Episodes: 2021

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In our “Behind the Scammer” episode, you met Celisia Stanton. Being the victim of a crime really makes you think through the way that you consume true crime entertainment, and Celisia wanted to approach the genre from a different angle — not just on the crime that occurred, but on the systems that surround every crime. She started her own (amazing) podcast called “Truer Crime” – give it a listen here!

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 was sentenced to 7 years in prison for defrauding clients out of more than $2.3 million dollars. He spent the money on a hot tub, a fancy house, two cars, a cruise … but it wasn’t his money. That money belonged to -- among others -- Celisia Stanton and Rev. Michael Gonzales, two very real people whose lives were materially impacted by Goodman’s materialism.

When you introduce yourself to someone for the first time, you start by telling them your name and (maybe!) a few facts about you. The other person takes the information at face value. There’s no judgment, no opinion formed … just two people meeting each other.Amanda has no idea what that feels like. In 2007, she made international news headlines through no fault of her own. Now, more than a decade later, strangers decide their opinion of her as soon as they hear her name. But what many people consider Amanda’s story isn’t really hers at all.

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.

The internet and social media are a huge way for us to be seen as individuals. We share our lives online because it gives us connection … and because it gives us attention. But that attention isn’t always positive. Jolie knows this all too well, because in 2019, she found herself on the wrong side of the Internet Rage Machine.

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 Danielle Henderson about her memoir, “The Ugly Cry.”

Angela and Jeff have an awesome marriage. They share the same life goals, the same ideologies. Their life together is peaceful and easy, and they love their two kids. But just after their tenth anniversary, Angela starts to feel that something is ... off. And it's not Jeff — he's as steadfast as ever. It's her. 

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.

Grief doesn’t always mean the loss of a person. It can also mean the loss of who you used to be. The loss of the life you thought you were going to have. Gina is 43 years old. She’s single without kids. She’s a producer and world traveler (25 countries so far). Her independent nature — and her love of solo travel — is a major part of Gina’s identity … and it’s being challenged by an undiagnosed autoimmune disorder. Gina wrote a book about her pal Rafael appropriately titled, “Blowing Up” (IYKYK). You can learn more about it here. 

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.

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@umn.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.