Summary: We Can Do Hard Things

Episode: Our Most Hilarious Episode EVER: Embarrassing Stories Comic Relief!

Date: March 31, 2026

Hosts: Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, Amanda Doyle ("Sister")

Episode Overview

This riotously funny episode of "We Can Do Hard Things" is a pause from heavy topics, as hosts Glennon, Abby, and Amanda (aka "Sister") share their most mortifying and embarrassing stories, along with wild confessions submitted by listeners ("Pod Squad"). The through-line: vulnerability, laughter, and the power of normalized humiliation as a cure for shame—fueling a collective sense of humanity. Listeners can expect plenty of bodily mishaps, social faux pas, relatable moments, and honest reflection.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Power of Sharing Mortifying Stories

• Glennon introduces the episode as a needed break from serious themes, emphasizing laughter as a necessary "cleanse" (03:21).
• The hosts reference previous guests (Jenny Lawson, Brene Brown) who advocate for sharing embarrassing moments as a way to build connection and combat shame (02:02, 02:43).
• Sister notes: "Normalization is the antidote to shame." (02:02)

The Hosts' Most Embarrassing Stories

Amanda ("Sister")'s Stories

• The Jeeves Incident (04:01)
  • On a Zoom with her dog-loving accountant, Sister bashes the name "Jeeves" for being hilariously pretentious—only to discover the accountant’s beloved dog is named Jeeves.
  • Quote: "This is Jeeves." (Accountant, 05:32)
• Parking Garage Fiasco (10:42)
  • Lost her car for three hours while pushing a dolly of sensitive documents, only to be "caught" by the general counsel at the end.
• Hospital Urgent Care Mix-Up (18:14)
  • Couldn't recall her son's birthdate, holding up a line at urgent care and getting increasingly indignant—only to realize her mistake.
• High School Traffic Pee (25:27)
  • Peed herself in her car during high school traffic, reflecting hilariously on the paradox of looking completely normal above the waist, while "party in the back" with a flooded seat.
  • Quote: "The mullet of bodily functions: business in the front, party in the back." (26:13)

Glennon’s Stories

• The Teacher's Necklace (07:22)
  • Received a gold chain from a sweet ESL student that read "Number One Sex Machine." She felt obligated to wear it through the entire school day.
  • Quote: "Nobody looks at Oscar’s eyes and says, no, I’m not wearing this." (09:46)
• Spray Tan Mishap (20:54)
  • Her baby's recurring “orange” rash was traced to her self-tanning spray—transmitted through breastfeeding.
  • Quote (Doctor): "It looks like from your appearance that you might go to a tanning salon."
• Epic Walk of Shame (28:35)
  • Peed her boyfriend’s bed while drunk; carried the soiled sheets home past the fraternity in a classic walk of shame. Earned the nickname "Puddles."
  • Quote: "Just a comforter in sheets…there had never been a walk of shame more shameful." (29:14)
• Unflushed Poop Party (35:25)
  • Accidentally left poop in her boyfriend's hotel bathroom, only to have his family all discover (and announce) it together.
  • Quote: "I forgot to flush the goddamn toilet. And Jeeves looks at me…so excited that this has happened to me." (36:19)

Abby’s Stories

• ‘Number Two’ at Fourteen (22:20)
  • Couldn’t make it home in time, so pooped her pants after getting off the school bus. The worst: hiding soiled underwear in her bedroom’s wicker trash basket, only for her cousin to discover it.
  • Quote: "She goes, Abby, I have a question for you... did you poop in your underwear and throw them in the wicker basket?" (24:29)
• Vibrator at Security (56:12)
  • TSA agent inspects her suitcase, finds a vibrator, turns it on, asks her about it in front of colleagues.
  • Quote: "He pulls my vibrator out and says, ‘What is this?’ ...‘It vibrates.’ And so he turned it on." (57:18)

Embarrassing Bodily Mishaps: Feminist Context

• Sister explains the origins of "mortification"—both medical and religious—and how women's shame over normal bodily functions (pooping, farting) is a form of self-denial rooted in patriarchal expectations (31:03-33:42).
• “Why are everyone’s most embarrassing stories about pooping or periods or peeing—things that are totally natural?” (33:07, Glennon)

Listener Voicemail Highlights

Lupus Subway (41:09)

• Caller, drunk and alone on the subway, reads "Someone on this train has lupus," panics, assumes it’s her, and leaves voicemails for coworkers about her "diagnosis."
• Hosts cackle at her logic and the act of earnestly calling work contacts (42:31).

Army Ball Toast (43:13)

• Michaela, at a military ball, shouts “moment of silence!” instead of actually going silent. 1,500 people stare at her.
• Hosts note, "That’s something I would have done." (44:48, Abby)

Restaurant Diarrhea (48:13)

• Allison accidentally soils herself at a restaurant, has to explain to her friend, hides the evidence, and flees.
• Sister: "Never like this." (49:49)

Wrong Boyfriend Sleepover (50:47)

• Glennon herself: went to the wrong boyfriend’s house while drunk, realized the mistake, but decided to just stay.
• "I just stayed there...I just needed a bed." (51:35)

Public Restroom Catastrophe (52:28)

• Andrea, using a stall with a broken lock, is sat on by an oblivious stranger who enters, drops her pants, and sits.
• Hosts need “the rest of that story.” (53:33)

Security Strap-On Story (54:54)

• Em calmly identifies her sex toy for familiar workplace security, then collapses in laughter/tears once out of sight.
  • "Yes, that is a prosthetic penis." (55:22)
• This phrase becomes a running joke and symbolic Pod Squad 'bat signal' for surviving mortifying moments (60:29).

Other Noteworthy Moments

• Rapid-Fire Write-ins (58:02)

  • Standouts: Practicing kissing with an Abercrombie bag, "pooping in a takeout container at a red light," coworkers walking in on masturbation and a "potluck" mistaken for a "brothel."
  • “Until college I thought a brothel was a potluck. I learned when I offered to host one.” (58:40)

• Feminist Reflection (Throughout)

  • Discussion of shame, body image, and normalizing embarrassing bodily functions as feminist acts.

• Call to Listeners

  • The hosts invite listeners to continue sharing embarrassing stories for future episodes and declare the experiment of solidarity and laughter a resounding success (61:00).
  • “Part of the revolution of normalization.” (61:41, Sister)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Laughing hard can be just as much of a cleanse as crying hard." — Glennon Doyle (03:21)
• "Normalization is the antidote to shame." — Sister (02:02)
• "Who needs a juice cleanse when you could just laugh like that?" — Sister (03:17)
• "You just sat in the front seat and peed...like a mullet: business in the front, party in the back." — Sister (26:13)
• "Nobody looks at Oscar’s eyes and says, no, I’m not wearing this." — Glennon Doyle (09:46)
• "Yes, that is a prosthetic penis." — Em (55:22), later adopted by hosts as the new code phrase for post-mortification composure (60:29)

Key Timestamps

• [00:00] - Introduction & purpose of episode
• [04:01] - Sister’s dog-name faux pas story
• [07:22] - Glennon's “Number One Sex Machine” teacher story
• [10:42] - Sister’s lost car/document dolly odyssey
• [20:54] - Glennon’s spray tan/baby rash doctor visit
• [22:20] - Abby’s school-bus bathroom emergency
• [25:27] - Sister’s high school car pee
• [28:35] - Glennon’s drunken bed-wetting walk of shame
• [35:25] - Glennon’s "forgot to flush" hotel poop incident
• [41:09] - Lupus on the subway voicemail
• [43:13] - Michaela’s military ball “moment of silence” gaffe
• [48:13] - Allison’s restaurant diarrhea moment
• [50:47] - Glennon’s “wrong boyfriend” story
• [52:28] - Andrea’s public bathroom surprise guest
• [54:54] - Em’s security "prosthetic penis" story
• [58:02] - Write-in quick-fire embarrassing confessions
• [60:29] - Adoption of “Yes, that is a prosthetic penis” as official post-mortification mantra
• [61:00–end] - Closing reflections and invitation for more stories

Final Thoughts & Closing

The episode succeeds in lightening the collective emotional load, affirming: shame dissolves in honest company, and we’re all united by the ridiculous unpredictability of being human. The new "prosthetic penis" mantra is born for facing future mortifying moments, and the Pod Squad is invited to continue normalizing embarrassment by sharing their own stories.

As Sister affirms:
"Send us your mortifying story. It's part of the revolution of normalization." (61:41)

Want to share your own story? Call (747) 200-5307.