Author Archives: ofcourseimnotokpodcast

Listeners you are in for a TREAT today! On this week’s show, Karen & Katie discuss the importance of rest in the middle of our New Year’s resolution-crazed time. They also discuss a WIDE variety of other topics, such as their holiday breaks, the beauty of puttering around the house, how keeping a travel journal even when you are home is an excellent idea, and, of course, bidets (you will want to listen until the end for gems in that department – trust us). 

Thanks for listening. Enjoy!

Resources from this episode include: 

– Glennon Doyle’s podcast We Can Do Hard Things (recent ep on New Years): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-year-same-you-good-news-about-bad-january-branding/id1564530722?i=1000546851114

– The Guardian article on the Rest Test: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/dec/07/self-and-wellbeing-how-to-rest-relaxation-gardening-travel

– Calm’s Gently Back to Sleep meditation: https://app.www.calm.com/program/kNLRlg4tdg/gently-back-to-sleep

– Tushy bidet products: https://hellotushy.com/products/warm-water-bidet-tushy-spa

– fe CBD products: https://feearthtobody.com/pages/our-story

– Tiny Love Stories in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/31/style/tiny-love-stories-fresh-starts.html

Happy 2022, Listeners! We hope you are all feeling great. On today’s show, Karen and Katie talk about how it can be difficult to access joy at times (unless, as Katie – queen of metaphors – says, “if you are shitting rainbows, keep on shitting”), and when it is, to think back to the things that brought you joy in the past. These could be things like books and movies/TV shows. If you liked them in the past, you might like them again, so tee ’em up and see what happens to your mental state!

We hope you enjoy this episode – thanks for listening!

Resources from today’s episode:

– Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27071490-homegoing

A version of this post originally appeared on Rebellious Magazine for Women.

What a treat! In today’s episode, Karen & Katie welcome the amazing Rachel Kramer Bussel, a wildly creative and kind person who is also the editor of the long-running Best Women’s Erotica Of The Year anthologies. The trio cover a TON of topics, including erotica, if Rachel ever gets sick of writing/editing sex topics(!!), talking dogs, jigsaw puzzles, mental health, YouTube stars, and upcoming books we don’t want to miss.

This week’s episode is a MUST LISTEN. One of Karen & Katie’s favorite guests, Dr. Tania Israel, returns to talk about unity. The discussion covers everything from how to talk with people across the aisle to how many of us could benefit from rethinking our news consumption to real talk about anger around politics.

Anyone feeling some sort of way about their bodies these days (or every day)??? If so, this episode is for you. Today, Karen & Katie chat with the incredible Dr. Renee Englen, Northwestern psychology professor & leading body acceptance researcher about ALL things related to body image.

Has anyone else been feeling a bit low lately? If so, the reason may surprise you. According to writer and grief expert Hope Edelman, many people experience a “dip in functioning” around the one-year anniversary of a trauma or loss. This week marks one year since COVID descended on the U.S., and in today’s episode, Karen & Katie chat with Hope about the concept of Pandemic Grief.

Get ready for an epic episode! This week, Karen and Katie welcome Saya (pronounced Sigh-A) Hillman, a.k.a. ‘The Accessible Oprah,’ for a far-reaching and very real conversation about living what Saya calls ‘A Life Of Yes.’ As founder and CEO of Mac & Cheese Productions, a Chicago-based lifestyle business that creates events (and many other things) for its clients, Saya explains how getting fired in 2004 was one of the best things that could have happened to her.

Happy Almost-New Year, Listeners! On this week’s show, Karen and Katie discuss the things and experiences that they’d put in a 2021 time capsule. The conversation ranges from light to dark and everything in between. 

While you listen, play along! What are the top 5 things you’d keep/want to remember from this year? 

Thanks and enjoy!

Resource from today’s episode: 

– Please be sure to check out the 1619 books! https://1619books.com/

– Check out the amazing artwork on Pretty Awful on IG: https://www.instagram.com/prettyawful/

Happy Winter Solstice, Listeners! For today, mini-pod episode, Karen and Katie chat about incredible solstice traditions. The pair also discuss stargazing, finding hair from the 1800s in a cedar chest (you’ll have to listen to find out!), and Marie Kondo. 

We hope you all have a fabulous week!

Resources from today’s show: 

– Check out the International Dark Sky Parks to see if there is one near you: https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/parks/

– Try downloading SkyView, a free app that helps you find constellations! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/skyview-lite/id413936865

– Tune into Tidying Up with Marie Kondo: https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379

Happy Mid-December, Listeners! In this week’s episode, Karen and Katie discuss how we can all follow our bliss when it comes to dreaming big (even if we aren’t able to go anywhere at the moment). The pair also talks about vision boarding, waiting in line for concerts, and Karen as a MAJOR mic drop moment when she asks, “Post-COVID, WHO ARE WE NOW?” 

Thanks for listening – enjoy!

Resources from today’s episode: 

– Check out Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife

Welcome back, Listeners! In today’s show, Karen & Katie chat about how to deal when the universe seems to continue piling on not-so-ideal scenarios into our lives. The duo goes deep into talking about strategies that help them mentally and physically, and explore dark dumpster metaphors. Additionally, they chat about Katie’s experience with the COVID booster and Karen’s blissful reunion with Erin from Estonia (check out episode #5 for our fun interview with her!). 

Thanks for listening, Friends, Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving, Listeners! This week, Karen and Katie get into a deep discussion about everything from travel (Katie once lived in Nepal, while Karen once lived in Cambodia!) to the VERY problematic history of Thanksgiving to Katie’s reasoning for wanting to have a funeral for coffee. Sadly, Katie’s microphone didn’t work properly for this episode (something we didn’t notice until the editing phase), so this show also introduces ‘mic gate.’ We hope to fix all sound issues by next week!

The pair then gets into a discussion around rage: allowing rage, how rage and anger can be expressed without emotional or physical violence, and how healthy it can be to encourage ourselves to express and feel a wide range of emotions. 

Thanks for listening! 

Resources from today’s show: 

– Check out Patrick Is A Navajo: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmJC-2WmfoQCzwMtK9oC6jQ

Happy Monday, Gorgeous Listeners! In this week’s episode, Karen & Katie chat about how healthy it can be to “zoom out” on our lives. This is a useful exercise to help us see what goals we have for the future and what kind life we want to live. It can also be a fabulous activity when thinking back on our past and celebrating all of the things we’ve accomplished. Karen makes the smart observation that including “maintenance” in that zoom-out is also a useful thing to do to touch base with ourselves and check in on how things might be going. 

The pair also talks about the joy of being petty, Chicago’s aggressive “dibs” concept, and Katie shares her recently foray into community building in Bend. 

Thanks for listening everyone! We appreciate every one of you! xoxo

In this week’s episode, Karen and Katie chat about the concept of social fuel tanks (i.e. what fills up our energy and makes us feel connected to humanity). Turns out, the things that fill each of us up are very different. Some find fuel in spending time with loved ones, while others fuel up listening to their favorite musical artists or watching a show that makes them feel connected to the wider world. The pair discuss the concept and the study that coined the term. 

Karen and Katie also talk about Halloweens past and present, and their complicated feelings about daylight savings. 

Thanks for listening – hope you enjoy!