Terrible, Thanks For Asking

Nora steps in to guest host the podcast that just might be Too Beautiful To Live -- a delightful daily show about life, current events, pop culture, puttering, laser baldness helmets, and tonight pants. While regular co-host Andrew Walsh is out of town, Nora and other co-host Luke Burbank discuss sheds, consumer culture, parenting, and because it's Nora, officiating the funeral of a man who married a stranger at the Mall of America.

Matt's wife died a decade ago. Now, everywhere he goes on the internet, he can't escape advertisements for clickbait sites with her picture on it. This week, Super Tech Support tries to help out. Further reading: Matt's non-profit: The Liz Logelin Foundation

Chris was brought up to be positive. And to get on with it no matter what. But getting on with it isn't always so easy when others won't make room for you to be a full person.

Sometimes a person's absence can become a presence. A dark, unspoken void that can suck you right in if you don't address it.

What's worse: keeping the people you love at a distance, or showing them your true colors and losing them forever? Patricia doesn't want to find out.

Chelsey and Kevin are parents, public servants, and two people just trying to make sense of the absolutely senseless. If this is God's plan, I have a word or two for God.

It's not just a hashtag. Transformation is inevitable (and not always a choice.) But nothing transforms us more than love.

On the eve of Kelli's 25th birthday, she found herself running for her life in a dystopian nightmare. It was supposed to be an incredible weekend to celebrate the dawn of a new phase of her life. Instead, it was the deadliest mass shooting (so far) in America.

Charlotte's career is built on organized chaos. As an Operating Room nurse, she has a protocol for every tragedy, a THEN for every IF. Until one night, when she takes a new route home, and everything changes.

The INTERNET never forgets (dang it).

There's a thin line between life and death. Between what's here -- now -- and what was. Between what's here -- now -- and what will be. Taz Ahmed knows about that line. In a dark house in Kathmandu, she and her aging grandfather toe up to it to look for her mother.

Sometimes, it all just falls into place. For Megan and Clark, a one-week span showed how things can work out perfectly to create the best days of your life... and the worst.

When the world breaks everything, when everything is The Absolute Worst, you're lucky if you have people to lean on. You're even luckier if they're your siblings. Meet Alex, David and Liza Achilli. Which... I really wanted to call this episode The Achilli's Heal, but I just... I couldn't do it. Or could I?

At 32 weeks pregnant, Cat and Jim find themselves planning for their son's death while hoping for his birth. This is a story of a life and a death, extraordinary in every way.

TTFA is live from the historic Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul, MN! Featuring conversation with writer/rapper/entrepreneur Dessa, who took to science to overcome a bad love. And with comedian Alyssa Limperis, whose father died of glioblastoma. So funny! Plus, music from the amazing composer of our theme song, Geoffrey Wilson.

Lauren's brother died at Thanksgiving. And her mother at Christmas. So... this time of year it's not all Ho Ho Ho for her. Or for a lot of other people. Because the Holidays can really and truly suck for some. So we're back with our second annual Holiday radio extravaganza that will once again bedazzle this difficult time of year with humor, stories, and the very real realness of reality. We will hear Lauren's story, talk with memoirist Augusten Burroughs about a childhood Holiday gone wrong, and enjoy comedian Maeve Higgins becoming one of the Three Wise Men.

Amee doesn't have a dad. But she used to. He was the best. He was the worst. And he claims that he doesn't remember any of it.

Dead sister. Dead grandma. Dead grandpa. Dead uncle. Dead mom. Dead dad. Dead brother. The list of loss goes on and on for Jaamil, and so does his list of professional accolades and accomplishments as he moves from trauma to post-traumatic enlightenment.

Hope and Aaron died on the exact same day. Each leaving behind their spouse, their child, and all the love their small families had created. Nearly three years later, their spouses have remarried. But don't you dare say they've moved on.

Sexual violence thrives in silence, and it's hard to talk about... so we don't. But rape survivor Sarah Super refuses to be quiet, and has dedicated her life to helping other survivors Break the Silence. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

If you are or ever plan to be in a relationship, you need to know Esther Perel, The Patron Saint of Relationships. Known for her TED Talks, her brilliant book, Mating in Captivity, and her captivating podcast, Where Should We Begin?, Esther believes that the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives. Your life is about to get better, because Esther joined us live on stage at the Now Hear This podcast festival to hand out sparkling gems of relationship wisdom to real TTFA listeners. You can find Esther Perel's new book, The State of Affairs, anywhere you buy books. Season 1 of Where Should We Begin? is available everywhere. Season 2 is coming out on October 24, 2017 exclusively on Audible. Go listen to it.

In our last episode, we met chronically single Chelsea, who was looking for love in all the same places we all look for love... and coming up empty-handed. Now, we meet Chelsea's new boyfriend (!!!!) and explore what happens when the love we find isn't what we expected.

As the saying goes, "There's a lid for every pot." There's someone for everyone. Chelsea has been looking for her lid -- her someone -- since high school. Nearly 15 years after her only real relationship ended, she still hasn't found her person. It's not like she hasn't been trying, and it's not like her life is totally miserable... but in case you haven't had to date lately? MAN, IT IS EXHAUSTING.

There are friendships, and there are FRIENDSHIPS of the all-caps variety. The latter ones are harder to forge the older you get. Which is what Janya is struggling with after the loss of her best friend, Michele.

Courtney and Jay are parents to 9-year-old Bruce, who they affectionately call Baby Huey. Bruce has never had a friend. Never had a playdate. Never been invited to a birthday party. What. The. Heck.

Harris Wittels was the executive producer of Parks and Recreation, the coiner of the word "humblebrag," a Phish enthusiast, and the funniest person in any room he walked into. He died of a heroin overdose in 2015, leaving behind his mother, his sister, and a lifetime of talent and potential.

How do you want to die? We're willing to bet the answer isn't, "Very painfully, please!" Brittany Maynard was 29 when she died of brain cancer. Aaron Purmort was 35 when he died of the same thing. But their paths to death were very different. Nearly three years later, Brittany's husband Dan and Aaron's wife Nora reflect on their spouses decisions on how to spend the end of their lives.

When Lea Thau's fiance left her, she felt all the feelings. Then she had their baby, and decided to start dating again. But, despite going out, nothing seemed to be clicking. Over and over. And eventually, she wanted to know why. Why didn't men want to keep dating her? So she asked them. And recorded the answer. From the amazing podcast Strangers comes the episode "Love Hurts."

Khaleel Thompson is an 18-year-old who loves music, reading, and his cat, Domino. Naomi is his mother, asking why four police officers fired more than 12 rounds at her son in a public park two weeks ago, leaving him in critical condition. The two of them are the humans behind a news headline - caught in a story that is just unfolding.

Grief is always fresh for someone, somewhere. Right now, someone is losing a friend. A partner. A parent. And they are entering a new role, a new relationship to their loved one, and to the world. Holly felt that grief. And she came in to share it with us. Fresh and undiluted. Just hours into her first day as a widow. And then again with a follow-up 8 months later.

When someone dies, you're supposed to say something. Someone is supposed to say something. Someone is supposed to summarize this person, prove that they existed, that they mattered. But what do you say when a complicated person dies after a complicated life?

Alysha-Aubrey sent us a story about both her parents falling seriously ill at the same time, and the toll it took on her as a teenager. And she ended her story with a question about whether or not it's OK that she doesn't feel OK. Even though her family has recovered from trauma and is doing OK. We thought that the best way to answer Alysha-Aubrey's question was to ask it of you, the audience. And you had so much to say to her.

March is #trypod month, where everyone should force their loved ones to listen to podcasts. Not sure which one to subscribe every family member to? Well, we have one for you. It's called The Hilarious World of Depression, and it features open, honest conversations about depression. But funny. Because the guests are professional comedians and sometimes you just have to laugh at the darkness. Today you are going to hear an episode of The Hilarious World of Depression with guest Maria Bamford. She's an amazing comedian with a lot to say about the stigma of mental illness. When you're done listening, tell us what you thought using the hashtag #trypod.

It's 12:00. No, 1:00. No, 4:45 in the morning. You should be sleeping -- we all should be -- but you're not. You're laying there as the minutes tick away, thinking about... what, exactly? One sleepless night, Nora took to Twitter to see what was keeping you up. And you answered. This is an episode made by you (and Hans. Okay, mostly Hans), about what keeps you up at night.

So many people start off their stories by saying that it doesn't compare to what happened to someone else. But this isn't a game of Who Has It Worse, so why do we act like there is some sort of imaginary yardstick for struggling? This is the first episode of our in-between season while we are hard at work on season 2. We're going to hear from listeners, talk with some amazing people, and get to know each other a little bit better. Stay up-to-date on Season 2 by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook - all @ttfapodcast.

When Nora McInerny's dad died, she lost his stories. The ones that she's not sure she can can't quite remember right, and the ones she never knew. Like those from his time as a Recon Marine in Vietnam. So Nora decides to look up some of the men he served with, and discovers one day in 1968 that forever shaped a group of boys into the mercurial, complicated men they would become. If you have a veteran in your life (and you do), you should sit down with them and ask about their experiences. And, if you can, you should document it. The Story Corps project has a great app that can help walk you through interviewing, recording, and submitting your oral history interview to the Library of Congress.

Damon's grandparents were murdered 18 months before he was born. And, for the first time in his life, he prepares to see his grandparents' murderer face to face.