We Just Like to Talk

Did you know Becky is Kara’s fashion guru? It’s true! And if you haven’t already checked out her blog and Insta, you probably should, because she could be your guru too. Listen to these two best friends talk about such an important part of life: how we express ourselves in what we wear. Becky and Kara have developed their sense of style in different ways over their lifetimes. They share their stories, and Becky quizzes Kara on what trends she might get into.

Kara and Becky love compliments!! They love giving them and receiving them. In this episode, they discuss how you can accept compliments, give better compliments, and why we all need more compliments—especially right now. They also discuss the gendered nature of some compliments, and why you should be careful about how you compliment some people—especially women—unless you know them well.

Welcome to another episode of Kara and Becky’s impromptu book club. This time, they talk about another birthday book that Kara gave Becky: Can You Hear Me Now, by Celina Caesar-Chavannes. This is a memoir by a Black Canadian entrepreneur, business owner, and former politician.

Trigger warnings: child abuse, miscarriage, sexual assault

See also:

• Becky’s review and Kara’s review of this book
• Kara’s review of Mediocre

Becky and Kara love talking about their habits with each other. Every once in a while, they share their goals and discuss what’s working and what isn’t. In this episode, join them as they dig a little deeper into how their habits work (or don’t), how they form habits, and Kara’s discovery that maybe she needs to learn more about what will help her form habits more easily!

Books Becky mentions:

• The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
• Atomic Habits by James Clear

Did you know Kara taught Becky everything she knows about cooking? Well, maybe not everything. But they cooked together regularly before Becky moved to Montréal, and now they inspire each other long distance to become better cooks—while remaining lazy cooks at heart. Hear them talk recipes, fave dishes, cooking techniques, and aspirations for their culinary futures.

This is the second part of our episode about Kara’s journey as a transgender woman. Kara answers anonymous, listener-submitted questions, along with questions from Becky.

Questions and times:

1. Any new hobbies since coming out? (1:15)
2. Any role models/icons who inspired you with your transition? (5:15)
3. Is there something you wish you knew before transitioning? (9:15)
4. Did anyone cut you out of their life? (11:50)
5. Has the way you’ve thought about things changed? (15:30)
6. How do you speak about your past/how do you refer to yourself? (19:05)
7. How can people support me? (23:35)
8. What aspects of yourself are the most masculine? (27:33)
9. Is there any part of your past self that you miss? (28:48)

One year ago (February 28, 2020), Kara came out as transgender. In this vulnerable, open conversation, Kara reflects on what this has meant for her, and Kara and Becky together discuss how it has affected their friendship—for the better.

This is part 1 of 2. In part 2, Kara will answer your listener questions about her transition!

Mentioned:

• Kara’s review of For the Love of Men
• Medium article: Gender Desire vs Gender Identity
• Kara’s blog post “Masculinity: It’s not for me”

Let’s get vulnerable. Kara and Becky have both been, and are both going to therapy—not with each other, of course, but on their own. In this episode, you’ll hear about why they sought a therapist, how they found their current therapists, and even what they discuss with their therapists. At the end of the day, our mental health is just as important as our physical health.

Don’t let the intro fool you; this episode is in English! But it’s all about Netflix’s Emily in Paris. Kara and Becky discuss what they loved about this show, along with their hopes for season 2.

Correction: About 6 minutes in, Kara mistakenly refers to Emily’s actor as “Lily James” when, in fact, she is portrayed by Lily Collins. Oops!

In the second part of this episode about social media and the documentary The Social Dilemma, Kara and Becky discuss their own approaches to social media use. They also muse on whether or not we can fix or change social media to make it better.