We Can't Do It Alone – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with nature nerd, rock climber, and National Parks Service ranger Alex Wild to explore the ups and downs of Alex's firing and then rehiring by way of ridiculous Elon Musk's ridiculous DOGE cuts, how the empathetic and impassioned response from the public influenced his return to the park service, the stuff in life we take for granted because of our lack of awareness of its impact on us, and the inherent meaning and poetry of wilderness.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• National Parks Conversation Association
• The Sierra Club
• "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver
• The Pitt
• Michael Lewis on Bravery in Politics and Why Elon Musk Seems so "Disturbed" (Pod Save America)
• Alex on Instagram

Enjoy the podcast? Here are some ways to support to Nōn:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Order The Feely Cards on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local indie bookseller for yourself and literally everyone you know.
• Listen to You, Me, Empathy, Nōn's previous podcast about mental health, empathy, and big feelings.
• Need some help with your podcast, or thinking about starting a podcast? Get in touch!
• Connect with Nōn at nonwels.com and on Instagram @youmeempathy.

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

xoxo

nōn

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with best-selling author, scholar-activist, ancestral medium, podcaster (From Root to Bone), and founder of Decolonizing Therapy, Dr. Jennifer Mullan to explore the feeling of being held, what it's like for Dr. Jenn to ask for help as a woman of color, the systems that eat up big-hearted helpers, the beauty of sacred rage, why sometimes you need a helper who will talk to debt collectors for you, and all the many human things—resources, ego, energy, resentment—that influence our capacity for helping and receiving help.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• Decolonizing Therapy
• Dr. Jenn on Instagram
• From Root to Bone podcast
• Order Decolonizing Therapy the book!
• Project LETS

Enjoy the podcast? Here are some ways to support to Nōn:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Order The Feely Cards on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local indie bookseller for yourself and literally everyone you know.
• Listen to You, Me, Empathy, Nōn's previous podcast about mental health, empathy, and big feelings.
• Need some help with your podcast, or thinking about starting a podcast? Get in touch!
• Connect with Nōn at nonwels.com and on Instagram @youmeempathy.

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

xoxo

nōn

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 6 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Eric Dorsa to talk about their experience as a queer person in recovery (eating disorder, substance), how we silence or diminish parts of ourselves when things are disordered, what it's like to reclaim space in a world where you've felt unseen and unsupported, and how Eric embraces drag as a medium for bringing more inclusivity and equitable care in the recovery realm.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• @fkdrag
• Project Heal
• Eating Recovery Center
• Trans Lifeline

About Eric:

Eric Dorsa (they/she/elle/ella) is a drag performer (Fonda Koxx), podcaster, makeup artist, and mental health advocate with Eating Recovery Center and Project Heal. They are an activist who uses drag as a way to bring awareness to the inequities and inaccessibility in eating recovery spaces for folks of color, queer people, trans folks, and other marginalized identities. They are a gem of a human being who Nōn cares for deeply.

How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Share your helpers with Nōn here and he may (or may not but still be delighted) share your helper on the podcast in season 2.
• Order The Feely Cards on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local indie bookseller for yourself and literally everyone you know.
• Follow @wecantdoitalone on Instagram.

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 5 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Sam Robertson to explore the ripple effect of helping, why reading is the best way to strengthen your empathy muscles, why stories are the core of humanity, Sam's experience as an owner of an independent bookshop, and why bookstores are the heart of community.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• Arvida Book Co.
• @arvidabookco
• The Arvida Review
• Multiracial Americans of Southern California

About Sam:

Sam Robertson is the co-owner of Arvida Book Co., a magical independent bookstore in the heart of downtown Tustin, California. Sam is also the editor-in-chief of The Arvida Review, a community-oriented short fiction publication that provides a platform for new and diverse voices. She finds joy in the company of her daughters Abby and Ellie, her husband Mike, as well as indulging in the pleasures of reading, gardening, and dedicating time to serving her community.

How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Share your helpers with Nōn here and he may (or may not but still be delighted) share your helper on the podcast in season 2.
• Order The Feely Cards on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local indie bookseller for yourself and literally everyone you know.
• Follow @wecantdoitalone on Instagram.

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 4 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Bill Cole to explore coming of age during the AIDS crisis, queer representation in film, the particularly heinous stigma around AIDS, how someone you've never met can be a helper, and the lasting legacy of AIDS activist icon, Stephen Gendin.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• @billcolebillcole
• The AIDS Memorial
• Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

About Bill:

After growing up on the beaches of Southern California, this highly sensitive creative soul put his talents as an artist, designer, and decorator to use for almost four decades in theater, film, television, and event production. Bill has also been a visible figure in the L.A. nightlife scene as the omnipresent doorman at the legendary neighborhood gay bar, Akbar. Bill is a big fan of history, especially LGBTQ+ history. For the past decade, Bill has been on a personal journey of emotional healing and self discovery. The next chapter of his life puts him in the deserts of Southern California, focusing on some more personal creative projects like his photo journal Instagram page, @mailslotboys, which documents a particular aspect of gay nightlife culture from a unique perspective. He hopes to have prints ready for a gallery show soon!

How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Share your helpers with Nōn here and he may (or may not but still be delighted) share your helper on the podcast in season 2.
• Order The Feely Cards on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org or your local indie bookseller for yourself and everyone you know.
• Follow @wecantdoitalone on Instagram.

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 3 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with 20-something neurodivergent queer disabled writer, Zee Zelinski, to explore why we're mosaics of everything and everyone we've ever interacted with, the particular grief of help and helping as a disabled person, gender identity, feeling seen as a little queer kid, and Zee's love letter to poet Andrea Gibson.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• @thebeautifulgods
• Your Life by Andrea Gibson
• To Write Love On Her Arms

Zee (they/them) is an intersectional writer and advocate residing in Washington State. Their work highlights their experiences in being a queer, neurodivergent, disabled 20-something in today's society. You can connect with Zee on Instagram @thebeautifulgods.

How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Share your helpers with Nōn here and he may (or may not but still be delighted) share your helper on the podcast in season 2.
• Order The Feely Cards on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org or your local indie bookseller for yourself and everyone you know.
• Follow @wecantdoitalone on Instagram.

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 2 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with NY Times bestselling author Frederick Joseph to explore the craft and respite of writing poetry, Black boys and men being whole beings capable of being strong and soft, collective liberation, and how we feel collective care should look like: I am yours and you are mine. Frederick is the author of the heart-stirring poetry collection, We Alive, Beloved.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• Frederick Joseph
• @fredtjoseph
• We Alive, Beloved
• Trans Defense Fund LA

Frederick Joseph is a Westchester raised two-time New York Times bestselling author, and a “genius across genres.” His books include a poetry collection, We Alive, Beloved, two books of nonfiction, Patriarchy Blues, and The Black Friend, a collaboration, Better Than We Found It, and a children’s book, The Courage to Dream, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Joseph’s books have been named an Amazon Editors’ Pick, notable by the International Literacy Association, Best Children’s Book of the Year by Bank Street College, a Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice selection, Booklist Editors’ Choice, and more. He has written for The Boston Globe, Essence, Huffington Post, AdWeek, and Cosmopolitan, and won both the Letter Review Poetry prize and a Letter Review Essay prize. His most recent writing on politics and culture can be found on his Substack. He lives with his wife Porsche and dog Stokely in New York City.

How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Share your helpers with Nōn here and he may (or may not but still be delighted) share your helper on the podcast in season 2.
• Order The Feely Cards on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org or your local indie bookseller for yourself and everyone you know.
• Follow @wecantdoitalone on Instagram.

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 1 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Giselle Vriesen to explore being a first-time author, forgetting oneself in pursuit of creating, holding the darkness and the light, and letting people in to allow them to help us. Giselle is the author of Why We Play With Fire, a mythological adventure story that I absolutely adored.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• Why We Play With Fire by Giselle Vriesen
• The Moon In You: A Period Guide for Girls by Alexandria King and Giselle Vriesen
• Affirmations for Black Women: a Journal by Oludara Adeeyo
• Happiness Is Overrated by Cuong Lu
• @gisellevriesen on Instagram
• @wandering.moons on Instagram

Giselle Vriesen (she/they) is a 23-year-old author living on Halalt First Nations land on Vancouver Island Canada. Her debut YA fantasy novel Why We Play With Fire released in February of 2024 through Row House Publishing, distributed by S&S, her sequel is upcoming in 2026. Giselle is also the co-creator of the Anti-Racism Course for Educators, teaches a writing course that facilitates decolonized and embodied storytelling, and has been a professional tarot reader for the past eight years. 

How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Share your helpers with Nōn here and he may (or may not but still be delighted) share your helper on the podcast in season 2.
• Order The Feely Cards on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org or your local indie bookseller for yourself and everyone you know.

Connect with Nōn and the podcast:

• @wecantdoitalone
• @youmeempathy
• wecantdoitalone.com

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with writer, podcaster, NAACP honoree, and The Woke Mama herself, Whitney Alese, to explore how many things can be true at once, seeing possibility through the eyes of the people we love and look up to, why we're both into real feelings over hot takes, the magic of childlike wonder, and Whitney's transformative story about a generational quilt that represents Black love and liberation.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• Whitney on TikTok @TheWokeMama
• Whitney on Instagram @thereclaimed
• The Philly Download
• Enon Tabernacle Church PA

How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Order The Feely Cards on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local indie bookseller for yourself and literally everyone you know.
• Listen to You, Me, Empathy, Nōn's previous podcast about mental health, empathy, and big feelings.
• Need some help with your podcast, or thinking about starting a podcast? Get in touch!
• Connect with Nōn at nonwels.com and on Instagram @youmeempathy.

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

xoxo

nōn

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with friend, father, and recently graduated social worker Craig Dickson to explore how we're shaped by listening to people's stories, Craig's experience being a dad to two kids who live with autism spectrum disorder and how his kids help him deepen his patience and soften his anger, why we shouldn't be judged by how well we follow society's expectations, and learning how to ask for help.

Helpful things mentioned during this episode:

• Surfers Healing
• Craig on Instagram

How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast:

• Leave a 5-star rating and a wildly glowing review for We Can't Do It Alone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.
• Order The Feely Cards on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local indie bookseller for yourself and literally everyone you know.
• Listen to You, Me, Empathy, Nōn's previous podcast about mental health, empathy, and big feelings.
• Need some help with your podcast, or thinking about starting a podcast? Get in touch!
• Connect with Nōn at nonwels.com and on Instagram @youmeempathy.

Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

xoxo

nōn

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.