Helena Dea Bala: ...that I would find myself in every stranger I met

Joining us on this episode is Helena Dea Bala, author of the new book, Craigslist Confessional:  A collection of secrets from anonymous strangers, which The New York Times called 'touching'. She was the true definition of the American dream: an Albanian immigrant who came to the United States as a child, went to George Washignton University, and became a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, D.C. However, at the end of her work day, she found herself unfulfilled and realized that the most content she felt was in her daily conversations with a homeless man (a stranger) who she felt she could be completely honest with. This sparked her to take a leap of faith, quit her job, and post a sentence on Craigslist: 'tell me about yourself.' Over the course of the years, she has met up with strangers on Craigslist and documented their stories, coming to the conclusion that behind the scenes, we are all struggling with the same issues. You can buy the book at https://www.amazon.com/Craigslist-Confessional-Collection-Secrets-Strangers/dp/1982114967. *** Thanks to our sponsors of this episode! --> BetterHelp: get 10% off your first month of online counseling if there are issues that are interfering with your happiness or preventing you from achieving your goals by visiting betterhelp.com/nobody. --> Stamps.com: 4 week trial plus free postage and a digital scale without any long-term commitment. Go to stamps.com, click on the microphone at the top of the homepage, and type in NTM. --> AirMedCare: new memberships cost as low as $65 a year and cover 38 states. For NTM listeners, choose up to a $50 Amazon or Visa gift card with a new membership. Go to airmedcare.com/nobody and use offer code 'NOBODY'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices