Hey It's Okay

You don't have to feel productive to deserve a break. This week, we take a look at our culture's obsession with productivity, how social media feels demanding, and  why taking a break can recharge you and show you new opportunities. We also announce that Hey It's Okay is taking a break. It was a hard decision, but one that we think will help us decide what's next.What we read for this episode:Why a Hiatus Is Key to Preventing Job FatigueSocial Media Breaks and Why They Are NecessaryThe Free-Time Paradox in AmericaThe Kit-Kat Jingle Origin StoryFind more:heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

What even is love, anyway? This week, we break down the love stories as old as time and  remember when we first realized love was gonna be way more boring than Disney movies made us believe.Content warning: brief mention of abusive relationships.What we read for this episode:How Disney Took to Subverting Its Own Romantic IdealsUnrealistic Expectations about Love and MarriageUnrealistic Expectations in a RelationshipThe 5 Stages of Love Many Couples Go Through-Submit your own topic suggestion here!heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast 

Feel free to throw your morning routine book right out the window and stop journaling at 5 AM - we're here to tell you that you don't need to force yourself to become a morning person just because the wellness industry wants you to.What we read for this episode:Why You Shouldn't Force Yourself to Be a Morning PersonChronotypes and SleepingBenjamin Franklin's Mantra Is a MythWaking Up Super Early Won't Make You More SuccessfulWhy You Shouldn't Try to Be a Morning Person_heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

Whether fear is holding you back from taking the next step or you don't even know what you want to do in life, this episode looks at what causes us to feel stuck and how to take a baby step forward.What we read for this episode:If You're Feeling Stuck, This May Be WhyIs 30 Too Old to Start Over Again? (No.)Society's Obsession with Early SuccessHow to Get Out of a Rut-heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

Navigating how we feel about our bodies is so tough and we aren't where we want to be. This time, we explore body neutrality, body positivity, and how societal messaging from a young age shapes how we feel about ourselves.Content warning: eating disorder recovery, weight, dieting, body image issues.What we read for this episode:Forget Body Positivity, How About Body Neutrality?The Rise of the Body Neutrality MovementBody Neutrality Acknowledges the Struggles of Self-LoveBody Neutrality-heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

This is the episode to listen to when you've seen one too many "choose joy" or "good vibes only" posts on Instagram and you want a constructive way to scream into the void.What we read for this episode:What Is Toxic Positivity?Toxic Positivity During the PandemicTime to Ditch Toxic Positivity, Experts SayToxic Positivity: A Cultural History from Voltaire to PixarDon't Always Look on the Bright Side-heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

We're back! And we've resolved to  not make New Years resolutions. If you've already set yours and they don't pan out, that's okay. If you've never been able to achieve yours, that's also okay (and where we're at). We dive into the history of New Years resolutions and why shame never creates lasting change.Content warning: diet culture, weight.Some of what we read for this episode (full show notes here):New Years Resolution HistoryAncient New Years CelebrationsThe Peacock Vow Is AwesomeWhy New Years Resolutions Don't WorkDitch New Years Resolutions-heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

In our final Month of Fun episode, we prepare our lists and check them twice and then argue about them. Listen as we rank our favorite holiday movies, talk about the movies we think are just meh, and share a bit of honesty about what it's like for us this Christmas season.Warning: if you don't want your holiday vibe harshed, stop at 47:30! After this point, we talk about why this year's season feels harder.What we read/watched for this episode:The First 10 Christmas Movies in Recorded History-heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

In our first ever listener call-in episode, we share your weirdest holiday traditions alongside some of the strangest across the globe. From how you wrap presents to Elf on the Shelf variations - y'all are weird. And we love it.What we read for this episode:World's Weirdest Christmas Traditions8 Truly Strange Christmas CustomsThank you to everyone who called in! We'd love to hear your own rankings for these traditions over on our Instagram.PS - listen all the way past the outro music for a surprise!-heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

It's finally (thankfully) December and thus we kick off our month of fun! First up - a loose interview where we grill each other on topics ranging from who we'd haunt if we were ghosts to our biggest regrets. Thanks to Haley S. for recommending this idea and thanks to The Gentleman's Gazette for schooling us on small talk etiquette.PS - the last day to order merch in the US in time for Christmas is December 10th! Check out our Instagram for more order deadlines and shop on over at our website. We are so grateful for your support!heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

We give you full permission to not go 100% this year. 'Tis the season of compromise and picking your battles - and putting your 80s nostalgia Halloween chicken McNugget action figures on your mantle next to your advent calendar.  What we read for this episode:Holiday Magic is Made by Women. And It's Killing Us.The Gendering of Holiday LaborWhy Families Fight During the HolidaysPsychology Today: Holiday BoundariesThe Alarming New Research on Perfectionism NEW: You can call us now! Leave us a voicemail and tell us your weirdest holiday or wintertime tradition at (412)-423-8533.heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

In this two-parter, Kristin and Kiwi talk with money coach Keina Newell about how elementary schools used to have class pet hamsters. And they also talk about debt. Whether you are drowning in student loan debt or you've maxed out your credit cards, please know that we think you can still have that latte.What we read:Debt, the First 5,000 Years by David GraeberVictorian Crime and Punishment: DebtorsThe Great American Debt BoomHow America's Love Affair with Debt Has GrownPew: Young, Underemployed and OptimisticMinimum Wage Workers Cannot Afford Rent in Any U.S. StateCharts: How Bad the Student Loan Debt Situation IsWhere to find Keina:WealthOverNow.comMimosas & Money MattersFree Money Date Guide@wealthovernow heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

Our brains are fried into mush, so if yours is too, then you're in good, squishy company. In this episode, we talk about brain fog and how you can take baby steps to feel better. You can tell we're so tired, we couldn't even come up with a funny episode description.What we read/listened to for this episode:Ologies Podcast - Fearology Pt. 1Your Brain Fog May Be an Anxiety Symptom4 Ways to Keep Calm with Election StressUnderstanding the Stress ResponseAmerican Psychological Association Survey of Presidential Election StressADAA Tips to Manage Anxiety and Stress heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

There's a lot of research that shows that bragging helps you not only feel better about yourself, but puts your ideas out there for others to appreciate. Just, you know, don't be a dick about it.What we read for this episode:Why Every Woman Should Keep a Brag ListYour Workplace Rewards Men and AI Can Prove ItA Lack of Confidence Isn't What's Holding Back Working WomenBacklash Effects for Disconforming Gender StereotypesThe Case for Bragging heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast 

Content warning: brief historical references to rape in romance novels.While not all of us have read Dinosaur Erotica (it's a real thing), a lot of us have probably read a romance novel whether or not we realized it. Listen as Kiwi takes Kristin gently by the hand and leads her into the world of the romance novel - a place we don't need to be ashamed to visit.Special shout out to Alli from the SSR Podcast for her wisdom on romance in YA fiction!What we read for this episode (full show notes here):A Brief History of the Romance NovelBeyond Bodice Rippers: How Romance Novels Came to Embrace FeminismWhy Romance Novels Should be Part of Your Regular Feminist ReadingEverything You Think You Know about Romance Novels Is Wrong (video)The Women Who Write Dinosaur Eroticaheyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast | New Merch!

Would you rather have your psychologist string you up in a wicker basket or have a priest exorcise your demons away? Get yourself a therapist who can do both.Visit the Loveland Foundation therapy fund for Black women and girls.What we read for this episode:A Brief History of PsychotherapyThis Is Why Men Don't Go to Therapy, Even When They Need ItMillennials Are the Therapy GenerationAmericans Feel Good About CounselingMedicine in the medieval Islamic World heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

Would you pay $180 for 2 ounces of a hair removal cream that might kill you? People in the 1940s did!What we read:An unusual history of women removing their body hairA history of shavingWhy humans are so hairyWomen's war on body hair (and the casualties)The sneaky history of shavingheyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokay

We're here to face the real issue of our time: the pumpkin spice-industrial complex.What we read:Basic: A Beginner's GuideHow Conformity Became a CrimeBasic Bitch Fashion HistoryThe History of Pumpkin SpiceHeyItsOkayPodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

The best way to be sure your vote will count is to have a plan. We break it down into 6 steps, because we know there's a lot of info out there. Back to your regularly scheduled chuckles next week.Consider dropping your mail-in ballot off early at a ballot box if they are available in your state - this could be the best way to ensure your ballot is received in time.PA friends - tell everyone you know to be sure they send their mail-in ballots back inside the "secrecy envelope," or else it will not be counted!Sources/Receipts:VoteSaveAmerica.com for all your voting needsVote.org to double check your polling locationFactcheck.org article on safety of mail-in votingGuardian article about USPS delays; AP news articleSnopes.com is a great fact-checking resourceheyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

Kristin & Kiwi reveal their own guilty pleasures (and Martha Stewart's) and try to figure out what even counts as a guilty pleasure anymore.heyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

Kristin & Kiwi dive into the history of burn out (featuring their boy, Dr. Herbert Freudenberger) and talk about their own experiences with wanting to set it all on fire and walk away.What we read:Anxiety and depression statisticsHow Millennials became the burnout generationBurnout, fatigue and exhaustionheyitsokaypodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast

Introducing the Hey It's Okay podcast! Coming September 24th 2020, Kristin Vermilya and Kiwi Schloffel (you've never heard of them) take you into their worries, struggles, and breakthroughs as they navigate the minefield of societal messaging.This is a podcast for people who are sick of feeling bad - about everything, all the time.--HeyItsOkayPodcast.com | @heyitsokaypodcast