How our favorite movies trained us to accept less

What if the movies we loved growing up were quietly teaching us to settle for less credit, less rest, and less power? In this episode, Jill Mastroianni unpacks the messages in movies like Groundhog Day, Three Men and a Baby, and Miss Congeniality, and how those messages still echo today in hospitals, law offices, and family conversations about caregiving and estate planning.

Jill talks about agency, consent, emotional labor, and how the women who keep everything afloat often lack the tools and support they deserve. This episode is both a breakdown and a wake-up call. And, it’s an invitation to rewrite the script.

In this episode, Jill covers:

• The cultural conditioning we absorbed from movies in the ‘80s and ‘90s
• How Groundhog Day distorts consent and persistence
• What Three Men and a Baby taught us about helpless men and overburdened women
• How to view Miss Congeniality through the lens of a new generation
• Emotional labor, caregiving, and the invisible scripts women still follow
• The power of naming what’s not okay, and what we’ve internalized
• How estate planning ties into agency, boundaries, and rewriting expectations
• A real-life story of helping aging parents finally get their estate plan done
• Why handing off the mental load matters just as much as getting the documents in place

Resource:

• Free video: "Do You Need a Will?" A quick, clear explanation of what a Will actually does (and doesn’t do).

Connect with Jill:

• Website: DeathReadiness.com
• Email: [email protected]
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This podcast provides estate planning guidance for women and discusses real, practical issues, from caregiving, pre-planning a funeral, how to avoid probate using beneficiary designations, planning for individuals with special needs (and special needs trusts), whether you need a professional fiduciary (trustee or executor), how the estate tax works and how to preserve your legacy.

Tuesday Triage episodes answer questions from listeners like you, from powers of attorney, healthcare advance directives (and whether they work when you’re pregnant), what a Last Will and Testament really is, whether you need a trust, how Medicaid works and how to have senior and elder care conversations and how to care for aging parents.

Disclaimer: This podcast and all related content are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is established here. Use of this information without careful analysis and review by your attorney, CPA, and/or financial advisor may cause serious adverse consequences. For legal guidance tailored to your unique situation, consult with a licensed attorney in your state.