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Ever notice how we spend our thirties and forties collecting roles like they’re limited edition Sephora products? Mom. Wife. Career woman. Caretaker. Household CEO. Pinterest-fail baker. Meanwhile, somewhere beneath the dry shampoo and concealer (bless whoever invented those), we’re still trying to remember who we actually are. Enter Amanda Yoa—the permission slip you didn’t know you needed.

The Woman Who Refuses to Check Just One Box

Amanda Yoa is many things: comedian, podcaster, motivational speaker, content creator, life coach, mom, wife, and deli owner. But what makes her truly revolutionary isn’t her impressive collection of job titles—it’s her refusal to be defined by any single one of them.

“I don’t check boxes,” she says with the confidence of a woman who’s already watched her kids rummage through her purse and find an ancient, unwrapped mint, so really, what’s left to fear?

As we hit that sweet spot in life where we’ve accumulated enough wisdom to know better but still make questionable decisions after two glasses of wine, Amanda’s philosophy feels like that first sip of coffee in the morning: life-giving and absolutely necessary.

When Philly Meets Funny: The Birth of Pam from Port Richmond

If you’ve been scrolling Instagram between loading the dishwasher and pretending to listen to your partner talk about fantasy football, you’ve likely stumbled upon Amanda’s alter ego: Pam from Port Richmond.

Pam is every woman who’s ever thought, “If I could just say what I’m actually thinking right now…” She’s the inner voice we all silence when someone asks if their new haircut looks good (it doesn’t) or when our kid’s teacher suggests a “fun family project” that requires sixteen specialty craft items (there’s nothing fun about that, Brenda).

With her distinctive Philly accent and zero-filters approach to life, Pam could be your aunt, your neighbor, your godmother, or that woman at the supermarket who’s not afraid to tell you you’re selecting avocados all wrong. She’s every woman who’s lived long enough to know that life’s too short for uncomfortable bras and fake niceties.

What’s fascinating is that women far beyond the Philadelphia area are finding themselves in Pam. Because let’s be honest—whether you’re in Port Richmond or Portland, by the time you’ve hit your thirties, there’s a little Pam inside all of us, dying to break free.

The Pandemic Pivot We All Felt in Our Souls

Remember 2020? When we were all making sourdough starters we’d never use and wondering if we’d ever see the bottom half of our colleagues’ bodies again? Amanda was right there with us, re-evaluating everything.

Already established as a life coach, Amanda found herself juggling small children at home while supporting her husband’s business. Like many of us who suddenly found ourselves staring at our living room walls wondering, “Is this it?”, Amanda was searching for purpose and authentic living.

The difference? While some of us just switched to elastic waistbands and called it personal growth, Amanda leaned into comedy as a vehicle for her message and found her true calling.

Becoming Your Own Hype Woman: Life Lessons from Amanda

Amanda describes herself as a “Hype Woman from Philly,” and honestly, who among us couldn’t use a personal hype woman at this stage of life? Someone to say, “Yes, those jeans still look great!” or “Your presentation was fire!” or even just “You remembered to buy toilet paper before you ran out—you’re crushing this adult thing!”

When we asked about the meaning behind this moniker, Amanda dropped wisdom that deserves to be embroidered on a throw pillow: “Live for you and have no regrets. The haters will always be there watching from the cheap seats.”

For women who’ve spent decades wondering if we’re doing it right—parenting, career, relationships, self-care, that new TikTok dance—this is the gospel we need. Amanda insists that judgment says more about the judge than the judged. When people criticize your authentic self, it’s usually because they lack the courage to embrace their own.

“Unzipped with Amanda Yoa”: The Podcast That Gets It

Amanda hosts the three-time award-winning podcast “Unzipped with Amanda Yoa” which might be what you wish you could do with your uncomfortable shapewear after a long workday, but actually represents something deeper.

The podcast name evolved over time, much like our relationship with high-heeled shoes (from “these are cute!” to “these are instruments of torture” in about four hours flat). Amanda initially planned purely inspirational content, but her “aha moment” led her to steer into comedy lane.

“It’s about listening to that whisper inside of you,” she explains. You know the one—it’s the voice that says “You deserve better” or “Life’s too short” or sometimes just “Order the dessert.”

On “Unzipped with Amanda Yoa,” Amanda tackles topics that hit home: career challenges, motherhood struggles, marriage dynamics, and the general chaos of everyday existence. It’s like she’s been reading your group texts.

Rooted in Reality: Port Richmond Pride

Despite her growing success, Amanda remains firmly planted in Port Richmond, where she continues to run her deli. (Between us, don’t you wonder when she sleeps?)

For those of us who sometimes feel like we’re living in the car between soccer practice and Target runs, Amanda’s deep community connections remind us that there’s value in putting down roots. She cherishes neighborhood traditions like community cleanups, food carts, and the water ice man making his rounds—those authentic experiences that ground us when life feels like it’s spinning too fast.

The Authenticity Challenge: Your New Self-Care Ritual

We’ve all tried the trendy self-care rituals—face masks that promise to make us look 25 again, meditation apps we use for three days before forgetting the password, exercise programs that result in buying expensive equipment that becomes a very fancy clothes hanger.

Amanda proposes something more radical: authenticity as the ultimate form of self-care.

She makes the perfect analogy that by our thirties and forties, we’ve perfected: “Life is tough enough, but we live our lives wearing tight jeans to impress others.” (And if you’ve ever spent a day in too-tight jeans, you know that’s no way to live.)

Her solution? Create space to “unzip” and unwind. Stop performing. Start living. For women spending their days shape-shifting between professional powerhouse, nurturing mom, sexy partner, supportive friend, and the seventeen other roles we play, this message isn’t just refreshing—it’s revolutionary.

Your Permission Slip

This Mother’s Day, as you’re running around making sure everyone else feels special (while secretly hoping someone remembered to plan something for you), Amanda Yoa has a different gift to offer: permission to be yourself.

Not the filtered, perfected, “I totally have my life together” version of yourself.

The real you. The one who sometimes feeds her kids cereal for dinner. The one who has passionate opinions about which Real Housewives franchise is superior. The one who occasionally hides in the bathroom just to get five minutes of peace.

Amanda—and Pam from Port Richmond—are here in their fully unzipped selves, inviting you to loosen your metaphorical tight jeans and let your authentic self breathe. Because at this stage of life, we’ve earned the right to be comfortable in our own skin.

After all, the only thing better than finding the perfect pair of stretchy pants is finding the freedom to be your gloriously imperfect self.

Amanda Yoa’s podcast “Unzipped with Amanda Yoa” is available on all major streaming platforms. Follow her and Pam from Port Richmond on Instagram for daily doses of the inspiration-meets-reality check you’ve been craving. Moreover, you can also find her full bio and services on AmandaYoa.com.