The Boise Bubble Podcast

It seems like dating after getting into a committed relationship should be a simple thing. We’ve found that not to be the case, especially in the weird dynamic of choosing a restaurant. Why is this so difficult for so many couples? And we were no exception to this problem, at least for a while.

In this conversation we discuss some ways to make dating a little easier: tools for establishing expectations, listening to each other's needs and figuring out the purpose of a date night, how needs for time spent together change over time, and how sometimes a restaurant choice is so much more about the experience you have as a couple than it is about the food that’s coming to your table.

We end with a rapid fire list of restaurants across the Treasure Valley to help you narrow down your next night out on the town.

Partners naturally want to support each other when they’re going through hard times. But what happens when both partners are going through challenges and aren't able to focus on the other’s needs as much as they would like?

We have found ourselves in this position lately and decided to use this episode to discuss some of our current struggles, our plan to move forward into a better position by January, and how we can position ourselves to find some respite from stress and anxiety. Some of our changes are simple, and some of them are massive mindset adjustments. From toning down Christmas, to adding in simple health tweaks, we’re hoping we will be in a better situation by the new year. Or we might fail miserably- you never know. We will record a follow-up episode after Christmas for a New Year release to talk about how it went.

It’s a vulnerable conversation. It was valuable for us, and we hope it is valuable to you.

With summer drawn to a close, Shane wanted to get his garden coach, Katie Battazzo with Front Yard Fresh, back to talk through his first foray into gardening. His garden was a huge success this summer- he was giving away produce left and right, flooding the market with homemade pickles, and boring all his friends and acquaintances with how much of an old man he’s become. He claims that Katie wept just a little and said he was her favorite protege and made her most proud of all her clients for showing so much dedication and having so much well-earned success his first year in the grow biz, but it’s funny how that comment happened to occur before he hit the record button. Major sus. He does acknowledge that Katie’s guidance and encouragement were crucial to everything he harvested.

With more success than he knew what to do with, he felt it was fitting to invite her back to his garden and record the episode surrounded by his jungle of herbs, flowers, and late-summer vegetables. They discuss his primary takeaways about home gardening in general, talk about what he’ll do differently next year, and what growers should do going into fall, including planting garlic and tulips. They also talk about the importance of planting the right flowers to attract bees and other pollinators. If you’ve been dabbling in doing your own planting, you’ll find this conversation helpful. You can harvest your own garden knowledge by following Katie on the Gram @frontyardfresh.

What does it mean to be a good person? And do we agree on that definition?

Natalie was invited to be a guest on the national Girl Powerful Podcast. This Boise-based podcast is about having raw and vulnerable conversations with powerful and empowered women. Natalie in turn requested to make it a dual-release so we could also learn about one its founders, Tedi Serge.

Together they discuss some of the missions behind their projects. They spill the tea on why Natalie started social media and why she decided to move from an anonymous page to sharing her personal story. They break down the idea of living apart from culturally imposed concepts and labels, and leading an inquisitive life. They explore what it means to be a good and kind person and how often we should revisit what that means. They chat about what patriotism means to different people and their individual plans for moving into the election year.

They end with a discussion on what it means to be a good friend and building a tribe of safe people. And Tedi surprises Natalie with a pretty blunt and thought-provoking question.

Not just for women, this is an open conversation about reevaluating who we are, what we want to be, how we want our lives to look, and who shares space with us in that life.

We were finally able to reconnect with our friend Katie Williams. Katie travels all over this great state to see the sights, explore the destinations, and walk the streets of all the cute little towns that most of us just don’t make time for in our busy day-to-day. She shares her exploits on her Instagram page, Traveling Spud. She’s a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to get to know their state a little more.

In this episode we swap stories of an all-to-short summer and get some great ideas for where we want to explore next. All of us spent time in northern Idaho- all the way up to Canada and Bonner’s Ferry, to Priest Lake, the historic town of Wallace, and traveling through Moscow and the surrounding farming communities. Katie explored southeastern Idaho and regales us with tales of Lava Hot Springs, Maple Grove Hot Springs, and Swan Valley. She even made it up to the lodge at Grandjean! We also make time to celebrate Katie’s recent marriage and talk relationship insights from a newlywed and advice from seasoned veterans.

Make sure you live vicariously through Katie and follow her on the Gram at @travelingspud, and take notes on this episode for ideas for your next in-state getaway.

In this episode we invited our friend and colleague Jeremy Gonzalez from the local instagram and TikTok pages Boise Insiders.

We planned on discussing Boise Insider’s ongoing search for the best burger in the Treasure Valley, but before we got to that Jeremy somehow turned marriage therapist for us. Tune in for the battle of “cleaning up after dinner” and weigh in on who wins. Stick around for insight into what exactly is the craze over In-N-Out.

Not exactly sure what we intended for this conversation, but we sure had fun with it and think you will too.

Natalie was asked to be the first guest on the brand new West Ada School District Podcast. We decided to joint release the episode on The Boise Bubble.

In this discussion, Natalie is interviewed by Ken Hyde, West Ada School District communication specialist, and Katie Rhodenbaugh, West Ada Community Liaison Coordinator. They open up with discussion about moving into the start of school and how to help kids with routines. They move into more layered topics such as providing a safe place for children at home, teaching respect through examples, appropriate ways for parents to communicate with teachers, and the role of parents in shaping their children’s habits and personalities.

It’s a strong beginning to what is sure to be a valuable podcast for the Treasure Valley community.

During COVID Natalie crossed paths with Parker Harger of the non-profit _So Good! _(sogood.org) while they were both helping provide teachers from various schools with lunch on a regular basis. That was our first contact with his organization and we’ve since been able to learn much more.

So Good!’s mission is pretty simple: do good for good’s sake. No other reason necessary, just be nice to others and put yourself out there to do good. And that’s a message we can get behind. Beneficiaries of his group’s efforts include teachers, first responders, veterans, the Idaho Food Bank, and a horde of perfect strangers just like you and me.

Talking to Parker, hearing his story, and learning that there’s truly no gimmick behind what he’s doing was surprising in the best way. It was doubly powerful coming from a guy who has more than his fair share of reasons to be a pessimist. Parker’s the real deal- a genuinely kind human who gets his dopamine hit by consistently doing kind things for others. And by “consistently” and “others” we mean he’s actively on the lookout daily to do something that will make the day of a total stranger.

We were truly inspired after spending time with Parker. Subsequent to our conversation, we took him up on his challenge to consciously look for a way to render some service to a stranger. We did it, and we can report that it really did feel freaking awesome.

We’re happy to share with you a conversation with Parker Harger of So Good!

Join us for a conversation with Christina Bruce-Benion who is the Executive Director of local foundation The Wassmuth Center for Human Rights. You Idaho history enthusiasts will recall the Center’s namesake, Bill Wassmuth, was a key player in the battle against the notorious white supremacist group, the Aryan Nation, in the northern Idaho area throughout the 80’s and 90’s, he himself being the target of violence at the hands of this hateful group.

Today the Center’s focus is on protecting and perpetuating human rights and educating the general public about the dangers of hate that, as will come as no surprise to anyone, is more recent and close to home than we’d like to believe. The Center was behind the creation of the Anne Frank Memorial to Human Rights, which sits on the greenbelt in downtown Boise and is a worthwhile destination for all community members. More actively, they’re engaged in providing the public with tools to have constructive conversations with other members of our community who believe differently than ourselves or hold opinions different from our own. As believers and proponents of healthy community dialogue, the Center’s core purpose is one we can get behind.

As a couple married for over 20 years, we’ve had lots of discussions about time, how we spend it, how we divy it up, and how we support each other in our efforts to recharge. We’ve gone through the challenging years of small kids and know intimately how much you can lose yourself for years in the role of a parent and spouse. Pile on top of that starting careers, rendering service, and maintaining friendships, both of us became acutely aware of our individual needs for time.

You’ll hear in this conversation that we have different experiences and perspectives, and don’t necessarily agree on all points, but we’re fully supportive of the idea of consciously and intentionally managing your time as a couple and helping each other find individual fulfillment.

We’ve been able to find a great balance that works for us, and hope our experiences help you to tackle this important issue.