Two moms in Los Angeles got tired of boring playground conversations about sleep schedules and eating habits. So they created a deck of cards called “The Sticky Stuff” that helps mothers have real conversations about marriage, childbirth, and parenting struggles.
Instead of asking “How’s potty training going?” the cards prompt questions like “What surprised you most about birth?” and “How did becoming a mother change your marriage?” These are the conversations moms actually want to have, but they feel too intense to start naturally.
From Social Media to Deep Friendship
The idea started when Amrit Tietz, pregnant and without mom friends, reached out to Lauren Levinger on social media. “From social media, you look like you’re doing motherhood pretty well. Can we connect?” Tietz wrote. When they finally met, their honest conversation felt so good that they decided other moms needed this too.
They launched Spread the Jelly, a media platform focused on authentic motherhood discussions, and now sell their $45 card deck online. The cards join a growing trend of conversation starters, from therapist Esther Perel’s relationship cards to ones Chick-fil-A gives out with meals.
Breaking the Surface
“Everything we’ve been doing is about breaking people open, allowing people to be their messiest or their happiest selves,” says Tietz. A University of Chicago professor who studies conversation says the popularity of these cards shows “how desperately we want to talk about deep issues.”
Expect more tools like this as people crave genuine connection beyond surface-level chatter.
