About this episode
Today I’m joined by everyone’s favorite poet, Kate Baer , for a tender conversation about midlife transitions, medical anxiety, and the power of female friendship. We talk about how to orient around ideas instead of problems, and we share a few poems from Kate’s forthcoming collection, How About Now , out November 4th. If you’ve been feeling a little lonely, uncertain, or in-between — or all three — this one is for you. We discuss: How the body makes itself known in midlife Body neutrality, medical anxiety, and illness The public scrutiny around Kate’s weight loss Parenting in a fatphobic world “Menopause is when all the girls you were come out to play” How to cultivate female friendships — even through conflict The difference between community and friends Being erased from the male gaze as you age More about our guest: Kate Baer is the 3x New York Times bestselling author of What Kind Of Woman , I Hope This Finds You Well , and And Yet . Her work has also been published in The New Yorker, Literary Hub, Huffington Post and The New York Times. Her next book, How About Now , is out November 4, 2025. Connect with Kate: Kate’s website: www.katebaer.com Kate’s Instagram: @katejbaer Buy How About Now. Pre and early orders help authors so much: bookshop.org/p/books/how-about-now-poems-kate-baer Mentioned in this episode: Katie Sturino Send me (Ali) a text message. Make sure to check out Ali’s new website trucewithfood.com , and take the new Find Your Food Stage assessment !