We Can Do Hard Things

Priyanka Chopra Jonas dives deep into: the night she fell for Nick at the Met Gala, walking her baby through their harrowing NICU journey, her strategy to make Malti Marie think she’s cool, and why accountability is good – if we know the right people to be accountable to. 

About Priyanka: 

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a multi-faceted talent, New York Times Best Selling Author of UNFINISHED, and one of the most recognized people in the world. She is an actor and producer, with more than sixty international and Hollywood films to her credit. She stars in the new Amazon series Citadel and the new movie Love Again.

The Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors, was conferred on her in 2016 and she was named one of the “Most Influential People” in the world by Time Magazine. She is a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and a Global Citizen ambassador, and is involved in efforts to protect children’s rights and to promote the education of girls around the world. 

TW: @priyankachopra

IG: @priyankachopra

Michelle Zauner on how to begin healing our mother wounds, using her sensitivity to deepen her relationships and be a rockstar, why she’s obsessed with sheetcake and winnebagos, and why she is still “afraid of her mental health.” 

About Michelle: 

MICHELLE ZAUNER is best known as a singer and guitarist who creates dreamy, shoegaze-inspired indie pop under the name Japanese Breakfast. She has won acclaim from major music outlets around the world for releases like Psychopomp and Soft Sounds from Another Planet. Her most recent album, Jubilee, earned two GRAMMY nominations for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album. Her first book, Crying in H Mart, is a New York Times Best Seller. She’s currently adapting the memoir for the screen for MGM’s Orion Pictures.

TW: @jbrekkie

IG: @jbrekkie

What is gaslighting REALLY and what isn’t? 

Plus, how to know if you’re in a relationship with a gaslighter, the three types of gaslighters, and how to break free from a gaslighter and reclaim yourself. 

About Dr. Stern: 

Robin Stern, Ph.D., is the co-founder and associate director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and an associate research scientist at the Child Study Center at Yale. She is a licensed psychoanalyst with 30 years of experience treating individuals, couples, and families. She is the author of The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide: Your Personal Journey Toward Healing from Emotional Abuse. 

TW: @RobinSStern

IG: @dr.robinstern

Is the most relentless question of your day (other than what do you want for dinner?): WHAT SHOULD WE WATCH TONIGHT?

Here to help. Everything we’re watching, listening to, and reading on today’s pod: Yellowjackets, Succession, Calendar Girls, 90 Day Fiancé, and so much more.

Let’s start a Pod Squad list. What are you all watching / reading / listening to?

P.S. Succession Spoiler Alert! Skip through from ~20:38-23:20 if you need to!

Why Glennon respects “body positivity” – but it doesn’t work for her. 

What if every single thing we’ve learned about who we are is wrong? What if we ARE our Bodies?

What if instead of trying to love our bodies, we could experience being alive on this planet… as bodies? 

If talk about eating disorders and mental illness helps: Listen today.

If it triggers: Skip today.

CW: eating disorders

If you have an eating disorder, you may find the National Alliance for Eating Disorders a helpful resource: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/

Glennon shares what her recovery – leaving something you can’t live without – feels like: Almost impossible. She explains how she views recovery as an invitation to a great quest that improves life for every person who accepts it. 

If you haven’t listened to Glennon’s latest episode about her recovery journey and embodiment, check it out here: Episode 194 Glennon Finds Her Healing Partner. 

If talk about eating disorders and mental illness helps: Listen today.

If it triggers: Skip today.

CW: eating disorders

If you have an eating disorder, you may find the National Alliance for Eating Disorders a helpful resource: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/

Julia Louis-Dreyfus joins us to dive deep into: going to therapy with her 87-year-old mom, how to love adult kids well, the metaphor that got her through breast cancer, and why we should all be excited about getting older. 

About Julia: 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of Hollywood’s most influential, iconic actors and producers. She starred in and executive produced HBO’s hit series Veep, she was Elaine Benes in Seinfeld and Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine. She has received 11 Emmys with 26 nominations; she broke records for the most Emmys won. She was recently honored with the White House’s National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists who advance the arts in the United States.  

On April 11, she released her new podcast, “Wiser Than Me,” a 10-part series of candid, witty conversations with women over 70. And her fantastic new film You Hurt My Feelings is being released in May.  

TW: @OfficialJLD

IG: @officialjld

How to end a relationship lovingly, how to love an addict, and how to keep surprising yourself in midlife (buy the tap dancing shoes). Plus, why Cheryl decided to cut down her drinking. 

For our past episodes with Cheryl, listen to Episode 118 Cheryl Strayed: Don’t Let Your Dreams Ruin Your Life and Episode 119 It’s Okay to Want What You Want: Cheryl Strayed as Dear Sugar.

For the Amanda episode Cheryl mentioned, listen to Episode 177 How to Face Your Biggest Fears with Amanda Doyle.

About Cheryl:

Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide and was made into an Oscar-nominated film. Her bestselling collection of Dear Sugar columns, Tiny Beautiful Things, was adapted for a Hulu television show that will be released in April. In 2016, the book was adapted as a play that continues to be staged in theaters around the world. Strayed is also the author of the critically acclaimed novel, Torch, and the bestselling collection Brave Enough. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

TW: @CherylStrayed

IG: @cherylstrayed

1. How to finally discover what turns us on, how to discuss turn-offs – and how to create “sex menus” with our partners.

2. The real reason so many of us don’t feel like having sex. 

3. How to ask for more sex – and how to turn it down without hurting your partner. 

4. Orgasm – why it’s not the whole shebang – and what to do if we’ve been faking it. 

5. Glennon and Abby engage in an exercise to practice talking dirty. (Glennon has not recovered.)

For the first part of our conversation with Vanessa, check out Episode 195: Sex Talk & That Night in Miami: Sex Therapy with Vanessa Marin.

And to hear our original “Silent Sex Queen” episode, go way back and check out: Episode 14: SILENT SEX QUEEN: Why aren’t we talking about sex more?

About Vanessa: 

Vanessa Marin is a sex therapist and instant New York Times Best Selling author of Sex Talks: The Five Conversations That Will Transform Your Love Life, co-written with her husband and partner-in-crime, Xander Marin.

Vanessa is here to help you kick shame out of the bedroom so you can start feeling the connection, pleasure, and joy you deserve!

Vanessa has been featured in various major publications and has written for The New York Times, Allure, and Lifehacker.

TW: @VMTherapy

IG: @vanessaandxander

Two silent sex queens & Abby invite sex therapist Vanessa Marin onto the pod and into their bedrooms to discuss: 

1. Practical, concrete tips for how to get over your discomfort and talk about sex with your partner – and how Vanessa’s advice is currently working for Glennon and Abby.  

2. Why women tend to struggle receiving during sex – and how hustle culture shows up in the bedroom.

3. How to activate desire instead of shame when asking for more frequent or different sex.

4. A great tip for how to “post-game” about what you like and appreciate after sex. 

For the first “Silent Sex Queen” conversation, go way back and check out: Episode 14: SILENT SEX QUEEN: Why aren’t we talking about sex more?

About Vanessa: 

Vanessa Marin is a sex therapist and instant New York Times Best Selling author of Sex Talks: The Five Conversations That Will Transform Your Love Life, co-written with her husband and partner-in-crime, Xander Marin.

Vanessa is here to help you kick shame out of the bedroom so you can start feeling the connection, pleasure, and joy you deserve!

Vanessa has been featured in various major publications and has written for The New York Times, Allure, and Lifehacker.

TW: @VMTherapy

IG: @vanessaandxander