When Stephanie Cooley isn’t co-hosting Real Mother Fuckers, she writes Unpacking, a weekly newsletter about the human experience, creative work, mental woes, and mindful (but not in the BS way) living. Storytelling is in her bones; she’s a former PR rep in the tech industry for 15 years, an ex-newspaper reporter (she went bankrupt with the industry), and she wrote stories in squishy plastic journals with locks on it as a kid. She is a mother of two and she and her husband took in two teenage boys when they needed a safe and stable home. Those boys visit home often to raid their fridge and she ain’t mad about it.

• Fun fact: Known to be expressive, she can “slap” you with excitement, à la Elaine from Seinfeld.
• A favorite quote: I have begun to wonder if the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company. – Rachel Naomi Remen
• Her why for this podcast: I love a good underdog story. I’m here for inclusivity and having the courage to digest a. Michelle Obama said in her book: “There’s grace in being willing to know and hear others. This, for me, is how we become.”