Some Nerve is a weekly podcast for people who have the nerve to show up, talk about hard things that matter, and share our secrets. On Some Nerve, we discuss all the stuff your grandmother wouldn’t have wanted you to talk about at her bridge party. Topics will include whatever makes us feel human, like mental health, grief, trust, boundaries, and joy. We hope that understanding each other better will help us build deeper connections in our lives.
Join us every Wednesday!
“How does a single person maintain their sanity and wellness during the pandemic?,” Justine asks. Enter Corinne, her peripatetic friend who recently took to the road to visit friends, continuing to WFH from her unique short-term rentals. Justine and Corinne talk about what it means to be resilient, how to be a good friend, and attempt to define what we’re talking about when we talk about grief.
Show Notes: (note: some links are affiliates to Bookshop.org, my favorite online way to buy books that supports local bookstores)
- Family togetherness in Highland Lake, Bridgton, Maine
- Divorce, bonding as friends, and being from a “broken home” [2:00]
- College crew chaos and business lessons from running a club sport [3:00]
- What is an “international business” major?
- Gut check:
- On taking time away to figure out who you are and what you want [5:00]
- Wanderlust and pausing: On being risk-averse, yet craving something different
- The first big independent decision that follows in future big decisions
- Why choose the University of Georgia as a student from Washington, DC? “It’s not ‘Gentlemen, hold the door for the lady,’ it’s an acknowledgment that there’s another human being about to walk in or out of the door, so you should hold it so you don’t shut a door on someone’s face! I feel like this should be basic, but it’s not” [8:00]
- Corinne’s Upholder tendency; take Gretchen Rubin’s 4 Tendencies Quiz to find out yours! [9:00]
- Self-imposed rules and deadlines:
- Lent and being raised a cultural Catholic [10:00]
- How to get work done in a timely fashion
- Why buy a Peleton? and the 7 C’s of Resilience (Confidence, Competence, Connection, Character, Contribution, Coping, and Control) [12:10]
- Investing in yourself: what makes you an adult? The Crate and Barrel chair (we purchased a less fancy version at IKEA) and why you may want to invest in an oversized stuffed chair [14:10]
- Control & traumatic experiences during middle school [15:30]
- Swimming as therapy: good during a pandemic
- Training, don’t break the chain, using the “future self” to externalize accountability [18:00]
- AIDS epidemic and losing an uncle during adolescence [PG-13 and word trigger alert; 20:00]
- Talking to parents about sex and LGBTQ identities; why Justine became a sex educator [22:00]
- The hardest thing about getting old: on grief and loss and the keepers of our identity [23:10]
- What would you tell the tween version of yourself? And the secret to lifelong friendship
- “I wish I knew that in fact what I was dealing with and being put on my 11-12-year-old shoulders was really hard, and that was not what lots of kids were having to deal with” [24:45]
- The importance of compromising and not compromising
- Solo travel, dreaming of a flat in Notting Hill, a life-defining trip to Scotland, and giving yourself grace [26:45]:
- “At any point in our lives, there’s going to be societal norms and pressures and whatnot, and they’re going to follow you everywhere, the shoulds in life.” [28:30]
- Who are you becoming? Self-love and reconnecting in person
- A special birthday message from Corinne [30:00]
- What does having friends add to life beyond family and intimate romantic relationships?
- Friends improve health: mood, stress, depression, support you as you age
- How to be a good friend:
- Show genuine interest in happenings, feelings, and thoughts
- Accept them for who they are
- Ask for and offer help
- Treat with respect and loyalty: be the friend you want
- How to make friends:
- Volunteer
- Take a class or join a club
- Walk, hike, or jog
- Attend events: gallery, book reading, lecture, recital
- Carpool places
Some Nerve: A Podcast 