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

Dead Sibling Society (Part 1)

March 10, 2026 • 85 mins
 If you lose a spouse, you’re a widow. If you lose your parents, an orphan. But we don’t have the language for someone who lost a sibling – your first friend, your first ally, your first enemy (probably, at least temporarily). Grief always feels like a gut punch, but losing a sibling is a unique kind of pain that we don’t talk about enough.  So today, I’m joined by Steph Wittels Wachs, former TTFA guest and sister of comedy legend...
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Under a Cloud of Loss

March 3, 2026 • 51 mins
This episode originally ran in 2016, and we pulled it out of the archives to share with you here, and to kick off a new season of TTFA Anthologies, where we pull together a themed season of some of our best episodes. This season the theme is Grief: It’s Complicated…stories about the kind of grief you won’t find in the sympathy card aisle. Stories like the one you’re about hear. We have a separate podcast feed for these seasons. It’...
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There’s Someone Dying Upstairs (Part 2)

February 26, 2026 • 66 mins
 “Can I move in with you?” Laurel Louise Anderson (lovingly called Miss Ma’am) posed the question to our producer and her son, Marcel Malekebu, in the summer of 2024. After nearly a year of Marcel asking and a year of her denying, the request came seemingly out of nowhere. His mom moved in, and Marcel and his wife Jenae became caregivers not only to their two very young daughters, but to Miss Ma’am. Caregiving is not an easy thing...
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There’s Someone Dying Upstairs (Part 1)

February 24, 2026 • 60 mins
“Can I move in with you?” Laurel Louise Anderson (lovingly called Miss Ma’am) posed the question to our producer and her son, Marcel Malekebu, in the summer of 2024. After nearly a year of Marcel asking and a year of her denying, the request came seemingly out of nowhere. His mom moved in, and Marcel and his wife Jenae became caregivers not only to their two very young daughters, but to Miss Ma’am. Caregiving is not an easy thing ...
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Wind Phone (Part 2)

February 17, 2026 • 42 mins
What would you say to your dead person? We’re listening in on the Wind Phone.  You can find a wind phone near you here, or call us to leave your message for a future episode: 612.568.4441 Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Okay Boomers

February 11, 2026 • 69 mins
“Okay, boomer” will go down in history as one of the funniest (and truest) ways to shut down a boomer whining about younger generations who just don’t get it. But this episode is not about what boomers don’t understand. This is an appreciation episode about the boomers who get it. Nora and friend of the pod Caroline Moss are here to tell you all about their favorite boomers. It’s time to give them their flowers, so we hope today’s ...
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The Return of Ralph: It’s Going to be OK

February 6, 2026 • 50 mins
Things are not good in the world right now, and you don’t need us to tell you that. But despair is also not good. Having no hope is not good. And Nora believes that the antidote to despair is action – doing things for others in whatever capacity you can. So she and her son Ralph are bringing back IGTBO for you as an exercise in seeing the OK things in the world around you, even when it seems like all hope is lost. Watch us on Yo...
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Update: The Fat Guy with the Alcohol

February 3, 2026 • 48 mins
It’s been a year and a half since we aired an episode where we spoke with Evan about his past and his current health journey of losing weight and reclaiming his life. In this episode, Evan tells us what he’s been up to and also surprises us with how much his perspective has changed since his weight loss surgery. Watch us on YouTube here⁠! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple⁠! Sh...
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How Do You Grieve Someone Who Isn’t Dead with the Antlers

January 27, 2026 • 91 mins
Today, Nora interviews Peter Silberman of the Antlers, a band whose album Hospice changed her life twice: first in 2010, after a horrible breakup, and then in 2011, when her husband was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Over a decade later, thanks to a little bit of fate and Peter’s cousin April, Nora and Peter talk about the album, what it means, grief, anger, and how art connects us all. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this...
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When Grandma and Grandpa Die, Can I Have Their iPad? with Kate Kennedy

January 20, 2026 • 71 mins
The world is not especially great right now. In the midst of all the chaos and nightmare fuel, today’s episode of Thanks for Asking is an emotional palate cleanser. Nora and friend of the pod Kate Kennedy are here to deliver some silliness with the weirdest things your kids have said to you, written to you, or drawn for you. And yes, it gets very, very weird. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to G...
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Normalize “bad women” with Rebecca Woolf

January 13, 2026 • 80 mins
Being a widow is complicated. On top of the earth-shattering grief you experience, there’s a huge societal pressure to be the perfect image of a grieving partner, missing the love of your life. But what if the person who died was actually kind of a huge jerk? How do you take care of someone who doesn’t really deserve it? And what does it mean to be a good woman or a good widow? All of This: A Memoir of Death and Desire by Rebecc...
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IGTBO: Widow Weddings, Sleepovers, and My Dead Uncle’s Sweater

January 9, 2026 • 40 mins
You’ve seen the headlines. You’ve looked at the world. You know, like we do, that not everything is going to be OK. But to start 2026, we’re going to look at some of the things that make us feel like something will be OK. If you need a sign that there is still good in the world, let this be it. Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to the Secret Audio album on Spotify or Apple! Shop my favorite bra...
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The Wind Phone: Part 1

January 6, 2026 • 64 mins
 If you have known loss, you know how it feels to pick up the phone to call your person only to realize they won’t answer. This episode is all about your calls – the things you wish you could tell your people. Somewhere, somehow, we know they’re listening. Wind Phone Map 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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Happyish Holidays 2025

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...
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Goodbye, 2025

December 16, 2025 • 45 mins
 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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Baby Wants a Gas Mask

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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Your Pettiest Crimes with Caroline Moss

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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The Grief Album of the Year with Will Anderson

December 2, 2025 • 93 mins
 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 ...
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AITA: I Want to Leave My Dying Boyfriend

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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THANKS-giving

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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