- 44 minutes 49 secondsSomeday This Will Just Be a Story He Tells: Pep Talks for A Mom with a Kid in Rehab
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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20 October 2026, 7:00 am - 58 minutes 44 secondsBillionaires are Boring with David Gate
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 📧 [email protected]
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Our music is by Secret Audio, and their new album is on Spotify or Apple!
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16 October 2026, 5:10 pm - 1 hour 25 minutesThey never taught us how to live without each other (Dead Sibling Society: Part Two)
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.
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13 October 2026, 7:00 am - 1 hour 52 minutesIt Feels Like Too Much Because It Is Too Much: Women on the Brink with Lyz Lenz
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.
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6 October 2026, 7:00 am - 48 minutes 41 seconds461. Grief Stays the Same Size, but You Keep Growing
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 📧 [email protected]
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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2 October 2026, 7:00 am - 1 hour 14 minutesThat Was Someone’s Baby: Losing A Person To Opioid Overdose with Steph Wittels Wachs
Losing someone you love is never easy – but there’s something uniquely painful and incredibly misunderstood about losing someone to opioid addiction and overdose. Today, friend of the pod, host, and author Steph Wittels Wachs is back to talk about her newest book, Last Day, and share how she turned her grief into purpose.
She’s here on the podcast today to talk about opioid use disorder, the lessons Steph’s learned in the wake of Harris’s loss, and the incredibly problematic way that we handle addiction.
If you or someone you love has lost someone to or love someone who is struggling with opioid addiction, please know that you aren’t alone. These stories are unique, but the experience is not — and we need to have these conversations.
If we don’t cover it in this episode, call or text us at 612-568-4441.
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.
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❤️ Experience your juiciest and deepest sensual experience with a bottle of Foria. FORIA is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting foriawellness.com/tfa OR use code TFA at checkout. That’s F-O-R-I-A WELLNESS DOT COM FORWARD SLASH TFA for 20% off your first order. I recommend trying Awaken or their Pleasure Set with all three of their best sellers.
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29 September 2026, 7:00 am - 1 hour 25 minutesLucky Girl: Mental Health, Brain Cancer and The Pit of Despair with Dayna Kathan
It’s rare to find someone who you can talk to about grief. Even rarer when someone can understand the dropping feeling in your stomach when you hear the word “glioblastoma” while sitting in a doctor’s office, watching someone who has been a constant in her life be robbed of their future – and watching yourself be robbed of time with them.
On today’s episode of Thanks for Asking, Nora is joined by her Sister in Sadness, Dayna Kathan, whose mother passed away from the same type of brain cancer that Aaron did. Besides being an all-around remarkable woman, Dayna is an open book about her depression and suicidal ideations, which worsened in the years following her mother’s death.
September is Suicide Awareness Month, and this episode is a reminder to anyone out there who needs to hear that they aren’t alone, that no feeling is forever, and that everything – even despair – is temporary.
Find Dayna on Instagram and tune into her podcast, Disrespectfully.
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❤️ Experience your juiciest and deepest sensual experience with a bottle of Foria. FORIA is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting foriawellness.com/tfa OR use code TFA at checkout. That’s F-O-R-I-A WELLNESS DOT COM FORWARD SLASH TFA for 20% off your first order. I recommend trying Awaken or their Pleasure Set with all three of their best sellers.
❤️ Use code TFA at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.
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22 September 2026, 7:00 am - 52 minutes 44 secondsTwo Spiraling Women Telling You To Stop Spiraling with Amanda White
On today’s episode of IGTBO, Nora is joined by host of Nuance Needed podcast and friend Amanda White to give you your weekly dose of OK. This week, Nora and Amanda discuss the surprising human connections that can be made when you need to call AAA, talking yourself down from a spiral, the best ways to turn your brain off, and, of course, celebrating the post office. If you didn’t know, this is a very post-office friendly podcast.
Tune in to take your mind off the general NOT-OKness of the world – not everything will be OK, but something will be. Come find it with Nora and Amanda today.
You can find Amanda on Instagram, Substack, and tune in to her podcast, Nuance Needed, on Apple and Spotify!
You can share your okay things with us at ☎️502-388-OKAY (6529) or 📧 [email protected]
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
❤️ Experience your juiciest and deepest sensual experience with a bottle of Foria. FORIA is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting foriawellness.com/tfa OR use code TFA at checkout. That’s F-O-R-I-A WELLNESS DOT COM FORWARD SLASH TFA for 20% off your first order. I recommend trying Awaken or their Pleasure Set with all three of their best sellers.
❤️ Use code TFA at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.
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18 September 2026, 7:00 am - 1 hour 5 minutesPSA: You Are Worthy with Dr. Marisa Franco
Do you believe it when other people say, “You’re worthy just because you exist,” or do you simply grimace, pretend you agree, and move forward?
It can be difficult to have a real sense of self-worth. Not the kind that we advertise on social media with our highlight reels, but the genuine sense of self-worth: the way you treat yourself and, in turn, how you treat others. If you’re a member of our community, you probably understand this feeling – maybe you’ve suffered grief, loss, tragedy, anxiety, depression, etc… Digging past the performative self-esteem and accessing true understanding of your own self-worth can feel – let’s face it – impossible, especially when you’re trying to just keep your head above water.
Today, Nora is joined by Dr. Marisa Franco to help us all understand what self-worth and self-esteem truly are and how we can access them authentically to show up for ourselves and the people around us.
If you have any questions for Nora and Marisa, call/text us at 612.568.441.
You can get a copy of Marisa’s most recent book, Worth, on Bookshop or Amazon.
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
❤️ Experience your juiciest and deepest sensual experience with a bottle of Foria. FORIA is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting foriawellness.com/tfa OR use code TFA at checkout. That’s F-O-R-I-A WELLNESS DOT COM FORWARD SLASH TFA for 20% off your first order. I recommend trying Awaken or their Pleasure Set with all three of their best sellers.
❤️ Use code TFA at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.
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15 September 2026, 7:00 am - 1 hour 25 minutes9/11 Boy: Growing up with grief with David Ferrugio
25 years ago, the United States was rocked by the tragedy of 9/11. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 struck the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. United Airlines Flight 93 went down in a field in Pennsylvania after its passengers fought back against the hijackers.
Almost 3,000 people died that day. For 25 years, the echo of that tragedy has been heard – everyone remembers where they were, how they heard, and the paralyzing fear in the aftermath. None more than the survivors and the loved ones of those who lost their lives that day.
David Ferrugio was an ordinary seventh grader on that Tuesday morning, stressed about homework and school and the fact that his friend, Jeff, was late again. But when Jeff showed up and said, “Hey, David, doesn’t your dad work at the World Trade Center? A plane just crashed into it,” everything changed.
Today, David Ferrugio, host of Dead Talks, author of You’re Not Dead Yet, and friend of the podcast, is here to talk about the complicated grief that came with losing his father in the 9/11 attacks – the constant push and pull of public and private grief, his identity being tied to this tragic loss, and what it looks like 25 years later.
Listen to our IGTBO with David Ferrugio on Spotify and Apple!
Tune into David Ferrugio’s podcast, Dead Talks, on Spotify and Apple!
Get this episode ad-free here!
Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and 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
❤️ Experience your juiciest and deepest sensual experience with a bottle of Foria. FORIA is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting foriawellness.com/tfa OR use code TFA at checkout. That’s F-O-R-I-A WELLNESS DOT COM FORWARD SLASH TFA for 20% off your first order. I recommend trying Awaken or their Pleasure Set with all three of their best sellers.
❤️ Use code TFA at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.
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8 September 2026, 7:00 am - 41 minutes 46 seconds459. The Portal Is Open with Caroline Moss
Some things are just a little too perfect to be random – and this is coined by Nora and guest Caroline Moss as “the portal opening.” In today’s episode of IGTBO, Nora and Caroline talk about the small moments of magic and stars aligning: Nora’s daughter’s new boyfriend’s invisible string through their lives, signs from Caroline’s grandmother, and a puppy finally learning how to ask to go outside after weeks of failed training.
Not everything is going to be OK all the time. We know that. You know that. But this episode is a celebration of the moments where it feels like the universe is giving you a little nudge to remind you that something will be OK.
You can share your okay things with us at ☎️502-388-OKAY (6529) or 📧 [email protected]
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
❤️ Experience your juiciest and deepest sensual experience with a bottle of Foria. FORIA is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting foriawellness.com/tfa OR use code TFA at checkout. That’s F-O-R-I-A WELLNESS DOT COM FORWARD SLASH TFA for 20% off your first order. I recommend trying Awaken or their Pleasure Set with all three of their best sellers.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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