Have You Heard About...

When I first read Jen Sookfong Lee's thoughtful memoir 'Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart,' I knew I'd have to have her on the show. A fellow Vancouverite, Jen's memoir explores what it was like growing up in a Chinese-Canadian household, cleverly set against the lens of pop culture.
We chat about what it was like growing up wanting to see more of yourself on screen, how kids of immigrants can u...

I started a Substack! It covers all the podcast culture beats you love, but also standalone topics that are best explored through writing. I'll also provide recommendations, interesting links, and the usual hot goss. It's called 'we need to unpack this,' and you can subscribe to it for free here.
The first two pieces are all about Blake Lively, both in what she’s really trying to sell us, (no, it’s not just ...

You know when that incredibly divisive Ballerina Farm article by Megan Agnew for The Times created such a social media frenzy, we would have a lot to say about the trad wife of it all. This is particularly interesting because it's the first time in recent memory that a trad wife has broken the fourth wall. Chiming in is guest host Rachel, who has become our resident influencer expert, as we break down all the notable moments i...

This episode is quite the departure for the show and was born out of some Instagram stories around perimenopause, when I realized- hey, we all seem pretty uninformed! And more scary - way too many people are tuning into their fave influencers for peri content, which is becoming increasingly monetized.
While I personally got my puberty education from the legend that is Judy Blume and a few school health classes, nothing like th...

So thrilled to interview Sara Petersen, author of 'Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture' for the podcast. One of the most memorable books I've read in the past year, 'Momfluenced' helps you make sense of your own complicated parasocial relationship with the domestic goddesses we both love, and truthfully, sometimes hate to follow. We cover everything from trad...

Today’s pod was meant to focus strictly on the reality reckoning and the aftermath of Vanderpump Rules explosive Scandoval that took over the pop culture zeitgeist a year ago. But, in light of Princess Catherine’s video announcement yesterday sharing the news of her cancer treatment, this podcast became something bigger. We’re going to be looking at not only how media treats women and how we’re complicit in it, but what that says a...

This is more than just a ghostwritten autobiography, it's Britney's ultimate manifesto of feminist rage.
From the betrayal of having friends and family leverage her fame for their own agenda, to the unforgiving and relentless scrutiny she's faced simply for being human, Britney finally tells us her truth. A stark look at what happens when a teenage dream tries to break free from societal expectations, one thing ...

Hey... we're back! Kicking off the new season exploring the singular Taylor Swift who is currently the reigning champ of our pop culture zeitgeist, seemingly everywhere all at once (including the NFL!)
Joined by friend of the pod, marketer, and fellow culture enthusiast Patty Connor, we go deep into the Taylorverse. She's generously always giving us something to talk about; the squads, the feuds, the prolific songwrit...

We’re tackling one of our most requested topics today, a deep-dive on the First Family of Reality TV and their ascent into major A List status, the Kardashians!
Joining the episode is Stacy Lee Kong, Founding Editor of whip smart pop culture site, Friday Things.
We break down the Kardashians place in pop culture history and what makes them so compelling. Whether you love them, hate them, or claim not to care, there’s no de...

Award-winning Canadian broadcaster Tamara Taggart joins the show! Former co-anchor of the evening news in Vancouver, Tamara has been a fixture in Canadian media for over 20 years. Like so many women, Tamara wears many hats; she's an outspoken advocate for people with disabilities, a mother, a cancer survivor, and recipient of the Order of BC. We cover so much ground, including the wild west that is working in the media (with s...

This episode is a long time coming, an in-depth look at one of our favourite shows, the aesthetically cozy 'Gilmore Girls!'
Cousin Mary is back as guest-host as we debate and revisit key elements throughout the series, exploring both the original run and four part 'A Year in the Life' revival on Netflix, the devoted fandom, and of course behind the scenes gossip; including potential cast drama and the much d...

So thrilled to have Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, the brilliant creators behind the iconic Go Fug Yourself on the podcast!
So many of us have been reading the site since it started in 2004, and it continues to be an OG pop culture staple. What began as a fun side hobby between two friends has spanned nearly 20 years and 25 million page views a month, where they continue to make us laugh while covering red carpet style like...

The episode for reality tv stans everywhere!
How many times have we referred to reality tv as a guilty pleasure? Or trash tv? Or just generally felt embarrassed admitting to our reality tv vice?
Author Danielle Lindemann joins us to chat about her new book, 'True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us.' As a sociologist and reality tv fan (who teaches a course on reality tv--where do I sign up for that!?), Danielle...

Who better to deep dive the boom of the teen mags than legendary editor Atoosa Rubenstein!? As Founding Editor of CosmoGirl (at age 26!), and former Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen magazine, Atoosa's magic was a blend of understanding the teenage experience, while being acutely relatable to her readers (this, despite living a life of glamour and high fashion in NYC should not be underestimated). After leaving the industry in 2006...

Mahsa and guest-host Rachel are back at it with Part Two of the Jillian Harris/Influencer Economy deep dive!
We get to the meat of it in this second half, and do our best to answer the big questions around the relatively new career of influencing, including exploring this unique parasocial relationship and tackling what, if anything, influencers owe their followers.
As we debate the merits of influencers sharing their (cur...

This is by far the most asked for episode from our listeners, and your complicated feelings on the subject fascinates us!
Mahsa and guest-host Rachel delve into the world of Jillian Harris. From her stint as the Bachelorette to her BFF persona on Instagram, to the evolution of using her platform to speak out on social causes, we have so much to talk about.
This episode is largely shaped by our amazing community on Instagram...

A deep dive on the best new show we have seen in a long time, the wildly chilling Yellowjackets!
Mahsa and guest-host Mary cover lots of ground, so this is spoiler and speculation heavy - fair warning. From what makes the show resonate with so many people, dream casting scenarios, the most imaginative theories on Reddit (we can agree that Adam isn't Javi though, right!?), to the refreshing diversity, and so much more.

The verdict is in, and while it was a mixed bag, Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty on 4 charges of defrauding investors.
Pop culture writer and critic Kayleigh Donaldson joins us as we deep dive the never-ending Elizabeth Holmes story. From the rise and fall of her company Theranos, that promised to revolutionize the healthcare industry by running hundreds of tests through just a few drops of blood, to going from the cover of F...

The podcast episode we've been wanting to do forever; the definitive guide to Caroline Calloway's rise to fame, subsequent fallout, and iconic place in pop culture as an OG social media scammer is here!
Guest-host Maggie Patterson, fellow podcaster and expert in online scams in business, joins the discussion. We cover so much ground, starting from the beginning; how Caroline's ivy-league fueled childhood led her ...