The Medium Talk Podcast

Today we're taking a page from the Costanza family playbook and celebrating Festivus in September with our Airing of Grievances. From bananas and birds to cable news, vauguebooking, and passive-aggressiveness, we're telling you how we *really* feel and ... we've got some spicy takes, y'all. Plus, at the end of the episode we make an important announcement about the future of The Medium Talk Podcast.      View the full show notes here.   Connect with Colleen: Instagram | Website Connect with Anna: Instagram | Website Connect with Jenn: Instagram | Website        

Romance novels have long been a source of collective societal derision: the over-the-top covers, the euphemisms, the punny titles. However, they're also a financial boon for publishing houses ... which means there's a *lot* of secretive reading happening out there. But why is it such a secret? Leigh Kramer joins us in the fourth chair for a fun debate about the merits of reading romance and offers recommendations for everyone from the easily embarrassed to the carnal connoisseur. We also play a lightning round of would you rather: two good things and talk about how we do (and don't do) condiments. View this episode's show notes here. Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Website | Instagram Connect with guest Leigh Kramer: Website | Twitter | Facebook

With social media, 24-hour news cycles, and #cancelculture on the rise, the clamor for justice feels almost … frenetic. Suddenly grace and mercy feel like quaint notions. Tori Petersen joins us in the fourth chair today as we wrestle with the question, is justice without grace really justice at all? We also talk about summer jobs and pregnancy cravings.   View the full show notes here.   Connect with guest Tori Petersen: Website | Instagram   Connect with The Medium Talk Podcast: Website | Instagram  

The start of the school year is right around the corner but instead of the usual quest for pre-sharpened Ticonderogas, 2020 is upping the ante. The pandemic has altered everything about school as we know it, and today we're talking about what our options are, the ones we're choosing in our own families, and the reasons behind our decision. We also talk about how much Anna loves Zac Efron and how we do (and don't do) kids' TV programming. View this episode's show notes here. Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Website | Instagram

If you have a pulse (and Disney+), odds are you've jumped on the Hamilton train. In today's episode, we're talking about our initial encounters with the play, what it was like watching the original cast from our living room, and how much of a family affair we do (or don't) make the material. We also talk about some of the controversy surrounding the play and the role of art as cultural commentary. Plus, we play a lightning round of COVID-themed “would you rather” and talk about how we do—and don't do—fashion trends.   View the full show notes here.   Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website

Today we're joined by our good friend Lesley Miller to talk about how to proceed when life doesn't go the way we planned. From unexpected deaths to devastating diagnoses to, well, the entirety of 2020 thus far, we share the life hands we wish we'd never been dealt, what we learned from them, and the types of support we received that mattered the most. We also keep things light with a conversation about our favorite beach reads and how we do (and don't do) staying in touch.   See the full show notes here.   Connect with guest Lesley Miller: Facebook | Website Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website    

In conversations around race, racism, and white privilege, one phrase crops up over and over: do the work. But what is "the work" and how do we do it? That's what we're talking about in today's episode. As three white women, we're honest about where we're at and the areas we want to do better, and we share a whole host of books, TV shows, and movies that are helping us improve. We hope our conversation leaves you encouraged, challenged, and equipped to, well, do the work.   Don't miss our full show notes here.   Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website

In today's episode, we're discussing the challenge of navigating what life looks like as things begin to open back up again after weeks of safer-at-home orders. How do we know what's safe, and how do we handle disagreements with family and friends who see things differently? We talk about where our own personal boundaries are, what shapes them, and admit to the exhaustion we feel trying to maintain them. We also share our irrational emotional freakouts during quarantine and how we handle household purchases.   See the full show notes here.   Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Website | Instagram  

In today's episode we're talking about the difference between being "a" grown up and "the" grown up, the times we kind of feel like we're faking it, and our kneejerk aversion to being ma'am-ed. We also talk about the beauty of a Mother's Day when the bar of expectations is essentially floor-level and how we do (and don't do) planners.    See the full show notes here. Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website

This week, we're flashing back to the turn of the millennium and talking about high school. From our surprise at what actually stands out about those days to the things we wish we could recall, we find that memory is a funny thing indeed. We also talk about the unexpected joys in this season of #flatteningthecurve and how we do (and don't do) music.   Full shownotes here.   Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website      

In today's episode, we're joined by Tanorria Askew and Manda Carpenter to talk about race and privilege. Specifically, we're discussing how to enter into these conversations well—from the resources they suggest to educate and inform to the books, shows, and social media accounts that invite us all to listen and learn. We also talk about our favorite books to give as gifts and how we do grocery shopping (and Tanorria sets the record straight once and for all on how to do green beans). Full show notes here. Connect with guest Tanorria Askew: Instagram | Website Connect with guest Manda Carpenter: Instagram | Website Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website

Today, we're exploring the circles of coping with a global pandemic. From the harmless outer circles of the long-lost indulgences now lining our pantries to the dark, morally-depleted core of our questionable television viewing habits (we see you, Tiger King), we share the #CoronaVices we're employing to help us navigate these unprecedented days. We also talk about the current state of our personal hygiene standards and how we do adult beverages. View the full show notes here. Connect with The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website

In today's episode, we're deep-diving friendship. From our preferred methods of keeping in touch to the surprising similarities between how introverts and extroverts define a close friend, we break down the ways we foster friendship in this season of life. We also do a quick recap of our first week of sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and talk about how we do spring break when it's not canceled. View the full show notes here. Connect with The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website

**UPDATE** This is the updated episode with all the glitches fixed (we hope!) Gosh, kind of a lot has happened since we last spoke, huh? We're now all hunkering down amidst a global pandemic, so we're bringing you a special bonus (read: unedited because we're all trapped at home with our children indefinitely) episode where we field a few listener questions and walk each other through surviving social distancing with our sanity (mostly) intact.   See the full show notes, including links to everything we mentioned, here.   Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website

This week we're talking about [slight wince here] … politics. Stay with us though; we're not campaigning for a candidate or parsing issues. Instead, we're talking about how we talk about politics: where and when we engage and the magic wand we'd like to wield to fix the whole thing. We also spin a minor conspiracy theory or two and wrap up by comparing celebrity free pass lists. See the full show notes here.   Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website

This week we're talking about hobbies: what are they? do we have them? where's the line between a side hustle and a hobby? is this a purely privileged conversation, or do hobbies serve some higher purpose in our journey to being fully-formed human beings? We also play a lightning round of "would you rather" and get into a heated argument over the virtue of the spoiler.    See the full show notes here.   Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website    

This week, Erin H. Moon joins us in the fourth chair to talk about s-e-x. We discuss what it was like growing up in the era of “True Love Waits,” whether we bought into the movement or not, and how that shapes the ways we do (and don't) want to talk to our own kids about sex. We also wax philosophical about the impending sequel to Netflix's hit To All The Boys I've Loved Before and affectionately argue over the right and wrong ways to order at a restaurant.   Full shownotes here.   Connect with guest Erin H. Moon: Instagram | Website | Lent Guide   Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website    

In today's episode, we're talking with our guest, Akia Ng, about how feasible a digital detox really is. What exactly does it mean to take a step back from digital life, and does drawing boundaries really just mean passing the buck on the responsibilities that come with living in our connected world? Is it a question of quality vs quantity? We also talk about the things we watched and listened to recently and break down our individual approaches to exercise. Full show notes here.   Connect with guest Akia Ng: Instagram | Photography   Follow The Medium Talk Podcast: Instagram | Website

Today we're thrilled to have Coffee + Crumbs writer and podcast co-host April Hoss join us for a conversation about cultural beauty standards. We talk about the times we've felt most confident as well as the insecurities we struggle with and explore the line between self-care and vanity. From boudoir photo shoots to breast implants and Botox, we ask ourselves—and each other—what's the bridge too far? We also chat about the funnest thing on our respective calendars this week and wage a lighthearted battle over fast food hierarchy rankings. Full show notes here. Follow guest April Hoss: Website | Instagram Follow us: Instagram | Twitter

Description: Today, we're throwing it back to our college econ class days with a conversation about opportunity costs. When weighing a decision, there's the obvious price, or cost, of the choice we make. But the opportunity cost is the price of what we don't choose. So how much does that play into our decision making? Do we wrestle with any regret over our big life choices, now that we better understand what they cost us? We also wage a lighthearted battle over the 1994 vs 2019 versions of Little Women (2019's hot Professor Bhaer is the great unifier) and break down our individual approaches to crafting the perfect cup of coffee. Full show notes here. Follow us: Instagram | Twitter

In today's episode, we're looking at our cultural fascination with true crime. It seems like it's having a bit of a moment, but history shows us that we've always been a little taken with the macabre. Is it part of the darkness of human nature, or is less sinister than that—a chance to exercise our imaginations and puzzle out an ending? B.T. Harman joins us in the fourth chair for our conversation today, and sticks around to talk about New Year's Resolutions and how we feel about rereading books.   Full show notes here. Follow guest B.T. Harman:  Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Check out Catlick. Follow us: Instagram | Twitter  

In the inaugural episode of The Medium Talk Podcast, we talk about how we define ambition and if we're meeting the expectations of our childhood selves. We admit the areas where we're reluctant to call ourselves ambitious and wrestle some with how willing we are to risk failure. Plus, we devote a little time to discussing our most on brand/surprising recent behaviors, as well as the right (and wrong) ways to cook green beans. Full show notes here. Follow us: Instagram | Twitter  

Remember when nuance was a thing? Once upon a time, it was an earmark of a civilized society to cultivate conversations where a difference of opinions could be aired with equal parts grace and wit.   Hosts Colleen Powell, Anna Jordan, and Jenn Batchelor are reviving nuance. Join us (and the occasional guest) in the space between small talk that skates the surface and a deep dive from the couch with your therapist.   The Medium Talk Podcast: coming to your earbuds on January 7th, 2020.