Going Through It: Recent Episodes
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Going Through It is a podcast about how hard it can be to figure out when to quit and when to keep going. This season comedian Jenny Yang sits down with 15 guests to talk about their Going Through It moments and how the unexpected wisdom from a parent, a grandparent or an elder helped them navigate the pivotal moments that have defined their lives, careers, and relationships.
Margaret Cho grew up watching Joan Rivers perform standup on TV. When Margaret became a comic herself, Joan supported her with words, actions, and jokes.
In a family filled with strong women, the spirit, wisdom and love of Tia Mowry’s grandmother endures.
When Fawzia Mirza was 18, her mom enlisted her to smuggle her mom’s favorite fruit, Pakistani mangoes, from Canada to the US. Now, as a queer Muslim fimmaker, she still values the mango as a way they still connect.
Any successful partnership—business, romantic, or creative—starts with a meaningful connection between 2 people. Partners is a podcast about the people whose journey together led to the creation of something extraordinary.
Cultural constraints kept Alexander Chee’s grandmother from pursuing Chinese Calligraphy until late in life. Alex created the Yi Dae Up Fellowship in her name to help give women writers of Asian descent the chance she didn’t get.
When Franklin Leonard found himself out of his big-wig Hollywood job, he wanted to mope. His mentor, the legendary Hollywood attorney Nina Shaw, wasn’t having it.
The late actor Michael K. Williams and Aunjanue Ellis’s grandmother had one thing in common: neither needed words to tell Aunjanue how to follow her calling and be her truest self with confidence.
Zohran Mamdani’s college road trip through East Africa with his dad and uncle was a blissful tour of his heritage. Then he got his report card back.
When Sasheer Zamata enrolled at her university, she didn’t know where she was headed. A staging of a play by the school’s brand-new theater professor helped her find her purpose, her identity, and the confidence to try anything.
At 15, all Melissa Proctor wanted was a job at the local mall. Instead, advice from her mother helped her make history as the Miami Heat’s first ball girl.
As a teenager, Ijeoma Oluo thought male attention would validate her as a person worth knowing. A late night proclamation from a friend’s older sister snapped her back to reality.
Chani Nicholas first learned of astrology and healing from her step-grandmother. Although they didn’t remain close, Chani still honors her influence by trusting her own inner voice.
Being a leader in a field is hard. Being a leader in theoretical physics as a Black woman is a unique battle. When the weight of being one of the first became too heavy, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein turned to her mom for perspective.
When Randa Jarrar started her MFA program, she thought she was taking the next step on the path to success. That is until her professor, Leslie Marmon Silko, told her to drop out.
Lorena Borjas taught Chase Strangio many things over their decade of working together, including how to show up and fight for trans people in New York City. Her most important lesson? There’s always something to celebrate.
When Kelly Marie Tran was in middle school, a simple question from her dad – an immigrant to the US from Vietnam – changed the way she understood class, race and success in America.
With new host Jenny Yang, Going Through It returns for its third season featuring 15 notable guests reflecting on what they learned from the elders who influenced them at just the right time.
In this special live episode, Tracy sits down with TV host Tamron Hall at Vulture Fest to discuss being fired from The Today Show. She also shares what it has been like to launch her new talk show and becoming a new mother.
Tracy sits down with actress Tika Sumpter to talk about the ups and downs that come with following your dreams. Tika shares the journey of being a waitress in New York City to becoming the actress she always dreamed of.
Tracy chats with Angela Davis, aka The Kitchenista, about how she pivoted to following her passion for cooking full time. Angela highlights the importance of focusing your time on the things you love.
Tracy talks with Emmy award-winning writer, screenwriter and actress Lena Waithe about the power of self-determination and recognizing that struggles are a normal part of our journey.
Tracy welcomes transgender activist Raquel Willis to discuss speaking up for yourself and standing in your truth. Raquel also shares how her life trajectory changed after learning of the passing of a young transgender girl.
Tracy is joined by Girlfriends creator, Mara Brock Akil to chat about betting on yourself. Mara also shares the moment she was ready to risk it all for a chance at earning it all.
Tracy chats with writer, podcaster, and educator Ashley C. Ford about how a toxic relationship temporarily halted the bigger visions she had for her life. Ashley also shares how self-love led to her biggest breakthrough.
Tracy talks with actress Meagan Good about her infamous fashion moment at the 2013 BET Awards. Meagan shares exactly what happened, the backlash she faced, and how she found strength in her faith despite the criticism.
Tracy is joined by New York Times culture writer and podcast host of Still Processing, Jenna Wortham. Jenna discusses how her dad’s illness propelled her to have more awareness for her own health and self-care.
Tracy sits down with Naj Austin, Founder and CEO of Ethel’s Club and Somewhere Good. Naj shares what prompted her to create Ethel’s Club and the questions she faced as a young, Black entrepreneur in the startup world.
Tracy chats with Essence Magazine’s Entertainment Director, Cori Murray, to talk about the lessons she learned working at the longstanding media company and the importance of supporting the multitudes of Black culture.
Tracy is joined by awarding-winning actress and performer, Danielle Brooks. The pair talk about the surprises in store for Danielle when she gave birth to her first child.
Tracy and Ilhan Omar, U.S. Representative from Minnesota’s 5th district, discuss Ilhan’s journey from Somalia to America and how she remains strong amid criticism on the public stage.
Tracy and Josie Duffy Rice, President of The Appeal and host of Justice in America, unpack violence and police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement, and how Josie re-evaluated what “making change” meant for her career.
Back for a second season, Tracy Clayton hosts Going Through It, a podcast featuring 14 notable Black women discussing a pivotal moment when they decided it was time to make a change.
In 1999, Antje Danielson wanted to start a car-sharing company. But she was a scientist, not a businesswoman, and she knew she couldn’t do it alone. After launching Zipcar with her friend Robin Chase, Danielson had to come to terms with one of her biggest mistakes: asking a close friend to become an equal partner in her company. Danielson tells host Ann Friedman what happened when Chase fired her, and why her choice to walk away ultimately saved the company.
In 2012, Ellen Pao was fighting discrimination on two fronts: in the courtroom, where she brought a gender discrimination lawsuit against her former employer Kleiner Perkins, and at work, where she attempted to change the culture of Reddit as its interim CEO. Before the end of that year, Pao both lost her case, and resigned. She talks to host Ann Friedman about her decision to keep working to change the tech industry, even after everything fell apart.
When Charlotte Cho moved to South Korea, she didn’t have a professional passion or much of a plan. But she did discover the power of the 10-step skin care routine. Now, she’s the founder of Soko Glam, one of the largest retailers of Korean beauty products in the United States. Cho tells host Ann Friedman about how she learned to invest in her company, and herself.
Years before broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien delivered the news to millions of Americans, she was an entry-level reporter in San Francisco. To become the news anchor she wanted to be, O’Brien had to make strategic decisions. She talks to host Ann Friedman about what happened when that first on-air position — which was her dream role at the time — started looking like a dead-end job.
Jessamyn Stanley didn’t set out to be a yoga instructor. But after a death in her family, yoga became one of the few tools that helped her cope with depression. Stanley talks to host Ann Friedman about how she unexpectedly came to the practice, how it forced her to address things she didn’t even know she needed to change, and how she became someone who leads other yoga practitioners on their own journeys.
Samin Nosrat built her career and her identity as a chef. She studied cooking in Italy, worked at the revered Chez Panisse, and launched her own pop-up catering company to overnight success. But none of this was what she actually wanted to do. Nosrat wanted to write. She talks to host Ann Friedman about how scary it was to push the reset button on her life.
The night Glennon Doyle stood in front of an audience to announce the release of Love Warrior, a book about repairing her relationship with her husband, was the same night she met the love of her life — soccer star Abby Wambach. In the months between their fateful meeting and her book tour, Doyle had to decide: Would she follow her heart to be with Wambach, or make the “safe” choice and stay in her marriage?
When the Olympics announced in 2012 that women’s boxing would be an official event for the first time in history, Claressa Shields started to prepare for a match that could change her life. But when the president of USA Boxing told her she wasn’t old enough to compete, Shields’ dedication to the sport was thrown into question. She tells host Ann Friedman about how close she came to giving up her dream.
In the fall of 1965, 18-year-old Hillary Rodham left home and moved almost 1,000 miles away from everything that was familiar. Far from her parents, and far from her small Midwestern community where she was an academic superstar. And she began her first year at Wellesley College, a place she never expected would bring out her deepest insecurities. What happens when you’re afraid you can’t hack it, and you’re tempted to just give up?
Cameron Esposito had always looked at her career in comedy as if she was running a small, DIY business. But when she was approached by Seeso, an online streaming network, to make a TV series based on her life, she felt that Hollywood was finally taking notice. Esposito tells host Ann Friedman about launching her series, getting rave reviews…and how she coped with the fall out after the network shut down.
Amanda Nguyen was appalled to find that the laws around the preservation of her rape kit would make it difficult for her to seek justice after her sexual assault. Outraged, she marched onto Capitol Hill, determined to get Congress to listen to her story and change the laws. But she was ignored again and again. Nguyen tells host Ann Friedman the story of how she eventually caught the attention of the people in power, and “penned her own civil rights into existence.”
When journalist Rebecca Traister quit her full-time job after she got pregnant, she had a plan: she was going to write her second book while spending time at home with her first child. But she didn’t prepare for the writer’s block, financial insecurity, and postpartum depression that also marked her first year as a mother. Traister talks to host Ann Friedman about how she lost herself to a book and a newborn, and how she found her way back.
Audri Scott Williams’ announcement to run in the 2018 primary election wasn’t just historic because she was running in Alabama’s notoriously conservative District 2. She was part of a wave of over 70 black running for office in her state that year. But Williams was accustomed to being on front lines of political change. She tells host Ann Friedman about integrating her elementary school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and how that moment would shape how she faced the long odds of her political race.
Ever since childhood, Kathleen Hanna loved singing. When she and her friends started the band Bikini Kill , she used her voice to challenge the male-dominated punk scene and center the women around her. But her success came with unexpected consequences. Hanna tells host Ann Friedman the story of what it was like to be declared the face of Riot Grrrl, and how the community she advocated for eventually turned against her.
Introducing Going Through It, a new podcast from Mailchimp. Coming to a podcast provider near you on April 15th.