For the first episode of 2021, author Maurene Goo and I jumped on the phone just hours after the inauguration, having kept our scheduled conversation in hope and faith but also ready to cancel. For many reasons, I'm so glad we didn't have to. Phew!

After processing world events for a bit, we dig into Maurene's backstory, writing process, the upsides of being married to another creative professional, and life as a new mom, and then I had a revelation about anxiety, thanks to Maurene's therapist! Maybe you'll find it helpful, too.

(Please accept my apologies for some sound quality issues that were a direct result of a rookie mistake I made in the recording process. I was able to fix much of it in post, but pardon any remaining heavy breathing.)

Produced & edited by me, Sara Zarr

Theme music by Dave Connis

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