Episodes: 2021

Sometimes the humans we need love and support from the most just aren’t able to give it to us. When that happens, who do you have? If you’re Adrienne, you have Luke, a giant German Shepherd.   The Luke Legacy Fund is a stand-alone program in partnership with the Twin Cities Animal Rehab Clinic. For more information, contact Adrienne at vanz0037 (at) umn (dot) edu.

Welcome to the Terrible Reading Club, sponsored by Betterhelp Online Therapy. Think of it as our book club for truly terrible times. Haven’t read the book we’re discussing? Good news: In this reading club, that’s not a requirement. Today, we’re chatting with Suleika Jaouad about her memoir, Between Two Kingdoms, in which she writes about the aftermath of recovering from an illness she was not expected to survive. 

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. 

Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll get when you join us on TTFA Premium. For $8 a month, you can support our show AND get ad-free episodes and bonus content — including mailbag episodes like this one. Sign up today at TTFA.org/Premium.

If you’re sent into an anxiety spiral every time you hear the words “climate change,” you’re not alone. Everything we read these days tells us that the clock is ticking down, and there is nothing we as individuals can do about it. But we talked to climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe recently, and she told us that yeah, things are bad … but it’s not hopeless! 

Lynda and her daughter, Sophia, have a busy day ahead of them. First, a bike ride to train for an upcoming sprint triathlon. That evening, a dinner party. In between, a funeral to honor a friend. When Lynda wakes up in the emergency room and learns Sophia and she were in an accident during their morning ride, their busy day — and the rest of Lynda’s life — is forever changed.

You learn to expect the unexpected when you’re a new parent — and for Kari and Aaron, the list of unexpected things is long when it comes to their daughter, Sloan. Sloan is a beautiful and medically complex baby girl who requires constant care. And when a beloved family member dies unexpectedly months after Sloan’s birth, Kari and Aaron find themselves overwrought with grief. 

We’re back with another Terrible Reading Club episode, sponsored by Betterhelp Online Therapy. Think of it as our book club for truly terrible times. Haven’t read the book we’re discussing? Good news: In this reading club, that’s not a requirement.Today, we’re chatting with John Green about his latest book, “The Anthropocene Reviewed.” You can buy John’s book from our Bookshop.org storefront or wherever you get books.

Kari and Aaron had vastly different childhoods. Kari’s was filled with adventures, laughter and silliness. Aaron grew up in a complicated religious household. When the two high school sweethearts start dating, Aaron becomes part of Kari’s family -- the son that her parents never had. And when the two get married and begin planning for a baby, unexpected news has Kari and Aaron leaning on their family more than ever before.

Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll get when you join us on TTFA Premium. For $8 a month, you can support our show AND get ad-free episodes and bonus content — including mailbag episodes like this one. Sign up today at TTFA.org/Premium.

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 seatback 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.

High school is a miserable time for Hannah for all of the usual reasons that our teen years are awful … but also for an extra reason. Hannah is disabled, and she’s living in a world that doesn’t seem to want her to be a part of it.

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.

It’s rare to have a friendship that actually lasts forever, but that’s what Josie and Miles have. When Miles’s cancer comes back after years of remission, Josie is there for him every step of the way … until there are no more steps to take.

Welcome to the Terrible Reading Club, sponsored by Betterhelp Online Therapy. Think of it as our book club for truly terrible times. Haven’t read the book we’re discussing? Good news: In this reading club, that’s not a requirement. Today, we’re chatting with Anne Lamott about her latest book, Dusk, Night, Dawn, which explores how we see ourselves in the context of seriously dark moments. You can buy Anne’s book from our Bookshop.org storefront or wherever you get books.

Children are often taught to respect and honor their parents. For Elissa, this is complicated by the fact that her mother has narcissistic personality disorder.  Elissa couldn’t escape her mother’s emotional and verbal abuse when she was a child. Now, as an adult, she must learn how to untangle herself from her aging mother’s web and still provide the care she needs.

Adoption is often viewed as a happy ending, and sometimes it is! But for Thenedra, her experiences as a child in the foster care system and later as a trans-racial adoptee were — and still are — much more complicated than that. This is an episode about what can happen when trans-racial foster and adoptive parents are not just unprepared to raise traumatized children, but also unprepared to raise Black children in a predominantly white society.

Our weekly TTFA episodes are and always will be free to all listeners. For folks who want *even more* Terrible in their lives, we created TTFA Premium. A $7.99 / month subscription gets you access to bonus content, exclusive interviews and more!  Here is a sneak preview of what you’ll get when you join us on TTFA Premium. Sign up at TTFA.org/Premium.  Can’t swing the membership fee? No worries! You’ll always be able to listen to our regular episodes at no cost to you.