A Special Place in Hell

Today in hell, the girls/women find themselves divided by a much-discussed personal essay in The Cut about divorce or near-divorce (or the dream of divorce?) 

Meghan stands up for creative license (even when suspended), while Sarah sips on some haterade. In moments, the girlxs’ differencex seem irreconcialable, but they eventually decide to stay together for the sake of the kids (aka paying subscribers). 

Plus: Meghan attends the premiere of film version The Coddling of The American Mind in a packed and anti-fragile theater in Beverly Hills.  

RELEVANT LINKS

“The Lure of Divorce” by Emily Gould from The Cut.

The Coddling of The American Mind Movie.

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HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

Our episode with Sam Harris is for premium subscribers only. Free subscribers only get the first 50 minutes. Become a member if you want early access to all episodes and get access to the bonus-only episodes.

Respected public intellectual and ultra-meditator Sam Harris makes another questionable career choice by joining us in our Special Place. Though he rarely broaches the subject of GEND*R, he willingly risks it all (especially considering our massive audience) and strides boldly across the minefield of explosive topics we lay out. He also shares his thoughts on audience capture, religion, cats, stoicism, and (naturally) Taylor Swift. 

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HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.

In this first-of-its-kind livestream, the girls/women begin by discussing whether Taylor Swift is “mid,” as the males of Twitter proclaim. They decide that she’s still highly desirable (because if she isn’t, then what does that say about podcasters!?)

Then, then ponder why young women appear to radicalizing into extreme leftist politics. Is it just about the vibes? Or are Women Going Their Own Way (WGTOW), now that the men have failed to launch? 

RELEVANT LINKS

“A new global gender divide is emerging” from the Financial Times

Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription.

HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

This episode is for paid subscribers only. Become a member if you want early access to all episodes and get access to the bonus-only episodes.

The girls/women discuss Kate Manne’s new book on fatphobia, Unshrinking, and its recent excerpt in The Cut.Also, who has done more for body positivity: feminists or the Kardashians? Are anorexic models the result of gay men controlling the fashion industry? And why did everyone start to get fat in the 1980s? Is it because food became laced with preservatives and endocrine disruptors? (Or do we blame working moms?) Finally, is nutrition a real science or a dark art?

RELEVANT LINKS

“Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia” by Kate Manne.

Kate Manne’s book excerpt in The Cut.

“Fat positivity is a fantasy” by Kat Rosenfield for Unherd.

Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription.

HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.

In this episode, a brief discussion on audience demographics. Then, a characteristically philosophical discussion on polyamory and how to find happiness despite being trapped in a crappy life. Lastly, a look at the groundbreaking NYT expose of problematic emails at the Claremont Institute. Finally, journalists do something useful. 

RELEVANT LINKS

“‘America Is Under Attack’: Inside the Anti-D.E.I. Crusade” from the New York Times.

“Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” by Oliver Burkeman.

Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription.

HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

This week, the girlx compare notes about how they spent Martin Luther King Day, and Meghan recalls one of her first public speaking events. They then analyze the rise of Twitter trad bros advocating for stupid but hot stay-at-home wives, wonder if high IQ women have a “tall girl problem,” and marvel at how polyamorous people manage to “have it all.”

RELEVANT LINKS

“How a Polyamorous Mom Had ‘a Big Sexual Adventure’ and Found Herself,” from the New York Times.

“Interested in Polyamory? Check Out These Places,” from the New York Times.

Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription.

HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

Legendary radio host, comedian and Scarily Acute Observer of Human Behavior Adam Carolla visits the pod to discuss the girlx favorite question: has the entire world become feminized? 

It’s been 13 years since the publication of Adam’s stunningly prescient book In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks. How did Adam get it so right, so early?

Plus: Why did Adam and his Loveline co-host Dr. Drew Pinsky have a falling out  with David Alan Grier? Why Adam is leaving California as soon as his kids finish high school? (And where is he going?) Finally, Adam gives Sarah and Meghan tips for podcasting success and explains why a career is nothing more than a bunch of hoses in a trough. 

Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription.

HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

Embattled Harvard president Claudine Gay is out. Who has the goods to replace her? And what are those goods, anyway?  Then, why are business influencer bros telling lonely men to “wife up?” Does a traditional wife get you the best possible ROI? Or is the trad trend simply a new genre of porn? Plus, Meghan spots her 18-year-old self on YouTube! 

RELEVANT LINKS

Claudine Gay’s Op-Ed for the New York Times.

Kat Rosenfeld’s piece about Trad Wives on TikTok for Reason Magazine.

Meghan’s piece about Mary McCarthy, The Group, and spotting her 18-year-old self on YouTube.

Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription.

HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

Is the White House holiday video a Blank Panther psyop? Are “former progressive friends” who inch slightly to the center victims of the right-wing cult? And what does The Nutcracker have to do with Christmas anyway? 

Plus: Meghan comes clean about her tap dancing history.

RELEVANT LINKS

Dorrance Dance’s Nutcracker at the White House.

What’s Driving Former Progressives to the Right?

Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription.

HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com

Legendary advice coach, blogger, and Special Place VIP is back to answer more listener questions. For instance, how do you get your neighbor to stop chewing your ear off? What qualifies as a midlife crisis? How can you move past regret?

She also answers some questions about herself. For instance, why did she once hire a matchmaker and what were her requirements for a mate? Why is she sleeping on the living room floor of her fancy apartment? And why does her dog eat butter? (Answer pending.)

Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription.

HOUSEKEEPING

💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.”

☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 

🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women.

🎥 Follow us on YouTube!

❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

📸 And Instagram.

🎵 And TikTok.