Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah tackle wording wedding invitations, behaving on trains, picking strangers' figs, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)
Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ask.wyrbw.com

EPISODE CONTENTS


AMUSE-BOUCHE: Wedding invitation wording


A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE: Trains


QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS: Is it OK to pick someone's figs if the branches are overhanging a public sidewalk? Is it unreasonable to expect people to text or call to say thank you for a party?


VENT OR REPENT: Fundraising for back tattoos, How the menu works


CORDIALS OF KINDNESS: Thanks for the marzipan, Thanks for the theatre tickets


THINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW
"Once Upon A One More Time" musical

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...

Support our show through Patreon

Subscribe and rate us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts

Call, text, or email us your questions


Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter


Visit our official website

Sign up for our newsletter

Buy some fabulous official merchandise


CREDITS
Hosts: Nick Leighton & Leah Bonnema
Producer & Editor: Nick Leighton
Theme Music: Rob Paravonian

ADVERTISE ON OUR SHOW
Click here for details

TRANSCRIPT
Episode 188
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wording Wedding Invitations, Behaving on Trains, Picking Strangers' Figs, and More

Editors’ Notes: “I want to give everybody the tools to solve their own etiquette problems,” says Nick Leighton, cohost and producer of Were You Raised by Wolves?, a weekly podcast in which he and cohost Leah Bonnema look into the many sticky social situations we all face. “With each of the questions that we get, from the bonkers to the ordinary, I always try to take a step back and ask, ‘What are the bigger principles here?’ I'm always looking for topics that help us make a larger point.” In each episode, Leighton, a two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, and Bonnema, a comic/writer, share practical advice on how to navigate a wide range of situations, from the serious to the whimsical—whether they tackle interrupting excessive talkers, establishing healthy boundaries with coworkers, or the proper way to eat Cheetos.

When they developed the show in 2019, Leighton and Bonnema had one goal in mind: to have empathy for other people. Their informal conversations tackle a mix of personal topics, viewer questions, and the occasional historical fact with warmth and positivity and humor. Leighton views this approach as an antidote to a lot of the negativity he sees in the online world, while Bonnema thinks the show’s premise is a natural fit for her situational style of comedy. “A lot of my comedy is about events where I’m like, ‘What just happened here?’ or where I embarrass myself,” she says. “And, ironically, all of these fall under the guise of etiquette, where you either feel aggrieved or you feel like you committed some sort of social crime. I just loved the topic.”

Leighton and Bonnema credit the show’s ongoing success to their work ethic. They haven’t missed a single week since they launched the show, which recently hit a new milestone: 100 episodes. But what they value the most, above all else, is how they've built a community of listeners from all backgrounds. “We have conservative grandmothers in Tallahassee to nonbinary chefs in Seattle and everybody in between,” he says. “Because who among us has not experienced an etiquette crime? This is universal.”

---

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! Join Emmy® Award-winning journalist Nick Leighton and acclaimed comedian Leah Bonnema ("Late Show with Stephen Colbert"), the perfect odd couple, as they try to make the world a nicer, more polite place and offer up practical advice to help you smoothly glide through any situation. Please listen and follow! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Comedy

Relationships

Self-Improvement

Comedy Interviews

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah tackle getting things monogrammed, behaving at brunch, requesting graduation money, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)
Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ask.wyrbw.com

EPISODE CONTENTS


AMUSE-BOUCHE: Monograms


A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE: Brunch


QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS: When you have an extra ticket to a performance, is it rude to send a group text to see who calls dibs first? Is it OK to include a QR code or Venmo address on a graduation invitation?


VENT OR REPENT: Commenting on hair, Joking at a VC party


CORDIALS OF KINDNESS: Thanks for the song, A nice review


THINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW

The Preppy Handbook

Elizabeth Holmes documentary "The Dropout" trailer


YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...

Support our show through Patreon

Subscribe and rate us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts

Call, text, or email us your questions


Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter


Visit our official website

Sign up for our newsletter

Buy some fabulous official merchandise


CREDITS
Hosts: Nick Leighton & Leah Bonnema
Producer & Editor: Nick Leighton
Theme Music: Rob Paravonian

ADVERTISE ON OUR SHOW
Click here for details

TRANSCRIPT
Episode 226
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Getting Things Monogrammed, Behaving at Brunch, Requesting Graduation Money, and More

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah answer listener questions about removing shoes on airplanes, exiting weddings early, welcoming guests in, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)
Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ask.wyrbw.com

QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS:

What are your thoughts on removing one's shoes on an airplane?

How do you handle a friend who wants a friendship more than you do and also always suggests meeting up closer to where they live?

Should a bride and groom leave their wedding reception before the last song?

How do you feel about the phrase "Welcome In"?

What do you do about a friend who's always a downer at parties?

PSA: You're on camera when you sit front row at an opera or musical.


THINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW
Sound Baths

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...

Support our show through Patreon

Subscribe and rate us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts

Call, text, or email us your questions


Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter


Visit our official website

Sign up for our newsletter

Buy some fabulous official merchandise


CREDITS
Hosts: Nick Leighton & Leah Bonnema
Producer & Editor: Nick Leighton
Theme Music: Rob Paravonian

ADVERTISE ON OUR SHOW
Click here for details

TRANSCRIPT
Episode 225
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Removing Shoes on Airplanes, Exiting Weddings Early, Welcoming Guests In, and More

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah tackle enjoying petit fours, visiting New York City, tracking down perishable gifts, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)
Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ask.wyrbw.com

EPISODE CONTENTS


AMUSE-BOUCHE: Mignardises and Petit Fours


A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE: New York City Etiquette


QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS: How do I respond to unsolicited encouragement from a stranger after a fitness class? How should I handle a perishable gift that's been delayed in the mail?


VENT OR REPENT: Rude taxi drivers, Stealing laundry carts


CORDIALS OF KINDNESS: Using luggage racks, Thanks for joining us at our recent live show


THINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW
Parts of a French meal

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...

Support our show through Patreon

Subscribe and rate us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts

Call, text, or email us your questions


Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter


Visit our official website

Sign up for our newsletter

Buy some fabulous official merchandise


CREDITS
Hosts: Nick Leighton & Leah Bonnema
Producer & Editor: Nick Leighton
Theme Music: Rob Paravonian

ADVERTISE ON OUR SHOW
Click here for details

TRANSCRIPT
Episode 224
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoying Petit Fours, Visiting New York City, Tracking Down Perishable Gifts, and More

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah answer listener questions about stealing hotel rooms, escaping dinner parties, grabbing Costco canapés, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)
Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ask.wyrbw.com

QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS:

What do we do if another couple we're traveling with does something rude at the very start of our vacation?

When gifting someone a photo or print, should you include the frame?

What's the polite way to escape a dinner party that's gone on for too long?

Does the rule about not wearing white to a wedding also apply to all the pre-wedding festivities?

Etiquette Crime Report: Stealing samples at Costco


THINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW

Trailer for "White Lotus" Season 1

British Knights shoes on Wikipedia


YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...

Support our show through Patreon

Subscribe and rate us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts

Call, text, or email us your questions


Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter


Visit our official website

Sign up for our newsletter

Buy some fabulous official merchandise


CREDITS
Hosts: Nick Leighton & Leah Bonnema
Producer & Editor: Nick Leighton
Theme Music: Rob Paravonian

ADVERTISE ON OUR SHOW
Click here for details

TRANSCRIPT
Episode 223
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stealing Hotel Rooms, Escaping Dinner Parties, Grabbing Costco Canapés, and More

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah tackle the biography of Letitia Baldrige, handling airport pickups, brushing teeth at the office, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)
Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ask.wyrbw.com

EPISODE CONTENTS


AMUSE-BOUCHE: Letitia Baldrige


A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE: Airport Pickups


QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS: Is it rude to brush and floss your teeth in an office bathroom? My teacher just told the class incorrect information...how do I correct her? What do I do if friends are talking about me behind my back? What do you do if you're invited somewhere and you just don't want to go?


VENT OR REPENT: Luggage in hotel elevators, Dog tote bags


CORDIALS OF KINDNESS: Thanks for the book, A nice review


THINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW
Letitia Baldrige's obituary in the New York Times

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...

Support our show through Patreon

Subscribe and rate us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts

Call, text, or email us your questions


Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter


Visit our official website

Sign up for our newsletter

Buy some fabulous official merchandise


CREDITS
Hosts: Nick Leighton & Leah Bonnema
Producer & Editor: Nick Leighton
Theme Music: Rob Paravonian

ADVERTISE ON OUR SHOW
Click here for details

TRANSCRIPT
Episode 222
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wording Wedding Invitations, Behaving on Trains, Picking Strangers' Figs, and More

Download our free app to listen on your phone