Madison and Catherine have both turned a whooping quarter of a century old this year. Reaching this ripe old age has given them both cause for reflection. In this episode they talk about their development, expectations vs reality, and how it is unbelievable as "adults" that they are still always 5 minutes late for everything and get pimples. Get ready for some intense self awareness.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0tRDhEmdO4

On the eve of the New Zealand General Election, Madison and Catherine, although separated by the Cook Strait, recorded their Skype call chat about political participation! They talk about their voting experience, why they vote, suffragettes, the orange man and his important "I voted sticker".

WE VOTED!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWhAoZZh8fc

We love Hamilton. We love Julie Andrews. We love Rodgers and Hammerstein. WE LOVE MUSICALS. On tonight's episode we discuss the times we have appeared in musicals as highly valued chorus members and why we are obsessed with La La Land and Hamilton. In the middle we talk about our catalogue of favourite musicals and all that jazz.

 

Song credit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsxiOritNZ0

On Saturday Madison and Catherine watched "My Week With Helen" - a documentary following Helen Clark (former NZ prime minister and former head of the UNDP) as she campaigns to become the first female Secretary-General of the UN.

Madison and Catherine discuss the documentary and their reaction to the blatant sexism that prevented a female Secretary-General being appointed. The importance and symbolism of women in these top roles is analysed.

This morphs into a sharing time - where they both talk about people they admire. They finish the episode with an ode to their parents: the best role models of all.

We are back after our one week hiatus to talk about what has happened while we have been gone. There was a fire, a frate (friend date), awkward tea drinking encounters and even vomit. Join us as we analyse the days of our lives and work out how to survive together.

Episode 10 feels like a landmark episode for us. Huzzah for double digits! In this victorious episode we discuss our podcast and the gift is has been, as well as our creative partnership. More broadly, we chat about creativity and why it is so dang important.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Madison and Catherine are big fans of romance. And no romance is greater than Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In Episode 9, our longest episode yet, you must allow us to tell you how ardently we admire and love Austen and P&P. We talk about the characters, sing the BBC theme song, play “Coffee, Marry, Kill” and discuss the impact Jane’s work has made on our lives. It is our sincere wish that you find this episode barely tolerable.

While this episode may begin with a conversation about what it would be like to have your head transplanted onto a different body, things get deep pretty fast when Madison and Catherine candidly discuss their relationship with their bodies and realise how harsh their inner monologue is. During the course of the episode their victories, positive moments as well as some of their low points on their journey with food and exercise are discussed. If you comfort eat as an automatic response to a bad day at work, hate the gym, or want to be kinder to yourself, this episode is for you. Make sure you listen to the end to hear the challenges Madison and Catherine set for each other. It is a joyful note to end on. Because having a positive relationship with your body is hard, but we owe it to ourselves to continue to strive for it.

Ever had a raging allergic reaction to eyebrow dye 5 minutes before a bank appointment? Been hit in the head with an axe? Or tucked your dress into your tights? If you answered yes to any of the above, then listen to Episode 7 where Madison and Catherine open the Pandora’s Box on their collective life experiences where they have endured constant and consistent public humiliation. Together they commiserate over embarrassing camp stories, the social benefit (or lack thereof) of musical recitals, and peeing on your best friend.

In this week’s episode, your two favourite Gryffindor podcast hosts talk about Harry Potter. This episode is the first in a series where Madison and Catherine intelligently discuss (fangirl) about their favourite books. To quick off Episode 6, they share their first experiences with the Harry Potter series and what the books means to them. Inevitably, this results in a 10 minute discussion about why Hermione is the best character of all time. The episode also features their a cappella rendition of Hedwig’s Theme, as well as ‘Save Marry Kill’ a new game for Harry Potter fans everywhere who want to rewrite the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.