This episode features conversations with people doing the best they can in difficult circumstances. Like Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, whose husband Dr. Paul Kalanithi was a notable and rising brain surgeon who wrote When Breath Becomes Air, a bestselling memoir about his fatal battle with cancer. And comedian Amber Tozer, who tells a funny and poignant story about walking in on her mother’s wedding… on Christmas Day. We will also talk with some of the women of the Hot Young Widows Club on their hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. Plus, stories of people’s worst Holidays ever. 
—
Sign up today for TTFA Premium! For $7.99 a month, you get access to exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes *and* the knowledge that you’re keeping our show afloat! Visit TTFA.org/Premium to get started.
Want (sporadic) emails from Nora and Team TTFA? Sign up here. 
When you shop our Bookshop.org store, you support the author, independent bookstores AND our show! Shop here. You can purchase Nora’s books here.
Shop for your favorite TTFA gear at TTFAmerch.com.
Read the transcript for this episode here.
You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis.

And check out our sponsors this week:

Shutterfly: shutterfly.com

Help A Human Out: helpahumanout.co

Still Kickin’: stillkickin.co


Happyish Holidays 2020

Subscribe within Apple Podcasts for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to our full archive.

For all those perks and more, including a supportive community of Terrible listeners, mail surprises and live sessions with our team, join us on Patreon.com/ttfa!
—
It's a question we ask (and get asked) all the time: “How are you?” And normally we just respond with “Fine!” even if we’re totally dying inside, so everyone can go about their day.
But it’s not always all that fine, is it?
“Terrible, Thanks For Asking” is a show by author Nora McInerny that lets real people get real honest about how they’re really doing. It’s sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and almost always both. A production of Feelings & Co.

Personal Journals

Society & Culture

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Two years ago Julia Winston was asked to help a gay couple start a family by donating her eggs. At the time, she was 38, single, and had no idea if she’d start her own family. Sometimes that made her feel insecure, so the opportunity to donate her eggs allowed her to help create a family, just not the one she imagined in her head. Since the donation, she’s gone through an emotional transformation that opened her eyes to all the different ways a family can look. 
Julia is the host of Refamulating, the newest podcast from the Feelings and Co universe. Listen to Refamulating now, wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on Instagram. 
_
This is our last episode of Terrible Thanks for Asking for a while. If you want to get new episodes of TTFA through August, consider joining our Patreon. (Or, if you’re an Apple Podcast listener, you can sign up for TTFA Premium right in the app!)
Our Substack is a great way to connect with us and other listeners (and get more Terrible in your inbox). Join us here.
The episode transcript can be found here.
—
We’re lucky to only work with sponsors and brands we know and love. Using our links and codes saves you money and supports our independent production!
Foria: Experience your juiciest and deepest sensual experience with a bottle of Foria. FORIA is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting foriawellness.com/TERRIBLE OR use code TERRIBLE at checkout. I recommend trying their new Massage Oil combined with their Awaken Arousal Oil. You’ll thank me later.
BetterHelp: Learn to make time for what makes you happy, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/TTFA today to get 10% off your first month.
You can find our full sponsor list here.
—
Find all our shows and our store at feelingsand.co.
—
Find TTFA on social: TTFA on Instagram | TTFA on Facebook  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Becoming Fairy Godmother: Egg Donation and Creating A New Kind of Family

As we prepare for our indefinite hiatus, we wanted to remind you that we will still be making TTFA episodes on our Patreon and Apple Premium feeds. If you aren't a premium member, we wanted to show you what kind of episodes we make over there by bringing one of our bonus episodes to the main feed.
Recently, we asked listeners to send in obituaries about your dead people, and boy oh boy did you all deliver some gems that made us laugh, cry and reeeeeally want to double fist a Dr. Pepper with a Miller High Life. 
In this bonus episode, Nora reads some of her favorites.
_
Find Nora’s weekly newsletter here.
_
We’re lucky to only work with sponsors and brands we know and love. Using our links and codes saves you money and supports our independent production!
Foria: Experience your juiciest and deepest sensual experience with a bottle of Foria. FORIA is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting foriawellness.com/TERRIBLE OR use code TERRIBLE at checkout. I recommend trying their new Massage Oil combined with their Awaken Arousal Oil. You’ll thank me later.
BetterHelp: Learn to make time for what makes you happy, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/TTFA today to get 10% off your first month.
You can find our full sponsor list here.
—
Find all our shows and our store at feelingsand.co.
—
Find TTFA on social: TTFA on Instagram | TTFA on Facebook  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your Favorite Obituaries

In 2015, Sarah Super was raped by her ex-boyfriend Alex Neal. And she channeled that act of violence into a mission-driven organization that helped survivors of sexual violence feel seen and heard. 9 years after the night that changed her life, Sarah reflects on what it means to move forward with her life and to reclaim her identity as more than a survivor. Sarah was a guest on the first season of our podcast.

To hear Sarah's original episode, Unbroken, click here.
—
Want more TTFA? Become a member of our Patreon! 
Patrons get bonus episodes, invites to monthly office hours with Nora, and access to the full back catalog of episodes. Patrons are the only people who get other perks like discounted live event tickets or opportunities to sit in on an editing session for future episodes. 
__
Our Substack is a great way to connect with us and other listeners (and get more Terrible in your inbox). Join us here.
__
Find all our shows and our store at feelingsand.co.
—
Find TTFA on social: TTFA on Instagram | TTFA on Facebook  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More Than A Survivor: Rape, Activism and what comes next with Sarah Super

We have a big update about the future of TTFA, and something a lot of you have been asking about since the last episode, where I mentioned *casually* in the credits that we were going to be taking an indefinite hiatus. I wanted to talk more about what that means going forward, and thank all of you for listening and supporting our show. 
xo,
Nora
—
You can read the transcript of this update here.
—
We’ll be creating *NEW* episodes on Patreon through August 2024. Consider joining us on Patreon if you want to hear new episodes and access our back catalog. 
—
Find all our shows and our store at feelingsand.co.
—
Find TTFA on social: TTFA on Instagram | TTFA on Facebook 
  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Terrible, Thanks For Everything!!

Newsletters from an abandoned safe deposit box set host Paul Ditty on an investigation to learn all he can about The Silver Chain – a suburban Minnesota swing club from the 1970s –  and its members. 
Minnesota journalist Jack El-Hai paints a picture of what suburban life was like in the 1970s and how this sparked a delayed and secret sexual revolution among middle-aged couples. 
Paul attempts to reach several of the club's members. No one will talk until finally he reaches Carol. She hangs up on Paul, then eventually agrees to talk. But just as Paul is on his way to Modesto for the interview, an email from Carol’s daughter changes his course.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Time Capsule feed wherever you listen to podcasts!

Links:
Time Capsule Substack
TimeCapsulePodcast.com
Jack El-Hai's Article See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happyish Holidays 2020

Download our free app to listen on your phone