The holidays can be uncomfortable, difficult and downright awkward. So Out in the Open's got your back with this hour all about how to survive the season... from dealing with family differences to reconciling who you are with holiday demands.

The media may move on... but for the people behind the headlines, the story continues. This week, Piya speaks with people affected by some of the year's top news stories of 2018 to find out what their lives are like after trending.

More Canadians are living in cities than ever before. But research shows that as these centres grow, social supports aren't keeping up, and all that crowding leads people to feel isolated. This week, with that ongoing rise in urbanization and isolation, Piya explores how people are creating community.

This week, Piya asks Canadians who have HIV what's changed about life with the virus in the 30 years since the first World AIDS Day in 1988.

We have more ways than ever to communicate with each other. Yet even with all our discourse, it seems we're more divided than ever too, entrenched in camps by our politics, identities, abilities and values. This week, meet people who stepped over the line as Piya asks: What can you learn from crossing divides?

Over the last year, we've heard countless stories of women who say they've been wronged and seen powerful men called out for their bad behaviour. So much time has been spent bringing the problems to the fore. But with new stories surfacing every day, it's become harder to see what real solutions might look like. This week, in the realm of sexual misconduct and beyond, Piya asks: When you've done wrong... how do you make it right?

Have you ever been torn between two ideals, causes or people... and can't quite figure where your allegiance should lie? This week, Piya speaks with people who found themselves with split loyalty and either felt like they had to choose a side or embrace living on a border.

Other People's Problems takes listeners behind the doors of real life therapy sessions. In season two, therapist Hillary McBride and her clients tackle heartbreak, new love, and, as you're about to hear, co-parenting with an abusive ex.

If you like what you hear, you can subscribe to Other People's Problems at cbc.ca/opp or wherever you get the Out in the Open podcast.

Between natural disasters, targeted attacks, and everyday run-of-the mill accidents, we hear about crises happening to other people on the news all the time. This week, Piya speaks with people who were there when crisis struck, to find out how they responded... and what their reaction says about them.

The word "ally" is thrown around a lot these days, especially by people who work to support women, people of colour, and those in the LGBT community. This week, we go beyond the buzz of the word to see what it really means to be an ally... and whether it makes a difference.