Sisters Cracking Up

Dr. Kerry McAvoy was a busy mom, wife, and psychologist when her world was devasted by the death of her first husand.

When she was finally able to come up for air, she met a new man who was everything she wanted in a partner. 

Just months after the wedding, she woke up to a text from a woman she didn't know: “I guess the joke is not just on me but on you, too. I’ve been dating your husband.” 

Her world was shattered. Still in love with her new husband, she chose not to leave. Instead, she spent the next two years fruitlessly and desperately trying to fix what was broken.

Despite being a psychologist, Kerry had never heard the term "narcissistic abuse." She didn't realize she'd been love-bombed, and was now being manipulated and gaslighted.

Married to a man whose personality vacillated between good guy and monster, Kerry was left strung out and confused. She became so desperate that she briefly considered ending her life. 

When her son became ill, Kerry saw her chance to leave her marriage and escape the hellscape she'd been living in. 

Kerry's goal now is to help others gain clarity and heal after narcissistic abuse. She wrote a book, Love You More, and took to TikTok where she created a 29-part video series on her experience of marriage to a malignant narcissist. This series, as well as her other videos about toxic relationships, have garnered over 18 million likes.

Sisters, let's talk booze. Most of us have some relationship with it whether it's front and center in our lives, on the periphery, or even in the rearview. But there's no escaping alcohol's prevalence in our society. Happy? Celebrating? Grab a glass or two or five. Sad? Grieving? Lonely? Do exactly the same.

Shockingly, alcohol use disorder in women has increased 87% in the last 30 years. Yup, you read that right. And however you do the math, that's a concerning number. If nothing else, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that in some countries, alcohol is the number one risk factor for breast cancer.

Enter Sarah Rusbatch, author of Beyond Booze: How to Create a Life You Love, Alcohol-Free. Sarah, a multi-award winning health and well-being coach, focuses on women who struggle with "gray-area drinking" -- defined as those that are not yet dependent on or addicted to alcohol in a clinical sense, but whose drinking could become problematic if they don't do something about it.

After developing what she describes as 'a dysfunctional relationship with alcohol', Sarah made the decision to remove alcohol from her life in early 2019 and has never looked back. She now works with thousands of women across the globe, guiding them into from feeling lost, stuck and out of control (something she fully understands herself), to a healthier and happier way of living.

She’s the host of the online community, The Women's Wellbeing Collective, which offers a safe space where women feel seen and understood. She equips women with the tools they need to break the cycle of unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms. Her experience, knowledge, and passion has transformed lives. 

Sisters, if you have any interest in Tarot, you've gotta take a listen to this episode. If you have any interest in Tarot explained by a witch, go no further. Why? Because we have Rebecca Auman on the show today and she's the GOAT. 

In Rebecca's own words: 

"For as long as I can remember, I’ve been able to read energy and vibration. Sometimes it was just a sparkle surrounding something to which I should pay extra attention. Other times I could see words come out of peoples’ foreheads. I felt these were messages from the universe. Messages with meaning."

Rebecca uses Tarot to answer the pressing questions we all ask ourselves: Am I making the right decisions? Am I going in the wrong direction? Am I swimming against the tide? Tarot helps you explore the messages you need to receive and helps you dig deeper. Tarot with Rebecca Auman is a special event because, as a witch, she brings her "extra" gifts to every reading.

Rebecca's podcast, Voices in the River, helps women reclaim their power and become leaders of their own destiny. Need we say more?

Abby and Julie open the episode discussing their witch-y mom and Abby's personal reading with Rebecca.

Hey, Sisters. Seems wherever we turn these days, we're being told to cut ties with the people in our lives who no longer serve us in a healthy way. In some families, this means that adult children are choosing to cut off communcation with their parents.

Sheri McGregor, author of Done With The Crying: Help and Healing for Mothers of Estranged Adult Children, is not only an expert on this topic, she is also one of millions of parents whose adult child made this painful and heartbreaking choice: When one of Sheri's sons was in his twenties, he made the decision to exclude her and the rest of their family from his life.

As part of her own healing journey, Sheri made the decision to help other parents through this. Already a writer, she used her literary skills to interview thousands of parents affected by estrangement and to craft a book which would help other parents heal, accept, and ultimately create meaningful lives in the aftermath.

With thousands of 5-star reviews on Amazon, this book -- and Sheri's wisdom -- is invaluable in helping parents understand -- and live with -- this shattering decision.

Abby and Julie open the episode discussing the the difficult task of cleaning out a parent's home and Abby's desire to start a TikTok channel which Julie will obviously manage.

Hey, Sisters. Dangerous personalities like narcissists and sociopaths are all around us. Some estimates show that up to 5% of the population exhibits traits of these deviant disorders. That's 5 out of every 100 people, people! Luckily, we have FBI profiler Joe Navarro on the pod to shed more light on who these people are and how to identify them.

Personally approached at the tender age of 23 to join the FBI, Joe Navarro became one of the youngest agents ever to join the renowned investigative agency. He went on to spend the next 25 years at the FBI, working both as an agent and supervisor in the areas of counterintelligence and counterterrorism. Through his work he was able to study, refine and apply the science of nonverbal communications. His acumen in this field and his success as a spy-catcher, led Joe to train FBI agents and the intelligence community.

Retiring from the FBI in 2003, and meeting overwhelming demand for his notable insights into human behavior, Joe has dedicated himself to speaking and consulting with major corporations worldwide.

Today Joe is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the application and use of nonverbal communications in business.

Through his experience working with CEOs and senior leaders of major global organizations, he is highly sought out for his expertise on leadership, influence, and the behavioral qualities that drive more effective leaders and in turn happier, more productive workforces.

Joe has been writing articles and books for the past 30 years. Today, he has 14 published books available in 29 languages. He has also written regular monthly columns for a variety of publications.

Abby and Julie open the episode discussing Abby's experiences with saving a stranger's puppy and finding and returning another stranger's cell phone -- and the surprising ways in which these people reacted to her efforts. 

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It's summah, Sisters! Time for some straight talk...and a good laugh or 20. Luckily, we've got veteran comic Jackie Kashian on the show to help with both.

Jackie Kashian is a stand-up comedian who has been seen on After Midnight, Conan, Corden, HBO, Netflix, and Comedy Central. She’s been heard on NPR and Audible. Touring 45 weeks a year, the tour is just called her career. Her 5 comedy albums and specials have been number one on Amazon and Apple and #3 on Billboard. In addition to two podcasts, “The Jackie and Laurie Show” and “The Dork Forest,” you can also read her writing in “The Comedy Film Nerds Guide to Movies” and the comic book “Comics Comics Quarterly”. Currently, she has a new TINY comedy special "LOOKING BACK" shot from the camera of a Mazda 6 in reverse.

Abby and Julie open the episode celebrating/lamenting the self-care machinations, time, travel, and clothing purchases it takes to prepare for wedding season redux -- the time of life when your kids, nieces and nephews, and friends' kids start to get married. 

Happy Mother's Day, Sisters! We hope it will be a joyful one for you and your families.

As we know well, our relationships with our moms can run the emotional gamut over the lifespan. We also know that some moms are made for mothering (or work really hard at it!), while some simply fall short because of circumstances they can't (or don't know how to) control. 

In Liz Scheier's beautiful, honest memoir, Never Simple, she describes her difficult and complex relationship with her mother, Judith. As a result of Judith's borderline personality disorder (BPD), Liz's childhood was fraught with chaos and volatility.

When Liz was 18 years old, her mother dropped two bombshells. One, that her mom had been married for most of the previous two decades to a man Liz had never heard of. And second, that everything she had told Liz about the man she’d claimed was Liz's dead father was entirely fictional. Never Simple is Liz's story about what happened next.

We loved our illuminating and intimate conversation with Liz -- and you will, too.

Never Simple has garnered praise from the New York Times, Publishers Weekly (starred review), Kirkus, Library Journal, Bookpage, Booklist, and bestselling authors Augusten Burroughs, Jenny Lawson, Isaac Mizrahi, Elissa Altman, Greer Hendricks, and Mira Bartók. It was chosen as a Best Book of March by Amazon and Apple Books, a People Picks by People Magazine, an Indie Next pick, a Barnes & Noble Top 10 Favorite Ebook of 2022, and was featured as one of “15 March Reads to Get You Through the Month” on Good Morning America. It was a finalist for a Lambda Award.

We love Steven Petrow for many reasons: he's funny, he's smart, he's a kickass writer, and he's tirelessly devoted to his beloved family. 

Sadly, Steven lost his younger sister, Julie Petrow Cohen, to ovarian cancer in June 2023. From all accounts, Julie led a life that priortized joy, professionalism, social justice, and family. In essence, she lived her life in full throttle.

At the end of her life, Julie chose when to die, accessing a little-known right in her state of New Jersey to die with dignity -- also known as Medical Aid in Dying (MAID). (MAID is currently an option in 9 states and Washington, D.C.)

Steven promised his beloved sister he would write about her experience and choice so that others may learn about and consider this option if needed. In a New York Times article entitled, "I Promised My Sister I Would Write About How She Chose to Die," Steven did just that. The article, not surprisingly, resonated with thousands.

Listen in as Steven talks about losing his beloved sister, how their shared experiences and humor bonded them, and what he's learned about the grief journey.

Steven Petrow is an award-winning journalist and book author who is best known for his Washington Post and New York Times essays on aging, health, and civility. He’s also an opinion columnist for USA Today,  where he writes about civil discourse and manners.  Steven's 2019 TED Talk, “3 Ways to Practice Civility” has been viewed nearly two million times and translated into 16 languages.

Hey, Sisters. If you're a believer in astrology or you're simply interested in what's behind the science of it, this is the episode for you.

We've both experienced some pretty amazing insights since we found Omar Senior. What we absolutely love about his readings (and him!) is his vast knowledge of astrology and the science behind it. In other words, we're sold!

Omar Senior is a dedicated astrologer who has immersed himself in the study of astrology for two decades. On a mission to share the profound insights of astrology with a global audience -- and a passion for making this ancient wisdom accessible to as many people as possible -- Omar is the visionary creator behind blackastrology.com. Through his work, he strives to equip others with the tools necessary to navigate life's journey and tap into the cosmic energies that shape our existence. You can also find him on his YouTube channel.

Abby and Julie open the episode with their own thoughts about astrology and Abby's ongoing issues with other drivers who are clearly struggling with the rules of the road.

Hey, Sisters. We can't seem to take a breath these days without hearing some new thing about narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder. How 'bout you?

Enter social media's The Nameless Narcissist, Jacob Skidmore. He's all over your feeds talking about his own diagnosis of NPD -- and helping millions of people in the process understand the narcissists in their lives.

Our conversation with Jacob was honest, refreshing, and (at times) disturbing, as he unveiled the inner workings, thoughts, and motivations of a someone with a diagnosis of NPD.

Cluster B personality disorders (of which NPD is one) will never fail to capture our imaginations, raise our ire, and make us scratch our heads. But so much of what we think we know about the people who suffer from these mental illnesses is rarely from the horse's mouth.

Listen in as The Nameless Narcissist pulls back the curtain on how narcissists feel (or not), and why they behave the way they do -- even when they know they're hurting those they claim to love.

Abby and Julie open the episode discussing Karens. Who are they? And what defines a Karen?