Circle Time: A Book Club Podcast

***Apologies for the background noise on this episode. Chewing and typing sounds may occur.***

In 1996, Bill Bryson was one among many thousands of hikers who attempted to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. Joined by an old friend, Katz, the two amateur hikers set out to walk the over 2,000-mile journey and see what they learn along the way. 

This was a very different kind of nature memoir for Michelle. Rather than healing past wound...

Special guest (and dear friend) Michaela Eckler brings us this historical fiction novel to inspire conversation about what certain words truly mean, who gets to define them, and how to fight the "good fight" no matter who you are. This is a "slow-burn" novel; it doesn't quite suck you in, but its impact creeps up slowly, and leaves you thinking about it for weeks after reading. 

Join this conversation by sen...

Yoga, meditation, astrology, good diet, high self-esteem; where does it all come from and who gets to have it? In this episode, we take a close look at the wellness industry through the lens of anti-colonialism and Róisín's personal experience. The responsibility the author puts on yoga teachers hits close to home for Michelle. Olivia wonders how technology and Instagram play into "real" wellness. Lauren wonders how ...

Here it is... a long-awaited Circle Time by yours truly, Olivia! This book changed her life and she couldn't wait to share it with everyone. In this episode, Lauren and Olivia discuss "the truth that lives there" and Michelle questions if Sugar's advice still stands in a marriage. Join them for some laughs, maybe some tears, and a whole lot of "horribly horrible true truths".

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This book walked its way into Michelle's life and now she can't look back. The daily practices and Buddhist philosophies that Rinzler espouses here bring a renewed sense of meaning into work, and help calm the mind/body along the way. From setting intentions to focusing on the breath, we talk about how to slow down and be mindful at work. . . and the challenges that prevent us from doing so. 

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Are any of us married? Nope. Do we have any experience with marriage? Nope. Are we still gonna talk about it? Yup. Through information from relationship researcher John Gottman, we talk about the Four Horsemen as they relate to the demise of a relationship as well as the initial "seeds" or warning signs that may mean your relationship could use some TLC. Join us for this conversation that explores marriage, divorce, break...

SPOILERS!!! Welcome back to the conversation about It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. In this episode Lauren spills all of her thoughts on the characters, the story, and the book as a whole. Michelle revisits her previous thoughts on what consequence and justice could look like for some characters in this book. Olivia and Lauren agree that they both don't like the ending. Join the circle for a long and energetic conversation a...

Let's talk about sex, baby! This insightful book is one of our favorites. We *came* out of it knowing so much more about communication around sex, managing turn-ons and turn-offs, and dealing with stress healthily. Talking points include:

-completing the stress cycle
-inhibitors and excitors 
-how religion may tie into our perceptions of sex
-tending your own "garden" 

This is a 10/10 wo...

TRIGGER WARNING: domestic violence. NO SPOILERS! This episode is all about Colleen Hoover's book It Ends With Us as well as the movie that stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. The Circle Time ladies discuss social and emotional implications this book and movie has on its audience. Olivia describes the premise of the book, Lauren explains where she is at with reading it, and Michelle reaaaallllyyy wants to know the ending. Mi...

Michelle and Olivia get wild in this episode on one of our favorite books to return to: Women Who Run with the Wolves. (And by "get wild" we mean, get pretty sidetracked and don't actually talk about the book all that much. . .whoops!) Conversation drifts from the meaning of nicknames, to the dangers of opening up your heart, to Olivia's current obsession with pregnancy and post-partum journeys. Tune in for a fr...

Welcome to Season 2 of Circle Time! We're back from summer break and we're kicking off the new season with a rare occasion - all 3 of us read and loved this novel! Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a story about platonic love, the creative spirit, and, surprisingly enough, video games. 

Discussion topics include:
-general gushing about why we loved this book
-what we value in a female main character

Get on "another level" with us as we talk about human relationships to animals. Can we truly communicate with animals in a deep and meaningful way? Is there a natural hierarchy found in the animal kingdom? Are we all created from the same plane? Would whales want to talk to us?! Join us for this conversation as we try to answer some of these questions.

Join this conversation by sending us an email at circletimebookclub@gma...

We're truly getting messy about life and covering a lot of ground in this episode as we chat about Sheila Heti's Pure Colour and welcome our very first guest to Circle Time, our beloved Lex! 
Join us for some existential conversation about who we are as animals (bears, fish, or birds anyone?), autofiction, religion, mental health, and versions of the world we hope to see. 
This is a much-loved book of Lauren and L...

We return to the "woo woo bible" to explore one of our favorite topics: love and relationships. Estés analyzes the story of the skeleton woman; an Inuit folktale that speaks to the transformational nature of love, the willingness to embrace change, and  the ability to let the soul speak louder than the ego. 

In this episode, Olivia tries to let go of childhood, Michelle tries to figure out how partnership is both...

Our first novel on the podcast! This is the second book in a series published in the 1990s by ecofeminist leader Starhawk. It tells the story of a young woman named Maya protesting the Vietnam War and trying to stay true to herself amidst all the pressures of family, peers and adulthood. Discussion topics include:

-when did we become such non-fiction heads??
-personal communion with nature and how to write about it 

Olivia begins this conversation by giving an overview of what this book is about and who this book might be written for (probably not for us). We then dive into a discussion about qualities that make up a "life partner" and how those traits may be overlooked by some people because of smaller annoyances or distractions in the initial dating phase. We talk about how awkward and weird dating is or can be, but how necessary t...