#438 - Chicken-Fried Wisdom & the Women Who Raised Us (Right-ish) with Melissa Radke
Release Date: 04/23/2025
#441 - An announcement...
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
Well friends, today’s episode is going to be a bit different! After nine years of weekly episodes, I’ve made the decision to take a break from the show for a little bit. This isn’t something I’ve taken lightly- it's something I’ve been praying about, wrestling with, and reflecting on for months. And while it’s hard to hit pause on something I love so much, I know it’s the right time. With my daughter heading into middle school, my son starting fourth grade, my first year of seminary coming to a close, and my 40th birthday around the corner (!), life has been beautifully full. In...
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#440 - Organize First, Decorate Second with Whitney English
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
I’m thrilled to welcome back my friend, Whitney English, to the show today! She is an author, artist, and self-proclaimed reluctant expert in surviving family drama with grace... and a glue gun. Whitney is known for telling the truth with humor, finding beauty in the mess, and believing that good stories and good design can heal just about anything- whether she’s organizing a junk drawer or untangling generational dysfunction. Her new book, Organize First, Decorate Second, is out now, and today, we’re diving into everything from the psychology of organization and decoration to practical...
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#439 God, Can We Chat? Bringing Our Doubts to God with Niki Hardy
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
I'm thrilled to welcome Niki Hardy to the show this week! Niki is the author of the Audie Award-nominated Breathe Again and One Minute Prayers for Women With Cancer. Her newest book, God, Can We Chat? A Daringly Honest Guide to Growing Closer to God, One Doubt at a Time, hit shelves in March, which I’m so excited to chat about today. Niki has left corporate life, moved continents, gone to seminary, planted churches, launched businesses and nonprofits, and navigated seasons of deep loss, cancer, church hurt, and painful uncertainty. Through it all, she firmly believes that God loves a...
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#438 - Chicken-Fried Wisdom & the Women Who Raised Us (Right-ish) with Melissa Radke
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
You are in for an absolute treat this week! My guest is the one and only Melissa Radke- bestselling author, speaker, TV personality, comedian, and the self-proclaimed HGIC (Head Girlfriend in Charge). With over 1.1 million followers, Melissa has been lifting women up since 2016, dishing out everything from hair tips to life advice with her signature humor and heart. Her brand-new book, Chicken Fried Women, just hit the shelves, which is a love letter to the strong, faith-filled, flawed, and unforgettable women who shaped her life. She reflects on generational legacies, healing family dynamics,...
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#437 From Resentment to Repair in Marriage with Dr. Morgan Cutlip
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
This week on the podcast, I’m joined once again by the brilliant Dr. Morgan Cutlip- author, psychologist, and relationship expert. She is known for equipping individuals and couples with practical, down-to-earth tools to navigate the most challenging parts of relationships. She has a true gift for turning psychological research into relatable, real-life strategies, and she shares her wisdom through her books, courses, blog, podcast, and social media platforms. Morgan first joined us to talk about her book Love Your Kids Without Losing Yourself, and now she’s back with her brand-new...
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#436 - Shatterproof - Pain to Purpose with ESPN's Lauren Sisler
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
This week, I am so excited to be joined by the incredible Lauren Sisler. She is an Emmy Award-winning sports broadcaster, ESPN sideline reporter, author, keynote speaker, and the queen of the sideline shimmy. After landing her dream career with ESPN and reporting on college football and gymnastics, she began to open up about a story she once kept hidden: losing both of her parents to opioid addiction. Through sharing her journey, Lauren has not only shed light on the stigma surrounding addiction, but she’s also found a powerful way to help others navigate their own struggles. Whether...
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#435 - The Sacred Order of the Underestimated with Mary Marantz
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
I’m thrilled to welcome back my dear friend Mary Marantz for her third appearance on the show! If you’ve been here a while, you already know how incredible Mary is- she’s a powerhouse in every sense of the word. As a podcaster, author, speaker, photographer, and coach, she truly does it all. Today, we’re diving into her latest book, Underestimated, which releases later this month. We’re talking about what it means to be underestimated, why fear is a boring liar, and how playing small was never part of your purpose. This conversation was so good and I’m so excited to share it with...
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#434 - Celebrating One Year of "If I Don't Laugh, I'll Cry"!
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
It’s been one whole year since If I Don’t Laugh, I’ll Cry made its way into the world, and today, we’re celebrating! In this special anniversary episode, I’m reflecting on the journey of writing and releasing this book- what it was like to put my story on paper, the emotional highs and lows, and the incredible messages from readers that have reminded me why I wrote it in the first place. Whether you’ve read the book or are just hearing about it for the first time, I hope this episode makes you laugh, reflect, and feel a little less alone in your own beautiful mess. Thank you for...
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REPLAY | A Special Conversation with MY DAD!
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
This week, I'm thrilled to welcome the most special guest ever on my show- my dad. With the release of my book just around the corner (coming out next week- can you believe it?!) I couldn’t think of a better time to have him on the podcast. Together, we dig into some of the stories that are (and aren’t) talked about in my book. Join us as we laugh, reminisce, and share stories of the joys, the challenges, and everything in between. My dad has such powerful things to say about gratitude, slowing down, choosing love, and finding joy in the darkest of moments. This conversation is...
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REPLAY: Until the Streetlights come on with Ginny Yurich, 1000 Hours Outside
Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?
I'm under the weather this week, so I'm sharing one of my favorite episodes! This week, I’m excited to welcome Ginny Yurich, a homeschooling mother of five and the founder of a global movement reclaiming childhood and fostering family connections through nature-based play. Alongside her husband, Josh, Ginny is the brilliant mind behind the 1000 Hours Outside lifestyle brand, featuring an online store, app, and much more. Whether you have kids or not, this episode is an absolute must-listen. We dig deep into issues that resonate, especially for those of us...
info_outlineYou are in for an absolute treat this week! My guest is the one and only Melissa Radke- bestselling author, speaker, TV personality, comedian, and the self-proclaimed HGIC (Head Girlfriend in Charge). With over 1.1 million followers, Melissa has been lifting women up since 2016, dishing out everything from hair tips to life advice with her signature humor and heart.
Her brand-new book, Chicken Fried Women, just hit the shelves, which is a love letter to the strong, faith-filled, flawed, and unforgettable women who shaped her life. She reflects on generational legacies, healing family dynamics, motherhood, and the complex beauty of womanhood.
Trust me, even if you're a man, you’re going to take away SO much from this episode. This conversation is honest, funny, and full of heart- everything Can I Laugh on Your Shoulder is all about. I’m really excited to share it with you!
8:12 – Melissa 101
• Melissa and Molly’s mutual connection
• Melissa’s viral Facebook post
• Becoming a comedian, author and public speaker
10:53 – Chicken Fried Women
• Rapid fire southern culture questions
• The genesis of this book
• The women that inspired this story
27:54 – The Women That Made Us This Way
• The lessons Melissa’s learned from the women in her life
• Creating a supportive network
• Someone is waiting for you as much as you are waiting for someone
41:28 – How Strong Women Do It
• Mom vigilantes
• Melissa’s relationship with her daughter
• Passing on stories to future generations
• Getting your copy of Chicken Fried Women
FEATURED QUOTES
“These chicken fried women of mine were always topics of conversation that everybody wanted to know and that I love to tell.”
“This book was so easy to write because it was just me telling one story after the other. And when a book can come to you that beautifully and that naturally, that was the one you were supposed to write.”
“Who could grieve with me like the woman who'd walked in that fire before me?”
“Someone is waiting for you as much as you are waiting for someone. Someone needs you. They need your friendship, they need your humor, they need your style. They need the way you're such a great listener. Someone is waiting to forge a relationship with you as much as you are waiting for them.”
Learn more about Melissa:
https://www.melissaradke.com/
Get your copy of Chicken Fried Women
https://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Fried-Women-Friendship-Kinship-Made/dp/1546008241
Check out the Chicken Fried Women Podcast
https://www.melissaradke.com/podcast
Melissa on Social Media
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaRadke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaRadkeStretchMarks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msmelissaradke/
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissaradke