Uncomfy: Sticking with Moments That Challenge Us

Mark Schroeder’s mother-in-law moved across the country to help care for his new baby. He was grateful...yet still found himself resenting her. In this conversation, Mark shares how he made sense of that tension, what it taught him about gratitude and conflict in close relationships, and how the things that matter most can be interpreted as “noise.” ABOUT GUEST Mark Schroeder is a professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California and founding director of its Conceptual Foundations of Conflict Project. He is the author of “When Things Get Personal” (https://markschroeder.net/). Subscribe to Uncomfy for thoughtful conversations about the awkward and tense moments that can change how we connect. CHAPTERS (0:00) Intro (1:17) Mother-in-Law Tensions (4:07) Philosophy Breakthrough (4:48) Signal vs Noise Explained (6:32) Reframing Gratitude (8:30) Is This Real Philosophy (9:17) What Makes a Person (10:45) Agency Good and Bad Guys (12:40) The Balancing Tip (13:30) Wrap Up and Credits (14:21) New Show, “Dispatches from the Divide” #DifficultConversations #ConflictResolution #CommunicationSkills #FamilyConflict #RelationshipAdvice #InterpersonalConflict #EmotionalIntelligence #Uncomfy

Delivering bad news is one of the hardest parts of being a doctor. Dr. Neil Farber shares a moment with a patient that surprised him and what it taught him about caring for people. In this conversation, Dr. Farber reflects on delivering bad news, the communication skills doctors need, and what patients may be up against when time with a physician is limited. We also talk about physician burnout, administrative burden, patient access, and how the healthcare system shapes the doctor-patient relationship. ABOUT GUEST Dr. Neil Farber is professor emeritus of general internal medicine at the University of California San Diego and author of “Treating a Broken System: A Physician’s Cure for the Healthcare Crisis” (https://neiljfarber.com/). Subscribe to Uncomfy for more conversations about the moments we’d rather avoid and what we can learn by staying with them. CHAPTERS (0:00) Intro (0:34) Meet Dr Neil Farber (1:26) First Bad News Lesson (2:33) The Unexpected Response (3:42) SPIKES Protocol Explained (6:15) When You Can’t Fix It (7:13) Terry’s Diagnosis Story (10:46) Fixing a Broken System (12:45) Solutions for Burnout (13:40) What Patients Can Do (14:41) Wrap Up and Credits (15:53) New Show, “Dispatches from the Divide" #PhysicianBurnout #HealthcareSystem #DoctorPatientCommunication #PatientCare #PatientAdvocacy #HealthcareCrisis #MedicalCommunication #PriorAuthorization #DoctorPatientRelationship #Uncomfy

One hot flash in a room full of men left Emily Bell McCormick wondering how to escape…and why menopause was still so hard to talk about. Now she’s taking that uncomfortable moment to her state lawmakers, pushing for better menopause care, provider training, and research. In this episode of Uncomfy, Emily shares with host Julie Rose what menopause can look like beyond hot flashes, why menopause symptoms are often misunderstood, and how gaps in women’s health education affect families, workplaces, and relationships. She also shares why menopause should be treated as a public-policy issue and what The Policy Project hopes to change through its Modernizing Menopause Care initiative. Subscribe to Uncomfy for more honest conversations about health, relationships, politics, and the moments we usually avoid. ABOUT GUEST Emily Bell McCormick is the founder and president of The Policy Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to advance practical solutions to issues that difficult to discuss, including menopause care (https://www.thepolicyproject.org/menopause). CHAPTERS (0:00) Intro (0:37) The Hot Flash (2:18) Owning the Moment (3:08) Pitching Menopause to Lawmakers (4:38) The Legislator Who Asked (6:50) Check out “A Braver Way” (8:18) Getting Women to Speak Up (10:11) Policy Plan for Better Care (11:51) Three Fixes (13:45) Wrap Up and Credits (14:30) New Show “Dispatches from the Divide” #Menopause #Perimenopause #WomensHealth #MenopauseCare #HotFlashes #MidlifeHealth #MenopauseAwareness #HealthcarePolicy #MenopauseResearch #UtahPolitics

What if your neighbors weren’t just people next door, but co-owners you had to work with every week? Cheryl Keil thought she had found the intentional community she wanted—until the meetings, maintenance, and uneven workloads made her wonder if it was time to leave. Cheryl lives in Wasatch Commons, a co-housing community in Salt Lake City where residents own private homes but share responsibility for the property, common spaces, gardens, and decisions that shape daily life. She talks with Julie Rose about communal living, neighbor conflict, shared housing, social isolation, and why building a real community can be both deeply rewarding and incredibly frustrating. Subscribe to Uncomfy for more honest conversations about connection, conflict, and the moments that challenge how we see one another. More about Wasatch Commons - https://www.wasatchcommons.com/ More about co-housing - https://cohousingalliance.org/ CHAPTERS (0:00) Intro (0:38) Meet Cheryl Keil (2:17) When Community Gets Messy (4:26) Burnout and Almost Moving (5:20) Turning Point and Gratitude (6:58) Fixing the Participation Gap (8:37) Check Out “A Braver Way” (10:05) A Tour of Wasatch Commons (12:19) Highs, Lows, and Lessons (13:47) Wrap Up and Credits (14:57) New Show “Dispatches from the Divide” #Cohousing #IntentionalCommunity #CommunityLiving #SharedHousing #CommunalLiving #Loneliness #SocialIsolation #HousingAlternatives #NeighborConflict #UncomfyPodcast

What do you do when the voice in your head tells you that you don’t belong? And how can you tell the difference between a real warning and fear holding you back? Joshua Green joins host Julie Rose to talk about why our inner critic often gets loudest when we’re stretching beyond our comfort zones and how past criticism can shape the way we see ourselves. They also explore people pleasing, fear of failure, authenticity, building a support network, and the value of naming our fears instead of letting them make decisions for us. Subscribe to Uncomfy for more honest conversations about the uncomfortable moments that can really teach us something. ABOUT GUEST Joshua Green is a keynote speaker, entertainer, and entrepreneur who helps people overcome imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and negative self-talk (https://joshuaowengreen.com). CHAPTERS (0:00) Own Your Uniqueness (0:10) Welcome to Uncomfy (0:47) Meet Joshua Green (1:14) The Juggling Audition Panic (4:21) Imposter Voice in the Room (5:37) The Results (6:38) Three Takeaways on Authenticity (9:12) Using Self Doubt as a Barometer (11:03) Free Diving and Real Risk (12:46) Voice the Fear, Build Support (15:19) Start Small (16:34) Wrap Up and Credits (17:35) New Show - Dispatches from the Divide #ImposterSyndrome #SelfDoubt #NegativeSelfTalk #Confidence #Anxiety #PersonalGrowth #PeoplePleasing #SelfWorth #MentalHealth #UncomfyPodcast