We Can Do Hard Things

This life-saving conversation is for anyone who has—or loves someone who has—breasts. Amanda shares what to know about breast density, the screenings you actually need (not just what’s offered), and how self-advocacy helped lead to her own breast cancer diagnosis—and helped save the lives of Pod Squaders who listened to our episodes.

Then, Amanda’s renowned surgeon, Dr. Lucy M. De La Cruz, walks us through the choices you may face after a breast cancer diagnosis—including the options you may not even know are options. 

For more on Amanda’s Breast Cancer journey: 

- Amanda's Diagnosis and What's Next (Part 1)

- Amanda’s Diagnosis and What’s Next (Part 2)

- Amanda Returns Post Surgery: Here’s What She Wants You to Know 

- What Amanda’s Learned About Life, Love & Community (Post Surgery Pt 2) 

- Early Detection, Mammograms & Breast Cancer Care with Dr. Rachel Brem 

- Expert Advice on Genetic Testing, Cancer Prevention & Care Disparities with Dr. Rachel Brem 

About Dr. De La Cruz: 

Dr. Lucy M. De La Cruz is an internationally recognized breast surgical oncologist and the youngest Latina Chief of Breast Surgery in an academic institution in the United States. She serves as Chief of Breast Surgery and Director of the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, a nationally ranked center of excellence in breast cancer care. Dr. De La Cruz specializes in nipple-sparing mastectomies with structural preservation and resensation, with a focus on highly specialized single-stage implant reconstruction. Patients describe her not only as a world-class surgeon, but as a fierce advocate and mentor—especially for women navigating the complexities of diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. 

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What if the goal of staying in love isn't getting to know your partner better—but learning how to un-know them?

Glennon, Abby, and Amanda discuss why the same old dinner date can leave us feeling stuck, why novelty is one of the biggest predictors of lasting connection, and how small shifts can make your relationship feel new again.

- Why date nights aren't enough

- The science behind keeping the spark alive

- How to create more curiosity, play, and adventure together

- The "date bowl" idea you'll want to steal immediately

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Six minutes on a New York City subway became a Rorschach test for America.

Amanda invites Anand Giridharadas back to look beyond the certainty surrounding the Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny case—and toward an uncomfortable truth: We may not be as divided as we think. Across the political spectrum, Americans are crying out with the same fear: No one is coming. We’re on our own.

Amanda and Anand dig into how that shared sense of abandonment can push us toward vigilantism, what we lose when we reduce complicated human beings to heroes and villains, and why reclaiming curiosity, complexity, and each other’s humanity might be essential to democracy.

About Anand:

You know Anand Giridharadas from our WHY ARE BILLIONAIRES?!? episode. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Persuaders, the international bestseller Winners Take All, The True American, and India Calling. A foreign correspondent and columnist for The New York Times for more than a decade, he is an on-air political analyst for MSNBC, and publisher of the newsletter The Ink. Today we dive into Anand’s spellbinding book, out today – MAN IN THE MIRROR – reporting on Jordan Neely's life and death, Daniel Penny's life and trial, and the way six minutes on the NYC subway holds a mirror to the city and the nation. Don't miss Anand's Man in the Mirror docuseries, too.  

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Cher is here!! The one and only icon talks to us about love, money, parenting, leaving relationships, starting over, and the secret to surviving life’s inevitable collisions: Don’t give up. Just keep moving.

- The advice Lucille Ball gave Cher about leaving Sonny—and Cher later passed on to Tina Turner

- Why Cher says, “I wasn’t ready till I was ready”

- Her regrets about how she responded when Chaz came out—and what she learned

- The iconic story behind “Mom, I am a rich man”

- Cher’s bumper-car philosophy for getting through life when you hit a wall

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Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

Six weeks from the midterm elections, New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and political leader, Stacey Abrams is here with a clear message: You don’t have to do everything—but you do have to do something. 

Leader Abrams breaks down where we are in the fight for democracy, what’s at stake in this election, and exactly how each of us can use our power right now. 

- The 10 steps to authoritarianism—and the 10 steps to fight back

- What to do now to make sure your vote is cast and counted

- Why the midterms are only the beginning—and what we must do the day after

- Abrams’ plan for anyone who has just two hours a week to give

- Why we need to stop asking “Is there hope?” and start asking: “Did I do hope today?”

Learn more about: 

10 Steps Campaign: https://10stepscampaign.org/

Stacey Abrams’ New Book: Coded Justice

About Stacey Abrams:

STACEY ABRAMS is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and political leader. She served as Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, and she was the first Black woman to become gubernatorial nominee for a major party in United States history. Abrams has devoted her career to democracy protection, voting rights, and effective public policy. She is the founder of Fair Fight, Fair Count and the American Pride Rises Network and is the lead organizer of the 10 Steps Campaign, a nationwide mobilization and education effort against competitive authoritarianism. 

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Caregivers, you’re exhausted for a reason—and it’s not because you’re doing it wrong.

Ai-jen Poo reveals why so many of us are burning out while caring for kids, aging parents, partners, and everyone in between—and why we were never meant to carry all of this alone.

- The real reason caregivers are so burned out

- How to care for the people you love without losing yourself

- Why the “sandwich generation” is really the panini generation

- How to build a “care squad” that actually supports you

- Why care is the invisible work that makes everything else possible

About Ai-jen: 

Ai-jen Poo is an award-winning organizer, author, and a leading voice in the women’s movement. She is the President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Executive Director of Caring Across Generations, Senior Advisor to Care in Action, Co-Founder of SuperMajority, and a Trustee of the Ford Foundation.

Ai-jen is a nationally recognized expert on caregiving, the future of work, and what’s at stake for women of color. She is the author of the celebrated book, The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America. 

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What if the secret to moving forward is getting better at letting go of what just happened?

Glennon, Abby, and Amanda catch up on empty nesting, parenting, sports, midlife, and the stories we tell ourselves when we mess up—and discover that golf may, unfortunately, be a metaphor for life.

- Why we waste so much energy trying to explain or undo our mistakes

- Glennon and Abby’s empty-nest question: What do people actually do between dinner and bedtime?

- Abby on the skill of feeling your anger, releasing it, and saying: “Okay, next”

- The parenting lesson that brought Glennon to tears: “Be the one w

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Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

What if the key to understanding each other isn’t getting better at talking—but getting better at recognizing how differently our brains work?

The brilliant and hilarious Hannah Gadsby joins us to talk about neurodivergence, relationships, shame, and what it really takes to meet people where they are. Hannah shares how a later-in-life autism diagnosis changed the way they understood themself—and why they describe it as an “exfoliation of shame.”

- Why neurodivergent and neurotypical people can experience communication so differently

- The invisible work of masking—and why a “casual” conversation can feel like a marathon

- Why Hannah says we need to stop taking other people’s differences personally

- How to better understand and connect with the neurodivergent people we love

- Why Hannah stopped using self-deprecating humor—and what happened when they stopped apologizing for who they are

About Hannah:

Hannah Gadsby stopped stand-up comedy in its tracks with their multi-award-winning show Nanette, which played to sold-out houses in Australia, the UK, and New York. Its launch on Netflix, and subsequent Emmy and Peabody wins, took Nanette (and Hannah) to the world. Hannah’s difficult second album (which was also their eleventh solo show) was named Douglas, after their dog. Hannah walked Douglas around the world, selling out and scoring another Emmy nomination. Before all of this, Hannah appeared as a character called Hannah in Please Like Me (Hulu) and toured their native Australia and the UK as a stand-up comedian. They made art documentaries and did plenty of other things over the course of more than a decade in comedy, but that will do for now. 

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What if the secret to stronger relationships isn’t avoiding conflict—but learning how to do it well?

Conflict resolution expert and bestselling author Priya Parker joins us to teach us how to fight with more courage, clarity, and love—and how to know which relationships are actually worth the fight.

- Why “we never fight” can be a warning sign, not a relationship goal

- The difference between unhealthy peace and healthy heat

- How to know when to confront, when to let go, and when to walk away

- The simple rule that can make a hard conversation easier to hear: name the behavior, not the person

- Why the relationships with the most depth often require some heat—and why fighting well can bring us closer

For more, listen to: 

256. How to Host a Magical Gathering with Priya Parker

163. How to Make Wrongs Right with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg

About Priya: 

PRIYA PARKER is a facilitator, strategic advisor, and acclaimed author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters. Trained in the field of conflict resolution, Parker has worked on race relations on American college campuses and on peace processes in the Arab world, southern Africa, and India. She studied organizational design at MIT, public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and political and social thought at the University of Virginia. 

Her new book THE ART OF FIGHTING: The Transformative Power of Conflict is available now. 

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Today, we remember Gloria Steinem—a woman who spent her life reminding us that we are not broken, just born into systems designed to break us. She taught us how to stay whole anyway, how to tell the truth, get free, find our people, get to work—and laugh while we work.

Gloria showed us how to lead. Our turn. 

Gloria, Gloria, Hallelujah.