
236 episodes

Terrible, Thanks For Asking American Public Media
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- Society & Culture
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4.7 • 60 Ratings
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You know how when someone asks "How are you?" you just say "Fine,” even if you’re totally dying inside, so everyone can go about their day? “Terrible, Thanks For Asking” is the opposite of that. Nora McInerny asks real people to share their complicated and honest feelings about how they really are. It’s sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and often both. From American Public Media.
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The Missing Puzzle Piece
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 fill a gaping hole in her heart.Want (sporadic) emails from Nora and Team TTFA? Sign up here.
Sign up today for TTFA Premium! For $7.99 a month, you get access to exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes *and* the knowledge that you’re keeping our show afloat! Visit TTFA.org/Premium to get started.
When you shop our Bookshop.org store, you support the author, independent bookstores AND our show! Shop here. You can purchase Nora’s books here.
Shop for your favorite TTFA gear at TTFAmerch.com.
Read the transcript for this episode here.
You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis.
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And check out our sponsors this week:Macy’s: macys.com/purpose -
Asking for a Friend
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 read Jennifer Senior’s article from The Atlantic here.
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Want (sporadic) emails from Nora and Team TTFA? Sign up here.
Sign up today for TTFA Premium! For $7.99 a month, you get access to exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes *and* the knowledge that you’re keeping our show afloat! Visit TTFA.org/Premium to get started.
When you shop our Bookshop.org store, you support the author, independent bookstores AND our show! Shop here. You can purchase Nora’s books here.
Shop for your favorite TTFA gear at TTFAmerch.com.
Read the transcript for this episode here.
You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis.
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And check out our sponsors this week:Greenlight: greenlight.comRothy’s: rothys.com/terribleHistory is US -
Listen to This: "History is US"
Today, we’re bringing you something special: a new podcast by C13Originals Studios and Jon Meacham called “History is US.”
History is US is a six-part series that journeys back to face the truths about race at the heart of the American story. From the aftermath of the Civil War, to the mid-twentieth century struggle for freedom, to the election of Barack Obama, to current day racial reckoning, “History is US” asks questions about who we are as a nation, what race might reveal about our current crisis, and where we go from here.
Give this preview a listen and, if you want more, find the full series wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be listening right along with you.
Can’t get enough TTFA? Sign up for TTFA Premium for $7.99 a month. You’ll get access to exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes, extended guest interviews and more! Visit TTFA.org/Premium to get started.
When you shop our Bookshop.org store, you support the author, independent bookstores AND our show! Shop here.
You can purchase Nora’s books here.Shop for your favorite TTFA gear at TTFAmerch.com. -
I've Been Cursed by a Sea Witch with Drew Magary
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 Drew Magary, formerly of Deadspin and now of Defector, about his new memoir, “The Night The Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage.”
There’s quite a bit of adult language in this episode, so you *might* not want to listen while driving around in the car with your kiddos (unless your kiddos are cool with curse words).
You can find Drew’s book here or wherever your shop books. Also, his yearly “Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog” is hilarious and will make you laugh, and you can find it here.And check out our sponsor this week: BetterHelp — betterhelp.com/ttfa
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Sign up today for TTFA Premium! For $7.99 a month, you get access to exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes *and* the knowledge that you’re keeping our show afloat! Visit TTFA.org/Premium to get started.
Want (sporadic) emails from Nora and Team TTFA? Sign up here.
When you shop our Bookshop.org store, you support the author, independent bookstores AND our show! Shop here. You can purchase Nora’s books here.
Shop for your favorite TTFA gear at TTFAmerch.com.
Read the transcript for this episode here.
You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. -
About Laura
Four years ago, we published a Father’s Day episode called “About Bob,” about a woman named Laura and her dad named – you guessed it – Bob. It ended with father and daughter trying to navigate their complex (but hopeful!) relationship.
In this episode, Nora sits back down with Laura to find out if things with her dad are still as complicated as they were back in 2018.Want (sporadic) emails from Nora and Team TTFA? Sign up here.
Sign up today for TTFA Premium! For $7.99 a month, you get access to exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes *and* the knowledge that you’re keeping our show afloat! Visit TTFA.org/Premium to get started.
When you shop our Bookshop.org store, you support the author, independent bookstores AND our show! Shop here. You can purchase Nora’s books here.
Shop for your favorite TTFA gear at TTFAmerch.com.
Read the transcript for this episode here.
You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis.
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And check out our sponsors this week:Macy’s: macys.com/purpose -
The Nemo Feeling w/ Mary Laura Philpott - TTFA Premium
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.
Join the TTFA reading club: TTFA.org/readingclub
Our twice-monthly newsletter features behind-the-scenes content, previews of upcoming episodes and more. Sign up.
When you shop our Bookshop.org store, you support the author, independent bookstores AND our show! Shop here.
Shop for your favorite TTFA gear at TTFAmerch.com
Read the transcript for this episode here.
You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis.
TTFA is public media. Which means we are supported by you. You can join us with a contribution at ttfa.org/donate
Customer Reviews
Love Nora
My absolute fave podcast ever. Thank you Nora!
New Zealand fan
Loving it
Thanks
Fantastic stories
I was really thrilled to find this podcast of intensely interesting real life stories. But I might have to stop listening.....
Please, please, please consider toning down (or getting rid of) the constant background music. It is hideous for those of us with sensory processing issues.