Last Day

Author and motivational speaker Alexis Jones lived her life on the road. Year after year, she kept up a relentless touring schedule, propelling her to new heights alongside icons like Glennon Doyle and Oprah. But behind closed doors, Alexis was falling apart. Chronic pain, a maddening fertility journey, and some earth-shattering revelations about her family’s past all threatened to derail her...

If comedian Tig Notaro hadn’t had cancer, her life might’ve actually been worse. In those sobering moments post-diagnosis, she got up on stage and told a room of people all about it. “The crowd went wild” is an understatement and was only a taste of what was to come. Years after a recording of that standup set went viral and launched her into the cultural mainstream, Tig sits down with Stephanie to talk about living in a world of unknowns...

You might know Elyse Myers from her viral video about buying 100 tacos on a first date. That TikTok led to a Cinderella story of overnight fame, where she quickly became a household name. But the taco tale is only the tip of the iceberg. Elyse gives Stephanie the never-before-seen look at her path to becoming who she is today — from moving overseas to leaving a church that didn’t practice what it preached...

Last month, I sat down with the incredible Maya Shankar to talk about adapting to all that life throws at you. This week, we're sharing an episode from her podcast "A Slight Change of Plans." Host Maya Shankar recently experienced a heartbreaking change in her personal life. Two days after it happened, she felt the need to process it out loud, like so many of her guests have done on her show...

Nikki Boyer created the podcast Dying For Sex, which was named Podcast of the Year by the Ambies. Now, she's introducing us to Reverend Peggy, who has been present for the final moments of nearly 2,000 people. A lead chaplain at one of the world’s most renowned hospitals, Peggy shares with Nikki the most riveting end-of-life stories from her 20-year career in spiritual care, with one goal in mind: to help everyone be a little less afraid of death...

This week we’re revisiting one of Stephanie’s favorite episodes that aired on January 22, 2020. Dave and Chris co-hosted 142 episodes of Dopey, a recovery podcast about “drugs, addiction and dumb shit,” when the worst thing that could have ever happened, happened: Chris relapsed and died. Stephanie sits down with Dave, who’s still hosting Dopey to this day, to chat about Chris’s last day, recovery, and the transformative power of losing someone you love...

We’re dropping in your feed today to let you know about a gripping new series from Lemonada Media, BLIND PLEA. In 2017, Deven Grey, a young mother, shot and killed her abusive partner in a remote trailer in rural Shelby County, Alabama. She claimed self-defense and filed a Stand Your Ground claim. Instead of freedom, she was handed a “blind plea” – an option to take an unknown sentence in exchange for pleading guilty...

When Colin Campbell regained consciousness, seeing only the billowy white of an airbag in front of him, he had no idea what had just happened. A moment ago, his two teenagers were happily texting each other in the backseat — and now they were lying motionless in the wreckage. Colin joins Stephanie to share what it took for him to find the words to talk about this unimaginable loss and how to help others find the words themselves...

For Melissa Urban, the wellness icon behind Whole30, setting boundaries is the name of the game. But she wasn’t always like this. To cope with buried trauma from her teen years, she began using drugs to escape. And at quick-sand speed, it became a full-blown addiction that she had to feed at every turn. Melissa recounts the slivers of opportunity that helped her find her way to recovery...

Life is random, nothing happens for a reason, and the universe does not have a plan. That’s at least what Maya Shankar believes. And so does Stephanie, our intrepid host. But both have figured out how to pivot in the face of life’s worst twists and turns. Maya and Stephanie bond hard and fast over their similarities, since there’s nothing quite like learning someone else is kinda sorta exactly like you. 

Follow Stephanie on Instagram at @wittelstephanie...