Thanks For Asking

Parenting is terrifying. The moment your child comes into the world, you become painfully aware of all the dangers lurking around every corner. As parents, all we want is to keep them safe, wrapped up in our arms, warm and happy and never in pain.

But, as all parents know, that’s not the way things go. And when your child is hurting, you hurt with them. Their pain is yours. And you can’t help but feel responsible for each time they stumble and fall. And though you could never control everything, the guilt gnaws at you anyway. Because why CAN'T you fix it? Shouldn't you be able to? Your child is suffering, and you cannot help but feel like it's your fault. If you had just done something differently, you could have avoided this.

On today’s episode, a listener wrote in looking for help: her young son is in rehab, and she felt helpless. So, of course, Nora and the community came through to give her a pep talk.

Our operator (Nora!) is always standing by to take your texts and calls. Reach us at 612.568.4441.

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Nora McInerny welcomes poet David Gate for a lively conversation about finding “okay” in the everyday. They talk about unexpected moments of connection, new hope in Alzheimer’s research, the joy of Costco, family life, and why politicians should be held to their promises. Along the way: billionaires, hot dogs, Kelly Clarkson, and the small comforts that make a difficult world feel a little more manageable.

You can get more from David at ⁠DavidGatePoet.com⁠

You can share your okay things with us at ☎️502-388-OKAY (6529) or 📧 ⁠IGTBO@feelingsand.co⁠

To support our show, you can subscribe to our YouTube content ⁠here⁠.

Our music is by Secret Audio, and their new album is on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple⁠!

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No one prepares you for the moment that you lose your person. We will never compare one loss to another. We will never say that there is a loss that is worse, because grief is simply The Worst. But there is something uniquely horrible about losing a sibling. Siblings are our tethers to every moment of our lives — from childhood to teenagehood to adulthood — and are, most likely, the only people that could ever understand the things that molded you and made you who you are.

But when you lose a sibling, you don’t just lose the person. You lose all those memories. All those moments.

In March, we published an episode called Dead Siblings Society (Part One), where friend of the pod Steph Wittels Wachs shared her experience with sibling loss and we read through listener submissions from other bereaved siblings. Both guests of today’s episode were featured: Aaron, a friend of Nora’s from high school, and Emma, who wrote an email so beautiful that it left us and listeners in awe.

Today’s episode is a conversation between Emma and Aaron, two bereaved siblings who lost brothers that were the other halves of their hearts. Trust us when we say that after you press play on this episode, you will be forever changed.

Our operator (Nora!) is always standing by to take your texts and calls. Reach us at 612.568.4441.

Watch us on YouTube here!

Get this episode ad-free here!

Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple!

You can buy Nora’s books on Bookshop or Amazon, or wherever you buy books.

Nora is on IG, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our Sponsors:

❤️ Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/TFA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/TFA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping and 365-day returns. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/TFA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

❤️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop Everyday Cotton, and all of my favorite bras and underwear, at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

❤️ Use code TFA at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monarch.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something is in the air, because Nora has been contemplating getting bangs again. Oh, and the meaning of life, passage of time, etc. etc. Whatever you’re having multiple small crises about, one thing is for sure: everyone is on the brink right now. It would be amazing if there was one thing to point fingers at and blame, but in truth, the things that are pushing everyone to the brink are just as nuanced as the things we need to do to pull ourselves back.

To explore why every woman ever is collectively teetering on the edge of a breakdown, Nora called Lyz Lenz – expert on all things that could push a woman over the brink.

To make a long story short: OF COURSE YOU ARE OVERWHELMED. The bar is so high that we are killing ourselves trying to reach it.

If it feels overwhelming, well, that’s because it probably is overwhelming. If you’re on the brink, I want to hear from you.

Listen to Lyz’s podcast, Dingus of the Week, and read her newsletter, Men Yell at Me, by checking out her Patreon!

Get the book Nora recommends to every divorced and divorce-curious woman, This American Ex-Wife by Lyz Lenz.

Our operator (Nora!) is always standing by to take your texts and calls. Reach us at 612.568.4441.

Watch us on YouTube here!

Get this episode ad-free here!

Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple!

You can buy Nora’s books on Bookshop or Amazon, or wherever you buy books.

Nora is on IG, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Our Sponsors:

❤️ Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/TFA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/TFA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping and 365-day returns. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/TFA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

❤️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop Everyday Cotton, and all of my favorite bras and underwear, at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

❤️ Use code TFA at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monarch.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These days, daily life can feel unpredictable. Every moment, many of us are bracing for impact or expecting to be pushed back into the pit of despair – but there is always a bright spot of OK. Today, Nora’s finding that for you and encouraging you to lower the bar. The thing that can make you realize that it’s going to be OK can be small, mundane, or ordinary. That doesn’t make them any less spectacular.

On this episode, Nora talks about finding the OK moments even when you’re in the thick of grief, her amazing experience in Burlington, Vermont (if only she could pack up from Arizona and move there forever), her decluttering journey, restarting The Artist’s Way, and more.

⁠Read more about my life with a wife!⁠

My experience with morning pages is documented ⁠here ⁠and my conversation with Elizabeth Kott about The Artist’s Way is ⁠here⁠.

For more about my decluttering experience, check out ⁠my decluttering Office Hours⁠, ⁠decluttering with Elizabeth Kott⁠, and ⁠my article about it⁠.

You can share your okay things with us at ☎️502-388-OKAY (6529) or 📧 ⁠IGTBO@feelingsand.co⁠

To support our show, you can subscribe to our YouTube content ⁠here⁠.

Our music is by Secret Audio, and their new album is on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple⁠!

Our Sponsors:

❤️ Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/TFA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/TFA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping and 365-day returns. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/TFA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

❤️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop Everyday Cotton, and all of my favorite bras and underwear, at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

❤️ Use code TFA at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Monarch.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices