This week, we’re joined by two friends of the pod, Sami Sage (Betches Co-Founder) and Emily Amick (@emilyinyourphone) about their book Democracy in Retrograde (released 7/9). The discussion focuses on how to spark civic engagement amid increased societal polarization, challenges in public civic life, the importance of making civic duties enjoyable, and how digital lives influence political participation. From pivotal issues like minority rule to voter suppression, Sami and Emily offer practical advice and their real-life experience to help us all feel a little better about being more civics-minded and involved. Enjoy!

Order Democracy in Retrograde by Sami Sage and Emily Amick here: https://amzn.to/3Y4eP9A

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For understated luxury at its best this spring, shop the must-have pairs of the season and receive 20% off your purchase with code BETHEREINFIVE at marcfisherfootwear.com.

Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code BETHEREINFIVE at OSEAMalibu.com. You’ll get free samples with every order, and free shipping on orders over $60. Head to OSEAMalibu.com and use code BETHEREINFIVE for 10% off.

HyaCera from Ritual is a clinically-proven skin supplement you can actually trust.* Get 25% off your first month for a limited time at ritual.com/BETHEREINFIVE. Start Ritual or add HyaCera to your subscription today. That’s ritual.com/BETHEREINFIVE for 25% off.

This week, Kate is deep-diving into America's Sweethearts, a docu-series about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which recently debuted on the heels of a canceled reality show Kate had a love/hate relationship with (but watched for 16 seasons): Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team.

Victoria's interview starts at ~1:00:00

In the first hour, Kate reviews the docuseries solo and gives her lukewarm takes about their choice to give up production control, her deep-seated fear of Kelli McGonagill Finglass, the immense talent of the women and impressive legacy of the brand, and DCC being the last frontier of a place that seems to openly discriminates based on body type while asking you to do the most and get paid the least. Additionally, the challenges of professional cheerleading, including mental health struggles, relationship dynamics, body image pressures, compensation issues, and the support systems necessary for resilience

In the second hour, Kate is honored to be joined by one of the stars of the docuseries, former 4-year veteran Victoria Kalina, who captivated audiences with her candor about the challenges of a life spent chasing the DCC dream and what navigating sisterhood, mental health, and body image really looks like behind the scenes. She answers all your questions, from who she keeps in touch with, who was really invited to her Tiktok party, the infamous twin bed, the final meeting with Kelli and Judy, finding purpose in sharing about her mental health, the pressure involved with being a legacy, while sharing what she's up to now that she's chosen to build a legacy for herself. Enjoy!

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Now through July 31 you can try 3 months of Audible for ZERO dollars! Gift yourself or someone special an Audible membership today. #CommissionsEarned

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Helix is offering up to 30% off all mattress orders AND two free pillows for our listeners! Go to HelixSleep.com/BeThereInFive. This is their best offer yet and it won’t last long! With Helix, better sleep starts now.

Get healthy, glowing skin for summer with clean, vegan skin and body care from OSEA. Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code BETHEREINFIVE at OSEAMalibu.com. You’ll get free samples with every order, and free shipping on orders over $60. Head to OSEAMalibu.com and use code BETHEREINFIVE for 10% off.

This week, we’ve got a highly anticipated podcast crossover—Jac Vanek, Becca Tobin, and Keltie Knight from LadyGang join Be There in Five! The discussion journeys through their early days of rebranding (IYKYK) to classic millennial nostalgia and the not-so-hidden issues that accompanied some of our favorite pastimes. They discuss dance culture's economic and cultural challenges, the problematic nature of early internet culture (looking at you, AIM chat rooms), and interactions with celebrities from red carpets to IRL sightings. Enjoy!

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Honey the book by Isabel Banta is on sale now everywhere books are sold!

Tags:

Interview, Lady Gang, J.Lo, MySpace, AIM, AOL, red carpet

This week, Kate is answering listener voicemails, like dishing on the culinary delight of buffalo chicken wraps while exploring the dynamics of grilled vs. breaded chicken. Then, she discusses how she thinks people conflate data about screen time overuse with general screen time use and rants about not buying into the “mom guilt.” She also delves into hot pop culture topics, including Taylor Swift's chart strategies against artists like Billie Eilish and Charli XCX, and revisits Olivia Rodrigo’s song “The Grudge.” She also discusses the new “It girls” of pop, like Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Renee Rapp, and finishes answering a question about her plans for Teddy to have siblings. Enjoy!

03:18 Musings of a Buffalo Chicken Wrap Enthusiast 05:14 I don't care what I'm getting; I demand breading 16:21 Screen Time and Parenting 38:11 New Pop "It Girls" - Renee Rapp, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter 53:07 Charli XCX and the Taylor Swift Chart Controversy 01:30:57 Personal Reflections: Siblings and Parenthood

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Sign up for ButcherBox today by going to Butcherbox.com/BETHEREINFIVE and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout and enjoy your choice of bone-in chicken thighs, top sirloins, or salmon in every box for an entire year, plus get $20 off!

Remember to go to cozyearth.com/bethereinfive to enjoy 30% off using the code BETHEREINFIVE. And after placing your order, select “podcast” in the survey and then select “BETHEREINFIVE” in the dropdown menu that follows.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here!

Right now, BÉIS (base) is offering our listeners 15% off your first purchase by visiting BEISTRAVEL.com/BETHEREINFIVE

Sign up for ButcherBox today by going to Butcherbox.com/BETHEREINFIVE and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout and enjoy your choice of bone-in chicken thighs, top sirloins, or salmon in every box for an entire year, plus get $20 off!

Remember to go to cozyearth.com/bethereinfive to enjoy 30% off using the code BETHEREINFIVE. And after placing your order, select “podcast” in the survey and then select “BETHEREINFIVE” in the dropdown menu that follows.

This week, Kate critiques the stagnant nature of traditional Father's Day gift guides and compares them to the rapidly changing trends for women like “office siren,” which leads her to snorkel through the current male microtrend: having a “rat boy summer” or taking on a “rodent boyfriend.” She also discusses how aggressive the gals on TikTok are getting about items being on sale and reflects upon why she’s being followed by a product called Bovine colostrum. Then, after a detour about irreverent bumper stickers, she formally responds to a clip she heard on New Heights where some of the Kelce’s takes about D-COMs were just plain D-wrong, and provides a framework involving DCOM cinema that will help you determine if you’re an old or young millennial. She also talks about TV ratings and how naive we can be about what we think is popular versus what’s truly mainstream and complains about the Curse of Oak Island doing the least but getting the most ratings relative to ladies like the Housewives whose lives implode on television for meager hype. The conversation also touches on reproductive rights, the volume of IVF-related news this week, and, lastly, celebrates millennial dads breaking traditional molds amid reflections on her own motherhood journey. Kate wraps up by inviting audience feedback for the podcast's future direction in a shifting industry landscape. Can you tell this was AI-generated? Enjoy!

00:37 The Eternal Struggle of Men's Gift Guides

04:06 Micro Trends and Aesthetics for Women

08:35 The Rise of 'Rat Boy Summer' and Male Aesthetics

11:16 The Impact of TikTok Ads and Shopping Trends

30:05 Nostalgic Dive into Disney Channel Original Movies

36:24 Millennial Disney Channel Divides

37:28 High School Musical: A Cultural Shift

44:00 Bumper Stickers That Must Be Stopped

48:09 The Curse of Oak Island: A TV Phenomenon

49:05 TV Ratings and Reality Shows

54:21 Diving into Reproductive Rights

55:50 Navigating Infertility and IVF

01:16:59 The Reality of Parenting and Partnerships

01:17:26 Celebrating Millennial Dads

01:29:13 Podcast Future and Listener Feedback

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Turn your ordinary water into extraordinary hydration with Liquid I.V. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LIQUID-IV.COM and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout. That’s 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code BETHEREINFIVE at LIQUID-IV.COM.

Get healthy, glowing skin for summer with clean, vegan skin and body care from OSEA. Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code BETHEREINFIVE at OSEAMalibu.com. You’ll get free samples with every order, and free shipping on orders over $60. Head to OSEAMalibu.com and use code BETHEREINFIVE for 10% off.

For understated luxury at its best this spring, shop the must-have pairs of the season and receive 20% off your purchase with code BETHEREINFIVE at marcfisherfootwear.com.

This week, Kate is solo and snorkeling through some of the latest and oldest of topics, like time. She warms up by wandering through things like grandfather clocks, the true crime history of the Magdalene Laundries (aka "Maggies") in Ireland, Harrison Butker’s speech, lyrics where people quote Taylor Swift but don’t realize she’s quoting someone else, and ponders why we treat punctuality like it’s an inherent virtue to the human condition when people had no way of knowing the precise time until the 18th century. Then, she crowdsources on IG in real time people's thoughts about having heirlooms as millennials in an era of fast fashion and furniture, highlighting the statement pieces of yesteryear that are incredibly pricey to maintain and whose experts are dying off. Then Kate goes off on a tangent about lucrative niche trade careers, like fixing grandfather clocks and elevator technicians, in case anyone's in the mood for a career pivot. Very random, they can't all be hits, enjoy!

This week, Kate is solo and snorkeling through some of the latest and oldest of topics, like time. She warms up by wandering through things like grandfather clocks, the true crime history of the Magdalene Laundries (aka "Maggies") in Ireland, Harrison Butker’s speech, lyrics where people quote Taylor Swift but don’t realize she’s quoting someone else, and ponders why we treat punctuality like it’s an inherent virtue to the human condition when people had no way of knowing the precise time until the 18th century. Then, she crowdsources on IG in real time people's thoughts about having heirlooms as millennials in an era of fast fashion and furniture, highlighting the statement pieces of yesteryear that are incredibly pricey to maintain and whose experts are dying off. Then Kate goes off on a tangent about lucrative niche trade careers, like fixing grandfather clocks and elevator technicians, in case anyone's in the mood for a career pivot. Very random, they can't all be hits, enjoy!

Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here!

Go to www.cozyearth.com/bethereinfive to enjoy 30% off using the code BETHEREINFIVE. And after placing your order, select “podcast” in the survey and then select “BE THERE IN FIVE” in the dropdown menu that follows.

Turn your ordinary water into extraordinary hydration with Liquid I.V. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LIQUID-IV.COM and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout. That’s 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code BETHEREINFIVE at LIQUID-IV.COM.

HyaCera from Ritual is a clinically-proven skin supplement you can actually trust.* Get 25% off your first month for a limited time at ritual.com/BETHEREINFIVE. Start Ritual or add HyaCera to your subscription today. That’s ritual.com/BETHEREINFIVE for 25% off.

This week, beloved #1 best-selling author Emily Henry (Beach Read, Book Lovers, Happy Place, etc.) is back for Millennial Ennui: the Sequel to chat about her latest romance novel, Funny Story. Kate and Em Hen (she delusionally thinks they’re BFFs/on a nickname basis) talk about a variety of topics, from gift shop enthusiasm to the characters we problematically root for in RomComs, to the prevalence of fudge in touristy areas. They also discuss female friendships, what it’s like behind-the-scenes to adapt books to the big screen, and explore the intricacies of female characters in Emily's books and the related challenges faced by women in their 30s—touching on breakups, motherhood desires, and societal expectations. The convo also dances through Taylor Swift's songwriting, the struggles of writing deadlines, and the wonders of libraries as havens for diverse stories and support. Enjoy!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here: https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/one-in-a-millenial/

Right now, BÉIS is offering our listeners 15% off your first purchase by visiting BEISTRAVEL.com/BETHEREINFIVE. Go to BEISTRAVEL.com/BETHEREINFIVE for 15% off your first purchase.

Helix is offering up to 30% off all mattress orders AND two free pillows for our listeners! Go to HelixSleep.com/BeThereInFive. That’s HelixSleep.Com/BeThereInFive. This is their best offer yet and it won’t last long! With Helix, better sleep starts now.

One Pair, infinite possibilities. Go to paireyewear.com and use code BTIF for 15% off your first pair. And support the show by mentioning that Be There in Five sent you in your post-checkout survey! That’s paireyewear.com, code BTIF.

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Tags:

Interview, Author, Romance Novels, Emily Henry, RomComs, Taylor Swift, Michigan

This week, Kate’s chatting with co-author of the audiobook The Art of Small Talk (also actress, comedian, host of The Deep Dive podcast), Jessica St. Clair. Jessica shares her personal experience with the gift of gab and gives advice about the art of casual conversation, with topics ranging from how to be friendly with neighbors to stories about pleasant celeb run-ins. Overall, a joyful interaction that is essentially a celebration of the joys of everyday interactions. Enjoy! 

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Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here!

Sign up at butcherbox.com/BETHEREINFIVE and get our special deal! Butcherbox is offering our listeners a special deal plus $20 off your first order. Join today using my link butcherbox.com/BETHEREINFIVE and use code BETHEREINFIVE receive this unique deal today.

Turn your ordinary water into extraordinary hydration with Liquid I.V. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LIQUID-IV.COM and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout. That’s 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code BETHEREINFIVE at LIQUID-IV.COM.

Get healthy, glowing skin for summer with clean, vegan skin and body care from OSEA. Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code BETHEREINFIVE at OSEAMalibu.com. You’ll get free samples with every order, and free shipping on orders over $60.

This week, Kate interviews podcast listener and NFL WAG Haley Pepper, who shares her experiences with a lot of BTI5 adjacent topics, like pageants, Bama sororities, and being in a relationship with a professional athlete. She discusses the misconceptions and realities of this lifestyle, including the lack of job security, the high expenses, and the pressure of constantly moving and adapting, along with the challenges of motherhood. Enjoy!

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here!

 Head to cozyearth.com, and use code BETHEREINFIVE to discover your next destination for ultimate comfort with Cozy Earth.

Turn your ordinary water into extraordinary hydration with Liquid I.V. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LIQUID-IV.COM and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout.

Simplify your kiddo’s mealtime with 30% OFF your first order. Go to LITTLESPOON.COM/BETHEREINFIVE and enter our code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout to get 30% OFF your first Little Spoon order.

For understated luxury at its best this spring, shop the must-have pairs of the season and receive 20% off your purchase with code BETHEREINFIVE