Tell Me Something True with Laura McKowen

Let’s be real. The words “Love Addiction” can trigger a massive eye roll. Jodi White gets it and she’s here to show us that it’s real and a lot more common than we think. Jodi draws on the groundbreaking work of Pia Mellody and builds on it in a way that is comforting, clarifying and hopeful. Jodi is open about the ways SHE’s struggled in this area and we talk about what it’s like to be love anorexic (yes, that’s a thing). We dig into Mother Hunger and some of the other behaviors that prime us for love addiction. Wondering if this is for you? The three primary symptoms of love addiction are: assigning too much time and value to another person, neglecting ourselves while in relationships, and expecting unconditional positive regarding from partners. This is one of those you may need to listen to a few times. There’s a lot in it and it’s packed with goodness from Jodi. Don’t forget…there’s a Spotify playlist that accompanies this episode and if you haven’t become a paid subscriber, we hope you’ll do that. The support of all of you who get something out of these conversations keeps them going. It matters. Jodi’s site: https://www.jodiwhitelpc.com/ Jodi’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/jodiwhite_/ Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/47-jodi-white-love-addiction-mother-hunger-codependency Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3extzRzZ2Xvy5rAq9aZAvt 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/

When Ana Marie Cox said, “I can’t wring self-worth out of the universe,” we felt that hit like a mountain. Ana spent the better part of two decades as a political columnist and culture critic. She started the political blog Wonkette in 2004, and worked at outlets like The New York Times, Time magazine, GQ, Air America, and The Guardian. After living behind a professional persona for a long time, Ana started to talk about more personal parts of her life publicly, like being bi-polar and struggling with alcohol addiction. She moved away from politics and we talk about why, as well as what getting sober was like for her, but not just from alcohol. We talk about breaking the addiction to productivity, busy-ness, approval, and co-dependency. Ana has some VERY poignant things to share about mother / daughter relationships, forgiveness, and real recovery. As you’ll hear, Ana is willing to get very real and we get an inside view into her Sober Questioning column in The Cut, where she answers readers’ questions about drinking — and not drinking — every other week. Sober Questioning: https://www.thecut.com/tags/sober-questioning/ Ana’s site: https://www.anamariecox.com/ Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/46-ana-marie-cox-trusting-the-process Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6XvGaYQMoLmVZLmsUGOhh2 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/

Wes Hurt is the founder of Sparkling Yerba Mate CLEAN Cause, a beverage company donating 50% of its net profits to funding sober living scholarships; Jason Isbell is a Grammy Award-Winning singer/songwriter; and Jan Rader, Director of the Mayor’s Council on Public Health & Drug Control Policy for Huntington, WV, who was also named to TIME Magazine’s 2018 Top 100 Most Influential List, star of the Emmy Award winning film Heroin(e), first female fire chief, and lead witness in the Landmark Opioid Trial.Jason Isbell's InstagramWes Hurt's InstagramJan Rader's Instagram Official site for Heroin(e) documentary featuring Jan Rader.TMST Show website.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. Follow the show and Laura McKowen on Instagram.

Laura mines more gold from the TMST community this week with a MUCH requested topic: Imposter Syndrome. Hands up - who doesn’t face some version of this, and would we want to hang with someone who doesn’t??? In this episode, Laura leaves us with three key ideas to help us deal with Imposter Syndrome and we close the show with a note for people who are looking for more recovery support. 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/

What do you do when a friend tells you he’s just gone through his worst year? Well, when he’s a brave and bright light in the world, and he’s Mishka Shubaly, you invite him on the podcast! Seriously, Mishka Shubaly is a brilliant writer, a profound soul and the owner of one of the darkest senses of humor EVER. As he says early in our conversation, “I'm here to bring you the inspirational message that there's always a fresh hell available to you.” And…somehow, it’s a laugh line! Alternating between raw, courageous vulnerability and pungent insight, this conversation with Mishka reminds us that getting clean, looking inward, and being committed to the well being of others doesn’t make you exempt from the pain - but it does give you a place to stand when the world goes upside down. Mishka’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/mishkashubaly/ Mishka’s linktree: https://linktr.ee/mishkashubaly Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4r1RHnqkMeTri5FbZVTXwB Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/43-mishka-shubaly-on-getting-through-your-worst-year 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/

Peter Rollins is back! Our first return guest to TMST, we asked Peter back to talk about how we contend with uncertainty (e.g. life). If you don’t know Peter, he’s an Irish theologian, philosopher, author, and speaker who got an international reputation for turning traditional ideas of religion on their head. As is typical with Peter, the conversation went down many useful tangents. We started by talking about the role of liturgical structures in our lives, what they mean and why we need them (they’ve got nothing to do with religion, by the way) and then wove our way into talking about anxiety, trauma, and so much more. Peter is one of those people who makes us feel hopeful, inspired, and challenged by life at the same time. He’s a joy to talk with and listen to and we’re so happy to have him back on the show. Peter’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/peter_rollins Peter’s website: https://peterrollins.com/ Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/42-peter-rollins-on-grappling-with-uncertainty Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3SmmkLmuNLi0FGSay6Mt5r?si=d2a3a4e44ce44723 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/

When the world is screaming “It’s all black or white,” how do we remember that we mostly live in the grey area? Brenda Davies might be onto something. She’s the author of “On Her Knees: Memoir of a Prayerful Jezebel,” which chronicles the pendulum swing experienced as she left Christian purity culture and then embraced LA’s hook-up culture. She’s also the creator of In The Grey a Youtube channel and podcast that “champions curiosity, sex positivity, compassion & healthy debate.” Whether it’s with religion, or sex, or our relationships, Brenda is encouraging us to open up our thinking. We get into the ways we disconnect from our bodies during sex - and disconnect from our intuition when people want us to adopt an ideology that may not serve us. This is a fast, fun conversation and we’re excited for you to meet Brenda. Show notes: Brenda’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/godisgrey/ Brenda’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GodisGrey Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/41-brenda-davies-purity-hook-ups-and-life-in-the-grey Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7FOeISM1Ots0yBnQc1Dg3p 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/

What if there’s more to our collective struggle to FOCUS than we’ve considered? And what do we have to do to regain what we’ve lost? Those are the questions Johann Hari is exploring in his new book, “Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention - and How To Think Deeply Again.” It’s a surprising look at how our struggle with attention isn’t just about tech. In this conversation, Johann brings the same inquisitive, roving gaze that led him to observe, “the opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety - it’s connection.” When he dropped that nugget in his legendary TED Talk (link in the notes below,) he articulated something that we didn’t know we had been searching for. While the statement isn’t totally accurate - most of us know addiction is more complicated than one thing – it still illuminated something fundamental about the misunderstanding our society has had about addiction forever. Johann’s view on our individual power to address the collective fog that has enveloped us around the pandemic is empowering and worth our time. Show notes: Johann Hari: https://johannhari.com/ Johann’s TED Talk: Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/40-johann-hari-regaining-our-ability-to-focus Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4h6931YcA4D0Ax080zerkL 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/

“Nothing is personal” is easy to say, but our adult friendships can truly test our ability to hold on to that vital lesson from Don MIguel Ruiz. In this AMA Laura takes on two different questions from listeners about how we navigate adult friendships. How do things change when one friend gets sober? How do we navigate the reality that we can grow apart as friends, just as we can in a romantic relationship? How do our patterns in friendships mirror our patterns in family dynamics and in our love life? What do we even WANT from our adult relationships? We don’t talk about this enough and we were so glad when we saw these questions come in. As usual, the TMST community brings the good stuff and we love making this show with you! Show notes: Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/39-laura-mckowen-ask-me-anything 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/

What if one of the most powerful things we can say is, “I don’t know?” Sharon McMahon came to our attention through her hugely popular @sharonsaysso Instragram account. Sharon’s ability to share clear, relevant and non-partisan facts about the US government and democracy with her followers has built one of the few sane, healthy communities on the internet. More than anything, Sharon is SUCH a clear thinker on why we need to have more places in our lives to say those three magical words: “I don’t know.” And to give ourselves permission to say, “I need to think about that. Let me get back to you.” Or to even give ourselves permission to say - or post - nothing at all. Laura and Sharon sat down Tuesday afternoon and we’re getting the conversation in your hands at top speed. We know there’s a real hunger for reliable information in the world, so we wanted you to meet her (if you hadn’t discovered her already) and take advantage of what she’s doing. It’s an unedited, fast-moving, fun conversation. Show notes: Sharon McMahon: https://www.sharonmcmahon.com/ Sharon’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/sharonsaysso/ Episode link: https://tmstpod.com/episodes/38-sharon-mcmahon-the-power-of-saying-i-dont-know Spotify playlist for this episode:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3BG8Wt5ROREYtUpNfY3ESv?si=PWHyWgXTSdio7YC4FRKioA&nd=1 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/