We Can Do Hard Things

1. Why sharing your messy middle with someone is a gift and connection builder, not a burden.

2. The reasons why we don’t ask for the help we desperately need.

3. “Vague favs” and why are they a hard No for Amanda.

4. Abby, Glennon, and Amanda each share something they need help with right now.

5. The science behind Help as one of the most effective relationship-enhancing tools, and the best ways to finally ask for it.  

419. How to Stay Human with Suleika Jaouad

Artist and New York Times bestselling author, Suleika Jaouad, returns to discuss the importance of creative processes for staying human. 

-The surprising ways attachment theory shapes our creative expression and self-worth.

-Challenges artists face when promoting their work—and how Glennon and Suleika resist the public pressures.

-A simple yet powerful journaling practice to unlock self-connection and creative clarity.

Suleika Jaouad is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Between Two Kingdoms. She wrote the Emmy Award-winning New York Times column and video series “Life, Interrupted,” and she is also the subject, along with husband Jon Batiste, of the Oscar-nominated documentary American Symphony.  A visual artist, her large-scale watercolors are the focus of several upcoming exhibitions. She is also the creator of the Isolation Journals, a weekly newsletter and global community and her latest book, The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life, is available now.

418. Why You Can’t Pay Attention—And How to Get It Back with Dr. Amishi Jha

Director of Contemplative Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, Dr. Amishi Jha joins us to discuss how we can cultivate and develop our attention in a way that allows us to maximize the meaning, fulfillment, and joy in our lives. 

-The three types of attentional systems –and how we use them in our daily lives;

-Why attention is a limited resource – and how to make the most of it;

-Why multitasking is a myth; and

-A mindfulness practice to fuel your attentional capacity in just 12-minutes.

Dr. Amishi Jha, PhD is Director of Contemplative Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami. She leads research on the neural bases of attention and the effects of mindfulness-based training programs on cognition, emotion, resilience, and performance in education, corporate, elite sports, first-responder, and military contexts. In her national bestseller, Peak Mind she shares her discoveries on how attention can be trained for optimal performance and well-being. 

For the Peak Mind book, go to: https://amishi.com/books/peak-mind

For the Peak Mind Interactive app, go to: https://peakmind.media/

We all want tools to navigate (and minimize!) family drama. 

Today, Nedra Glover Tawwab teaches us how we can create drama free families: 

For more with Nedra Glover Tawwab, check out: ⁠Episode 124 How to Say No: Boundaries with Nedra Glover Tawwab⁠.

About Nedra: 

Nedra Glover Tawwab is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Drama Free and Set Boundaries, Find Peace. A licensed therapist and sought-after relationship expert, she has practiced relationship therapy for more than fifteen years. Tawwab has appeared as an expert on Red Table Talk, The Breakfast Club, Good Morning America, and CBS Morning Show to name a few. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vice. Tawwab runs a popular Instagram account where she shares practices, tools, and reflections for mental health and relationships. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family.

TW: ⁠@NedraTawwab⁠

IG: ⁠@nedratawwab

1. Why it’s important to prioritize our own needs, wants, and feelings–and how that creates freedom and peace for those we love.

2. What Glennon says was the hardest thing about telling her kids that Craig and she were getting a divorce–and how truth telling frees us all.

3. Martha’s helpful strategy for how to choose freedom over fear when we’re faced with a tough decision.

About Martha:

Dr. Martha Beck is a New York Times bestselling author, life coach, and speaker. She holds three Harvard degrees in social science, and Oprah Winfrey has called her “one of the smartest women I know.” Martha is a passionate and engaging teacher, known for her unique combination of science, humor, and spirituality. Her newest book, The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self, was an instant New York Times Best Seller.

Book: ⁠The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self⁠

Instagram: ⁠@themarthabeck⁠

Twitter: ⁠@marthabeck

424. Living with Bipolar Disorder: Cameron Esposito

Stand-up comedian, actor, writer and friend, Cameron Esposito joins us for a conversation about being diagnosed and living with bipolar disorder.

-Cameron takes us inside a manic episode and shares what it really felt like-The beauty and heartbreak of loving someone with a mental illness-What it means to be a witness to your own pain and your life-How comedy changes on and off medication for Cameron 

Cameron Esposito is a standup comic, actor & writer. A nationally and internationally touring headliner, Cameron has released three specials, including the culture-shifting Rape Jokes, and three albums, the award-winning Same Sex Symbol amongst them. As an actor, Cameron has been seen on Netflix, Max, Prime Video, Hulu & many more, as well as in big budget movies & Sundance indies.  Cameron is the author of the bestselling book, Save Yourself, about growing up very religious and very gay and hosted the long-running podcast, Queery.Cameron will be on tour with their next hour of standup in select cities this year before it debuts at Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theater in the fall. Cameron Esposito released their newest standup special, Four Pills—about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 40 – on comedy streaming service Dropout to broad acclaim; it was featured in Variety, the LA Times and People.

416. How Their Friendship Became a Revolution | Leisha Hailey & Kate Moennig of The L Word

Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig, stars of The L Word, discuss their new book, “So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All,” an intimate, hilarious memoir of art, friendship and queerness. 

How Kate and Leisha met; their first impressions of each other and going in for the same role

The impact and legacy of The L Word and Glennon’s recent introduction to the show

Rainbow capitalism, the pressure to publicly “come out,” and the joys of found family

LEISHA HAILEY is an actor, director, executive producer, musician, and podcaster. Hailey is best known for her beloved breakout character Alice Pieszecki in the revolutionary Showtime series The L Word and the reboot, The L Word: Generation Q. Before making her mark on-screen, Hailey cofounded the band The Murmurs in the 1990s, recording three albums for MCA/Universal Records and touring worldwide, including with Lilith Fair. More than a decade later, in 2007, Hailey cofounded the indie pop band Uh Huh Her, which toured internationally and sold albums worldwide. 

KATE MOENNIG is a critically acclaimed actor and executive producer whose work spans film, television, and theater. She is most known for her iconic role as Shane McCutcheon in the Showtime series The L Word and the reboot, The L Word: Generation Q. Moennig has also starred in Showtime’s hit series Ray Donovan and in Freeform’s breakout series Grown-ish. Moennig’s film credits include the neo-noir legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer, Lane 1974, and Terry Zwigoff's Art School Confidential. Most recently she can be seen in Liz Feldman's series No Good Deed on Netflix. She currently cohosts the podcast PANTS with Kate and Leisha.

The Best Advice We’ve Ever Received

Today, Glennon, Abby, and Amanda remember – and share! – the best advice they’ve ever received:

Plus, we hear from two pod treasures – Sara Bareilles and Glennon’s 7th grade government teacher, Mrs. Yalen – on their best advice.

Ross Gay teaches us how to notice delight and joy in our everyday lives. We discuss: concrete ways to rediscover and capture joy every day; how to rebuild your “delight muscle”; how to dissolve the myth of disconnection between us; and how to “unknow” our people so we can delight in them.

About Ross: 

Ross Gay is an American poet, essayist, and professor committed to healing the world through observing and articulating joy, delight and gratitude. He won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for his 2014 book, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, which was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry. A devoted community gardener, Ross is a founding board member of the Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit, free-fruit-for-all food justice and joy project. A college football player, he is a founding editor of the online sports magazine Some Call it Ballin'.

415. Are You Addicted to Drama? How to Know & How to Fix it with Dr. Scott Lyons

Dr. Scott Lyons, a licensed holistic psychologist and author, discusses the concept of drama addiction. He explains the physiological and psychological mechanisms behind this addiction, how to know if you have one, and how we can begin to break free from these cycles. 

-The top question to ask to yourself to understand your trauma

-Why you may feel unsafe when relaxed

-How drama addiction shows up in our own bodies

-Why boredom is actually a good sign on the path to healing

-Beginner steps to start divesting from drama

Dr. Scott Lyons is a licensed holistic psychologist, educator and author of the best selling book Addicted to Drama: Healing Dependency on Crisis and Chaos in Yourself and Others Scott is also the host of The Gently Used Human Podcast, a delightfully depthful and often hilarious exploration of what it is to be human, to have lived life, and come out gently used. As a renowned body-based trauma expert and Mind-Body Medicine specialist, Scott also helps people to break free from cycles of pain, limited beliefs, and trauma.