Shame, anger, fear and guilt are top difficult feelings that Jennette McCurdy has faced. To challenge these feelings, McCurdy has released her new podcast “Hard Feelings” near the end of October.
This is her first public project since she published her memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died” in 2022. Inside the bright yellow cover, McCurdy discusses her struggles with her past including, but not limited to, family issues and abuse and eating disorders. In this book, she also addresses her work done when she was thirteen and how much she is haunted by and recognized for it even now despite the trauma and negativity it holds on her.
A year and two months later, the published work is still on the New York Times Best Sellers list.
So far, her podcast is five episodes long and none of them exceed twenty minutes.
Immediately upon beginning the 18 minute episode “shame,” I heard the Lemonada introduction, and then my favorite blonde’s voice. My first thought was “wow, she has a perfect voice for a podcast.”
Within the first episode, McCurdy dives deep into her ”hard feelings.” This was the perfect transition into a new project after publishing her book over a year ago. She speaks about the aftermath of the memoir and therapy.
She began with shame — her personal experiences with feeling shame, denying her shame and finally acknowledging that she needs to seek help in the form of therapy. Just entering her thirties, she decided to finally prioritize her mental health over her work, especially when her mental health has taken a toll due to abuse from family and people in her workplace.
Many people believe that celebrities cannot face mental hardships because they have so much money — they can do whatever they want to cheer them up. McCurdy shows in her podcast that she is a person just like everyone else with real feelings and trauma like “ordinary” people.
Her podcast is exactly what I have been needing this semester. As a college student, I, and many other students, face mental hardships and challenges. We experience troubles in the workplace and have memories or trauma from our past that haunt us no matter how much we accomplish here and now. On top of everything, we also have professors with overwhelming expectations for their piles of homework. Combine these factors with an awful sleep schedule, and you have a recipe for some hard feelings.
As I was doing my nighttime routine the other night, I was listening to “bad mood,” the second episode to her podcast. She begins walking into her hotel room, and we hear the door close behind her. She admits, “I just had a bad day.”
Originally, she had the episode recorded with advice on how to counter a bad mood. When she found herself still in a slump, she decided to re-record the episode. I’m glad she did.
McCurdy is a hilarious person and the perfect host for a podcast. As McCurdy discusses this day, she mentions having a UTI. She asks if her audience is aware of the Azo Cranberry Gummies. The second they are brought up I turn to see my half-used pack upside down in a basket in my bathroom. I laughed out loud and got face wash in my mouth.
This episode was so genuine and came at the perfect time. I was having a rough day and I felt listened to, despite listening to her, and I began to realize I should have acknowledged my bad mood and just tried again in my day, the same way she re-recorded her podcast episode.
Following “bad mood” is the next episode “pressure.” McCurdy mentions her old narrative to motivate her to get work done and produce good projects. She used to use an underdog kind of narrative to feel that she was “undervalued” to work hard and prove herself wrong and drive her to have success. She used it until she didn’t fit or agree with her narrative anymore. Now with a successful, best-selling book she is looking for new motivation.
Then we have “loyalty” where she discusses times in her life when her mental health suffered because of society’s pressure to be loyal.
“egg freezing” is the most recent episode I listened to. She crams all of her doctor’s appointments into one week every year because she hates them. I like that idea and will be saving it for later when it is time to reschedule appointments of my own.
I finished the roughly hour and a half podcast in 24 hours. There has since been another installment released, titled “ending friendships.”
McCurdy has been the most relatable celebrity I have come across and I am so lucky that she is making a podcast. My only complaint is that these are no longer. Thank you, Jennette McCurdy for being you and recording it.
“Hard Feelings” is very confessional and personal. McCurdy lets us hear about her day-to-day life in a sort of confessional structure. She reflects on her past, and we hear about her processes and experiences in her self help journey.
As someone currently traversing their self-help journey, it is comforting to realize that I am not the only one who is humbled by their therapist, an enemy of unfortunate events and, at the end of the day, still responsible for my work duties.
I experienced hard feelings and emotions with Jennette McCurdy while listening — in a good way.
From topics such as pressure to perform, to daddy issues and to issues as simple as hating doctor visits, McCurdy has shared her relatable details with us with humor.
Her jokes did not stop and my laughing did not end. During the chilly autumn days, it is an immaculate vibe to throw on a sweater, step on the brown fallen leaves to hear that crisp crunch, and enjoy McCurdy’s podcast during your walk. Bonus points for adding a silly hot drink to keep your hands warm.
I cannot wait for more episodes to come out. “Hard Feelings” is available to listen to on Spotify and the Podbean App.
