Tiny Pep Talks: Bite-Size Encouragement for Life’s Annoying, Stressful, and Flat-Out Lousy Moments

Comedians and card game creators Skaggs and Linden (cohosts of the podcast Being Earnest) use their comedic talents to provide short “pep talks” to assist readers in tackling life’s everyday challenges and predicaments. The authors offer more than 80 pep talks for a variety of situations that might arise at home, in social settings, in the workplace, or on the dating scene. No topic is too big or too small, including asking for forgiveness, cutting back on coffee, using dating apps, getting dumped, experiencing insomnia, trying to parallel park, running late, singing karaoke in public, and contemplating rage quitting. Most of the pep talks are in essay format, but there are also haikus, crossword puzzles, and customizable “DIY” talks that resemble a game of Mad Libs. The authors employ a humorous tone with most of the topics, but they also provide valuable advice, especially when addressing grieving. Skaggs and Linden acknowledge that they’re not trained psychologists but two people who use humor to face life’s challenges, whether mundane or more emotional, with a positive outlook.