Uncomfy: Sticking With Moments That Challenge Us

  Airdate: February 18, 2026 Shira Hoffer: There are ways to ask questions that feel genuine, and there are ways to ask questions that are really just kind of counter attacks where you, like, plop a question mark at the end so that you can, you know, feel like you've asked a question. Julie Rose:  Hey, it's Julie. Welcome to Uncomfy. A lot of us are feeling frustrated and confused right now about how to stay open to others when it seems like we live in different realities. I feel like I'm always walking on eggshells with people, but I don't want to give up on connection or retreat into a bubble where everybody thinks just like I do. This is a podcast about staying with the moments we usually want to escape: the awkward ones, the tense ones, the ones that might actually change us for good. There are not easy answers, but there is a lot we can learn from each other, so let's get Uncomfy. Shira Hoffer:  My palms definitely got sweaty, and I felt like everybody was...

  Airdate: February 11, 2026 Raj Vinnakota: "Be curious. Don't make assumptions." When someone says something that, I mean, I just makes you boil, right, and you're like, "I, I just can't believe that," first reaction should be, "I'm sorry. Why do you believe that?" Julie Rose: Hey, it's Julie. Welcome to Uncomfy. Lately, it just feels really hard to stay open to other people when it seems like we are all living in completely different realities. We're seeing current events from entirely different lenses, and it makes it really hard to connect, let alone sit comfortably in one another's presence. I feel like I'm constantly walking on eggshells everywhere I go, but I don't wanna give up on connection or retreat into a bubble where everybody is just like me so it feels safer. I want to stay curious and hopeful and human, and that's what this show is about, so let's get Uncomfy. Raj Vinnakota: It was such a p...

  Airdate: January 28, 2026 Julie Rose: One in four Americans is estranged from someone in their family. Kelsey Blahnik: And I think our society's kinda done this pendulum swing over to a more extreme no-contact trend, cutting people out more aggressively. Julie Rose : Hey, it's Julie. Welcome to Uncomfy. Lately, it just really feels hard to stay open to others when it seems like we're all living in completely different realities. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells in every encounter, just constantly uncomfortable. But I don't wanna give up on connection or retreat into a bubble where everybody is just like me. I wanna stay curious, hopeful, and human, and that's what this show is about. So, let's get Uncomfy. Kelsey Blahnik: Oh, I know when I start to get really uncomfortable in a social setting, I start sweating. I get a little shaky, I get a little cold, and that's when I know there's a part of me that's wanting to shrink in and eve...

 Airdate: January 14, 2026 Julie Rose: How would you react if a stranger insulted you right to your face? Adam Becker: Sometimes, I would just take it. I mean, how long can they, you know, cuss at my mother? 30 seconds? 45 seconds? At some point, they get bored of this, and then they, "Okay, then what?" So, now I'll be like, "Okay, now are you done?" Julie Rose: Hey, it's Julie. Welcome to Uncomfy, a show about sticking with moments that challenge us even when they're uncomfortable. And I get it, nobody likes to be Uncomfy, but I've learned from experience, and you probably have too, sometimes a little discomfort has benefits if we can stay open and curious about it. And that's what we're here to explore, so let's get Uncomfy. I'm joined today by Adam Becker. He's the CEO of HeadOn, which is an online platform that helps people have good faith conversations about tough topics. Mostly the platform is focused right now on the...

  Airdate: November 12, 2025 Julie Rose: Do you struggle to keep your cool when someone lashes out at you? Tim Shriver: "How could he be so stupid? How could he be so misguided? I'm so much smarter than he is. I'm so much," in the back of my, you know, ugly, unconscious thinking, "I'm a better person than the person who thinks the way he thinks." Julie Rose: Hey, it's Julie. Welcome to Uncomfy, a show about sticking with moments that challenge us even when they're uncomfortable. And I get it, nobody likes to be Uncomfy, but I've learned from experience, and you probably have too, that sometimes a little discomfort has benefits if we can stay open and curious about it. And that's what we're here to explore, so let's get Uncomfy. Today, I'm joined by Tim Shriver. He's the chairman of Special Olympics International and he is co-creator of The Dignity Index. It's an eight-point scale to determine how much contempt w...