For years now on our show, we've made a place where together we do not flinch from the hard stuff in life.

But we also have a good time.

I laugh a lot on this show more than I maybe ever expected when I pitched an idea for something called death, sex, and money.

And so it was both unexpected and also kind of fitting that we got

invited to be a part of Sketch Fest this year, San Francisco's premier comedy and improv festival.

For our show, we decided to do something kind of weird and dig into hard things while also studying when and how you can

laugh about them. We called the show Let's Laugh About Hard Things. Now, sometimes humor can be a

deflection, a way to keep you apart from really facing something. So at this show, the humor we were looking for was the kind that's a release after you look straight at something.

My guests who joined me in doing this were comedians, Guy Branham and Carl Tart were there, along with musician Matt Nathanson, who plays very sincere songs, but often does comedy between them on stage.

A Bay Area veterinarian who specializes an at-home euthanasia joined me, and writer Chanel Miller was there.

You may know her writing. Her bestsellers, Magnolia unfolds

It All and her memoir, Know My Name. If you don't, you have probably heard of her. She first

became famous as the unnamed sexual assault victim on Stanford's campus. And she wrote about

that experience, including how she

coped with the long criminal trial process by trying out stand-up comedy, among other things.

Chanel and I talk about that, and she is really funny. And if you haven't read, know my name, her memoir, I highly recommend it.

So in this episode, you'll hear all of this from our sold-out show at Sketchfest in San Francisco.

And because it's in the Bay Area, we also invited an AI voice in. And you know what? AI can help you laugh about hard things.

And so can inviting others to chime in

with the hard things you're dealing with.

Stella from San Francisco,

climate change and menopause is not cool

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