Meet Me in the Middle

If you haven't seen this trend pop up on your social feeds lately, you may have heard or read about it elsewhere. Join us as we talk about the social media trend of little kids being not only obsessed with skincare, but posting about it at length online. Jenny walks us through exactly is going on and how it connects back to a similar issue in the 90s. Digressions include our own experiences with our kids and technology access and o...

*Note from Annika: my mic was having issues in this episode (mainly that I didn't connect it properly, whoops) and so apologies that the sound is a little off for this week! Pretty sure I'll manage to not have it happen again, but if you think it sounds off... that's because it does!*

While this week's episode is technically a part 2, you definitely don't need to have listened to part 1 before you listen to this episode (it is g...

Today we start a two episode series that Annika has been wanting to cover since the podcast began! We're journeying today down the rabbit hole inside the purity culture social phenomenon of the 1990s and early 2000s, situated within evangelical Christianity. While today we are mostly covering exactly what this movement was, the larger arc this lives inside is the way that this impacts not only the impact to the wellness world but a...

If you're not on TikTok or YouTube, you might not have been exposed to the freshly revived Tradwife movement, so join us this week while we explore the resurgence of the Traditional Housewife movement/aesthetic. From gorgeous gardens to churning butter, all the way to MAGA hats and monetization, what exactly is it about, and how does it intersect with true choice?

(Note: if you don't have a TikTok account, these links are best viewe...

Thanks for your patience as we've had a few weeks with a lot of unplanned life going on! This is part 2 of our own personal experience with ADHD Hacks - we're covering some of the bigger lifestyle things that we didn't discuss in our last episode and sharing how we've been able to work together in a lot of ways to support ourselves and each other.

As a reminder this is just a conversation about our own experiences and what we're dis...

As we wrap up our neurodivergent January mini-series, join us as we talk about some of the non-pharmacological interventions that we use for our ADHD. This episode is part 1 of 2 as we don't talk about therapy OR exercise today but these are both things we're both very passionate about and use regularly in all parts of our lives, tune in next week for more details (and check out our early season 1 episodes on Peloton & Crossfit...

Yeah, so for real - both Jenny and Annika have been diagnosed with ADHD very recently. Turns out it's not just shorthand for our inability to start or finish projects; there's more going on for both of us - birds of a feather and whatnot. We touch briefly on the prevalent idea that "everyone has ADHD now" and some of the context, history, and stats. Join us for a very personal conversation where we talk about each of our roads to d...

Today's episode is a very personal peek behind the curtain. Join us in the messy middle as Jenny shares what it's like to navigate through noticing something is up with your kid through to the day of diagnosis. This is a chat about experiencing the system and finding the ways to advocate for what you need, within and acknowledging privilege.

This is also likely the first of a few conversations just like this, so look out for more on...

Yes, it's the 40th anniversary of the Cabbage Patch Kid this year and if that makes you feel old then us too. But what a great time to take a peek behind the curtain on what exactly all the hype was like, and how we got there. Join us as we journey back to holiday season, 1983, and all the stops we make along the way. Digressions include the origin story, a cartoon villan, and why some fundamentalist kids weren't allowed them.

S...

Join us for a Meet Me in the Middle movie night.

We watched the docu-series Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets so you don't have to!

This is the second of two episodes on this series, so if you haven't listened to part one, go back and do that - you join us kind of mid-idea here and it will make much more sense if you've taken the first part of this journey with us!

In this episode, we expand into what life was like for the old...

Join us for a Meet Me in the Middle movie night.

We watched the docu-series Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets so you don't have to!

In this first of two episodes on this series, we dig in to the context that the hit TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting came up around, and some of the details of the Duggar family that were new to us (although, sadly not surprising).

TW/CW: child abuse, child sexual abuse, religious trauma, cu...

If you didn't grow up in a 1990s youth group, you might not have the intimate knowledge of a surveillance software like Covenant Eyes. Join us this week as Annika walks us thorough some of the politics of the new US Speaker Mike Johnson, the politics of American Christian Nationalism, and the ways that purity culture and the wellness world intersect.

CW/TW: religious trauma, pornography, abortion access, equal rights for LGBTQ+ peop...

Whether you follow soccer (or as the rest of the world calls it, football) or not, you've probably heard about the new Netflix mini-docuseries on David Beckham. This week, Jenny takes us through the part of the story that stuck with her long after she'd finished watching. Join us as we discuss media culture on young stars, how little we know and understand about soccer (sorry!), and men's mental health.

(Note that we use sound clips...

If you're in Canada, you might have noticed that news has disappeared - or is in the process of disappearing - from your social media feeds and internet searches. This week, in part 2 of a 2 part episode, we actually dig in to the details of Bills C-11 (the Online Streaming Act) and C-18 (the Online News Act). What exactly is the purpose, what could they mean for the future of this podcast, and can we do anything to stop either one...

If you're in Canada, you might have noticed that news has disappeared - or is in the process of disappearing - from your social media feeds and internet searches. This week, in part 1 of a 2 part episode, we dig in to why. Before we review the details in Bill C-11 and Bill C-18, we have to talk a little bit about how we got here. What exactly qualifies something as Canadian content, and why has the government taken such an interest...

In today's wellness world circle of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps", we dive into the coaching industry! Is it a helpful addition to a toolbox of support, or repackaged victim-blaming that ignores structural inequalities? (Spoiler - we're looking for middle ground, soooo...)

Edit/Follow up to our chat: yes, it sounds outrageous but yes, you too can work with The Alpha Femme for $18,888.

This week, we get into the weeds with a social media "scandal" that broke a few weeks ago. Should registered dieticians be paid by industry groups to create social media content?

Digressions include a long and detailed conversation about the safety of aspartame (we know you've been asking!), and media literacy.

Original Washington Post article here.

WHO release at the centre of the aspartame controversy.

Hazard classification risk char...