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Well, I've saved the best for last in this season finale.  In 2022 I introduced you to my daughter, Grace.  Close to finishing up her freshman year in high school, we talked about her experience being autistic and what ways she felt like she was different than "typical" teenagers.

Now, three years later, Grace just graduated from high school and is about to embark on new adventures.  I asked her if she would join me one more time on the podcast to do a little "where is she now" episode and revisit some of the same topics we first talked about in 2022.  

Join me in conversation with my incredibly brilliant, funny, insightful, and courageous daughter.  It's my favorite episode yet.

And yes, this is the season six finale.  As Alice Cooper says, "School's Out for Summer", but for purposes of the podcast it would be "No New Episodes for Summer!"  Not nearly as catchy, but still very true.  Use this time to catch up on all the WeSTAT you may have missed and I'll see you again in the fall for season seven!

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We should talk about divorce.  I mean, talk about a topic that absolutely fits the theme of this show: talking about the things people DON’T want to talk about. Divorce is gotta be top three. Right?  And it is definitely a topic that leaves those going through it feeling very isolated and alone.  Because, no one wants to talk about it. Sharing a life with someone is hard.  Raising kids is hard.  Aging is hard.  Changing is hard.  I mean, it’s just hard.  And requires attention and work.  And I just do not think there are enough resources out there for people who need it.  Especially ones that can be utilized early enough that they can actually make a difference.  Which is why I am so happy to be talking to my guest today.

Doctor Becky Whetstone is a licensed marriage and family therapist and nationally recognized expert on marriage crisis and divorce recovery. She is the author of the new book, "I (Think) I Want Out: What To Do When One Of You Wants To End Your Marriage”. 

Link for Dr. Whetstone: Marriage Crisis Manager

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May is Foster Care month I could not think of a better person to talk about child welfare, child poverty, and children in the care of the state than David Ambroz.

David is a national poverty and child welfare expert and advocate. He was recognized by President Obama as an American Champion of Change. He currently serves as the Head of Community Engagement (West) for Amazon.   His best-selling memoir A PLACE CALLED HOME gives us a front row seat to the young life of a gay kid navigating homelessness, extreme poverty and hunger, a mother's mental illness, and a dozen-plus foster homes.

David compassionately, eloquently, vulnerably, and credilbly leads me in a conversation about something that requires all of our attention.

Find out more about David here:

https://www.davidambroz.com/

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Melinda Wenner Moyer is back to talk about her latest book, Hello Cruel World, Science based strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times, which comes out 5/27/25.  This book is a science-based, hopeful guide on how to raise children who will not just survive, but thrive in this challenging, terrifying world—and who could ultimately help save it.

Melinda talks with me about the 10 skills necessary to foster in children (and ourselves!) that will prepare them to be resilient in a world that can feel like it is falling apart.  

Buy the book here

More about Melinda Wenner Moyer here

Link to Melinda's other episode

Other Resources talked about in this episode:

The Listening Project

Paul Bloom

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What if joy has been misdefined?  What if it isn't some luxury that we have to find and keep, but instead something inevitable?  Something that always finds it's way back to us?  

Dr. Mary Catherine McDonald joins me this week to talk about her new book, The Joy Reset, and it is exactly what I needed to hear.  Maybe it's what you need too?

The Joy Reset

Dr. MC McDonald

Resources mentioned:

Unbroken: The Trauma Response is Never Wrong by Dr. MC McDonald

The Grieving Brain by Dr. Mary-Frances O'Connor

Dr. Peter Levine and Somatic Experiencing 

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Daria Burke is an American writer, speaker, and wellbeing advocate.  

Daria largely raised herself in Detroit, tiptoeing around the mood swings of a drug-addicted mother, often without running water at home. She became a model student, hiding any evidence of struggle.and determined to leave Detroit and her past behind. She sped up the corporate ladder at the biggest beauty brands, rising to the C-Suite level. She was the picture of success. 

And then, on the night of her 35th birthday, her past came calling. One minute, she was laughing over wine; the next, she was curled up in the fetal position. All she could think about was her mom, passing a crack pipe, and her grandmother, ripped from her in a car accident. She embarked on a FOUR-YEAR deep dive into how the brain and body work. 

Her debut memoir, OF MY OWN MAKING comes out April 22nd. It is a soulful and scientific exploration of overcoming adversity, healing from childhood trauma, and rewriting one's own story.

Link to Of My Own Making

Daria Burke on Instagram

Daria Burke on Threads

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Nicole Graev Lipson is the author of Mothers and Other Fictional Characters, which is a memoir written in essay form.

Each essay in the book provides insight into her experience inl the many roles that she, and other women often feel pressure to play.  With a goal of going beyond the ready made stories of womanhood, she has managed to provide a very revealing and affirming picture of the woman she has become today-as well as who she is still becoming.  I was particularly drawn to her essay about her IVF journey, "Very Nice Blastocysts," which is all about her struggle to determine what to do with her three frozen embryos left over from a successful round of IVF.  

I invited Nicole on to have one of my favorite types of conversations, a both/and one.  To talk about her views on life, how her experience has impacted those views, and why it’s important to have these conversations with each other.  

Mentioned in this episode:

Nicole Graev Lipson

Lidia Yuknavitch "Chronology of Water"

Gwendolyn Brooks "the mother"

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Ronald Young Jr, 4-time award winning podcast host and pop culture commentator, joins me to talk about his podcast "Weight For It'.  Fresh off his 2025 Ambie Award as best podcat host, and in anticipation of season three coming out in the fall, Ronald sat down with me to talk about the series. 

Over the first two seasons, Ronald has shared about his journey with weight, his insights on body image/mental health, and how the media shapes our perceptions of self.  He’s looked at a variety of topics ranging from fat liberation, the fashion industry, attraction, shame, grief, and even taken us with him on a visit to the doctor.

Our conversation focuses on the art of podcasting, the difficulty when an interviewer becomes the interviewee, and how we can all be better sources of support to each other as we carry the weight of weight.

Ronald Young Jr. is an award-winning podcast host, producer, and storyteller, best known for his critically acclaimed podcast Weight For It. The groundbreaking series, which delves into the complex ways we think about our bodies, was an official selection at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, winner of three awards at the 2024 Ambie Awards and listed as one of the “Best Podcasts of 2023” by The New York Times, Vogue, and Vulture. Nominated for this year’s top Ambie Award, Ronald also received the Independent Media Initiative Award in 2024. Season three of Weight For It is set to premiere in Fall 2025.

An avid pop-culture enthusiast, Ronald blends knowledge and natural charm to host Pop Culture Debate Club from the BBC and Lemonada Media as well as Slate’s Working series, where he interviews influential creatives. He is also a frequent contributor to NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and WAMU’s 1A and his work has been showcased on prominent programming such as Snap Judgement, Search Engine and The Drew Barrymore Show.

As the Founder and Owner of ohitsBigRon studios, Ronald has created multiple acclaimed series, including Time Well Spent and the movie review podcast Leaving the Theater. Ronald is passionate about social justice and equity. His storytelling continues to shape conversations around body image, culture, and justice. As an Associate Producer on Seizing Freedom, he helped bring to life powerful untold narratives from Black history. Ronald is based in Alexandria, VA.

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Raffi Grinberg is a Business leader, educator, and author of the new book "How to Be a Grown Up: The 14 Essential Skills You Didn’t Know You Needed (Until Just Now)”. Based in Washington DC., he co-founded The Constructive Dialogue Institute (with Jonathan Haidt) and runs the invite-only society, Dialog, which brings together an incredibly wide ranging group of global leaders and thinkers for informal conversations that can end up shaping our policy and culture. He graduated with honors from Princeton University and previously worked in management at Bain & Company. He is the author of a mathematics textbook published by Princeton University Press. He also created and taught the popular "Adulting 101" course at Boston College.

I’ve already pre-ordered MANY copies of this book for both my kids and it will probably be my go-to gift for the many graduating seniors that I know.  But it’s also incredibly important for parents to read this too.  First to better support those that we love as they enter their next phase of life, and second, we need to do the exercises ourselves because it’s never too late to take a refresher course on, or maybe learn for the first time “how to be an adult”

Buy the book!

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