Uncomfy: Sticking with Moments That Challenge Us

One hot flash in a room full of men left Emily Bell McCormick wondering how to escape…and why menopause was still so hard to talk about. Now she’s taking that uncomfortable moment to her state lawmakers, pushing for better menopause care, provider training, and research.

In this episode of Uncomfy, Emily shares with host Julie Rose what menopause can look like beyond hot flashes, why menopause symptoms are often misunderstood, and how gaps in women’s health education affect families, workplaces, and relationships. She also shares why menopause should be treated as a public-policy issue and what The Policy Project hopes to change through its Modernizing Menopause Care initiative.

Subscribe to Uncomfy for more honest conversations about health, relationships, politics, and the moments we usually avoid.

ABOUT GUEST
Emily Bell McCormick is the founder and president of The Policy Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to advance practical solutions to issues that difficult to discuss, including menopause care (https://www.thepolicyproject.org/menopause).

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Intro
(0:37) The Hot Flash
(2:18) Owning the Moment
(3:08) Pitching Menopause to Lawmakers
(4:38) The Legislator Who Asked
(6:50) Check out “A Braver Way”
(8:18) Getting Women to Speak Up
(10:11) Policy Plan for Better Care
(11:51) Three Fixes
(13:45) Wrap Up and Credits
(14:30) New Show “Dispatches from the Divide”

#Menopause #Perimenopause #WomensHealth #MenopauseCare #HotFlashes #MidlifeHealth #MenopauseAwareness #HealthcarePolicy #MenopauseResearch #UtahPolitics

What if your neighbors weren’t just people next door, but co-owners you had to work with every week? Cheryl Keil thought she had found the intentional community she wanted—until the meetings, maintenance, and uneven workloads made her wonder if it was time to leave.

Cheryl lives in Wasatch Commons, a co-housing community in Salt Lake City where residents own private homes but share responsibility for the property, common spaces, gardens, and decisions that shape daily life. She talks with Julie Rose about communal living, neighbor conflict, shared housing, social isolation, and why building a real community can be both deeply rewarding and incredibly frustrating.

Subscribe to Uncomfy for more honest conversations about connection, conflict, and the moments that challenge how we see one another.

More about Wasatch Commons - https://www.wasatchcommons.com/
More about co-housing - https://cohousingalliance.org/

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Intro
(0:38) Meet Cheryl Keil
(2:17) When Community Gets Messy
(4:26) Burnout and Almost Moving
(5:20) Turning Point and Gratitude
(6:58) Fixing the Participation Gap
(8:37) Check Out “A Braver Way”
(10:05) A Tour of Wasatch Commons
(12:19) Highs, Lows, and Lessons
(13:47) Wrap Up and Credits
(14:57) New Show “Dispatches from the Divide”

#Cohousing #IntentionalCommunity #CommunityLiving #SharedHousing #CommunalLiving #Loneliness #SocialIsolation #HousingAlternatives #NeighborConflict #UncomfyPodcast

What do you do when the voice in your head tells you that you don’t belong? And how can you tell the difference between a real warning and fear holding you back?

Joshua Green joins host Julie Rose to talk about why our inner critic often gets loudest when we’re stretching beyond our comfort zones and how past criticism can shape the way we see ourselves. They also explore people pleasing, fear of failure, authenticity, building a support network, and the value of naming our fears instead of letting them make decisions for us.

Subscribe to Uncomfy for more honest conversations about the uncomfortable moments that can really teach us something.

ABOUT GUEST
Joshua Green is a keynote speaker, entertainer, and entrepreneur who helps people overcome imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and negative self-talk (https://joshuaowengreen.com).

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Own Your Uniqueness
(0:10) Welcome to Uncomfy
(0:47) Meet Joshua Green
(1:14) The Juggling Audition Panic
(4:21) Imposter Voice in the Room
(5:37) The Results
(6:38) Three Takeaways on Authenticity
(9:12) Using Self Doubt as a Barometer
(11:03) Free Diving and Real Risk
(12:46) Voice the Fear, Build Support
(15:19) Start Small
(16:34) Wrap Up and Credits
(17:35) New Show - Dispatches from the Divide

#ImposterSyndrome #SelfDoubt #NegativeSelfTalk #Confidence #Anxiety #PersonalGrowth #PeoplePleasing #SelfWorth #MentalHealth #UncomfyPodcast

As the country reflects on 25 years since 9/11, we’re revisiting this conversation about the lasting trauma first responders can carry long after an emergency is over.

Chris Fields spent 31 years with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. In 1995, he responded to the Oklahoma City bombing and became part of one of the tragedy’s most iconic images, carrying three-month-old Baylee Almon from the wreckage. Years later, after cumulative trauma and PTSD began to take a toll, Fields had to confront what it meant to ask for help.

Chris joins host Julie Rose to talk about the pressure first responders feel to stay strong, the cost of burying painful experiences, and how vulnerability and treatment helped him begin to heal.

Resources mentioned:
Trauma Behind the Badge - https://www.traumabehindthebadge.us/
Survive First - https://www.survivefirst.us/
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) - Call or text 988

Original airdate: July 9, 2025

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Introduction
(0:47) Meet Chris Fields: A Firefighter's Journey
(4:59) The 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing
(6:34) The Iconic Photo
(8:52) The Long Road to Healing
(12:19) Helping Others Through Trauma
(17:16) Oklahoma First Responders Wellness Division
(19:06) Resources and Final Thoughts

What happens when the thing you’ve spent years hiding is suddenly impossible to hide?

Aneela Idnani spent decades concealing trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling disorder). She joins host Julie Rose to talk about shame, self-compassion, and the unexpected moment that helped her see her struggle differently.

ABOUT GUEST
Aneela Idnani is the co-founder of HabitAware, maker of the Keen bracelet—a wearable designed to help people notice and interrupt body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs)—and author of the memoir “Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows?”

More about HabitAware and the Keen bracelet – https://habitaware.com/
Check out the book – https://a.co/d/06VfcVFj

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Intro
(1:09) Aneela’s Secret Revealed
(3:47) Hiding and Shame
(5:01) How Pulling Started
(7:35) Life Choices and Anxiety
(8:58) Finding the Diagnosis
(11:11) Therapy and Turning Point
(12:50) A Helpful Invention
(15:42) Community and Self Compassion
(17:01) Wrap Up