The Real Question

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The Real Question is a show that holds space for life’s tough questions. Each episode, a guest brings a personal question they’re grappling with, and Chaplain Mauricio Bruce helps them find an answer. This season, our focus is on future-oriented questions – those that start with ‘Should I…’ 

Mauricio sits down with guests who are contemplating big and small changes in their lives — whether it’s habits, careers, or relationships. In every episode, he asks the pivotal question: “Who do you want to be and what’s the best path to get there?”

The Real Question is produced by Not Sorry Productions, a feminist organization that produces podcasts, educational content, live shows, and immersive experiences with the explicit goal of addressing the spiritual needs of its participants. Through community, rigor, and ritual, we treat traditionally secular things as if they were sacred. To learn more about what we do, visit https://notsorryworks.com/

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Recent Episodes

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Recent Reviews

Shirdles

Joyful Wisdom!

I never know where a conversation is going and I mean that in the absolute best way. I find something to relate to in every episode and I’m often thinking about it long after I listen.
Babs T.

Compelling, Heartwarming, Intimate

This gem of a podcast takes wholehearted conversations to the next level. Every week I’m blown away by the thoughtful (and wonderfully vulnerable) conversations between Mauricio (the host) and the guest who offers a tender question that’s been on their mind. It’s not always easy to hold space for big questions that touch on risk, identity, and life journey. But Mauricio does just that, and he brings a levity, warmth, and introspective rigor to the conversation as he does it. Thank you for this show, it nourishes my heart and soul.
bdeep

Absolutely wonderful

I was a little scared what would happen to the show with the new host… but I need not have feared! In a striking and kind of beautiful way, it still feels like the same show. Or at least — this new season of TRQ is still providing just the vibe I was seeking out, listening to prior seasons of TRQ — thoughtful and probing conversations, with a wise and interesting host. It just has a new, fresh flavor :) Mauricio is wonderful and digs deep, and I’m excited to learn from him and his questions as the show continues!
hannahreviews27

Special!!

This is really truly a special show. I come to it when I want to hear a convo that I feel like is between friends, and inevitably I end up turning inwards and have a conversation with myself. I think the new host Mauricio is incredibly insightful and fun and charming and thoughtful. Definitely worth a listen or several! I do have one criticism: it should come with free tissues because it SO often, even when I don’t expect it, makes me emotional and teary eyed. In a good way. 🩷
hellokittee

Heart forward

I really love hearing the host help people come to their own solutions on the problems they bring. As someone who has toyed with the idea of becoming a therapist myself, I’m learning a lot! Whenever it would be my instinct to push someone on something, he opts to pivot and ends up peeling back some other layer in a different way. The dance is masterful and respectful. The guests are also so well spoken and self aware. Love it
ittibittibritti

Heal your fear

I have listened to nearly every episode so far and learn so much each week about my own limiting narratives and questions. It seems to me that it almost comes down to fear - what is at the root of our question and why do we fear it? Once these gentle and competent hosts help the questioner decide what the real question is, then they offer a reframe based in love - how can I honor my desires and needs more? What if I trust myself? Thank you, Vanessa, Mauricio and the whole team (and every caller) for helping me heal my own fears!
Horsefan101ggggg

Mauricio is great!

I found this podcast after Mauricio took over and I love all of his episodes. I’ll eventually peek into the back catalog but I wanted to give him credit for continuing someone else’s project while also making it his own. He is grounded and centered and connected and models excellent communication in each episode.
brodwaybabee15

Meaningful every week

I’ve been a fan of this podcast (and everything not sorry puts our) in every iteration. I was even a guest! I wasn’t sure how the switch to a new host would be but I’m absolutely loving Mauricio. Every time I think I know where the conversation is going, he uncovers a new layer behind the question. The conversations are so meaningful and make me reflect on what I’m really asking myself when I have a “should I” question. Highly recommend!
MeghanMann

More Than a Podcast - A Perspective Shift You Can Feel

Tuning into The Real Question with Mauricio Bruce is more than just listening, it’s a shift in perspective you can feel. His presence is deeply grounded, balanced, and real, creating a safe space where reflection turns into insight. He doesn’t just explore his guests’ stories; he gets to the question beneath the ‘shoulds’, the one that opens the door to possibility, agency, and what’s next. Every episode leaves me seeing my own life differently. If you’re into deep, thought-provoking conversations that actually move something in you, this is a must-listen.
Kim Casko

Thank you

I started listening to this podcast in January 2023 when I was in the midst of trying to decide whether or not to leave my job sooner rather than later. It was a really dark and challenging period, but this podcast was a bright light and beacon of hope. I tried to imagine what Vanessa would ask me and how I would respond. I felt great empathy and got great insights from those who so vulnerably shared their own stories. And then there was the laughter …which I hadn’t realized how much I needed. These decisions are tough and Vanessa has such a gift for not only asking very direct questions in as compassionate a way as possible but also finding ways, when appropriate, to laugh at the situation and especially human behavior. I am sorry it has taken me so long to write this. You don’t know it but you were an instrumental part of helping me to quit something I very much needed to and I am so much better for it now a year later. Thank you, Vanessa and team!
hscarf

you guys are great

this podcast (and all that came before it in the not sorry body of work) have helped keep me sane. i felt especially seen with the “quitting my comfortable relationship” episode, because it sums up pretty niftily how trying to date has gotten so unbearably icky, and how hopeless it feels to try and search for partnership while maintaining a modicum of self-worth. anyway. love you guys, keep it up.
LoveChaat

Permission to Quit

Listening to the opening episode of, “should I quit?” I actually got emotional, something that doesn’t happen often. I’m at a crossroads moment in my own life, as we all inevitably come to. But it’s more than that. This podcast has resonated at the deepest level for me, and made me at least start to be curious about why my moral compass has always insisted that endurance, perseverance, and commitment for the sake of it were so important. It’s made me wonder why quitting, which is actually a really rational decision, feels like such a referendum on myself. Vanessa’s questions to her guests, her compassion, and her insights have helped me enormously in this journey. The podcast is helping me to give myself permission to quit what no longer serves me. I’m so grateful.
Kathleen Paige1990

Mostly Good

I love the concept of this show and think most of the episodes are pretty good and the advice is pretty good. I really did NOT like the “should I quit my best friends” episode. That girl was totally the issue, had zero self-reflection and a total victim complex, and the host completely enabled her. This girl needs professional help, her friends aren’t her stand in therapists. And they certainly were not the problem. My husband and I were listening to this together and were totally baffled by her cluelessness and selfishness, and that the host was not calling her out at all.
livigug

I take away lessons from EVERY episode

I cannot believe how much I feel like I learn from every episode. I’ve felt like I’m on the precipice of changing or not changing for the last few months and every episode feels like it’s meant for me. Vanessa counters and/or validates all of the guests’ fears with so much compassion that it expands beyond the conversation into my own heart.
madelinege

An insightful podcast I wish I had in my teens and 20’s!

No matter what the topic, I always take something away from each episode! Vanessa is a kind, and direct host who asks her guest probing questions to help them come to conclusions or insights that are right for them. I appreciate how much care and respect Vanessa shows each guest. 10/10 would recommend. My only piece of feedback is that some of these episodes (“should I quit my crush”) should be required listening for teens and college age students. Not sorry - can you figure out a way to make that happen?
erncrny

Changing

I really, really liked this podcast but have been disappointed by this season. For some reason, the host decided to only take questions from her IRL close circle instead of listener questions. While there is still value, all of a sudden, I'm only listening to middle aged white moms. There was more diversity and range before and I really hope they go back to that format, because it's been a bit of a drag recently. That said, I love this production team and Vanessa, and the radical empathy they regularly exhibit.
Celeste_hearts_podcasts

Yes, plz

Okay here’s the deal there are so many things and people in our life that tell us to achieve and accomplish and endure and persist and honestly, sometimes you just need someone to tell you to stop. Like all Not Sorry Production podcasts, this is amazing.
Carly Hall from Vermont

Lovely & wonderful contemplation

The Real Question is a podcast that invites you into thoughtful contemplation of your life, while being lovely, silly, warm, etc. Vanessa brings chaplaincy, theology, and her own great kindness and wisdom to peoples questions about how to live and what to quit. I recommend this to friends all the time.
L. N. Lee

A hot mug of tea with friends

Even when the guests’ question doesn’t relate directly to a problem you have, Vanessa’s thoughtful questioning and guidance always somehow seems to speak to me personally. Her gift of making the specific feel relatable shines in this podcast. Listen if you’re looking for a feeling of care and emotional intimacy between friends.
oricatd

A hug for your soul

This show is a hug for your soul.
Amazing Grace Kelli

Lifechanging

Vanessa helped me rethink how I feel about quitting. Even when episodes result in people choosing not to quit, just the act of hearing other people thoughtfully and logically consider quitting helps me make better decisions in my own life. I finally quit a job that made me anxious and started a new job with a much better work-life balance. Sometimes, quitting is the best thing you can do. Thanks, Vanessa!
Berna58dette

Suggestion for Fran - Quit getting better

I enjoy this podcast. I was hoping to find a way to send an email, but was unsuccessful. If Fran has not seen a doctor that practices Functional Medicine, she needs to try to find one. She can start by finding books by Dr. Mark Hyman. He has written several books. Traditional medicine labels a set of symptoms. Functional medicine looks at the whole body and tries to find a reason for symptoms. She mentioned that the onset of her chronic fatigue started with a virus. The virus may have caused a horrible systemic imbalance but maybe it’s possible to get the balance back. Of course there is no guarantee, but it might be worth a try. A big part of functional medicine is the belief that food is medicine- I don’t know if Fran has made any changes to her diet, but again, it’s worth looking into. Wishing her all the best.
gooseturner

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Vanessa always knows the right thing to say. Even when the subject is not at all related to my own life, somehow her advice feels applicable and ends up making me feel emotional and reflective.
terracottawarriorprincess

Advice podcast

Vanessa gives out thoughtful advice. She is witty and smart and full of insight. Even though the asker’s situation is different than my own life, Vanessa often says things that really resonate with me. She is a gem and I am thankful to get to listen to her help people navigate situations.
lawlessOtters

Great moments of reflection

I use this podcast as a chance to reflect on the topics discussed for myself. It has helped me find questions I have for myself with certain topics and take them with me throughout the following week or two. I’ve started listening when it was just Vanessa and Casper bringing their own topics and have continued since they’ve started bringing in guests. I’m excited to see how this next big change brings new opportunities to reflect for myself!
cbrowniemama

Reflective and charitable

I think my favorite aspect of this podcast is that even though most of the guests are experiencing something I’m not currently facing (or maybe ever faced), I glean so much personal insight from the conversations they have with Casper and Vanessa. This podcast creates empathy in its listeners more than any other I listen to regularly. Thank you to the Real Question team for such a beautiful show!
mh2019!!!

Favorite podcast ever

Deep thinking about normal situations. I love it so much.
VFB94

So satisfying

This podcast showcases genuine curiosity and the ability to think deeply and relationally about our lives. Thank you to C & V for all your work!
trekTnek

The Risa Episode

Y’all. Do this ^every^ time! The two of you trading off on these topics and then coming back together to reflect on what you have been learning from your community together is beautiful. And the advice you give is so so useful. Keep up the great work!! Congratulations!!
ali-18

The podcast I didn’t know I needed

If you ever feel like you have big (or medium-sized but still sticky) life questions that you don’t know how to deal with on your own but you also don’t know who to turn to for advice, this podcast is for you. This podcast brings all the beautiful wisdom, grace, and brilliance of HPST to real life issues that are specific to Vanessa/Casper and yet so ubiquitous. Every episode, I learn something (usually many things) helpful and applicable to my own life. I love how Casper and Vanessa bring the texts to life and find delightful and surprising insights in them every time. I think of you both as my friends at this point even though you don’t know me (though we have hugged!). I’m so grateful for Vanessa and Casper’s presence in my life and for this podcast!
lydiaprudence

a refuge, a moment of peace

as an avid lover of all casper and vanessa’s work, including harry potter and the sacred text, hot and bothered, and their respective, amazing books, i can truly say that this podcast definitely lives up to the astounding quality of their work. together, these two incredibly educated, compassionate, and loving individuals take the time to explore complex and personal themes and questions with astounding grace. in a world which demands perfection and constant productivity, this podcast offers the opportunity to be reflective and vulnerable in a way that is healing and authentic. taking the time to listen to these heartwarming, enlightening, and oftentimes, hilarious conversations is truly a highlight of my day, giving me peace in a stressful world. i cannot overstate enough how wonderful and thoughtful these two individuals are, and this podcast is truly a gift and delight.
claire-elena

Wonderful!

This podcast makes me a better person!! I’ve taken away so much wisdom to apply to my own life. Thank you Vanessa and Casper!
effundatrix

Can’t not listen even when it’s challenging

Of all the podcasts I listen to, the only ones I auto download and queue are The Real Question and Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. The ritual /structure and philosophical depth of their conversations (not a chart cast) reflects their divinity school training. Even when I have deep disagreements with their propositions and conclusions (the episodes Karens Part 1 and Are You Ok come to mind) I’m so glad I listened and am grateful for the thought provoking experience.
Naya Jane

Reflections make me think and give me hope

This podcast thoughtfully tackles real-life questions that we all ponder in one way or another. I LOVE the way the hosts honestly share stories, support, and wisdom to help each other — and us! — arrive at the answers to our deepest questions. Listen to this podcast to find meaning in life, to move through conflict with hope, or to simply share a cup of coffee with a few friends. ❤️😊
DaisyCoolgirl

Awesome

I love this podcast!! Can Casper just be my best friend? He is my actual favorite podcast host of all the ones that I listen to, and I love that he always helps Vanessa come to great conclusions. Vanessa is great too, and is always seeing past how Casper thinks he feels to get to what is really inside. Thank you for making this podcast!!
Allykins100

So thought full

I feel like I am listening to two people I admire so much chaplaining each other through such beautiful questions. (As a chaplain myself, I love hearing these questions.) Vanessa and Casper are such good thinkers!
Jesse E.P.

I love this podcast!

Casper is hands down my favorite stranger! I feel like he is a beloved friend or brother despite never having met. When I am navigating difficult conversations with people in my life, I find myself wishing Casper were there to moderate. He brings fresh, optimistic perspectives to every single episode and listening to him speak almost always results in “light bulb/A HA!” moment where I can improve my own life. I love his contagious laughter and always look forward to next weeks episode. 100000% - give this podcast a listen!
VTAnnie!

This is My favorite show!!!

Greetings! I love your podcast SO much. Every Monday I rush inside to listen to the new episode. Your conversations are so rich and interesting, and always make my day. Both of you have such fun and interesting personalities, but both of them together creates the perfect philosophical duo! I cannot wait to see what the future of the podcast holds!
Law review scanner

Makes me a better person

All the goodness and thoughtfulness of HPST but elevated and in discussion of thorny questions that we all deal with. Listening to Casper and Vanessa dive deep into difficult questions and come up with deeply thoughtful answers makes me a better person. Love you guys!
humboldthoney27

Such a gem

So glad Vanessa and Casper are continuing to record together! I look forward to each new episode and often find myself thinking about them long after listening and applying the hosts’ ways of thinking and discussing to my own life. I’ve noticed my conversations with my own friends on life questions feel richer because of listening to the show. Thank you!
CES92

Tough questions addressed with care by two friends

I so appreciate how Vanessa ans Casper address some of the toughest issues out there - death, friendship, evil - and do so with deep thoughtfulness and care. They model good conversation and how to help a friend work through real questions of life - and they invite us in to listen! I’m a fan of all Not Sorry podcasts and this one is a great addition.
Germanically challenged

SO GOOD

I didn’t think there could ever be a better podcast than Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (I’ve listened to every episode of that show), but somehow the team did it! This show is the most beautiful explorations of vulnerable and relevant questions, and it wonderfully mixes heavy topics with lighthearted, poignant pop culture. I was especially moved by their recent announcement to try to live into their values for the show by not having ads! So excited to see where the show goes!
Oh my Pod!

Thinking person’s podcast

I got to know the hosts from their other podcast HP and the Sacred Text. I enjoyed their lively debates about different ideas brought up while reading the Harry Potter books. Now I am really enjoying The Real Question. Each episode is based on a question that comes from either one of the hosts or a listener. Diving deep, Vanessa and Kasper use movies, songs and texts to ponder and unravel big questions like “what is evil?” “should I learn to drive?”and “what is parenthood?” I always come away from listening with a sense of having had a thought provoking conversation with good friends. I often feel like I’m alone in thinking about big questions and this podcast makes me feel included in a group of friends not afraid to go into deep discussions.
Fbriggs1

Love it!

I have love that they tackle the complexities of a variety of thing s from evil and weight and more. I really enjoy it.
OneCandace

So delighted this exists

I’m so glad that Casper and Vanessa are continuing to let us eavesdrop on their smart, insightful, and amusing conversations. I always feel like I’ve found a way to be more thoughtful, compassionate, or inclusive after I listen.
Jescalyn123

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I love this podcast! I loved HPST but I love this even more. Some episodes make me open my mind and think about things through someone else’s eyes. This is always a healthy exercise. The other episodes connect with me and my life on a level that blows my mind. Some things I’m ashamed to think about or have conversations about, you make it ok. Thank you. Don’t ever stop.
Terri, NY

Advertising $

I love the podcast but I’m disappointed that you’re taking advertising money from Amazon. There have been so many great conversations on HPST about supports and boycotts. How do we make those decisions? That’s The Real Question.
PeachyLeslie

Like working through your problems with dear friends

I love this show. Casper and Vanessa are so wise, thoughtful, and kind while still being so hilarious. Each episode I think I will enjoy the listen while maybe not connecting to the subject and each episode I leave having wrestled with a really deep feeling within myself that I didn’t even know I had. Mourning, holding memories, raising children in a scary world, and accepting myself as the person I am NOW, not the size 8 I used to be. Seriously. It’s like I’m working through my issues over ice cream with dear, wise friends.
Gram2006

I Love This New Podcast

You get invited into an in-depth conversation between two thoughtful people about a wide variety of topics. I feel like I have two friends I’ve never met who bring up interesting subjects. They start each episode with a question but after exploring it, decide what they really were asking and what the answer is.
Nina Smo

An amazing podcast hosted by two wonderful geniuses

I wish I knew what the word of the week was, but I can’t find it and I want to write a review anyway! Vanessa and Casper have taken their special magic and created The Real Question. They are each insightful in completely separate (but equally mind blowing) ways. I’m an English teacher, and using works as lenses through which to view our own lives is definitely my cup of tea. Thanks so much, Vanessa, Casper, and Ariana for creating this new sacred space!