‘Modern Love’: How to Stop Asking ‘Are You Mad at Me?’
The Daily
08/03/25
•45m
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“Am I in trouble?” “Am I secretly bad?” These are questions Meg Josephson, a therapist and author, grew up asking herself. She was constantly trying to anticipate other people’s needs, worried that she was letting other people down. And it wasn’t until she found herself standing in the aisle of a Bed Bath & Beyond, trying to remember her favorite color, that she realized her desire to please everyone was eroding her sense of self.
On this episode of Modern Love, Josephson talks about how that realization led her to confront her tumultuous childhood, and what it took to stop “people pleasing.” She then reads the Modern Love essay “My Three Years as a Beloved Daughter” by Erin Brown, about a woman who found a type of love in her best friend’s parents that she had never experienced before, and what that taught her about her own parents.
Josephson’s book, “Are You Mad At Me?,” is available Aug. 5, 2025.
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Previous Episode
What Many Israelis Don’t Want to See
August 1, 2025
•24m
As the images of starving Palestinian children continue to come out of Gaza and aid groups have confirmed a rising number of deaths from malnutrition, there has been a new round of international outrage, including from Israel’s own allies.
Emmanuelle Elbaz-Phelps, an independent Israeli journalist, discusses whether any of the outcry is resonating with Israeli society.
Guest: Emmanuelle Elbaz-Phelps, an Israeli journalist.
Background reading:
- Israelis are voicing dissent against the war in Gaza.
- Anger over the starvation in Gaza is leaving Israel increasingly isolated.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Associated Press
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Next Episode
Trump’s Texas Power Grab
August 4, 2025
•27m
In a dramatic act of protest on Sunday, Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives began to flee the state. It is a last-ditch attempt to stop President Trump and Texas Republicans from adopting an aggressively redrawn congressional map that would eliminate Democratic seats — and could help lock in a Republican majority in next year’s elections.
Shane Goldmacher, a Times political correspondent, explains this new chapter in the era of unvarnished partisan warfare.
Guest: Shane Goldmacher, a political correspondent for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- The redrawn map, unveiled by Texas Republicans and pushed by Mr. Trump, puts areas of Houston, Dallas and San Antonio that have incumbent Democrats into districts that would now favor Republicans.
- “We’re leaving Texas to fight for Texans,” Gene Wu, a state representative from Houston and the chair of the Democratic caucus in the Texas House, said in a statement Sunday.
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