How to Get Your Joy Back: Ross Gay (Best Of)

Today, we’re sharing our conversation with poet Ross Gay, who reminds us that joy isn’t denial—it’s connection. Not a way out of the world, but a way back into it. Together, we explore how to keep noticing what’s still beautiful, how to rebuild our “delight muscle,” and why witnessing someone else’s joy might be exactly what brings us back to ourselves. - Why joy is evidence of connection—not escapism - How to rebuild your “delight muscle” (even when it feels gone) - The surprising power of witnessing someone else’s joy - Why “unknowing” the people you love can deepen connection - Small, daily practices to feel less alone and more alive About Ross:  Ross Gay is an American poet, essayist, and professor committed to healing the world through observing and articulating joy, delight and gratitude. He won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for his 2014 book, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, which was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry. A devoted community gardener, Ross is a founding board member of the Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit, free-fruit-for-all food justice and joy project. A college football player, he is a founding editor of the online sports magazine Some Call it Ballin'.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

We woke up to a Webby — and instead of just celebrating, we started asking: What does it mean to actually use your voice right now? Today, we’re talking about what building Treat Media has really meant — why we chose to go independent, what we’ve gained (and risked), and why having no middleman changes everything about what we can say and how we can say it. And make sure you’ve listened to Tuesday’s episode: Who is Enabling Trump? Amanda & (Our Next Pres?) Rep. Ro Khanna Name the Culprits and the Plan. We dig into Amanda’s conversation with Rep. Ro Khanna — what we agreed with, what left us unsettled, and the bigger truth underneath it all: Why aren’t the people in power doing the jobs they swore to do? This episode is about freedom, accountability, and what happens when you stop playing along. - Why going independent, and creating Treat Media, changed everything for us - What winning a Webby means — and what it doesn’t - Why “good people” isn’t the same as good leadership Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

Amanda is joined by Congressman Ro Khanna for a no-spin, call-it-like-it-is conversation about the dumpster fire of Trump and Congress.   We already know who Trump is. The more urgent question is—why is Congress too cowardly to do its job to stop him? Amanda and Rep. Khanna dig into: – How both parties are failing us;  – The big, dark money that is shaping their cowardice;  – Which Democratic leaders need to go;  – The midterm election interference we know is coming (and the plan to combat it);  – What gives Rep. Khanna hope about a new generation of leadership; and – Some exciting speculation about the 2028 Presidential campaign.  This conversation is about moving past outrage and into action. What we demand. What we expect. And what must change. About Ro Khanna: A leader of action, courage and candor, Rep. Ro Khanna represents California’s 17th District and represents what is possible when an elected has a backbone and cares more about their duty than their next election. If you’ve been following my series here, and you listened to my show on the Billionaire class as the real American welfare queens, you will want to know about Rep. Khanna’s Make Billionaire’s Pay Their Fair Share Act with Senator Sanders. If you listened to my series walking through decades of depraved federal corruption protecting Epstein, you will know that it was Rep. Khanna’s dogged, intrepid resolve when everyone told him it was impossible, to pass his Epstein Transparency Act, together with Rep. Massie, which forced the administration to release files. If you listened to my episode on Jared Kushner and the real reasons we’re in an inane and inept war with Iran, you will want to know that Rep. Khanna sponsored a Bipartisan War Powers Resolution with Rep. Massie in an attempt to restrict unauthorized military action. He has taken on big oil for their lies about climate change and was crucial in bringing a coalition together to secure a $369 Billion climate investment. He is an advocate for oversight, anticorruption, transparency, and freeing elections from the scourge of big money influence. He puts his money where his mouth is: He cofounded the NO PAC Caucus and is one of only SEVEN out of 435 members of Congress who rejects all money from special interest PACs. And he brings the fight not only to actively complicit Republicans, but to Democrats who scream on social media but sit on their hands instead of doing what needs to be done. Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

Today we’re sharing our electric conversation with Jane Fonda. This one feels especially right for this moment—because so many of us are asking the same questions Jane has been answering with her life: How do we keep aging without disappearing? How do we stay awake—to our bodies, to each other, to the truth—when everything feels so chaotic and overwhelming? Jane reminds us that getting older doesn’t mean getting quieter—it can mean getting whole. Not perfection, but integration. Not waiting until you have it all figured out—but showing up as you are and doing your part. - How she left her body as a child—and found her way back decades later - Why the goal isn’t perfection—it’s becoming whole - What she’s learned about love, power, and choosing herself - How she kept showing up through backlash, surveillance, and public attacks - Why you don’t have to be ready—you just have to begin About Jane:  Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy Award-winning actor (Best Actress in 1971 for Klute and in 1978 for Coming Home), producer, author, activist, and fitness guru. Her career has spanned over 50 years, accumulating a body of film work that includes over 45 films and crucial work on behalf of political causes such as women’s rights, Native Americans, and the environment. She is a seven-time Golden Globe winner and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2021, Stanley Kubrick Excellence in Film Award as part of BAFTA’s Britannia Awards in 2019, AFI Life Achievement Award winner in 2014, and Honorary Palme d’Or honoree in 2007.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

The world is on fire—but we still have each other. This week, Glennon, Abby, and Amanda step away from the overwhelm to talk about what actually holds us: love, family, friendship, and truth. From their Oscars experience to a listener's question about divorce, kids, and staying in love, this episode is about staying soft while doing hard things. - Why losing the Oscar still felt like winning - What kids really need when they sense change at home - The difference between leaving a relationship and giving up on love - How to tell the truth (even when it’s hard) - Why it’s time to get off the shore and into the boat Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

Pod Squad, we’ve been doing a lot of hard things—so today, in the midst of all of it, we’re offering a little comic relief to keep us laughing, keep us dancing, keep us going. In this episode, we’re sharing our most mortifying, cringe-inducing, please-let-me-disappear moments… along with your voicemail confessions that had us cry-laughing and peeing our pants in solidarity. We promise you: you need this. We needed this. - Glennon, Abby, and Amanda share their most humiliating, unforgettable stories - Pod Squad voicemail confessions that will make you laugh until you cry - Why normalizing our worst moments is the antidote to shame - Our new go-to strategy for surviving humiliation (spoiler alert, it involves a prosthetic penis) Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

It's birthday month for Glennon and Amanda, and if you’ve ever had a birthday that made you want to crawl into bed and also throw a parade and also cry in the shower and also text every person you’ve ever loved like: ARE WE OKAY?—welcome. You are among your people. Because birthdays are not just cake day. Birthdays are a spotlight. A pop quiz. A referendum on: Do I matter? Am I loved? Am I seen? And if the answers don’t arrive in the exact form we imagined—texts, plans, enthusiasm, proof—our brains go: Welp. That’s that. In this episode, we’re trying to name why birthdays bring so many feels—and how to make them suck less. - Why birthdays can feel like a setup for disappointment - Glennon, Abby, and Amanda’s best, worst, and most revealing birthday stories - Why birthdays can feel like a test of your worth, love, and belonging - How to drop the secret tests and actually ask for what you want - Simple ways to celebrate each other all year so no one is waiting one day to feel loved Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

We’re told this is about bad guys, nuclear threats, and national security. History—and this moment—tell a different story. In this You’re Not Gonna Believe This Bullshit episode, Amanda traces America’s regime change playbook—then sits down with investigative journalist, co-founder of Drop Site News, Jeremy Scahill to break down what's really driving the current wars in Iran and Gaza. - Trump launching strikes on Iran amid disputed “nuclear threat” claims - The coordination of war decisions with Netanyahu—and why that matters - Kushner’s role in Gaza reconstruction plans that look a lot like real estate development - “Negotiations” with Iran happening alongside military escalation - The long history of regime change—and who actually benefits If it feels chaotic, it’s not. It’s a pattern. About Jeremy:  Jeremy Scahill is co-founder of Drop Site News. He was previously a Senior Correspondent and Editor-at-Large at The Intercept and is one of the three founding editors of The Intercept. He is an investigative reporter, war correspondent, and author of the international best-selling books “Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield” and “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.” He has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria, the former Yugoslavia, and elsewhere across the globe. Scahill has served as the national security correspondent for The Nation and “Democracy Now!”. He continues to host the podcast Intercepted. Scahill’s work has sparked several congressional investigations and won some of journalism’s highest honors. He was twice awarded the prestigious George Polk Award, in 1998 for foreign reporting and in 2008 for “Blackwater.” Scahill is a producer and writer of the award-winning film “Dirty Wars,” which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award. Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

In this deeply moving — and one of our all-time favorite — conversations, we take a beautiful, funny, honest dive inside the “wonderful, dangerous” mind of Tracee Ellis Ross. As the world asks us to stay engaged without burning out, Tracee offers a powerful model for how to show up fully without losing yourself. This conversation is about love — not just romantic love, but the kind that changes everything: choosing yourself, holding fast to joy, building deep connection, and being in charge of your own life. Tracee reflects on approaching 50 and what it means to step into a new decade rooted in freedom, depth, and aliveness — not hustle. She shares the unforgettable story of her 50th birthday, standing in her mother’s dress, surrounded by her cauldron people, and singing, “I’m 50 and I’m free.” A true lighthouse moment for all of us learning how to stay whole while we show up. -Tracee’s go-to tools for quieting self-doubt and staying tethered to her truest self-How she made peace with not being everyone’s cup of tea-The story behind becoming “Fifty and Free” in her mother’s dress-Why she rejected the lie that women exist to be chosen-How to find your cauldron people — the ones who hold your fire About Tracee: Tracee Ellis Ross is an award-winning actress and producer best known for her roles in ABC’s award-winning comedy series BLACK-ISH and GIRLFRIENDS. For her role as “Rainbow Johnson” in BLACK-ISH, as a comedic leading actress, Ross won the Golden Globe Award in 2017 as well as nine NAACP Image Awards. She was nominated for five Emmys and two Critics Choice Awards.  Ross is the CEO and Founder of Pattern, a haircare brand for the curly, coily and tight textured masses.  Ross executive produced and narrates Hulu’s THE HAIR TALES, a docuseries about Black women, beauty and identity through the distinctive lens of Black hair.  Ross will be producing a ten-episode podcast “I Am America,” which aims to break through the noise during this divided time in our country in an effort to create space and to heal.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

Meggan Watterson joins Glennon and Abby for an urgent, unfiltered conversation about how to stay human in infuriating times. They discuss sacred rage as a form of love, why trusting our inner knowing matters more than ever, and what it means to stop waiting for institutions—or men—to tell us we’re worthy. They also unpack the moment we’re in—from the Epstein files and Deepak Chopra’s presence in them to the misogyny behind the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team’s comments about the women’s team—and ask what women do when the systems meant to protect people fail. Plus: Meggan shares the historical acts of resistance inspiring her right now, the story of Mary Magdalene and believing women (and ourselves), and the question guiding her days: How do women pray when the world is on fire? For more We Can Do Hard Things with Meggan Watterson, check out:  Women’s Voices So Dangerous They Buried Them About Meggan: Meggan Watterson is the author of The Girl Who Baptized Herself and the Wall Street Journal bestselling Mary Magdalene Revealed. She is a feminist theologian with a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University. She leads a global online spiritual community, The House of Mary Magdalene, to study the scripture left out of the Christian canon like The Gospel of Mary and The Acts of Paul and Thecla.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠