Nuance Needed

135: Our Hot Takes

Listen as we explore our hot takes on ... Why adult love shouldn’t be unconditional  Our real take on child-free flights Are influencers the problem, or is it our intern

134: Sam's Brother Died: Reckoning with Grief

Sam's brother, Alex, died and she shares her experience of the ups and downs of grief since it happened. In conversation, we tackle: The messy middle of grief that nobo

131: When Birth Trauma Changes Your Family Plan with Kayleigh Summers

In this episode Amanda sits down with Kayleigh Summers, to discuss birth trauma, grief, having one child and so much other nuance.  Kayleigh’s story is about grief, acce

133: The “Traditional” Family Never Actually Existed

Tired of hearing that “the way things used to be” was somehow better? A lot of what we romanticize as tradition is actually a tiny blip in history—and women have been pay

132: Cornell 7 & R*pe Culture

What does accountability look like when the systems meant to provide it don't? In this episode, we're talking about the Cornell fraternity case and the culture around it,

131: What If Your Friends Actually Like You? with Blake Blankenbecler

When did friendship become something we have to optimize? In this episode, Amanda sits down with friendship specialist Blake Blankenbecler to talk about why we’re overthi

130: What Nobody Says About Adult Sibling Relationships & Birth Order

In this episode we're getting into the pressure to be best friends with your sibling, why forcing it backfires, and why it's okay if you just don't like yours. In conver

130: Rerun - Not Everything is About You: The Bean Soup Theory

In this episode, we're tackling the internet phenomenon that's ruining actual discourse: the bean soup theory, aka "what about me-ism." * The viral bean soup recipe that

129: Oreo Gate and the Anxious Parent Problem

What starts as our reaction to a lunchbox dispute turns into a conversation about how much of the world you're allowed to rearrange so you never have to be uncomfortable.

128: The Friction is the Point: Stop Trying to Optimize Yourself Out of Life

What if the thing making your life harder isn’t a sign that something is wrong — but proof that you’re actually doing something that matters? We’re talking about our obse

127: Anxiety, Intuition & the Pressure to Make the Perfect Choice

Are you actually listening to your intuition—or is your anxiety just screaming louder? Amanda and Sam get into the messy reality of telling the difference, especially whe

126: Are we allowed to talk about Ariana Grande?

We're not talking about Ariana Grande's body. We're talking about the environment that's renormalizing the single biggest trigger for an eating disorder and what a public

125: The Internet Is Fake. Now What? (AI influencers)

This week we get into AI avatars, fake doctors, and why we're all grieving the internet we used to have. In conversation, we tackle: The New York Times expose on AI "do

124: The Red Flag Industrial Complex with Todd Baratz

Therapy speak is taking over everything including dating. This week therapist Todd Baratz joins us to talk about how anxiety got rebranded as discernment — and why knowin

123: What If Fixing Your Pain Is Making It Worse? (Amanda's Chronic Pain Story, Pt. 2)

What if everything you're doing to fix your pain is making it worse? In part two of Amanda's chronic pain story, she gets into the years of massages, dry needling, and st

122: Amanda's Pregnancy, Birth & Chronic Pain Story, Pt. 1

"Your body's just preparing for labor." That's what doctors told Amanda while she was in liver failure. In this episode, Amanda finally shares part one of her chronic pai

121: Rerun - Burnout: Stop Stealing From Tomorrow To Fix Today

Is the world rigged for burnout or are we just not trying hard enough? In this episode, we unpack why we're collectively exhausted and how our connected world has created

120: Lena Dunham & the Stories We Tell About Women

This started as a Lena Dunham episode but then devolved to many different things as our episodes do. The memoir is the doorway.  In conversation, we discuss: What Girls

119: Your Attachment Style Isn't a Personality Type with Yolanda Renteria

This week, therapist and Attuned & Attached author Yolanda Renteria joins Amanda to unpack what attachment theory actually says—and why healing has a lot less to do with

118: Queer Eye: Kamaro's Exit and The Performance of Healing

This week we're getting into Karamo's Queer Eye exit: the vague bullying allegations dropped live on air, and Queer Eye and reality TV. In conversation, we discuss  - T