Back in Season 2, we did an episode called “Drive Thru Pie: The Fine Art of Dating Your Spouse” and it is one of our top 10 episodes. During that episode, I referenced a couple I know that does a monthly date day, and during the pandemic when we were all stuck inside, their date day was building a blanket fort inside their house and getting a bunch of craft supplies and making little plant terrariums together inside the blanket fort. I thought it was one of the most charming ideas I’d ever seen! My friends Corey and Emma have made their monthly date day a cornerstone of their relationship, and every single month, without exception, they make this time for each other.

Earlier this year, Corey published a book about their practice called “The Forever Date,” and I asked them to come on our show to talk about how this idea came about, what their rules are, and what some of the challenges are to keeping this commitment amidst the ups and downs of real life, parenthood, and even normal disagreements that happen in even the healthiest and happiest of marriages.

Corey and Emma have been together for 12 years, and their story will warm you and hopefully inspire you to come up with some fresh ideas for you and your partner, because it’s never ever too late to make time to date that person that you have chosen to spend your life with. It’s incredible how little it takes to bring back that feeling of swoony butterflies and romance. Sometimes all it takes is doing something together you’ve never done before, and it doesn’t even need to cost much, or anything at all.

If you like this episode, please go to Barnes & Noble to buy The Forever Date by Corey Adney, and listen at the end of the show for a special giveaway opportunity for one of our listeners!

Send us your date stories at [email protected]

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There are plenty of articles and videos that talk about caring for aging parents.  These headlines often focus on the logistical challenges of aging and navigating the healthcare system or planning for retirement or choosing when to transition parents into assisted living residences.

But do you know what we don’t talk much about?  The added complexities of all of these challenges when you and your siblings disagree on how to take care of your parents, especially at the very end of their lives.  These kinds of arguments can break up sibling relationships forever.   

And what if your relationship with your parents is historically toxic, or dysfunctional, or causes you deep personal anxiety and stress?  Just because mom or dad is now aging and needs care doesn’t mean those feelings and trauma and dysfunction go away.  There are no easy choices and very few clear answers about what your role and responsibility is as the adult child of an ailing parent, and your anger, exhaustion and hurt and all of your feelings too often get invalidated with phrases like “well, mom is ill now so you just have to be there for her.”  

We are whole humans trying to navigate not just the logistics of managing medical and financial and housing decisions for our parents.  We are the adult children of our very human parents with all of their human failings, and the dynamics of caring for them even in the very best of circumstances are fraught with emotional complications that can wear our souls right out.

In this episode we come together to talk and share that side of taking care of aging parents.  The good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly, and we find a bit of catharsis together in the Confessional.

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We love trying new things (thanks ADHD!), and since we are out there doing it anyway, we figured we would share our experiences with you and give you our perspectives together in a more organized, coordinated way.  Hopefully, anyway!

So we are starting a new sub-series of Salon Confessions called Jen and Harper Try It Out.

For this inaugural Jen & Harper Try It episode, Jen took me to a Harmonic Egg®.  The Harmonic Egg® was invented by a woman named Gail Lynn in 2016, and according to their website, over 140 of these have been sold in 10 countries since then, with more under contract and coming soon. (www.harmonicegg.com)

We also want to hear from you other types of unique treatments and health and beauty experiences you’ve wanted to try but aren’t quite sure you are ready for.  Let us know what you think we should test out for you!  Your votes matter and the most votes win, so email us or DM us soon.  we’re looking for your ideas!

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In this world of precious relationships, there is one very special category that stands on its own, and that is the family members that we choose as friends.  These are the ones who you call or text after a bad day or when you have a ridiculous story to tell.  But these are also the people who know your origin story because they were there with you.  Your sibling, your cousin, maybe an aunt or an in-law or step-relative that has become a vital part of your inner circle, and without whom your world would fall out of balance.  For a rare few, this might even be a parent. 

So in this episode, we invited in Jen’s cousin Greta, who is also one of her closest friends.  We get to hear them talk they way families talk - in that shorthand way where you hear them ready to jump into the story that each other already knows from the very first word.  And they give us a peek into  how important their relationship has been through the years, though it has changed and evolved over time.

We’d love to hear your stories of the people in your life that are family that you’ve chosen as friends.  How do they impact your world, and what would be different about your life if they weren’t in it?  Email us at [email protected], or find us on the Socials at SalonConfessionsPodcast.

It’s October, the season of Halloween, ghost stories, and mysterious, unexplainable events.

In the confessional, we call that any day that ends in Y.

Jen & Harper's has deepened through the years as we share stories of things that are unexplainable, metaphysical, energetically connected, and otherwise what we tend to call “woowoo.”

In past episodes, we’ve talked about things like Mercury Retrograde, having readings done, or other metaphysical ideas that may have left you either nodding in understanding or looking off to the left with a skeptical question mark in your eyes.  In either case, we get it!  

It doesn’t even phase us anymore when we read each other’s minds.  We trust that we are in each other’s lives for a reason, and that this podcast and Jen’s emerging vision for a wellness and healing center is part of that reason.  We trust the messages we receive, and we listen to them.

Lately, Quantum Physics is even starting to align with some of the metaphysical ideas that have been around for a long time, and explaining with emerging science things that have always felt magical, mystical, and otherworldly. 

Here are some links to things that might interest you connecting these two worlds:

TEDTALK Aaron O'Connell: Making Sense of a Visible Quantum Object

LINKEDIN: Unlocking the Mysteries of Manifesting with Quantum Physics: In Depth Guide

MEDIUM: The Intersection of Quantum Mechanics and Universal Energy: Exploring Quantum Computing and Reiki

In this episode, we decided to go all in on our woo and open up about some of our experiences and ideas about the unknown world and how it interacts with our day to day lives.  For us, it’s pretty normal and even a bit mundane, because it doesn’t surprise us much anymore. 

How about you?  Where do you experience mystery in your world?  We’d love to hear your stories!  Email us at [email protected], or find us on the socials at Salon Confessions Podcast.

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Hey Confessionistas!  We are back AT LAST!  

Way back in May, we closed out an outstanding Season 3 with promises and intentions to be back in July, and then life got LIFEY.  I mean, really, REALLY lifey. 

It’s safe to say that this is a time of TRANSITION for Jen and Harper, and while that growth and transition process continues for us both, we are finally at a point where we can bring time and energy back to this beautiful podcast that we love so much!

This episode is all about crying!  Jen and Harper are both cryers.  We can cry at the drop of a hat, and often, it is embarrassing, annoying, and feels simply TERRIBLE.  Like, have you ever gone to a funeral for someone you don’t even know, and end up crying more than some of the family members that are there?  Or sobbing at commercials, or at work, or other places where it is socially inappropriate to express emotion? 

But we would much rather be soft and in touch with our emotions, and isn’t that the message that Brene Brown has been teaching us all these years about vulnerability?  At least in some part?

So come join us in the confessional once again, and let’s explore our fears of tears.  Listen to our fears, and then share with us your thoughts on crying.  What have you learned, how do you feel about feeling your feelings, and how do you cope when crying feels like too much?  We are so HAPPY to be back together with you, so please share all of your confessions with us!!  We can’t wait to hear from you!!

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Welcome to the Season 3 Finale of Salon Confessions Podcast!  This episode is the last episode in our Season 3 lineup before we take a break for a few weeks to get ready for Season 4.  

We have explored a lot of ground this season:

S3-E1: Jen & Harper share our words of the year

S3-E2: A Man's Take on Midlife Dating with special guest Michael

S3-E3-4: Perimenopause BS

S3-E5: Travel

S3-E6: Jen finally teaches us about Nail Care

S3-E7: Belly Laughing about Body Hair

S3-E8: Incontinence & Menopause, Laurie's Story

S3-E9: Butts & Bikinis - Jen & Harper catch up

S3-E10: Ethical Non-Monogamy with special guest Zoe

S3-E11: Bethany Helps LGBTQIA Allies with Questions about Pronouns

S3-E12: Worky-Work and Career Transitions with special guest Kay from F**K My Work Life Podcast

S3-E13: Harper gets Therapitized in the Confessional [YET AGAIN]

Throughout this season, Jen and Harper have learned, laughed, and listened.  We’ve bared some big confessions, and run through the entire gamut of human emotions from hope to anger, from hilarity to sorrow, and from worry to wonder.  

In this episode, Harper sits herself back in Jen’s sacred confessional for one last time this season, and lets loose on her anxiety, the surprisingly intense challenge of a month of fasting on spending, and Jen has a very therapeutic, throat-chakra-clearing scream.

We've made it a "Scream-A-Long", so listen for the cues so you don't miss your chance to clear your throat chakra with Jen!

We'll be back in July with Season 4. In the meantime, please like, subscribe, and give us a 5 star rating! Tell everyone you know how much you love our show!

Kay is co-host and producer of the Fuck My Work Life Podcast, and she responded to our Perimenopause series with her own confessions about Perimenopause BS.  She shared her experiences and frustrations in a letter on our "Butts and Bikinis" episode [S3:Ep9], and we asked her if she would join us in the virtual confessional for a conversation about careers, career transitions, and fucky-fuck, worky-work BS.  

Our careers are a huge part of our identities and we spend so much time and energy inside of our work lives.  For example, Jen has been a nail tech for nearly 30 years, but has had several other careers during that time too. And Harper was very grateful to have a long and creative break from her corporate career last summer and fall, but made the decision to go back into corporate work a few weeks ago.  She missed having the opportunity to do what she does best, and to be part of a team of smart, driven people on a day to day basis.  But let’s be honest.  Work is called work for a reason, and everyday isn’t sunshine and candy.

So today we are exploring that side of life - the good, the bad and the ugly, and talking honestly about the stress of career transitions, the changes in our approach to work at this point in our lives, and what advice we would give to our younger selves about our career path.  

We would love to hear your career stories, and Kay would love your horrible work stories!  There is a place to bitch about your boss and co-workers, so go share them over at Fuck My Work Life Podcast, and get it off your chest!  

Email us at [email protected]

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Today, we are talking about pronouns.  Jen and Harper have a diverse circle of family and friends from all kinds of backgrounds.  We have a core belief that inclusion matters, and we stand allied with marginalized and underrepresented people across race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, gender identity, and the many other ways that people choose to identify themselves.  

As allies, we are on board with using whatever pronouns a person wants to use, and support all efforts towards inclusion and belonging for people across the gender identity spectrum.  But we have to be honest - this is a new way of engaging with people, and it’s been a learning curve.  

Harper realized over the past year that across her wide circle of allied and inclusive friends, there are shared challenges in learning and understanding how and when to use appropriate pronouns.  It has felt surprisingly tricky, even with the desire to be supportive.  But to give an example, when someone identifies as she/they, when do you use which pronoun?  Is there a grammatically right or wrong approach?  Why does this feel so hard sometimes? And what can we do as allies to better support people in the trans and gender non-conforming community?

So in this episode, Harper invited her friend Bethany to join us.  Bethany identifies as lesbian, is married to a trans-man, and together they have a gender fluid kiddo.  Bethany is also an advocacy professional, and is deeply engaged both personally and professionally in political and community advocacy work across the queer community.  

We hope you choose to listen to this episode with respect, openness, and a willingness to learn.  It’s ok to be confused and challenged.  For many of us, this is still pretty new.  So join us on the journey, and let us know what you learned along the way!  Send us an email at [email protected], or DM us on the socials at Salon Confessions Podcast.  We can’t wait to hear from you!

For more information about how to support trans and genderqueer people, check out organizations like the Human Rights Coalition at HRC.org or the National Center for Transgender Equality at transequality.org

If you are transgender or gender nonconforming and need support, go to The Trevor Project thetrevorproject.org  You can safely find help and support there.  Or, reach out to us at [email protected], and we will help you get connected to resources in your area.  You are not alone, and you are worth love and respect!!

Zoe is a friend of Harper's who opened up last year that she practices ENM (Ethical Non-Monogamy) while they were floating around on paddleboards one sunny evening.

Her take was so informed and positive that Harper asked if she would be willing to come into The Confessional to share her experience and give us a bit of the “behind the curtain” view of how dating and relationships work in ENM, and how it helped her and her partner grow even closer.  She shared with us more about the inner work she did to explore the idea, and the level of self-awareness, honesty, and vulnerability required between her and her partner that helps make it a meaningful part of their bond.

This episode is for anyone who is curious about ENM and how it works in a relationship, and it’s especially going to be great if you are exploring whether ENM is right for you.

Please note - this is a positive, affirming, and inclusive look at an alternative lifestyle.  If you aren’t open to that perspective, this might not be the episode for you, but we invite you take this opportunity to hear someone else’s story with kindness, curiosity, and respect.