The Bright Side

If you haven’t always had the easiest time getting along with your mom, this episode is for you. As teenagers, it can be hard to “put the shoe on the other foot” and understand where our parents are coming from. That’s what author Maurene Goo wished she could’ve done better when she was younger. Her latest novel, “Throwback” — the Reese’s Book Club Winter Young Adult pick — is a fresh take on a timeless time travel story, which explores mother-daughter relationships and what it would be like to know the 17-year-old version of your parent. She shares how “Back to the Future” inspired her, and what it was like to experience the ’90s through a Gen Z lens.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Kathleen Smith has a fascination with people-pleasing: why we do it, why it’s hard to shake, and how to actually break free from it. She is a licensed therapist, expert on relationship systems, and author of “Everything Isn’t Terrible: Conquer Your Insecurities, Interrupt Your Anxiety, and Finally Calm Down” as well as “True to You: A Therapist’s Guide to Stop Pleasing Others and Starting Being Yourself.” She breaks down some practical tips for understanding the disease to please and why birth order has a lot to do with it! She also writes a newsletter called “The Anxious Overachiever” which you can subscribe to here: https://theanxiousoverachiever.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor, producer, and first female 007 Lashana Lynch joins to talk spies, creative vision, and more! In her new show, “The Day of the Jackal,” she stars and produces alongside Eddie Redmayne. She shares what it was like to be a first-time producer, the transferable skills she’s learned from playing a spy, and what role she’s itching to take on next. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rita Omokha is a journalist and the author of the new book “Resist: How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America.” She takes us on a journey through history, sharing stories of powerful young Black activists — past and present — whose courage and determination have reshaped America’s fight for justice, and connects them to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plus, she explores her own experience of racial politics in the U.S. as a Nigerian-American — particularly after the murder of George Floyd. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.