Episodes

  • It's August, our annual reminder to stop and smell the wildflowers. Host Jillian Anthony (freelance writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) takes that literally. This is her third summer taking a monthlong sojourn away from her home base of Austin and spending August with friends, family, and nature. Jillian discusses how she has intentionally made August a month to say no to work and yes to travel, beauty, and connection — and how her life as a freelancer made that possible, year after year. This month, her only goal is to exist within the essence of August, the most fleeting month.

    Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:

    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Website: jilliananthony.com

    Instagram: @jillathrilla

    Threads: @jillathrilla

  • Comedian Zach Zimmerman knows a lot about success, and even more about rejection. The author of the essay collection Is It Hot in Here (or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)? shares how he cold-pitched his way into the New Yorker and how he handles unruly audience members as a standup comedian. He and host Jillian Anthony (freelancer writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) talk about accepting rejection as part of making your art, dealing with difficulty family members, and how they both got broken up with on flights back from Europe. Plus, Zach shares a simple pep talk for pursuing your creative dreams: Nowhere is it written that you can't do it.

    Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow guest Zach Zimmerman:

    Book: Is It Hot in Here (or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)? Instagram: @zzdoublezz TikTok: @zzdoublezz Website: zach-zimmerman.com Tour: zach-zimmerman.com/tour

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:

    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter Website: jilliananthony.com Instagram: @jillathrilla Threads: @jillathrilla

    Resources mentioned:

    Zach’s appearance on After Midnight Zach’s New Yorker articles Derry Girls on Netflix My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante On Writing by Stephen King Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott The Bee Sting by Paul Murray "Dead Eyes" podcast by Connor Ratliff Focusmate.com Speechify
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  • A friend gifted host Jillian Anthony (freelance writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) her first Tarot deck when she was 31 — and it changed her life. Today, it’s her most nourishing personal and creative habit. She shares how Tarot helped her move through heartbreak, get to know her highest self, and tap into her intuition. She explains the basics of Tarot, shares some beginner spreads, and discusses how to start exploring Tarot as a way to connect with yourself and your creativity.

    Jillian’s favorite part of Tarot is that there is no magic in the deck — the magic is in you. Are you ready to embrace it?

    Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps me reach more listeners!

    Submit your question on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:

    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Website: jilliananthony.com

    Instagram: @jillathrilla

    Threads: @jillathrilla

    Resources mentioned:

    Rider-Waite Tarot deck

    Mystic Mondays Tarot deck

    BiddyTarot.com

    Modern Witch Tarot deck

    Cat Tarot deck

    OK Tarot: The Simple Deck for Everyone by Adam J.K.

    Chani Nicholas astrology app

  • On the first edition of Dear Jilla, an advice column about art, life, and love, host Jillian Anthony (freelance writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) answers a reader’s question about overcoming her fear of Cringe. Jillian talks through her own experiences with pushing past Cringe and offers concrete ways to get to know your deepest fears, befriend them, and eventually use them as powerful tools in your creative process. Cringe is about taking risks, embracing who you really are, and reaching your full potential. The Cringe in me sees the Cringe in you.

    Follow/subscribe to Cruel Summer Book Club now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps me reach more listeners!

    Submit your questions on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:

    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Website: jilliananthony.com

    Instagram: @jillathrilla

    Threads: @jillathrilla

    Resources mentioned:

    Kyle Prue’s self-tape

    The annoying act of telling people what you do by Cody Cook-Parrot

    A Thing or Two: Cringe
    Submit your question to Dear Jilla

  • Host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) interviews author and podcast host Madeleine Dore about her many creative pursuits over the past decade. Dore takes us through the winding path of pursuing journalism, interviewing creatives for her newsletter, Extraordinary Routines, then writing her own book, I Didn’t Do the Thing Today. They discuss the tensions between productivity and creativity; the 10-year path to Dore’s first book (and her writing habits); and the importance of accepting your own creative process (and yourself). Plus, they talk about how personal projects can open important doors — even though they sometimes feel like a slog.

    Dore’s best advice? “Just take the next step, and make it a very small step.”

    Follow/subscribe to Cruel Summer Book Club now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps reach more listeners!

    Submit your questions on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.

    Follow guest Madeleine Dore:

    Newsletter: On Things

    Book: I Didn’t Do the Thing Today

    Podcast: A Social Life with Friends

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:

    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Website: jilliananthony.com

    Instagram: @jillathrilla

    Threads: @jillathrilla

    Resources mentioned:

    Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

    Milanote

    The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

    Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

    Written Into Being workshop with Giselle Buchanan

  • The Cruel Summer Book Club podcast is BACK, baby!

    Host Jillian Anthony talks about the evolution of her thinking around work, money, and success as she’s built a career as a freelance writer and editor since 2020. After reclaiming her creativity for four years, she’s ready to share what she’s learned so far. She discusses the new focus of CSBC — making space for your art and yourself — and what this podcast and the CSBC newsletter will look like moving forward. Plus, she talks about learning to decouple her self-worth from work, cultivating a sense of “enoughness,” and how she’s building her freelance business brick by brick — and reaching for some big artistic dreams. She’s figuring it out and invites you to join her.

    Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps me reach more listeners!

    Submit your question on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:

    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter Website: jilliananthony.com Instagram: @jillathrilla Threads: @jillathrilla

    Resources:

    Web designer Ashleigh Keith The Monday Monday newsletter by Cody Cook-Parrot The annoying act of telling people what you do by Cody Cook-Parrot Standing in our values by Cody Cook-Parrot Success on Substack course on Skillshare by Cody Cook-Parrot On asking yourself what kind of artist you want to be by Fariha Róisín Creative coach Catherine LaSota
  • On this solo episode, host Jillian Anthony (writer, editor, and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) shares her favorite ways to intentionally usher in the new year. She shares her experience with Year Compass, the free workbook she fills out every January, and how it’s helped her make real change — and identify which things she fails to change year after year. She also shares some other New Year resources and talks about her favorite books of 2022. Happy new year!

    Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Time stamps

    1:52 – Jillian’s favorite books of 2022
    2:02 – A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
    2:49 – 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
    4:48 – Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington
    5:30 – Hear more of Jillian’s sobriety journey on Catherine Andrew’s podcast The Sunday Soother
    5:47 – How to use Year Compass to welcome a new year
    7:58 – Jillian’s big dreams for the year ahead at the start of 2021
    10:32 – How many of those dreams came true
    11:02 – Things Jillian hasn’t changed year after year
    11:25 – And the things Jillian has changed
    13:14 – Picking your word of the year (susannahconway.com)
    14:00 – Align your priorities with the Four-Square Model (franhauser.com)
    15:28 – Keep track of the best thing that happened during your week for a year
    16:09 – Jillian’s bucket list dreams
    16:42 – A special New Year’s message for you
    17:35 – Where you can find Jillian

  • Casey Johnston is the author of the long-running column Ask a Swole Woman, which now lives on her newsletter, She’s a Beast. She also wrote a book for beginner strength trainers called Liftoff: Couch to Barbell, which outlines a 12-week program on the basics of lifting, and fosters an online community for women strength trainers (and everyone else who might not fit into the gym bro stereotype). Host Jillian Anthony (writer, editor, and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) used Casey’s book as a guide to ease back into lifting after a long break. Casey talks about how strength training changed her relationship to food, exercise, and her own body; why “losing weight” isn’t a great motivator; and how it’s an important life skill to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

    Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow guest Casey Johnston:
    Newsletter: shesabeast.co
    Book: Liftoff: Couch to Barbell
    Twitter: @caseyjohnston
    Instagram: @swolewoman

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

  • Author Jessica Dore combines the wisdom of ancient storytelling, the mysticism of Tarot, and the teachings of psychology in her book, Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-care, Acceptance, and Growth. A licensed social worker, she writes regular offerings to readers online, using the images of the 78 cards of the Tarot deck and the characters she studies in folklore to weave affecting stories of how we can embrace the archetypes that are ever-present in our own lives — and use Tarot as a tool for change. Host Jillian Anthony (writer, editor, and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) talks with Jessica about how she practices Tarot in her own life, how you can start building a relationship with the Tarot cards, and Jillian’s tarot pull about 2022 — a year of big changes.

    Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow guest Jessica Dore:
    Book: Tarot for Change
    Offerings newsletter: jessicadore.substack.com
    Twitter and Instagram: @thejessicadore

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Time stamps
    1:14 – Jillian is reading: Desert Oracle by Ken Layne
    2:51 – Jillian’s obsession: her new cat Dusty!
    4:02 – Introducing guest Jessica Dore
    5:00 – Jessica’s obsession: her garden
    7:27 – The basics of Tarot
    10:04 – How and why Jessica wrote Tarot for Change
    12:46 – Jessica’s approach to Tarot as a social worker
    21:46 – How Jessica uses Tarot in her own life
    28:36 – How to start building a relationship with Tarot cards
    30:49 – Jillian’s Tarot practice
    33:00 – Jillian discusses her Tarot pull about her year with Jessica
    49:35 – Art that helped Jessica through a difficult time: the Visconti Sforza Tarot deck
    53:02 – Jessica’s joy bomb: her puppy, and their routine
    56:08 – Where you can follow Jessica

  • What if you approached money from a place of abundance, rather than restriction? Stella Gold will show you the way. Stella is a certified, trauma-informed financial wellness educator — and host Jillian Anthony’s former financial advisor. Their business, My Gold Standard, helps people understand the emotions, experiences, and desires behind how they spend money, and build wealth along the way. Stella’s entire life changed when their father died suddenly, leaving Stella and their mother to sort through the impenetrable financial processes of the government. In this episode, Stella tells Jillian about their own financial education and wealth journey; how grief shaped their future; and what it was like to fully step into their nonbinary identity.

    Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow guest Stella Gold:
    Instagram: @mygoldstandard
    Website: mygoldstandard.co

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Time stamps

    1:11 – Jillian is reading 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
    3:09 – Jillian’s obsession: Taylor Swift’s “Midnights”
    4:52 – Introducing guest Stella Gold
    5:54 – Stella’s obsession: eels
    8:00 – Stella explains their work as a certified trauma-informed financial wellness educator
    11:16 – Financial literacy, and focusing on abundance instead of restriction
    15:02 – The impact the sudden death of Stella’s father had on their life
    22:22 – Stella’s travel and finances in the midst of grief
    28:57 – Stella’s journey to starting their own company
    34:34 – What My Gold Standard is all about and Stella’s love for entrepreneurship
    37:18 – What it’s like to work with Stella
    39:42 – How Stella embraced their nonbinary identity
    47:04 – Discovering nonbinary people in Stella’s Filipino ancestry
    48:30 – Stella’s they/them pronouns
    50:08 – Stella’s finance book recommendations: The Law of Divine Compensation by Marianne Williamson
    51:26 – The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
    52:31 – My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
    53:13 – Decolonize Wealth by Edgar Villanueva: “Money is medicine”
    53:43 – A piece of art that helped Stella through a hard time: The On Being podcast
    56:36 – Stella’s joy bomb: Body movement
    59:24 – Where to follow Stella

  • Nicole Cardoza practices radical imagination, and wants you to as well. She may be best known as the creator of the Anti-Racism Daily newsletter, which began shortly after the murder of George Floyd and now reaches hundreds of thousands of subscribers. But Nicole also manages Reclamation Ventures, which invests in projects committed to health and racial equity; runs the Banned Books Book Club; and is currently on tour as a magician. Host Jillian Anthony (writer, editor, and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) asks Nicole what it was like to watch Anti-Racism Daily gain such sudden popularity, and the self-care practices she adopted to see her through an intense professional learning curve. Plus, they discuss closing the “wellness gap;” what it’s like to be a Black, queer, female magician; and Nicole’s pandemic months spent in the wilds of Alaska.

    Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow guest Nicole Cardoza:
    Website and newsletter: nicoleacordoza.com
    Instagram and Twitter: @nicoleacardoza
    Anti-Racism Daily newsletter: antiracismdaily.com

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Time stamps

    2:33 – Jillian is reading A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
    4:41 – Jillian’s obsession: The Real Housewives of Potomac
    6:34 – Introducing guest Nicole Cardoza
    7:11 – Nicole’s obsession with radical imagination
    9:45 – Nicole’s fall tour as a magician
    11:13 – Being a good community member in Austin, a blue dot in a red state
    13:30 – Nicole’s upbringing and early interest in magic
    15:53 – Nicole’s growth in yoga and the wellness space
    17:45 – What is the “wellness gap?”
    20:44 – The beginning of Anti-Racism Daily and its growth
    26:52 – How Nicole leveled up professionally
    32:10 – How Nicole continually educates herself about social issues
    35:18 – Nicole’s mental and physical wellness practices
    37:28 – Nicole spent months in Alaska during the pandemic
    41:01 – Breaking down Nicole’s other businesses
    42:10 – Nicole’s goals for Reclamation Ventures and as a performer
    44:14 – Nicole’s experience as a Black, queer, female magician
    46:46 – Banned Books Book Club, and the rise of book banning in the USA
    52:22 – Nicole’s art: “I Found My Smile Again” by Jaylen Pigford
    53:48 – Nicole’s joy bomb: Morning walks with her dog to get coffee
    55:42 – Where to follow Nicole’s work

  • Writer, actor, and podcast host Dylan Marron has made a career out of doing something few of us will ever do: talking to internet strangers who said unkind things to him online. When Dylan began publishing video series to a large online audience, he started taking screenshots of the hateful comments people left and saved them in a “hate folder” on his computer. One Facebook chat with an 18-year-old commenter led to the remarkable first episode of his podcast, Conversations with People Who Hate Me, and his first book of the same name. Host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter and former Editor of Time Out New York) talks with Dylan about how these difficult conversations changed how he exists online and in real life, and how kindness and empathy can radically change how we interact with those who disagree with us. Plus they discuss what it was like for Dylan to take 13 months off social media, how he finally got his book over the finish line after a two-year delay, and how author Anne Lamott’s advice to write a “sh*tty first draft” makes him a better writer. 

    Follow guest Dylan Marron:
    Website: dylanmarron.com
    Instagram: @dylanmarron
    Twitter: @dylanmarron
    Book: Conversations with People Who Hate Me
    Podcast: Conversations with People Who Hate Me

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Time stamps

    1:08 – Reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakaeur
    5:23 – Jillian’s obsession with Nimsdai
    7:41 – Introducing guest Dylan Marron
    8:27 – Dylan’s obsession with car detailing videos from @thedetailgeek
    10:47 – How Jillian knows Dylan and his husband Todd
    16:20 – Dylan’s early theater experience with the New York Neo Futurists
    19:02 – More on Dylan’s work and video series at Seriously.tv
    22:42 – When Dylan began collecting hateful comments from online strangers
    25:31 – What it was like to talk to Dylan’s first guest for Conversations with People Who Hate Me
    31:15 – Why Dylan doesn’t describe internet detractors as trolls
    36:42 – What “empathy is not endorsement” means
    40:34 – How Dylan has reshaped how he exists online
    44:04 – Kindness and empathy won’t heal what ails us, but they will help
    46:55 – Dylan took 13 months off social media to write his book
    49:31 – How being offline for over a year reshaped Dylan’s relationship to social media
    53:48 – Dylan talks about missing his book deadline by two years, and the writing process
    55:33 – Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and the freedom of the “sh*tty first draft”
    1:03:46 – Two books that helped Dylan write: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
    1:05:35 – Dylan’s joy bomb: taking a nap
    1:07:07 – Where you can follow Dylan

  • Figuring out who to vote for, where and when to donate, and why it all matters can be so confusing. Democratic political strategist Brian Derrick wants to help change that. You may know him from Instagram, where he demystifies upcoming political races and shares how you can actually make a difference, either with donations or through actions. Last year he founded Oath, a site that helps Democrats know which candidate to donate to, and when, so that their dollars will make the most impact. Host Jillian Anthony (freelance writer and editor, and the former Editor of Time Out New York) asks Brian all of her burning political questions, including: When is the best time to make a political donation? What is rage-donating? Why is it important to call members of Congress? What do Democrats need to know and do to influence real change in our nation? And does my vote actually matter? Listen and learn!

    Follow and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow guest Brian Derrick:
    Instagram: @brianderrick_
    Oath

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Time stamps:

    1:12 – Reading Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
    3:05 – Obsessed with cool fall morning air
    5:01 – Introducing guest Brian Derrick
    5:51 – Brian’s obsessed with Survivor
    10:22 – How Brian got into politics on social media
    13:39 – Brian’s goal to help people effectively donate to causes and politicians
    14:20 – Brian’s career development
    19:37 – Founding Oath to help people make greater impacts
    22:40 – Rage funding, and why it often doesn’t make sense
    28:12 – Why do donations matter?
    28:33 – Why you should invest early in the cycle
    34:08 – Why is voter turnout so low for local elections? And why are they important?
    38:58 – Can you name your local politicians?
    41:17 – Why is it important to call members of Congress? Does it actually make a difference?
    47:18 – What Brian has to say to people who don’t think their votes matter
    50:32 – Why Republicans are winning the long game, and why Democrats need to play the same game
    52:14 – Brian’s love of Broadway and Falsettos
    55:08 – Brian’s joy bomb of getting out of the city, and watching bloopers from Veep and Parks and Recreation
    57:23– Where to follow Brian

  • Tiffany Philippou (author of the newsletter The Tiff Weekly) joins the podcast all the way from the United Kingdom. Tiffany’s first book, the memoir Totally Fine (and Other Lies I’ve Told Myself), chronicles the tumultuous decade she experienced after her university boyfriend died by suicide when Tiffany was 20 years old. She and host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter and former Editor of Time Out New York) discuss stuffing grief down, the long process of healing through writing (and therapy), and how much cultural discussions around mental health care have changed since we were in school. Tiffany also shares how she didn’t start writing for work or pleasure until she was almost 30—one writing class gave her the idea for her book, and she was a published author just a few years later.

    Subscribe and follow the CSBC podcast so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow guest Tiffany Philippou:
    Instagram: @tiffphilippou
    Twitter: @tiffphilippou
    Buy Totally Fine (and Other Lies I’ve Told myself)
    Subscribe to The Tiff Weekly

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Time stamps

    :37 – Reading The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
    3:17 – Obsessing over my local Buy Nothing group
    5:24 – Introducing guest Tiffany Philippou
    8:02 – Tiffany’s obsession: reading books on writing by writers
    12:04 – How Tiffany became a writer at 30
    18:18 – How a writing workshop sparked her first book
    21:11 – Tiffany’s boyfriend’s death by suicide, and coping with grief
    25:09 – How trauma affected Tiffany’s memories
    27:53 – Writing through shame and forgiving her younger self
    31:35 – How cultural attitudes about mental health have changed in the past 10+ years
    35:00 – Tiffany’s shifting relationship with alcohol, and the cultural place of booze in the UK
    39:13 – Jillian’s shifting relationship to alcohol and being sober curious
    40:47 – Tiffany’s romantic relationships
    43:36 – Loving people through fear
    48:40 – Tiffany’s love of the TV show Friends
    50:44 – Tiffany’s joy bomb of hot yoga
    54:06 – Where to follow Tiffany

  • Writer Samantha Stallard (and Jillian’s bestie) returns to the pod! She and host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter and the former Editor of Time Out New York) discuss the complications of friendships between heterosexual men and women, and what it’s like to date as a woman in your 30s who doesn’t want to get married or have kids. Plus, Samantha talks about the power of self-parenting, the joy of moving back to New York City after two difficult years away, and the comfort of the rare friendships that feel like family. (And don’t forget to check out Samantha’s episode from season one, where she discusses when she broke off an engagement and left New York, and the healing process that followed.)

    Subscribe and follow the CSBC podcast so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow guest Samantha Stallard:
    Twitter: @SJStallard
    Website: https://www.samanthajstallard.com

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter: https://cruelsummerbookclub.substack.com/subscribe

    Time stamps:
    2:00 – Discussing Emily Ratajkowski's My Body
    7:10 – Discussing The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
    9:43 – Can men and women be friends?
    12:45 – Dating with friendship in mind
    17:00 – Friendship breakup with a male friend
    20:48 – Sam’s big breakup, and returning to New York City
    25:37 – Traveling to Italy together and taking five weeks off work
    29:05 – Looking out for your future self and self-parenting
    29:57 – Practicing thought control and living in the present
    36:26 – Samantha meets her future self
    39:32 – Dating as a women in her 30s who doesn’t want marriage or kids
    46:11 – Dating when you don’t want to be in a relationship
    49:06 – Why we need to give women more space to have choices in their lives
    53:00 – The challenges of making friends as an adult
    57:12 – The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
    1:02:30 – Where to follow Samantha

    Transcript link: https://cruelsummerbookclub.substack.com/p/transcript-samantha-stallard-asks

  • Host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter and former Editor of Time Out New York) ushers in the second season of the podcast with a solo episode. She discusses the three biggest changes in her life over the past year: 1. She deprioritized work, while building a freelance writing and editing career. 2. She spent the first 167 days of the year sober. 3. She felt the heavy impact of changes in her friendships and social circles.

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter: https://cruelsummerbookclub.substack.com/subscribe

    Time stamps
    1:10 – Guest lineup and what you can expect this season
    3:32 – Three big changes for Jillian this year
    4:01 – Deprioritizing work
    5:38 – Imagining what a new work life could look like
    6:17 – Resources that helped Jillian reprioritize
    8:16 – Forming a freelance life
    11:21 – Planning a month off in Europe
    13:57 – Gifts of freelance life
    16:10 – Exploring long term sobriety
    16:53 – Jillian’s discomfort with her relationship to alcohol
    20:00 – Choosing 100 days of sobriety
    20:29 – What is sober curious?
    21:50 – What Jillian learned through sobriety
    25:27 – Changing friendships
    25:49 – How many friends can you have?
    29:20 – Write a Friendship Circle
    31:15 – Intentional plans for fall
    32:53 – Outro

    Subscribe and follow the CSBC podcast so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Resources:
    Life coach Catherine Andrews: https://www.catherinedandrews.com
    The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: https://juliacameronlive.com
    Fran Hauser’s Four-Square Model: https://www.franhauser.com/blog/my-secret-tool-to-setting-boundaries
    YearCompass: https://yearcompass.com
    Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington: http://www.rubywarrington.com/books/sober-curious
    The Sober Curious Reset by Ruby Warrington: http://www.rubywarrington.com/books/sober-curious-reset
    Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships  by Robin Dunbar: https://bookshop.org/books/friends-understanding-the-power-of-our-most-important-relationships-9780349143576/9781408711736  
    Robin Dunbar’s Friendship Circle

    Transcript link: https://cruelsummerbookclub.substack.com/p/transcript-a-year-of-big-changes

  • Artist and author Adam J. Kurtz was supposed to turn in the manuscript for his fourth book in April 2020. Instead, he and his husband weathered the worst of the pandemic in Brooklyn, and as most of Adam’s creative work disappeared, he was forced to transform. Host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter and former Editor of Time Out New York) talks with Adam about his upcoming book of essays and art, You Are Here (For Now), about facing mortality with as much joy and creativity as you can. And Adam discusses leaving New York behind to move in with his in-laws in Honolulu; the importance of having a “F*ck Off Fund”; and the simple fact that we are all artists.

    Subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Follow guest Adam J. Kurtz:
    Order You Are Here (For Now)
    Shop all his products at adamjk.com
    Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok: @adamjk

  • Author Ashley C. Ford worked on her memoir, Somebody’s Daughter, for ten years before it was released this summer and instantly shot to the New York Times bestseller list. Ashley talks with host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter and former Editor of Time Out New York) about releasing herself from secrets and shame through writing her family’s story, how therapy helped her finish her book, and the importance of teaching children consent from an early age.

    Subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Follow guest Ashley C. Ford:
    Order Somebody’s Daughter
    Twitter: @ismashfizzle
    Instagram: @smashfizzle
    Newsletter: Somebody’s Notes
    Website

  • Francesca Hogi lovingly calls herself the biggest loser in Survivor history—she was the first one voted off the island, twice—but her big losses motivated her to change her entire life. Host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter and former Editor of Time Out New York) talks to the host of the Dear Franny podcast about dealing with the fallout of Survivor, quitting her job as a lawyer to become a love coach, the importance of vulnerability and self-worth in dating, and how to manifest true love.

    Subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:
    Instagram: @jillathrilla
    Twitter: @jillathrilla
    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Follow guest Francesca Hogi:
    Instagram: @dearfranny
    Twitter: @dearfranny
    Clubhouse: @dearfranny
    Dear Franny podcast
    Website

  • At age 29, Dr. Susie Bannon got her fourth DWI and went to prison for 11 months. The injustices she witnessed there changed the course of her life, inspiring her to earn her Ph.D. in communication and become an activist for prison abolition. Now 12 years sober, Dr. Bannon tells host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter and former editor of Time Out New York) about growing up with an alcoholic mother, why probation and all the expenses that come along with it sets people up to fail, and the healing that longtime sobriety can bring.

    Subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now, so you never miss an episode.
    And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, so we feel the love.

    Follow host Jillian Anthony:Instagram: @jillathrillaTwitter: @jillathrilla

    Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

    Follow guest Susie Bannon:Instagram: @elsoozCofounder of the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN)Ted Talk.