Life is freaking hard. We are all doing hard things every single day – things like loving and losing; caring for children and parents; forging and ending friendships; battling addiction, illness, and loneliness; struggling in our jobs, our marriages, and our divorces; setting boundaries; and fighting for equality, purpose, freedom, joy, and peace.
On We Can Do Hard Things, Glennon Doyle, author of UNTAMED; her wife Abby Wambach; and her sister Amanda Doyle do the only thing they’ve found that has ever made life easier: Drop the fake and talk honestly about the hard things including sex, gender, parenting, blended families, bodies, anxiety, addiction, justice, boundaries, fun, quitting, overwhelm . . . all of it.
We laugh and cry and help each other carry the hard so we can all live a little bit lighter and braver, free-er, less alone.
All content for We Can Do Hard Things is the property of Glennon Doyle and Audacy and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Life is freaking hard. We are all doing hard things every single day – things like loving and losing; caring for children and parents; forging and ending friendships; battling addiction, illness, and loneliness; struggling in our jobs, our marriages, and our divorces; setting boundaries; and fighting for equality, purpose, freedom, joy, and peace.
On We Can Do Hard Things, Glennon Doyle, author of UNTAMED; her wife Abby Wambach; and her sister Amanda Doyle do the only thing they’ve found that has ever made life easier: Drop the fake and talk honestly about the hard things including sex, gender, parenting, blended families, bodies, anxiety, addiction, justice, boundaries, fun, quitting, overwhelm . . . all of it.
We laugh and cry and help each other carry the hard so we can all live a little bit lighter and braver, free-er, less alone.
429. On Not Being Chosen, Re-Parenting Yourself & Getting Started | Live on Tour!
In this special episode, we share moments from an unforgettable night in Portland on our first-ever live tour. We gathered with thousands of you to celebrate our Indie and New York Times Bestselling book, We Can Do Hard Things. We talk about the ache of not being chosen, the grief of lost teams and families, the power of self-parenting, the fear of starting something you may not finish, and the courage to lead hard conversations in your own circles.This tour has been about connection, community, and staying human—and we’re so grateful you’re part of it.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
428. Family Roles: Which Part Did YOU Play?
Amanda, Abby, and Glennon take a close look at the roles we’re assigned—or take on—within our families of origin. They unpack how these childhood roles stick with us, shape who we become, and continue to influence our relationships and choices long into adulthood.
-The six different types of family roles and how to identify yours;
-The gifts and pitfalls of each role; and
-The signs of an unhealthy family system.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amanda shares the one proven way to get the truth from someone – plus:
Why Glennon calls her lying style “The Puppeteer” – and why you’ll never know what Amanda’s really feeling.
Amanda defends our right to lie, and debunks myths about how we can tell if someone is lying.
What’s the difference between lying and controlling, manipulating, and filtering the truth?
Glennon’s fear of judgment from the next generation, and
How to foster real connection in a world where lying is normal.
For the first part of our conversation, check out 242. We’re All Liars: What’s Your Lying Style?.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
427. Is Work Stress Sabotaging Your Relationships? | Dr. Alexandra Solomon
Renowned relationship expert, Dr. Alexandra H. Solomon, returns to help us navigate one of the most common—and least talked about—sources of relationship tension: our careers. From ambition clashes and invisible labor to money resentment and the stress we carry home, Dr. Solomon helps us understand how our work lives can deeply affect our love lives.
-The most common work-related conflicts couples face—and how to navigate them-What happens when ambition in one partner sparks resentment in the other-How invisible labor and internalized gender roles impact equality and pride in the home-How to preserve intimacy when you're constantly together (or apart)-Why work stress doesn’t stay at work—and how to keep it from wrecking your relationship
Resources from Dr. Solomon for the Pod Squad related to our conversations:
dralexandrasolomon.com/hardthings.
Alexandra H. Solomon, PhD, is internationally recognized as one of today’s most trusted voices in the world of relationships, and her framework of Relational Self-Awareness has reached millions of people around the globe. A licensed clinical psychologist in private practice, couples therapist, speaker, author, and professor, Dr. Alexandra is passionate about translating cutting-edge research and clinical wisdom into practical tools people can use to bring awareness, curiosity, and authenticity to their relationships. She is the host of the Reimagining Love Podcast and author of Love Every Day, Taking Sexy Back: How to Own Your Sexuality and Create the Relationships You Want and Loving Bravely: 20 Lessons of Self-Discovery to Help You Get the Love You Want.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
426. Why Protest Works—The 3.5% Rule with Erica Chenoweth
Harvard professor and leading expert on political resistance, Erica Chenoweth, joins us to answer a critical question: Is the United States still a democracy, or have we already slipped into authoritarianism? Professor Chenoweth lays out where we stand—and shares a powerful, evidence-based strategy for reclaiming our collective power while we still can.
-The warning signs of democratic decline—and how they’re unfolding in America right now
-How just 3.5% of the population can spark unstoppable, long-term change
-Why nonviolent resistance works—and why it’s our most underused superpower
-What it really means to defect—and how to reclaim power from authoritarian forces
Erica Chenoweth is professor at Harvard University who studies political violence and its alternatives. Erica directs the Nonviolent Action Lab, an innovation hub that provides empirical evidence in support of movement-led political transformation. Erica has authored nine books including, with Maria Stephen, Why Civil Resistance Works and Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know. Erica maintains the NAVCO Data Project, one of the world’s leading datasets on historical and contemporary mass mobilizations around the globe.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
REAL Self-Care: Burnout Is Not Your Fault & the Way Out with Dr. Pooja Lakshmin
Psychiatrist Dr. Pooja Lakshmin shows us how to tell the difference between the Faux Self-Care we’ve been sold versus the Real Self-Care we desperately need.
Discover:
How to incorporate boundaries through the power of the pause and how to navigate the post-boundary ick with ease;
A simple tool to know whether you are being driven by your goals or driven by your values (and how to find and start living by your values today); and
Whether you might be in ‘martyr mode,’ and the key to getting out of it.
About Pooja: Dr. Pooja Lakshmin is a board-certified psychiatrist, author, keynote speaker, and a contributor to The New York Times. Her debut book, REAL SELF-CARE: Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble-Baths Not Included, is an NPR Best Book of 2023 and a national best-seller. Pooja serves as a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at George Washington University School of Medicine, and maintains an active private practice where she treats women struggling with burnout, perfectionism, and disillusionment, as well as clinical conditions like depression, anxiety and ADHD. She frequently speaks, advises and consults for organizations on mental health and well-being. Pooja writes the weekly Substack newsletter, Real Self-Care.
IG: @poojalakshmin
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
425. How to Stay Soft AND Strong: Our Virtual Event
Live from the We Can Do Hard Things book tour, Glennon, Abby, and Amanda share an unfiltered, heart-opening conversation about what it means to be fully alive in a world that feels both terrifying and beautiful. They dive into the messy truths of this moment—and answer powerful questions from the PodSquad.
-The complicated, tender reality of step-parenting, forgiveness, and staying soft in a hard world-Why choosing to show up for others—again and again—might be our only path to true peace
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Listen to this 8-minute rally cry before Independence Day. 250 years into the American experiment, it's time to remember: July 4th isn’t about loyalty—it’s about resistance. About dissent, demand, and dignity. About overthrowing tyranny and reclaiming the promise of liberty for all.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
424. We’re Taking Patriotism Back with Heather Cox Richardson
Historian, writer, and truth-teller Heather Cox Richardson joins us to expose how patriotism has been hijacked by those undermining democracy, equality, and truth—and to show us how to reclaim it as a force for justice, unity, and hope.
-Debunking the myth of rugged individualism—and revealing why community has always been our greatest strength-How the far Right hijacked patriotism, demonized equality, and rebranded justice as socialism-The $50 trillion heist: How the top 1% looted the wealth of 90% of Americans—and got away with it
Find Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack at https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/.
Heather Cox Richardson is a professor of history at Boston College and an expert on American political and economic history. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning How the South Won the Civil War and her latest, the New York Times bestseller Democracy Awakening. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Guardian, among other outlets. Her widely read newsletter, Letters from an American, synthesizes history and modern political issues.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Three soccer legends and Glennon go on an epic double date! Our beloved Pod Squader, Christen Press, is back with Tobin Heath to share their revolutionary reimagining of what life and love look like when you protect the sacred – and the resistance in doing things quietly and privately, especially within the queer community.
How to be free and independent inside a relationship – and Tobin’s seven-year contract idea;
Christen and Tobin describe each other as soccer players and as people outside of sport – and how they handle conflict; and
Why they say, “Don’t look at us, look at our work” – and their current mission to build a sports media house for women.
For our episode with Christen, check out 132. Christen Press: How to Get Your Bliss Back
About Christen:
Christen Press is a two-time World Cup Champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and an equal pay pioneer. She is one of the all-time top 10 goalscorers on the U.S. Women’s National Team and currently plays for Angel City FC. Christen led the USWNT's historic achievement of Equal Pay and served as the leader of the USWNT Players Association for 2 years. Christen is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of RE—INC, a values-led brand that exists to reimagine the way women are seen and experienced in sports. She sits on the Board of Grassroots Soccer, a non-profit organization that uses the power of soccer to provide mentors, information, and health services to at-risk youth in Africa.
TW: @ChristenPress
IG: @christenpress
About Tobin:
Tobin Heath is a two-time World Cup Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, known as one of the most skillful and entertaining players in the game. Throughout her club career, Heath has played for PSG, the Portland Thorns, Manchester United, and Arsenal. Tobin has taken her vision, leadership, and creativity off the pitch and into her roles as Co-Founder and Co-CEO of RE—INC, and host of the critically-acclaimed show: The RE—CAP Show World Cup Edition.
TW: @TobinHeath
IG: @tobinheath
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dr. Becky Kennedy is back to discuss something rarely talked about: “mom rage” – and the crucial connection between anger and our unmet needs.
What leads to these explosive moments – and why it's more common than we might think;
How understanding the story behind the rage moment can help us figure out what led to it and what we need.
The impact of society's shaming of anger in women; and
Tips for managing our anger, recognizing our needs, and taking care of ourselves.
About Dr. Becky:
Dr. Becky Kennedy is a clinical psychologist, bestselling author, and mom of three – who’s rethinking the way we raise our children – and named “The Millennial Parenting Whisperer” by TIME Magazine. Dr. Becky is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be and founder of the Good Inside Membership platform, a hub with Dr. Becky’s complete parenting content collection all in one place. Dr. Becky hosts Good Inside with Dr Becky, a chart-topping podcast with over 20M downloads. In 2023, Dr. Becky delivered a TED Talk in which she shares “the single most important parenting strategy”.
TW: @goodinside
IG: @drbeckyatgoodinside
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
423. Mean Girls & Mothers-in-Law: HOW TO DEAL
Amanda, Glennon, and Abby talk parenting through kid conflict, why girls are taught to avoid confrontation, and how to raise kids who trust themselves. They dig into the real longing beneath criticism—especially with mothers-in-law—and why getting vulnerable is braver than getting loud. Plus, Abby shares how her acceptance of failure made her a clutch performer—and what that means for the rest of us.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
422. Dawn Staley on Knowing (and Demanding) Your Worth
Legendary coach and three-time Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley joins us to talk about what it means to lead—with heart, grit, and unapologetic honesty. She shares:
-The one lesson from her mother that shaped her entire coaching philosophy
-How she stood up to her university and negotiated equal pay
-What losing (and winning) has taught her about grace and dominance
-The surprising toll of achieving your lifelong dreams
-And how her North Philly roots continue to guide everything she does
We also dive into her new book, Uncommon Favor, and why socks, smashed dishes, and LA Fitness-level gym disparities all make an appearance in her story. This is one of the most powerful conversations we’ve had about integrity, visibility, and becoming the coach of your own life.
About Dawn:
Dawn Staley is the NCAA National Championship–winning head coach of the University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball team, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. Her new memoir Uncommon Favor is available now.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How to end a relationship lovingly, how to love an addict, and how to keep surprising yourself in midlife (buy the tap dancing shoes). Plus, why Cheryl decided to cut down her drinking.
For our past episodes with Cheryl, listen to Episode 118 Cheryl Strayed: Don’t Let Your Dreams Ruin Your Life and Episode 119 It’s Okay to Want What You Want: Cheryl Strayed as Dear Sugar.
For the Amanda episode Cheryl mentioned, listen to Episode 177 How to Face Your Biggest Fears with Amanda Doyle.
About Cheryl:
Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide and was made into an Oscar-nominated film. Her bestselling collection of Dear Sugar columns, Tiny Beautiful Things, was adapted for a Hulu television show that will be released in April. In 2016, the book was adapted as a play that continues to be staged in theaters around the world. Strayed is also the author of the critically acclaimed novel, Torch, and the bestselling collection Brave Enough. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
TW: @CherylStrayed
IG: @cherylstrayed
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1. What happens inside us when we receive criticism–and how our brains ensure we’re always in the right (even when we’re not).
2. The three-ingredient recipe for a positive, productive “care-frontation” exchange.
3. The single biggest relationship killer (it’s not conflict) – and how conflict can bring you closer.
4. Amanda navigates a “care-frontation” with her son’s friend’s family – and Abby reevaluates her past relationship with criticism.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
421. How to Stop the War, the Bill & the Trump Regime with Sen. Elizabeth Warren
If you, like us, have been active in fighting our descent into facism, but are wondering what the Democratic party’s plan is to stop the Trump regime, join us as we ask Senator Elizabeth Warren today what the Democratic party is doing – and what we can do.
Listen to this episode for Senator Warren’s answers to your questions on the “Big Beautiful Bill,” War with Iran, Gaza, and midterms — and clear calls to action: how to find your representatives, and scripts for the three things to tell them to do.
For contact info for your Congress members, go to: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member
About Senator Warren:
Elizabeth Warren, the senior Senator from Massachusetts and top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, is a fearless consumer advocate and one of the nation’s leading progressive voices. Before becoming the first woman ever elected to the Senate from Massachusetts in 2012, Elizabeth led the fight to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency established in the aftermath of the financial crisis to protect consumers from predatory financial practices. Elizabeth lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband Bruce and their golden retriever, Bailey.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
420. What Glennon Saw at LA Protests & Immigration Court with Lillian Aponte Miranda
We’re in the midst of hard things: ICE raids are escalating, fascism is rising—and unaccompanied immigrant children, some as young as two, are being forced to face U.S. immigration court alone. In this urgent episode, Glennon, Abby, and Amanda speak with Lillian Aponte Miranda of The Florence Project to explain what’s happening and how we can show up to help.
-Why unaccompanied children are being left to navigate the legal system alone -A firsthand look at what unaccompanied immigrant children are facing in courtrooms across the country. -How to use your body, voice, and resources to protect the most vulnerable
To support, go to treatmedia.com and make a donation through the Protect the Children tab. Also, all purchases of We Can Do Hard Things merchandise via the Shop tab will be donated to this cause.
About Lillian: Lillian Aponte Miranda is the Executive Director of the Florence Project, where she has served since 2014 in roles including Staff Attorney, Pro Bono Mentor, Children’s Program Manager, and Co-Executive Director. She became the sole Executive Director in 2023. Before joining the Florence Project, Lillian was an Associate Professor of Law at Florida International University, where for over a decade she taught courses on International Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, and Civil Procedure, among others.
The Florence Project provides free legal services, social services, and advocacy to immigrants facing detention and potential deportation. Find out more here: https://firrp.org/
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Michelle Zauner on how to begin healing our mother wounds, using her sensitivity to deepen her relationships and be a rockstar, why she’s obsessed with sheetcake and winnebagos, and why she is still “afraid of her mental health.”
About Michelle:
MICHELLE ZAUNER is best known as a singer and guitarist who creates dreamy, shoegaze-inspired indie pop under the name Japanese Breakfast. She has won acclaim from major music outlets around the world for releases like Psychopomp and Soft Sounds from Another Planet. Her most recent album, Jubilee, earned two GRAMMY nominations for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album. Her first book, Crying in H Mart, is a New York Times Best Seller. She’s currently adapting the memoir for the screen for MGM’s Orion Pictures.
TW: @jbrekkie
IG: @jbrekkie
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1. Why sharing your messy middle with someone is a gift and connection builder, not a burden.
2. The reasons why we don’t ask for the help we desperately need.
3. “Vague favs” and why are they a hard No for Amanda.
4. Abby, Glennon, and Amanda each share something they need help with right now.
5. The science behind Help as one of the most effective relationship-enhancing tools, and the best ways to finally ask for it.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
419. How to Stay Human with Suleika Jaouad
Artist and New York Times bestselling author, Suleika Jaouad, returns to discuss the importance of creative processes for staying human.
-The surprising ways attachment theory shapes our creative expression and self-worth.
-Challenges artists face when promoting their work—and how Glennon and Suleika resist the public pressures.
-A simple yet powerful journaling practice to unlock self-connection and creative clarity.
Suleika Jaouad is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Between Two Kingdoms. She wrote the Emmy Award-winning New York Times column and video series “Life, Interrupted,” and she is also the subject, along with husband Jon Batiste, of the Oscar-nominated documentary American Symphony. A visual artist, her large-scale watercolors are the focus of several upcoming exhibitions. She is also the creator of the Isolation Journals, a weekly newsletter and global community and her latest book, The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life, is available now.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Life is freaking hard. We are all doing hard things every single day – things like loving and losing; caring for children and parents; forging and ending friendships; battling addiction, illness, and loneliness; struggling in our jobs, our marriages, and our divorces; setting boundaries; and fighting for equality, purpose, freedom, joy, and peace.
On We Can Do Hard Things, Glennon Doyle, author of UNTAMED; her wife Abby Wambach; and her sister Amanda Doyle do the only thing they’ve found that has ever made life easier: Drop the fake and talk honestly about the hard things including sex, gender, parenting, blended families, bodies, anxiety, addiction, justice, boundaries, fun, quitting, overwhelm . . . all of it.
We laugh and cry and help each other carry the hard so we can all live a little bit lighter and braver, free-er, less alone.