meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
For The Love With Jen Hatmaker Podcast

Bonus: Grace for the Weird-Ass Brain: “The Bloggess” Jenny Lawson on How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay

For The Love With Jen Hatmaker Podcast

Jen Hatmaker

Relationships, Society & Culture

4.66.4K Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2026

⏱️ 66 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Description:What does it mean to be okay when nothing is okay? Not fixed. Not optimized. Not cured. Just… okay. This week, Jen and Amy sit down with bestselling author and professional weirdo Jenny Lawson to talk about surviving — and sometimes even thriving — inside a brain that does not always cooperate. Jenny’s new book, How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay, is a field guide for tender humans: a collection of tiny tools for when the big solutions feel impossible. Today, we talk about: Living with “tiny erratic squirrels” in your head Why imposter syndrome gets louder with success Learning to live within your real capacity Why you’re not failing if it’s just not for you Helpful tools like “weird walks”, “body doubling”, “writing Zooms”,  The radical courage of simply staying This conversation explores what happens when we stop trying to override our nervous systems and start listening to them instead. Midlife has a way of stripping away illusion — about productivity, about comparison, about who we’re supposed to be. Jenny reminds us that sometimes grit looks like finishing the book. And sometimes it looks like taking a drink of water and calling it enough. If you are exhausted, if you feel behind, if your brain tells you you’re the only one struggling – YOU ARE NOT ALONE. And being “still here” is no small thing. Thought-provoking Quotes: “Self-help books are super helpful for the right kind of person but I’m not that person.” – Jenny Lawson “Keep in mind that what worked for you in the past might not necessarily work for you now or in the future, and that doesn't mean you failed. It just means that's an opportunity.” – Jenny Lawson “If you throw humor into a really dark subject, it gives people permission to laugh. And then that big monster becomes so much smaller.” – Jenny Lawson Resources Mentioned in This Episode: How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself by Jenny Lawson – https://amzn.to/4qWKZi5 Samantha Irby – https://www.samanthairby.com/ A Ghost and His Gold by Roberta Eaton Cheadle – https://amzn.to/405lMH8 Anne Rice – https://annerice.com/ Dean Koontz – https://www.deankoontz.com/ Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – https://amzn.to/475Qp31 Focusmate (Body Doubling App) -  https://www.focusmate.com/ Let's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson – https://amzn.to/4rGEBN7 Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson – https://amzn.to/4u4RBxG Broken (In The Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson – https://amzn.to/4r3Bhuh Jenny Lawson Book Tour - https://thebloggess.com/2026/02/25/how-to-be-okay-when-nothing-is-okay-on-book-tour/ Jenny Lawson’s Nowhere Book Shop in San Antonio, TX - https://nowherebookshop.com/ Guest’s Links: Website - https://thebloggess.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thebloggess/ Twitter - https://x.com/TheBloggess Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jennythebloggess Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/thebloggess/ Substack - https://thebloggess.substack.com/ Connect with Jen!Jen’s Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerJen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerJen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

McDonald's cards are here.

0:02.0

24 cards to find and free food in every pack.

0:05.0

Choose from a range of cards meals, including the legendary double big man.

0:10.0

Order a cards mill and get a pack today.

0:12.0

18 plus UK only, with selected meals subject to availability.

0:17.0

Ends 27th of April app may be required.

0:19.0

See McDurules.com.uk.U.K. Everybody, welcome to the

0:28.6

For the Love podcast. Amy and I are happy that you're here. Welcome back. Welcome back. Everyone

0:33.4

today. I know. You guys, Jenny Lawson is here today.

0:41.3

And if that is not immediately ringing a bell, then maybe her, like, long-time

0:46.0

famous handle of her blog, the bloggists, rings a bell.

0:51.7

She was one of the very first internet writers in the blog days, which she reminded us,

1:00.2

she started her blog in 2006. Yeah, 20 years. She was one of the very first that I found and thought,

1:08.4

well, I will never miss one thing that she writes, not one.

1:11.9

I think I have probably read every blog she's ever written.

1:14.3

Same.

1:14.9

Do you?

1:15.5

Yeah, she has been at my side for a very long time.

1:20.5

She is the funniest, quirkiest, most outrageous, hilarious, hilarious, truthful writers.

1:31.7

Yes.

1:32.7

I mean, I just, I have loved her for so long.

1:36.0

It's so fun to have it on the show today.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jen Hatmaker, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jen Hatmaker and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.