We Just Like to Talk

Two episodes ago, Becky blew Ben’s mind by introducing him to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Now Becky’s back at it again, this time with The Real Housewives of New York City. Specifically, she made him watch three episodes from season 3 of the series, a self-contained trip to the US Virgin Islands where some of the housewives have a little too much to drink and let the emotions run almost as wild as their libidos.

Hear how this series stacks up against Beverly Hills in Ben’s opinion, and of course, which of the housewives Ben and Becky like the most—and which ones they think the other one most resembles. They also get real about bridal showers, both in the show and one they’ve attended together.

You can also read the episode transcript.

Spring is in the air! Don’t you just feel more motivated? Ben and Becky muse over what motivates them, and how to make the most out of motivation.

Watch Becky’s time lapse video of creating her own bullet journal.

Becky also mentions the book on motivation she recently read: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink.

You can also read the episode transcript.

The Real Housewives is one of Becky’s go-to reality TV shows to help her relax and unwind. She had Ben watch several episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Ben … does not watch that much reality TV, and definitely doesn’t watched Real Housewives. Until now.

Spoiler alert!

Note: Although Becky mentions at the beginning that she had Ben watch episodes of The Real Housewives of New York as well, we don’t end up discussing those. Stay tuned for a future episode with more reality TV talk.

You can also read the episode transcript.

Adulting is a tricky thing for anyone, regardless of their age. Sometimes it just takes a little too much out of you. What do you do when you feel like you aren’t adulting well enough, but everyone around you thinks you just want reassurance?

Ben and Becky discuss a lot of different things related to adulting. In addition to things that would make their lives easier, they discuss blue-sky ideas like basic income and flexible work weeks, and the idea that you don’t have as many hours in your day as Beyoncé. Finish off with some of their thoughts on how you can support friends and family who are feeling this way.

Further reading:

• How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation
• The Case for Having a Hobby Without the Side Hustle
• CBC Spark interview about Google’s “Duplex” AI project

You can also read the episode transcript.

Have you moved out of your hometown? Are you considering moving? Both Ben and Becky have left their hometown of Thunder Bay. Ben left and came back after 2 years in England. Becky moved last year to Montreal, where she is settling for the foreseeable future.

Hear all about what motivated them to leave Thunder Bay, as well as what they’ve learned from moving. There are also plenty of funny stories about adjusting to new and foreign lands.

You can also read the episode transcript.

Ben and Becky both love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and over the past year and a half, they rewatched it together, first when cooking together at Ben’s house, then via video chat after Becky moved to Montreal.

This episode is a free-for-all discussion of all things Buffy. We talk about favourite seasons and episodes, emotional moments, Angel vs Spike, and Buffy’s overall character arc. Thanks to those of our listeners who left comments on our Facebook page!

You can also read the episode transcript.

What kind of podcast would we be if we didn’t do a reflection on the end of our year? Ben and Becky talk about the best parts of their 2018, how they grew and changed, and their hopes for 2019.

Some links:

• Ben’s blog post about visiting Montreal
• Becky’s blog post about visiting NYC

You can also read the episode transcript.

We discuss Holly Bourne, a British author whose books Ben has constantly been lending to Becky for the past few years.

Bourne writes about feminism, mental illness, and relationships—both healthy and unhealthy. Her YA series Spinster Club follows three young women as they struggle with these things. Her adult novel, How Do You Like Me Now?, is about a woman on the brink of 30 still struggling with similar things.

We break down our thoughts on these books, why we love them so much, and which parts we could most relate to.

You can read Ben’s reviews of Am I Normal Yet? (with links to the subsequent books) and How Do You Like Me Now? on Goodreads.

You can also read the episode transcript.

What are we watching on TV these days? We reveal our current favourites, new and old, what we're binge-watching or savouring at the moment. We talk about what we find comforting about certain types of TV, and what TV shows and movies we've had queued up forever. Then we play a fun game with each other.

Shows we discuss include: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Real Housewives, Black Lightning, Ozark, Doctor Who, Will and Grace, Black Mirror, Vanderpump Rules, and Charmed. No spoilers!

You can also read the episode transcript.

Everybody faces rejection, whether it’s professional, platonic, or romantic. Come hear our tales of woe—no, actually, we have a pretty positive outlook on rejection in our lives!

We talk about rejection in relationships (both romance and friendship), as well as being rejected for jobs or for school. We cover some of our different reactions to different forms of rejection, as well as how we approach rejecting people. Also, Becky shares her steps for dealing with a rejection.

You can also read the episode transcript.