Sisters Cracking Up

Author and humorist Helen Ellis is in the house. And no topic is off-limits!

We talk professional poker, menopause, friendships, marriage, and the wherewithal it takes to become a successful writer. (Also, if you didn't know that the phrase "bless your heart" has negative connotations, Helen explains why.)

If you want to be Helen's friend, you've got to be willing to open up about your sex life and be prepared to show up in one of her books. To that, we say, "Sign us up!" She's so delightful, we think you'll be ready to sign up, too.

Helen is the author of Southern Lady Code, American Housewife, and Eating the Cheshire Cat. Her newest book, Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light explores friendships between women and what it's like to be a woman in midlife.

Raised in Alabama, she lives with her husband in New York City. You can find Helen on Twitter @WhatIDoAllDay and Instagram @HelenEllisAuthor.

Our enthusiasm is a little embarrassing, but we are true fangirls of Paul Gilmartin and his podcast, The Mental Illness Happy Hour. Listen in as Paul shares his own struggles openly and vulnerably -- in an effort to help others move through and beyond their own.

A well-known comedian and host of the long-running TBS show, Dinner and a Movie, Paul Gilmartin turned to podcasting in 2011 as a way to work through his own trauma. In a podcast the New York Times calls, "a perversely safe place in which he and his guests talk about their fears, addictions and traumatic childhoods," Paul's openness and empathy have endeared him to millions of listeners around the world.

This episode contains accounts of personal and sexual trauma which may be disturbing or upsetting to some listeners. It is intended for mature audiences only.

Join us as best-selling author (Sweetbitter, Stray) Stephanie Danler and her sister Christina Mannatt are interviewed together for the very first time.

Danler calls her interview on Sisters Cracking Up, "The best podcast I've ever done."

Danler's memoir, Stray, is one of grave childhood dysfunction which includes a drug-addicted father who abandons their family when Danler was three, and a secretly alcoholic mother who was eventually disabled by a brain aneurysm before Danler reached true adulthood.

But the story behind the story is the beautiful, complex, unconditional love between herself and her sister, Christina Mannatt. Although their trauma binds them in ways only known to them, they have cobbled together lives of meaning and sense -- with each other at the center.

Danler calls her relationship with her sister, the "defining relationship" of her life.

Listen in as these two deeply-bonded sisters discuss a shared traumatic history and their relationship which has helped heal them both.

We're joined today by Kristin van Ogtrop, former Editor-in-Chief of Real Simple magazine. Join in as real-life sisters psychotherapist Abby Rodman and Beauty and Marketing Exec Julie Howard discuss Kristin's new book, Did I Say That Out Loud? Midlife Indignities and How to Survive Them. Abby and Kristin commiserate on the challenges of having three sons (DON'T wear beige, keep your pocketbook open, and your mouth shut!), and Kristin talks openly and hilariously about her midlife career change.

In midlife, it's not too late to manifest the life of your dreams. Most of us have heard of "The Secret" -- but what if that technique of manifesting has just never worked for you? Listen in as sisters psychotherapist, Abby Rodman, and beauty and wellness expert, Julie Howard, talk with author and intuitive, Liz Dean, as she describes the exciting practice of using Switchwords to get exactly what you want.

Could your fear, anxiety, and depression (and other issues) have less to do with your current experiences and more to do with what your parents and grandparents experienced? Short answer: Yes.

Inherited trauma is real. Research shows it plays a far greater role in our physical and emotional health than ever before realized. We humans biologically pass down our trauma experiences to our children and grandchildren. It's not a just a "feeling" thing: Our DNA actually changes based on the traumas of prior generations.

Listen in as Mark Wolynn, leading expert in the field of inherited trauma, and bestselling author of "It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle" as he explains this life-changing phenomenon and what we can do to heal from trauma that spans generations.

Britney Spears has been in the public eye for as long as many of us can remember. Join Sisters Cracking Up as journalist Leo Honeycutt reminisces about being the first to interview Britney just as her star was rising, and his ongoing involvement with the Spears family. Britney's often-tortured journey is as public as ever as she attempts to free herself of her family's conservatorship. #FreeBritney

Britney Spears has been in the public eye for as long as many of us can remember. Join Sisters Cracking Up as journalist Leo Honeycutt reminisces about being the first to interview Britney just as her star was rising, and his ongoing involvement with the Spears family. Britney's often-tortured journey is as public as ever as she attempts to free herself of her family's conservatorship. #FreeBritney 

Hey, Sisters! We're introducing a brand-new feature with this fun episode featuring power sisters Alexandra Trower and Andrea Scharff.

Ever wonder what connects sisters and creates that unbreakable bond? The answer, of course, is the sharing of a unique family history that brings sisters close and keeps them closer.

Our guests today are pretty darn remarkable in their accomplishments and their sister bond! And we get to talk with them about everything midlife including menopause, breast reductions, and buying bras.

Alex Trower is a global communications and corporate affairs executive. She spent the last three decades working in asset management, banking, and global prestige beauty. She is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at her Alma Mater, Hollins University. She's also a frequent speaker and panelist focusing on women's leadership and career growth.

Andrea Scharff started her professional life working in the tech industry, but soon realized she preferred to be out in the garden more than inside the office.

Andrea's company, Andrea Scharff Landscape Design specializes in custom residential and commercial landscape design from Maui to Montauk.

Her work has been featured in the L.A. Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Lux Magazine.

Andrea is also a top 25 Instagram most followed landscape designer, and most followed Instagram influencer for landscape design.

At the top of the 'cast, Abby and Julie discuss (perhaps at length) the lip-syncing TikTok phenom that is William White (@whiteyy18) who is making thousands of midlife women swoon one video at a time.

Has your relationship with your partner or spouse changed so dramatically you don't even recognize it anymore? Is your partner or spouse depleting you and you just don't understand why? Has anyone suggested your partner or spouse may be a narcissist and you rejected that idea? Debbie Mirza, the bestselling author of The Covert Passive Aggressive Narcissist, joins Sisters Cracking Up and pulls back the curtain on the most insidious and toxic form of narcissism.