#104 - Brain Cancer, Friendship, and the Scary Mommy Blogging Days with Jill Smokler

Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship

Jill Smokler is the creator of Scary Mommy, one of the most original and successful mom blogs ever. She was also the first mom blogger to sell her site to a major media company. But Dear Nina is not a business podcast, and this is not a discussion about business regrets or rebranding. Jill was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. And since Jill is also my real-life friend from college, this episode is personal.

Jill and I had a candid conversation about her diagnosis, her decision to step away from her post-Scary Mommy work, and what she wants her kids to know about friendship. Jill also had specific advice for anyone with a friend who is diagnosed with cancer---what is most helpful, what is least helpful, and everything in between.

For updates on Jill (and for her humor and candor!) follow her on Instagram and Threads --both @jillsmokler.

Links mentioned:

• The recent today.com piece on Jill's diagnosis and the rise of Scary Mommy
• Jill's books: Confessions of a Scary Mommy and Scary Mommy's Guide to Surviving the Holidays
• She's Got Issues: the podcast and online magazine Jill founded
• My two visits on She's Got Issues: "Friendship-- Mistakes & Hard Lessons Learned" and "Friendship Breakups: Accepting When a Friendship is Over"
• Jill's previous visit to Dear Nina: "Old School Blogging Friendships"
• Kate Bowler's book, No Cure For Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)

Let's connect over all things friendship!

• My Substack newsletter about friendship & more
• Dear Nina website with show notes and a guide to pitching yourself as a guest
• Instagram , TikTok, Twitter, Youtube, Threads
• JOIN the Dear Nina Facebook group
• Ask an anonymous question

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