In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - TTFA producer Claire McInerny experienced an extreme weather event in 2021, a result of climate change, that left her worried about the future. She started channeling her anxiety about the future of our world into another important question she was asking herself: “Should I have kids?” In this episode, Claire tries to untangle her feelings around what the world will look like in the future w...
Feb 28, 2023•43 min•Ep 204•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Nora's dad died in 2014 from pretty much all of the cancers, leaving her mom Margaret without her life partner of almost 50 years ... and leaving Nora without a dad. Does a 40-year-old married woman with four children of her own need a father figure in her life? Nora thinks so! But what does Margaret have to say about dating in your 70s? — Listener support makes our independent podcast possi...
Feb 14, 2023•54 min•Ep 203•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Identity theft is something many of us are familiar with, but we have a specific image of what this looks like – our data being stolen online, or someone getting a hold of our social security number. But almost a third of identity theft crimes are committed by a family member. This episode tells the story of two people who experienced financial abuse at the hands of their parents. — Listener...
Feb 07, 2023•46 min•Ep 202•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Cheval spent her entire life trying to be a wedding dress designer (she started sewing at 7 years old and studied fashion design in college). In her mid 20’s, she got her big break when a large fashion house hired her to design a wedding dress collection named after herself. But that dream only lasted eight years. She found herself in the middle of a legal battle that would take away her col...
Jan 24, 2023•47 min•Ep 201•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - One thing we know about grief is that it needs a witness. That inside every griever is a nearly uncontrollable urge to make the people around us understand what we had and what we have now. In this episode, we are all David’s witnesses. — Listener support makes our independent podcast possible. You can read the episode transcript here. — We’re lucky to only work with sponsors and brands we k...
Jan 10, 2023•32 min•Ep 200•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - The happyish holiday season can be whatever the heck you want it to be, no matter what pressures you feel from family and friends and society. So, here’s to creating new traditions – and to the Terribles who shared theirs with us (and with you). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 20, 2022•36 min•Ep 199•Transcript available on Metacast ‘Tis the season! Our terrible holiday tradition is back, this time with more of your painful, sad, awkward holiday stories. Plus: boundary setting advice from Melissa Urban and a fiery Hanukkah story from Vanessa Zoltan. - In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - You can find the episode transcript here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 13, 2022•48 min•Ep 198•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - When Natalie Weaver stepped into the media spotlight to advocate for her 8-year-old daughter Sophia’s right to health care, she expected some pushback. She didn’t expect the flood of online hate and death threats that came her way … or for images of Sophia to end up on the wrong, hurtful, abusive side of the Internet. — Learn more about Natalie’s work for families with medically fragile kids...
Dec 07, 2022•44 min•Ep 197•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Death by suicide has long been a problem within the U.S. military, and not just among veterans: In 2020, suicide rates among active duty service members hit a six-year high. On August 28th, 2015, Heather’s husband Tyler became one of those statistics. Theirs is a story of friendship, of love, of family, of service and duty … and of trauma, domestic abuse and mental illness. If you’re experie...
Nov 15, 2022•50 min•Ep 196•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Michael Allio was a fan favorite on Katie Thurston’s season of “The Bachelorette,” applauded for the vulnerability he showed as he talked about losing his wife, Laura, to cancer and raising his son James without his mom. Losing a partner to cancer? Raising a young son on your own? Sounds familiar! Michael came across Nora’s TED Talk shortly after Laura died, and when he reached out to the po...
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep 195•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In the early morning hours of June 24th, 2021, an apartment complex in Surfside, Florida collapsed out of nowhere, killing 98 people – including Patty’s mom, Maggie. It’s difficult enough to lose a loved one to an unthinkable tragedy. It’s exceptionally awful when you’re forced to watch them die over and over again on national television. — You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter an...
Oct 25, 2022•45 min•Ep 194•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - The vibes aren't good. They're not even decent. They're bad. Nora's new book, BAD VIBES ONLY, is available today wherever you buy books! — TTFA is on tour now! Come see Nora perform LIVE! Tuesday, October 11 - Los Angeles, CA Saturday, October 15 - Philadelphia, PA Sunday, October 16 - Brooklyn, NY Monday, October 17 - Washington, DC Tuesday, October 18 - Boston, MA Wednesday, October 19 - T...
Oct 11, 2022•36 min•Ep 193•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Four years ago, Nora sat down with her friend Gigi to tell the story of … Gigi’s face. It was a story about confidence and beauty (and beauty standards) and chronic illness, and it has touched so many people since we first aired it. Today, you’ll hear that first conversation with Gigi, plus an important update on what’s going on with Gigi’s health … and with her face. Gigi runs a shop called...
Sep 27, 2022•54 min•Ep 192•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - When Leah Nixon woke up in the hospital after a construction accident and learned she was paralyzed from the chest down, she wondered how she’d go about starting a family someday. In this episode, she gives us a glimpse into her daily life as a “para-mom” to her 9-month-old daughter, Ellie. Leah’s company is called Tiny & Snail and they make adorable cards and stationery. Read the episode tr...
Sep 20, 2022•44 min•Ep 191•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Allison Raskin was just 4 years old the first time she told her parents she wanted to die. Within weeks, the preschooler was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder and depression. In this episode, we talk with Allison and her mother Ruth about raising a child with severe mental illness and what Allison’s world looks like today as an adult living with OCD. You can buy Allison’s book “Ov...
Sep 13, 2022•45 min•Ep 190•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Genna is fat. They are also queer and nonbinary. All of these things can make a person feel marginalized in a straight, cisgender, thin-obsessed society … but for Genna, it’s being fat that’s hardest. TTFA is coming to your city October 7th - 22nd with an all-new live show experience, and tickets are on sale now! Get yours here. For more information about The Hartford, click here. Support ou...
Sep 06, 2022•42 min•Ep 189•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - The thing about having your life fall apart is that there’s just so much to do, and there’s so much that you don’t know until it’s too late. In today’s episode: What helps when everything goes wrong. For more information about The Hartford, visit thehartford.com/employeebenefits. TTFA is coming to your city October 7th - 22nd with an all-new live show experience. Get your ticket here. Did yo...
Aug 23, 2022•43 min•Ep 188•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 officially in our Taylor Swift era, and we can't wait for what's to come. TTFA is coming to your city October 7th - 22nd with an all-new live show experience. Get your ticket here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. Read the transcript for this episode here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...
Jul 05, 2022•17 min•Ep 187•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Chelsea’s mom and unborn brother died in a car accident on Chelsea’s first birthday, leaving little Chelsea and her grief-stricken father behind to piece back together their shattered life. As a child, Chelsea longs for a mom – a living mom – and she’s thrilled when her dad remarries a wonderful woman named Shawna. But even when she’s surrounded by love, Chelsea still finds herself trying to...
Jun 28, 2022•52 min•Ep 186•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - When romantic relationships end, there’s usually a clean cut – a moment, a conversation, an argument that ends things for good. When friendships dissolve, the break is usually way less clear, if it’s clear at all. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. Read the episode transcript here. See omnystudio.com/listener f...
Jun 21, 2022•46 min•Ep 185•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Why do we hold on to things we no longer need? For many of us, it’s because they remind us of who we were and who we thought we might become. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. Read the episode transcript here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...
Jun 07, 2022•50 min•Ep 184•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Last year, we did a virtual live show on Valentine’s Day, and Nora — who considers herself a bit of a matchmaker — did some matchmaking. And while she was doing that, the live show comments section was popping off with other Terribles looking for love. This gave Nora the harebrained idea to make … a matchmaking episode. Consider this the podcast version of that “Great Expectations” video dat...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep 183•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Girlboss culture is now, as they say, cringe, but during the 2010s, SO MANY of us thought we were on the precipice of busting through that glass ceiling. We thought we could rise and grind, hustle our way to the life of our dreams, and as long as we loved what we did we wouldn’t work a day in our lives. Leigh Stein is also a recovering girlboss, who went into debt building an organization th...
May 24, 2022•57 min•Ep 182•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In March, a New York Times article made the rounds titled, “How Long Should It Take to Grieve? Psychiatry Has Come Up With an Answer.” And if that sentence alone makes you roll your eyes and want to punch an inanimate object, you’ve come to the right place. Nora read the article (twice) and had … some thoughts. So did her friend — and former TTFA guest — Brittany Freeman Jean-Louis. You can ...
May 17, 2022•51 min•Ep 181•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Our language surrounding mental illness has evolved a lot over the past couple of decades … to a point. There are still some mental illnesses that exist outside of the bounds of most people’s understanding and compassion, that are not so easily accepted and are really scary to people who don’t have them. Illnesses that make the person seem “crazy,” where people might not want to associate th...
May 10, 2022•45 min•Ep 180•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Some holidays are just more loaded than others, depending on our individual experiences. When you’re grieving the loss of your mother — either because they’ve died or because you don’t have a relationship with them — what the heck are you supposed to do with a holiday like Mother’s Day? When a listener reached out to Nora after their mom died to ask for advice on moving forward, Nora decided...
May 03, 2022•56 min•Ep 179•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Grief comes with so much judgment. Everybody is sure that there's a right way to do it, and only for a certain length of time. If our grief doesn’t neatly fit into a category, we worry that it’s illegitimate. Erin knows this judgment very well. She’s a widow … or is she? Did you know we’re on TikTok? Yep, it’s true. Follow Nora. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook u...
Mar 29, 2022•48 min•Ep 178•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - In 2020, we asked how it was going in there … wherever it was you were isolating, quarantining, social distancing. Somehow, it’s been *checks watch* TWO YEARS of COVID and so much more, so we thought it was time for another check-in. How *is* it going in there, Terribles? Did you know we’re on TikTok? Yep, it’s true. Follow Nora. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook ...
Mar 22, 2022•51 min•Ep 177•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Danielle’s daughter Della was a quintessential “good baby.” She slept through the night almost from the get go. She rarely cried! But when Danielle started weaning her, little Della would just … not eat. Could not eat. Her tiny body rebelled against her with every food she tried. When your baby lives with a chronic illness that wants to kill her, each day brings more anxiety. And it’s especi...
Mar 15, 2022•49 min•Ep 176•Transcript available on Metacast In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack! - Growing up, Dani Shapiro never felt like she truly belonged to the orthodox Jewish community she lived in. All around her were kids who dressed and prayed and looked alike … and then, there was Dani — a fair-skinned, fair-haired, blue-eyed little Jewish girl. Dani spent much of her early writing career authoring fictional stories about secrets within families, not knowing that she would soon...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 175•Transcript available on Metacast