Subscribe within Apple Podcasts for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to our full archive. For all those perks and more, including a supportive community of Terrible listeners, mail surprises and live sessions with our team, join us on Patreon.com/ttfa! — It's a question we ask (and get asked) all the time: “How are you?” And normally we just respond with “Fine!” even if we’re totally dying inside, so everyone can go about their day. But it’s not always all that fine, is it? “Terrible, Thanks For Asking” is a show by author Nora McInerny that lets real people get real honest about how they’re really doing. It’s sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and almost always both. A production of Feelings & Co.
The world is not especially great right now. In the midst of all the chaos and nightmare fuel, today’s episode of Thanks for Asking is an emotional palate cleanser. Nora and friend of the pod Kate Kennedy are here to deliver some silliness with the weirdest things your kids have said to you, written to you, or drawn for you. And yes, it gets very, very weird.
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Being a widow is complicated. On top of the earth-shattering grief you experience, there’s a huge societal pressure to be the perfect image of a grieving partner, missing the love of your life. But what if the person who died was actually kind of a huge jerk? How do you take care of someone who doesn’t really deserve it? And what does it mean to be a good woman or a good widow?
All of This: A Memoir of Death and Desire by Rebecca Woolf
The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards by Jessica Waite
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You’ve seen the headlines. You’ve looked at the world. You know, like we do, that not everything is going to be OK. But to start 2026, we’re going to look at some of the things that make us feel like something will be OK. If you need a sign that there is still good in the world, let this be it.
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If you have known loss, you know how it feels to pick up the phone to call your person only to realize they won’t answer. This episode is all about your calls – the things you wish you could tell your people. Somewhere, somehow, we know they’re listening.
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It’s time for Happyish Holidays, 2025 edition! Though we might not see you in person this year, Nora’s still here to listen to and tell your holiday stories gone awry. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll remember that the holidays don’t have to be happy all the time – happy-ish is the best we can ask for.
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Shop my favorite bras and underwear at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know I sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select my show in the dropdown menu that follows.
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All-in-one nutrition for daily performace at DrinkAg1.com/THANKS
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2025 is coming to a close, if you can believe it. If you’re feeling stressed (and maybe a little relieved) that the end of the year is here, you aren’t alone. This week, Nora’s sharing her strategies for finishing out 2025 and ushering in 2026 – without the expectations that you have to become a shiny, brand new, unblemished version of yourself. If you want a gentle, helpful guide for starting 2026, this is the episode for you.
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Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple!
Shop my favorite bras and underwear at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know I sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select my show in the dropdown menu that follows.
Go to indeed.com/TFA for all of your hiring needs!
Head to cozyearth.com and use my code NORA for up to 20% off!
Find your fall staples at Quince.com/TFA!
Get your creatine at livemomentous.com
All-in-one nutrition for daily performace at DrinkAg1.com/THANKS
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Kids ask for the darndest things, and this year, Nora’s youngest asked for… a gas mask. An old-timey gas mask. So, she asked for the weirdest things that your kids have asked Santa for, AKA a nightmare fuel gift guide. (Warning: do not listen with little kids in the car because we will discuss Santa!)
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Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple!
Shop my favorite bras and underwear at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know I sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select my show in the dropdown menu that follows.
Go to indeed.com/TFA for all of your hiring needs!
Head to cozyearth.com and use my code NORA for up to 20% off!
Find your fall staples at Quince.com/TFA!
Get your creatine at livemomentous.com
All-in-one nutrition for daily performace at DrinkAg1.com/THANKS
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The holiday season can be tough – so we’re taking a break to (anonymously) celebrate some petty crimes. Nora is joined by fan favorite Caroline Moss of Gee Thanks, Just Bought It! to talk petty crimes (including being a shoplifter turned shopping influencer). Buckle in for stories from stealing from exes, getting revenge on rotten advisors, and sneaking something from Chipotle… you’re all criminals, and we love it.
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Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple!
Shop my favorite bras and underwear at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know I sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select my show in the dropdown menu that follows.
Go to indeed.com/TFA for all of your hiring needs!
Head to cozyearth.com and use my code NORA for up to 20% off!
Find your fall staples at Quince.com/TFA!
Get your creatine at livemomentous.com
All-in-one nutrition for daily performace at DrinkAg1.com/THANKS
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If you know love and loss, you know how music can transport us to a moment that time stole from us. And if you know grief, you know how simultaneously beautiful and painful that can be. Today, Nora talks to Will Anderson, who released his debut solo album How Little Love Is/How Worth Everything chronicling his grief after the sudden loss of his wife, Courtney Kampa. They talk about grief, love, Courtney’s posthumous collection of poems, A Bright and Borrowed Light, and all about Will’s new album, which has been added to the “Grieving People Essentials” list.
Listen to Will’s album on Spotify and Apple!
Get Courtney Kampa’s poetry collection A Bright and Borrowed Light here!
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Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple!
Shop my favorite bras and underwear at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know I sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select my show in the dropdown menu that follows.
Go to indeed.com/TFA for all of your hiring needs!
Head to cozyearth.com and use my code NORA for up to 20% off!
Find your fall staples at Quince.com/TFA!
Get your creatine at livemomentous.com
All-in-one nutrition for daily performace at DrinkAg1.com/THANKS
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Her boyfriend is dying… What should she do? When you’re faced with the possibility of joining the Hot Young Widows Club, you get slammed with a million questions. And for this listener, the question was: Can I leave him even though he’s going to die? Today, Nora is joined by fellow Hot Young Widow, Tracy Koski, to get into all of it.
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Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple!
Shop my favorite bras and underwear at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know I sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select my show in the dropdown menu that follows.
Go to indeed.com/TFA for all of your hiring needs!
Head to cozyearth.com and use my code NORA for up to 20% off!
Find your fall staples at Quince.com/TFA!
Get your creatine at livemomentous.com
All-in-one nutrition for daily performace at DrinkAg1.com/THANKS
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The holiday season is hard for most people. Maybe you’re feeling a fresh loss, maybe you’re dealing with an annoying relative, maybe you’re just feeling hopeless. But we’re here to remind you that things are not hopeless. Today, we’re finding something that makes us feel OK.
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Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple!
Shop my favorite bras and underwear at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know I sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select my show in the dropdown menu that follows.
Go to indeed.com/TFA for all of your hiring needs!
Head to cozyearth.com and use my code NORA for up to 20% off!
Find your fall staples at Quince.com/TFA!
Get your creatine at livemomentous.com
All-in-one nutrition for daily performace at DrinkAg1.com/THANKS
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices