We Can Do Hard Things

No digging deep. No paradigm shifts to be found. Welcome to Easy Fridays. P.S. Thanks to @ohnochels & @dmc1138 for the haunted house laughs.

1. The top (surprising) signs that tell you it’s time to set a boundary. 2. Paying attention to “energy leakage” – when you’re giving out more than you’re getting back. 3. How to set the specific boundaries you need with in-laws, friends, and romantic partners. 4. Scripts for Melissa’s green, yellow, and red system of clear, kind communication in boundary setting. 5. Rethinking boundaries – not as not a response to someone else’s behavior – but as giving voice to your worth and health. CW: brief mention of sexual abuse About Melissa: Melissa Urban is a six-time New York Times bestselling author, and her highly anticipated book, The Book of Boundaries, is available now. She is the host of the Do the Thing podcast – building community, health, and entrepreneurship, and the co-founder and CEO of Whole30. She lives in Salt Lake City, UT. TW: @melissa_urban IG: @melissau

1. The Mother of Codependence shares the difference between healthy and unhealthy helping. 2. The daily practice that helps Melody stop controlling others and “Let Life Happen.” 3. Why no one is able to gaslight you more than you. 4. The one area of life where Codependence is necessary. 5. All four of us surrender to the truth that we will never be Codependent No More. About Melody: A pioneering voice in self-help literature, Melody Beattie is the author of many bestselling books, including Codependent No More – a #1 New York Times bestseller, which has sold over 7 million copies – as well as The Language of Letting Go, Playing It by Heart, The Grief Club, and Beyond Codependency. An updated edition of the bestselling, modern classic, Codependent No More, is available now. Melody lives in Southern California. TW: @MelodyBeattie IG: @authormelodybeattie

1. Abby shares with Sara the great personal impact Sara’s music has made on her life. 2. Sara and Glennon bond over the joy of solitude, the underrated gifts of being heavy-hearted, and the fact that “there are too many things to be worried about at all times” to be lighthearted. 3. When you are in deep stress, do you try to sabotage your job, relationship, etc.? (Before this conversation, Amanda thought it was just her.) 4. How playfulness and joy – connecting to the little kid who grew up into you – are vital to loving yourself. 5. Sara’s beautiful journey with medication for depression and anxiety – and how she learned her anxiety often arises from an unexpressed need. About Sara: Sara Bareilles is a Tony Award and Emmy Award nominated actor, and Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter. On Broadway, Sara composed music and lyrics for Waitress, in which she was also the lead. Sara also produced original music and executive produced the musical drama series Little Voice. She plays Dawn Solano on the Emmy-nominated musical comedy series Girls5eva, and stars as The Baker’s Wife in the Broadway revival Into the Woods. TW: @SaraBareilles IG: @sarabareilles

1. How the Abby+Alex sisterhood began, how hard it was for Alex to watch Abby suffer at the end of her career, and how friends can build each other up. 2. How to get back on the field – in life and in sport – after crushing defeat. 3. The way Alex’s mom helped Alex fulfill her dream, and what Alex is teaching her own daughter, Charlie. 4. How Alex finally stopped comparing herself to others and started resting in her own confidence. 5. Alex’s relationship with soccer – and does she still love it? About Alex Alex Morgan is a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, UEFA Women’s Champions League Champion, and NWSL Champion. An entrepreneur, author, social media phenom, and marketing icon – Alex’s ability to inspire and excite fans stretches far beyond the pitch. She is the leading founder of TOGETHXR, a lifestyle and media company with a focus on youth and equality storytelling. As mom to Charlie, Alex is tackling motherhood while continuing to be a force on the pitch. In fact, I am not sure i’ve ever seen her as on fire right now, scoring goals at a wild rate for her NWSL team the San Diego Wave. TW: @alexmorgan13 IG: @alexmorgan13

1. The Nap Ministry’s Nap Bishop shares small, concrete ways to bring rest into our own lives – especially when rest seems impossible. 2. Why so many of us feel like machines instead of humans – and the power of imagination as a spiritual practice to reconnect with our humanity and divinity. 3. Why grind culture – a collaboration of capitalism and white supremacy – wants to keep us exhausted, and how we can resist a culture of overwhelming busy-ness. 4. Why everything changes when we embrace ease as our birthright. 5. Creative ways to reimagine rest within our hectic daily lives. About Tricia Tricia Hersey is a Chicago native who has called Georgia home for the last 12 years. She has over 20 years of experience as a multidisciplinary artist, writer, theologian and community organizer. She is the founder of The Nap Ministry, an organization that examines rest as a form of resistance and reparations by curating spaces for the community to rest via community rest activations, immersive workshops, performance art installations, and social media. Her research interests include Black liberation theology, womanism, somatics, and cultural trauma. She is the author of the upcoming book Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto which will be published in October 2022. You can learn more about her work and the book at thenapministry.com. TW: @TheNapMinistry IG: @thenapministry

1. What Melissa’s parents said when she told them about her dream – and how those magic words set the course of Melissa’s life. 2. The green and red flags Melissa tells her kids to look for in a relationship. 3. Why Melissa is a shark, and her brilliant strategy to “Run Around the Block” in almost any difficult situation. 4. Melissa’s and Abby’s experiences with ghosts. 5. How Melissa learned about sex – and the way she talks to her kids about it. About Melissa: Melissa McCarthy is an award-winning writer, producer, and actor. Her work includes Bridesmaids, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Ghostbusters,The Heat; Identity Thief; This is 40, The Hangover Part III, The Starling, “Gilmore Girls”, and “Samantha Who?”. She won an Emmy Award and People’s Choice Award for her role in “Mike & Molly” as well as an Emmy for “Saturday Night Live”. Melissa and her husband Ben Falcone founded On the Day Productions and have produced Tammy, The Boss, Life of the Party, “Nobodies,” “Little Big Shots,” Superintelligence , Thunder Force, “God’s Favorite Idiot,” and Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed. TW: @melissamccarthy IG: @melissamccarthy

1. What to do when you’ve done everything you were supposed to do and ended up in a place you don’t want to be. 2. Why the question “What do you want?” is terrifying – and how to start answering it authentically for yourself. 3. The power of imagining what does not yet exist in order to make space for new possibilities. 4. The gift of a “midlife crisis” 5. What a mother’s job really is. About Celeste: Celeste Ng is the number one New York Times bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere. Her third novel, Our Missing Hearts, is available now. Ng is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, and her work has been published in over thirty languages. TW: @pronounced_ing IG: @pronounced_ing

1. What happens inside us when we receive criticism–and how our brains ensure we’re always in the right (even when we’re not). 2. The three-ingredient recipe for a positive, productive “care-frontation” exchange. 3. The single biggest relationship killer (it’s not conflict) – and how conflict can bring you closer. 4. Amanda navigates a “care-frontation” with her son’s friend’s family – and Abby reevaluates her past relationship with criticism.

It Was Said, the 2021 Webby Award winner for Best Podcast Series, returns with a new season to look back on some of the most powerful, impactful, and timeless speeches in history. Written and narrated by Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author-historian Jon Meacham, this documentary podcast series takes you through another season of ten generation-defining speeches. Meacham, along with top historians, authors and journalists, offers expert insight and analysis into the origins, the orator, and the context of the times each speech was given, and they reflect on why it’s important to never forget them. It Was Said is a creation and production of Peabody-nominated C13Originals, in association with The HISTORY® Channel.

1. The twinge of loneliness that comes with searching for what it *seems* like everyone else has. 2. A Varsity-level question from Christie that challenges everything we said about Help on Tuesday’s episode. 3. How to make “your thing” more of an “our thing” in relationships–and how Abby got Glennon into the sports. 4. If there is anything worse than vacationing with your own kids, it’s vacationing with other people’s kids–and the time Glennon staged a sketchy early exit from a group trip. 5. Abby and Glennon’s brilliant compromise boundaries for future extended family gatherings.

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.

1. Why Emily couldn’t stop crying (and it wasn’t because she was emotional). 2. The intervention that got Emily sober – and why Amy wasn’t there. 3. Glennon admits something that she’s never told anyone before. 4. Amy and Abby agree on the shared cost of internalized homophobia and misogyny. About Indigo Girls: One of the most successful folk duos in history – Amy Ray and Emily Sailers aka THE INDIGO GIRLS – has recorded 16 albums and sold over 15 million records. Committed and uncompromising activists, they work on issues like immigration reform, LGBTQ advocacy, education, and death penalty reform. They are co-founders of Honor the Earth, a non-profit dedicated to the survival of sustainable Native communities, Indigenous environmental justice, and green energy solutions. Their latest record, Look Long is a stirring and eclectic collection of songs that finds Indigo Girls reunited in the studio with their strongest backing band to date. IG: @indigogirlsmusic, @emilysaliers & @amyraymusic TW: @Indigo_Girls, @EmilySaliers & @AmyRay

1. The moment Abby – as Christen’s USWNT roommate – walked into their hotel room and knew Christen was very different than any soccer player she’d ever known. 2. The boundary that helps Christen love her people while protecting herself. 3. Christen’s take on death and how to keep the people we’ve lost alive in our lives. 4. How to show our people (including our little athletes) that we love them for who they are, not what they achieve. 5. The day Christen knew she was ready to fight for – and win – pay equity for the US Women’s National Team. About Christen: Christen Press is a two-time World Cup Champion and Olympian, as well as a leading forward at Los Angeles Angel City FC. An entrepreneur and advocate for inclusivity, Christen, along with US Women’s National teammates – Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, and Meghan Klingenberg – launched their company re—inc, a purpose-driven, global lifestyle brand. Christen was one of the key players leading the charge for the “Equal Play, Equal Pay” campaign to highlight the pay discrepancy between the women’s and men’s national teams, which led to the new CBA agreement – and to her role as Player Representative for the US Women's National Team Players Association. IG: @christenpress

1. How to embody your authority while also validating your kid’s experience. 2. The #1 strategy for building resilience. 3. Why consequences and punishments backfire and don’t work. 4. How to sit with your child on the “benches” of their emotions. 5. One thing you can say to your kids to build connection in any circumstance. About Dr. Becky: Dr. Becky Kennedy is a clinical psychologist and mom of three, named “The Millennial Parenting Whisperer” by TIME Magazine. She’s rethinking the way we raise our children – empowering parents to feel sturdier and more equipped to manage the challenges of parenting. Dr. Becky is founder of the Good Inside Membership platform, a hub with Dr. Becky’s complete parenting content collection all in one place; author of Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be, which is out this month. And her podcast “Good Inside with Dr. Becky” – was one of Apple Podcasts “Best Shows of 2021.” TW: @goodinside IG: @drbeckyatgoodinside

1. The 3 most important things to say to your kids and partners every day. 2. Why our kids trigger us – and a fail-proof strategy to use when you’re triggered. 3. Why “poorly-behaved kids” can be a sign of good parenting. 4. How to break family cycles by rewiring the way we were raised. 5. How to use Internal Family Systems to heal ourselves. About Dr. Becky: Dr. Becky Kennedy is a clinical psychologist and mom of three, named “The Millennial Parenting Whisperer” by TIME Magazine. She’s rethinking the way we raise our children – empowering parents to feel sturdier and more equipped to manage the challenges of parenting. Dr. Becky is founder of the Good Inside Membership platform, a hub with Dr. Becky’s complete parenting content collection all in one place; author of Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be, which is out this month. And her podcast “Good Inside with Dr. Becky” – was one of Apple Podcasts “Best Shows of 2021.” TW: @goodinside IG: @drbeckyatgoodinside

1. How to recognize when you’re dysregulated – so you can slow down and help yourself. 2. The beauty and wisdom in being judgmental, and how that saved Chani’s life. 3. The liberating idea that “The things that happened to me weren’t about me.” 4. How to set and trust boundaries in order to finally rest. About Chani: Chani Nicholas is a Los Angeles-based New York Times bestselling author of You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance. She has been a counseling astrologer for more than 20 years, guiding her community of over 1 million monthly readers to discover and live out their life’s purpose through understanding their birth chart. Chani runs her company with her wife and business partner, Sonya Passi. Together they launched the CHANI app, which offers a personalized, daily understanding of their birth chart. TW: @chaninicholas IG: @chaninicholas

1. “Weird Glennon” comes back to the pod and shares her #1 sanity strategy. 2. The rule Glennon and Abby set for their wedding week that made everything OK. 3. How Amanda stopped accepting assignments from strangers. 4. How Glennon discovered she couldn’t trust her thoughts – and found the part of herself she could trust. 5. How to know if your thinking is disordered, and how to reorient it to be more effective in your life, relationships, and world.

1. An Advocate, Commander, and Entertainer walk into a podcast – and each share how they feel about their labels. 2. Do personality types make you feel boxed in, or give you permission to be you? 3. How to decide when it’s important to work first and play later, or jump on a moment of joy and work later. 4. How Glennon as a strong F (Feeler) and Amanda as a strong T (Thinker) make business decisions together. 5. Can a personality be changed?

1. Our desperate desire to figure out: Why are we the way we are? 2. Why Abby once believed she was 100% extroverted, and the fear she uncovered that makes her think she’s not. 3. How what you think about when you see a cactus tells you a lot about your personality. 4. Why some of the best-known personality binaries are just silly – and corporately manufactured.

1. Deep dive into how it feels to not be in any of your family photos, why it happens, and how to change it. 2. A call-in question from a husband that made Amanda cry. 3. Reimagining “acts of service” and how to know whether actions belong in the “Adulting Bucket” or the “Love Bucket.” 4. Getting the kids to read over the summer went terribly, thanks for asking.

1. Five signs that you might have a boundary problem. 2. Why each of us should stop pretending we’re not a needy person. 3. How to stop arguing like a lawyer – and start communicating like a kindergartener – to get what you need. 4. How to know when to end an argument, how to exit a friendship, and how to respond to passive aggressiveness. About Nedra: Nedra Glover Tawwab, MSW, LCSW, is a New York Times best-selling author, licensed therapist, and sought-after relationship expert. She has practiced relationship therapy for 15 years and is the founder and owner of the group therapy practice, Kaleidoscope Counseling. Every day she helps people create healthy relationships by teaching them how to implement boundaries. Her philosophy is that a lack of boundaries and assertiveness underlie most relationship issues, and her gift is helping people create healthy relationships with themselves and others. Nedra earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She has additional certifications in working with families and couples and in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, plus advanced training for counseling adults who've experienced childhood emotional neglect. Nedra 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 and has appeared on numerous podcasts, including Good Life Project, Sofia with an F, and Therapy For Black Girls. She runs a popular Instagram account where she shares practices, tools, and reflections for mental health and hosts weekly Q&As. TW: @NedraTawwab IG: @nedratawwab

1. Tig and Stephanie’s highly effective and hilarious ways to diffuse their marital feuds. 2. Stephanie’s experience figuring out her sexuality (years after she married Tig)–and how Tig knew Stephanie was the one. 3. Why Tig’s deep in “Towanda-ing” right now–and how that affects their marriage. 4. The power of knowing what you DON’T want in your life. 5. Tig, Stephanie, Abby, and Glennon each share something they’ve discovered they don’t want. About Stephanie: Stephanie Allynne is a writer, actor, producer, and director. Her acting credits include THE L WORD: GENERATION Q, ONE MISSISSIPPI, ROOM 104, DREAM CORP LLC, LOVE, and TWIN PEAKS. Stephanie also starred in the Sundance hits PEOPLE PLACES THINGS and Lake Bell’s IN A WORLD. Stephanie wrote on the critically acclaimed Amazon series ONE MISSISSIPPI, and co-directed the 2022 Sundance film AM I OK? starring Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno. Stephanie is currently set to write and direct the feature film TIME AND SPACE that will star Tig Notaro. She will produce alongside Notaro and Judd Apatow. IG: @stephanieallynne About Tig: Tig Notaro is an Emmy and Grammy nominated stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. Rolling Stone named her one of the "50 best stand-up comics of all time." Notaro appears in "Army of the Dead" and “Star Trek: Discovery”; wrote and starred in the groundbreaking TV show “One Mississippi”. and recently released her second HBO stand-up special, "Tig Notaro: Drawn." In 2021, Tig co-directed, with wife Stephanie Allynne, the feature film 'Am I OK?', available later this year. She hosts the advice podcast "Don't Ask Tig", and cohosts the documentary film podcast "Tig and Cheryl: True Story." IG: @therealfluffnotaro

1. Abby’s new nightly ritual of 80’s parties and Amanda’s wild adventure at a crawfish boil. 2. Glennon’s transition out of depression, and how she’s moving off “The Landing.” 3. Why our parents are so triggering – and how we can see them differently. 4. Glennon, Abby, and Amanda answer pressing Pod Squad questions. 5. Amanda pays tribute to a particular Pod Squader, Lexi – and to all women of her generation.

1. What is Polyamory – and how Martha, Rowan, and Karen make their relationship work. 2. How Martha felt – after years of marriage to Karen – when Karen told her she was in love with Rowan, too. 3. The hilarious moment Martha, Karen, and Rowan told their friends they were now a throuple. 4. A huge lesson for couples based on the revolutionary ways they deal with conflict, jealousy, and daily rituals to stay close. 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.” Her newest book, The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self, was an instant New York Times Best Seller. TW: @TheMarthaBeck IG: @themarthabeck About Rowan: Rowan Mangan is a writer, podcaster and mom to a vivacious toddler. Salty, klutzy and Aussie, Ro co-hosts the Bewildered podcast with her wife, Martha Beck. She also runs the Wild Inventures newsletter and community on Substack. Ro is currently pursuing publication for her first novel, a magical realist thriller set on the west coast of Ireland. TW: @rowanmangan IG: @rowan_mangan

1. Why Jen believes none of us is safe from betrayal – but how she knows with certainty it will never happen to her again. 2. The useful part of unforgiveness, the worst thing about forgiveness, and how to know when it’s time to forgive. 3. Brené Brown’s advice to Jen for how to begin rebuilding brick by brick after the life you built implodes. 4. The steps Jen took to learn to trust her body for the first time – and what she calls her body now. 5. What Jen would go back and tell her kids about marriage and divorce if she could do it differently. About Jen: Jen Hatmaker is the New York Times bestselling author of For the Love and Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire, along with twelve other books. She hosts the award-winning For the Love podcast, is the delighted curator of the Jen Hatmaker Book Club, and leader of a tightly knit online community where she reaches millions of people each week. Jen is a co-founder of Legacy Collective, a giving organization that grants millions of dollars toward sustainable projects around the world. She is a mom to five kids and lives just outside Austin, Texas. TW: @JenHatmaker IG: @jenhatmaker

1. Pod Squad Qs about co-parenting after infidelity, setting boundaries with friends, and reconciling an estranged parent relationship. 2. How to know when it’s time to leave, and whether your partner deserves to be free of you. 3. Why every problem Cheryl’s ever had has been solved by a list–and how to use her strategy. 4. Ways to be a better advice-giver, and how to keep “floating in the direction of your own life.” 5. How to gather the courage to know a truth thing–and to live by it. About Cheryl Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild, as well as the bestsellers Tiny Beautiful Things, Brave Enough, and Torch. Wild was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. Tiny Beautiful Things is currently being adapted for a TV show for Hulu and will star Kathryn Hahn. In addition to writing her widely acclaimed essays, stories and scripts, Strayed has hosted two hit podcasts for the New York Times — Sugar Calling and Dear Sugars, which she co-hosted with Steve Almond. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband Brian Lindstrom and their two teenagers. TW: @CherylStrayed IG: @cherylstrayed

1. Why Cheryl chose Strayed as her last name – the only one not given to her by a man. 2. How she ruined her life when her mom died, and how we can bear the unbearable. 3. Cheryl’s greatest lesson from her 3-month hike of the PCT, and her mom’s advice she uses everyday. 4. How to make peace with our ITS – “inner terrible someone” – who lives in each of us. 5. Why and how Cheryl is now exploring: “Can I be happy if my kids aren’t?” About Cheryl: Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild, as well as the bestsellers Tiny Beautiful Things, Brave Enough, and Torch. Wild was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. Tiny Beautiful Things is currently being adapted for a TV show for Hulu and will star Kathryn Hahn. In addition to writing her widely acclaimed essays, stories and scripts, Strayed has hosted two hit podcasts for the New York Times — Sugar Calling and Dear Sugars, which she co-hosted with Steve Almond. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband Brian Lindstrom and their two teenagers. TW: @CherylStrayed IG: @cherylstrayed

1. The question Carson’s sister asked that made him radically reimagine his life. 2. Why Carson is having the best sex of his life. 3. How Carson received sign-off from his Mormon Bishop for his first queer date. 4. The accident that left Carson paralyzed from the chest down at 23. 5. How ableism hurts us all. About Carson: Carson Tueller is a coach, speaker and activist whose work provides people with the tools they need to live authentic, fulfilling, and powerful lives. He identifies as queer and disabled. Carson grew up as a Mormon in a military family moving around a lot before settling in Utah. His own journey into powerful living began in 2013 when, in the same year, he came out, and was then injured in an accident that paralyzed him from the chest down. Since then, Carson has brought his work to international nonprofits and presidential campaigns – and when he isn’t coaching or speaking, Carson can be found at the gym, reading non-fiction, or playing Pokemon with his niece and nephews. TW: @carson_tueller IG: @carson_tueller #disabilitypride #disabilitypridemonth

1. Glennon, Abby, and Amanda share the most mortifying moments of their lives. 2. Pod Squaders’ hilarious voicemail confessions, which had Glennon, Abby, and Amanda cry-laughing in solidarity. 3. Our new go-to strategy when humiliated (it involves prosthetic penises). 4. We test our hypothesis that sharing our most embarrassing experiences makes us feel less alone.

Chelsea Handler comes to We Can Do Hard Things to talk for the first time about her breakup with Jo Koy, her definition of real love, and her commitment to never abandon herself. About Chelsea: Chelsea Handler is a comedian, television host, best-selling author and advocate whose humor and candor have established her as one of the most celebrated voices in entertainment and pop culture. She was the host of E!’s top-rated “Chelsea Lately”, a tenure in which Handler was the only female late-night talk show host on-air. Her documentary series “Chelsea Does” was followed by her talk show “Chelsea” on Netflix in 2016. She has penned six best-selling books, five of which have reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list, including 2019’s Life Will Be the Death of Me. In 2020, she released her first stand-up special in over 6 years, the critically acclaimed “Chelsea Handler: Evolution” on HBO Max, which earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. Most recently, she launched her iHeart Radio advice podcast “Dear Chelsea” and embarked on the “Vaccinated and Horny” Tour, bringing her sensational stand-up set to 40+ cities across the nation and winning “The Comedy Act of 2021” at the People’s Choice Awards. TW: @chelseahandler IG: @chelseahandler

1. How to make the first friendship move – and how to move on from a friendship with kindness and clarity. 2. The advice Reese passes down to her kids about the three types of people you meet in life. 3. Reese’s Hollywood experience as a young woman – and the solidarity she found in the Time’s Up movement. 4. How Elle Woods – in all her iconic glory – hilariously showed up while Reese was on real-life jury duty. 5. Where Reese, Abby, and Glennon come down on Glennon’s take that most women feel they are either too much or not enough. About Reese Reese Witherspoon, is an award-winning actress, entrepreneur, producer, and New York Times bestselling author. She won an Academy Award® for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line and was later nominated in that same category for Wild in 2014, which she also produced. Witherspoon also starred in beloved films Sweet Home Alabama, Legally Blonde, and Election, as well as award-winning television series’ “Big Little Lies,” “Little Fires Everywhere,” and “The Morning Show.” Other film credits include Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, Universal Pictures’ animated musical comedy Sing and Sing 2. In addition to her acting and producer roles, Witherspoon is an author and entrepreneur. In 2016, she established Hello Sunshine, a media brand and content company dedicated to female authorship and storytelling across all platforms. Hello Sunshine is also home to Reese’s Book Club and Reese’s YA Book Club, which focuses on storytelling with women at the center. Witherspoon recently sold Hello Sunshine to Blackstone in September 2021. Now Hello Sunshine is the cornerstone of a larger media company called Candle Media. Witherspoon is an advocate and activist for women’s issues across the globe. TW: @ReeseW IG: @reesewitherspoon

1. How horrifying advice from a therapist led Glennon to end things with Abby–and how they reconnected. 2. The moments from past episodes that changed us–including Amanda’s new strategy to prevent her anxiety from creating relationship problems. 3. How we decide what to share publicly and what not to–and why we think the dichotomy of “sacred things” versus “private things” is dangerous. 4. Simple guidance to a man who asks how to stand in the fight for women’s rights, a question from 68-year-old Donna that we can’t stop thinking about, and the story of Tish’s We Can Do Hard Things song.

Over 15,000 Pod Squaders joined live to celebrate One Year of the Pod and discuss: 1. Why Amanda started taking meds, Glennon keeps taking meds–and why Abby might consider taking meds :) 2. The brilliant preemptive post mortem strategy to help you emotionally recover from any gathering. 3. Your frequently asked question of Abby: How she tracked down her first love connection at the Macaroni Grill. 4. The pie chart of showing up–and why it’s rarely ever 100%. 5. Glennon shares her first steps up from the “landing” of her eating disorder relapse. CW // eating disorders discussion

1. The moment Natalie called Abby to invite her to be part of Angel City FC–the first majority, women-owned soccer franchise. 2. How to stop people-pleasing and learn to recognize a full body YES from inside of you. 3. Why and how Natalie shows up for big projects before she’s ready or qualified. (Dude Moves). 4. The best advice Natalie’s ever received–and why women should “Gossip Well.” 5. How Natalie counters gender expectations by over practicing empathy with her son and decisiveness with her daughter. 6. What Natalie says when a man suggests a woman is “crazy” or “difficult.” About Natalie: Natalie Portman is an Academy award-winning actress (BLACK SWAN), director, author, and activist. In Summer 2022, Portman will be hitting the big screen, returning to the Marvel universe as ‘Jane Foster’ in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER. Previously Natalie appeared in Pablo Larraín’s film, JACKIE, in which she starred as First Lady Jacqueline F. Kennedy. For the role, Portman was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA Award, and won the Critics’ Choice Award. She wrote, directed, produced, and starred in A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS, which made its world premiere at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and its North American premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Other past film credits include Noah Hawley’s LUCY IN THE SKY, Brady Corbet’s VOX LUX, and Alex Garland’s highly anticipated second feature, ANNIHILATION. Natalie and her producing partner Sophie Mas recently inked a first-look TV deal with Apple TV+ for their production company MounatainA. Through this deal, they are producing the Apple Original limited series LADY IN THE LAKE, which will be Natalie’s TV acting debut. Natalie’s other past production credits include the documentary EATING ANIMALS, which she executive produced and narrated. The film examines mankind’s dietary choices and is based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s memoir. In addition to her film work, Portman devotes her time to several humanitarian causes, with an emphasis on supporting women and girls. She is also a founder of National Women’s Soccer League team Angel City Football Club. In Fall 2020, Portman released her debut picture book, NATALIE PORTMAN’S FABLES, which is a New York Times’ Bestseller. Portman is a Harvard graduate with a degree in psychology and studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. IG: @natalieportman

1. Practical tips for guiding friends and family through your grief–and the permission slips to give yourself. 2. Why there is no such thing as grief etiquette–and how it’s less about what you say and more about what you do. 3. What it finally took for Marisa to surrender to the fact that she was not in control of her love or her grief. 4. How to integrate love and grief in order to find joy again after loss–and how, 12 years after her mother’s death, Marisa includes her mom in her son’s life. 5. The life-changing perspective shift that Marisa gained from a conversation with Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton. About Marisa: Marisa Renee Lee is a called upon grief advocate, entrepreneur, and author of the upcoming book “Grief is Love.” Deemed “the friend we all wish we had in times of need,” by Elaine Welteroth, Marisa is able to utilize research-based advice and wisdom to help others navigate the complicated and challenging emotions we face when experiencing loss, offering unique insights for women and Black communities. She is no stranger to grief herself. In 2008, after a lengthy battle, she lost her mother to cancer. Shortly after, she lost her fertility, a pregnancy, and most recently, a cousin to the COVID-19 pandemic. These losses transformed her life and led her to question what healing truly requires outside the limited roadmap often handed to us by societal expectations. In the end, Marisa found that if we can own and honor what we've lost, we can have a beautiful and joyful life amid grief. In addition to her work in the grief space, Lee is a former appointee in the Obama White House and CEO of Beacon Advisors, a mission-driven consulting firm primarily focused on racial equity. She is a rabble-rouser of social healing: former managing director of My Brother's Keeper Alliance; co-founder of the digital platform Supportal; and founder of The Pink Agenda, a national organization dedicated to raising money for breast cancer care, research, and awareness. Lee also regularly contributes to Glamour, Vogue, MSNBC, and CNN and serves as an expert for Ritual's wellbeing app. She is a Harvard graduate and an avid home cook. Marisa lives in the Washington DC area with her husband Matt, their newborn son Bennett, and their dog, Sadie. TW: @MarisaReneeLee IG: @marisareneelee

1. Sam’s life-changing strategies for (reluctantly) interacting with humans. 2. How we use humor to hide the lava of rage churning beneath our surface. 3. Sam’s friendship theory and why she doesn’t need a deep soul connection with every “lowercase f friend.” 4. Sam’s embrace of JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)–and why she genuinely believes no one else is having a better time (except maybe Abby). 5. The behind-the-scenes story of the “Fat Babe Pool Party” Shrill show–and why that episode was one of the most important things she’s ever written. About Samantha: Samantha Irby writes the "Bitches Gotta Eat" blog, and is the author of WOW, NO THANK YOU; WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE; and MEATY. She has been a writer and/or co-producer for TV shows including And Just Like That, Work in Progress, Shrill, and Tuca & Bertie. IG: @bitchesgottaeat

Pod Squad Family Meeting! To see each other’s rage and grief, talk about how we got here, renew our resolve to fight forward and to take tender care of each other as we do, and to share four concrete steps we can all take to join the fight for reproductive justice. Because what got us here is not going to get us out of here.

1. How Billie Jean could not live as her full authentic self until age 51. 2. The moment Billie Jean knew that Abby was not okay after her USWNT retirement. 3. How to visualize a reality that doesn’t yet exist – so you can be it, even when you don’t see it. 4. How Billie Jean numbed herself through an eating disorder and how she recovered by not being a “good girl.” 5. Why Billie Jean does not regret her pre-Roe abortion, and the degrading process she endured to access it. CW // eating disorders discussion About Billie Jean: Named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine and a 2009 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Billie Jean King is the founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation and part of the ownership group of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Angel City FC and the Philadelphia Freedoms. King also serves on the board of the Women’s Sports Foundation. In her legendary tennis career, King captured 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles, including a record 20 Wimbledon championships. Her historic win over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes, is one of the greatest moments in sports history. In 2017, Fox Searchlight released the critically acclaimed film, Battle of the Sexes, which depicts the cultural and social impact of the groundbreaking match. In September 2020, King became the first woman to have an annual global team sports event named in her honor when Fed Cup – the women’s world cup of tennis – was rebranded as the Billie Jean King Cup. Her memoir, ALL IN: An Autobiography, is available now. TW: @BillieJeanKing IG: @billiejeanking

1. How Heidi ruined Glennon’s life with a jarring new identity–and why it’s a powerful moment for G to embrace her newfound sign. 2. How we each have a Sun, Moon, and Rising sign–and what each tells us about ourselves. 3. Heidi breaks down the 12 astrological signs–and astrology as a tool for self revelation. 4. Why we keep saying “Mercury’s in retrograde” and what the hell it means. About Heidi: Heidi Rose Robbins has been a professional astrologer for 25 years, helping thousands of clients all over the globe live with more authenticity and clarity. She hosts two podcasts, THE RADIANCE PROJECT, featuring poetry, astrology, and good company, and CHART YOUR CAREER, with co-host Ellen Fondiler. Twice a year, she leads Radiant Life Retreats, for people wishing to take a deeper dive into her work. Heidi has written two books of poetry, This Beckoning Ceaseless Beauty and Wild Compassion, and has been a featured poet at two TedX events. Last year, her 12-book series The Zodiac Love Letters, was published by One Idea Press, and this upcoming fall, her new book, Everyday Radiance--based on her daily Instagram offerings--will be published by Chronicle. Heidi grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, learning the zodiac with her A, B, C’s, and calls herself “a poet with a map of the heavens in her pocket.” She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids, Kate and Dylan. IG: @heidiroserobbins

1. Answers to fascinating sex questions from Pod Squaders–including how to get real in the bedroom after regularly faking orgasm. 2. Concrete mindfulness strategies to get out of your head and into your body, which have been proven to increase arousal and satisfaction. 3. Busting the myth about how long it should take to orgasm. 4. Why talking about sex (including fantasies!) before having sex leads to more satisfying intimacy–and why that feels fun for Abby and impossible to Glennon and Amanda. 5. Where to start if you’ve never discussed pleasure with a partner–and Dr. Brotto’s advice to Glennon for retiring her reign as Silent Sex Queen. About Dr. Brotto Dr. Lori Brotto is a Professor in the UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, where she holds a Canada Research Chair in Women’s Sexual Health. She is also the Executive Director for the Women’s Health Research Institute—one of only three institutes in Canada devoted to advancing research in women’s health, and maintains an active practice as a Registered Psychologist. Dr. Brotto was recently featured in the Netflix series The Principles of Pleasure, and is the author of Better Sex through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire and forthcoming The Better Sex through Mindfulness Workbook: A Guide to Cultivating Desire. TW: @DrLoriBrotto

1. The shocking revelation that many women experience physical arousal but can’t reach orgasm because we are so “stuck” in our heads that we don’t even register it. 2. Glennon and Abby share about their periodic sexual droughts – and Dr. Brotto gives them (us) advice. 3. The biggest predictors of sexual problems for women – including stress/compulsive multitasking – and how to address them. 4. How to know if you are disconnecting from your body during sex, and how to reintegrate to increase your pleasure. About Dr. Brotto Dr. Lori Brotto is a Professor in the UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, where she holds a Canada Research Chair in Women’s Sexual Health. She is also the Executive Director for the Women’s Health Research Institute—one of only three institutes in Canada devoted to advancing research in women’s health, and maintains an active practice as a Registered Psychologist. Dr. Brotto was recently featured in the Netflix series The Principles of Pleasure, and is the author of Better Sex through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire and forthcoming The Better Sex through Mindfulness Workbook: A Guide to Cultivating Desire. TW: @DrLoriBrotto

In this beautiful conversation–in which Glennon names Cole’s book “This Here Flesh” the Next Right Book–we discuss: 1. What we learned from Cole’s insight that, “If you’re not in your body, someone else is.” 2. A mind-blowing revelation about all of our own faces that we will never stop thinking about. 3. Why the phrase “If you don’t believe you’re beautiful, no one else will” is horseshit. 4. Why dignity is the bedrock to being alive–and how to find it when we haven’t been loved well. 5. The connection between fear and awe–and how to practice wonder as a cure for despair. About Cole: Cole Arthur Riley is a writer and poet. She is the author of the NYT bestseller, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us. Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, Guernica, and The Washington Post. Cole is also the creator and writer of Black Liturgies, a project that integrates spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black literature, and the Black body. TW: @blackliturgist IG: @colearthurriley @blackliturgies

Abby’s former USWNT teammates–and dear friends–Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger are here for a double date discussing: 1. Ashlyn and Ali’s wedding, their vision for queer marriage visibility, and Glennon’s top moments of their magical day. 2. Ashlyn and Abby’s friendship–why Ashlyn pulled Abby’s final game captain’s band out of the trash and what she plans to do with it. 3. Who made the first move, which one “knew” first, and how Ashlyn and Ali’s love story started with friendship and mixtapes. 4. Their hardest night with their newborn, how Ali neutralizes mom guilt, and what they want most for Sloane as she grows up. About Ashlyn: Ashlyn Harris is a two-time World Cup Champion, two-time CONCACAF Champion, and three-time SheBelieves Cup Champion. She currently plays for Gotham FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and leads the NWSL with most saves as a goalkeeper. A champion of self-expression and self-love, Ashlyn is known for her style and her extensive tattoo artwork. TW: @Ashlyn_Harris IG: @ashlynharris24 About Ali: Ali Krieger is an Olympian, two-time World Cup Champion, and two-time SheBelives Cup Champion. She was a key part of the defense that held opponents scoreless for 539 consecutive minutes during the 2015 World Cup. Recently, Ali was named #7 Most Marketable Athletes in the World and currently plays for the NWSL’s Gotham FC. In 2019 Ashlyn and Ali married and in February 2021, they welcomed their new baby Sloane. They are also parents to two puppies – Logan and Storm. TW: @alikrieger IG: @alikrieger

1. The inspiring pep talk Bozoma gives herself in the mirror – and why we might all want to start using it to rally ourselves. 2. How to navigate the tightrope of corporate expectations for women: to be both self-assured and humble; both hard and soft. 3. The revolutionary realization that you don’t have to be the savior of others – you can save yourself, too. 4. How to know when to dig deep, and stay and fight for change – and when to stop digging and go – and the moment Bozoma knew it was time to leave Netflix. 5. Why our inability to forgive ourselves for wrong decisions keep us in bad situations – and how Boz’s “it’s not you, it’s me” philosophy can guide us out. About Bozoma: Bozoma Saint John is a Hall of Fame inducted Marketing Executive, author, entrepreneur, and general badass. Boz has led Global Consumer Marketing at Apple Music & iTunes; she was Chief Brand Officer at Uber; and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Netflix. Boz is currently named #1 Most Influential CMO in the world by Forbes, and has been named one of Billboard’s Most Powerful Women in Music for 10 consecutive years. In 2021, Harvard Business School published a multi-media case study on her career, titled “Leading with Authenticity and Urgency”; through which she developed and taught a program at the University aptly named “The Anatomy of a Badass.” Boz was named as an Ambassador for the African Diaspora and Special Envoy to the President of Ghana. In the Spring of 2023, Penguin Books will publish her memoir, “The Urgent Life.” Boz counts her highest achievement as being a mother to her 12 year old daughter, Lael. TW: @badassboz IG: @badassboz

1. Content warning: Discussion of suicide. 2. Jenny puts words to her experience of ADD – "being a kitten on cocaine" – and her anxiety – seeing "rainbow fire.” 3. How Jenny felt guilty for years about a way her mental illness impacted her mothering – only to later learn it was her child’s favorite memory. 4. The moment she decided to be honest about her struggles – and how sharing our awkwardness can save the world and cure our loneliness. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 About Jenny: Jenny Lawson is an award-winning humorist known for her great candor in sharing her struggle with mental illness. She's written four NYT bestsellers, including Let's Pretend This Never Happened (a mostly true memoir), Furiously Happy (A funny book about terrible things), You Are Here (An owner's manual for dangerous minds) and Broken (in the best possible way), which recently won the Goodreads Choice award for Best Humor of 2021. One of those books is a coloring book but she insists it still counts. She lives in Texas with her husband and child and would like to be your friend unless you're a real asshole. TW: @TheBloggess IG: @thebloggess

1. Why guns are now the leading cause of death for American children and teens, and who is profiting from America’s suffering. 2. What to say today when your child leaves the house to help protect them from gun violence. 3. The lie our leaders are selling us about why they won’t pass the reforms that 90% of Americans want, and how one mom became the NRA’s biggest nightmare. 4. How to safeguard our kids from the negative impact of for-profit active shooter drills in schools. About Shannon: Shannon Watts was a stay at home mother of five when she founded Moms Demand Action, the nation’s first and largest grassroots movement fighting against gun violence – and the most powerful counter-movement the gun lobby has ever faced. Moms Demand Action now has a chapter in every state and, with over 8 million supporters, is now larger than the National Rifle Association. For almost ten years, Moms Demand Action volunteers have stopped the NRA’s priority legislation in statehouses roughly 90 percent of the time, helped pass hundreds of gun safety laws across the country, changed corporate policies and educated Americans about secure gun storage. Shannon’s book, Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World, is now available in paperback. TW: @shannonrwatts IG:@shannonrwatts

1. What Alua has learned about living well from the many people she’s helped walk home as a death doula. 2. The “deathbed test” that guides her toward what is important and helps her stay present. 3. Alua eases Abby’s immense fear of death by sharing her glitter-wave vision. 4. The most surprising thing she wants us to know about death. 5. Concrete steps we can take now to help prepare ourselves–and our loved ones–for the inevitable. About Alua: Alua Arthur is a death doula, recovering attorney, and the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization that exists to support people as they answer the question, “What must I do to be at peace with myself so that I may live presently and die gracefully?” Going with Grace works to improve and redefine the end-of-life experience for people rooted in every community using the individual lived experience as the foundation. Alua was a keynote speaker at EndWell 2019, and has been featured in the LA Times, Vogue, Refinery29, The Doctors, and InStyle. She is inspired by the gift of LIFE itself and is always on the quest for the best donuts and fried plantains! TW: @goinggracefully IG: @going_with_grace

1. How we are each haunted by our family’s secrets and trauma–whether we know them or not–and how to break the cycle for future generations. 2. The astounding new research on generational trauma showing that our personal trauma is passed down genetically to our children and grandchildren. 3. Our unconscious need to heal what our parents could not–and how to mourn what we cannot control. 4. Why our bodies carry what our mind won’t remember–and how to release that burden. 5. Dr. Galit’s new book Emotional Inheritance and the incredible new way to understand ourselves. About Dr. Atlas: Dr. Galit Atlas is a psychoanalyst and clinical supervisor in private practice in New York City. She is on the faculty of the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Atlas has published three books for clinicians and numerous articles and book chapters. A leader in the field of relational psychoanalysis, Dr. Atlas is a recipient of the André François Award and the NADTA Research Award. She teaches and lectures throughout the United States and internationally. Her new book Emotional Inheritance was published in January 2022 and is being translated into 17 languages. IG: @galit_atlas

Glennon and Abby welcome their dear friend Cameron Esposito to discuss: 1. Cameron’s brutiful relationship with her body–and how it feels playing a sexy TV role. 2. The way Cameron grew up using humor as self-defense and to become socially “valuable”–and the moment she wondered if comedy was no longer working for her. 3. Why Cameron says she’s able to cry for the first time in 35 years. 4. How as a gender-nonconforming queer kid, Cameron felt “overnoticed”–and how being a comedian allows her to “hide in plain sight." 5. The rule Cameron and Glennon made to help them become better at friendship. CW: eating disorders About Cameron: Cameron Esposito is a queer, gender non-conforming standup comic, actor, writer and host. As a standup, Cameron has headlined tours and festivals nationwide and internationally. As an actor and host, Cameron has been seen across television and film, appearing in big budget films and beloved Sundance indies, and on Netflix, HBO, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, Starz, Comedy Central, Logo, TBS, IFC, E! and Cartoon Network. Cameron's podcast, Queery, features hour long conversations with some of the brightest luminaries in the LGBTQ+ community, including Emmy and Grammy winning performers, Olympians, politicians, even an astronaut. Cameron's writing has been published by The New York Times, Vulture/New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, Bon Appetit, Refinery29 and more. Cameron's first book, Save Yourself, was an instant bestseller and is available in paperback March of 2022. Next up, Cameron is set to recur on the ABC series A Million Little Things and appear in HBOMax's Moonshot. Cameron lives in Los Angeles and likes to swim. TW: @cameronesposito IG: @cameronesposito