Mildly Thriving

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 In this week’s episode of Mildly Thriving, Kimberly and Meredith tackle the hard-hitting topic of joy. Yes, JOY, the KPI (key performance indicator) of life that somehow keeps getting overshadowed by money, “success,” and other things that can’t hug you back. Why isn’t joy the metric we obsess over? And who do we blame? (Hint: the Puritans. Obviously.)

The girls share some of the historical weirdness that made joy feel like a guilty pleasure, sprinkle in some actual insight, and, because this is Mildly Thriving, drop multiple references to classic Vines you should absolutely know if you want to keep up with them.

Join them for a few laughs and then rethink what your KPIs should actually be. 

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

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On this episode of Mildly Thriving, Meredith and Kimberly take a hard look at Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions and past experiences and spoiler alert: they’re not fans of turkey (because, let’s face it, who is?). Don’t worry, they will tell you their honest thoughts on all Thanksgiving food and why anyone who says they like turkey is probably lying. They also dive into the somewhat mildly soul-crushing tradition of Christmas gift-giving and what it’s really like to deal with family during the holidays, because nothing says “peace on earth” like passive-aggressive dinner conversations after a few too many mimosas. If you’re tired of pretending you love cranberry sauce or you’re already stressing about what gift to get your mom this year, they are right there with you. But seriously, Turkey is a scam, right?

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

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On this episode of Mildly Thriving, Kimberly unveils her latest theory: life might be easier if she were... a psychopath. Yes, really. Don’t panic! Hear us out. A little break from constant empathy, worrying what people think, and our chronic shortage of confidence? Tempting. We dig into what psychopathy actually is (spoiler: it’s not what we thought) and stumble across some surprising facts we definitely did not know.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

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 We’re finally doing it folks! The “get to know us” episode you’ve all (probably) been waiting for. Meredith and Kimberly pull back the curtain (just a little) to share who they are, what they do, and why they started this delightfully mediocre podcast they are grateful you’re listening to. 

Expect the usual tangents, but this time they talk day jobs, hyperfixation shows, accidental cruise ship performances (Meredith’s got moves, apparently, even if it’s against her will), and Kimberly’s quest for morning routine perfection. 

Will we ever stay on topic? Maybe. But you be bored if we did.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

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 Wanna witness the carnage yourself? Head over to our Instagram @MildlyThrivingPod to see the aftermath of the tenant from hell.

In this episode of Mildly Thriving, Kimberly presents Meredith with a very prestigious honor: The Friend of the Month Award. The reason? After Kimberly’s condo was destroyed by a truly disgusting tenant, she sent a panicked text to Meredith with one urgent request "Go to Home Depot. Now.”

Without hesitation (or underwear), Meredith leapt into action like the loyal friend she is. Unfortunately, this heroic act meant exposing herself (figuratively and maybe a little literally) to the horrors of what can only be described as human filth on an Olympic level.

While Kimberly felt deeply loved and cared for, Meredith was left wondering how people like this even exist and whether bleach can remove trauma.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

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In this episode, Kimberly has a shit day, rips up her original plan for this episode , and surprises Meredith with one of her “hills she WILL die on.” Her latest hill? The word “should” SHOULD deserves a spot right next to "shit" and "fuck" on the list of words you probably shouldn’t say...

From there, things spiral (appropriately) into a full-blown SHOULD TORNADO, where we unpack how this one tiny word manages to guilt-trip us into oblivion. We attempt to offer advice on how to stop “shoulding” all over ourselves—but let’s be honest, not "shoulding" yourself is really fucking hard.

Along the way, Kimberly roasts Meredith’s texting habits (and her own inability to spell “should”), and we talk about our ongoing mission to make “Mildly Thriving” the next big thing. We know it’s only a matter of time before someone tells us, “Stop trying to make Mildly Thriving happen.” But guess what? It’s already happening.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

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We thought we knew what menopause was, hot flashes, mood swings, maybe a mid-life crisis? But suddenly, social media starts whispering that if you’re over 35, you should be terrified of this mysterious thing called peri-menopause. So we started freaking out and asking what even is peri-menopause?

In this episode, Kimberly dives headfirst into the hormone pool to figure out what peri-menopause actually is, how it’s different from menopause, and whether we should all start stockpiling yams (anyone else remember the creams Samantha used in the Sex & the City 2 movie?). She then reports back to Meredith, who’s just trying to keep it together. We try to be mature adults and use the correct anatomical terms… but let’s be real, we’re still us. Va-jay-jay just rolls off the tongue, ya know?

So if you’ve been wondering what’s going on with your body, or you just want to laugh through our own hormonal confusion buckle up, babe. It’s about to get peri in here. 

Our (very credible) sources include:

The National Institute on Aging (yep, a real NIH thing)
The Menopause Society
The American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology
The Cleveland Clinic
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK, because we’re fancy like that)

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

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To Meredith (not so much Kimberly), routines are like leftovers, pretty good the first day, forgotten about by day four. In this episode, we unpack our ongoing struggle with sticking to routines. Don’t expect a life-changing productivity hacks though. We mostly debate the fine line between motivation and discipline (whatever that means). Meredith even references “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, which she swears helped her understand habits… just not actually do them.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

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In this episode of Mildly Thriving, Kimberly drags Meredith into one of her fave mental gymnastics routines: pretending she’s a medieval peasant just to feel better about her life and fill her up with gratitude. Hot water? Magic. Indoor plumbing? Royal treatment. We also unpack Meredith’s genius strategy of buying event tickets before she has anyone to go with, and how she inspired Kimberly to give it a whirl.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

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On the days when Meredith and Kimberly are thriving less than mildly, we toss our show notes straight into the dumpster fire that is our insecurities and try to embrace the art of winging it. Is that a recipe for podcast gold or a total shitshow deluxe? Honestly, you tell us. Kimberly comes in hot with the ultimate break up question: if the dog you once shared dies, do you reach out to your ex you have no contact with? Then we discuss our insecurity spirals and how we deal with them (spoiler: we're still working on it with our therapists), daydream about how much simpler life would be if we were just straight-up psychopaths, and unpack why movies like Saltburn and Babygirl continue to live rent-free in our brains.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

Insert legal disclaimer and jargon here... but like... don't steal our shit?