brb crying

ep 050 (!!) is our biggest milestone yet, so we're celebrating the only way we know how: by crying over Olivia Rodrigo. This week, Arns unpacks the iconic "Drop Dead" music video, exploring why filming at Versailles was so culturally momentous, what it means to watch a fellow Filipina take up space, and how someone else's audacity can give our inner child permission to dream bi...

This week, we welcome our first ever guest (!!): Dr. Nicole Garlit, physical therapist, entrepreneur, and founder of her own private practice. Nicole joins Nins & Arns to talk about the emotional reality of building a business, navigating uncertainty, and learning to trust yourself when there's no guaranteed path forward. From chronic stress showing up physically in the body to the fear o...

Nins & Arns return for a follow-up episode on Heated Rivalry that absolutely no one asked for (because one emotional breakdown over yearning, hockey, and devastating eye contact was clearly not enough!!). After finally bingeing the series, Arns comes fully prepared with a spoiler-filled PowerPoint presentation covering the scenes, confessions, relationships, and tiny emotional moments that wre...

This week, Nins unexpectedly develops Bieber fever after hearing Justin Bieber’s “EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH” and spirals into a wildly emotional deep dive on healing, fame, survival, gratitude, and brushing your teeth while depressed. Meanwhile, Arns revisits Disney’s Lilo & Stitch (2002) and fully crumbles over found family, loneliness, belonging, and the devastating realization that Stitch just...

This week, Arns unpacks “Sunflowers” by Harry Baker and spirals through grief, funerals, and the terrifying urgency of being alive right now. Meanwhile, Nins dives headfirst into Heated Rivalry , the wildly beloved hockey romance series full of yearning, emotional repression, devastating tension, and men gazing heavily at each other instead of going to therapy. Basically: two stories about loving...

This week, Nins & Arns drift through “St. Clarity” by The Paper Kites, emotional healing, pregnancy, childbirth, and the strangely beautiful process of becoming someone new. Nins gets lost in the dreamy stillness of “St. Clarity” by The Paper Kites, reflecting on the song’s peaceful atmosphere, quiet emotional weight, and the ripple effects our actions leave behind long after a moment has pass...

This week, Arns visits the Smithsonian exhibition How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories and reflects on Filipino migration, generational memories, family sacrifice, and the emotional weight of the objects and stories we leave behind. From ornate steamer trunks to embroidered pillowcases, the exhibit unveils deeper questions about identity, belonging, and what survives across time. Nins...

Nins & Arns choose each other's stories in this special throwback episode. Arns chooses ep 003: periods are hard, where Nins shares her struggles with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Nins chooses ep 011: a bridgerton (sob) story, where Arns reminds us that love is a choice through Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Content warning: depression, mental illness 0:00 - Preview 0:36...

This week is a chaotic emotional spiral through all the oddly specific things that make people cry. Nins and Arns pull different “cry categories” out of a jar and unpack the videos, memories, fears, therapy breakthroughs, celebrity interviews, childhood movies, random scents, and late-night TikToks that destroyed them emotionally. What starts as a silly little game quickly turns into an honest con...

This week, Arns unpacks the emotional aftermath of Lando Norris’ Formula 1 championship win—from childhood karting dreams and impossible pressure to the vulnerable reality of finally achieving the thing you’ve chased your entire life. Nins revisits Titanic (1997), reflecting on doomed love, immigrant hope, class inequality, and the devastating humanity at the center of James Cameron’s iconic film....

In this Valentine's Day collaboration with A Novel Affair Romance Bookstore, Nins & Arns discuss two completely different novels—a contemporary romance and a Vietnam War novel—that somehow arrive at the exact same conclusion about self-love, healing, and forgiveness. First, Nins dives into How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang, a romance about grief, guilt, vulnerability, self-worth, and...

This week, we explore the people who quietly change our lives—and the fleeting moments we wish could last forever. Arns reflects on We Live in Time (2024), starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, and why this devastatingly beautiful film about love, mortality, grief, and the passage of time left her in tears. We unpack what it means to love fully even when life offers no guarantees. Nins bring...

This week, we explore animal communication, emotional healing, personal growth, and the lifelong process of finding yourself again. Nins shares the story of an emotional animal communication session with pet psychic Jenny of Bluebird Animal Communication. After years of wondering what her beloved cat Meredith Grey might be thinking, she finally books a session and receives unexpected messages abou...

In this deeply emotional throwback to episode 010, Arns shares the story of Cosmo, her beloved Maltese who spent more than 16 years by her side. From awkward high school memories and college adventures to the devastating experience of saying goodbye, she reflects on pet loss, grief, unconditional love, and the unique bond we share with the animals who become family. Nins then explores the song &qu...

We've spent dozens of episodes crying about movies, books, songs, childhood memories, and existential crises—but somehow we've never properly answered the question: who the f*ck are we, even?? In this special bonus episode, we're ditching our usual essay format and sitting down for an unhinged little Q&A. We talk about how we became friends (spoiler: it involves Catholic school,...

This week, we talk about a viral piano performance that left millions of people emotional—and the surprising ways love finds its way back to us. First, Arns shares the story of Japanese pianist Yumeka Nakagawa, whose tearful performance of Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude captivated audiences around the world. Why did watching someone cry while playing piano feel so powerful? What does v...

This week, Nins dives into "Higher" by Tems, the haunting Afrobeats ballad about toxic relationships, self-worth, healing, and finally choosing yourself. From the song's powerful lyrics to the surprising story behind Future's Grammy-winning sample in "Wait for U," this conversation explores what it means to stop waiting for people who refuse to change. Then, Arns shar...

This Halloween, we're taking a break from traditional scares and talking about the movie moments that truly haunt us. Arns dives into the 1990 classic Ghost , starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Whoopi Goldberg, exploring grief, love, and what we'd give for one more moment with the people we've lost. Nins revisits Wicked , the beloved Broadway-musical-turned-blockbuster-film st...

What do Klay Thompson leaving the Golden State Warriors and a viral TikTok about a grandfather visiting his wife's grave have in common? Apparently everything. :') This week, Nins explores why Klay Thompson's departure from the Golden State Warriors became a surprisingly emotional lesson about endings, identity, and honoring the past.  Arns follows with a viral TikTok about a grandf...

This week, we explore two surprisingly connected stories: a powerful moment from Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series and the real-life story of Shanidar 1, a Neanderthal whose survival became one of the earliest known examples of human compassion. Arns reflects on a difficult season of anxiety, self-doubt, and healing through the lens of ACOTAR's unforgettable Mir...

This episode dives into two unexpected tearjerkers: Richard Curtis's beloved time-travel romance About Time (2013) and Netflix's food and travel series Somebody Feed Phil . Nins revisits About Time and reflects on its powerful message about grief, parent-child relationships, time, mortality, and learning to appreciate ordinary moments before they're gone. From Bill Nighy and Domhnal...

Nins shares the heartwarming story of Jerry & Tally Leonard, the viral figure skating couple whose decades-long love story has moved millions online. From public skating performances to 58 years on the ice together, their partnership is a beautiful reminder of lasting love, shared passions, and growing old side by side. Meanwhile, Arns dives into The Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks...

This week, Arns dives into one of the most devastating hours of television ever made: The Last of Us Episode 3, "Long, Long Time." We revisit Bill and Frank's unforgettable love story, explore why the episode resonated so deeply with audiences, and reflect on how love gives life meaning even in the darkest circumstances. Then we shift from post-apocalyptic heartbreak to the soaring...

This week, we dive into Greta Gerwig's acclaimed adaptation of Little Women (2019) and the timeless themes that have made Louisa May Alcott's novel resonate for over 150 years. Nins explores the emotional power of Little Women , from Jo March's fierce independence and rejection of societal expectations to the unforgettable monologue about womanhood, ambition, love, and loneliness. W...

This week, Nins & Arns explore two powerful stories about growing up, being misunderstood, and the transformative power of love. Arns revisits Dìdi (弟弟), Sean Wang's award-winning coming-of-age film set in Fremont, California during the early days of MySpace, AIM, and YouTube. Through the eyes of a Taiwanese American teenager desperately trying to fit in, Dìdi captures the awkwardness o...