Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast That Wasn't The Plan
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Stars, Would Not Recommend ft. Annie Edson Taylor | 29 oct. 2026 | 00:19:31 | |
On October 24th, 1901 — her sixty-third birthday — a retired schoolteacher named Annie Edson Taylor climbed into an oak barrel the size of a pickle cask, had the lid screwed down, had air pumped in with a bicycle pump, and was pushed into the current above Niagara Falls. Nobody had ever survived going over those falls. Annie knew that. She didn’t care. She had a plan. This week Emily goes solo again with the extraordinary true story of the first person in history to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and live — a woman who did it broke, widowed, and terrified of the poor house, on her birthday, at sixty-three. What you’ll hear:
“Annie Taylor’s plan was never to be poor again. It didn’t work. Her other plan — to do something no one else in the world had ever done — she nailed that one.” She’s buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, in a section called Stunter’s Rest. 💌 Have a story, a question, or something you’ve been carrying? Emily wants to hear it. thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan 🎧 If this one stayed with you — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who’s building a door right now. That wasn’t the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🛢️ | |||
| The Girls Who Fooled Sherlock Holmes | 22 oct. 2026 | 00:14:02 | |
In July 1917, a nine-year-old girl named Frances kept falling into a stream in Yorkshire and coming home with wet shoes. When the grown-ups asked why she kept going down there, she said she went to see the fairies. Her sixteen-year-old cousin Elsie — an art student who happened to live in a house with a darkroom under the stairs — said: fine, we’ll prove it. What happened next fooled newspapers, photography experts, theosophists, and the man who invented the most famous detective mind in the world. It also cost two little girls a secret they carried for sixty-six years. This week Emily goes solo with a story that is part hoax, part history, part grief, and entirely human: The Cottingley Fairies. “They wanted to be taken in.” — Frances Griffiths Watch the video or look up Fairies and Their Sunbath. What do you see? 💌 Have a story, a question, or something you’ve been carrying? Email us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan 🎧 If this one surprised you — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves a story that doesn’t end where you think it will. That wasn’t the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🧚 | |||
| From the Vault: Bed Bugs ft. Dr. Dini Miller | 16 oct. 2026 | 01:03:37 | |
Emily's on the road this week, so we're pulling one of our favorite early episodes out of the vault — originally released as Episode 6 back in Season 1, when Dr. Dini Miller became our very first-ever TWTP guest. We're re-releasing it for all of you who found the show in Season 2 and haven't dug back yet. If you've ever found a weird bug in your sheets and spiraled on the internet for three hours, this one's for you. Dr. Dini Miller is a professor at Virginia Tech, an internationally recognized expert in urban pest management, a PhD in urban entomology, and an inductee into the Pest Management Association Hall of Fame. She advises housing authorities, hotels, shelters, and schools. She published early research on insecticide-resistant bed bugs. She's won basically every award in her field. And she is also — according to Courtney — a total babe who once marched down Constitution Avenue dancing to Beyoncé at the 2017 Women's March. Today she's at Virginia Tech, pushing the entire industry to switch from IPM (integrated pest management) to APM (assessment-based pest management) — the radical idea that we should actually measure whether pest treatments work before and after, instead of just spraying 55-year-old chemicals and calling it done. She's trying to get U.S. HUD to pay for pest control rather than pesticide application, because apparently those are not the same thing. Spoiler: the current administration has eliminated most of the people who could help her do it. What you'll actually learn: how to identify a bed bug (size of an apple seed; babies are the size of a comma in a paperback book); why they poop a lot and what the little black marks mean; why lint rollers are your best friend; why hotels aren't actually the problem but apartments are (92% of professional bed bug treatments); who's most at risk right now (the elderly, nursing homes, dialysis centers); the medical shame that keeps people isolated; why the Food Quality Protection Act limits what we can use indoors; what fumigation can and can't do; traumatic insemination (yes, that's a thing male bed bugs do, and it's exactly what it sounds like); and why the only thing that is 100% guaranteed to work is tenting your whole house. Also: how a female bed bug lays 25% more eggs if she can get away from the dudes, why cockroaches smell distinctly enough that an entomologist can identify them in a restaurant glass, what delusory parasitosis is, the man who put raw hamburger mixed with gasoline on his bald head to sleep (his house burned down), Dini's seven rescue cats and her dog Carol who adopted her against her will, and the single best piece of life advice from a woman who built an entire international career on cockroach crap: you just have no idea where life is going to take you. Keep saying yes. Reach Dr. Dini Miller directly: If you work in or know anyone at an elder care facility, assisted living, dialysis center, or social service org that needs bed bug training — Dini provides it for free through Virginia Cooperative Extension. Call her office or email her directly. Follow the show: If today's episode made you want to lint-roll your luggage, please rate, review, and share. New episodes return next week. #ThatWasntThePlan #TWTPPodcast #FromTheVault #BedBugs #UrbanEntomology #PestControl #VirginiaTech #WomenInSTEM #WomenInScience #DrDiniMiller #IPM #APM #TravelTips #HotelTips #PublicHealth #EntomologyPodcast #ScienceCommunication #StoryDrivenPodcast #WomenPodcasters #MidlifePodcast | |||
| Is Anything Okay? Sunday Brunch Vol 1 - ft. Becky Smith | 08 oct. 2026 | 01:13:51 | |
Welcome to Sunday Brunch — a new TWTP format where Emily and Courtney invite a friend to the table to talk about the thing that's eating all of us at the same time. For our first one, we called in Becky Smith. Becky is Emily's longtime close friend, a healthcare provider, and — most importantly for today — a woman who, within the span of about four months, dropped her only son off at college, watched her feisty 82-year-old mother fall twice (once at Becky's own house, once days after college drop-off), and became the sole long-distance caregiver for a mother who's also the primary caregiver for Becky's sister. In other words: Becky is the sandwich generation, and she's doing it mostly solo. Emily's mom Jan took a bad fall six years ago and never fully bounced back. Dad is the primary caregiver. Emily lives in Seattle, siblings are in Colorado, and the weight of the "set up systems that don't stick" cycle is real. Courtney and her husband Jonathan recently moved his dad in with them — Lewis Body dementia, Parkinson's — and discovered that purpose and panic can live in the same house, sometimes at 6 a.m. in the front yard in their underwear. What this conversation actually is: three women telling the truth about caring for the people who raised us. The grief before the loss. The specific rage of setting up a care team that your mom then fires in a week. The gift of being able to show up in person vs. the exhaustion of long-distance coordination. The reminder, delivered quietly and perfectly by Emily partway through: this is their first and only time on this planet too — and they are lucky to have gotten this far. A gentle reminder to grieve the role change out loud, to let yourself cry when it happens instead of filing it away for later, and to approach your parent as the human they are, not the problem to be managed. We don't solve it. We just come to the table. If you're in it right now, some things to look into:
Follow the show: If today's episode made you feel less alone — please rate, review, and share it with the friend who's also in the thick of it. That's the whole point. #ThatWasntThePlan #TWTPPodcast #SundayBrunch #SandwichGeneration #CaregiverSupport #AgingParents #GenX #CaregivingJourney #Dementia #LewisBodyDementia #AdultChildrenOfAgingParents #MidlifePodcast #WomenPodcasters #CaregiverBurnout #CaregivingAndCommunity #StoryDrivenPodcast | |||
| What Would Binti Jua Do? - ft. Rescue Animals | 01 oct. 2026 | 00:42:55 | |
No guest this week — just Emily and Courtney, a rainy day, some research, and an hour of the purest content this podcast has ever produced: animals doing extraordinary things for humans, for each other, and sometimes just because. This one started with the 9/11 anniversary, a story about rescue dogs, and a myth about beavers keeping a little boy warm. It ended with a dolphin in New Zealand talking two stranded whales home to open ocean. In between: lions in Ethiopia, a sea lion off the Golden Gate Bridge, a gorilla named Binti Jua, a parrot named Willie, a pot-bellied pig named Lulu, a 22-pound rabbit named Dory, an elephant named Ning Yang, and Courtney's late Chihuahuas Rooster and Dwayne Taylor Brown, who woke her up before an earthquake in LA and remain legendary.
"Do it for Binti." — Emily White, 2025 📎 Documentaries mentioned:
🔒 STANDARD CLOSING 💌 Have an animal story that blew your mind? We want it. Email us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan 🎧 If this one made your day — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs a reason to smile today. That wasn't the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🐾 | |||
| See Something, Say Something - ft. Dena Smiley | 24 sept. 2026 | 01:02:41 | |
Everything you think you know about human trafficking is probably wrong. Dena Smiley is Chairman of the Board at Blazing Hope Ranch — a Tennessee-based Christian residential ministry that provides free two-year aftercare, equine-assisted healing, job training, and (for every graduate) a donated car and support finding a home, all for women over 30 who have survived sex trafficking. In 2025, Blazing Hope became the first gold-standard-certified safe house in the state of Tennessee. Dena didn't plan any of this. She grew up in suburban Southern California, went to UC San Diego, got a master's in social work from the University of Denver, and spent 15+ years as a clinical social worker. In 1994, she smuggled Bibles by bicycle across the border from Hong Kong into mainland China. In 2019 she started going to Nicaragua on medical mission trips into the brothels of the third-poorest country in the southern hemisphere. In 2021 she moved her family to Tennessee (yes, she Googled "most conservative states"), turned 50, and showed up sight unseen with her three kids to volunteer at a horse camp for kids at risk of being trafficked. By that fall she was on the board. By last summer she was running it. This is the education episode you didn't know you needed. Dena, Emily, and Courtney walk through: the recruitment tactic that isn't a white van (it's an "affluent straight-A student" and a guy behind her at a basketball game offering to introduce her to his tattoo-artist buddy); the "Blossom the Butterfly" curriculum from the Philippines that Blazing Hope uses to teach 8-to-13-year-olds about grooming without scaring them; why traffickers spike around the Super Bowl; why familial trafficking and intimate-partner recruitment are the dominant patterns (not kidnapping); the five biggest myths about who gets trafficked and where; and the warning signs to actually watch for in your community. Also: horses as emotional mirrors, why every Blazing Hope graduate gets a car, and the kindest thing anyone has ever done for Dena (it involves a haircut). Ways to help — beyond Blazing Hope Ranch: 🌾 Blazing Hope Ranch — Dayton, TN — BlazingHopeRanch.org Hotlines to know:
Other trafficking organizations doing the work:
Follow the show: If today's episode moved you, please rate, review, and share. Awareness is protection. #ThatWasntThePlan #TWTPPodcast #HumanTraffickingAwareness #EndTrafficking #ChildProtection #GroomingAwareness #BlazingHopeRanch #FaithBasedNonprofit #EquineTherapy #Tennessee #Nonprofit #SafeHouse #ProtectKids #ParentAwareness #StoryDrivenPodcast | |||
| I Woke Up In A Jail Cell - ft. Kurt Kemple | 10 sept. 2026 | 01:29:21 | |
(We open with a spirited debate about sweet potatoes and mayonnaise. Courtney flashes the camera. Miracle Whip is described as the devil's sauce. And then somehow we pivot to one of the most remarkable guests we've ever had on this show. This is That Wasn't The Plan.) This week Emily and Courtney sit down with Kurt Kemple — and we need you to hold two things in your head at once. In 2004, Kurt walked into a bank, slid a note across to the teller, and left with $2,000. He has absolutely no memory of doing this. He was in a Xanax blackout. He woke up the next morning in a jail cell, turned himself in, waited an entire year to be sentenced, and then sat in a courtroom and heard a judge say five to seven years. And in that moment, he made a decision: not a single minute wasted. Today Kurt is the Senior Director of Developer Relations for the Slack platform at Salesforce. He has written a book. He has published a piece on Medium called "I'm an Imposter" that still gets shared years later. He has taught himself theoretical physics using AI — with no background, no training, and no degree — and published two peer-reviewed papers in Physics Letters B, the second of which introduces a new theory about black holes that nobody had proposed before. He did all of this from a GED. "Fascinating. Tell me more." — Kurt Kemple's favorite phrase, and honestly now ours too. 📎 Find Kurt & Resources Mentioned:
💌 Have a question for Kurt — or a story of your own? Email us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan 🎧 If this episode made you believe something was possible that didn't feel possible before — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. That wasn't the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🥂 | |||
| A Field Guide To Not Dying | 03 sept. 2026 | 00:47:59 | |
Do I Smell Almonds? No guest this week — just Emily and Courtney, one gorilla-glued tooth, and a three a.m. Google spiral that took a hard turn into poisons. What starts as Courtney describing the ongoing chemistry experiment happening in her mouth turns into a tour of everything that can kill you and a lot of things that probably won't. We're talking the top three most poisonous poisons (spoiler: fentanyl is #1, and Buddhism has its own list). Women who spent centuries poisoning husbands because divorce wasn't a thing. The Colorado dentist who was lacing his wife's protein shakes with cyanide in 2023. Trini and Carmen's Mexican restaurant in Michigan and the largest US botulism outbreak in history (spoiler: don't home-can your jalapeños wrong). There's a full segment on the world's most poisonous plant (rosary pea), most poisonous land animal (golden dart frog — don't touch), most venomous snake (inland taipan, shy but capable of killing a hundred adults per drop), and most venomous sea creature (Emily nails it on the first guess). Plus: how a cougar's jaw can crush a human skull, why mama deer are dropping their babies off in Courtney's neighbors' yards like it's a doggie daycare, and why "make it weird" is the most underrated self-defense strategy for women. Also: Chef Boyardee slander. The egg float test. The moment Courtney's brother almost let her die on a road trip from Virginia to San Francisco because of one bad oyster in Yuma. And an emerging fantasy about being David Hasselhoff-level big in Copenhagen. Follow the show: If today's episode made you laugh, made you Google something, or made you email your mom about egg storage — please rate, review, and share. It's the single biggest thing that helps us grow. #ThatWasntThePlan #TWTPPodcast #PoisonPodcast #TrueCrime #DarkHumor #Botulism #Cyanide #MidlifeWomen #Perimenopause #WomenInTheirForties #FoodSafety #Menopause #StoryDrivenPodcast #FunnyPodcast #WomenPodcasters #Copenhagen | |||
| Nobody Here Knows Me ft. Annie Elmendorf | 27 août 2026 | 01:03:09 | |
What happens when the story you've been telling yourself for ten years unravels over a single glass of wine on the other side of the world? Annie Elmendorf is a mother of two, a cyclist, an athlete, and a sister. She's also — as she'll tell you herself — someone who has spent most of her life trying to feel at home in her own body. This is a solo episode with Emily; Courtney couldn't make it. And the story Annie tells is one Annie has never told publicly before. It starts on a Tuesday morning in March, on a Wi-Fi scale that has sixteen years of her data on it, in the middle of a separation, at the end of a couple of dark months. Fifteen pounds gone. All muscle. And a voice on NPR that morning talking about becoming a bodybuilder — Elizabeth Smart, of all people. To understand how Annie got to that scale, we have to go back. Way back. To a childhood spent gaining and losing more than two hundred pounds. To a gastric bypass in 2010 that changed her life, and then — a year later — introduced her to the specific way alcohol hits a body that no longer has a stomach. "It's like shooting alcohol into your vein," she says. Most people hate that feeling. Annie loved it. We walk through ten years of sobriety built on fear. The MS bike ride. The triathlons. The Iron Mans. The 200-mile weeks. The Rafa 500. And a single glass of Rioja at a paella dinner in the Canary Islands where — as Annie put it — nobody there knew her. Two weeks later, on a movie theater bathroom floor with her fifteen-year-old son in the theater, her intestine twisted. Three weeks after that, a piece of her small intestine died inside her body. Two weeks in the hospital. And four months later, on blood thinners, she rode across the Pyrenees. On the flight to Barcelona, she ordered a glass of white wine. Her mother died in June 2023. Annie went to the grocery store that day and bought a twelve-pack of ranch water. What followed was a year and a half of nightly drinking, "controlled" in the way addicts mean when they say the word. Then, in December 2023, a morning she can only describe as divine intervention. Thirty days of treatment in January 2024. Ninety meetings in ninety days. Now — three to five meetings a week, a bodybuilding coach in California, and the possibility of competing in the over-fifty division next fall. This is an episode about the still quiet voice you spend decades ignoring, about what it costs to finally stop performing wellness, and about the difference between fear-quitting and actually doing the work. Also: why post-gastric-bypass alcohol nearly killed her, why "transfer addiction" is a phrase she can now name out loud, and a stranger in a Texas pickup truck who reminded her that people are also good. Resources mentioned: Follow the show: If today's episode moved you, please rate, review, and share. It's the single biggest thing that helps us grow. #ThatWasntThePlan #TWTPPodcast #Recovery #Sobriety #Alcoholism #GastricBypass #WomensHealth #Midlife #Perimenopause #Menopause #Bodybuilding #WomensBodybuilding #ElizabethSmart #EnduranceAthlete #Cycling #IronMan #AAmeetings #TransferAddiction #StoryDrivenPodcast | |||
| Knowledge Artist ft. Dr. Patty Brennan | 20 août 2026 | 01:08:32 | |
"Send me all the genitals" ft. Dr. Patty Brennan What do you do when the wildest sentence of your career is "I was sure it was a worm"? Dr. Patty Brennan is a Colombian-born, Cornell-trained evolutionary biologist, a full Professor of Biological Sciences at Mount Holyoke College, and the world's leading expert on vertebrate genital coevolution. She's been featured in The New York Times, National Geographic, Scientific American, The Guardian, Slate, and NPR — and she's a featured scientist in the upcoming documentary Second Nature, narrated by Elliot Page. Before all of that, she was one of five sisters in Bogotá who became a biologist because she figured out she could scare her sisters off with bugs. Patty wrote us a line before we ever spoke that could be the tagline of this entire podcast: "The title of your podcast could be the byline for my scientific career." And she wasn't kidding. This episode is the whole arc — the girl who talked her way onto a research ketch in the Galapagos to scuba dive around the world (and got no further than the Galapagos, and married the American man she was never going to marry, thirty years ago). The moment she and her crew photographed the first live sighting of a whale that had only ever been known from a skull. The pivot to Cornell for marine mammals, the switch to birds, and the day in the Costa Rican rainforest when she thought she'd found a parasite and instead discovered a career. In 2013, Fox News, Sean Hannity, and Sarah Palin came for her NSF-funded research. She hid under her desk for a week — and then wrote back. What happened next was not the plan. Also: why females across the animal kingdom have weapons nobody was looking at, why 3% of birds have penises and the rest don't, why the full three-dimensional structure of the human clitoris wasn't mapped until the mid-1990s, dolphins as sexual harassers, Elliot Page's production company, and the Harlequin duck — the one duck that is not, in Patty's words, a "rapist duck." Watch or request a screening of Second Nature: Books Patty mentioned: Follow the show: If today's episode made you laugh, made you think, or made you text a science-curious friend — please rate, review, and share. It's the single biggest thing that helps us grow. #ThatWasntThePlan #TWTPPodcast #DuckPenises #EvolutionaryBiology #WomenInSTEM #WomenInScience #MountHolyoke #Cornell #BasicScience #ScienceCommunication #SecondNatureDoc #ElliotPage #ColombianScientist #Galapagos #Genitalia #Vagina #DolphinSex #EvolutionaryBiology #StoryDrivenPodcast | |||
| Gen X, Empty Nesters, and A Very Quiet Drive Home ft. Lucas Smith | 13 août 2026 | 01:06:05 | |
What happens when the paperwork for your son's college applications cracks open something you thought you'd buried 35 years ago? Lucas Smith is a Colorado-native-turned-Seattleite, a software engineer of 15+ years working at the intersection of AI and tech, a multi-instrumentalist, an avid cyclist, a master of the smoker (the grill kind), and the host of the Not Retired Yet podcast. And in about a month, he and his wife are driving their only son six hours south and dropping him off at college. What was supposed to be college paperwork became something else entirely. Somewhere between forms and financial aid, Lucas started losing sleep, getting angry at nothing, and couldn't figure out why. Until he traced it back to being 18 himself — the year his parents split, the family disintegrated, and a version of him was left to raise himself on his friend Dave's floor. This is an episode about handing your kid every single thing you never got. About Gen X and the eye of the hurricane between launching kids and aging parents. About unreliable memory, the sandwich generation, marriages that survive the empty nest (and the ones that don't), and Lucas's very honest admission that it was never part of the plan to live this long. Also: a 1984 drum machine, why our brains don't remember the diapers, and what a "pack horse" does when he finally has to plan. Follow Lucas & check out his podcast: Follow the show: If today's episode moved you, made you laugh, or made you text a Gen X friend — please rate, review, and share. It's the single biggest thing that helps us grow. #ThatWasntThePlan #TWTPPodcast #NotRetiredYet #GenX #EmptyNest #LatchkeyKids #MidlifePivots #SandwichGeneration #FatherAndSon #CollegeDropOff #SeattlePodcast #Memory #Fatherhood #GenXParents | |||
| Big Cat Energy ft Daisy Fulgham - Board Certified Sexologist, Sex and Relationship Coach and Wardrobe Stylist | 06 août 2026 | 01:12:50 | |
This week Emily and Courtney sit down with Daisy Fulgham — wardrobe stylist turned sex and relationship coach, devoted wife of 34 years, mother of two, and the woman who, at 54, Googled "sex coaching programs," sat down with her husband, and signed up before she could talk herself out of it. After the first weekend she was completely hooked. After this episode, you will be too. Daisy is warm, funny, disarmingly wise, and absolutely not here to talk about what you think she's here to talk about. Because this isn't really about sex. It's about intimacy. And intimacy, she'll tell you, is just deeply knowing yourself — all of it, the bright parts and the dark parts, the wounds and the triggers and the beautiful, complicated mess of being human — and meeting all of it with curiosity instead of judgment. "Shame can't really grow with a bunch of light on it." — Daisy Fulgham What you'll hear:
Daisy is accepting new clients. This is your sign. 📎 Find Daisy:
💌 Have a question for Daisy — or a story you've been carrying? Email us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan_podcast 🎧 If this one hit you somewhere soft — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs permission to take up space. That wasn't the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🥂 | |||
| Oh Canada, We See You (And We Love You) | 30 juil. 2026 | 00:48:08 | |
Turns out That Wasn't The Plan is basically a Canadian podcast at this point. Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton — you all showed up before anyone south of the border figured out what was happening. So Emily and Courtney decided to do the only reasonable thing: dedicate an entire episode to the Great White North. Courtney, for the record, is a dual citizen. Born in Newfoundland on a military base. Canada was apparently on the edge of their seat waiting to find out whether she'd claim it. Life happened. She forgot. She found out at the Social Security office in Los Angeles while in her twenties and spent the rest of the day walking around going "dual citizen." She has still never been back. She and Jonathan are planning their honeymoon there. One bathroom on a houseboat is where she draws the line. Emily, meanwhile, is accepting suitors. Canadian ones specifically. Three hours south of the border. Funny is non-negotiable. You know where to find us. What you'll learn about Canada in this episode:
📩 Canada — write in and tell us where you're from. And Australians — you're next. Courtney's already planning your episode. 💌 Write in and tell us where you're listening from! thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan_podcast 🎧 If this made you laugh — or if you're Canadian and just feel deeply seen right now — subscribe, leave a review, and tell a friend. Especially a Canadian one. That wasn't the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🍁 | |||
| She Grabbed the Shark's Snout | 23 juil. 2026 | 01:03:48 | |
Welcome back. Season 2. We opened with a tiger shark. Seemed right. That Wasn't The Plan is back for Season 2 — and we are not easing anyone in gently. Our first guest is Kinga Philipps: journalist, explorer, Shark Week host, Explorers Club Fellow, and one of the coolest humans on the planet. If you don't know Kinga yet, you're about to. We start where you'd expect — with a flight cancellation. Emily spent the night on the floor of LAX, made it to Australia, made it back, and showed up for this recording slightly jet-lagged and fully feral. What follows is one of the most genuinely fun, unexpectedly educational, and thoroughly unhinged conversations we've had on this show. And we've had some unhinged ones. What you'll hear:
"You're safe in the water, ladies." — Kinga Philipps, probably not talking about all the other stuff we discussed 📎 Find Kinga & Resources Mentioned:
💌 Have a question for Kinga you want us to put in front of her for round two? Email us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan_podcast. Kinga is on Instagram at @kingaphilipps 🎧 Season 2 is here. If you're glad we're back — subscribe, leave a review, and share us with someone who needs a shark story in their life. That wasn't the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🥂 | |||
| Season One Finale: 25 Episodes, A Cliffhanger, and a Flying Tooth | 19 juin 2026 | 00:24:59 | |
Happy 25th episode, everybody — and welcome to the Season One Finale of That Wasn't The Plan. Emily and Courtney sit down to close out Season 1 the only way they know how: completely unscripted, slightly unhinged, and somehow still kind of profound. Courtney opens with a literal cliffhanger, lands the plane on a calm, clear decision about her own health at 46, and then the two of them spend the rest of the episode doing what they do best — laughing, oversharing, and somehow turning a discussion about late-night jelly bean habits into something genuinely sweet. This one's a love letter to Season 1. They recap their favorite guest moments, reflect on what the show has become, and set up what's coming in Season 2 — launching July 23rd. Thank you for 25 episodes of listening, laughing, and showing up for this show. Season 2 is going to be even better. Go back and revisit your favorite episodes from Season 1 while we're away — and tell us which ones you want more of. 📎 Mentioned in this episode:
💌 Have a story, a question, or feedback on Season 1? We want to hear it. Email us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan. All episodes are also up on Spotify and YouTube if you want to see our faces (filters and all — full transparency). 🎧 Season 2 launches July 23rd. Until then — please subscribe, leave a review, share us with a friend. It genuinely helps more than you know. That wasn't the plan, and we will see you in Season 2. K bye. 🥂 | |||
| I Want a Shit Ton of Kids ft. Jonathan Fitzgerald | 10 juin 2026 | 01:14:08 | |
This week's guest, Jonathan Fitzgerald, showed up with a life story that none of us were fully prepared for. Jonathan grew up the middle child of ten in Sarasota, Florida, in a family that could only be described as a force of nature. His parents — both only children, for the record — moved to Virginia to help found a Bible college and wound up with 48 grandchildren. His father delivered seven of the ten kids at home after reading nine books on childbirth, built a prototype birthing chair in his garage, and tried to patent it. Nobody roasted him at his 50th birthday party because everyone was too busy crying about how much they love him. Jonathan's life goal since his teenage years was simple: be an amazing husband, be an amazing father, have as many children as possible. He did all of that. And then the 2008 housing crash wiped out his painting business, his marriage unraveled under the weight of financial stress and lost communication, and he found himself — sober, broke, and completely on his own — raising five kids between the ages of two and sixteen while working 7 to 5 for someone else and coaching two of them in football. He never missed a practice. "I've got way more content." — Jonathan Fitzgerald. He's coming back. 💌 Got a story you want to share? We'd love to hear it. Reach us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan podcast 🎧 If this one made you laugh, cry, or call your dad — subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs it. That wasn't the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🥂 | |||
| Napster + Arctic weirdos + Classroom bliss = Richard Ault; in a nutshell... | 04 juin 2026 | 01:11:03 | |
(We open with Courtney's puppy accidentally getting marijuana poisoning. This is relevant because it sets the tone perfectly for an episode about a man whose life has taken approximately seventeen unexpected turns.) This week's guest is Richard Ault — and his coworkers call him the most interesting person in the world. After about ten minutes, Emily and Courtney stopped arguing with that assessment. Richard is a biologist by training, a technologist by accident, and a high school teacher by something that can only be described as the universe intervening at exactly the right moment. His story runs from a latchkey childhood in Bethesda, Maryland to the Arctic tundra, from a rooftop party in San Francisco that accidentally launched his tech career to the inside of Napster during one of the most chaotic moments in music industry history — and then back down: addiction, bankruptcy, almost moving into his car, and finally, improbably, joyfully, back into a classroom. He's been sober for 13 years. He hiked to nearly 12,000 feet with his students two weeks ago. His favorite band is Tool. He is exactly who he appears to be. Richard's closing answer to "what's the kindest thing anyone's ever done for you?" might be the best we've ever gotten on this show. "It's stupid and corny, but — that wasn't the plan." — Richard Ault, nailing it. 💌 Have a story, a question, or something you want to share? Email us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit us at thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan_podcast 🎧 If this episode moved you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear that the bottom isn't the end of the story. That wasn't the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🥂 | |||
| Shirts in Your Pants & Other Moral Dilemmas | 28 mai 2026 | 00:43:37 | |
No guest. No agenda. No plan. Just Emily and Courtney showing up, catching each other up on their weeks, and somehow covering: shoplifting ethics, a stolen Power Ranger backpack, a suspicious kid at Target, toad venom, recovery, sitting with your feelings, and a stroller left alone in a parking lot that may or may not have had a baby in it. This is one of those episodes that was never supposed to be anything — and ends up being kind of everything. Grab a coffee, put your earbuds in, and hang out with us for a bit. "Life is not glossy and beautiful. It's fucking nasty. But it's also... real." — Emily White, 2025, exhausted as usual 📎 Reach out: Have a story, a question, or something you've been carrying? We read anonymous submissions. Email us: thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit thatwasnttheplan.com. 💌 Reach us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or visit us at thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplanpodcast 🎧 If you like what we're doing, subscribe, leave a review, and share us with a friend. It genuinely helps more than you know. That wasn't the plan, and we will talk to you next week. K bye. 🥂 | |||
| We Don't Move On. We Move With. ft. Lindsay Brockman | 21 mai 2026 | 01:10:52 | |
(Courtney's back, everyone. Let the drinks flow. Also — Courtney's tooth made a brief unscheduled disappearance. We kept it in. You're welcome.) This week, Emily and Courtney sit down with someone doing some of the most quietly essential work in grief support: Lindsay Brockman, licensed veterinary nurse, certified pet loss grief specialist, and founder of EverKin Pet Loss Support out of Richmond, Virginia. Lindsay has fifteen years across ER, end-of-life, and community animal medicine — and she's seen firsthand what happens when the humans in those exam rooms are left to navigate loss with nothing but a sympathy card and a parking validation. Her framework is built around disenfranchised grief — the grief the world doesn't quite know how to honor. The grief that gets "it was just a pet." Or "you'll get another one." Or the silence where a casserole should be. Lindsay's entire practice exists to say: no. All grief deserves support. But Lindsay brings more than professional expertise to this conversation. Earlier this year, her son Jack was stillborn at 38 weeks. And in one of the most honest, tender moments we've had on this show, she talks about how both losses — the ones she holds for clients, and the one she carries herself — share the same language. The same weight. The same need to be witnessed. What you'll hear in this one:
Lindsay's tagline is a Ram Dass quote: "We are all just walking each other home." By the end of this episode, you'll understand exactly why. 📎 Find Lindsay & Resources Mentioned:
Lindsay's books reopen June 1st — if you or someone you love needs support, now's the time to reach out. 💌 Have a story about a plan that went sideways? We want to hear it. Reach out at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan_podcast 🐾 If this episode moved you, please subscribe, leave a review, and pass it along to anyone who's ever loved an animal — or a person — and been told to just get over it. And as always — whatever plan you had? We're glad you're here anyway. 🥂 | |||
| Endometriosis: Painful Periods Are Not Normal ft. Hilary Pawlik | 14 mai 2026 | 00:45:45 | |
(Fair warning: Emily's mouth was fully uncensored this episode — blame the tech gremlins. Also, our earrings nearly derailed the whole thing. You'll hear it. We kept it in.) This week, Emily's co-host Courtney Holland is out due to an emergency — but honestly, today's guest doesn't need a wingman. Hilary Morris Pawlik has been Emily's ride-or-die since the eighth grade, and she shows up today to talk about something that affects 1 in 10 women and yet somehow remains one of the most underdiagnosed, underfunded, and dismissed conditions in medicine: endometriosis. Hilary is a professional dancer, award-winning choreographer, and co-director of Artist Entrance Dance Company in Los Angeles. She's performed with The Hollywood Pinup Girls and the Mental Head Circus vaudeville show, and she's basically done everything short of the Iditarod. But today, she's here to tell a different kind of story — the one about years of painful periods, fertility struggles, a missed diagnosis, a baseball-sized cyst, sepsis, and an emergency surgery that revealed her organs had started fusing together. What they cover:
📎 Resources mentioned:
💌 Have a story about a plan that went sideways? We want to hear it. Reach out to us at thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com or www.thatwasnttheplan.com 📲 Find us on Instagram | TikTok | YouTube — search @thatwasnttheplan_podcast 🎧 If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs to hear it. It genuinely helps us grow the show and reach more people. And as always — whatever plan you had? We're glad you're here anyway. 🥂 | |||
| What Is Your Body Capable Of? | 07 mai 2026 | 01:06:31 | |
Most of us learned to look at our bodies and immediately catalog what's wrong with them. Too big. Too small. Too much. Not enough. Wasting away. Filling out. The wrong shape for the wrong season for the wrong man's opinion. This week, we're trying something else. Two world-class athletes — ice mermaid and U.S. record holder Melissa Kegler and former NCAA swimmer Sarah Beth Wood — sit down with us to talk about what it's actually like to live in a body that's been measured, weighed, commented on, and critiqued for as long as they can remember. Not by strangers on the internet. By coaches. Teammates. Parents. Other women. The lady on the beach who told Melissa she'd need to "slim down to keep a man like that." Melissa tells the story of being told she was too heavy in September and too thin in March of the same year — nothing changed except there wasn't a Wendy's in her college town. Sarah Beth talks about the eating disorder she didn't know she had until her body literally stopped working mid-race. Courtney shares getting boobs in fifth grade and spending decades convinced they meant she was fat. And we all reckon with the moment a friend (or a stranger, or a coach, or a parent) said something about our bodies that we still hear in our heads twenty-plus years later. But here's the reframe — courtesy of Melissa's friend Randy, who said: Stop looking at a body and asking what it can't do. Look at it and ask what it's capable of. That one sentence rewires everything. Your body isn't a problem to solve. It's not a before picture. It's the thing that's carried you through every hard thing you've survived — and it's still here. Plus: 25 cat condos, the Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich that ended a swim career, why "you look like you're having fun" might be the best compliment you can give a stranger. Two things can be true. Usually they are. This one is for anyone who's ever stood in front of a mirror and listed everything wrong. Spoiler: there's nothing wrong. There's just a body. And it can do a lot more than you've been giving it credit for. Just because it wasn't the plan doesn't mean it wasn't supposed to happen. 📬 thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com 🌐 thatwasnttheplan.com | |||
| ChatGPT won her the Powerball - and she gave it all away | 30 avr. 2026 | 00:59:39 | |
Carrie Edwards bought a lottery ticket online (against her Army buddy's advice), let ChatGPT pick her numbers (also against his advice), forgot she'd opted into a second draw, and won $150,000. Then she gave every cent of it away. And $42,000 more out of her own pocket to cover the taxes. The story went viral worldwide — Tamron Hall, Inside Edition, Fox News, Korean headlines at her nail salon. An estimated 6 billion media impressions. And she got there by calling the Virginia Lottery's PR team herself and pitching them on a press conference. Sitting alone at her kitchen island, she heard a voice — clear as if someone were standing next to her — say it's not your money. And she listened. The money went to three places: AFTD (in honor of her late husband Steve, her best friend of 47 years, who was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and later died of frontotemporal degeneration), Shalom Farms (the food justice nonprofit in Richmond that healed her hands-in-the-dirt back to life), and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (in honor of her dad, Captain Peter Swanson, a Navy fighter pilot — whose wife, by the way, took the kids to peacefully protest the Vietnam War while he was flying missions over it). This one moved us. We talk about the still small voice and how to actually hear it. The Army friend who's now taking full credit for her windfall (of course, he is). What it's like to lose your favorite person slowly, and then all at once. And how Steve walked their daughter Kelly down the hallway to get married two weeks before he died. Plus: why your tax dollars aren't feeding active-duty military families, why Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening should be on everyone's nightstand, and Carrie's quiet rule for life — reach behind you and bring the next one in line. You may have caught the headlines. This is the part they didn't tell you. Donate where Carrie did: 🧠 AFTD — theaftd.org 🌱 Shalom Farms — shalomfarms.org ⚓ Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society — nmcrs.org Just because it wasn't the plan doesn't mean it wasn't supposed to happen. 📬 thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com 🌐 thatwasnttheplan.com | |||
| Part 2: Hypothermia can be funn! - Ice Mermaid | 16 avr. 2026 | 00:41:05 | |
Last week, Melissa Kegler said she was going to get her record back. This week, the universe said, we’ll see about that. What follows is five months of waiting for water that is somehow both too warm and too frozen, a logistical nightmare involving flights, storms, dams, and one very specific 24-hour window where everything finally (and briefly) aligns. It is, by all accounts, the worst swim of her life. Naturally, she does it anyway. There’s something quietly unhinged about preparing your body for hypothermia on a biweekly basis, dragging friends and coworkers into the chaos, and then—when it finally happens—thinking, “This feels terrible. I might die. Let’s keep going.” And yet. Somewhere between the near-bail, the dead-man float (briefly considered, quickly abandoned), and a very well-earned post-swim pizza, Melissa figures out exactly what she’s capable of—and, more importantly, how she wants to do it next time. Also: hypothermia. Surprisingly...fun??? | |||
| Pt. 1 - The Ice Mermaid, Melissa Kegler | 09 avr. 2026 | 00:53:49 | |
There are people who set goals. In Part 1, we trace the origin story: from pool swimmer to open water wanderer, to casually knocking out the Triple Crown (Catalina, the English Channel, Manhattan… as one does). Along the way: crocodile-adjacent panic, questionable water conditions, dolphins, bioluminescence, and just enough vomiting to keep things grounded. It’s a story about curiosity, momentum, and the dangerous power of someone asking, “Have you ever thought about…?” Unfortunately, someone did. And next week, it gets cold. | |||
| Clay Play...And a Hot Take! | 02 avr. 2026 | 01:09:42 | |
Courtney's tooth fell out again. Emily's hair is orange. Sarah Beth's pit bull has a pink belly. We're off. Somewhere in the middle of all that, we talk about Rosemary — Courtney's dear friend, gone two years this week. She spent her life helping traumatized kids and reminded us that hurt people don't just hurt people. Hurt people heal people. Then it gets weird (weirder?). We cover:
Plus: why your fallopians go feral around baby animals No agenda. No plan. Three women, like eight dogs, one squirrel, and a HOT TAKE! Warning: Contains one unsolicited dog vasectomy offer 📬 thatwasnttheplanpod@gmail.com 🌐 thatwasnttheplan.com Just because it wasn't the plan doesn't mean it wasn't supposed to happen. | |||
| Never Give Up. Also, Buy an Air Fryer. | 02 avr. 2026 | 00:50:58 | |
This week, we dispense wisdom. Some of it useful. Some of it… less so. From brain candy books and existential dread to air fryer eggs, dry skin trauma, and the radical notion of simply not giving up, Emily and Courtney share the life advice they’ve collected, ignored, rediscovered, and occasionally weaponised. There are thoughts on fear, presence, kindness, and why you should probably talk to your knees. Also: why teenagers don’t know how keys work, and why calm might be a superpower (unconfirmed). Take what you need. Leave what you don’t. | |||
| We Left With Nothing | 26 mars 2026 | 01:11:28 | |
This week, we sit down with my friend Jen Quam Howell (JQ), who—on an otherwise unremarkable night—was woken up by her husband with the words no one prepares for: “The house is on fire. We have to go.” What follows is exactly what you’d expect and nothing like you’d expect. Three young kids. One terrifying exit down a burning staircase. A total loss. A hotel room that becomes “hometel.” And a community that quietly, relentlessly shows up—with spreadsheets, sweatpants, and the occasional replacement bra. We talk about what happens in the immediate aftermath of losing everything, the strange logistics of starting over, and the long tail of trauma that doesn’t politely disappear once the house is rebuilt. It’s about resilience, yes. But more than that, it’s about people—neighbors, friends, family—who step in when life goes completely off-script. Equal parts devastating, darkly funny, and unexpectedly hopeful. Because sometimes the plan burns down. | |||
| How to flag down your own mugger! | 19 mars 2026 | 00:41:25 | |
Los Angeles, as it turns out, is less a city and more a series of increasingly poor decisions strung together by sunshine. This week, Courtney shares a perfectly normal collection of experiences: flagging down her own mugger, accepting a ride from a man who openly admits to past home invasions, being called a “loser” by a spiritual-looking stranger, and—naturally—being offered a glimpse of someone’s testicles before breakfast. There is crime. There is confusion. There is alarming optimism. And against all odds, she survives all of it. A masterclass in what not to do—and why it somehow makes for excellent storytelling. | |||
| The Last Virgin | 12 mars 2026 | 01:18:20 | |
What happens when you grow up in a deeply religious household where sex is forbidden, masturbation is sinful, and heaven is apparently keeping score? You wait. This week we’re joined by our brilliant friend Sarah Beth Schooley Wood—champion swimmer, Antarctica bride, and (for a surprisingly long time) a very committed virgin. We talk purity culture, religious guilt, awkward first times, late blooming, and the strange realization that maybe… sex isn’t actually a moral emergency. There are penguins. And somewhere in the middle of it all: honesty, laughter, and a reminder that everyone arrives at their own timeline. | |||
| Planes, trains and tears | 05 mars 2026 | 01:02:45 | |
What begins as a chic business-class flight to Italy (because we’re grown now) quickly devolves into a transatlantic U-turn, a missing suitcase, an Amtrak sprint through Washington, D.C., a possibly intoxicated Uber driver declaring “Ma’am, I’m gonna get you there,” and approximately fourteen emotional breakdowns. There are trains. There are planes. There is public weeping. There is emergency lingerie purchased at JFK. And somehow—miraculously—there is also Italy. This week, Emily recounts the 48-hour odyssey that proves three things:
Buckle up. Or don’t. It won’t matter. | |||
| Mom, if I'm in a wheelchair, I want to play murder ball | 26 févr. 2026 | 01:22:41 | |
At 22, Matt Holland dove into shallow water, broke his neck, and immediately knew something was very wrong. This episode has it all: lake house chaos, a midnight helicopter ride, ICU absurdity, fingers-in-the-butt medical exams, and erections. It’s funny. It’s uncomfortable. It’s very honest. And it’s about what happens when your body stops—but your will doesn’t. | |||
| Left at the Altar | 19 févr. 2026 | 01:02:23 | |
This week, Colleen Heiber joins us to discuss being left before the wedding… and almost leaving someone herself. Six weeks out. Invitations printed. Rose petals purchased. Dumpster involved. We talk red flags, baby fever (and losing it), jam bands, online dating in your late 30s, youth-pastor energy, and the radical act of asking, “Are you sure?” It’s funny. It’s brutal. It’s hopeful. It’s proof that sometimes the altar isn’t the ending — it’s the escape hatch. Very much not the plan. | |||
| Toofless | 12 févr. 2026 | 00:53:28 | |
What begins as a casual conversation about hair drifts, quite naturally, into fake fangs, missing teeth, addiction, dentures, dental debt, sobriety, and one impressively pragmatic trip to Mexico shortly after losing all top teeth. It’s painful, absurd, and unexpectedly funny—a story about shame, survival, and rebuilding a smile without the benefit of enamel. Dental insurance, as ever, is the real villain. Teeth optional. | |||
| Bugs in the bed | 05 févr. 2026 | 01:01:13 | |
Bed bugs: not a moral failing, not a cleanliness issue, and definitely not part of the plan. This week, we’re joined by Dr. Dini Miller—Virginia Tech professor, urban entomology legend, and all-around badass—to talk what bed bugs actually are, how people really get them, why panic makes everything worse, and what actually works. Equal parts horrifying, hilarious, and strangely comforting. Lint rollers encouraged. | |||
| Not my circus | 29 janv. 2026 | 00:58:38 | |
Just because children never blessed our loins doesn't mean we don't kinda like them. Well, we do, and we don't. Babies, motherhood, and the quiet panic of doing life “wrong.” In Not My Circus, Emily and Courtney talk being child-free by choice, by chance, and by biology—with honesty, dark humor, rockin’ nipples, and zero judgment. A conversation about listening to your own small voice, loving the life you actually have, and accepting that not everyone is meant to run the same circus. Takeaways Courtney never felt a strong desire for children, filling her life with wild experiences instead. Emily has no maternal instinct and never felt the urge to have children. Both hosts acknowledge the societal pressure to become mothers and the guilt that can accompany it. They discuss the concept of true love and how it can exist outside of traditional motherhood. Courtney reflects on her nurturing nature towards animals and people, despite not having children. Emily emphasizes the importance of personal choice in motherhood and the acceptance of different paths. They share humorous anecdotes about their childhood play and how it shaped their views on parenting. The conversation highlights the challenges of blending families and the adjustments required. Both hosts express gratitude for their current lives without children, valuing their freedom and independence. They conclude with reflections on the importance of being true to oneself in the face of societal expectations. Courtney experienced heartbreak when she fell in love with a partner's children. Emily shares her joy in seeing a partner's relationship with his kids. Societal expectations often pressure women regarding motherhood. Single parents face immense challenges and deserve recognition. Teachers play a crucial role in shaping young minds despite the challenges they face. Self-acceptance is a journey that enhances personal growth. Listening to one's heart is essential in making life choices. The conversation highlights the importance of being true to oneself. Parenting is a significant responsibility that should be carefully considered. Both speakers emphasize the joy and challenges of family dynamics. | |||
| Addiction talks but sobriety walks | 22 janv. 2026 | 00:55:36 | |
Courtney’s original life plan was simple: keep drinking, keep using, quietly disappear. Sobriety was not the plan — but it turned out to be the thing that gave her a bigger, funnier, fuller life than she ever imagined. In this episode, we talk addiction, shame, strawberries, bad decisions, dark humor, and why getting sober didn’t end her life — it finally gave her a life worth living. The conversation delves into the personal struggles of addiction, highlighting the impact of choices made during this time. Courtney shares her experiences with theft and dishonesty, particularly in relation to her family, and reflects on the consequences of her actions. Takeaways Courtney openly admits to stealing money during her addiction. She reflects on a specific incident of stealing from her niece's piggy bank. The act of claiming to be a designated driver while being drunk illustrates her struggles. Addiction often leads to low points in personal integrity. Family relationships can be deeply affected by addiction and dishonesty. Courtney's story emphasizes the importance of honesty in recovery. The conversation sheds light on the emotional turmoil associated with addiction. Consequences of addiction can manifest in various forms, including theft. Courtney's experiences serve as a cautionary tale for others. The discussion highlights the need for support and understanding in recovery journeys. Chapters 00:00 The Struggles of Addiction 00:20 Consequences of Choices | |||
| Without a home | 15 janv. 2026 | 00:48:05 | |
Both Emily and Courtney have had their run-ins with homelessness—sometimes more than once. This week, we delve into what it’s like to live without a roof over your head—and the bizarre blend of humor, humility, and resilience that comes with it. The little moments, the quiet dignity, and the unexpected things you discover about yourself when stability takes a hike. Honest, imperfect, and somehow more human—and maybe a little funnier—than we thought. | |||
| Breaking up...with friends! | 08 janv. 2026 | 00:45:59 | |
Friendship breakups: somehow more devastating than romantic ones, and with none of the sympathy cards. In Episode 2, we unpack platonic divorces, alcoholism, bad judgment, recovery, and how two former best friends managed to survive each other long enough to start a podcast. Poor choices were made. Summary In this episode, Emily and Courtney explore the complexities of platonic friendships, particularly focusing on the challenges and emotional turmoil that can arise when these relationships end. They share personal stories of friendship breakups, the impact of substance abuse on their connections, and the journey of recovery. The conversation delves into the importance of vulnerability, making amends, and the evolving nature of friendships as life circumstances change. They also discuss the healing power of friendship and the significance of reaching out for support during difficult times. Takeaways Everybody acts like they know exactly what's going on. Friendship breakups can be as painful as romantic ones. Substance abuse can severely impact friendships. Recovery can change the dynamics of relationships. Making amends is crucial for personal growth. Friendships can evolve and change over time. It's important to communicate openly in friendships. Vulnerability can strengthen connections with others. Letting go of past relationships is a part of healing. New friendships can bring joy and fulfillment. Sound bites "I would date me?" "I would love to date me." "It'd be nice to hear from people." Chapters 00:00 Navigating Post-Production Challenges 03:06 The Evolution of Platonic Friendships 06:00 Friendship Breakups: Personal Stories 08:44 Consequences of Substance Abuse on Friendships 11:50 The Impact of Recovery on Relationships 14:48 Friendship Dynamics in Recovery 17:47 The Complexity of Friendship Endings 20:52 Reconnecting After Years Apart 23:39 The Role of Apologies in Friendships 26:47 The Healing Power of Friendship 29:40 Making Amends and Moving Forward 32:44 The Shift in Friendships with Life Changes 35:43 Finding Joy in New Connections 38:11 The Importance of Vulnerability in Friendships 41:01 Letting Go of Past Relationships 43:59 The Journey of Friendship and Support 47:02 Listener Engagement and Sharing Stories | |||
| Oh, cancer... | 08 janv. 2026 | 00:57:29 | |
Courtney asks Emily shallow questions about her breast cancer. We laugh and get real. It's not a joke until you wake up with a soul patch downstairs. Show Notes: Summary In this episode, Emily White shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with breast cancer, detailing the emotional and physical challenges she faced. From the initial discovery of a lump to navigating the medical system, the support from family and friends, and the impact of chemotherapy, Emily's story is one of resilience and strength. She reflects on the importance of having a support system and the emotional toll of her diagnosis and treatment. In this conversation, Emily White shares her journey through cancer treatment, detailing the emotional and physical challenges she faced during chemotherapy and radiation. She discusses the dark period of recovery, the importance of support from friends, and the unexpected connections she made along the way. The conversation also touches on the difficulties of dating after cancer and the lessons learned about friendships and personal growth. Ultimately, Emily emphasizes the significance of actionable support for those going through similar experiences and the importance of finding humor and light in dark times. Takeaways Emily was diagnosed with two types of breast cancer. She initially dismissed a dent in her breast as normal. Support from family and friends was crucial during her journey. Navigating the medical system was challenging and frustrating. The emotional impact of the diagnosis was profound. She experienced a range of emotions from fear to determination. Chemotherapy brought significant physical and emotional challenges. Having a support system made a difference in her recovery. Emily's story highlights the importance of early detection. She learned to embrace the support of loved ones during tough times. The emotional toll of cancer treatment can linger long after the physical treatments end. Support from friends can make a significant difference during recovery. It's common for friends to drift away during long-term illness, leaving patients feeling isolated. Recovery from cancer can be more challenging than the treatment itself. Finding unexpected connections can provide hope and encouragement during tough times. Dating after cancer can be a daunting experience, requiring self-discovery and healing. Letting go of toxic relationships can be a positive outcome of a life-altering experience. Actionable support is more effective than asking what someone needs during their recovery. Humor can be a powerful coping mechanism during difficult times. Personal growth often comes from facing and overcoming life's challenges Sound bites "It does a number on your brain." "I had to go fund me, thank God." "Just do, just do it." Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Journey 01:00 Emily's Cancer Diagnosis 05:47 The Emotional Rollercoaster 10:57 Navigating Medical Appointments 15:42 Family Dynamics and Support 20:39 Surgery and Treatment Decisions 25:36 The Impact of Chemotherapy 26:13 The Journey Begins: Chemo and Its Effects 30:34 The Hair Loss Experience: A Personal Story 33:34 Support Systems: Friends and Family During Treatment 38:22 Radiation and Recovery: The Next Steps 44:19 Life After Cancer: The Struggles of Recovery 48:10 Self-Discovery and Personal Growth 51:03 Navigating Relationships and Friendships 53:08 Reflections on Life in Los Angeles 56:49 Support Systems During Tough Times 59:53 The Importance of Actionable Help 01:03:58 Lighthearted Moments and Humor in Recovery | |||
| Trailer Episode 00 | 05 janv. 2026 | 00:01:59 | |
Are you ready to laugh, cry, and cringe at life's hilarious messes? Well then, you're in the perfect spot. Join Emily and Courtney as they discuss the chaotic moments that threw us off course, screwed up our day, made us leap with joy, and helped us grow. Rein in your kids, pop some popcorn, and diaper your dog. We're about to jump in. | |||