Everybody Sucks Sometimes

Coping with the Hard Stuff and Embracing Your Perfectly Messy Life

Published by BenBella Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

When you accept that you’re inevitably going to suck sometimes, it gets easier to feel better most of the time.

Feeling tired, moody, stuck, irritable, or all of the above? That’s normal. Struggling to get out of bed before noon or constantly (even if quietly) complaining about your coworkers? Normal! Frustrated by your nonstop negative mindset? Yeah, that’s normal too. When you’re bombarded with emotions, it’s impossible to be your best self 100% of the time.

Everybody Sucks Sometimes is a modern mental health guide that shares fresh, realistic strategies for revamping negative mindsets in favor of clarity and contentment. Whether you’re dealing with burnout, anxiety, or the messy emotions caused by anything from family drama to money stress, this down-to-earth guide is here to remind you that none of these have to be setbacks in your well-being.

For anyone feeling worn down by emotional micromanagement, Ellie Mental Health founder and therapist Erin Pash offers a scaffold for emotional regulation and intelligence—so you can feel your emotions without letting them control you. Learn to:
  • Debunk popular mental health myths and oversimplifications
  • Identify the emotional ruts making your day-to-day problems worse
  • Recognize maladaptive habits and replace them with healthy coping mechanisms
  • Let go of perfectionism and practice “care without caring” by focusing on what matters most and accepting “good enough” for all the rest
  • Build healthy relationships through clear communication, and validate and empower others

With helpful exercises, practical solutions, and a good sense of humor, Everybody Sucks Sometimes is a pocket therapist designed to help you cope with bad days and life’s drama without losing your peace of mind.

About The Author

Erin Pash is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience specializing in high-conflict families, attachment theory, and trauma-informed interventions. After founding and serving as CEO of Ellie Mental Health for 10 years, she now serves as chairwoman of the board, having grown the company from its Minnesota origins to more than 265 locations nationwide and counting. 

Beyond her clinical and entrepreneurial work, Erin is an accomplished author, professional speaker, and thought leader who translates complex psychological concepts into accessible content. She holds a doctorate in business, a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, and is recognized as a clinical supervisor and clinical fellow by both the Minnesota and American Associations for Marriage and Family Therapy. Currently, she runs Pash Company, a social health start-up, and conducts international consulting work in healthcare. As a mother of six children, Erin balances her professional pursuits with community engagement, consulting on mental health legislation, and traveling with her family.

Product Details

  • Publisher: BenBella Books (January 12, 2027)
  • Length: 296 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781637749685

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Raves and Reviews

Everybody Sucks Sometimes takes a large issue and breaks it down into actionable, easy-to-understand steps to help acknowledge and attack the pressures of life. Emotional health is a journey, and this book serves as a great GPS guide that can help you ‘re-route’ when facing challenges . . . Erin is very knowledgeable, insightful, and motivational, providing real answers to real problems.”
—Tony Lee Peterson, chief photojournalist and multi-skilled journalist for CBS-WCCO Television 

“Erin Pash writes the way the best therapists actually talk: no jargon, no judgment, just honesty with a sense of humor. Everybody Sucks Sometimes meets you in the mess and convinces you that’s exactly where the good work starts. It’s the rare self-help book that earns the word ‘help.’”
—Cameron Lee, head of partnerships and editor-in-chief at The Chalkboard

“Warm, direct, and refreshingly human, Everybody Sucks Sometimes turns the science of how our minds work into tools you can use the moment life gets hard. A reminder that we don’t have to be perfect to live well, just a little braver about being ourselves.”
—Danila De Stefano, CEO of UnoBravo

“With humor, heart, and an authentic therapist’s voice, Erin Pash offers a road map for understanding ourselves with more clarity and less shame. Everybody Sucks Sometimes helps readers make sense of their emotions, strengthen their resilience, and navigate life’s challenges with greater intention and self-compassion. It’s an encouraging reminder that being human is messy, and that’s not a problem to solve, but rather an invitation to grow.”
—Tina Payne Bryson, LCSW, PhD, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline and founder of The Center for Connection

“Erin Pash does a masterful job of bridging therapy and brain science with the actual reality of leadership—the pressure, responsibility, hard decisions—and gives you practical tools you can use in real time. This is the work most humans avoid. It’s also the work that changes everything.”
—Jaime Taets, CEO and founder of Keystone Group International

“This book isn’t like therapy; it’s like having a best friend who’s a therapist. Erin’s clinically licensed candor cuts straight through the BS of self-help jargon to deliver practical, everyday ways to prioritize your mental health.”
—Paul Osincup, global keynote speaker and author of The Humor Habit 

Everybody Sucks Sometimes is the mental health book so many people need but may not know how to ask for. Erin Pash brings the rare combination of clinical wisdom, lived humanity, sharp humor, and deep compassion to a topic that is too often wrapped in shame . . . Honest, hilarious, practical, and profoundly relatable, Everybody Sucks Sometimes gives readers permission to be human and the tools to move forward with more clarity, self-compassion, and hope.”
—Heather R. Younger, JD, CSP®, author of The Art of Caring Leadership, The Art of Active Listening, and The Art of Self-Leadership

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