Thanks For Asking

Breaking news: humans make mistakes. This is not a bad thing! Our mistakes are how we learn and grow, and we have to get comfy with accepting that mistakes are an uncomfortable part of the human experience. But what happens when we say the wrong thing at the wrong time to someone that we love during the worst time of their life? And what happens when they can’t forgive you right away? What happens when your best try just… doesn’t land? This listener reached out because they tried to comfort a friend whose child had just died and it…did not go well. . If you’ve ever made a mistake and wanted to slam your head into the wall because of it – or maybe were on the receiving end of a mistake? – this episode is for you. Call or text me with your mistake at 612.568.441. _ For full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us ⁠here⁠. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call ⁠here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world doesn’t make a lot of sense right now, including other people and why they think the things they think and do the things they do. So I’m tapping in Steven J. Heine, professor of Social and Cultural Psychology and the author of Start Making Sense: How Existential Psychology Can Help Us Build Meaningful Lives in Absurd Times to talk about: -How these times are actually kind of precedented by the Age of Anxiety -How we make meaning -How our stories drive our choices, and our choices make our stories -A million other things. You can buy Steven’s book here to support her, independent bookstores, and this podcast. You can support this show and get ad-free episodes of our entire back catalog (and more!) on my substack. Have something you want to talk about? You can call or text us any time at 612.568.4441 or email thanks@feelingsand.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week’s pep talk episode (https://noraborealis.substack.com/p/stop-being-mean-to-yourself) was such a hit we’re back with more (and I’m making some phone calls today because WOW WE ARE ALL GOING THROUGH IT RIGHT NOW!!!) Today we have two callers: a 32-year-old who feels lost after losing both of her parents and receiving a tough diagnosis, and a 23-year-old who is a little too wise beyond her years because of a traumatic childhood. If you, too, are Going Through It, I promise you that your best is good enough and the problems you’re experiencing are not a personal failing but a symptom of a world that really just doesn’t do a great job of taking care of each other. And, as a deeply biased podcast host, I am on your side. ☎️ 612.568.4441 You can call or text that number, tell me what you need a little pep talk for, and then stay glued to your phone for when I call you, okay? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sharing an episode of “What It’s Like to Be…” from author Dan Heath. On the podcast, Dan explores the world of work, one profession at a time, and interviews people who love what they do. He finds out: What does a couples therapist think when a friend asks for relationship advice? Is a Secret Service Agent supposed to pretend like they’re not there when they’re around the president? What are the 3 clocks that govern the life of a long-haul truck driver? If you’ve ever met someone whose work you were curious about, and you had 100 nosy questions but were too polite to ask… this is the show for you. In this preview, Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa (“Dr. Q”), a brain surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, describes his work: zapping parts of the brain to know where to cut, operating a mouth-controlled microscope, and carrying the weight of life-or-death decisions. How do you preserve a mathematician's expertise when removing tumors? And how did Dr. Q go from picking tomatoes to performing brain surgery? You can listen to more episodes of What It’s Like to Be here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Estrangement is one of those hot button topic that everyone has an opinion about, and here’s mine: you have one job as a parent1, and that’s to love your children. To show up for them. To support them. To not ditch out on their wedding LIKE A TOTAL WEIRDO. Are things more complicated than that? Sure, people are complicated. But on this show I let you call in and talk about your life and your feelings and, most importantly: I will never claim to be an unbiased host, because I am deeply biased person and if we are on the phone, chances are that I am on your side! Big thanks to Chelsey for being brave enough to move through this world without the people who brought her into it, and to share her story with all of us. - For full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us ⁠here⁠. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call ⁠here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every once in a while, we all need a little bit of solicited motivation from someone totally unqualified to give it. In this episode, Nora shells out loads of love and support in the first of our series of TFA Pep Talks. For full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us here. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if your doctor prescribed you a hiking group? A ceramics class? Not in place of whatever medication or treatment you may need, but as a complement to it? It’s called Social Prescribing, and journalist Julia Hotz traveled to some 30 countries to talk to patients and professionals who are at the forefront of this approach to wellness. I loved her book, and loved this conversation (and regret we didn’t have time to talk about AI chatbots!). You can buy Julia’s book here to support her, independent bookstores, and this podcast. This is a preview of Thanks for Asking, a call-in show about what matters to you. You can get the full episode on my Substack. Have something you want to talk about? You can call or text us any time at 612.568.4441 or email thanks@feelingsand.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we discuss the defining moments in our lives that forever branded us with shame. For full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us here. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Of all the stages of grief, anger has to be the ugliest one. The one that feels the ickiest no matter what side of it you’re on. So today we’re talking about it. For full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us here. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sharing a new show from my friends at Higher Ground, hosted by Michelle Obama, called IMO. You know on Thanks for Asking, we keep it real and help each other through some of our hardest times. Similarly on IMO, Michelle and her big brother Craig Robinson tackle real questions from real folks just like you, offering practical advice, personal storytelling, and plenty of laughs. Each week, they’re joined by a guest to bring candid perspectives to the everyday questions shaping our lives, relationships and the world around us. Topics range from dating and relationships, to family and faith. Michelle and Craig share stories about being there for each other throughout their lives, from first crushes and fraught college years, to landing at the White House, to losing their mom. For six decades they’ve been each others’ most trusted counsel—and now, they want to be that counsel for you. In this episode, they’re joined by actress Issa Rae for a conversation about navigating the challenges of mismatched expectations in female friendships. You can find more episodes of IMO at https://lnk.to/imomichellecraigTT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we get an update from widower David Cherson. This is the first part of a two-part series called Life of a Lonely Widower. For Life of a Lonely Widower (Part 2) and other full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us here. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take a break from the doom and disaster and reset your psyche with some okay things. We won’t ever say “everything is going to be okay” but we will do our best to find and focus on even the littlest okay things around us that aren’t the very worst. Keep the bar low and your head up. For full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us here. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I cannot trust anyone who says No Regrets. Because really…you don’t have ANY? NONE?! Are you sure about that? I can tend towards the opposite mentality myself, but in between No Regrets and All Regrets is a safe middle ground of self-reflection and accountability without self-flagellation and rumination, and that is where we met today’s callers, who bravely dialed in to share their regrets - big and small. For full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us here. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rise and Grind, Girlbosses! It’s time to GROWTH HACK your way to your BEST SELF and make this the ULTIMATE year. If you don’t have time, you can make time, because excuses are no excuse. Just kidding! Like so many of us, author Maria Bowler found herself caught up in the Productivity Machine, which demands we do more and more and more for the sake of…what, exactly? For the sake of more, of course! Maria’s new book, Making Time: A New Vision for Crafting A Life Beyond Productivity is not a book of tips and tricks and life hacks, but a gentler and more generous approach to how we spend our one precious life. It’s a perfect read for anyone who feels burned out and not “enough” – you can get your copy here and support Maria, small bookstores and this show. This show is made possible by listeners like you: to get our full back catalog, ad-free episodes and more, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you say something? Do you shut up? I’m just one woman with an opinion, so I took your calls and texts to answer this listener question: do you say something when your friend is in a relationship with someone you hate? This is a preview of Thanks for Asking, a call-in show about what matters to you. You can get the full episode on my Substack. Have something you want to talk about? You can call or text us any time at 612.568.4441 or email thanks@feelingsand.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If it’s Tuesday, the phone lines are open and operators (me) are standing by. Today we’re talk to callers from Honolulu to North Carolina about everything from worrying to working as an extra on Hallmark movies to existential crises. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a widow, I get many emails from other widows. But this one – from a man who created an AI version of his dead wife – was definitely a first. And I knew I had to talk to him. For full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us here. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sharing a podcast we can’t get enough of: Your Mama’s Kitchen. It’s a show about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are. Host Michele Norris talks to Michelle Obama, Glennon Doyle, José Andrés and so many other guests about the complexities of family life and how their earliest culinary experiences helped shape their personal and professional lives. And of course, each guest shares a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story. In this episode, singer John Legend takes us back to his roots in Springfield, Ohio, where he was an academic overachiever and a musical prodigy. John opens up about his early rocky relationship with his mother and how, over time, they came together to nurture one beautiful family. Plus, we learn how to make his mama's special mac & cheese. You can find more Your Mama’s Kitchen at https://lnk.to/yourmamaskitchenTF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loneliness is, according to people who know about these things, an epidemic on par with smoking and obesity. It affects our physical and mental health…and it seems like it’s affecting everyone. Today’s callers are experiencing loneliness in many different ways and for many different reasons, and if you are also feeling lonely…you’re definitely not alone. Take a listen, then call someone (anyone!). Make a plan to hang out, and follow through. Let’s find and nurture connections wherever and however we can. For full episodes, the full back catalog and a listener community, you can join us here. Check out Nora on YouTube. Want to be on the show? Call or text 612.568.4441 or book a call here. Articles mentioned in this show: Americans need to party more The antidote to loneliess The loneliness epidemic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices