Arns reflects on a transformative trip to Bali that unexpectedly changed her perspective on pleasure, healing, self-discovery, and what it means to intentionally create a life you actually enjoy living.

Then Nins dives into the comforting world of The Great British Bake Off, sharing why contestant Nelly Ghaffar’s kindness, resilience, and wisdom left such a lasting impression. Through stories of friendship, community, creativity, and loss, she explores why the beloved baking competition has become a source of comfort for millions around the world.

Together, these stories spark a conversation about personal growth, finding yourself through travel, embracing joy, building community, self-worth, creativity, and learning how to enjoy the life you're living instead of constantly chasing the next achievement.

Content warning: pregnancy loss, grief, infertility, discussion of miscarriage, emotional themes.

0:00 - Pre-season thoughts: the state of our world
1:29 - Intro
5:56 - Announcement: giveaway!
8:22 - Arns: Bali
27:10 - Nins: Great British Bake Off
54:03 - Outro

Referenced in this episode:

• Desa Potato Head in Seminyak, Bali
• The Great British Baking Show on Netflix
• Nelly from Season 15 of The Great British Bake Off
• "British vs. American Versions Of The Great British Baking Show" on Here's The Dish
• Nelly being an icon for 100 seconds straight (@henriettashaw on TikTok)
• Noah Fielding Emotional Goodbye (@deciderdotcom on TikTok)
• [CW: pregnancy loss, miscarriage] Navigating Through Darkness (@britishbakeoff on TikTok)
  
  

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

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Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.

In this special bonus episode of brb crying, Nins and Arns step away from their usual format to share some of the most unforgettable listener sob stories from season two.

From The Lord of the Rings' iconic "You Bow to No One" scene to mysterious spirit encounters inspired by Journey of Souls, emotional park bench memorial plaques, beloved pets, PMDD, Hamilton, family friendships, and even Manny Pacquiao bringing Filipino pride to the world stage, this episode celebrates the stories that moved our crybaby community to tears.

Along the way, listeners share stories about grief, friendship, identity, mortality, belonging, family, community, nostalgia, mental health, cultural pride, and the people and moments that shape our lives.

This episode is also a celebration of the incredible vulnerability our crybabies have shared throughout season two and a reminder that crying, feeling deeply, and connecting with one another are never things to be ashamed of.

Content warning: pet loss, euthanasia, cancer, death, grief, PMDD, mental health struggles, mortality, illness, and discussions of loss.

0:00 - Intro
1:32 - Announcements (Apple Podcasts feature, s2 ending)
5:00 - Sob stories
31:08 - Outro

Referenced in this episode:

• "My Friends, You Bow to No One": scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• Mayweather vs. Pacquiao (2015): Philippine National Anthem performance
  
  

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

Want episode recaps, behind-the-scenes/community updates, and occasional emotional damage delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter at brbcryingpodcast.com.

Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.

Nins explores the transcendent beauty of Tems’ song and music video “Me & U,” uncovering a powerful meditation on spirituality, self-discovery, faith, and the deeply personal relationship we each have with a higher power.

Then Arns dives into Daughter of a Lost Bird, the moving documentary that follows a Native woman reconnecting with her biological family, tribal community, and cultural identity after being separated from her roots through adoption. Along the way, the episode examines Native American history, belonging, family, ancestry, cultural erasure, and what it means to find your way home.

Together, these stories spark a conversation about identity, spirituality, heritage, self-acceptance, Indigenous history, community, and the lifelong search for meaning and belonging.

Content warning: colonialism, cultural genocide, adoption, family separation, substance abuse, grief, identity loss, and discussions of Indigenous oppression.

0:00 - Intro
7:37 - Nins: "Me & U" by Tems
31:50 - Arns: Daughter of a Lost Bird
54:30 - Outro

Referenced in this episode:

• "Me & U" by Tems (Spotify)
• Tems - Me & U (Official Video)
• "Interview: Tems Is Ready to Help You Find Healing" on OkayAfrica by Nelson C.J.
• "Even Fame & Stardom Can't Take Away Tems' Peace of Mind" interview on Billboard by Carl Lamarre
• "I met Tems, she used to be a loner" YouTube interview by korty eo
• Documentary Daughter of a Lost Bird (available for purchase on Documentary Channel)
• This Land podcast, Season 2
• All My Relations podcast, episode "Native Children Belong in Native Homes"
  
  

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

Want episode recaps, behind-the-scenes/community updates, and occasional emotional damage delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter at brbcryingpodcast.com.

Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.

Nins and Arns take a break from their usual stories to process the emotions surrounding the recent presidential election.

Together, they reflect on post-election grief, anxiety, fear, disappointment, hope, and what it means to keep moving forward when the future feels uncertain. From conversations about women's rights, motherhood, and political division to community care, mutual aid, and collective healing, this episode explores how we navigate despair without losing ourselves in it.

Nins shares the poem "Daughter" by Katarine Hancock and reflects on the fears many women are carrying about the future, while Arns examines how moments of crisis can push us toward deeper community, connection, and action.

This is a vulnerable conversation about heartbreak, uncertainty, resilience, and finding ways to care for one another when the world feels overwhelming.

Content warning: political discussion, election results, anxiety, grief, reproductive rights, discrimination, violence, discussions of systemic injustice.

0:00 - intro
0:48 - not our usual episode
3:35 - nins' reaction: despair & hope
17:43 - arns' reaction: how we move forward
25:20 - outro

Referenced in this episode: 

• poem "daughter" by catarine hancock (@catarinehancock)

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

Want episode recaps, behind-the-scenes/community updates, and occasional emotional damage delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter at brbcryingpodcast.com.

Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.

This week, Nins and Arns explore two unforgettable stories about grief, love, mortality, and what it means to leave something behind.

Arns reflects on Julie: The Unwinding of the Miracle, the moving podcast and memoir chronicling the life of Julie Yip-Williams, a lawyer, mother, refugee, and writer who spent her final years preparing her loved ones for life after her death.

Nins dives into Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, the bestselling magical realism novel about a husband slowly transforming into a great white shark—a devastating metaphor for terminal illness, caregiving, anticipatory grief, and the impossible task of saying goodbye to someone you love.

Together, these stories spark a conversation about legacy, friendship, marriage, girlhood, mortality, caregiving, grief, and the courage it takes to love deeply despite knowing loss is inevitable.

Content warning: terminal illness, cancer, death, grief, loss of a parent, end-of-life discussions.

Referenced in this episode:

• Julie: The Unwinding of the Miracle Podcast Series on Spotify & Apple
• The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After by Julie Yip-Williams
• Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
• Writers' Block podcast: "WB_S3E30: Shark Heart with Emily Habeck" on Spotify & Apple
• Interview with Emily Habeck by Nils Shukla for The Fantasy Hive

0:00 - Intro
3:04 - Announcements: merch, sob stories
7:29 - Arns: The Unwinding of the Miracle
25:13 - Nins: Shark Heart
49:45 - Outro

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

Want episode recaps, behind-the-scenes/community updates, and occasional emotional damage delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter at brbcryingpodcast.com.

Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.

We're getting spoOoOky! In this week's brb crying Halloween special, Nins explores grief, death, and childlike wonder through Kate Braestrup's unforgettable story "The House of Mourning," performed on The Moth. Through the eyes of a five-year-old girl saying goodbye to her cousin, the story challenges our fears around death and reminds us that love is often stronger than grief.

Arns revisits the 1995 film Casper and discovers a completely different movie than the one she remembered as a child. What starts as a nostalgic Halloween rewatch becomes a heartbreaking reflection on loneliness, loss, belonging, and the universal desire to be loved.

Together, these stories spark a conversation about mourning, friendship, childhood innocence, fear of death, loneliness, letting go, and the ways love helps us navigate life's hardest transitions.

Content warning: death of a child, grief, mourning, funeral discussions, accidental death, loss of a parent, loss of a spouse, bereavement.

0:00 - Intro
4:58 - Nins: The Moth
26:21 - Arns: Casper
47:50 - Outro

Referenced in this episode:

• About The Moth 
• About Kate Braestrup, storyteller behind "The House of Mourning" on The Moth
• 1995 film Casper (IMDB)
• Collider article on Casper's CGI by Elisa Guimarães
• Casper lighthouse/lullaby scene
• Casper Halloween party scene

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

Want episode recaps, behind-the-scenes/community updates, and occasional emotional damage delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter at brbcryingpodcast.com.

Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.

This week, Arns and Nins explore two stories about love, connection, and the people who stay with us long after we think we've moved on.

Arns revisits "Beyond" by Leon Bridges, the soulful love song that captures the exhilarating terror of falling in love and wondering if you've finally met "the one." Through lyrics about vulnerability, commitment, and choosing love despite uncertainty, she reflects on why the song has brought her to tears for years.

Nins takes us back to childhood with Steve Burns from Blue's Clues, unpacking why an entire generation became emotional when Steve reappeared online decades later. Together, they explore nostalgia, friendship, growing up, and the lasting impact of feeling truly seen.

From romantic love to childhood comfort, this episode dives into connection, belonging, vulnerability, nostalgia, healing, and the people who leave permanent marks on our hearts.

Content warning: discussions of loneliness, nostalgia, emotional vulnerability, grief, and growing older.

0:00 - Intro
5:05 - Announcements: crying is self-care, merch, spooky sobs
8:05 - Sob story: Schitt's Creek
13:21 - Arns: "Beyond" by Leon Bridges
32:02 - Nins: Steve from Blue's Clues
55:27 - Outro

Referenced in this episode:

• Lyrics & meaning of "Beyond" by Leon Bridges on Genius
• The Great Discontent interview with Leon Bridges by Tina Essmaker
• Nick Jr tweet & video
• Steve Burns TikTok
• "Educational Television is not an Oxymoron" by Daniel R. Anderson
• Behind the Clues: 10 Years with Blue documentary
• "'Blue's Clues' Returns, and Silence is Still the Star" NYT Article by Katrina Onstad 
• Steve Burns Variety Interview

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

Want episode recaps, behind-the-scenes/community updates, and occasional emotional damage delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter at brbcryingpodcast.com.

Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.

This week, Nins concludes our Hamilton tour of tears with Act 2 of Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical.

From Alexander Hamilton's public downfall and the heartbreaking loss of Philip Hamilton to Eliza Hamilton's extraordinary act of forgiveness and her determination to preserve a legacy, Nins explores the moments that transformed Hamilton from a historical drama into one of the most emotional stories ever told on stage.

Then Arns reflects on The Liminal Spaces, a deeply moving zine created by her sister Mios. Through an obituary written for her own twenties, Mios examines identity, growth, healing, self-acceptance, friendship, love, and the ongoing journey of becoming who we are meant to be.

Together, these stories explore legacy, grief, forgiveness, personal growth, self-worth, reinvention, and the beauty of honoring every version of ourselves.

Content warning: grief, death of a child, infidelity, loss of a loved one, depression, anxiety, discussions of emotional hardship, burnout.

Referenced in this episode:

• Hamilton: An American Musical
• "One Last Time" performed by Christopher Jackson, Lin-Manuel Miranda
• "Burn" performed by Phillipa Soo
• "It's Quiet Uptown" performed by Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo
• "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" performed by the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton

Announcement: find us this Saturday, 10/19 at Undiscovered SF! We'll be hanging out at a self-care themed booth in collaboration with Kurated Kultura. Come cry with us irl :')

0:00 - Intro
5:09 - Nins: Hamilton Act 2
34:10 - Arns: Mios' zine
52:46 - Outro

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

Want episode recaps, behind-the-scenes/community updates, and occasional emotional damage delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter at brbcryingpodcast.com.

Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.

This week, we dive into two stories that explore family, sacrifice, identity, and the complicated ways we love each other.

Arns discusses A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, the acclaimed novel about an Indian-American Muslim family struggling with faith, belonging, estrangement, and the impossible question of what we owe ourselves versus what we owe our families. Through the story of Amar, Hadia, and their parents, the novel becomes a moving meditation on immigrant parents, generational wounds, forgiveness, and the things we wish our parents could say.

Then Nins revisits Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda and reflects on why the beloved Broadway musical still hits so hard years later. From Angelica Schuyler's sacrifice to Dear Theodosia's meditation on parenthood and legacy, Hamilton becomes a story about ambition, love, family, and the futures we hope to build for the people who come after us.

Together, these stories spark a conversation about immigrant families, parent-child relationships, grief, identity, sacrifice, legacy, belonging, and the tenderness that often goes unspoken.

Content warning: family estrangement, religious conflict, emotional neglect, grief, loss, war, and difficult parent-child relationships.

Referenced in this episode: 

• A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
• Podcast "BOOKS WITH JEN" ep 12 ft. Fatima Farheen Mirza
• Fatima Farheen Mirza on "A Place For Us" at the 2018 Miami Book Fair
• Hamilton: An American Musical
• "Hamilton: Casting After Colorblindness", Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic

0:00 - Intro
9:43 - Arns: A Place for Us
31:39 - Nins: Hamilton Act 1
56:17 - Outro

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

Want episode recaps, behind-the-scenes/community updates, and occasional emotional damage delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter at brbcryingpodcast.com.

Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.

This week, Nins and Arns explore two stories that challenge the way we see ourselves—and our place in the world.

Nins dives into Journey of Souls by Dr. Michael Newton, the bestselling spiritual classic that explores reincarnation, soulmates, spirit guides, the afterlife, and the possibility that every human life is part of a much larger journey of growth and purpose.

Then Arns revisits Dove's viral Real Beauty Sketches campaign and reflects on beauty, self-worth, race, representation, and the lasting impact of Eurocentric beauty standards. Through the lens of her Filipino identity, she examines what it means to reclaim the parts of ourselves we were once taught to reject.

Together, these stories spark a conversation about belonging, identity, self-love, girlhood, cultural shame, healing, soul connections, and the possibility that we are far more beautiful—and far more significant—than we realize.

Content warning: body image, self-esteem struggles, racism, colonialism, cultural shame, discrimination, death, grief, and discussions of the afterlife.

Referenced in this episode:

• Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives by Dr. Michael Newton, PhD
• Dove Real Beauty Sketches (short version)
• Dove Real Beauty Sketches (extended version)
• Google case study on Dove

0:00 - Intro
2:23 - Nins: Journey of Souls
37:56 - Arns: Dove Real Beauty Sketches
53:30 - Outro

Join the brb crying community—a heartfelt, cozy comedy podcast about friendship, vulnerability, emotional storytelling, and all the movies, books, music, and life experiences that leave us in tears.

Follow us:
» Instagram: @brbcrying.podcast
» TikTok: @brbcrying.podcast
» YouTube: @brbcrying.podcast

Want episode recaps, behind-the-scenes/community updates, and occasional emotional damage delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter at brbcryingpodcast.com.

Have a sob story or cry recommendation that absolutely wrecked you? We'd love to be wrecked, too. Submit your story at brbcryingpodcast.com or email us at [email protected].

brb crying—hosted by longtime best friends Nins & Arns—is a podcast where we explore the songs, books, TV shows, films, pop culture moments, and personal stories that help us laugh, cry, heal, and feel a little less alone. Crying is our superpower, and by sharing what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh, we show how crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.