Go Ask Ali

From releasing her latest book Ali’s Well That Ends Well to assembling furniture for her daughter’s dorm – Ali Wentworth has been busy busy. But 'tis the season for more Go Ask Ali and her mic is hot. Once again she delivers some of the brightest, funniest, and most talented people she can charm to be on her podcast. Come along for what her husband George Stephanopoulos calls “Ali’s own personal masterclass.” Season 3 of Go Ask Ali starts Thursday, October 6th.

Have a question for Ali? Call (323) 364-6356 or email a voice memo to [email protected].

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[Season 2 Finale!] Who doesn’t love a good laugh? If you’re lucky, you laugh so hard you cry, your stomach cramps, you can’t breathe and you hopefully collapse on the floor. Nothing better. Professor Sophie Scott, Director of University College London’s Speech Communication Lab, studies the science of laughter. Occasionally she’ll even use her tight five as a standup to further inform her research on the power and effects of laughter. Not only is laughter fantastic for your mental and physical health, it is also an important social, communication and diplomatic tool (looking at you Bill Clinton). Ever peed your pants from laughing so hard? There's an absurd reason for that. Ali also answers a bunch of listener questions she’s been waiting to dig in to.

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:

Ali’s New Book: Ali’s Well That Ends Well

Sophie Scott, Why We Laugh, TED 2015 (4.4M views):

https://www.ted.com/speakers/sophie_scott

Sophie Scott, What’s in a Voice, TEDx 2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeHlgJSM-wM

UCL Speech Communication lab:

https://speechcommunicationlab.weebly.com/

Sophie’s podcast: The Neuromantics, a podcast about science and art

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-neuromantics/id1455641494

Sophie’s New Book:

The Brain: 10 Things You Should know (releases 9/2/222)

Koko and Robin Williams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9I_QvEXDv0

Boris Yeltsin & Bill Clinton Press Conference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=951Tz2GfgQQ

Liam Neeson & Ricky Gervais:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpKwqiAWWrA

Ricky Gervais - Humanity (2018) (clip regarding dogs):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBWyyHfrlbU

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Dating is hard no matter how old you are or in what decade you first start. But imagine the time warp of dating in 2002 and dating in 2022! Twenty years in our world is like fifty of the past. Ali has witnessed the challenges some of her friends are facing as they re-enter the dating pool and feels their pain. Older? Yes. Wiser? Hmmm. Author and dating coach Chantal Heide shares her expertise starting with, yes, apps! But the conversation also hits dating scammers, dating with kids in the mix, being “set in your ways” or traumatized from past relationships, and her staunch belief in the No Kissing for Three Months Dating Rule. That’s a toughie…but she backs it up. Let us know if you’ve tried it!

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:

Chantal’s website: www.CanadasDatingCoach.com

Instagram: @CanadasDatingCoach

Twitter: @TheChantalHeide

Facebook: @CanadasDatingCoach

TikTok: @CanadasDatingCoach

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There will come a time when the tables turn and suddenly the parent becomes the child and the child is caring for the parent. Actress Brandee Evans shares her very personal story of taking care of her mother who has multiple sclerosis. She’s on the hit show P-Valley now, but she didn’t have a job when her mother came to live with her in Los Angeles. Then Ali taps the expertise of Mary Hulme, a geriatric specialist who actually helped Ali and her siblings as they were navigating changes with their mother. Mary talks about how siblings can work together, the importance of maintaining dignity and why safety shouldn’t necessarily be the main consideration. 

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:

Brandee Evans shares her experience with her mom:

Instagram: @therealbrandee

Mary Hulme:

www.moonstonegeriatric.com

Multiple Sclerosis:

The National MS Society

https://www.weareillmatic.com

A patient advocacy organization with a mission to redefine what “sick” looks like for Black women living with MS. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People sometimes tell Ali that they wish their marriage was like her 20+ year marriage to broadcaster George Stephanopoulos. They just seem to be a golden match. So in this episode she is exploring what “couple envy” is and informing her marriage fans - don’t! Psychologist and writer Dr. Joshua Coleman says couple envy is really just part of our basic human nature - to compare and contrast. He and Ali also talk about why it’s better if your spouse is NOT your best friend, why it’s actually good for a marriage to commiserate with friends about partners, and the critical keys to sustaining a long relationship…oh, and “sex envy” is a thing too!

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:

Dr. Joshua Coleman

The Atlantic: Dr. Joshua Coleman

The Key to Escaping the Couple-Envy Trap

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Trigger Warning: please be advised there is detailed discussion about assault and abuse of minors. 

What does a parent do when they feel like their child is in danger and is looking for help? They jump on the internet and start clicking. What they might find is a bunch of info about places all over the country they  can send their kid to for rehabilitation and family unification. Sounds great, right? What they might not know, though, is that these places are unlicensed, unregulated, off the oversight grid and very often abusive. 

In fact, influencer Paris Hilton went before the Utah state congress last year to share her traumatic experience at The Provo Canyon School. She and other survivors, including our guest, have continued the campaign for reform of “The Troubled Teen Industry” at the federal level.

Ali’s guest Caroline Cole is the host of Trapped in Treatment, executive produced by Paris Hilton, and shares her own experience at one of these facilities as well as where the fight for regulation is now, including The Accountability for Congregate Care Act.

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:

Trapped in Treatment Podcast: https://trappedintreatment.com/

Unsilenced (Non-Profit): https://www.unsilenced.org/

Breaking Code Silence (Non-Profit): https://www.breakingcodesilence.org/

NeuroClastic (Autism collective): https://neuroclastic.com/

In the news:

KUER - Hard to Shut Facilities Down (3/22/22): https://www.kuer.org/health-science-environment/2022-03-22/even-after-serious-allegations-heres-why-shutting-down-a-teen-treatment-facility-in-utah-is-no-easy-task

KUER - Paris Hilton Goes to Washington (10/20/21): https://www.kuer.org/politics-government/2021-10-20/paris-hilton-and-activists-brought-change-to-utahs-troubled-teen-industry-now-they-are-pushing-for-a-new-federal-law

KSL - Utah State Bill 127 Signed (04/06/21): https://ksltv.com/459317/paris-hilton-on-hand-for-signing-of-bill-regarding-youth-care-centers/

Salt Lake Tribune - The Troubled Teen Industry (08/30/20): https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/08/30/inside-utahs-troubled/

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It’s the lifecycle of many friendships. Sometimes they ebb and flow and other times they come to a crushing end. And just like in romantic relationships it’s hard to be on either side of the “we need to talk” table. Friendship expert and coach Danielle Bayard Jackson seems to have all the right words for every scenario, including the testy times. Just make sure, she says, you’re not severing ties prematurely. Having that talk might not only save the relationship, but bring you closer. Danielle also gets into the fundamentals of friendship, managing expectations, and moving on after a breakup. //

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:

Danielle Bayard Jackson: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com

The Friend Forward Podcast: https://www.betterfemalefriendships.com/podcast

Tend and Befriend: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200009/tend-and-befriend

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Our dreams are telling us something. Sidarta Ribeiro, author of The Oracle of Night, the History and Science of Dreams, says if a person looks at all of the clues dreams provide, powerful insights can be learned for ourselves and also our communities. But in today’s culture with late nights, addiction to screen time, alcohol and antidepressants, our dreams and our connection to our deeper selves are suffering. Two things that can help, though, are writing them down and talking about them. But don’t bother buying that dream dictionary. He says only the dreamer can really know what they mean. //

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:

The Oracle of Night, by Sidarta Ribeiro:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/553072/the-oracle-of-night-by-sidarta-ribeiro/

The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374157357/thedawnofeverything

NPR: https://www.npr.org/2022/01/19/1074118733/the-way-we-dream

Time Article: https://time.com/6105881/sleep-dreams-sharing-meaning/

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Does it seem the whole world has lost its collective mind? We are a polarized country, for sure, but Imran Ahmed says fundamentally we are no different than we’ve ever been. It’s just that online social media and big tech are using behavioral psychology, mathematical algorithms, and the protection of current legislation to have their way with our heads and consequently, as evidenced by January 6th, our fists. Imran gives us practical ways to stop the madness and predicts new protective legislation for us and our kids is coming. //

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:

Center for Countering Digital Hate: www.CounterHate.com

The murder of Jo Cox, MP:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38079594

The Great Reset:

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-57532368

Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen:

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/10/05/technology/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996:

https://www.theverge.com/21273768/section-230-explained-internet-speech-law-definition-guide-free-moderation

Antitrust:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/23/ftc-chair-khan-outlines-vision-for-antitrust-enforcement-consumer-protection.html

Kids Online Safety Act:

https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/16/senators-propose-the-kids-online-safety-act-after-facebook-haugen-leaks/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/16/kids-online-safety-act-unveiled-blackburn-blumenthal/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Enough already! We are entering the third year of a worldwide pandemic and this whole time our lives have been a grind. Researcher and author Eve Rodsky says women’s unpaid labor has increased by 153%. And as physician Dr. Aditi Nerurkar says, we’ve gone from a short-term acute condition to a long-term chronic condition. So how do we deal? How do we get interested in our own lives again? How can we function better? Eve and Dr. Aditi say we need to find space - not only physical space but the mental and personal space to explore and be creative - a “unicorn space” - because a creative life is a connected life. They are co-hosts of Time Out: A Fairplay Podcast. //

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:

Time Out: A Fairplay Podcast:

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-time-out-a-fair-play-podc-91037429/

Hedonic vs. Eudaimonic Happiness:

https://www.thoughtco.com/eudaimonic-and-hedonic-happiness-4783750

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