Podcasts about what if this were enough

Heather Havrilesky's writing career has spanned the life of the internet, starting with the satirical site Suck.com, moving through Salon, The Awl, and New York Magazine, and ending up on Substack, where she publishes two much-loved newsletters: Ask Polly and Ask Molly. Heather has mastered the art of reinvention, bending with the winds of the web, as news sites have variously chased SEO, blogging, Facebook traffic, and the rest. She settled on an approach that has worked for her: doubling down on what she likes. That attitude ultimately took her into advice giving, where she has carved out an immense reputation as one of America's preeminent practitioners of the form, primarily through Ask Polly, for years a mainstay of New York Magazine's The Cut. Polly got her start, though, at The Awl, the fan-favorite blog co-founded by Choire Sicha that was home to many of the best and most obsessive online writers of the 2010s, before social media had completely corrupted the landscape for essayists and delightful internet weirdos. While writing Polly for The Cut, Heather saw social media grow in reach and then start to infect the minds of fellow writers who toiled under its constricting influence. “It's almost like an issue of when the auditorium becomes too big and filled with voices,” she says, “you start to feel self-conscious about making sounds when everyone is in the room.” Those pressures came to bear on Heather with exaggerated force after the New York Times published an excerpt of her latest book, Foreverland, an irreverent marriage memoir that comes out in paperback this Valentine's Day. The excerpt carried the subheading “Do I hate my husband? Oh for sure, yes, definitely.” It was enough to create a meme, and Heather spent the next few days being knocked around Twitter for being a husband-hating harlot (or worse, depending on the tweets). What was that experience like for someone who has been writing online for 27 years? Well, it turns out, not easy at all—even for an advice columnist who always manages to find the right words for those who are brushed by misfortune. However, in the pain, she has managed to find a balm for herself in a book idea that emerged from her essay writing on Substack. “One thing that kept me feeling good,” Heather says, “was this idea that life could be deeply romantic even when everything felt terrible.” Her new obsession with finding the romantic in the mundane is proving to be more than just a coping mechanism—it's a way of looking at life. “Discovering new ways of being happy in spite of a lot of things that are aggravating you is—it's the most romantic thing of all.” https://www.ask-polly.com/ Heather's recommended reads:https://www.todayintabs.com/https://therealsarahmiller.substack.com/https://hunterharris.substack.com/https://laurenhough.substack.com/https://www.blackbirdspyplane.com/https://cintra.substack.com/https://griefbacon.substack.com/https://indignity.substack.com/Show notesSubscribe to Ask Polly and Ask Molly on SubstackFind Heather on Twitter and InstagramSuck.com, Salon, The AwlHeather's books: Disaster Preparedness (2011), How to Be a Person in the World (2017), What If This Were Enough? (2019), Foreverland (out in paperback on Feb. 14)Excerpt of Foreverland in the New York Times, and the New York Post responseWriting about voice lessons on Ask Molly[02:17]: Working at Suck.com[08:31] Changing San Francisco[09:13] The “jackassery” of boomer optimism [10:58] Smart, weird, fun people everywhere [12:57] The shape-shifting nature of being an online writer [16:12] Becoming an advice writer [18:43] The awe of the Awl [24:58] The freedom, and danger, of social media [30:00] Ask Molly, Polly's evil twin[31:57] Publishing books [36:59] Being misinterpreted in mainstream media  [40:55] Reacting to being attacked online[46:44] Workshopping her next book [50:31] Writing an advice column for 10 years [52:53] Recommended writers on SubstackThe Active Voice is a podcast hosted by Hamish McKenzie, featuring weekly conversations with writers about how the internet is affecting the way they live and write. It is produced by Hanne Winarsky, with audio engineering by Seven Morris, content production by Hannah Ray, and production support from Bailey Richardson. All artwork is by Joro Chen, and music is by Phelps & Munro. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit read.substack.com

Heather Havrilesky writes the Ask Polly and Ask Molly newsletters. Her latest book is Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage. “It's not a good story when you're bullshitting people. I didn't want this book to feel like bullshit…. I wanted to show enough that you could feel reassured that it's normal to feel conflicted about your life and the people in it. It's normal to feel anxious about how much people love you. And it's normal to feel avoidant about how much people love you. It's normal to feel like a failure in the face of trying to stay with someone over the course of your entire life.” Show notes: @hhavrilesky  Havrilesky on Longform  Havrilesky on Longform Podcast Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage (Ecco • 2022) 1:00 "US author, 51, confesses she 'hates' her husband of 16 years in new memoir about what marriage is REALLY like - as she compares him to 'a pointy Lego brick underfoot' and 'a snoring heap of meat' (but they're not splitting up)" (Harriet Johnson • Daily Mail • Feb 2022) 01:00 "Woman Claims She “Hates” Husband In Memoir" (The View) 06:00 Disaster Preparedness (Riverhead Books • 2011) 06:00 What If This Were Enough? (Anchor • 2019) 06:00 Havrilesky's New York archive 06:00 askpolly.substack.com 06:00 askmolly.substack.com 11:00 "Heather Havrilesky Compares Her Husband to a Heap of Laundry" (Walter Kirn • New York Times • Feb 2022) 12:00 "Marriage Requires Amnesia" (New York Times • Dec 2021) 14:00 "Heather Havrilesky on hating her husband and her tell-all memoir, Foreverland" (Willy Somma • Times UK • Feb 2022) 15:00 "Wife calls marriage ‘insane,' hates her husband: ‘Snoring heap of meat'" (Andrew Court • New York Post • Feb 2022) 27:00 How to Be a Person in the World (Anchor • 2017) 32:00 "Our ‘Mommy' Problem" (New York Times • Nov 2014) 48:00 Havrilesky's Twitter thread addressing The View (Mar 2022) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode features Heather Havrilesky, the author of the Ask Polly and Ask Molly advice columns as well as the books What If This Were Enough? and How To Be A Person In The World. We spend a bit of time at the top talking about observations on generational differences before jumping into the main event – judging the advice given in various hit songs from the 60s up to the recent past. You might be surprised by some of the judgments but I can guarantee you there's some solid wisdom in this episode.

Heather Havrilesky is a writer and one of my oldest and best friends. She is clever, she is beautiful, and she is wickedly funny. We talk about how to stay fit and creative when sheltering in place (while still giving yourself some grace and slack), the difficult things about marriage, and dealing with the feeling of uncertainty. To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: movementbylara.com (http://movementbylara.com) Resources: Ask Polly: nymag.com/tags/ask-polly (https://nymag.com/tags/ask-polly/) Newsletter: askmolly.substack.com (https://askmolly.substack.com/) Twitter: twitter.com/hhavrilesky (https://twitter.com/hhavrilesky) Disaster Preparedness (https://www.amazon.com/Disaster-Preparedness-A-Memoir/dp/B004HKGL0C) How to Be a Person in the World: Ask Polly's Guide Through the Paradoxes of Modern Life (https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Person-World-Paradoxes-ebook/dp/B0165I0T9M) What If This Were Enough? (https://www.amazon.com/What-If-This-Were-Enough-ebook/dp/B078VYVQ5L) Redefining Yoga is a production of (http://crate.media)

This week, Chelsea sat down with Heather Havrilesky to talk all things money, work, work-life balance, and the realities of marriage. Heather is the voice behind the popular advice column "Ask Polly" and author of the books "What If This Were Enough" and "How To Be A Person In The World." To get started using TurboTax and Intuit's suite of products, click here: https://intuit.me/2NS2yAq Subscribe to The Financial Confessions podcast here: https://lnkfi.re/1QYK1e4R Heather Havrilesky on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hhavrilesky Heather Havrilesky's website: https://havrileskywebsite.wixsite.com/mysite/the-book Ask Polly the column: https://www.thecut.com/tags/ask-polly/ The Financial Diet site: http://www.thefinancialdiet.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefinancialdiet Twitter: https://twitter.com/TFDiet Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefinancialdiet/?hl=en

*Headphones Recommended* This month’s SHELF TALKING gathers three writers who write unflinchingly about our politics, our environment, and the difficulties of our everyday lives Recorded live at Literati: –Alexandra Minna Stern discusses Proud Boys and the White Ethnostate, her chronicle of the alt-right and its ideologies. –Roy Scranton reads “The Precipice” from his collection We’re Doomed. Now What? –Heather Havrilesky chats about book promotion, #MeToo, and her essay collection What If This Were Enough?, which arrives in paperback on October 8. Shelf Talking is produced by Mike and Hilary Gustafson with John Ganiard, Bennet Johnson, and Sam Krowchenko Our theme songs are “Orange and Red” and "Bonhomie" by Pity Sex (2016, Run for Cover Records)

Welcome to our 2019 premiere—where we dig deep on all the ways our culture tells us we’re not “enough,” and get some help figuring out what to do about it. We’re joined by writer and cultural critic Heather Havrilesky, author of the new book, What If This Were Enough. We talk about writing NY Mag’s “Ask Polly” advice column, facing our emotions and sad moments head-on, and how we can all make 2019 the year we stop beating ourselves up and learn to enjoy ourselves a little more. Plus: Katel shares her gratitude journal, Sara unpacks her judgey feels, and we talk through all the ways we’ve both felt inadequate or unproductive at work—and how we’re moving past it.

Courtney and Heather Havrilesky, author of What If This Were Enough?, discuss cultivating “weird aunt vibes,” owning the artist identity, and finally reaching the place where you write to please yourself.

[Please note: This episode includes a discussion of sexual assault that begins at 49:00]This week Kate and Doree follow up on their own personal Gratitude Challenge, and share what’s bringing them joy in their own lives. Plus Kate commits to a month-long meal plan and reconnects with an old serum favorite, while Doree reveals what pregnancy-safe product she’s now using on her face at night.Then they welcome Jessica Hopper, music critic and author of the new book Night Moves. She talks about the power of falling in love with a city, the nostalgia she feels for a pre-social media time, dealing with perimenopause, her love of Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum, and how speaking out helped her heal after an assault.Follow us on Instagram: @Forever35podcast,@katespencer,@doree, Twitter:@forever35pod, and in ourFacebook group(password is "serums"). All products mentioned on the show can be found on our website,Forever35podcast.com. To leave us a voicemail, call 781-591-0390, or you can email us at forever35podcast@gmail.com.This episode is sponsored by:Heather Havrilesky’s new book of essays, What If This Were Enough.StitchFix - Go to StitchFix.com/Forever35 to get an extra 25% off when you keep all the items in your box.Four Sigmatic – For 15% off, visit FourSigmatic.com/Forever35 and use the promo code Forever35.Lola - Visit mylola.com and enter Forever35 when you subscribe for 40% off.Myro - Get 50% off your first order and get started today for just $5! Visit and use promo code Forever35.Theme music by Riot. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode meet travel writer Jedidiah Jenkins, author and advice columnist Heather Havrilesky, and CEO Scott Harrison. They address the big questions so many of us ask ourselves every day: What is my purpose? Who am I meant to be? And how can I lead a meaningful life that positively impacts others? The personal stories shared in this episode will leave you thinking about positive ways to make change and feel good about yourself. Not to mention, find out which author’s dream narrator pick has a voice that’s “buttery and dangerous.” To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins: http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/557260/to-shake-the-sleeping-self/ What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky: http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/557733/what-if-this-were-enough/ Thirst by Scott Harrison: http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/562193/thirst/

This week Kate and Doree tackle friendship, and discuss how to make friends as an adult, the ways in which friendships grow and change over time, and how they can contribute to self-care (or occasionally, take away from it). Plus, Kate’s is organizing the products in her bathroom (again) and Doree details her first visit to the OBGYN. They also commit to a shared gratitude practice — will it last?Then they welcome Holly Burns, who created the popular blog Nothing But Bonfires and now works at Instagram. Holly talks about being diagnosed with breast cancer just 5 months after giving birth to her second child, the self-care practices she implemented while going through chemo, surgery, and radiation, cold-cap therapy, and the healing power of super-soft cashmere socks.Follow us on Instagram: @Forever35podcast, @katespencer, @doree, Twitter: @forever35pod, and in ourFacebook group (password is "serums"). All products mentioned on the show can be found on our website,Forever35podcast.com. To leave us a voicemail, call 781-591-0390, or you can email us at forever35podcast@gmail.com.This episode is sponsored by:Heather Havrilesky’s new book of essays, What If This Were Enough. Buy it now wherever books are sold.Outdoor Voices - For 20% off your first order of $100 or more, visit OutdoorVoices.com/forever35 and enter code FOREVER35.Fin - Try Fin out for free by visiting Fin.com/forever35.Lightbox - Check them out at LightboxJewelry.com/forever35TalkSpace - Go to Talkspace.com/forever35 and use the code FOREVER35 to get $45 off your first month.Theme music by Riot. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.