

Dear Sugars
WBUR
Radically empathic advice. Produced by WBUR.
Episodes
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Dec 16, 2017 • 35min
The Ugly Truth
Most of us have days when we don’t feel attractive. But in this episode, the Sugars read letters from people whose faces are at odds with conventional ideas of beauty. The writer Ariel Henley joins the Sugars to talk about her own facial differences. Henley was born with Crouzon Syndrome. As a child, she underwent dozens of surgeries that permanently changed the shape of her face.

Dec 9, 2017 • 29min
Just Say It
Words can be wielded like weapons. On today’s episode, the Sugars hear from people who have something to confess but are afraid to hurt others with the power of their words.

Dec 2, 2017 • 33min
A Spy In The House Of Love — With Ariel Levy
Snooping on your spouse is generally ill-advised, but what if he or she has an addiction and is constantly lying about it? The Sugars and writer Ariel Levy answer this question on today’s episode.

Nov 18, 2017 • 23min
The Double Bind of Female Ambition — With Hillary Clinton
The Sugars are joined by Hillary Clinton to answer a letter about female ambition.

Nov 11, 2017 • 33min
The Empty Chair: Part 2 — With Emily Rapp Black
The Sugars conclude a two-part series on early childhood death. In Part 2, they read letters from parents who worry that their grief may overshadow their surviving children. They are joined by the writer Emily Rapp Black, who decided to have another child after learning that her son had a fatal congenital disorder.

Nov 4, 2017 • 34min
The Empty Chair: Part 1 — With Jessica Handler
The Sugars begin a two-part series on early childhood death. In Part 1, they read letters from siblings who live in the the shadow of their parents’ grief. They're joined by the writer Jessica Handler, whose two sisters died from different blood disorders. “I grew up knowing that I would be the only one left,” says Handler, “and I very often feel the need to live for three people.”

Oct 28, 2017 • 24min
The Other Half Of Sexless Relationships
In this episode, the Sugars answer letters from letter writers who want to have sex less frequently than their partners do.

Oct 21, 2017 • 38min
You Must Change Your Life — With Mitchell S. Jackson
In this episode, the Sugars talk to writer Mitchell S. Jackson, who started selling drugs when he was 14 years old and went to prison for drug possession years later. “There was no way for me to escape what I was doing,” he tells the Sugars. Jackson helps the Sugars answer letters from people who also feel stuck and aimless. One writes: “Here we are two abortions, two failed college attempts, a list of dead end jobs later, I’m stuck in a job I despise and I go home …

Sep 30, 2017 • 33min
When Friendship Ends
Friendships are different from any other type of relationship in our lives. They are purely voluntary, which can make them feel more tenuous. In this episode, the Sugars take questions from two letter-writers who both feel exhausted by a friendship and want out. They discuss with the writer Emily Chenoweth.

Sep 25, 2017 • 35min
Rapid Fire: Should I Stay Or Go?
The Sugars bring you another "Rapid Fire" episode, where they give brief answers to a handful of letters that are all centered around a theme. The theme for this episode is "stay or go" -- people who have a voice in their head telling them to leave their relationship, but who aren't sure it's the right move.