As the headlines get harder, the politics more divisive, and the platforms themselves more corrupt, many of us are rethinking our social media usage in 2025.

Yeah, sure, we've all said this before in the past. So we take breaks, or delete the apps off our phones, but we always come crawling back. Social media is just an ingrained part of our lives now. It's where we get our news, it's how we connect with others, it's a source of entertainment and expression.

And yet...there is something different about this moment in internet history. People really are fed up, but it also seems impossible to quit cold turkey. There has to be a middle ground between spending large chunks of our day scrolling and walking away from social media completely. In this episode I'm walking through my own personal process of changing my relationship with my phone.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

MENTIONED in this episode:

Opal app

RELATED episodes:

Ep 253: Regrets and Reflections After 15 Years of Working on the Internet

Ep 246: A Funeral for Twitter

Ep 211: The Cell Phone Contract (A conversation with my kids)

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Sometimes you read a friend's book and you're jealous they wrote something this good. This is how I felt when I read writer and podcast Melanie Shankle's latest Here Be Dragons: Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma.

This book is about Melanie's very complicated relationship with her mom, woven together with her own Big Feelings about the mean girls that took over her daughter's high school experience. As someone who regularly preaches that all of us should be sharing our stuff, my jaw dropped at some of the stories that Melanie is able to share so well.

In this conversation, Melanie and I talk about all of those things. It's a tender topic, but Melanie is, as always, full of humor and wisdom in the face of it all.

Follow Melanie Shankle on IG

Buy Here Be Dragons: Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma

Listen to The Big Boo Cast

FULL SHOW NOTES ARE HERE

MENTIONED in this episode:

The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs

Ep 243: Best Books Lately with Sophie Hudson

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Now THIS is truly a conversation you won't hear anywhere else. My friend, television show runner Stacy Rukeyser, joins me to talk about making R-rated art when you're a mom.

Stacy has written on some really great shows over the years, but she was tasked with creating Netflix's first foray into erotica with her show Sex/Life back in 2021 and it brought up some questions about making this type of creative content when you're a mom. Stacy rightly points out that men likely wouldn't be asked (or be asking) the same type of questions, but it was a fascinating conversation to explore.

Stacy shares her fascinating Hollywood career trajectory, the column that broke open a One Tree Hill scandal, and the differences working in female-led writer's rooms.

This episode is a bit of a curve ball, but I think you'll be riveted.

Follow Stacy Rukeyser on IG

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

MENTIONED in this episode:

Stacy's great grandfather Hall Caine

The Manx Man

Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz

Un-real on Netflix

44 Chapters About 4 Men by BB Easton

Hollywood Reporter article about the One Tree Hill writer's room

RELATED Episodes:

Ep 189: About the Hollywood Strikes (And how it affects you)

Ep 195: Why do smart people watch dumb tv?

Ep 216: Stop Deferring Your Life (A ONE THING conversation with Amy B. Harris)

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Continuing my look back on 15 years of working on the internet (and the last decade as working as a podcaster), I'm addressing a question that I've gotten fairly often recently: Any advice on starting a podcast?

Based on my own mistakes working on three different shows, and observations about the podcast listening community and industry, in this episode I'm sharing what I would do if I started a new podcast today. While I speaking pretty specifically about podcasting in this episode, I also think that a lot of what I talk about applies to most creative endeavors on the internet in 2025.

I'm talking about creativity, marketing, mindset, equipment, and more. And at the end I give a little pep talk that maybe we all need.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

MENTIONED in this episode:

Audacity recording/editing software

Riverside.fm software for remote recording

Single microphone I used for years recording in person

Current microphone I use

RELATED episodes:

Ep 124: Behind the Scenes of Podcasting

Ep 205: 10 Things All Podcast Fans Should Know

Ep 253: Regrets and Reflections After 15 Years of Working On the Internet

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This month marks FIFTEEN years that I have been pursuing a career primarily by sharing myself on the internet. Starting with the Hollywood Housewife blog in January 2010, then building a social media presence, then becoming a podcaster and an author, and I have so many stories and thoughts to share about the last decade and a half.

On this episode, I'm talking about the things I did right, the things I definitely got wrong, and how I've evolved right along with the World Wide Web.

Join SECRET STUFF to hear even MORE behind-the-scenes stories.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

MORE episodes on this topic:

Ep. 73: I Wrote a Book!

Ep. 63: Working From Home

Ep. 111: Behind The Scenes of Publishing, Marketing, and Launching a Book (with Kelly Gordon)

Ep. 166: How To Write a Book (in 10 Steps)

Ep. 174: 3 Things I've Learned While Working With a Business Coach (A Conversation with Retha Nichole)

MENTIONED in this episode:

Ep. 251: 10 Things I Learned in 2024

Sorta Awesome podcast

Smartest Person in the Room podcast

Racial Bias series on SPITR

Share Yo​​ur Stuff. I’ll Go First. by Laura Tremaine

The Life Council by Laura Tremaine

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No matter the question, reading is the answer. And in a year starting off like 2025 is, we certainly need a lot of answers to life's questions.

I am thrilled to welcome fellow Angeleno bookworm Traci Thomas (host of The Stacks podcast) to talk about the most anticipated new book releases of 2025. We talk about novels and nonfiction by debut and beloved authors publishing this year and sorry not sorry about this conversation that will send your book budget soaring. There are so many good books to look forward to in the next six months.

Also in this episode, Traci really gives me a lot to think about in terms of how we talk about books and why it's okay to be publicly critical of books that don't work for us. As an author who is jumpy about that concept, Traci really shifted my perspective on this.

You can listen to Traci on The Stacks podcast

You can follow Traci on IG

You can read Traci on her substack Unstacked

You can join Traci's Patreon

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

JOIN THE SECRET STUFF BOOK CLUB

MOST ANTICIPATED 2025 BOOKS:

January Books:

February Books:

March Books:

April Books:

May Books:

June Books:

ALSO MENTIONED in this episode:

MORE BOOKS mentioned in this episode:

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It may already be January, but it's time for my annual year-end reflection with 10 of the biggest things I learned that I hope will also resonate with you.

2024 was a weird year in so many ways. My lessons were all over the place, from examining self-confidence vs. self-esteem, finding out who I am in a crisis, being honest about what home renovations can bring up emotionally, facing my addiction to the news cycle, and discovering the big thing that motivates our family decisions.

It was a year full of light bulb moments. I hope this helps you reflect upon your own lessons, struggles, and triumphs of the last year.

JOIN THE SECRET STUFF BOOK CLUB HERE

FULL SHOW NOTES ARE HERE

MENTIONED in this episode:

Ep 201: 10 Things I Learned in 2023

Ep 238: The Conversation That Changed My Year

Ep 246: A Funeral for Twitter

The neck alignment thing that really works

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It's the reading episode we look forward to all year! My real life book club members Yasmin Dunn and Stephanie Newman-Smith join me for a supersized conversation about the best books we read in 2024.

JOIN THE SECRET STUFF BOOK CLUB

Since Stephanie, Yasmin, and I did a half-year Best Books episode together during the summer, we only gloss over a few of the books we discussed in depth in June. You can see the show notes from Ep 224: Best Books of the Year (So Far).

Also an EXTENDED CUT of this episode and the BONUS episode where the three of us share books that didn't work for us this year (including a big surprise from me) is available for paid members SECRET STUFF (now on Substack!)

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Follow me @laura.tremaine on IG

Follow Yasmin @yasminheartsbooks on IG

(Stephanie doesn't post books on IG)

MENTIONED in this episode:

Yasmin’s Best Books:

Ours by Phillip B. Williams

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

 Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee by Mikita Brottman

 Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship by Terrence Real

Stephanie’s Best Books:

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

Real Americans by Rachel Khong

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

Laura’s Best Books:

Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Link to Patreon episode about the Bee Sting - (Available for $3!)

ALSO MENTIONED:

Yasmin’s Best Books (So Far) in the June Episode:

You Like It Darker by Stephen King

James by Percival Everett

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

Stephanie’s Best Books (so far) in the June Episode:

Long Island by Colm Tóibín

Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliver

Slow Horses by Mick Herron

Laura’s Best Books (so far) in the June Episode:

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

The Book of Love by Kelly Link

How to Walk Into a Room by Emily P. Freeman

The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck

Holly by Stephen King

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

Secret Windows by Stephen King

The Body by Stephen King

The Stand by Stephen King

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

You Can Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith

Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne, Ph.D.

All Fours by Miranda July

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

Share Your Stuff, I’ll Go First. by Laura Tremaine

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

A Year to Live by Stephen Levine

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

Within Arm’s Reach by Ann Napolitano 

Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Couple Found Slain by Mikita Brottman

NPR Best Books of the Year list

NYT 10 Best Books of the Year list

NYT Best Books of the 21st Century

Ep. 243 Best Books Lately (with Sophie Hudson)

More Episodes with Yasmin and Stephanie:

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I know why you don't journal. I also know why you should journal.

In this episode, I'm sharing all the benefits you'll gain from the occasional journal session and how to combat the (many) obstacles that keep you from starting. Then I'll share the 4 types of journaling that you can try in order to see growth and clarity in your life.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

MENTIONED in this episode:

My favorite plain notebook

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

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BUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine

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My friend Nora Dahlia Zelevansky is a journalist, a novelist, a wellness writer, and now she's a romance author! As we celebrate the release of her latest book PICK UP, Nora and I chat about her writing trajectory, the differences between publishing and marketing the romance genre, and why she decided to write this book using a different name.

We also talk about how fiction helps us process our pasts, and especially how our high school selves might not have grasped the full story, and how we wrestle with that in adulthood.

So many aspects to this great conversation!

PICK UP by Nora Dahlia is out now!

Learn more about Nora Dahlia Zelevansky

Follow Nora on IG

FULL SHOW NOTES ARE HERE

MENTIONED in this episode:

NaNoWriMo

author Sarah MacLean's books

Competitive Grieving by Nora Zelevansky

Roll, Red, Roll: Rape, Power, and Football in the American Heartland

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JOIN the Secret Stuff Patreon

BUY THE BOOK: Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. by Laura Tremaine

BUY THE BOOK: The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices