

Dear Sugars
WBUR
A podcast that fields all your questions and offers radical empathy in return.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 25, 2023 • 42min
Redux: Trust Your Body
The Sugars discuss struggles with body image and body acceptance, breaking free from body image obsession, trusting your body and letting go of control, and exploring hunger, appetite, satisfaction, and body negativity. They also address understanding body trust, embracing body acceptance, and challenging beauty standards.

Aug 12, 2023 • 25min
Episodes We Love: The Power Of No, Part 2: Oprah Winfrey
"What do I want?" This is the question Oprah Winfrey finally asked herself, after years of struggling to say "no" to people in her life. In the second of this two-part series, the Sugars continue their conversation with Oprah Winfrey on when, why and how to say "no."

13 snips
Jul 29, 2023 • 24min
Redux: The Other Half of Sexless Relationships
In this episode, the Sugars answer letters from letter writers who want to have sex less frequently than their partners do.

Jul 15, 2023 • 34min
Encore: The Empty Chair, Part 1
In the Empty Chair series, the Sugars discuss early childhood death, an absence that can be ever-present. In Part 1, they read letters from siblings who live in the the shadow of their parents’ grief. This episode was originally released on November 4th, 2017.

9 snips
Jul 1, 2023 • 40min
Encore: What About The Stepchildren?
When the Sugars answered a letter from a woman who felt trapped in the role of "wicked stepmother," dozens of listeners wrote in asking the same question: what about the stepchildren, who have no control over the restructuring of their family? This episode, the Sugars respond with an episode devoted to the other side of the story.

Jun 17, 2023 • 32min
Encore: I Divorced My Spouse, And My Child Divorced Me
Divorce is always a painful process, but it's especially so when there are children in the middle. In this favorite episode from the archives, the Sugars discuss situations of parental alienation caused by divorce. They answer letters from a mother and a father whose daughters have cut off all communication with them after taking the other parent's side.
This episode was originally released October 14th, 2016.

Jun 10, 2023 • 37min
Dear Sugars introduces Love Letters
Dear Sugars fans: We wanted to share with you an episode from Love Letters, hosted by Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein, that we think you'll enjoy.

6 snips
Jun 3, 2023 • 35min
Encore: The Power of No, Part 1
There’s incredible power in saying “yes.” It opens up avenues and allows us to be brave. In Cheryl's case, it’s what led to her becoming Sugar. But saying yes to life's opportunities can also have its risks. In this favorite episode from the archives, The Sugars are joined by Oprah Winfrey to discuss when to say no, how to say no, and what happens in the wake of that. This episode was originally released July 15th, 2017.

May 20, 2023 • 34min
Encore: In the Shadow of Damaged Parents
A damaged parent can cast a dark shadow over our lives, especially when we inherit some of that damage. In this favorite episode from the archives, Steve’s father, the psychoanalyst Dr. Richard Almond, joins the Sugars to answer letters and offer a way out.

May 6, 2023 • 35min
Encore: The Price Of Our Dreams
In this favorite episode from the archives, the Sugars, along with fiction writer George Saunders, field letters from people who are chasing their creative dreams but frightened by the practical and financial risks that come with that pursuit. This episode was originally released on August 5th, 2017.


