Thanks For Asking

Thanks For Asking

A call-in show from author Nora McInerny that lets real people get real honest about how they're really doing. Operators(me) are standing by to take your calls. In case you didn't know, we're still making episodes that are available exclusively on Nora's Substack!

Episodes

December 23, 2025 60 mins
It’s time for Happyish Holidays, 2025 edition! Though we might not see you in person this year, Nora’s still here to listen to and tell your holiday stories gone awry. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll remember that the holidays don’t have to be happy all the time – happy-ish is the best we can ask for. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple! Listen to Secre...
Mark as Played
 2025 is coming to a close, if you can believe it. If you’re feeling stressed (and maybe a little relieved) that the end of the year is here, you aren’t alone. This week, Nora’s sharing her strategies for finishing out 2025 and ushering in 2026 – without the expectations that you have to become a shiny, brand new, unblemished version of yourself. If you want a gentle, helpful guide for starting 2026, this is the episode for you. ...
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December 12, 2025 45 mins
Kids ask for the darndest things, and this year, Nora’s youngest asked for… a gas mask. An old-timey gas mask. So, she asked for the weirdest things that your kids have asked Santa for, AKA a nightmare fuel gift guide. (Warning: do not listen with little kids in the car because we will discuss Santa!) Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple! Shop my favorite b...
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December 9, 2025 103 mins
 The holiday season can be tough – so we’re taking a break to (anonymously) celebrate some petty crimes. Nora is joined by fan favorite Caroline Moss of Gee Thanks, Just Bought It! to talk petty crimes (including being a shoplifter turned shopping influencer). Buckle in for stories from stealing from exes, getting revenge on rotten advisors, and sneaking something from Chipotle… you’re all criminals, and we love it. Watch us on Yo...
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 If you know love and loss, you know how music can transport us to a moment that time stole from us. And if you know grief, you know how simultaneously beautiful and painful that can be. Today, Nora talks to Will Anderson, who released his debut solo album How Little Love Is/How Worth Everything chronicling his grief after the sudden loss of his wife, Courtney Kampa. They talk about grief, love, Courtney’s posthumous collection of ...
Mark as Played
November 25, 2025 86 mins
Her boyfriend is dying… What should she do? When you’re faced with the possibility of joining the Hot Young Widows Club, you get slammed with a million questions. And for this listener, the question was: Can I leave him even though he’s going to die? Today, Nora is joined by fellow Hot Young Widow, Tracy Koski, to get into all of it. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify a...
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November 21, 2025 37 mins
The holiday season is hard for most people. Maybe you’re feeling a fresh loss, maybe you’re dealing with an annoying relative, maybe you’re just feeling hopeless. But we’re here to remind you that things are not hopeless. Today, we’re finding something that makes us feel OK. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple! Shop my favorite bras and underwear at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
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November 18, 2025 49 mins
How do you get back into dating after being widowed? It’s something we’ve talked about before on Thanks for Asking, but never quite like this – because we’ve never talked about what it’s like to be catfished after your husband dies. Today, Nora is joined by Jessica, a widowed woman who found herself tangled in an online relationship with a catfish and decided to scam the scammer.  Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-fre...
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Last year, Laura Lynne Jackson changed Nora’s life forever – she helped Nora talk to Aaron ten years after his death. Today, they reunite to talk about signs, connections, and her newest book, Guided: The Secret Path to An Illuminated Life. ⁠Watch us on YouTube here⁠⁠⁠! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠! Shop my favorite bras and underwear at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SKIMS.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Afte...
Mark as Played
November 4, 2025 63 mins
There are times we expect grief to hit us: death anniversaries, birthdays, holidays. But when grief attacks us out of nowhere, what do we do? How do we deal? And even worse – what if it happens digitally? If our dead partner’s Instagram is suddenly gone? If their voicemails or texts get deleted? Grief is a language that all of us will someday be able to speak. Today, we’re listening to those of us who have been crushed by digital g...
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October 28, 2025 74 mins
What is it like to have hoarders for parents? Today, Nora and guest Jane Marie are telling you about it with audience submissions and real-life stories – buckle up and get ready to learn. Watch us on YouTube here⁠! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple⁠! Shop my favorite bras and underwear at ⁠⁠⁠⁠SKIMS.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. After you place your order, be sure to let them know I sent you! Selec...
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Today, Nora and guest host Kate Kennedy discuss the least controversial topic ever: motherhood and work. When a listener wrote about the anxiety she was feeling ahead of her maternity leave ending, Nora knew it was time to talk about an experience that many mothers suffer in silence – what your life, career, and mental health look like after having a kid. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoff...
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We loved the stories about your adult friendships so much we had to make a part two featuring your voicemails! Join Nora and Caroline Moss of Gee Thanks, Just Bought It as they react to your emails, texts, and voicemails about the unlikely way you found your platonic soulmate. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple! Caroline is on Instagram and Substack Shop my ...
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This is a PSA: you’re not too old to make a best friend. Just because you no longer have assigned seating in a classroom or a playground or playdates doesn’t mean you can’t find your best friend in the whole world on Twitter (we’re never calling it X) or Slack or… a hospitalization program? The point is, putting yourself out there can be embarrassing, but you never know when you’re going to stumble across the person that is going t...
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October 8, 2025 53 mins
Suffering can feel like such a singular experience -- like there’s no one else in the world who understands what we’re going through. But sometimes, if we look hard enough, we find that our singular experience intersects with another. This is the story of two young girls whose stories intertwined during a tragic accident on October 8, 1988 … though they wouldn’t meet for decades to come. ⁠Watch us on YouTube here⁠! Get this ep...
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October 7, 2025 37 mins
When can a widow date again? Would you believe it if we told you that the answer lies in the Real Housewives of New York? Today, that’s what Nora’s doing – using Season 7 of the renowned reality TV show as a lens for dating after losing your partner. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple! Sponsors: Shop my favorite bras and underwear at SKIMS.com. After you p...
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September 30, 2025 36 mins
Even if you have not been 22 with an abusive ex-boyfriend, broke, homesick, and friendless in a new city, you have, at one point or another, felt like today’s texter – certain that you are alone and forever lost in uncontrollable chaos. Nora’s here to remind you that we are not the worst thing that happened to us. We are not our mistakes. We are infinite and expansive. And there is always hope for tomorrow. Watch us on YouTube her...
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 Last week, Nora set out to prove that no one is ever too old and it's never too late to try something entirely new. The mailbox was so full of amazing, inspiring stories that Nora knew there had to be a second part with Cheryl Sparks, an amazing fashion influencer who got her start later than you might think (@ifitstuesday on Instagram). Watch us on Youtube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on ...
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Nora recently got a question that asked, “Is 31 too old to pivot into a new career?” The short answer: NO! You’re not too old and it’s not too late to decide to live your life exactly how you want to. Nora’s joined by Jamie Golden, host of The Pop Cast, to hear your stories about making fresh starts and pivots – because no matter where you are, there’s always an option, and there’s always more life to live. Watch us on YouTube her...
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September 12, 2025 58 mins
What matters to you matters to me. That’s why I make sure to take time to do live calls and answer your questions. In this episode, we talk Gen Z dating rules, life postpartum, invisible strings, and dealing our internal and external sadnesses and pressures. Grab a snack and buckle in – let’s chat. Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple! Watch us on YouTube here! Get the episode ad-free and become part of the community ...
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