We Can Do Hard Things

After The Episode That Wasn’t, we received nearly 1,000 voicemails in two days from women saying: This is my life at work. So we invited Emmy and Peabody Award-winning sports journalist Sarah Spain to talk about what actually works when you’re navigating sexism, harassment, and power on the job. - Why telling women to “just report it” isn’t enough; - The difference between what’s right and what ac...

Stefanie Fox, Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace, joins Glennon, Abby, and Amanda for an urgent, eye-opening conversation about the fight for Palestinian freedom, the powerful forces keeping America complicit, and what each of us can do to make a difference.  Glennon also shares the story behind her recent arrest outside the United Nations and the unexpected hope she's found in taki...

What does it take to survive the unimaginable—and then build a life filled with joy? Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Allison Russell shares how she survived childhood abuse, found lifelines in music and chosen family, and learned to put down the pain she’d been carrying and return to her body, her joy, and herself. - How to stop carrying the pain of what happened to you - Why chosen...

If you don’t feel like yourself lately, it might not be stress, aging, or “all in your head.” Dr. Rachel Rubin tells us what every woman deserves to know about perimenopause, menopause, and the hormones that can affect everything from our sleep and mood to our brains, bodies, relationships, and sex lives. - The surprising signs of perimenopause—and how early they can start - Why a “normal” hormone...

What if the voice telling you there’s something wrong with your body…isn’t actually yours? Carson Tueller joins us for a radically freeing conversation about disability, desire, and refusing to postpone your life until your body becomes something else. After an accident left him paralyzed from the chest down at 23, Carson discovered that much of his suffering wasn’t coming from his body—but from t...

This life-saving conversation is for anyone who has—or loves someone who has—breasts. Amanda shares what to know about breast density, the screenings you actually need (not just what’s offered), and how self-advocacy helped lead to her own breast cancer diagnosis—and helped save the lives of Pod Squaders who listened to our episodes. Then, Amanda’s renowned surgeon, Dr. Lucy M. De La Cruz, walks u...

What if the goal of staying in love isn't getting to know your partner better—but learning how to un-know them? Glennon, Abby, and Amanda discuss why the same old dinner date can leave us feeling stuck, why novelty is one of the biggest predictors of lasting connection, and how small shifts can make your relationship feel new again. - Why date nights aren't enough - The science behind keeping the...

Six minutes on a New York City subway became a Rorschach test for America. Amanda invites Anand Giridharadas back to look beyond the certainty surrounding the Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny case—and toward an uncomfortable truth: We may not be as divided as we think. Across the political spectrum, Americans are crying out with the same fear: No one is coming. We’re on our own. Amanda and Anand dig...

Cher is here!! The one and only icon talks to us about love, money, parenting, leaving relationships, starting over, and the secret to surviving life’s inevitable collisions: Don’t give up. Just keep moving. - The advice Lucille Ball gave Cher about leaving Sonny—and Cher later passed on to Tina Turner - Why Cher says, “I wasn’t ready till I was ready” - Her regrets about how she responded when Ch...

Six weeks from the midterm elections, New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and political leader, Stacey Abrams is here with a clear message: You don’t have to do everything—but you do have to do something.  Leader Abrams breaks down where we are in the fight for democracy, what’s at stake in this election, and exactly how each of us can use our power right now.  - The 10 steps...

Caregivers, you’re exhausted for a reason—and it’s not because you’re doing it wrong. Ai-jen Poo reveals why so many of us are burning out while caring for kids, aging parents, partners, and everyone in between—and why we were never meant to carry all of this alone. - The real reason caregivers are so burned out - How to care for the people you love without losing yourself - Why the “sandwich gene...

What if the secret to moving forward is getting better at letting go of what just happened? Glennon, Abby, and Amanda catch up on empty nesting, parenting, sports, midlife, and the stories we tell ourselves when we mess up—and discover that golf may, unfortunately, be a metaphor for life. - Why we waste so much energy trying to explain or undo our mistakes - Glennon and Abby’s empty-nest question:...

What if the key to understanding each other isn’t getting better at talking—but getting better at recognizing how differently our brains work? The brilliant and hilarious Hannah Gadsby joins us to talk about neurodivergence, relationships, shame, and what it really takes to meet people where they are. Hannah shares how a later-in-life autism diagnosis changed the way they understood themself—and w...

What if the secret to stronger relationships isn’t avoiding conflict—but learning how to do it well? Conflict resolution expert and bestselling author Priya Parker joins us to teach us how to fight with more courage, clarity, and love—and how to know which relationships are actually worth the fight. - Why “we never fight” can be a warning sign, not a relationship goal - The difference between unhe...

Today, we remember Gloria Steinem—a woman who spent her life reminding us that we are not broken, just born into systems designed to break us. She taught us how to stay whole anyway, how to tell the truth, get free, find our people, get to work—and laugh while we work. Gloria showed us how to lead. Our turn.  Gloria, Gloria, Hallelujah.

Heartbreak isn't just happening in your mind—it's happening in your body. In this Best Of conversation, science journalist Florence Williams joins us to discuss what heartbreak does to our brains, bodies, and nervous systems—and the surprising science behind healing. We explore why awe, beauty, and nature may be some of our most powerful medicines when life breaks us open. - What heartbreak actual...

If you've been living inside your head lately, this conversation is for you.  Glennon, Abby, and Amanda talk about the exhausting mental chatter that keeps so many of us anxious, overwhelmed, and disconnected from our lives. Glennon shares the surprising shift that helped her stop trusting every thought she had—and start finding a steadier place beneath the noise. - Why you are not your thoug...

Today, we remember the one and only Dolly Parton. Dolly gave the world so much: her music, her humor, her generosity, her courage, and her unwavering commitment to being exactly who she was—and letting everyone else be exactly who they are, too. We feel incredibly lucky to have had this conversation with her about trusting yourself even when it breaks your heart, beginning again at any age, mother...

Good Grief, the album, is out everywhere this Friday, and the documentary comes to theaters nationwide September 2! Our dear friend Sara Bareilles joins us to talk about Good Grief—her deeply personal new album and documentary—and what she’s learning about grief, love, mental health, and the terrifying practice of trusting life to hold us. Sara shares how infertility, loss, and some of her hardest...

As another school year begins, many of us are wondering if we're doing enough to prepare our kids for the world. But maybe the most important thing we can give them isn't in a backpack. Maybe it's our willingness to have the conversations we're most afraid of. Sonya Renee Taylor reminds us that our kids don't need perfect answers—they need honest, trustworthy adults who are willing to tell the tru...

Who invented gender? Who decided the rules, wrote the script, and convinced us it was all just…nature? Amanda traces the wild history of how gender became a system we call “natural,” “biological,” and “just the way it is.” Then ALOK joins to help us see the game we’ve been playing without even knowing it—and imagine what becomes possible when we stop mistaking the rules for reality. Together, they...

So many of us are carrying the weight of uncertainty—about our families, our futures, our work, and our communities. Underneath all of that is something we don't talk about nearly enough: money.  Financial educator Tori Dunlap helps us untangle the stories we've inherited about money and replace shame with something far more powerful: agency. Because the goal isn't wealth for wealth's sake—it...

If you've ever climbed into bed exhausted only to lie awake for hours, you're not alone. After experiencing chronic insomnia, Glennon found the two sleep experts who helped her sleep again. In this conversation, Sleep Works founders Leah Corkum and Marlee Boyle explain why insomnia isn't a personal failure—it's a treatable sleep disorder—and share the practical strategies that could change your li...

Sometimes the hardest thing isn't working harder—it's remembering how to be alive. After Abby and Glennon stage a Relaxation Intervention for Amanda (which immediately goes off the rails), the conversation becomes something much deeper: why so many of us struggle to rest, why we've negotiated away our playful selves in the name of responsibility, and how over-functioning can keep us from fully liv...

Sometimes the truth doesn't break a family apart—it finally sets everyone free. Kerry Washington shares the deeply personal story of discovering a long-held family secret, reclaiming her self-trust, and realizing she had spent years living someone else's story. We talk about what family secrets cost us, the difference between protection and deception, and why telling the truth can become the deepe...