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Thanks For Asking

Thanks For Asking

Feelings & Co. 213 Episodes Aug 21, 2026

A call-in show from author Nora McInerny that lets real people get real honest about how they're really doing. Operators are standing by to take your calls.

Episodes

Toddler Sunday Hits Different: Finding the OK in the World with Kate Kennedy
Toddler Sunday Hits Different: Finding the OK in the World with Kate Kennedy Aug 21, 2026 3812 If you’re on the brink right now, you aren’t alone. As the Summer of Surrender comes to an end, Nora wanted to bring you an episode that was made to distract you from the weight of the world. Today, she’s joined by friend of the pod and Be There in Five host Kate Kennedy to reconnect with the small things that bring them joy: in parenting, in their homes, in trinkets, and, of course, in amazing TV
This Story Doesn’t Have A Happy Ending: Losing a Sibling to Opioid Overdose with Steph Wittels Wachs
This Story Doesn’t Have A Happy Ending: Losing a Sibling to Opioid Overdose with Steph Wittels Wachs Aug 18, 2026 3231 Most friendships start because you have something in common: work, hobbies, fashion, books, sense of humor. But not all friendships are formed because of something wholesome in common. Sometimes, you share an experience so life-changing that you are drawn to each other. That is how, nine years ago, Nora and Steph Wittels Wachs became friends. Steph lost her brother, Harris, to an opioid overdose.
Polyamory Is Easier When One Of Them Is Dead: Answering Widow Questions with Rebecca Woolf
Polyamory Is Easier When One Of Them Is Dead: Answering Widow Questions with Rebecca Woolf Aug 11, 2026 6098 People tend to tiptoe around anything to do with widowhood. We know that people are clumsy with their words and their actions, and often, they don’t want to say the wrong thing or ask the wrong questions. Oftentimes, widows don’t even want to ask these questions to fellow widows. So, our inbox fills with the questions people are too scared to ask – about dating widows, about grief’s permanence, ab
He Was A Mirror Of Me: Trauma, Memories, and Family Myths Changing Lives
He Was A Mirror Of Me: Trauma, Memories, and Family Myths Changing Lives Aug 5, 2026 2781 Our lives are shaped by our families. Not just our habits, family recipes, and noses – our stories, too. You probably know stories about your great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, or, if you’re really into Ancestry.com, as far back as five hundred years ago. You might know the names, professions, quirks, and life stories of people who could have literally never imagined your existence, and
457. Crusty Soul Energy with Elizabeth Kott
457. Crusty Soul Energy with Elizabeth Kott Jul 30, 2026 4105 On today’s episode, Nora is joined by Elizabeth Kott to renew your hope in humanity and give you your much-needed dose of OK. If you continue to forget the days of the week (Tuesday shouldn’t exist and we are prepared to cut them out of our calendars), find joy in having and using multiple notebooks while constantly on the quest to find the most PERFECT notebook, and love gossiping about the Summe
Help! I Was Dumped By A Widow
Help! I Was Dumped By A Widow Jul 28, 2026 5856 People are clumsy when it comes to widows – we’ve made a handful of episodes about just how clumsy we can be. But we don’t often talk about how widows can be clumsy with others, too. In today’s episode, we meet caller Alex, who met her dream man on Hinge. He was emotionally available, kind, and very interested in her. He made her feel safe and valued and important, which made Alex feel like she wa
456. Is This a 90s Summer? with Jo Piazza
456. Is This a 90s Summer? with Jo Piazza Jul 24, 2026 3151 Some days, OK things are all around us and naming them is a breeze. On other days, it feels like you have never, EVER been OK in your entire life. Whatever day you’re having, Nora and special guest and friend of the pod Jo Piazza are bringing you a message: to join them in their version of a 90s summer of surrender. They talk about lowering expectations, enjoying the whimsical little things (think
The Best at Suffering Award: Maggie Smith on Life After Divorce and Letting Go of Perfection
The Best at Suffering Award: Maggie Smith on Life After Divorce and Letting Go of Perfection Jul 21, 2026 3121 When you’re a planner and life throws you a big, rusty wrench, how do you live in the aftermath? If you’re anything like us, you desire control. A perfect, beautiful calendar with everything already on it – no surprises! Maggie Smith was one of those people, too. Being ruled by predictability worked for a lot of her life – through school, marriage, children, her career – but then everything implod
9 Things You Need To Hear If You're Struggling: Laura McKowen on addiction, guilt, and recovery
9 Things You Need To Hear If You're Struggling: Laura McKowen on addiction, guilt, and recovery Jul 14, 2026 2911 Drinking is a really acceptable thing in the US. Most towns have liquor stores on every few corners. Every home decor store has products with some variation of the same, tongue-in-cheek humor: “Mommy’s Go-Go Juice,” “I’m not whining, I’m wine-ing,” or “It’s WINE O’CLOCK!” More often than not, explaining that you’re sober can be more awkward than explaining that you binge drink every other weekend.
A Bluebird Day with Laura McKowen
A Bluebird Day with Laura McKowen Jul 10, 2026 3977 What’s okay with Laura McKowen right now? After we talk about the weather (and who doesn’t love to talk about the weather?) we go on a journey through prestige and lowbrow television, briefcases, baked goods and a poem that will bring you the soul hug you need.  Laura McKowens books: We Are The Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life (Bookshop | Amazon) Push Off From Here: 9 Essential Tr
SUMMER OF SURRENDER: Let’s give up, girls
SUMMER OF SURRENDER: Let’s give up, girls Jul 7, 2026 3542 There is no shame in giving up, despite the fact that the #Girlboss from the 2010s in us all might be rolling over in her metaphorical grave at the thought. But if you’re anything like Nora, you’ve felt the pressure from… well, everywhere to have a plan for the summer. To make it the most magical summer for your kids. To juggle work and hobbies and friends and your health with ease even as we’re h
Uprooted: What Can Happen When a Black Child Is Transracially Adopted by a White Family?
Uprooted: What Can Happen When a Black Child Is Transracially Adopted by a White Family? Jun 30, 2026 3675 Adoption is often viewed as a happy ending, and sometimes it is! But for Thenedra, her experiences as a child in the foster care system and later as a trans-racial adoptee were — and still are — much more complicated than that. This is an episode about what can happen when trans-racial foster and adoptive parents are not just unprepared to raise traumatized children, but also unprepared to raise B

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