Go Ask Ali

Latest Episodes:

The Funny Thing About Optimism w/ Michael J. Fox (and You) Dec 30, 2021

Show notes

**Go Ask Ali will return with more new episodes later in January.

Optimism is a way of life and a survival tool for Ali and her very good friend actor, writer and activist Michael J. Fox. For both, humor is key to being able to deal with life’s toughest times. Soon after Mike got married at 29 (and at the height of his superstardom), he was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's disease, which triggered an alcoholic response. But with the support of his wife actress Tracy Pollan he got sober and they eventually had four kids including twins. Mike calls himself a “realistic optimist”, meaning he sees things for what they are, but says the first thing he looks for in any situation is what’s funny about it. Mike and Ali compare notes on the importance of humor, optimism and hope, especially in today’s world and as we begin a new year. //

Also, to close out 2021 Ali posted a call-out on social media to find out what helps YOU stay optimistic and you jammed our phone line! Hear what keeps you going and maybe be inspired with new ways to let the positivity flow.

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes) //

Links of Interest:

https://www.michaeljfox.org/

Books by Michael J. Fox -

No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality - https://www.amazon.com/Time-Like-Future-Considers-Mortality/dp/1250265614

Always Looking Up (The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist) - https://www.amazon.com/Always-Looking-Up-Adventures-Incurable/dp/1401310168/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=1401310168&psc=1

Lucky Man: A Memoir - https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Man-Michael-J-Fox/dp/0786888741/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=0786888741&psc=1

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Thriving With Your Ex (and Other Life Lessons) w/ Isabel Gillies Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

Breaking up is hard to do. We all know that. But what of this newfangled idea that it doesn’t have to be riddled with bitterness, resentment, suspicion, or anger? Crazy? Gwyneth Paltrow called it conscious uncoupling. Isabel Gillies says it’s just what she did to get the best result for herself, her kids and her future. It’s the modern family where four people might show up for that parent-teacher conference and exs are vacationing together. Isabel says the keys are radical acceptance, wanting what you have and loving your lemons, seeds and all. It can happen. //

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes) //

Link of Interest:

Isabel Gillies' Book, Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True Story https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4907301-happens-every-day

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The Ongoing Feminist Fight w/ Rebecca Traister Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

Women’s rights and protections are in peril. Roe vs. Wade is hanging by a thread as the Supreme Court is set to pass judgment on the most direct threat to a woman’s right to choose in nearly 50 years. Nobody is more connected to this fight than Rebecca Traister, a feminist writer, commentator and activist who joins Ali to talk about feminism today. So many of us, women and men, are angry about reproductive rights - but also LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, labor protections, environmental protections, etc. but don’t know what to do or where to begin. Rebecca shares her expertise on how to fight for issues that matter to you, the importance of knowing the history, standing shoulder to shoulder, and what we can do to raise engaged kids - girls and boys - aware of inequalities around them.

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes)

Link of Interest:

Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger

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Our State of Cancel Culture w/ Amy Schumer & Aja Romano Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

Ali’s on a mission to understand what’s up with this “cancel culture” thing and she has lots of questions: what the hell is it, where did it come from, is this a bigger social problem than we realize and perhaps most importantly, Is Cancel Culture Killing Comedy? Internet culture reporter Aja Romano tackles the social piece and then award-winning kickass comedienne Amy Schumer shares her point of view about cancel culture in the comedy world. They cover the growing pains of learning to be an ally, past mistakes, the best of what comedy offers people and why Amy is not afraid of being canceled when she gets on that stage.

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes) //

Links of Interest:

Cancel culture, explained: https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate

What is cancel culture? How the concept has evolved: https://www.vox.com/22384308/cancel-culture-free-speech-accountability-debate

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Our New World Inside & Out w/ Fareed Zakaria & Donna Fish Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

“These are unprecedented times.” We’ve heard this repeatedly over the last 20 months. This is also, perhaps, the single thing we can agree on these days. BUT, what also seems to be in agreement by most experts and scientists is that while we are not necessarily “done” with the virus, we do seem to be emerging from our caves and finding a sense of new normalcy. (That said, at the time of this writing Covid cases are surging in several parts of Europe again and a new variant, Omicron, has emerged. Ta-da!) So now what? Ali talks with experts about the macro social factors (CNN’s Fareed Zakaria) and micro personal factors (psychologist Donna Fish) at play. Fareed shares what he thinks the next five years could look like in the US and what our top takeaway from the pandemic is as a country. Donna joins Ali to take a deeper look at the emotional and psychological challenges as we begin to socialize and function in public again. She gives helpful advice on how to handle “worry thoughts” and what she knows as a clinician to be true among all parents, no matter what side of the mask war they’re on.

**UPDATE: President Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure and Jobs Act bill in to law on 11/15/21. A second bill is still in process.

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes)

Links of Interest:

Fareed Zakaria, Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World: https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Post-Pandemic-World-Fareed-Zakaria/dp/0393542130

Donna Fish: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/donna-fish-lcsw-r

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Beating the Odds w/ Francesco Clark Nov 25, 2021

Show notes

Franceso Clark was on top of the world the day he mistakenly dove into the shallow end of a pool. He was 24 and had just gotten a promotion at Harper’s Bazaar. In an instant he was paralyzed from the neck down and very close to death. Francesco shares his incredible story of what happened next, how the inspiring support of his family and friends kept him going, why the day Christopher Reeve died was a turning point, and the purpose he first found in developing skincare products for people with medical challenges. Clark’s Botanicals is now a multi-million dollar company and Francesco continues to defy the odds set that day in the pool. //

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email a voice memo right from your phone to go-ask-ali-podcast-@-gmail.com. (No dashes)

Links of Interest:

https://clarksbotanicals.com/

**SPECIAL OFFER from Clark's Botanicals! The first 100 listeners will receive the 3-step complexion pampering ‘healing gift set,’ ($62 value) and free shipping with any purchase from clarksbotanicals.com. Place the healing gift set in the cart and apply "AliRocks" to get it for free.

Francesco’s Memoir, Walking Papers: The Accident that Changed My Life, and the Business that Got Me Back on My Feet - https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Papers-Accident-Changed-Business/dp/1400167272

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The Tricky Psychology of Money w/ Amanda Clayman Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

Ali explores the psychology of money with financial therapist Amanda Clayman. For so many people money is like sex, they grew up never properly learning about it, fumble around for a few years and probably make some basic mistakes. Amanda covers a lot of territory like why shame can be a good thing, what anger is telling us, the importance of the stories in our heads, and how money management could be a tool for personal growth. //

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes)

Links of Interest:

www.amandaclayman.com

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Sex in the Time of Covid (& Beyond) w/ Dan Savage Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

**Explicit **

People are back at it! Whether it’s dating, mating, or just relating, you can’t keep us down for long - if ever, as it turns out! Dan Savage, writer of the syndicated sex advice column “Savage Love” and host of the longtime podcast “Savage Lovecast” says even in the darkest days of lockdown, some people were determined to connect despite the risks - remember those Florida beaches? He and Ali cover a lot of ground like the rise of porn during lockdown and the rise of STIs after, the challenges of LGBTQ+ kids during quarantine and the importance of maintenance sex for couples. It also seems being vaxxed is super hot on dating sites! //

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes)

Links of Interest:

GSA: Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network (formerly Gay-Straight Alliance Network), https://gsanetwork.org/

"Savage Lovecast": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/savage-lovecast/id201376301

“Savage Love from A to Z”: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669583/savage-love-from-a-to-z-by-dan-savage-illustrated-by-joe-newton

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Repairing Our Partisan Relationships w/ Bill Doherty Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Alrighty folks! Here’s what so many people have been waiting for:

How to deal with strained, fractured, struggling relationships due to our extremely divided political climate. This was the most requested episode and the most popular question people asked of Ali in the last year. Parents and children, spouses, siblings, neighbors, friends and colleagues - name it - are not immune to the divisive nature of our country’s politics. Marriage and family therapist Bill Doherty gives us some advice on how to deal with people we PASSIONATELY disagree with. As the co-founder of Braver Angels, an organization created to bridge this great divide, he has a couple of questions for us to keep in mind when we want to connect again...or even just to understand.

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes)

Links of Interest:

Braver Angeles: www.braverangels.org

Doherty Relationship Institute: https://dohertyrelationshipinstitute.com/

Braver Angels YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmfS6eUi3X0&list=PLKRBV_e51mrqeV5ql68bkYNTeTV2KaXjR

Why Republicans and Democrats Are in a Bad Marriage

How Affective Polarization Shapes Americans’ Political Beliefs: A Study of Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Climate Anxiety and Our Kids w/ Dr. Susan Clayton & Jeremy Jarecki Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Is it any surprise there is a growing portion of kids and teens who are developing a deep anxiety about their future on this planet? While some adults can’t accept what seems mostly like a sci-fi disaster film (where Will Smith saves them in the end), it’s the younger generations who will have to deal with this reality. Environmental psychologist Dr. Susan Clayton says it doesn’t help to calm their fears when so many people, and politicians, pretend there is no problem. Clayton shares how to talk to kids about climate change, how we can help them feel better about it, and what concerns her the most. Then Ali talks with high school student and environmentalist, Jeremy Jarecki, about her passion to prepare for the future and to get her peers involved in the fight to beat climate change.

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes) //

References:

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/family/2021/04/helping-kids-deal-with-climate-anxiety

https://time.com/6097677/young-people-climate-change-anxiety/

https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2019-greta-thunberg/

https://kisstheground.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwn8SLBhAyEiwAHNTJbZeEpY87UkCCUQfcb3ctIecNH7nyBhVpG1tbHQGrQQcSmK7b_spVShoCFR0QAvD_BwE

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