In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - When someone we love dies, we become the vessels responsible for carrying their memory forward. The people we love stay alive in the big things, of course … but in the little things, too. When a listener shared an inside joke with the Terrible community about her late husband, we knew it was the beginning of an episode. Today, we share your stories, your inside jokes, your memories about you...
Mar 01, 2022•39 min•Ep 174•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Liam was raised as a girl, but from a very young age he knew that just … didn’t make sense. When he comes out to his evangelical Christian parents as a young adult — first as a lesbian, then as a trans man — it unfortunately goes exactly how he expected it to. This episode includes anecdotes and language that disparages the LGBTQIA+ community and trans experience. We include them with Liam’s...
Feb 22, 2022•51 min•Ep 173•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In our “Behind The Scammer” episode, you met Celisia Stanton and Rev. Gonzales, two people who had their life savings stolen from them by their financial adviser, a man named Isaiah Goodman. We intentionally focused that episode on the scammed – on the victims. But we do have a duty to reach out to the subject of any story and say “Hey, do you want to comment on this?” So we did. And Isaiah ...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep 172•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - We are all just products of the people who raise us. And they are products of those who raised them. Vanessa Zoltan knows that better than most. She is the grandchild of four Holocaust survivors, and for her, nihilism and depression kind of run in the family. 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 @ttfapo...
Feb 09, 2022•46 min•Ep 171•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Many people who have autism are diagnosed at a young age. But today’s guest, Grace, wasn’t diagnosed with autism until she was 27 years old. In the months since the diagnosis, Grace has spent a lot of time reflecting on her childhood and young adulthood to understand why this wasn’t caught sooner — and in the process, she’s come to better understand herself and who she’s always been. Did you...
Feb 02, 2022•47 min•Ep 170•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - We recently made an episode called “The Grudge Book” filled with your grudges, and the feedback was SO strong. People felt validated. They laughed. They connected. So Nora got to thinking … did we need an episode that also gave you a place to share the other things that are hard to say? Your regrets? Your almosts? We decided the answer was yes, and this episode is loaded with them. Did you k...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep 169•Transcript available on Metacast Olivia is 7 years old when her dad moves out of state to take a new job … and is never heard from again. In high school, a manilla envelope appears in Olivia’s mailbox letting her know the reason she never heard from him is because he died by suicide. But when Olivia learns as a young journalist that her father might have faked his own death all those years ago, she decides to investigate. - Did you know we’re on TikTok? Yep, it’s true. Follow Nora. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitt...
Jan 18, 2022•52 min•Ep 168•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - It’s the stuff of romantic comedies: Man meets woman as they’re boarding a flight. The two quickly discover they share many similarities and go on to chat for hours. There’s an instant connection. The big difference here is the woman is Nora, and the man is a TTFA listener. And what she and Jose spend hours talking about, what they instantly connect on ... is their grief. Because like Nora, ...
Jan 12, 2022•57 min•Ep 167•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Suffering can feel like such a singular experience -- like there’s no one else in the world who understands what we’re going through. But sometimes, if we look hard enough, we find that our singular experience intersects with another. This is the story of two young girls whose stories intertwined during a tragic accident on October 8, 1988 … though they wouldn’t meet for decades to come. - D...
Jan 04, 2022•53 min•Ep 166•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - We’re culturally obsessed with scammers, con artists and fraudsters. People like Elizabeth Holmes and Bernie Madoff dominate headlines and then get films made and books written documenting what they did and how they did it. But behind the scammers are the victims: individuals who are struggling to recover their sense of safety, their identity … and their money. In July 2021, Isaiah Goodman w...
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep 165•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - When one of the people in a relationship is dead, the relationship becomes a bit one-sided. Your version of who that person is and was is obscured by all of your own biases, your commitment to your version of the truth, to your side of the story. Nora’s dad — Vietnam veteran, father of four, advertising copywriter — died seven years ago. And in this episode, the McInerny siblings reflect on ...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr•Ep 161•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Sleep experts the world over seem to have countless tips and tricks for getting those eight hours of Zzzs each night. But sometimes our brains just … can’t shut down, no matter what we do. Nora recently asked you, the TTFA community, what’s been keeping you up at night these days, and you answered. Did you know we’re on TikTok? Yep, it’s true. Follow Nora. You can catch up with TTFA on Insta...
Oct 19, 2021•46 min•Ep 158•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - About six years ago, Nora took a notebook and wrote down all of the grudges she was holding against people ... and then, she left that notebook in a seat-back pocket on a plane and never saw it again. We wanted to know what you, our listeners, would put in your own Grudge Book if you had one, and in this episode, we share your responses. Did you know we’re on TikTok? Yep, it’s true. Follow N...
Sep 14, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep 154•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Melissa is the epitome of responsible. She loves following rules and has spent her whole life trying to be the best person possible. But accidents happen, and one winter morning, a split second changes everything she thought she knew about herself. 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...
Aug 31, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep 152•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Edith Eger was 16 years old when the Nazis invaded Hungary during World War II. She was imprisoned at Auschwitz concentration camp with her family. Today, Dr. Edith Eger is a 93-year-old clinician, speaker and author who is so full of wisdom and light, we could’ve done ten episodes with her. This is her story. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here. Did you know we’re on T...
Apr 13, 2021•57 min•Ep 141•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Cynthia is a Latina adult woman living with autism. In this episode, she lets us in on her world, what her life was like growing up, and what she experiences today as an autistic adult. Cynthia made a Spotify playlist for all of us! You can listen to it here. 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...
Mar 23, 2021•40 min•Ep 138•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - This episode features conversations with people doing the best they can in difficult circumstances. Like Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, whose husband Dr. Paul Kalanithi was a notable and rising brain surgeon who wrote When Breath Becomes Air, a bestselling memoir about his fatal battle with cancer. And comedian Amber Tozer, who tells a funny and poignant story about walking in on her mother’s wedding… ...
Nov 24, 2020•54 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In 2012, Rosie became the first Black woman to win the Miss North Dakota pageant. She got to do what she loves most — play music and perform! — and she won scholarship money to pay down her student loab debt. It was thrilling. It was exciting! But winning Miss North Dakota means more than just wearing a gorgeous gown on a stage in front of a bunch of people. For the next year, Rosie represen...
Oct 27, 2020•55 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Lyndsey and her mother have a shared love of horses. They both compete in dressage (Google it). They ride together after their daily farm chores are finished. But Lyndsey is more naturally gifted in the saddle than her mother, and this creates tension and envy. After a riding accident leaves her mother with severe physical injuries, Lyndsey isn't sure her mom will ever ride again. As her mom...
Sep 01, 2020•42 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - When you believe that love will never, could never happen to you, it feels like a miracle when it finally does. This is the story of a young man named Oliver, whose religious upbringing has convinced him that love isn’t in the cards for him. And it’s a story about a young man named Jamie, who shows Oliver that yes, miracles do happen. Nora also writes sad & funny books! You can buy them here...
Mar 24, 2020•55 min•Ep 100•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Pam and Steve have just gotten married and are getting ready to celebrate with friends and family at their upcoming wedding reception in just a few days … but first, they gotta head to the north woods of Minnesota to tackle some chores at their lake cabin. When a tragic accident up at the lake has Pam planning Steve’s memorial service instead of celebrating their nuptials, she realizes the l...
Feb 25, 2020•46 min•Ep 96•Transcript available on Metacast 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 epi...
Nov 19, 2019•52 min•Ep 93•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Nov 12, 2019•55 min•Ep 92•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Nov 05, 2019•49 min•Ep 91•Transcript available on Metacast 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 momen...
Jun 25, 2019•57 min•Ep 81•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Feb 19, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast 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 everythi...
Feb 05, 2019•54 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast 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 lookin...
Nov 27, 2018•54 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast 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: thei...
Oct 17, 2018•50 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Ti...
Oct 02, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast 
