Thanks For Asking

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In our third and final episode in our series on childhood trauma, we take a look at the bigger picture — as in, what the heck are we supposed to do with the knowledge that what happened to us as kids can affect our health in adulthood? How can we help heal our own childhood traumas? Buckle up, folks, because this train makes stops in Rantville, Can You Believe This Burg and OMGtown. This episode was produced in partnership with: Call to Mind, American Public Media's initiative to foster new conversations about mental health; St. David's Center for Child and Family Development, which is building relationships that nurture the development of every child and family; with support from the Sauer Family Foundation, which is committed to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and their families in Minnesota. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - If the terrible things that happened to you during childhood can affect your physical health later in life, how do you NOT live out the worst possibilities for yourself? Is that even possible? In this second episode of our series about childhood trauma, we look at protective factors and resilience. And once again, we're joined by Britt. This episode was produced in partnership with: Call to Mind, American Public Media's initiative to foster new conversations about mental health; St. David's Center for Child and Family Development, which is building relationships that nurture the development of every child and family; with support from the Sauer Family Foundation, which is committed to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and their families in Minnesota. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - We all kind of understand that what happens to us as a child affects us as an adult, but there is recent evidence that the way our childhoods affect us is so much deeper and more surprising than we thought. So where do we start when we’re talking about how childhood adversity affects us? We start by looking at a childhood. One childhood, from a few different angles. And this child's name is Britt. This episode was produced in partnership with: Call to Mind, American Public Media's initiative to foster new conversations about mental health; and St. David's Center for Child and Family Development, which is building relationships that nurture the development of every child and family; with support from the Sauer Family Foundation, which is committed to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and their families in Minnesota. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In August 2017, members of the Ku Klux Klan and other white nationalist groups descended on Charlottesville, VA to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee as part of the Unite the Right rally. Constance was also at that rally — as a counter-protestor trained in de-escalation techniques. She expected to be just a face in the crowd amongst thousands of others. But when the worst moment of her life becomes *content,* Constance has to take back control of her own story. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - All weddings have some family drama, and all families have their own generational tension. It's no different for Mai Neng Moua and her mother, Yer Vu. Yer Vu was once a different kind of bride in a different country. She has expectations for her daughter's wedding. Mai Neng knows this ... but she has her own expectations, too. This episode is about two equally strong women and how growing up in two very different cultures can affect a relationship. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Rachel Haines is really good at gymnastics. And when you're really good at a really demanding sport, you eventually deal with injuries. At age 12, Rachel hurts her hamstring. At age 15, she fractures her spine. Both times, Rachel is immediately taken to the team physician, a man named Larry Nassar. Yes, that Larry Nassar. Rachel's story is one of strength and survival — and, despite everything, a continued love of gymnastics. You can buy Rachel's book here. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - We're back with our third annual Happyish Holidays episode! This year, comedian Alyssa Limperis shares with us the holiday letter she wrote the year her dad died from brain cancer. We talk with Jay Mathews, a 48-year-old father and son who, with stage IV cancer, is probably experiencing his last holidays with his family. And we ask listeners what they took away from 2018, what they're looking forward to in 2019, and what it is about hoping for something that can be so scary. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Heather grew up in Kansas, but she hasn’t been back there for years … not since the moment she was old enough to leave. When her mother dies, Heather heads home for the services, and an already difficult situation becomes even harder — because Heather and her sisters must, for the first time in 13 years, come face to face with the man who sexually abused them throughout their childhood: their father. Did you know we’re on TikTok? Yep, it’s true. Follow Nora. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - OCD is one of those acronyms we use when what we really mean to say is, "I organize my spice drawer alphabetically,” or “I always forget if I’ve locked the door or not, so I have to double check.” Those things are … not OCD. So what does it mean to actually live with obsessive compulsive disorder every day? We asked you, the Terrible community, to share your stories. Did you know we’re on TikTok? Yep, it’s true. Follow Nora. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - This is an episode about two letters. One of those is the letter Jim left for his wife, Annie, before he died by suicide. The second is the letter Annie wrote to Jim after his death — and as she dealt with her own mental health issues and suicidality in the wake of it. When someone dies by suicide, people want it to be someone’s fault, so they can (hopefully) feel less like it’s their fault. But the thing is … it’s never anyone’s fault. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - On the eve of Kelli's 25th birthday in 2017, she and her boyfriend find themselves running for their lives in a dystopian nightmare. They'd planned to spend the weekend in Las Vegas at the Route 91 country music festival to celebrate the dawn of a new phase of Kelli's life. Instead, they witnessed the deadliest mass shooting (so far) in U.S. history. This episode is a story about terror ... and what happens after you've survived the unsurvivable. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Lauren’s brother died at Thanksgiving. Her mother died at Christmas. So … this time of year is not exactly joyous for her. And it’s not all that fun for a lot of other people, too. The holidays can really suck! We’re back with our second annual Happyish Holidays episode, in which we share your holiday stories of humor and loss. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Jaamil’s sister died when he was just 12 years old. His grandmother and great grandmother died when he was 13. His mother died when he was 15. His brother was murdered when Jaamil was 22 ... and a week after that, his father died. Yeah. It’s A LOT. But Jaamil’s story isn’t just about loss. It’s an episode about what loss can teach us. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Nora’s husband, Aaron, and Casey’s wife, Hope, died on the exactly same day in 2014. Aaron and Hope both left behind spouses, children, and all of the love their small families had created. Nearly three years later, they’ve started moving forward … but don’t you dare say they’ve moved “on.” Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In part one of "Forever Alone?" we met chronically single Chelsea, who was looking for love in all the same places we all look for love ... and coming up empty-handed. In this episode, we meet Chelsea's new boyfriend and explore what happens when the love we find isn't what we expected. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - As the saying goes, "There’s a lid for every pot." There’s someone for everyone. Chelsea has been looking for her lid — her someone — since high school. Nearly 15 years after her only real relationship ended, Chelsea still hasn’t found her person. It’s not like she hasn’t been trying, and it’s not like her life is totally miserable … but in case you haven’t had to date lately? It’s exhausting. And sometimes demoralizing. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - America has a garbage attitude toward grief — we know this. Bereavement leave generally means you get 2-3 business days to mourn a partner, a child, a parent, a sibling. But what about when your very best friend in the world dies? What then? When the funeral is over and the casseroles have been eaten, how do you reckon with an irreplaceable friendship? These are some of the questions Janya is forced to ask herself after the death of her very best friend, Michele. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - When Nora McInerny's dad died, she lost his stories — the ones that she’s not sure she can quite remember right, and the ones she never knew ... like the stories from his time as a Recon Marine in Vietnam. Nora decides to look up some of the men he served with. What unfolds is Nora discovering a story about a single day — September 20, 1968 — and the patrol where two men were killed. Nora’s father was on that patrol. It was one of his first. As Nora learns about those men and that day, she discovers that it had a profound effect on shaping everyone who was there. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Sarah Super is not broken. Sarah Super is a woman who is absolutely, 100% living up to her name. She’s is a rape survivor — a very outspoken rape survivor. In this episode, Sarah talks about the things that nobody wants to talk about, the things that grow and survive in silence … including what happened after her ex-boyfriend raped her in 2014. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. Did you know we’re on TikTok? Yep, it’s true. Follow Nora. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Dawn is a nurse. In June of 2015, she was injured on the job by one of her patients and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Dawn’s husband and their kids have been in deep, deep grief since that day in 2015. Not because Dawn died — she’s very much alive, thank goodness. But because Dawn isn’t the same person she used to be. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Two days after Nora’s husband Aaron died, she celebrated Thanksgiving with her family. Well... maybe not “celebrated.” Every year, millions of people do the same thing during the holidays. In this episode, we talk with some of those folks, including Dr. Lucy Kalanithi and comedian Amber Tozer. We also spend some time with some of the women of the Hot Young Widows Club, talking about their hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. Plus, stories of some of the worst holidays ever. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. You can read the episode transcript here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Toddlers Ralphie and Bronson have lived most of their young lives with dead fathers. Their mothers — Nora and Moe — struggle to understand how to help their boys remember the dads they won’t know directly. As they worry about what long-term effect the losses will have on the kids, Nora seeks perspective from Ambra Markos, whose mother died when Ambra was just 2 years old. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Nora McInerny is in love with two men. With one man (who died two years ago this week), she has a child. And just last week, she had a child with the other. She didn’t tell many people about the new baby. Or her pregnancy, for that matter. And in the first-ever episode of “Terrible, Thanks for Asking,” she explains why. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices