The Big Boo Cast

Well, it only took us thirteen years, but here we are at episode 200. Won't He do it? On average we have cranked out 15.38 episodes a year since 2007, and if you're thinking that doesn't seem like a lot, you're exactly right. This might be a good time to point you in the direction of 2010 and 2012, when we managed to record one whole episode each year. Bless it.

Anyway, our 200th episode is pretty much just like all the other episodes (this feels right, doesn't it?). We talk about Melanie's weekend in College Station and my thoughts about The Heir Affair (I finally finished reading it) and five things Melanie has really enjoyed this past week. We also discuss my search for a new pair of sneakers and how Melanie's guidance on this particular issue has been invaluable (that is to say: I HAVE FOUND A WINNER).

Finally, keep your eyes on our Instagram accounts this week - because we have a couple of fun giveaways planned to celebrate the big 200. We can't thank you enough for being such loyal listeners. You have supported and encouraged us (lo, even in 2010 and 2012), and we are deeply grateful that you make time to listen every week.

Enjoy, everybody!

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Show Notes:

- Our very first podcast episode on August 25, 2007 (what tickles me the most is how slow we talked and how quiet we were - clearly the mothers of some pre-schoolers who were sleeping)

- Sophie's Instagram

- Melanie's Instagram 

(Be on the lookout for some exciting 200th episode giveaways!)

- The Heir Affair 

- The Royal We

- Our Patreon episode with Gulley

- Converse Chuck Taylor All Star platform sneaker

- Steve Madden Gill Platform slip on sneaker 

- Vans Old Skool Platform sneaker 

- Dr. Scholl's look out platform sneaker 

- Adidas Nizza platform sneaker 

- Sofft Bellview high top sneaker 

- Paul Green Candice slip-on platform sneaker (these are the ones I got - and my goodness they are comfortable)

- The Blazer from Nike

- Nike Air Force Ones

- Nike Air Max 270

- Nike Air Max 90

- Nike CruzrOne (I ordered these because they're wider than the average Nike shoe - and I can confirm that they are suuuuper comfortable)

- My long black dress from Amazon - which is very cute with my new sneakers (regular and plus sizes)

- Chrystal Hurst's new book

- Julia Reed's gorgeous obituary by Jon Meacham in Garden & Gun

- NEEDTOBREATHE's new album, Out of Body

- PJ Morton's new album, Gospel According to PJ

- Gregory Porter's new album, All Rise

- Pickwick Leather, Tobacco, & Woods candle

- Weimann leather conditioning wipes

- Stainless steel mixing bowl set of 6

- Homegating styrofoam cups from Two Funny Girls

- Amazon joggers for $14.99

Sponsors:

- NoteCube (20% off with promo code BIGBOO)

- Best Fiends (download in the Apple App Store or on Google Play)

Well, if you've wondered over the last week if the Kale Boss was in fact the boss of our friend Melanie, you'll be happy to hear this week's juice cleanse update. You might also be interested to hear my update on our first high school football game of the season, which was a happy return to a little something we like to call a LIVE SPORTING EVENT. What a marvelous concept that is.

On top of all that, we talk about what shoe works best with a wide cropped pant, what pajamas I'm renaming "loungewear" so I can wear them as actual pants, and what five things have become long-term favorites for me over the last few weeks. 

Basically what we have for you this week is good times aplenty. Except maybe that whole Kale Boss situation. Hope you enjoy!

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Show Notes:

- Our Amazon Shop

- The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins

- Our friend Retha (she is also our podcast business manager / boss)

- The caftan dress that we both love

- GAP lounge pants that I plan to wear as straight-up pants

- Marc Fisher booties

- Stars Above lounge pants

- Stars Above sweatshirt

- Redland cotton sheets

- Anastasia Brow Wiz eyebrow pencil

- Anastasia Clear Brow gel

- Thrive Causemetics Multi-Dimensional Strobing Blush in Rosie

- Skinnygirl Denim Utility Jogger

- Farm Rio Gabriela knit maxi skirt

- The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

Sponsors:

- FabFitFun (coupon code BIGBOO for $10 off your first order)

- School Mask Pack

- NoteCube (promo code BIGBOO for 20% off)

Sometimes we don't get a chance to talk about a regular-ole-life something that's going on until we sit down to record on Mondays, and that was certainly the case this week. Melanie shares some newly formed health / fitness goals, and I think the best way to describe my response is SURLIGHTED (surprised + delighted). Oh my goodness. Next week's update should be solid gold.

We also discuss a parenting question we didn't get to last week re: technology as well as the lingering effects of my renewed commitment to the chemical exfoliation of my face. It has been humbling and also very burn-y.

Hope y'all enjoy!

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Show Notes:

- Our most recent Patreon episode that is basically Melanie's graduate thesis on skin care

- Sunday Riley Vitamin C Serum

- Sunday Riley Good Genes

- Revitabrow

- Brittany Runs a Marathon

- Our Amazon shop

Sponsors:

- Native (promo code BIGBOO for 20% off your first order)

Not long before we recorded this week's episode, I posted on Instagram and asked if y'all had any broad topics you wanted us to cover. To absolutely no one's surprise, college football the #1 answer - followed by parenting, friendship, and home.

SO. We structured this episode (well, "structured" might be a strong word - maybe just "loosely organized") around those four topics, and we used some of your specific questions to do that. You won't see many show notes because we didn't talk about many specific products or people or shows or crepe erasing neck creams. We mainly just talked about life, and that is always fine by us.

Hope y'all enjoy!

Show Notes:

- Athleta Salutation Joggers

- Athleta Farollon Stratum Joggers (please go on sale please go on sale)

- Ohio State in the SEC? (we don't think this will actually happen - but the idea is an interesting one)

- KitchenAid mixer

- Calphalon

- Poppies on Blue

- Our Amazon Shop

Sponsors:

- KiwiCo (use this link for 30% off your first order and free shipping)

- Acorn.tv (use the promo code BIGBOO for 30 days free)

- Crayola School Mask Pack (Alex loves these, by the way - he's a fan of the adjustable ear straps and thinks the masks are really comfortable)

After spending the last two weeks with delightful, wise, funny guests (thanks, Mike Leach and Phil Rosenthal), we’re back to our usual shenanigans on this episode. It’s just Melanie and me, and we talk about the comfort of a good caftan, the practical side of going back to work (for example, I can no longer spend my days in walking tights and t-shirts), and the joy of finally finding a dry shampoo that exceeds expectations.

We also discuss how I really showed my Enneagram 9-ness in terms of anticipating the transition back to work, and Melanie gives an update on the antelope that used to live in her living room. 

If that weren’t enough (is it, though?), we talk about make-up and TV. 

Enjoy, y’all!

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Show Notes:

- Last Chance U (not for the children)

- Yellowstone (not for the children)

- Life in Pieces

- Marc Jacobs Gel Powder eyeshadow in Perfect-o

- Bobbie Brown Long-wear Cream Shadow stick in Heather Steel and/or Amethyst

- Prose dry shampoo (use this link for 15% off your first order)

- Living Proof Dry Volume Blast

- Lisa Whittle's second caftan home run

- (Lisa Whittle's original caftan home run, just FYI)

- Amiyrah Martin also loves a good caftan

- The Daily Tay preps for the Nordstrom Sale

- Revitalash

Sponsors:

- Best Fiends (download on Apple Podcasts or Google Play)

- Hello Fresh (promo code BIGBOO80 for $80 off your first box and free shipping)

- Margaret M (promo code BIGBOO25 for 25% off your first order)

If you've been listening to the podcast pretty regularly the last couple of months, then you have heard Melanie and me mention the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil over and over again. Melanie started watching (after Karen Howell recommended it, if memory serves), and then I started watching, and here we are, roughly six weeks later, both certifiably obsessed with it. Because it is FANTASTIC.

So you can imagine how delighted we are to tell you that, in one of the most unexpected occurrences in lo, all of our podcasting years, Phil Rosenthal from Somebody Feed Phil is our guest on this episode.

Sometimes life comes at you fast, my friends.  

You'll hear the story of how all of this came to be at the beginning of the episode, and then for the rest of the episode you'll hear Phil be super funny and wise and inspiring. It was such a joy to talk with him, and it was also confirmation that 1) we cannot wait to travel again and 2) Phil really is our Quarantine All-Star.

Next week we'll be back with our usual shenanigans, and it'll just be Melanie and me again. Unless Melanie gets in touch with Jimbo Fisher - and in which case, all bets are off.

Enjoy, y'all!

Show Notes:

- Lenox Hill on Netflix

- Phil Rosenthal, Prince Among Men

- Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix

- You're Lucky You're Funny by Phil Rosenthal

- The Chris Farley Show sketch

- Anthony Bourdain

- Massimo Bottura

- Chef's Table Season 1 on Netflix

- "Earth's Greatest Hits" on I'll Have What Phil's Having

- Phil Rosenthal / Somebody Feed Phil website - with links to all the places and restaurants he has visited (plus merch!)

- Century Old Eggs

Show Notes:

- School Mask Pack

- Thrive Market (use this link for a free membership and a free gift of your choosing, worth up to $22)

- Hydrant (use promo code BIGBOO for 25% off your first order)

I feel like I can speak for most Mississippi State fans and say that when it comes to Mike Leach being named our head football coach earlier this year, we're all still pinching ourselves. And listen - Melanie has been just as excited as I have been. That is because Mike Leach is a genius, and he is a college football legend, and the SEC will be better with him in it. So needless to say, we are absolutely beside ourselves that he is our guest on this episode of the podcast.

How did this even happen? Well, it is all because of a Twitter wager, you understand. Dave Emerick, who is on the football staff at State, told us a few weeks ago (after I asked about the possibility of interviewing Coach Leach) that if we could get 1,000 likes on his tweet, he would get Coach Leach on the podcast. Well, our beloved podcast listeners more than came through, and about a week ago, Melanie and I got to talk to Coach Leach. The whole experience did not disappoint. In fact, it DELIGHTED us.

The first part of the episode is Melanie and me giving this whole situation some context, and our conversation with Coach Leach starts around 25:40. You'll be happy to know that Melanie was able to voice her grievance about Deshazor Everett's targeting call, and Coach Leach has a couple of bad call grievances himself. We also talk about Mississippi and his favorite game at Texas Tech and his favorite books so far this year. Among other things.

The best part? Coach Leach was all we expected and more: kind, smart, funny, gracious, and a real straight-shooter. We think you'll agree. 

Enjoy, y'all!

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Show Notes:

- Coach Fran 

- Nick "Lou" Saban

- Coach Mike Leach

- The video that made Sophie clap her hands when Coach Leach was named head football coach at Mississippi State

- Melanie predicted Coach Leach's hiring (go to 47:23 in the episode)

- The tweet that brought Coach Leach to the podcast

- The very strange Egg Bowl ending that set the wheels in motion for Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach to move to Mississippi colleges

- The Texas Tech / Texas game that Coach Leach remembers very fondly

- "Texas Back in 1880"

- Melanie's Deshazor Everett heartache

- The Last Dance

- Michael Lewis

- Bill Bryson - The Lost Continent

- Henry Crumpton - The Art of Intelligence

- Operation Odessa (not for the children, and a little racy at the beginning, but fascinating, from what we understand)

- Narcos (again, not for the children, but Melanie and P are fans)

- Swing Your Sword by Mike Leach

- Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior by Mike Leach

Sponsors:

- Magic Spoon (promo code BIGBOO for free shipping)

- Native (promo code BIGBOO for 20% off your first order)

- Best Fiends (download from the Apple App Store or Google Play)

The credit for this whole episode goes to Melanie, who suggested that we have a conversation about the books that have shaped us over the course of our lives. So what we have here in Ye Olde Episode 193 is a discussion of Books We Have Loved - from childhood to adulthood. And it's not just that we love these books; it's also that, in big ways and small ways, these books have shaped us in some significant ways.

I swore and declared that I was absolutely not going to do links for all of these books - I even say that in the episode intro - but lo and behold I ended up adding links for almost everything that's currently in print. Click at will, my friends.

And just FYI: we are not condoning every situation in every book, we are not endorsing every author of every book, we are not subscribing to every philosophy in every book. We're just saying, HEY, THIS MEANT SOMETHING TO US, and by the way, that may have happened despite the fact that the author really enjoys the F word. 

Enjoy, y'all!

p.s. We also talk about Hamilton again. :-) 

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Show Notes:

- Eliza's gasp

- Lin Manuel Miranda on writing "My Shot"

- I'll Have What Phil's Having

- Salt Fat Acid Heat

- Taste the Nation

- Peter Rabbit series by Beatrix Potter

- The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner

- Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene

- The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

- Ramona series by Beverly Clearly

- Judy Blume books (SO MANY)

- The Ring by Danielle Steele

- Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal

- Hail, Hail Camp Timberwood by Ellen Conford

- Just Like Ice Cream

- The Color Purple by Alice Walker

- Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons

- The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

- If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, Then What Am I Doing in the Pits? by Erma Bombeck

- Jacob, Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

- Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams

- No Wonder They Call Him the Savior by Max Lucado

- Believing God by Beth Moore

- Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

- Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

- Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

- The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

- Bossypants by Tina Fey

- Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

- The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

- Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor

- The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

- Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison

- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Sponsors:

- Hydrant (use the promo code BIGBOO for 25% off your first order)

- care/of (use the promo code BIGBOOCAST50 for 50% off your first order)

- Thrive Market (use this link to join and get up to $20 towards your first order)

To absolutely no one's surprise, we talk a whole lot about Hamilton in this episode. And also Somebody Feed Phil. And then maybe a little more about Hamilton. But really, all of that pales in comparison to Melanie's ranch adventures on the 4th of July, a day that just might have changed her forever. Because SWEET MERCY, THE NATURE.

We also discuss Melanie's new thoughts about Cica moisturizing cream and my deep well of optimism re: a new dress from Amazon. 2020 is really coming through for us!*

*That was sarcasm.

*Deep, biting sarcasm. 

Enjoy, y'all!

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Show Notes:

- Stand All the Way Up

- Nobody's Cuter Than You

- Hamilton on Disney+

- Chris Jackson

- Daveed Diggs

- Leslie Odom, Jr.

- Philippa Soo

- Somebody Feed Phil

- Phil Rosenthal on Instagram

- Anne with an E

- David Foster: Off the Record (just FYI - lots of language)

- Phil Rosenthal's PBS show

- Loose maxi dress with so many color options

- Loose maxi dress with lots of size options

- Target Stars Above pajamas 

- Secret Treasures pajama shorts (you can't buy separately online)

- The Heir Affair (we've waited SO LONG for this one!)

- Cica face cream

Sponsors:

- Best Fiends (download in the Apple app store or on Google Play) (IT IS SO FUN)

- Prose (promo code BIGBOO for your free in-depth hair quiz and 15% off your first order)

- Magic Spoon (promo code BIGBOO for free shipping)

So Melanie and I are taking a little break this week, but we're sharing an episode that will be new to most of you. Last month on Patreon we did a Closer Look episode on health and body image, and we got more feedback - comments, DMs, emails - than we have on any other episode. People's reactions were encouraging and candid and inspiring. Given that, we thought we would share the epsiode here, too. Here's what we told our Patreon folks when we originally posted it:

For this Closer Look episode Melanie and I decided to talk about health and weight and body image and etc. It's something that I write about in a chapter of the new book, and several of you have asked if we might be willing to talk about this very thing. Melanie and I have both found ourselves in not-great places with our physical health over the last several years, so I think no one is more surprised than we are by how much we have grown to love being active.

So. You're going to hear a some of our stories from our teenage years through college and adulthood and now into middle age. Two really different body types, two really different histories with food and exercise - but both of us hitting our 40s and realizing that something needed to give.

(Also both of us getting really angry at our husbands before we made a commitment to ourselves and our health. AS YOU WILL HEAR. :-) )

All that to say: no doubt Melanie and I are both works in progress. But we both have gotten to a place where we feel strong and we actually like to move. I struggle with my weight more than Melanie does - this is no secret - but I am so grateful to be in a place where my level of activity helps to quiet the negative voices in my head. And I'm also grateful for friends like Melanie where I can talk about this kind of stuff openly and without judgment. That has been such good medicine.

Hope y'all enjoy!

p.s. Quick disclaimer: if you have dealt with an exercise or eating disorder, this episode may be not be the most enjoyable for you, especially if you struggle with negative feelings about your physical body. We certainly don't want to trigger that or say anything that might make you feel anxious, so I just wanted to make you aware that we talk a lot about exercise and size and body image in this episode in case it's healthier for you not to listen. And also, if we could, we would give you a big hug right now - because you are awesome. :-) 

If you would like to join us on Patreon, we would be delighted to have you. For $5 a month (plus tax, in some states), you get a Closer Look episode - where we talk about something we're both thinking about or obsessed with or analyzing like crazy - and a Q&A where we answer Patreon listeners' questions. It has been a ton of fun, and if you join now, you'll have access to all the old episodes as well as the new content. It's easy-breezy to sign up.

Show Notes:

- Stand All the Way Up  

- This is a sad state of affairs for show notes - but we mostly talk about our personal stories instead of products. The good news is that maybe this episode won't cost you a lot of money for new skin care products. :-)