Friends Helping Friends Helping Friends: The Jess and Kait Podcast

This week Kait and Jess contextualize the re-recording of Taylor Swift’s albums and the recent release of her extended 10-minute version of “All Too Well” from the album “Red”. We also chat about the current inflation rate and its impact on daily life. Small business shout-out: TRUFF Hot Sauce (@sauce).

This week Kait graciously allowed Jess to discuss some aspects of athlete transitions out of sport (athlete identity, etc.). Jess talked about some of her own sport experiences, and Kait drew some parallels to the transition of no longer being a student. With COVID-19 accelerating many athletes’ transitions out of sport, this is a timely topic of conversation. Small business shout-out: The Grill at Harryman House (@harrymanhouse; Reisterstown, MD).

Happy November! This week Kait and Jess explore the history behind astrological signs and their supposed correlations to human behavior. Is your sign an accurate depiction of who you are? Why or why not? Small business shout-out: Bloodshed Farms Haunted Drive-Thru (bloodshedfarmsfearfest.com; Columbus, NJ)

In the spirit of Halloween, Kait and Jess felt it was the perfect time to chat about ghost encounters with filmmaker and paranormal investigator Justin Torok (@justintorok). Justin was nominated to be on our podcast by former guest Tony Gilio (@tonygilio)! Justin gave us some insight into proper equipment and the process of hunting ghosts. We also chatted about our own spooky paranormal encounters. Check out Linktr.ee/GhostEncounters for links to Justin’s podcast, YouTube show, and more! Small business shout-out: PhoenixFire Media (Bethlehem, PA; Phoenixfiremedia.com)

This week Kait and Jess talk about all the non-stereotypical things associated with each place we’ve lived. We conclude with a rant about motorcycle safety. Small business shout-out: Ithaca Beer Co. (@ithacabeer) in Ithaca, NY.

This week Kait and Jess explore some of the deep, silly, and/or trivial thoughts we’ve had in the shower. We were deeply inspired by the “subreddit” page r/showerthoughts. We discuss future parenting decisions, eyebrows, and why airplanes rotating with the Earth. Please remember to take care of your mental health; you can’t pour from an empty cup! Small business shout-out: Jamesport Farm Brewery (@jamesportfarmbrewery) in Riverhead, NY.

This week Kait and Jess bring the Theranos fraud discussion to present day, where we outline some key takeaways from the ongoing Theranos trial. At the time of recording, week 3 of the trial was wrapping up. We also spend some time talking about “crocs” (are they cool now?), PowerPoint, and excessive silverware. Small business shout-out: Salt & Barrel authentic oyster bar (@saltandbarrel) in Bay Shore, NY featuring the works of local NY artist Juliet Schreckinger (julietschreckinger.com; @julietschreckinger)

This week Kait and Jess talk about Theranos, a now-defunct healthcare company founded by Elizabeth Holmes. Theranos (once valued at 9 billion dollars) claimed to have invented a blood testing system that uses only a finger prick sized amount of blood to run hundreds of tests. As we later learn, the product did not work! Millions of people were making healthcare decisions based on faulty machines. Kait and Jess discuss the background of the company, the toxic work culture created by Holmes, how Holmes conned so many investors, the ethics of intent, and why you can’t run a healthcare company like a tech startup. Many thanks to the work of John Carreyrou (author of the Theranos book “Bad Blood” and host of the associated podcast of the same name; first journalist to uncover the scandal) and Rebecca Jarvis (host of ABC news-produced podcast “The Dropout”). Listen to the end of the episode for our popular “ranting about rants” segment. Small business shout-out: Baugher’s Orchards & Farm (baughers_orchard) in Westminster, MD. #buylocal

This week Kait and Jess speak with another one of Kait’s college friends, @davelo3. Dave/David (it’s a running joke) is a software engineer who talks about pivoting away from a career in physics, the higher education system in France, automation, GitHub, and why he loves Elon Musk so much. We are convinced the Dave/David will develop the next best tech invention! Our “ranting about rants” segment covers annoying TikTok voice narrations, landlords, and why the Theranos fraud scandal isn’t getting enough coverage. Small business shout-out: Softlock Games (gaming video creators; @softlockgames) - check out their newest game “Manic Mania” for Windows and macOS: softlock-games.itch.io/manic-mania

This week Jess and Kait spoke with Kait’s college friend and the designer of our podcast logo, @tonygilio. We chatted about his early work in production for Viacom, and his new career as a trial prep investigator. Kait, Jess, and Tony also shared some collective experiences about each of us working as delivery drivers. Our rant segment took quite an interesting turn as we discuss a hilarious Dominoes incident!! Small business shout-out: Mixed Media Artist @rae.cerulean Check out their Etsy page: etsy.me/36osjRB