Terrible, Thanks For Asking

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 who Stephen J. McInerny was … as a young boy sent to war, as a husband, and as their father. About how they love their dad, even if he wasn’t always the kind of dad they wanted. 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! - 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 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! - 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 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! - 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'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! - 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 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! - 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 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 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… on Christmas Day. We will also talk with some of the women of the Hot Young Widows Club on their hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. Plus, stories of people’s worst Holidays ever. 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.

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 represents the state like a sort of ambassador, touring the region and sharing her diversity platform with folks … in North Dakota, a state that’s 90% white. 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! - 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's body slowly heals, and as Lyndsey reteaches her mother how to ride, the two begin mending their 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! - 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. 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! - 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 life she planned for her and Steve will never even have a chance to get started. 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 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 Instagr

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. No

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 w

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