What do fashion tariffs, Blake Lively’s alleged text-message nuclear codes, and Instagram’s sneaky Discover feed have in common? They all escalated—fast.

Welcome to the inaugural “Well, That Escalated…”—the once-a-month segment where I drag my favorite opinion-sharpshooter Laura Max Rose out of our group-chat bunker and into the studio. It's basically the audio version of us texting “WAIT, DID YOU SEE THIS?” at 1 a.m.

This round we unpack:

• Why my “Made in America” dream factory sometimes feels like DIY textile purgatory.

• The Blake-vs-Baldoni legal soap opera and Taylor Swift’s strategic sphinx routine (recorded before any surprise masters-deal plot twists—guess we'll need another debrief).

• The single rogue tap that turned Laura’s IG into a pyramid-scheme carnival—and the one-button fix.

• My love affair with long-form YouTube (because dopamine-scroll fatigue is real).

Connect & Subscribe

• Watch the video version on YouTube → youtube.com/@itsdavidpeck

• Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

• Follow Laura on IG @lauramaxrose and me @itsdavidpeck

•  #WellThatEscalated #InsideTheDesignStudio #DesignYourLife

 

00:00 Why we’re launching a monthly pop-culture accountability chat 04:50 David’s naïve plunge into U.S. manufacturing—and the hidden cost of “ethical” labels 14:45 Do voters really want Made-in-USA, or is it political cosplay? 26:30 Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, and the affidavit that launched a thousand TikToks 40:10 Instagram’s algorithm, confirmation bias, and the “Not Interested” lifesaver 47:55 YouTube as the antidote to doom-scrolling (plus map-nerd confessionals) 53:30 Where to find Laura, where to find me, and a standing invite to drop your hot takes