Thanks For Asking

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Pam and Steve have just gotten married and are getting ready to celebrate with friends and family at their upcoming wedding reception in just a few days … but first, they gotta head to the north woods of Minnesota to tackle some chores at their lake cabin. When a tragic accident up at the lake...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In August 2017, members of the Ku Klux Klan and other white nationalist groups descended on Charlottesville, VA to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee as part of the Unite the Right rally. Constance was also at that rally — as a counter-protestor trained in de-escalation technique...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - All weddings have some family drama, and all families have their own generational tension. It's no different for Mai Neng Moua and her mother, Yer Vu. Yer Vu was once a different kind of bride in a different country. She has expectations for her daughter's wedding. Mai Neng knows this ... but...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Rachel Haines is really good at gymnastics. And when you're really good at a really demanding sport, you eventually deal with injuries. At age 12, Rachel hurts her hamstring. At age 15, she fractures her spine. Both times, Rachel is immediately taken to the team physician, a man named Larry Na...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - We're back with our third annual Happyish Holidays episode! This year, comedian Alyssa Limperis shares with us the holiday letter she wrote the year her dad died from brain cancer. We talk with Jay Mathews, a 48-year-old father and son who, with stage IV cancer, is probably experiencing his la...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Heather grew up in Kansas, but she hasn’t been back there for years … not since the moment she was old enough to leave. When her mother dies, Heather heads home for the services, and an already difficult situation becomes even harder — because Heather and her sisters must, for the first time i...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - OCD is one of those acronyms we use when what we really mean to say is, "I organize my spice drawer alphabetically,” or “I always forget if I’ve locked the door or not, so I have to double check.” Those things are … not OCD. So what does it mean to actually live with obsessive compulsive disor...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - This is an episode about two letters. One of those is the letter Jim left for his wife, Annie, before he died by suicide. The second is the letter Annie wrote to Jim after his death — and as she dealt with her own mental health issues and suicidality in the wake of it. When someone dies by sui...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - On the eve of Kelli's 25th birthday in 2017, she and her boyfriend find themselves running for their lives in a dystopian nightmare. They'd planned to spend the weekend in Las Vegas at the Route 91 country music festival to celebrate the dawn of a new phase of Kelli's life. Instead, they witne...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Lauren’s brother died at Thanksgiving. Her mother died at Christmas. So … this time of year is not exactly joyous for her. And it’s not all that fun for a lot of other people, too. The holidays can really suck! We’re back with our second annual Happyish Holidays episode, in which we share your...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Jaamil’s sister died when he was just 12 years old. His grandmother and great grandmother died when he was 13. His mother died when he was 15. His brother was murdered when Jaamil was 22 ... and a week after that, his father died. Yeah. It’s A LOT. But Jaamil’s story isn’t just about loss. It’...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Nora’s husband, Aaron, and Casey’s wife, Hope, died on the exactly same day in 2014. Aaron and Hope both left behind spouses, children, and all of the love their small families had created. Nearly three years later, they’ve started moving forward … but don’t you dare say they’ve moved “on.” No...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In part one of "Forever Alone?" we met chronically single Chelsea, who was looking for love in all the same places we all look for love ... and coming up empty-handed. In this episode, we meet Chelsea's new boyfriend and explore what happens when the love we find isn't what we expected. You ca...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - As the saying goes, "There’s a lid for every pot." There’s someone for everyone. Chelsea has been looking for her lid — her someone — since high school. Nearly 15 years after her only real relationship ended, Chelsea still hasn’t found her person. It’s not like she hasn’t been trying, and it’s...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - America has a garbage attitude toward grief — we know this. Bereavement leave generally means you get 2-3 business days to mourn a partner, a child, a parent, a sibling. But what about when your very best friend in the world dies? What then? When the funeral is over and the casseroles have bee...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - When Nora McInerny's dad died, she lost his stories — the ones that she’s not sure she can quite remember right, and the ones she never knew ... like the stories from his time as a Recon Marine in Vietnam. Nora decides to look up some of the men he served with. What unfolds is Nora discovering...

- Sarah Super is not broken. Sarah Super is a woman who is absolutely, 100% living up to her name. She’s is a rape survivor — a very outspoken rape survivor. In this episode, Sarah talks about the things that nobody wants to talk about, the things that grow and survive in silence … including what happened after her ex-boyfriend raped her in 2014. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy the...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Dawn is a nurse. In June of 2015, she was injured on the job by one of her patients and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Dawn’s husband and their kids have been in deep, deep grief since that day in 2015. Not because Dawn died — she’s very much alive, thank goodness. But because Dawn isn’t t...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Two days after Nora’s husband Aaron died, she celebrated Thanksgiving with her family. Well... maybe not “celebrated.” Every year, millions of people do the same thing during the holidays. In this episode, we talk with some of those folks, including Dr. Lucy Kalanithi and comedian Amber Tozer....

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Toddlers Ralphie and Bronson have lived most of their young lives with dead fathers. Their mothers — Nora and Moe — struggle to understand how to help their boys remember the dads they won’t know directly. As they worry about what long-term effect the losses will have on the kids, Nora seeks p...

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Nora McInerny is in love with two men. With one man (who died two years ago this week), she has a child. And just last week, she had a child with the other. She didn’t tell many people about the new baby. Or her pregnancy, for that matter. And in the first-ever episode of “Terrible, Thanks for...