
Tell Me Something True with Laura McKowen
Tell Me Something True is for people who want to fall in love with the mystery of life again. Practical, fun, and provocative conversations that use the lenses of psychology, philosophy, creativity, science, and spirituality to help us discover the surprising things that make life meaningful. Laura McKowen, the host, is the best-selling author of We Are The Luckiest, a "raw, deep and hopeful" memoir. Laura brings hard-won life experience, a searing curiosity, and deep passion for others to every conversation.
Latest episodes

12 snips
Jul 21, 2022 • 52min
Chris Marshall on How Connection Can Save Your Life
Chris Marshall, the creator of Sans Bar and a meeting leader at The Luckiest Club, opens up about his personal battles with addiction and the profound loneliness it can bring. He discusses the importance of connection in recovery and how it helped save his life. Chris shares his journey of creating a welcoming space for those seeking non-alcoholic alternatives, emphasizing community as a lifeline. Listeners gain insights into managing anxiety, understanding self-worth, and the transformative power of shared experiences in healing.

Jul 14, 2022 • 59min
Marissa Moss on Not Getting Chicked
HANDS UP if knowing what you want, and standing up for it, has not always been welcome.Imagine being hit with that - and you’re America’s top-selling female group of all time!Marissa Moss has a lot to say about powerful women, making their own rules, and finding solidarity when the world is pitting them against each other. This TMST is a conversation about how women are being true to themselves and reshaping culture, while building huge, diverse audiences. In the book, “Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Never Were Supposed to Be,” Moss weaves together The Chicks, Shania and Loretta, and the new generation like Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Mickey Guyton.The stories she shares in our conversation are gripping, and gut churning. And…. she’s going to explain to us the veiled threat that still exists today - you don’t want to get Chicked, do ya?Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/56-marissa-moss-on-not-getting-chickedSpotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0hJwhPHQzuqT9OgiAnpAhQHere’s the transcript: https://tell-me-something-true.simplecast.com/episodes/marissa-moss-on-not-getting-chicked/transcriptTell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. There are no corporations or advertisers backing this community. We are 100% funded by the TMST community. Become a TMST member today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free.====TMST is hosted by Laura McKowen, the bestselling author of We Are The Luckiest and founder of The Luckiest Club. Follow the show and Laura on Instagram.

Jul 7, 2022 • 54min
Laura McKowen on Jealousy & Envy
When was the last time you got real about jealousy or envy?In this episode, Laura brings the heat, digging into how jealousy and envy have shown up in her life. She explores the ways they’re different and the ways we use them to blow ourselves up.This is no trail of tears, though! We’ll take a look at what social psychologists and researchers have identified as the purpose of these emotions. And then we explore ways to help work through these feelings when they rise up and want to take charge of our lives.If you’re a TMST Plus member, the members-only episode features a bonus conversation Laura had with her friend Christie Tate, the NY Times Bestselling author of Group, which was about her experience in group therapy. The two of them have spent a lot of time delving into these gross, uncomfortable feelings, and you can be a fly on the wall as they explore it.SUPPORT: Tell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. We are 100% funded by the TMST community. Become a TMST member today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free.====TMST is hosted by Laura McKowen, the bestselling author of We Are The Luckiest and founder of The Luckiest Club. Follow the show and Laura on Instagram.You can find the transcript for this episode here.

Jun 30, 2022 • 1h 6min
Dr. Kate Pate on Vets, First Responders and why “Being Triggered” is More Complicated Than You Think
We are never more than one connection away from a veteran or first responder.They are the ULTRA helping professions. During the pandemic, many were the first line of protection and care. Over 20 years of The Global War of Terror, many have experienced repeated deployments with an anodyne “thank you for your service” and a bad country music song as their only Thank You.But how many of us have asked how we can be part of THEIR solution network?Meet Dr. Kate Pate, a neurophysiologist who is looking at the ways our brains impact our bodies, and how we heal both in harmony. Kate is laser-focused on the health and healing needs of our veterans and first responders, which means she’s focused on matters that impact our entire society.Her perspective is grounded in healing and is relevant to all of us because we’re connected to these folks or need similar healing. She gets the role recovery plays in the equation and she brings true illumination to things like, “what’s a trigger?” and “is this PTSD?”Dr. Kate Pate is one of the most impressive and insightful people we’ve ever met and you are going to love her. Dr Kate Pate’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/doc.pate/Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/54-dr-kate-pate-vets-first-responders-being-triggeredTranscript: https://tell-me-something-true.simplecast.com/episodes/dr-kate-pate-on-vets-first-responders-and-why-being-triggered-is-more-complicated-than-you-think/transcriptSpotify playlist for this episode: Tell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. There are no corporations or advertisers backing this community. We are 100% funded by the TMST community. Become a TMST member today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free.====TMST is hosted by Laura McKowen, the bestselling author of We Are The Luckiest and founder of The Luckiest Club. Follow the show and Laura on Instagram.

43 snips
Jun 23, 2022 • 52min
Veronica Valli on The Promise of Emotional Sobriety for TMST’s 1st Birthday
Veronica Valli, a therapist, sobriety coach, and author, shares her insights on emotional sobriety. She explains how this concept goes beyond mere abstinence from substances, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and personal growth. Veronica discusses the biological basis of emotions and how familiar patterns can hinder progress in relationships. She highlights the significance of setting healthy boundaries to foster meaningful connections, reminding listeners that happiness begins from within. Her genuine encouragement offers hope for a more integrated and fulfilling life.

Jun 16, 2022 • 27min
Brianna Madia on Surviving the Lie That Was Killing Her
Brianna Madia’s journey as a vagabond lifestyle influencer was extraordinary. It was her, her van, her dogs and, for a time, her husband. And according to her it was really good. Until it wasn’t. And then, it got really scary.
Brianna takes us behind the curtain of the IG influencer life - and then we go 100 levels deeper. While the world was fixed on her very attractive-appearing life, she was living with a slow, gnawing truth that was killing her. When she came clean, the geyser of vitriol was horrific.
The extreme shaming she received after admitting that she made some, admittedly, desperate life choices - was topped only by the brutality she inflicted on herself. A brutality that had her considering some irrevocable actions.
Brianna is able to talk about some big truths and hard things - and yet it never feels like trauma porn. There’s no voyeuristic charge to her story, so you’re left being able to see where we’ve all made choices we wouldn’t want to repeat - and where we go from there.
Brianna’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/briannamadia/
Brianna’s site: https://www.briannamadia.com/
Her book, Nowhere For Very Long: https://www.briannamadia.com/nowhereforverylong
Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/52-brianna-madia-on-surviving-the-lie-that-was-killing-her
Spotify playlist for this episode:
Tell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. There are no corporations or advertisers backing this community. We are 100% funded by the TMST community.
Support TMST today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free: https://tmst.supercast.com/

Jun 9, 2022 • 1h 1min
Kelly McDaniel on Mother Hunger
An insatiable need for romantic attention and love. Periods of overeating or starving. Using alcohol, food, or over-working to numb out. A pattern of unstable and painful relationships.
Does this sound painfully familiar?
Kelly McDaniel is a trauma therapist who saw these traits over and over in clients who felt trapped in cycles of harmful behaviors and were unable to stop. In 2008, she coined the term Mother Hunger as a way to describe this pattern and has since helped countless women. In this conversation, Kelly and Laura talk about:
– What Mother Hunger is
– How Mother Hunger shows up in our relationship to food
– The three critical elements of mothering and what happens when those needs aren’t met
– What Mother Hunger looks like in other relationships, like friendships and at work
– The link between food and unstable relationship patterns
– The concept of “frozen grief”
– The double-bind women face when it comes to sexual expression
– How to begin to heal
Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/51-kelly-mcdaniel-on-mother-hunger
Show notes:
Ready to Heal book
Mother Hunger book
Kelly’s website: https://kellymcdanieltherapy.com/
Kelly’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellymcdanieltherapy/
Spotify playlist for this episode:
Tell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. There are no corporations or advertisers backing this community. We are 100% funded by the TMST community. Become a TMST member today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free.
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TMST is hosted by Laura McKowen, the bestselling author of We Are The Luckiest and founder of The Luckiest Club. Follow the show and Laura on Instagram.

Jun 2, 2022 • 50min
Michael Slepian on Knowing the Difference Between Secrets, Lies & Privacy
What could be heavier than the secrets we carry? The constant vigilance and concealment can be exhausting. But can you tell the difference between what’s a secret and what’s being kept private?
Michael Slepian does and he can back it up with research. Slepian studies the psychology of secrets and, as he’s discovered, the real problem with keeping a secret is not that you have to hide it, but that you have to live with it, and think about it.
But here’s the trick - we confuse secrets, lies and privacy all the time! And we hurt ourselves in the process. Slepian helps us figure out where we’re hurting ourselves -and where we can give ourselves a break, drop the guilt and free up some mental space!
Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/50-michael-slepian-knowing-difference-between-secrets-lies-privacy
Spotify playlist for this episode:
Tell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. There are no corporations or advertisers backing this community. We are 100% funded by the TMST community.
Support TMST today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free: https://tmst.supercast.com/

May 26, 2022 • 40min
Laura on Protecting Your Energy using “Energy Dollars”
Every day, every hour, every minute, there’s a request. More time. More attention. More engagement. More space in our brains and our lives.
Laura feels the pinch like everyone and she frequently fields questions on how she allocates her time, attention and life passion. In this solo episode, Laura shares how she found inspiration in the way the comic Whitney Cummings thinks about it - ENERGY DOLLARS. We aren’t infinite people (no matter what society and our conditioning tells us.) For all the things that energize us and fill our tank, we also have to come to terms with how much each demand, activity, and engagement asks us to spend our energy dollars.
Laura brings her experiences as a mom with an increasingly independent kid, who is facing a new summer rhythm. A creative person who has to feed that glorious beast. And as… a human, who values her sobriety relationships and sense of peace and is making choices every day, every hour, every minute, just like you, to make it work as well as she can.
Whitney Cummings on Energy Dollars: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CdvxYFuFbZY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/49-laura-mckowen-protecting-your-energy-using-energy-dollars
Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jmNE9jae75RGE48ClC6tb?si=676137eadeac4017
Tell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. There are no corporations or advertisers backing this community. We are 100% funded by the TMST community.
Support TMST today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free: https://tmst.supercast.com/

May 19, 2022 • 46min
Shauna Niequist on Thriving After Life Goes in the Blender
Everyone has a day, or week, go sideways. What happens when life hits the blender - and it goes on for years?
Shauna Niequist has a lot to offer because she’s lived it. Her latest book, I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet, covers a time in her life when Every. Single. Thing. was, as she says, tossed in the blender. Family. Vocation. Faith. Sense of belonging. And then, also… menopause.
Shanua has the rare gift of being able to inspire while never getting saccharine, to be honest without overexposing, to impart wisdom without being preachy. She came ready to talk and even if you feel like you know her through her previous books, Cold Tangerines, Bittersweet, Bread & Wine, Savor, and Present Over Perfect, we promise you - you are going to discover a whole new side to the amazing Shauna Niequist
Shauna’s site: https://www.shaunaniequist.com/
Shauna’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/sniequist/
Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/48-shauna-niequist-thriving-after-life-goes-in-the-blender
Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6uFlQPrp0NvBiJkmw6DpXl
Tell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. There are no corporations or advertisers backing this community. We are 100% funded by the TMST community.
Support TMST today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free: https://tmst.supercast.com/