It's Going To Be OK

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 ma...

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 spect...

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 v...

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 a...

A mattress in New York once told Nora, “You cannot let the bastards get you down.” Today, with this episode of IGTBO, we are not letting the bastards get us down – we’re celebrating the OK things in the world. And Nora’s algorithm (and our voicemail box) have been full of people leaning into the Summer of Surrender (click here to get the full picture!). Whether it’s finding gratitude in the fact t...

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...

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...

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 Truth...

If you’ve been feeling like life is throwing everything at you all at once – burnout, exhaustion, chaos – today’s episode is for you. Today, Nora is joined by author and friend of the pod Courtney Maum, who brought OK things from weird Zillow listings in Florida to fancy gifts from very classy ladies. And, despite their love for each other, they very nearly have a friendship-ending fight – over wh...

Today’s IGTBO episode is a spiritual hug – as previous guest and friend of the pod Kelly Corrigon called it – with guest Nadia Bolz-Weber, a beautiful writer, a fellow griever, and a pastor. Don't be frightened away from this episode if you are not a religious person – there won’t be any lecturing here. Nadia is not that kind of religious person. She’s the kind of religious person that, at the ver...

On today’s episode of IGTBO, Charley Burlock – one of our favorite guests from our sister show, Thanks for Asking – joins Nora and is locked, loaded, and ready to make your day more OK. The universe itself blessed this episode with the Shark vacuum (Charley’s favorite AND a company Nora’s late father wrote infomercials for), brave farmers refusing to hand over their land to data centers, the beaut...

Nora talks with author Catherine Newman about the small things that make life feel okay—from quitting drinking and finding new rituals to parenting, loneliness, and the magic of shared meals and "night cereal." Catherine’s books:  Sandwich Amazon | Bookshop Wreck Amazon | Bookshop The Adidas Pants Catherine’s Snack Recs! You can share your okay things with us at ☎️502-388-OKAY (6529) or 📧 IGTBO@f...

Here on IGTBO, we're not about toxic positivity -- we're about finding things that are good even when the world is dark. Today's guest, Sharon McMahon -- a fellow tall woman -- brought her OK things, including geese, being in a goose-forward household, and the acts of kindness that can change the trajectory of your life.  For any long-time fans of IGTBO, this is a classic bird episode, and we coul...

This week on It's Going To Be OK: a 13-year-old boy tries to convince his mother that he should be allowed to have a Baja Blast at 7pm on a school night, sings the praises of Wetzel's Pretzels and asks whether or not he can become CEO of McDonald's if he drops out of 8th grade... Every other week, we're here to put some more okay in your day, but this is a group project and you can share your okay...

You know what makes things feel more okay? Kelly Corrigan, the host of Kelly Corrigan Wonders and the author of so many wonderful books (my favorite is Tell Me More). Today, Kelly and Nora dig through a treasure trove of (more than) okay things, including unexpected gratitude from an adult child (CALL YOUR MOM!), a book about a possible alien encounter, slow but steady civic progress and much more...

We would never tell you that everything is going to be OK, but we will tell you that something will be. Today, Nora and guest Elise Loehnen share the things that make them feel like the world isn’t crumbling down around them. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to the Secret Audio album on Spotify or Apple! Elise’s lipstick LInk to Heads Carolina, Tails California on Sp...

Things are not good in the world right now, and you don’t need us to tell you that. But despair is also not good. Having no hope is not good. And Nora believes that the antidote to despair is action – doing things for others in whatever capacity you can. So she and her son Ralph are bringing back IGTBO for you as an exercise in seeing the OK things in the world around you, even when it seems like...

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. ⁠Watch us on YouTube here⁠⁠⁠! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠! Learn more ab...

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!) ⁠Watch us on YouTube here⁠⁠! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠! Learn more...

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. ⁠Watch us on YouTube here⁠! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple⁠! Learn more a...

We said Ciao for Now, and now we're back... THINGS ARE DEFINITELY NOT OK RIGHT NOW! We know it. You know it. Your dog knows it (who told her??). But even when things are terrible, there’s something out there — however small — that is at least okay. Today’s episode is an exercise in finding (and sharing) the ok, with stories of the ways strangers have shown up for us in our times of need. Thanks to...

As we start 2025, we have a big announcement to make: It’s Going To Be Okay, the daily podcast is going away.  Going forward, Nora will be publishing a new podcast on her Substack. You can watch her YouTube channel for more moments of gratitude and okay things (plus other fun content!). Thank you for listening to this show and sharing all of your okay things over the last two years!  _ If you have...

Rachel found a simple pleasure to distract her from some of the heavy things in her life: iPad games.  _ If you have anxiety, depression or any sense of the world around you, you know that not *everything* is going to be okay. In fact, many things aren’t okay and never will be! But instead of falling into the pit of despair, we’re bringing you a little OK for your day. Every weekday, we’ll bring y...

Jolie Stele has made a lot of plans for how her life should go. Very few of them panned out exactly how she expected, but she’s still happy with where she ended up. Jolie Steele is a coach and a writer. Check out more essays like this on her Substack, and follow her on Instagram.  _ If you have anxiety, depression or any sense of the world around you, you know that not *everything* is going to be...

After a divorce, Jolie Steele learned a valuable lesson: most of life is living in the “messy middle”.  Jolie Steele is a coach and a writer. Check out more essays like this on her Substack, and follow her on Instagram.  _ If you have anxiety, depression or any sense of the world around you, you know that not *everything* is going to be okay. In fact, many things aren’t okay and never will be! But...