Tracee Ellis Ross: Holding On to Joy In Hard Times

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

This is one of the bravest, most life-changing conversations we’ve ever had on this podcast. In this unforgettable episode, beloved poet and activist Andrea Gibson joins us to share news they had just received: that their cancer was incurable. What you will hear is not despair — you will hear the sound of a human being choosing, moment by moment, to stay awake to love, to beauty, and to what is still astonishing right now. This conversation changed us forever. It transformed how we understand fear, mortality, and what it means to truly be alive. There is also a powerful full-circle moment: director and producers Ryan White and Jess Hargrave listened to this very episode on a flight — and by the time they landed, they knew they had to make the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, which is now nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards. This episode includes honest discussion of illness, death, and suicidal ideation. Please take care as you listen. What Andrea offers us here is a profound reminder: we cannot control how long we live — but we can decide how deeply we love while we’re here. You can stream Come See Me in the Good Light now on Apple TV. For more episodes with our friends, Andrea and Meg, check out:  The Bravest Conversation We’ve Had: Andrea Gibson Megan Falley Knows What Love Is An Unforgettable Double Date with Andrea Gibson & Megan Falley Let Our Sundance-Winning Film Remind You What Love Is with Megan Falley Watch OUR 1ST FILM – Come See Me in the Good Light: Meg Falley (& Andrea Gibson) Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

Megan Falley takes over the mic to interview Glennon, Abby, and Sara Bareilles about Come See Me In the Good Light—their Oscar-nominated documentary honoring poet Andrea Gibson and the last year Meg and Andrea spent together. They each share why they said yes to the project, how the film changed the way they understand love, grief, and being fully alive, and why this isn’t a story about death—it’s a story about living more vibrantly right now. Come See Me in the Good Light  premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Festival Favorite Award, and has since been named one of the National Board of Review’s Top 5 Documentaries of the year, earning major honors including nominations at the Satellite Awards and Film Independent Spirit Awards. Now nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary — to be presented Sunday, March 15 — Come See Me in the Good Light can be streamed on Apple TV. For more episodes with our friends, Andrea, Meg, and Sara, check out:  The Bravest Conversation We’ve Had: Andrea Gibson Megan Falley Knows What Love Is An Unforgettable Double Date with Andrea Gibson & Megan Falley Let Our Sundance-Winning Film Remind You What Love Is with Megan Falley Watch OUR 1ST FILM – Come See Me in the Good Light: Meg Falley (& Andrea Gibson) Sara Bareilles: How to Remember Yourself Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

At this moment, as the Epstein horrors are being revealed and many survivors are carrying fresh grief and reopened wounds, we wanted to return to one of the most grounding conversations we’ve ever shared. This is Part 1 of our honest and deeply hopeful conversation with activist, advocate, and founder of the me too movement, Tarana Burke. For nearly three decades, Tarana has worked at the intersection of racial justice, gender equity, and anti-violence—interrupting systems that disproportionately harm marginalized people, particularly Black women and girls. We talk about the impossible double bind survivors live inside of—how community can both protect and silence—why so many are taught to perform “goodness” to survive, and how joy, truth-telling, and collective care become radical acts. Tarana’s work has not only exposed hard truths about power and harm, but has also expanded access to resources, support, and pathways forward—inviting each of us to find our place in the movement.   For Part 2 of our conversation with Tarana Burke, go here. And for Amanda’s two-part series on the Epstein Files, go here:  THE EPSTEIN FILES, EXPLAINED: Everything You Need to Know EPSTEIN SURVIVORS’ ATTORNEY WHO EXPOSED GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY: Brad Edwards CW: We reference sexual abuse and trauma. About Tarana:  Tarana J. Burke has been working at the intersection of racial justice, arts and culture, anti-violence and gender equity for nearly three decades. Fueled by a commitment to interrupt systemic issues disproportionately impacting marginalized people, like sexual violence, particularly for black women and girls, Tarana has created and led campaigns that have brought awareness to the harmful legacies surrounding communities of color. Specifically, her work to end sexual violence has not only exposed the ugly truths of sexism and spoke truth to power, it has also increased access to resources and support for survivors and paved a way forward for everyone to find their place in the movement. Tarana’s Book: Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

Do not miss the first part of Amanda’s Epstein files conversation. To listen, click here: THE EPSTEIN FILES, EXPLAINED: Everything You Need to Know. Brad Edwards – who has represented 200 Epstein survivors for almost two decades – is the attorney who sued to expose what was later found by a federal judge to be the federal prosecution’s prolonged, coordinated collusion to protect Jeffrey Epstein from facing justice for his crimes.   In this exclusive conversation with Amanda, in which Brad shares experiences during his advocacy for survivors he has never shared before, he walks us through: The incredible courage and resilience of the survivors The secret immunity deal between federal prosecutors and Epstein and the government cover-up How the DOJ seems to be intentionally revictimizing survivors in the way they are releasing the Epstein Files How he secretly worked with the SDNY to finally arrest Epstein in 2019  What the path forward is for accountability.  This episode centers survivors and the people who never stopped fighting for them, and asks what comes next. About Brad Edwards: Brad Edwards is the founding partner of Edwards Henderson and the author of Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein.  He is a nationally recognized Board Certified Civil Trial attorney who specializes in providing civil representation for children, survivors of sexual abuse, and victims of violent crimes. From 2008 through 2019, Brad served as pro-bono lead counsel on behalf of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein in the seminal case upholding crime victims’ rights in this country. In 2019, the Federal Judge on the case ruled in favor of the victims, holding that the government had violated the rights of Epstein’s victims under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act when Epstein entered into a Non-Prosecution Agreement without the knowledge of his victims in 2008. In 2023, Brad spearheaded unprecedented litigation as lead counsel against the banking institutions that facilitated Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation for decades. The litigation ended in a $290 million settlement with JP Morgan Chase and a $75 million settlement with Deutsche Bank on behalf of hundreds of survivors from all over the world. Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

In this special episode of You’re Not Gonna Believe This Bullshit, Amanda lays out decades of the history, facts, and reporting of the Epstein case—clearly, chronologically, and in one place. This is not about conspiracy theories or salacious details. What we have instead is a documented record showing how, for more than a decade, the justice system worked to protect Jeffrey Epstein and his associates while survivors and advocates and journalists fought to expose the truth. Amanda walks through who Epstein was, how he became so powerful and untouchable, how his crimes were uncovered and buried, and what the Epstein files reveal—and still conceal—about power, accountability, and justice. This episode is a speaking meditation for justice, honoring survivors and those who never stopped pushing for the truth. Note: This episode references Epstein’s crimes only as necessary to explain the systemic injustices involved. Please take care while listening. Don't miss the second episode of the series: EPSTEIN SURVIVORS’ ATTORNEY WHO EXPOSED GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY: Brad Edwards Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

What really happened at Girls Just Wanna Weekend? (Short answer: joy, gyrations, no restraint.) Glennon and Abby take you inside Brandi Carlile’s Mexico gathering—a wildly safe, queer weekend beaming with music, connection, and collective joy. They unpack their now-iconic onstage “Come to My Window” performance (there were lifts), how rehearsals accidentally became couples therapy, and why joy, sexuality, and community aren’t distractions from this moment—but acts of resistance. Plus: the magic of Titans of Americana, where Brandi shared the stage with her legendary idols and Tish—bridging generations and honoring the past while lifting up what’s next. Listen to last year’s debrief – 277. What Happened Last Weekend: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & We DID! – here.  Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

Everything is chaotic and overwhelming. The news is relentless.  So we did the only thing that felt honest: we showed up, unprepared, and talked about how we’re actually feeling–and what helps us stay engaged, grounded, and human in this moment. In this conversation, we talk about why overwhelm is a strategy, how to stop spiraling in fear, and why real change doesn’t come from doomscrolling or waiting for a government hero–but from finding grounded leaders in our communities, organizing locally, and trusting ourselves to respond to what today is asking of us. If you’re exhausted, scared, angry, or unsure what to do next–this episode is for you. Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

Everything is chaotic and overwhelming. The news is relentless.  So we did the only thing that felt honest: we showed up, unprepared, and talked about how we’re actually feeling–and what helps us stay engaged, grounded, and human in this moment. In this conversation, we talk about why overwhelm is a strategy, how to stop spiraling in fear, and why real change doesn’t come from doomscrolling or waiting for a government hero–but from finding grounded leaders in our communities, organizing locally, and trusting ourselves to respond to what today is asking of us. If you’re exhausted, scared, angry, or unsure what to do next–this episode is for you. Follow We Can Do Hard Things on:  Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠