Vertically Unstable

We thought we were going to talk about falling apart. Instead, we covered Botox, bad backs, disappearing eyelashes, a $3,000 accidental purchase, a microwave repairman who accidentally became our therapist, and why pickleball may be the final straw for our aging bodies. Welcome to midlife, where everything hurts, nothing works, and maintaining your appearance has somehow become a full-time job wit...

Fall is here, and apparently that means pumpkin spice, questionable fashion choices, preteen attitude, and absolutely no agreement on what makes a proper autumn. Kelly and Christy attempt to talk about fall, but naturally get sidetracked by everything from pumpkin hummus and the horrors of sweaty gym faces to the great leggings-as-pants debate. Christy declares war on pumpkin, Kelly proposes turni...

We tried to make a serious episode about imposter syndrome. We failed. Spectacularly. 😂 In this episode of Vertically Unstable, Kelly and Christy attempt to unpack imposter syndrome, including why accomplished women can still feel like frauds, whether men experience it too, whether we ever actually age out of it, and what happens when your brain conveniently forgets every piece of evidence that p...

Competitive sports will teach your kids discipline, resilience, teamwork and how to lose their shit when the ref makes a bad call. And apparently, it teaches the parents a few things too. Kelly and Christy are joined by writer, artist, advertising powerhouse and mom of three boys, Julia Melle, for a very honest conversation about raising competitive athletes. They get into the fine line between su...

After two divorces from the SAME MAN, Christy is back in the dating pool and asking the question nobody warned her about: Do I actually want a husband, or do I just want a man who makes my life better? Kelly is happily remarried, but she has opinions. Together, they get brutally honest about dating apps, questionable profile pictures, wildly inappropriate messages, chemistry, marriage, independenc...

We came to talk about memory. We think. What happens instead? Poop. Vegas. Backstreet Boys. Body image. Cocktails on work calls. Nails. AI warning labels. Movies. Music. Monday-morning brain fog. Taylor Swift’s wedding dress. Ear infections. Party planning. Ted Lasso. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, we remember we were actually supposed to be talking about memory. This episode is a pre...

Apparently adulthood is just one giant operations department and nobody bothered to tell us there would be this much fucking logistics. Kelly is back after a 40-hour cross-country drive, hauling her daughter's life from California to Canada while her husband somehow managed to drive across the U.S. twice. Christy has returned from a "vacation" with the kids in Florida and is now runn...

What would happen if two slightly unhinged Gen X women suddenly had unlimited money? Spoiler alert: We'd become completely unbearable... and we'd love every second of it. In this episode, Kelly and Christy dive headfirst into the fantasy of "stupid rich" life. Not regular rich. We're talking private jet, glam squad, house manager, personal chef, yacht, sports suites, custom p...

Why does everything suddenly feel so much more annoying after 40? This week, Kelly and Christy compare notes on the everyday things that now send them into full-blown unhinged mode. From speakerphone conversations, airport behavior, tiny hotel pillows and terrible restaurant experiences to parenting, perimenopause and the mysterious aches that appear overnight, nothing escapes the list. It's f...

Forget everything you think you know about America. With the World Cup shining a spotlight on the U.S., Kelly and Christy dive into the wonderfully weird habits, traditions, and obsessions that make America unlike anywhere else. Why is everything so big? Why does ranch dressing end up on everything? And how did Buc-ee's become a roadside legend? From record-breaking stadiums and eye-watering p...

This week on Vertically Unstable, Kelly and Christy tackle one of the biggest changes of the past few decades: work. As Gen X women, they grew up watching parents who stayed with one company for decades, worked predictable hours, came home for dinner, and somehow managed to leave work at work. Then they entered careers where success meant long hours, constant availability, business travel, and pro...

This week on Vertically Unstable, Kelly and Christy tackle a feeling that seems to be everywhere lately: whatever happened to normal? Remember when a family vacation didn't require a second mortgage? When airline seats were uncomfortable but survivable? When youth sports didn't feel like a full-time financial commitment? When ordinary people could afford ordinary things? Somewhere along th...

This week on Vertically Unstable, Kelly and Christy unpack the absolute delusion that is summer vacation as a parent. Because while kids think summer means freedom, moms know it actually means sports schedules, snack inflation, sunscreen battles, destroyed WiFi, emotional support camps, and spending the GDP of a small nation on volleyball and childcare. The episode takes a hilarious turn as Kelly...

This week on Vertically Unstable, we welcome our first ever male guest, Casey Hurbis… and immediately ask him why men are emotionally unavailable, why dads turn everything into a competition, and how he’s somehow been hit by FOUR separate cars. Naturally, we also spiral into parenting guilt, work-life balance being a complete scam, sports-parent trauma, executive burnout, emotional suppression, AI...

This week, Kelly and Christy are joined by Enneagram expert Kenzie for a conversation that starts with personality types and quickly turns into a full-blown identity audit. From leadership styles and conflict patterns to childhood conditioning and why certain people make us absolutely lose our minds, the three unpack what the Enneagram actually reveals about how we move through the world. Kelly co...

What starts as a girls’ trip to Miami quickly turns into something a little more… revealing. Somewhere between outfit changes, late-night conversations, and “one more drink,” Kelly and Christy realize that a weekend away doesn’t just help you escape your life, it shows it to you in high definition. In this episode, they unpack the unspoken roles that show up in every group, the version of yourself...

Welcome to the guilt carnival… where the rides are rigged, the prizes are fake, and somehow moms are expected to win anyway. In this episode, Kelly and Christy rip the mask off “perfect motherhood” and say the quiet part out loud: we are all winging it. And despite what Instagram says, that’s not failure… that’s reality. From chaotic tournament weekends that push Christy to the brink, to Kelly’s w...

What if the thing you’ve been calling a side hustle … is actually your next identity? In this episode, we go all in on reinvention — not the cute kind with a new haircut (though yes, we talk about that too 💁‍♀️), but the kind that cracks you open and asks: who am I now? From corporate burnout to podcasting as a lifeline, we unpack the quiet lie behind “just a little side thing” and why so many wo...

TAKE TWO - without the audio issues! In this wildly relatable episode, Kelly and Christy take a hard left from mushroom coffee mishaps into the chaotic, overpriced, and often contradictory world of “wellness.” From supplements that promise Rapunzel hair and eternal youth (but taste like regret), to the rebranding of diet culture into “gut health,” “hormone balance,” and “anti-inflammatory everythi...

After weeks of travel and life doing the absolute most, Kelly and Christy are back catching up on everything from travel fails and food regrets to parenting moments and the mental gymnastics of holding it all together. It's part life update, part therapy session, part stand-up comedy... and completely unfiltered. If you like your conversations real, relatable and slightly unhinged, welcome hom...

In honor of International Women’s Day , Kelly and Christy celebrate the women who quietly (and not so quietly) keep the world spinning. From the surprising inventions created by women to the invisible mental load of running a household, they dive into the hilarious reality of modern womanhood. Along the way, they imagine what aliens might think if they landed on Earth, debate whether meal planning...

Petty? Maybe. Honest? Always. Kelly and Christy are breaking down pet peeves, public behavior, and the surprisingly complex world of everyday etiquette. From gym grudges to airport chaos to competitive sports parents, they’re saying what we’re all thinking. It’s sharp, funny, and just self-aware enough to admit… we might be the problem too.

Female friendships are not a bonus feature in life. They are the infrastructure. 🩷 In this episode of Vertically Unstable , Kelly and Christy unpack the science, the soul, and the straight up survival power of sisterhood. From the “tend and befriend” response to why your group chat doubles as emergency services, we explore why women are biologically wired for connection and how that bond literall...

In this episode of Vertically Unstable , Kelly and Christy are riding the emotional bobsled that is February. From their sacred Thursday podcast ritual to family milestones and a surprisingly intense macaron adventure, nothing is off the table. They dive headfirst into the drama and magic of the Winter Olympics, unpacking the sports they love, the ones they absolutely question, and the comeback st...

January lasted approximately 500 business days, the sun ghosted us, and suddenly everyone was crying over spilled coffee. Coincidence? Kelly and Christy don’t think so. In this episode, the duo bundles up and dives headfirst into winter blues, emotional whiplash, chaotic travel stories, and the special endurance sport known as parenting during volleyball season. They talk self-care that actually w...