
Jennifer Rawlings (17:10)
right.
Sharon (17:13)
so I love what you said is like,
you gave yourself permission.
to go into something that you knew was gonna be very difficult, but boy, it turned out to be incredibly rewarding.
Jennifer Rawlings (17:16)
Right.
I would say that going to war zones was, mean, aside from my kids, my, you know, my husband, my family, going to war zones was the most significant thing that I've ever done in my life. And also, because you really see that, I mean,
This is going to get into a whole other thread here, but you really see firsthand that poverty is the weapon of mass destruction in the world. And you really see that like, okay,
I'm a mom. I want my kids to grow up in a different world. I need to just go and be love and share stories.
so quite a shift from like going to just go tell jokes.
I feel like that sometimes the dangerous things that pay no money might be the most rewarding.
Sharon (18:21)
Yeah, and you've made a difference in the world
Jennifer Rawlings (18:23)
I don't know. I try.
Sharon (18:25)
But
shining a light on these women's lives is so important.
Jennifer Rawlings (18:29)
Well, thank you.
Sharon (19:36)
So let's talk a little bit about mom skills give me
what you think your best mom skills are and how they've transitioned you into the filmmaking,
the comedy.
Jennifer Rawlings (19:47)
Okay, so I love that you asked that question because I just now when you were asking it, I was reminded. So
every single night at dinner when my kids were growing up, we would go around the table and we would say, what were your highs and lows today? Now you were not able to copy somebody else's, it had to be about you.
and you were also not allowed to have a no high day. You could have a no low day, but you couldn't have a no high day. And, you know, those would go around, you know, like, you know, maybe Courtney, like, got an A on her test would be her high, and maybe she, like, had a zit, and that would be her low or, you know, whatever, whatever those things were.
And it helped me a lot when I was making my film because
when I went to Sarajevo to start this film, I didn't know a single soul. And it's not like you can run around with a camera rolling going, please tell me your sad and tragic stories about what happened and what it's like to live through a war. No, you have to find common ground with people. You have to get them to open up. So I would always say, tell me about your happiest moment.
And in a way, that's kind of just another version of going around the table saying, tell me your highs and lows. So.
Sharon (21:00)
love how you were able to take
that one part of your life and transition it and use it in a very different part of your life, in a totally different way. And speaking of common ground, I listened to one of your Ted Talks and you emphasize finding common ground and actually listening to one another. Why does that resonate with you so strongly?
Jennifer Rawlings (21:06)
in a very different way.
Well, okay, so first of all, I think that one of the things
in the world. I mean, the world obviously totally chaotic at all times. And the problem is, is I don't know if you know, I do know you're a mother. You have definitely had drag out matches of wills with your kids. And as they're like laying on the floor, crying, banging their head, pounding their fist and stomping off. And you're like, I said so.
Sharon (21:44)
100%.
Jennifer Rawlings (21:58)
Da da da da. Nothing is going to happen. Like, it's just going to like be a terrible day. And, you know, they're gonna slam doors and you're gonna like, you know, feel like a failure.
and much like family.
Many of our feuds in the world can be negated if we would just take one minute and go, okay, okay, I hear what you're saying. That's not where I'm at. And I'd probably just say, I totally disagree with you, but I hear you.
Sharon (22:40)
Right.
And having that conversation, right? Hearing and listening.
Jennifer Rawlings (22:43)
And
hear what they're saying because that is, I mean, in that skill, we moms have it with our kids, but when we go out in the world, we kind of like lose it. we sometimes, think we like, okay, we're the boss, we're the ABCD. But honestly, we
wouldn't be such a dysfunctional planet right now if we listen to one another,
Sharon (23:06)
gotcha. And I think also what you just said about going out into the world, one of my guests actually said that she leads her company like she leads her family. You know, she likes to lead like a mom. And I thought that was so lovely, right? Isn't that lovely? Yeah, because we have that unique skill. We know how to do that. We know how to be firm and yet be loving and be wise and be caring.
Jennifer Rawlings (23:17)
that's beautiful. I'm laid like a mom. I love that because...
and not go to
sleep until we hear that door open and shut five times when they're teenagers. Like we cannot sleep until we know everybody is safe. And how great would it be if we like approach the world that way? Is everybody safe?
Sharon (23:34)
That's it. Exactly.
That is true.
Yeah, yeah. It just, puts it in a whole different mindset. So a lot of moms in my audience are figuring out what their next chapter is going to be. What advice would you give a mom who wants to try something new and bold, like when you did the film, Later in Life?
Jennifer Rawlings (24:04)
Okay, so I love that question. I think one of the things is, and men do it so well, and we as women need to be a lot better at it. You know, if you go through the planet and say, who wants to be in charge of everything? A man, they'll have both hands up. And women oftentimes, we forget to raise our hand and say, pick me.
Sharon (24:24)
Yeah.
Jennifer Rawlings (24:33)
And so if you have a dream and something that you want to do, raise your hand and say, pick me. Or raise both your hands, put your boots on, and start walking towards what you want. Like, you decide your future, not somebody else. It's not arbitrary. And I think that that's...
And back again to how we tell our kids, like from the time our kids are little itty bitty bitty, we say, you can do anything you want. And like I said before, we forget that for ourselves. And moms, you can do anything you want in life. It's not just for your toddler or your high school student.
Sharon (25:15)
I love that. Thank you. That was so well said and so beautiful.
So thank you for that. So can you share a lesson from being a mom that unexpectedly maybe helped you in the chapter that you're in now?
Jennifer Rawlings (25:28)
think one of the things that has really helped me in the chapter that I'm in now, because now
I think I'm on chapter 75, because it's just a constant journey and a constant walking towards the person that I want to be. I think one of the things that really has helped me with that is just remembering to like...
Sharon (25:38)
many reinventions over the decades.
Jennifer Rawlings (25:52)
encourage myself like I used to encourage my kids because when my kids were learning how to ride a bicycle and they fell down, I didn't say, well, that's it. You fell down. You're never going to be able to ride that bike. No, I put them back on and I'd say, you can do it. Get up, try again, try again, try again. And so while I hate my millions of failures that I've personally had and
I definitely am somebody who can like have a pity party and cry about it. I do try and dust myself off and remember that just because I'm an adult, I'm not going to quit falling off the bicycle. I have to get up and try again. And I think that that is one of the things that's really helped me the most. It's just remembering that being adult doesn't mean not falling.
Sharon (26:51)
Exactly. And we also learn so much more from the tiny failures that we have instead of the tiny successes or affirmation. But when you learn from failure.
Jennifer Rawlings (26:57)
right.
You don't learn anything from success. mean, I've never like, when, when, whether I be flush or, or not, I never learned anything when I'm flush. You learn things when like times are hard and you're like, okay, I'm going to do this.
Sharon (27:06)
Except for like, woohoo, I did it, you know? But yes, you learn from those failures.
going to push through? Absolutely. Absolutely.
That's such a great answer. Thanks for that, Jennifer. So I have a question that I ask all of my amazing moms.
since this is the Momtomor podcast, Jennifer Rawlings, what is your more?
Jennifer Rawlings (27:42)
Okay, my more has got to be, regardless of age, because I'm 58, I still think I'm 23. My more is always changing, always growing, always becoming. And I think that that definitely is what a mom does. And that's what we encourage our kids to do. Just always continuing to create the world we want to live in.
Sharon (28:05)
Exactly. And when a mom does that, keeps pushing, keeps trying to make the world a better place to live in, she creates new chapters for her. And that's brilliant. Thank you for that. So tell me where people can find you online and folks, everything will be in the show notes.
Jennifer Rawlings (28:19)
Okay, so you can find me at jenniferrawlings.com. You can find me at jenniferrawlings on Substack, jenniferrawlings on Instagram. and I have a new brand new chapter that I'm doing. It is called Laughter is Beautiful. That is also the title of my Substack, but it's a business and it's about going to companies and organizations to show people how you can build bridges by using humor.
in a world divided. So you can also go to laughterisbeautiful.com and click on it. And if your organization, you know, if everybody's fighting and you need a mom timeout, so that I will come in and do some workshops and show you how you can use humor to change your organization.
Sharon (29:01)
I love that. How refreshing is that? Fabulous.
Thank you for that. Jennifer, so much fun. You are such a delight. You've been smiling this whole time that we've been chatting. So thank you for your time and your mom wisdom and how you think about moving forward in life. It's brilliant. It's spot on. And I know that moms are going to get so much out of this,
Jennifer Rawlings (29:09)
thank you.
Sharon (29:22)
You can do it, absolutely. Thanks so much.
Jennifer Rawlings (29:23)
you can do it you can do anything you your mind to.
