Ep 143: Bad Vibes Only with Nora McInerny
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Ep 143: Bad Vibes Only with Nora McInerny
Episode 143: Show Notes
Today's guest, Nora McInerny, knows a thing or two about tragedy and loss, and in today's conversation, we get to hear from her about what enabled her to keep going, course correct, and stay progressive through some very difficult times.
Nora is the author of several books, and in her most recent, Bad Vibes Only, she tackles some of the issues she sees in being too optimistic in today's world. Our guest has a podcast of her own and is also a lifelong journaler, which we explore in some detail.
Nora shares so much insight into some quite uncommon attitudes towards grief and loss, talking about the unique experience she went through when she lost her husband Aaron. We hear about life after these events, her second marriage, and the lessons she continues to learn and respond to, so make sure to join us to catch it all in this powerful episode!
Key Points From This Episode:
Looking back at Nora's early years, family life, and the beliefs in their home.
Nora's anxiety, body image issues, and common attitudes toward mental health when she was growing up.
Aspirations to be a writer and the hurdles that Nora envisaged on this path.
Nora's entry into the world of advertising and her first interviews.
The journalling practice that Nora maintained and how this led to blogging.
Some of the subjects that Nora first started putting on her blog.
Making up the role of social media manager; what this looked like before it was the norm.
The story of how Nora and Aaron came into each other's lives.
Moving in with Aaron and the romantic life that Nora fell into.
A little about the health issues that Aaron was dealing with early on.
The shock of Aaron's diagnosis and the next steps of dealing with his brain tumor.
Exploring Nora's journal writing style and her expected audience!
Nora's reflections on her actions during the last part of Aaron's life.
The viral obituary that Nora and Aaron wrote together for him.
Attention and offers that Nora received from publishers following her husband's death.
Nora talks about her mourning process and her experiences of the different stages.
The risk tolerance that Nora developed after so much loss.
Meeting Matthew and Nora's attitudes about romance after losing her first husband.
The wake-up call that Nora had on a family hike.
Responding to problems by changing behavior and pairing down commitments.
Nora's current thoughts on success and how this has shifted more recently.
A little about Nora's upcoming tour and her excitement about it.
Tweetables:
“There's something about seeing your kids struggle with the things you struggled with, that one, make you have so much more tenderness for yourself and also, for my parents.” — Nora McInerny [0:16:02]
“By the time I was in college and I weighed a perfectly normal amount for a woman of 6 feet tall, I was at a WeightWatchers meeting, trying to figure out how to be thinner.” — Nora McInerny [0:18:07]
“It was pretty clear early on that we were not going to be cancer people. He was never going to go to a support group. I was never going to go on the forums and find women whose husbands were going through the same thing.” — Nora McInerny [0:44:28]
“Literally did write my journal entries with the expected audience of a future historian. I would explain things for someone who wasn't alive in the '90s.” — Nora McInerny [0:47:57]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: