We Can Do Hard Things

In this deeply personal conversation, Kelly Clarkson – beloved artist, truth teller, and goddamn cheetah – joins us to discuss:  How Untamed gave her the clarity and courage to divorce;  Why she stayed for as long as she did;  The lowest point of her life;  What broke her heart the most in her marriage;  How to recover yourself after slowly disappearing in a relationship;  Her incredible new album chemistry;  Embracing singleness; and  Why she’s a stronger parent today. About Kelly: Kelly Clarkson is one of the most popular artists of this era with total worldwide sales of more than 25 million albums and 40 million singles. Her multi-Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show, “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” has been picked up for its 5th and 6th seasons. Additionally, she was the winning coach on seasons 14, 15, 17, and 21 of “The Voice” and returned as a coach for Season 23.Kelly is the recipient of three consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” three Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, one MTV Movie & TV Award, two Academy of Country Music Awards, two American Country Awards and one Country Music Association Award. Kelly will release her highly anticipated tenth studio album, Chemistry on June 23rd. TW: @kellyclarksonIG: @kellyclarkson

We need more JOY. In today’s bonus episode, internet sensations corook and Olivia Barton delight us with their performance of “If I Were a Fish.” Plus, Glennon and Abby coach them on how to not let criticism keep you from sharing yourself with the world.For our other conversations about delight, check out: Episode 216 How to Find DELIGHT Today (and Every Day) with Ross Gay and Episode 217 Start a Daily Delight Practice with Abby, Glennon & Amanda.corook TikTok: @hicorookIG: @hicorookOlivia BartonTikTok: @oliviabartonhahaIG: @oliviabartonhaha

Glennon’s hilarious misunderstanding with a TSA agent she’ll remember 'til she dies; Amma’s delightful response when Abby rushed onto the soccer field; and the delight Amanda experienced the day she switched it all up by not freaking out. Today’s episode was inspired by our conversation with Ross Gay – if you missed it, check out: Episode 216 How to Find DELIGHT Today (and Every Day) with Ross Gay. 

Ross Gay teaches us how to notice delight and joy in our everyday lives. We discuss: concrete ways to rediscover and capture joy every day; how to rebuild your “delight muscle”; how to dissolve the myth of disconnection between us; and how to “unknow” our people so we can delight in them.About Ross: Ross Gay is an American poet, essayist, and professor committed to healing the world through observing and articulating joy, delight and gratitude. He won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for his 2014 book, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, which was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry. A devoted community gardener, Ross is a founding board member of the Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit, free-fruit-for-all food justice and joy project. A college football player, he is a founding editor of the online sports magazine Some Call it Ballin'.

In the conversation that’s meant the most to Glennon, Abby, and Amanda – poet and spoken word artist, Andrea Gibson makes the bravest announcement we’ve ever heard. Andrea shares how to boundlessly, relentlessly love our lives by: paying attention to the only thing we can control; letting go of living in fear; and feeling less alone and terrified through it all.CW: Discussion of suicidal ideationAbout Andrea: Andrea Gibson is one of the most celebrated and influential spoken word artists of our time. Best known for their live performances, Gibson has changed the landscape of what it means to attend a “poetry show”. Gibson’s poems center around LGBTQ issues, spirituality, feminism, mental health and the dismantling of oppressive social systems. Andrea is the author of seven books, most recently “You Better Be Lightning”. TW: @andreagibsonIG: @andreagibson

In today’s beautiful, vulnerable, and funny conversation, Glennon, Abby, and Amanda reveal what each feels most insecure about. Plus, Amanda connects with a member of the Pod Squad on raising a kid with ADHD and her shift that changed everything; Glennon talks about anger as a guard dog and her discovery while rock climbing on “vacation”; and Abby explains why retirement from soccer was one of the hardest times of her life and how she navigated that massive life transition. 

Sex therapist Vanessa Marin is back and we’re digging into: why we’re (sadly and ironically) proven to be less likely to try new things in the bedroom the longer we’ve been partnered; how to spice up your sex life when things get bland – including how to find out and explore your sexual fantasies; how not all orgasms (even for men!) are created equal; and the TikTok sex challenges we should probably pass on.For our previous conversations with Vanessa, check out: Episode 195 Sex Talk & That Night in Miami: Sex Therapy with Vanessa Marin and Episode 196 How Glennon & Abby Learned to Talk Dirty with Vanessa Marin.About Vanessa:Vanessa Marin is a sex therapist and instant New York Times Best Selling author of Sex Talks: The Five Conversations That Will Transform Your Love Life, co-written with her husband and partner-in-crime, Xander Marin.Vanessa is here to help you kick shame out of the bedroom so you can start feeling the connection, pleasure, and joy you deserve!Vanessa has been featured in various major publications and has written for The New York Times, Allure, and Lifehacker.TW: @VMTherapyIG: @vanessaandxander

For graduates (and all of us), it’s scary and hard to know the way forward. Listen to Abby tell the Class of 2023 (and all of us) the way! Thank you to Loyola Marymount University.  

Trauma therapist (and survivor of marriage to a narcissist) Caroline Strawson joins us to discuss: how to know if someone’s really a narcissist; how to know if you’re more likely to get into a relationship with a narcissist (and avoid it); strategies for parallel parenting with a narcissist; how the brain and body respond to narcissists; and how to rebuild after ending a relationship with a narcissist. CW: Abusive relationships, self harmFor more related episodes, check out: Episode 170 The Most Radical Way to Heal: Internal Family Systems with Dr. Becky Kennedy, Episode 169 Why We Love the Way We Love: Attachment Styles with Dr. Becky Kennedy, and Episode 142 Codependence: How to Stop Controlling Others with Melody BeattieAbout Caroline: Caroline Strawson is a Trauma Therapist and Coach specializing in helping others heal from the trauma and shame of narcissistic abuse. She hosts the Narcissistic Abuse & Trauma Recovery Podcast and is the #1 best selling author of Divorce Became My Superpower. Having been married to a covert narcissist herself, Caroline was in debt, lost her family home, and was at rock bottom with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and self-harm. Caroline integrates Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting and breath work with positive psychology, to help others move from post traumatic stress to post traumatic growth.TW: @cstrawson11IG: @carolinestrawson

In this unplanned conversation, Amanda speaks up for everyone who’s been labeled a “Control Freak” – anyone who feels like they have to hold up the entire sky for their families or businesses – when what they really want is to feel supported and safe. Amanda shares vulnerably about: how she became an overfunctioner, the blessings and curses of being one, and the practical strategies she’s using to let go – and what her partner is doing to make her feel like she can finally try to relax.  If this episode resonates, go back and listen to OVERWHELM: Is our exhaustion a sign that we’re CareTicking time bombs?