You Gotta Try This!

It's the first Friday of the month, and you know what that means! Time for another installation of our podcast book group, You Gotta Read This!

This month we're reading Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. It’s a beautiful novel about a stranger who comes to town and changes lives through art, generosity, and kindness. 

Find it and all the other books we’ve ever recommended on the show in our Bookshop, which is a great place to buy books from independent booksellers. (We do get a little kickback from any books purchased through the site.)

Let us know what you think of it. Send in your thoughts, questions, recommendations and delights to [email protected]. 

This episode was edited by Belle Battista.

Happy First Friday! It's time for another installment of You Gotta Read This!

This month we are reading Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. It's a twisty and suspenseful novel about love, loss and buried secrets.

Find it and all the other books we’ve ever recommended on the show in our Bookshop, which is a great place to buy books from independent booksellers. (We do get a little kickback from any books purchased through the site.)

Let us know what you think of it. Send it your thoughts, questions, recommendations and delights to [email protected].

This episode was edited by Belle Battista.

Announcing the 2025 Kathy Awards! In today’s episode, Katherine announces her personal awards, celebrating her favorite things from the last year. The Kathys are a tradition that helps her savor her life and share her delights. Maybe you’ll be inspired to start your own personal awards!

Learn more about the inspiration for the Kathys here: The Bobbys episode on Radio Lab.

Check out our affiliate page at Bookshop.org to get any of the books we mention on the podcast and support localbookstores. (We get a small commission for any books purchased there.)

Thanks to today’s guest, Emily Venn, and our editor, Belle Battista.

Remember to email us with your delights:  [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram:  Yougottatrythispodcast 

Thanks for listening!  

Thanks so much for listening to our show!  If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.  

Subscribe to the podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app.

Leave us a review

Ratings and reviews from listeners are extremely valuable to me and greatly appreciated. They help my podcast rank higher, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review. 

First Friday of the month means a new book recommendation!

This month I am choosing a compilation by William Sieghart called The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried and True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind, and Soul. The author has selected poems to "treat" all manner of emotional conditions. Feeling yourself reflected in someone else's words is such a gift; no matter what you are experiencing, it's a relief to know you are not alone.

You can find The Poetry Pharmacy and all the other books we've ever recommended in our Bookshop. (We get a small commission from any books purchased through the site.)

Let us know which poem was your favorite. Check out our Instagram page to see one of my favorites read by actor Andrew Scott (Fleabag's own Hot Priest!). Send in your reactions, questions, recommendations, and delights to [email protected]. Please remember to follow the show, and leave us a rating and a review. We appreciate your support!

This episode was edited by Belle Battista.

Happy First Friday! It's time for this month's book club pick for You Gotta Read This!

This month we're reading The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb. It's a heartbreaking novel about love, addiction, and perseverance. Just out this spring, it's a strong contender for a 2025 Kathy Award! :)

You can find it in our Bookshop, along with all the other books we've ever recommended on the show. It's a great way to support local bookstores, and we get a small commission for all books purchased through the site.

Let us know what you think. Send in your reactions, questions, recommendations and delights to [email protected]. Find us on Instagram @yougottatrythispodcast.

Remember to follow the show, and leave us a rating and a review.

This episode was edited by Belle Battista.

TW: Domestic violence, sexual assault. This episode contains some profanity.

Welcome to back to You Gotta Try This! This is the final episode in our latest series, Waking Up to the Patriarchy. Thisseason, we’re pulling back the curtain to see how patriarchy is functioning under the surface, shaping our entire society. In the finale, we’ll explore how patriarchy harms women: through design that overlooks us, through medical research that has excluded us, through marriage expectations that drain us, andthrough norms that perpetuate domestic violence and sexual assault.

Check out our Bookshop to find Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez, as well as all the books we’ve mentioned thus far on the podcast.

Find us on Instagram at Yougottatrythispodcast. Watch our story for videos and posts that will help you start to see the patriarchy hiding in plain sight.

Tell us what stuck with you!  Send in your experiences, questions and delights to [email protected].

If this episode stirred something in you, don’t keep it to yourself!

·       Follow the show so you don’t miss what’s next

·       Leave a review (it really helps!)

·       Share it with someone who needs to hear it

Thanks to Belle Battista for editing and production support. And thanks to you for listening.

Happy First Friday! It's time for this month's book club pick for You Gotta Read This!

This month we're reading Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. As we come to the end of the Waking Up to the Patriarchy series on the main show, this book brings the real plight of women and girls into the light. It’s been called “a passionate call to arms against our era’s most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world.”

You can find it in our Bookshop, along with all the other books we've ever recommended on the show. It's a great way to support local bookstores, and we get a small commission for all books purchased through the site.

Let us know what you think. Send in your reactions, questions, recommendations and delights to [email protected]. Find us on Instagram @yougottatrythispodcast.

Remember to follow the show, and leave us a rating and a review.

This episode was edited by Belle Battista.

TW: This episode touches on violence and abuse (23-28:20).

Hello everyone and welcome back to Waking Up to the Patriarchy, our latest series on You Gotta Try This! In today's episode, you'll hear a conversation with Katherine and Laura about the binary of masculinity and femininity, and the way our culture creates hierarchies that limit everyone's humanity.

Find us on Instagram at yougottatrythispodcast. Watch our story for videos and posts to help you start to see the patriarchy hiding in plain sight.

Make sure you're following the show, and please leave us a rating and review. Share it with a friend who might want to talk about it with you.

Tell us what stuck with you! Send in your questions, experiences, and delights to [email protected].

Thanks to Laura for sharing her experience, and to Belle Battista for editing the show. Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to Waking Up to the Patriarchy, our current series on You Gotta Try This. This season, we’re pulling back the curtain to see how patriarchy is functioning under the surface, shaping our entire society.

In this episode, we tackle patriarchy in the church space. I have two brilliant guests who'll share about liberation theology, the intersection of race and gender, and their own experiences navigating faith spaces that have limited their gifts.

Check out our Bookshop to find Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass ,and all the books we’ve mentioned thus far on the podcast.  

Find us on Instagram at Yougottatrythispodcast. Watch our story for videos and posts that will help you start to see the patriarchy hiding in plain sight. 

Tell us what stuck with you!  Send in your experiences, questions and delights to [email protected].

If this episode stirred something in you, don’t keep it to yourself!

·       Follow the show so you don’t miss what’s next

·       Leave a review (it really helps!)

·       Share it with someone who needs to hear it

Thanks to all my guests for sharing theirexperience, and to Belle Battista for editing and production support. And thanks to you for listening!

(This episode contains some profanity.)

Welcome back to Waking Up to the Patriarchy, our current series on You Gotta Try This. This season, we’re pulling back the curtain to see how patriarchy is functioning under the surface, shaping our entire society.

In this episode, you’ll hear a conversation I had with Matt, Jonathan, and Aaron, three of my college friends. They’ll share about their experiences with fatherhood and partnership and about the messages they heard in childhood about what it means to be a man.

Check out our Bookshop to find all the books we’ve mentioned thus far on the podcast.

Find us on Instagram at Yougottatrythispodcast. That’s where you’ll find the video Matt mentioned of his daughter singing. Watch our story for videos and posts that will help you start to see the patriarchy hiding in plain sight.

Tell us what stuck with you!  Send in your experiences, questions and delights to [email protected].

If this episode stirred something in you, don’t keep it to yourself!

·       Follow the show so you don’t miss what’s next

·       Leave a review (it really helps!)

·       Share it with someone who needs to hear it

Thanks to all my guests for sharing their experience, and to Belle Battista for editing and production support. And thanks to you for listening!