Kind of Obsessed

In Sara and Katie’s last episode of the season, they discuss vacation vibes during the pandemic and Katie’s latest obsession with tennis.  As a tennis newbie, once Katie realizes Sara was the captain of her high school tennis team, her hopes for playing with her are dashed. Then they have an illuminating conversation with Rebecca Brown and Vanessa Potkin from The Innocence Project about the plight of innocent people who are incarcerated and the systemic factors that cause this to happen more than you would think.  Rebecca and Vanessa’s intelligent and empathetic approach to their work is not only enlightening but inspiriting as well.

Katie and Sara tell us how they really feel about Kanye West announcing his candidacy for president (not so great) and then Sara gets maniacal (or delirious or something) about her latest true crime obsession.  They interview the one-and-only Jonathon Schnapp, co-owner of the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in Brooklyn and Chicago and self-proclaimed “moonshooter.” He schools them on why you should take shuffleboard seriously and other light topics such as the world’s current state of affairs.

Katie opines on her new obsession -  the face mask - and she and Sara discuss how crazy it drives them when people don't wear them. Luckily their guest Adam Lathan, chef/owner of The Gumbo Bros in Brooklyn, calms their nerves.  Adam shares how a relatively simple idea thought of one drunken night turned into a thriving business.  Adam has brought his love of authentic Southern cooking to the hippest borough and has even made Mr. Mardi Gras himself, Harry Connick Jr., huge fan.  Sara is still salivating.

Katie gets into a fight on the streets of Brooklyn (over Starbucks coffee of course) and Sara is going into debt from quarantine online shopping.  Luckily, actress Rebecca Mader takes us over the rainbow as we dig deep into her successful career.  From modeling in Milan to shooting Lost in Hawaii and Once Upon A Time in Oz, Rebecca has created the life of her dreams.  She also discusses the joys and struggles of being a new mom in a pandemic.  Spoiler alert: she does it with an impressive dose of humor. Hopefully some of her mystical powers will rub off on Katie and Sara.  (They dare to dream.)

Katie and Sara discuss the current state of the world’s affairs and how the coronavirus is helping the world commit to long overdue changes.  They then try to lighten the mood when NYC stand-up comedian Seth Herzog joins the podcast to talk about his career, not using his infant twins in his act and how he crushed hard on Sara in high school.  That last part may or may not be true.  Either way, you won’t want to miss Seth recalling his absolute worst moment on stage and other comedic endeavors!

Sara relays her accidental sleeping pill snafu which leads her to binge on caffeine and wine to stay awake for the podcast.  Katie admires Sara's many hidden talents, causing Sara to explain the genesis of her new singing career on Instagram.  Then they interview Tracy Walder and Jessica Anya Blau about their riveting new book "The Unexpected Spy" which details Tracy's trajectory from sorority girl to CIA counterterrorism spy to FBI agent.  Tracy describes life as a secret agent in the 9/11 era as she hunted down top terrorists, how she battled sexism at the FBI while investigating Chinese spies and why she's currently obsessed with her eyebrows.

Katie and Sara lament the ups and downs of life in the grips of Covid 19 and deliberate the pros and cons of Zoom life.  Katie obsesses about her favorite TV show about a world even darker than our own!  Then they interview former high fashion model and current modeling agent Taylor Warren who schools them on what life is really like for young models.  Spoiler alert: it's hard work, people.

Sara goes gaga for her obsession with Kelly Clarkson and Katie gives us an update on quarantine life with her family in Vermont.  Then they interview Dina Berrin, a renowned tarot card reader, astrologist, numerologist and all around ray of sunshine.  Dina discusses how the planets aligned to put us in a position to get our asses whooped by the global pandemic. She provides hope that not only will we get through it but we'll thrive.  Then Dina gives both Sara and Katie a reading and Katie's cynicism about mysticism starts to subside...

We continue our interview with Pete Leyden, former managing editor of Wired Magazine and an expert on new technologies and future trends.  He gives us hope about the future despite current political realities and educates us on fascinating energy and auto technologies that are occurring right now or in the near future.  Tune in to find out whether you should be investing in flying cars and cow cell technologies!

Katie opines on the twists and turns of the Democratic primary election while Sara flexes her brain muscles (for the first time ever). They are joined by Pete Leyden, former managing editor of Wired Magazine and an expert on new technologies and future trends. Pete educates us on what to expect from technology in the near future and why you should care. Ever wonder if robots will take over the world or how soon you’ll be sitting in the backseat of an autonomous car? Tune in to find out!