Skip to main content

Morning Edition

Morning Edition

Value this story? Donate

Dear Sugar Radio

The cult-favorite advice column is back, this time speaking straight into your ears. The Sugars, Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond, take on all your questions — no matter how deep or dark — and offer radical empathy in return. *New episodes are released weekly.*

Wedding Drama, Part 1: Great Expectations

It's wedding season, and the Sugars have been getting all kinds of letters that reflect the anxiety and expectation that accompany preparations for the big day. They take on all...

Dear Sugars

37:34Jun 3, 2016

Dear Sugar: I'm Falling For My Ex-Husband

The Sugars take a letter from a 62-year-old divorced woman who is shocked to find herself considering a reconciliation with her ex-husband, after years of unhappiness inside the marriage. The...

Dear Sugars

35:34May 27, 2016

When Politics Is Personal: Romantic Partners

The Sugars wonder if romantic relationships can survive profound political differences. They take a question from a young woman who prides herself on being a strong feminist, and worries her...

Dear Sugars

40:30May 20, 2016

When Politics Is Personal: Friends & Family

It's election season, and while politics may not seem like the domain of Dear Sugar Radio, it can become deeply personal. In Part 1, the Sugars look at how politics...

Dear Sugars

41:19May 13, 2016

The Inevitable Guilt Of Motherhood

Being a mother means feeling conflicted in some way about the balance between raising one's children and the rest of life. The Sugars take two letters from women in the...

Dear Sugars

34:43May 6, 2016

Dear Sugar: How Do I Stop Lying?

We revisit an episode about compulsive lying with guest Leslie Jamison. The Sugars take on a letter from a young woman telling her friends about imagined experiences of rape and...

Dear Sugars

28:02Apr 29, 2016

The Infidelity Episodes: The Other Woman

The Sugars return with another installment in the Infidelity Episodes — looking at the often-overlooked experience of the other woman. After the Sugars had taken on the Betrayed and the...

Dear Sugars

45:39Apr 24, 2016

The Irrational Jealousy Of Lovers And Friends

The Sugars take on jealousy — the fiery, irrational kind we feel toward our lovers and friends. They read a letter from a woman struggling with her competitive instincts toward...

Dear Sugars

27:25Apr 15, 2016

Letter From A Closeted Atheist

The Sugars take a letter from a young woman who was raised in a deeply Christian household. As she has grown older, her beliefs and values have become increasingly at...

Dear Sugars

33:55Apr 8, 2016

Friends With Benefits, Foursomes And Other Messy Relationships

What if the man you love wants to break up but keep hooking up? What if he wants to see other people? How should you handle your jealousy toward a...

Dear Sugars

45:02Apr 1, 2016

The Tale Of The Wicked Stepmother

There's a long tradition in fairy tales of the wicked stepmother. And the archetype endures in contemporary life. The Sugars take on two real-life versions of the tale — a...

Dear Sugars

43:41Mar 25, 2016

The Secret Lives Of Lovers

The Sugars take a question from a newly married woman who is facing a nightmare — the man of her dreams has turned out to be someone else entirely. They...

Dear Sugars

42:21Mar 18, 2016

The Past Is Present

Are we doomed to repeat the patterns of our childhood? The Sugars hear from the child of two alcoholics, who cannot tolerate her new boyfriend's drinking; from a young woman...

Dear Sugars

48:16Mar 11, 2016

Grief And Jealousy Collide After An Ex's Death

The Sugars receive a pained letter from a young woman whose ex-boyfriend was recently murdered in an altercation at a bar. His death came not long after she had cut...

Dear Sugars

24:28Mar 4, 2016

Powerful Women And The Men Who Love Them

In this episode, the Sugars take two questions on the dynamics of gender, power, and love — one from a man and one from a woman. A young man struggles...

Dear Sugars

36:31Feb 26, 2016

My Best Friend's Wedding

We revisit an episode about friendship with one of our most beloved Sugar guests — the writer Ann Patchett. In this episode, the Sugars take a question from a young...

Dear Sugars

36:10Feb 19, 2016

The Allure Of The Forbidden Crush

The Sugars look at one especially painful form of love: the crush. They take questions from two letter writers struggling with illicit love interests — one from a career-oriented woman...

Dear Sugars

47:01Feb 12, 2016

Rapid Fire: A Wealthy Sister, An Impatient Girlfriend, An Unshakeable Love

The Sugars are back for another batch of shorter questions and answers. They take on six quick questions, ranging from a letter writer who is jealous of her sister's wealth...

Dear Sugars

38:17Feb 5, 2016

Looking For The One, Part 3: Reimagining Spinster

The Sugars consider the way forward for their single letter writers. For many of the women they hear from, finding "the one" has become the all-consuming focus of their lives....

Dear Sugars

43:55Jan 29, 2016

Looking For The One, Part 2: The Reality

The Sugars have been avoiding the most frequently asked question they receive from women: Will I ever find the one? In the first episode, they explored the anxieties around that...

Dear Sugars

49:37Jan 22, 2016