Radio 831: A Romance Podcast

How do you show up for your people when they've grieving, dealing with loss, and/or just generally going through a really shitty time? What a genuine joy it was to talk about this with Nora McInerny, whose podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking you obviously know (right?). And first: some JIC gifts.

In case of emergency gifts for grown-ups: consumables (candles, condiments, beauty products!). For babies: Lewis swaddles and Sophies. For kids: Twee chalk, Sunprint Kits, and Omy coloring posters.

Dig into everything Nora McInerny puts out into the world, including the tremendous podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking and her books It's Okay to Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too), No Happy Endings, and Hot Young Widows Club (and created a Facebook grief support group of the same name).

The NYT piece on the sex educator Justine Ang Fonte and the platinum rule.

The Ring Theory, which we really buy into and talk about a lot!

A Kids Book about Empathy...that's potentially useful for adults, too.

Friends, this TikTok series from Carly Aquilino on Y2K fashion.

We really want to hear your friend-supporting thoughts. Share them at @athingortwohq, [email protected], and 833-632-5463.

So much more where this came from at Secret Menu.

Download the *free* Zocdoc app and schedule a doctor's appointment you've been putting off.

Try Nutrafol for thicker, healthier hair. Your first month's subscription is $15 off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Get professional counseling with BetterHelp take 10% off your first month with our link.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing the chair and half! And reintroducing the greatest city in the world, New York! We've brought our enthusiasm, friends, and we're hoping you'll join us.

Claire's dream chair and a half is from Maker & Son. Erica's dream stool coat rack is by Guillen Ferran for Casa Constante (two others worth knowin' about from Umbra and Room & Board, too).

SinkPositive!!!

Ann Friedman's newsletter about NYC energy.

NYC's Thai restaurant renaissance! Nuaa Table, Fish Cheeks, Thai Diner, to name just a few.

The New York Post on "'6 P.M. Is the New 8 P.M.': Why Early-Bird Dining Is Here to Stay."

The genius New York mag nightlife newsletter are u coming? by Brock Colyar.

More on the TikTok phenom Tinx.

Get excited to cook again with Made In's professional-grade cookware—15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Tune into How To Do the Pot for practical advice about weed for women by women. Wherever you get your podcasts!

Find out where to get your COVID-19 vaccine near you at vaccines.gov.

Look to American Giant's Premium Slub Tees for T-shirts that last 'n last and get 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we wrap up vacation? How do we shop for clothes on the internet? Well!

The Atlantic also says you should come home from vacation a day early in this piece about 8 rules for a happy vacation.

Hit us with your online shopping hacks at @athingortwohq, [email protected], and 833-632-5463. And get more of ours from Secret Menu.

Find out where to get your COVID-19 vaccine near you at vaccines.gov.

Learn about your body with Base and take 20% off of your first month of membership with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Get good at doing your nails with Olive & June's tremendous Mani System and take 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Try BetterHelp for professional counseling and get 10% off your first month with our link.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've ever had questions about our (19 years of!) friendship, wade on into this episode, which was sparked by the heartwarmingly genius Summer of Friendship series from Call Your Girlfriend. And if you've ever wondered about our thoughts on making The Idea of You book into a movie...well, that too!

More on The Idea of You's rabid following ℅ Michelle Ruiz for Vogue.

People, watch Friends with Kids! Somehow related: It was Patrick Dempsey who was (at one point) married to the makeup artist, Jillian Fink.

Do you want access to TIOY Facebook group? Have at it.

The author Robinne Lee cites her original inspiration for Solene as Leticia Herrera, the founder of Casa Tua hotels.

Jenna Wortham's New York Times Magazine piece about the movie Zola and recasting pressure via Twitter.

Tune into the Summer of Friendship eps of Call Your Girlfriend! Our chat about our relationship is part of that joyful series.

Send all of your thoughts and feelings to @athingortwohq, [email protected], and 833-632-5463. We'll send you more of ours if you sign up for Secret Menu.

Try Modern Fertility's finger-prick test to get a handle on your fertility. It's $20 off when you use our link.

Heat things up with Made In's professional-grade cookware—15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Turn to BetterHelp for professional counseling and get 10% off your first month with our link.

Find out where to get your COVID-19 vaccine near you at vaccines.gov.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How many questions do we have for Lola Priego, the founder of the innovative at-home lab-testing company Base? So many that we partnered with the company to bring you all this ep and to get a better understanding of how the medical sector is evolving, the common findings the Base team is seeing in tests, and what factors that might be contributing to bleh energy, sex drive, and sleep—you know, those weirdly hard-to-solve health gripes. Also, re: ZZZs: Let's kick things off with a talk about pajama habits, shall we??

A Base membership starts at $59.95 per month, and right now, you can get 20% off of your first month of membership with the code ATHINGORTWO.

This Base quiz could prove very useful, whether you opt to join or not.

Call us! Add 833-632-5463 to your contacts, even?

Get more intel about your body with Base and take 20% off of your first month of membership with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One thing we're newly obsessed with: the wide, weird world of FamousBirthdays.com. Nine finds we're oldly obsessed with and very ready to discuss: Welcome to the latest installment of Thingies, our unstoppable, un-top-able category faves.

Do you know FamousBirthdays.com? Do you know Courier magazine?! Well, there's a great story about the former in the latter.

Today's Thingies!!! New Skin Liquid Bandage, Chef's Choice Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener, Temp Tee Whipped Cream Cheese, D.S. & Durga Auto Fragrances (sold as a set too—and, related, ones from P. F. Candle Co.), Norma Kamali Super Low Back Mio, Hollywood Fashion Secrets Silicone Coverups, Nailtiques Formula 2, Jade Yoga Harmony Mat, and (bonus?) Bug Bite Thing (plus, somehow related, Oh Crap! Potty Training).

Previous Thingies eps one and two should you want to catch up.

KIT at @athingortwohq, [email protected], and 833-632-5463, and sign up for Secret Menu if you want more, more, more.

Try Olive & June's tremendous Mani System and take 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Download the Zocdoc app (for free) and schedule a doctor's appointment—it's time.

Give Nutrafol a shot for thicker, healthier hair. Your first month's subscription is $15 off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Pack American Giant's Classic Full Zip Hoodie for any of your summer travel—15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you ready to be charmed? Great, because today we're discussing baby hummingbirds and hanging with Lauren Chan, who's a size-inclusive fashion advocate, a model, and the founder-slash-CEO of Henning, which makes luxury, oh-so-cool womenswear in sizes 12 to 24. Soon, she'll be a TikTok star, too—we have no doubt.

Related to Erica's How to Do Nothing-esque baby hummingbird *experience*: this glorious Jamie Beck ridiculousness, the Minnesota State Fair's CHS Miracle of Birth Center, this Travel + Leisure story "The World's Best Places to See Baby Animals," David Schwimmer on Marcel the monkey, and a taste of hummingbird TikTok.

Shop Lauren Chan's line Henning! Follow her on Instagram!

Other fashion companies that Lauren admires: Wray, Tamara Malas, Eileen Fisher, and Mara Hoffman.

What's Lauren wearing? So glad you asked. For jeans and jorts, Citizens of Humanity (in size 33) and Agolde (in size 33 or 34). Speaking of shorts: Henning bike shorts, Aerie sweat shorts, and WSLY nylon shorts from Bandier. Up top: nostalgic T-shirts from Poshmark and flowy button-downs from Poshmark and her love, The RealReal.

Her home go-tos (see also: this Domino feature styled by Elaina Sullivan): Chairish, Saatchi Art, and Craigslist.

Get to the bottom of persistent health issues with Base—save 20% off of your first month of membership with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Take 20% off Olive & June's game-changing Mani System with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Find out where to get your COVID-19 vaccine near you at vaccines.gov.

Try out Made In's professional-grade cookware for 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To anyone who's asked "Um, can y'all dig deeper into CBD?" and/or "Does that stuff actually work?" we bring you an episode full of (extremely interesting!) nitty-grittiness on cannabinoids. We've partnered with the impressive team over at Caliper for this conversation with our old pal Jeremy Goldstein to talk science, credibility, regulation, and, yes, hype. If this has you itching to try Caliper, use the code ATHINGORTWO for 20% off your first order.

More on drug-sniffing K-9 retirees.

Deeper-dives into how Caliper approaches regulation and clinical trials.

If you're interested in the microdose THC company Jeremy and his co-founder Justin Singer started first, check out the line of Ripple products.

20% off your first Caliper order with the code ATHINGORTWO!

You know we love a voicemail, right? And you know you can get us at 833-632-5463, right?

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What would we register for if we were getting married sometime soon? What would we buy if we just really wanted a tablecloth or new drinking glasses? Oh, we have thoughts. And, speaking of wish lists, how exactly do we get our hands on Flea's Bees honey from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist?

For more on Flea (because who doesn't want more on Flea?): Dave Grohl's doc What Drives Us, this GQ article about his relationship with the streetwear designer Melody Ehsani, his memoir Acid for the Children, a video of him playing guitar with Koko, a really moving essay for TIME about his opioid addiction, the org he started Silverlake Conservatory of Music, and, finally, Flea's Bees. Also, of course, his Instagram and Twitter.

Picks for wedding registries—and just, like, living our best dining lives—coming right up! For the master, master list, sign up for Secret Menu and dive on in.

Flatware: Almoco Flatware, Mono Ring Cutlery, Sabre Bistrot Flatware, and Georg Jensen New York.

Dishes: Heath Ceramics, Dansk, Jono Pandolfi, and Pomelo Casa.

Cloth napkins, tablecloths, and placemats: Society of Wanderers, Lewis, Thompson Street Studio, and Ames for Goodee.

Wine glasses: Fferrone and Estelle Colored Glass.

Drinking glasses: Borosil Simple Glass Tumblers, Bormioli Rocco Stackable Bodega Glasses, and Duralex Picardie Glasses in clear or color or with the carafe.

Cutting and serving boards: Farmhouse Pottery Dipped Clay Plate, Fort Standard Walnut Plank, and Le Regal French Oak Serving Boards.

You know we want to hear from you. Get us at @athingortwohq, [email protected], and 833-632-5463.

For our baby registry ep, head here.

Secret Menu members can get access to the wedding-registry deep-dive over here.

Try BetterHelp for professional counseling and get 10% off your first month with our link.

Listen to Dipsea's sexy audio stories—a free 30-day trial is yours when you use our link.

Get a quote for term life insurance from Haven Life.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Longtime hero and first-time guest Atoosa Rubenstein is our plus-one today, and, whoa, is she delivering SO MUCH wisdom—you know, exactly the sort of stuff she was known for as the editor of CosmoGIRL! And Seventeen, but now built for adults. (Related: You've gotta sign up for her newsletter Atoosa Unedited.) Before we get into it, though, we need to talk about a term that's as useful as it is aspirational: public affluence.

Public affluence further reading: "Every Child on Their Own Trampoline" by Jeremy Williams and the 1958 book The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith.

More on the Buy Nothing Project. See also: this post and this one from Reading My Tea Leaves.

Sign up for Atoosa Unedited, Atoosa Rubenstein's newsletter—you want in on this!—and read the breakup installment we reference. Oh, follow the Atoosa Unedited Instagram, too.

Tiny, baby Erica interviewing Atoosa in 2004 for Roadtrip Nation.

Some Atoosa go-tos: It Didn't Start With You by Mark Wolynn, Goop, Armchair Expert, SmartLess, Tara Brach, and Page Six.

Direct your feedback to @athingortwohq, [email protected], and 833-632-5463.

Um, are you signed up for Secret Menu?!

Download the (free!) Zocdoc app and schedule the doctor's appointment you've been putting off.

Get a handle on your fertility with Modern Fertility's finger-prick test. It's $20 off when you use our link.

Try Nutrafol for thicker, healthier hair. Your first month's subscription is 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.