Welcome to Is This Real Life, a Bravo podcast that relates our favorite shows to our own lives in the world around us.

I'm your host, Mandy Sleutzer. Let's get to it.

I'm trying to figure out how honest to be with all of you.

I feel like I can trust you. I don't want to complain or get in the mud or, you know, bring anyone down.

But this past week in particular was probably the hardest week I have experienced in a very, very long time,

probably since my mom died and my apartment burned down and all that fun stuff.

It's been a really difficult time in D.C., my profession and everything I've ever worked for,

and global health has literally been decimated.

Most people I've worked with, not at my organization, but at other places, have been fired or furloughed.

I was a little too close for comfort to the plane crash that happened. And I'm recording this on Thursday, and I don't believe his

name has been released yet, but someone I know was on board. So it's just been, it's been tough.

And I haven't struggled like this in a while.

So I'm trying to practice self-care and do all of those things, but this week was just sort of survival mode.

That being said, when I got together with Melissa to record this, we recorded her podcast first, which actually

is going to come out on Tuesday, February 4th. And then we got into mine and it just

giggles came out. I was laughing. I said, I just need to talk about anything but what has been going on in my day-to-day life.

And we had a nice time.

And so I hope if you're going through something tough, I'm sending love and encouragement.

And I promised that I would make this podcast a place of levity and enjoyment during tough times.

It's just hard to figure out what to say when I'm not doing well.

But I did laugh this week at the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills when they were on the beach near Garcell's beach house.

And they tried to send some lanterns and wishes, you know, up into the air and all of the lanterns.

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