Episode 1: Denial

This week we inch closer to getting to the last stage of grief and tackle acceptance, which is something Youtube Star Molly Burke knows a thing or two about.  At 14 she became blind, and while she spent most of her young life as literal poster child for a cure, she recently pivoted away from finding a cure for blindness, to loving and accepting it. She joins us for some deep heart homework you won’t want to miss.

This week, we talk about the 4th stage of grief and get a much needed dose of Justin Baldoni’s wisdom about how to deal with our sadness. Why are we so scared to feel sad and how do we as a culture, use this health crisis to legalize sadness? Justin talks about what death can teach us about life and why sorrow has a purpose, all while taking care of his 2 1/2 old son‘s tears, while he doing it! (Please note that this conversation was recorded before the death of George Floyd and therefore does not discuss the events that have unfolded since.)

We’ve chosen to interrupt our scheduled programing to do a special episode to support you in this moment in time. In the wake of national unrest after the murders of black people by the police, we are joined by author Zerlina Maxwell to find actionable solutions to create a better world together.

In this episode, Liz talks to Emmy-nomiated actress, producer, and co-host of Armchair Expert, Monica Padman about the third stage of grief: bargaining. Monica talks about the challenge of going through her first global pandemic while also juggling a recent surprise diagnosis, and she tells us about a trick Esther Perel taught her about how to tame the evil voices in our head when they come to visit. Spoiler alert: we give them funny nicknames and dress them in ugly sweaters.

In this episode, actor, rapper, and activist Riz Ahmed joins us to talk about the second stage of grief: anger. He shares some of his quarantine frustrations, his complicated relationship with anger and how it’s simultaneously rewarded, yet misinterpreted, especially when it’s expressed by men of color. Liz and Riz fail to make a single joke about how their names rhyme, but do write a letter to their anger and encourage you to do it too.

In this week’s episode, Liz talks about grief with poet and New York Times bestselling author Rupi Kaur. Rupi reveals how slowing down during a global pandemic has forced her to confront all the ways she often relied on being busy instead of happy. Liz reveals she is binging on Mr Rogers episodes in the dark most nights and takes us through a workshop to witness and remove the masks we wear in public that hide our true selves.

A new podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Liz Plank that offers emotional support to process the anxiety that accompanies an increasingly chaotic news cycle. The world is scary. But Liz’s guiding philosophy is not to distract you from bad news, it’s to help you understand it. The news needs therapy. Liz is here to help. Every week she’s joined by  an expert, friend, or spiritual leader to try and help you understand yourself and the world, a little better.