Amanda’s Breakthrough: Finally Letting Go

Pod Squad: It’s just us this episode. Glennon, Abby, and Amanda are snuggling up on the metaphorical couch to answer your questions and spiral together about:  – Is writing about yourself self-indulgent? – Is camping a vacation or a trip? (and why lesbians can’t seem to figure that out); and – How Amanda is finally setting down the plates she’s been spinning for decades.  Snuggle up—you won’t want to miss this one.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Youtube — @wecandohardthingsshow   Instagram — @wecandohardthings TikTok — @wecandohardthingshow

At last, the brilliant force of nature, Cynthia Erivo, joins us for a deeply personal, mind-blowing, and heart-swelling conversation about dignity and belonging. We discuss:  - How to survive betrayal and learn to fully trust again;  - How to build a circle of people who will always get on the broom with you;  - How Cynthia chooses and prepares for roles like Elphaba—and why she doesn’t believe in method acting; and - How to find light, joy, and creativity in our darkest moments.  Hold onto your witch hats, Pod Squad. This conversation is a ride—and an offering. Enjoy.  About Cynthia:  Cynthia Erivo is a Grammy Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress, singer and producer. She burst onto West End and Broadway stages in THE COLOR PURPLE and has since taken the world by storm. Erivo most recently starred as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda in Part 1 of the record-breaking film adaptation of the hit musical WICKED. WICKED: For Good is being released THIS WEEK on November 21st. And Erivo’s brand new book SIMPLY MORE is available today.   Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Youtube — @wecandohardthingsshow   Instagram — @wecandohardthings TikTok — @wecandohardthingshow

We made a movie. You can watch it now.  Our first film – COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT– is now available for you to watch on Apple TV starting this Friday, November 14.  Winner of the Sundance Festival Favorite Award, and hailed by critics as “unforgettable,” “luminous” and “revelatory” – COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT – about our beloved friends Andrea Gibson and Meg Falley, and their love story with each other and with life, is exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. It will make the world gentler, braver, and more beautiful. Today, Meg Falley is sharing the brutal, beautiful story of Andrea’s “alleged death,” how Andrea continues to show up in lightning, music, and everyday miracles, and how this gorgeous film is helping her walk through her grief.   Listen to this soul-shifting conversation – and see why it sent Glennon and Meg directly to the tattoo shop for piercings. And witness Andrea and Meg’s life-changing love story for yourself: Watch COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT on Apple TV starting this Fri, 11/14. #ComeSeeMeInTheGoodLight About Meg:  Megan Falley is a nationally-ranked slam poet and the author of three full-length collections of poetry – most recently her book “Drive Here and Devastate Me”. Since transitioning to writing prose, excerpts from her memoir-in-progress have won several first- and second-place national prizes. She runs an online writing workshop called “Poems That Don’t Suck” which has been heralded as “a degree’s worth of education in 5 short weeks.” Premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival—where it went on to win the Festival Favorite Award—Come See Me in the Good Light was quickly embraced by audiences and soon after picked up for distribution by Apple TV+ where it will be released globally on November 14, 2025. Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Youtube — @wecandohardthingsshow   Instagram — @wecandohardthings TikTok — @wecandohardthingshow

Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom – MacArthur Genius award winner and brilliant chronicler of our times – unmasks the American stories that got us to this place—and explains, with amazing precision and clarity, how we can imagine our way out.  We discuss:  - How the MAGA story broke through and became the winning story; - How money hijacked democracy;  - The little-known history of the Black Panther party of the American South;  - Why Responsibility is Freedom; - How to frame and reclaim the American story through radical humanity: art, truth, creativity, and community.  Join us for this riveting, smart, funny conversation about power, hope, and writing a freer future.  About Tressie:  Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom is a professor and principal investigator with the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, NY Times columnist, and 2020 MacArthur Fellow. Her work has earned national and international recognition for the urgency and depth of its incisive critical analysis of technology, higher education, culture, media, class, race, and gender. Recent accolades include being named the 2023 winner of the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize by Brandeis University for her “critical perspective and analysis to some of the greatest social challenges we face today,” the recipient of the 2025 Thomas Wolfe Prize, and a 2025-26 National Humanities Center Fellow. Her most recent book, THICK: And Other Essays was listed as one the 30 best nonfiction books of the last 30 years by the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Two books are forthcoming with Random House Books. Follow Tressie:  @tressiemcphd on Instagram  @tressiemcphd.bsky.social on Bluesky  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Youtube — @wecandohardthingsshow   Instagram — @wecandohardthingsTikTok — @wecandohardthingshow

In this delightful, hilarious, and deeply honest conversation, our friends (and neighbors!) Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney tell us: - What really happened the night the Jimmy Kimmel Live show was suspended,  - How they told their kids,  - How they loved each other through the crisis;  - How we can stay brave, be steady, love each other, and love our country—even during the worst of times; and - Of course, Jimmy’s favorite recent pranks. This conversation is a gift. You won’t want to miss it.  About Jimmy and Molly:   About Molly:  Molly McNearney is an Emmy winning writer, producer, and actor. She began her career as an assistant for JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE in 2004 and has since worked her way up to become Head Writer and Executive Producer which she has served for the last decade. McNearney has been a writer for THE OSCAR AWARDS four times and THE EMMY AWARDS three times. She can also be seen acting in DUMPLIN’ & MURDER MYSTERY for Netflix. McNearney, her husband Jimmy, and their two children live in Los Angeles. About Jimmy Jimmy Kimmel is the host and executive producer of the Emmy® Award-winning “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” With over 22 years on the air, the show produces some of the most popular comedy bits, and features a star-studded guest lineup including actors, musicians, athletes, comedians, authors, politicians and newsmakers. In 2019, Jimmy wrote and illustrated a children’s book titled “The Serious Goose.” All of Jimmy’s profits were donated to children’s hospitals across the United States. Kimmel lives in Los Angeles with his wife Molly McNearney and their children, Oprah and Steadman.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Youtube — @wecandohardthingsshow   Instagram — @wecandohardthings TikTok — @wecandohardthingshow

Glennon, Abby, and Amanda are getting cozy and diving deep into what it means to actually feel your feelings. They discuss:  - How they’re getting through the awkward, messy “middle school of middle age”;  - Why feelings are 90-second-waves—and why thinking about them keeps you stuck in anxiety;  - How to stop using other people to regulate your nervous system; and - The radical truth that your body already knows what to do—you just have to let it.  We don’t need to think, process, or solve our way out of our feelings. We just need to feel them.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Youtube — @wecandohardthingsshow   Instagram — @wecandohardthings TikTok — @wecandohardthingshow

We’re coming together today to support Gaza’s wounded children with no surviving parents — Donate whatever you can now: https://pcrf1.app.neoncrm.com/forms/pcrf-laocie-orphan-sponsorship-2025    There is no such thing as other people’s children.  We must care for the children of Gaza like they’re our own—because they are. Our friend Akram Ibrahim is a Palestinian American volunteer with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). He and his family have worked tirelessly for decades to raise awareness of the plight and beauty of the Palestinian people.   Akram shares what ceasefire means to him as someone who has spent his life fighting for Palestine and Palestinian lives.    TO SUPPORT THE WOUNDED ORPHANED CHILDREN OF GAZA TODAY, DONATE NOW:  https://pcrf1.app.neoncrm.com/forms/pcrf-laocie-orphan-sponsorship-2025    Donations will go directly to PCRF, with Glennon and Abby matching the first $100,000.  Together, we can channel our heartbreak into action, and care for our children.  Akram’s list of Palestinian artists and businesses to follow and support:  - @houseofpalestine: resource sharing Palestinian culture, heritage, and traditions to visitors in San Diego. If you would like to find a Palestinian restaurant/business/creator/etc in your area, you can reach out to them directly.  - @hintoftatreez: studio for Palestinian embroidery apparel, called Tatreez, plus how-to kits and workshops - @jenanmatari: Palestinian author who just released her children's book, "Everything Grows in Jiddo's Garden" - @elfunoun_troupe: one of the most famous Palestinian dance troupes in Palestine. Follow their page @friendsofelfunoun to support them and learn Dabke (folk dance) around the US when they come for their 2026 tour.  - @paliroots and @paliapparel: studios designing and selling Palestine-inspired clothing - @knafehqueens: shop for award-winning Knafeh (Palestinian dessert) - @sababafalafelshop: authentic falafel shop based out of Anaheim, with a clothing brand that donates 50% of proceeds to humanitarian relief in Gaza: @westbankhoodie - @jerusalemroastery: destination for nuts, spices, snacks, desserts straight from Palestine - @sawasocal: SoCal-based organization for Palestine cultural events & workshops Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Youtube — @wecandohardthingsshow   Instagram — @wecandohardthings TikTok — @wecandohardthingshow

Dearly Beloved Pod Squad: We are gathered here today to rage about menopause.  Glennon details how perimenopause is wrecking havoc on her body, mind, and relationships—and how maddening it is that our medical professionals give us no real information about what’s going on. We discuss night sweats, beehive brain, fire-ant itching, and Ms. Frizzle hair.  Plus, Glennon is joined by Melani Sanders (@justbeingmelani)—the founder of the We Do Not Care Club (WDNC)—and maybe the only hope we have left.  About Melani: Melani Sanders is a digital creator and the fearless founder of the We Do Not Care Movement™. Her viral WDNC reels and posts capture the humor, heart, and chaos of perimenopause and menopause, midlife in general, motherhood, and real life. Melani lives in West Palm Beach, Florida with her husband, three sons, and dog.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Youtube — @wecandohardthingsshow   Instagram — @wecandohardthings TikTok — @wecandohardthingshow

Brandi Carlile joins Glennon for her rawest and most vulnerable conversation yet, sharing the story behind her deeply personal new album Returning to Myself—the songs that broke her open, the love that holds her steady, and what it means to truly come home. In this family meeting, Brandi bares her heart and reminds us we’re only here for the blink of an eye—so we must stay relentlessly joyful, soft, and human—and we must, together, find the beauty in the wildfire sun.  About Brandi:  Brandi Carlile is an eleven-time Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and activist. Over two decades and landmark albums like By the Way, I Forgive You and In These Silent Days, she has co-founded the Highwomen, launched the all-female Girls Just Wanna Weekend festival, founded the Looking Out Foundation, and helped bring Joni Mitchell back to the stage for a historic, Grammy-winning live album.  Brandi Carlile’s new album, Returning to Myself, will be out October 24th.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Youtube — @wecandohardthingsshow   Instagram — @wecandohardthings TikTok — @wecandohardthingshow

This life-saving conversation is for anyone who has—or loves someone who has—breasts. It’s what to look for, what to ask, what screenings you *actually need* (not just what is offered), and every decision point you have (even if it’s not offered to you) if you are facing surgery.   This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Glennon, Abby, and Amanda empower us with the most vital tool we have: information. Amanda reflects on how self-advocacy led her to her own breast cancer diagnosis—and we hear from the pod squad about how Amanda’s transparency helped save their lives. Then, we’re joined by Amanda’s renowned doctor, Dr. Lucy M. De La Cruz, who reminds us that every patient has agency—and shares how to choose the treatment path that’s right for you. And special shout out and thanks to Pod Squader Lori Mihalich-Levin (@mindfulreturn) for being such a special part of this story! If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with breast cancer, please save this episode or send it to the people you love. We love you.  For more on Amanda’s Breast Cancer journey:  - Amanda's Diagnosis and What's Next (Part 1) - Amanda’s Diagnosis and What’s Next (Part 2) - Amanda Returns Post Surgery: Here’s What She Wants You to Know  - What Amanda’s Learned About Life, Love & Community (Post Surgery Pt 2)  - Early Detection, Mammograms & Breast Cancer Care with Dr. Rachel Brem  - Expert Advice on Genetic Testing, Cancer Prevention & Care Disparities with Dr. Rachel Brem  About Dr. De La Cruz:  Dr. Lucy M. De La Cruz is an internationally recognized breast surgical oncologist and the youngest Latina Chief of Breast Surgery in an academic institution in the United States. She serves as Chief of Breast Surgery and Director of the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, a nationally ranked center of excellence in breast cancer care. Dr. De La Cruz specializes in nipple-sparing mastectomies with structural preservation and resensation, with a focus on highly specialized single-stage implant reconstruction. Patients describe her not only as a world-class surgeon, but as a fierce advocate and mentor—especially for women navigating the complexities of diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.