Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide, self harm, substance abuse, and violence. You may have seen Isaac Fitzgerald in one of his frequent appearances on The Today Show, cheerfully sharing his latest enthusiastic recommendations for books. And the acclaimed author of the memoirs Dirtbag, Massachusetts and the forthcoming American Rambler really is a cheerful person. But it’s a long way from a stormy childhood in Massachusetts marked by drugs and alcohol from the age of 12, violent conflict between Isaac and his parents, and mental health struggles that ultimately led to his mother’s suicide. Through it all, however, Isaac was guided by a few pillars to lean on: the genuine love his parents had for him and each other throughout their lives, a love of literature that was always a presence in Isaac’s life, and a sense of community and working together with others to build a better life. Isaac Fitzgerald joins us to talk about his long road to a better life.

Content Warning: This episode discusses child abuse and rape.

Author Ashley C. Ford did not have it easy growing up. Her mom could be a lot of fun but could also be physically and verbally abusive and just not interested in carrying out the role of parent. She took Ashley to the dentist exactly twice in her childhood, failed to get medical problems addressed that have been with Ashley ever since, and lashed out in fury for reasons Ashley was desperately trying to understand. Ashley’s father went to jail for two rapes when Ashley was a baby, the two not meeting in person until she was in her thirties. Ashley’s story, told in the best-selling memoir Somebody’s Daughter and in this in-depth conversation, is one of making sense of a challenging family picture and working hard to understand where it all shows up in her own life as an adult with a marriage and a career.

Content Warning: This episode discusses childhood trauma, emotional abuse and physical abuse. Paul Scheer is known to audiences as an actor, a regular on the series The League and Black Monday, and in recurring roles on Fresh Off the Boat, Veep, and 30 Rock. Recently, Paul has been digging deep into his past to understand what happened during his childhood with an abusive stepfather (who demanded Paul call him “Dad” and locked him out of the house in his underwear when Paul refused) and how that had an impact on Paul later in life. In this moving interview, Paul talks about realizing later in life that he had never once had any kind of argument with his then-girlfriend, never expressed anger, and how a therapist pointed out that this may be a sign of unresolved trauma from the hellish conditions he lived in. Paul talks about learning more about this with his wife, how he sees trauma as an event and not a life sentence, and what he has and has not told his young children about so far.