Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice

In this episode of "Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice," Patricia and Nicole discuss how to read self-help effectively. They delve into their views on self-help books, highlighting the trap of constant improvement and sharing methods for effectively integrating helpful insights into daily life. They discuss the importance of discerning valuable advice from what's not relevant, and the n...

This episode of "Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice" features hosts Patricia and Nicole discussing recent events they attended, such as a Parliament-Funkadelic concert and an immersive theater experience about the Compton's Cafeteria Riot. They then delve into the concept of "doing enough," exploring personal feelings of inadequacy despite high achievements and societal pressures. The e...

In this episode of "Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice," Patricia and Nicole discuss the importance of rituals of connection in building and maintaining relationships. They share examples from their own lives, highlighting how deliberate and consistent efforts can strengthen bonds with partners, friends, and colleagues. Additionally, they make a significant Patreon announcement and, as...

In this episode of "Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice," Patricia and Nicole recount their recent trip to New York City, where they celebrated Patricia's birthday by seeing a couple musicals and spending quality time with old friends. They also discuss the importance of embracing and understanding one's own emotions, despite the discomfort or societal pressures to suppress them. The hos...

Hi everyone! Patricia and Nicole were in New York celebrating Patricia's birthday when EEDA Pod recording usually happens. So this week, we're giving you an encore of an older episode that is still, unfortunately, incredibly relevant. Full show notes and transcript are available at https://eedapod.com/we-need-to-talk-about-misinformation-and-disinformation/

In this episode of "Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice," Patricia and Nicole discuss the importance of novelty and trying new experiences to enhance quality of life. They share personal anecdotes about exploring new foods, stores, and activities while acknowledging the privilege and accessibility that can impact one's ability to do so. The episode concludes with the hosts reflecting on...

In this episode of Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice, Patricia and Nicole discuss their progress (or not) on various 2025 goals and intentions, including decluttering, therapy, and being more social. The episode wraps up with reflections on the importance of revisiting goals with curiosity and adjusting them to better serve one's current needs. Mentioned on the show: Bookshop Affiliate...

In this episode of Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice, Patricia and Nicole continue to focus on the importance of community and resource-sharing. They emphasize thinking expansively about who comprises one's community and the diverse skills and privileges individuals can leverage to support each other. The hosts also share personal anecdotes and practical advice for building and sustain...

In this heartfelt episode of "Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice," Patricia and Nicole discuss recent events, including their experiences at the Oakland Museum of California White Elephant Sale, and emphasize the importance of caring for ourselves during troubling times. They share their anger and grief over the current socio-political climate while encouraging listeners to find joy and...

In this episode of "Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice," Patricia and Nicole discuss the recent (and ongoing) Southern California wildfires and emphasize the importance of community-driven support in times of crisis. They also talk about the significance of taking small, sometimes imperfect actions to contribute positively to societal issues. The episode concludes with encouragement to...

This week on "Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice," Patricia and Nicole reflect on their holiday experiences and their plans for the new year, including decluttering and setting realistic, hopefully achievable goals. They discuss their Patreon plans, the importance of building community, and share personal anecdotes about their accountability processes and upcoming activities like croche...

In this short episode of "Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice," hosts Patricia and Nicole celebrate various winter holidays, discuss the absurdity of the "12 Days of Christmas" song, and offer ways for listeners to support the podcast through Patreon or by sharing it with others. They touch on the mixed feelings people may have about the holiday season and emphasize being gentle with one...

In this reflective year-end episode of Enthusiastic Encouragement and Dubious Advice, hosts Patricia and Nicole look back on their achievements and lessons learned from 2024, sharing highlights like their marshmallow-making traditions and their social escapades, including the Wicked movie and a Ren Faire visit. They discuss the challenges and successes of maintaining their podcast and personal goa...

This week, Nicole is back! Patricia and Nicole talk a bit about what has been keeping them grounded post-election and then they talk about some of the best books they read in 2024. Tons of book recommendations in this episode! Small correction: Tomes & Tea is a quartet. In the show we say it is a trilogy. Now we're even more excited! Mentioned on the show: Bookshop Affiliate Storefront (links belo...

This week, Patricia checks in about initial feelings after the election and offers a few bits of advice on where to focus your energy first. Mentioned on the show: Bookshop Affiliate Storefront Should We Expect Black Women to Save the U.S.? via EEDA Pod Find the full show notes and official transcript on our website:  eedapod.com Become a patron!  Patreon.com/eedapod Follow the show on  Instagram...

This week we share our plans for taking care of ourselves during election day as well as some communication advice around hard subjects. We also talk about a completely bananas book we've both recently read. Mentioned on the show: Bookshop Affiliate Storefront Wicked [Movie Tie-In]: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire Elphie (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Wicked Chil...

This week we chat about how we can prepare for the next few months. The end of the year can be difficult and complicated for some of us, and anxiety-inducing for most of us. The time change, the election, the holidays, and winter are creeping up on us quickly so we offer some ideas on how to make this time of year less stressful and maybe even a little cozy. Mentioned on the show: Bookshop Affilia...

This week we chat about how it is impossible to be fully ethical consumers under capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and white supremacy. These systems are actually dependent on unethical practices. Folks on the left can absolutely tie ourselves in knots trying to make every single choice be "the right one." We also talk about the weird (and gross) moralizing that sometimes accompanies the privil...

This week we chat about some of the reasons it can be so hard to ask for what we want. We talk about the importance of asking for what you want and even offer some ideas on how to get better at asking for what you want.  Mentioned on the show: Bookshop Affiliate Storefront Mobilize.us [Verb] Like There's Nobody Watching via EEDA Pod Relationship Advice For All Types via EEDA Pod Everyone Deserves...

This week talk about time anxiety, specifically in the ways we've been seeing it show up in our own lives. There are many ways that time anxiety can show up and we discuss the stress of feeling like there's never enough time to do what we want to do, delaying joy in order to do the "shoulds" first, and all-too-common "I just have to get through this week, then things will slow down."  Mentioned on...

This week we share a mélange, a medley, a menagerie, a veritable smorgasbord of some of our favorite advice. Some of it is great advice and some of the advice is a bit dubious and your mileage may vary! Mentioned on the show: Bookshop Affiliate Storefront Are we braver in cyberspace? Social media anonymity enhances moral courage via ScienceDirect Find the full show notes and official transcript on...

Many of our fellow left-leaning folks have been shouting phrases like, "Black women will save us" and "Listen to Black women." In today's show, we dig in and discuss some of the many issues of these well-intended phrases. We also talk about the unique way in which we aim to disrupt self-help in a way that can connect activism to the self-help space. Mentioned on the show: Micro Activism: How You C...

It's an election year and these internet streets are wild! This week, we give a 101 on misinformation and disinformation. We define the terms and talk about ways we each can identify misinformation and disinformation. We also offer many resources to further learn how to identify misinformation and disinformation and how to talk to friends and family who post misinformation and disinformation. Ment...

Patricia and Nicole talk about the quickening descent forcing us further into conservatism in the United States and beyond and some advice on what we can all do right now to feel less hopeless. This episode is related to  EEDA Newsletter Vol 5, Iss 14: Some Ideas on What To Do Now Mentioned on the show: Patricia on The Best Advice Show The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler EEDA Newsletter...

Patricia and Nicole offer some coming out advice for folks who are queer and haven't yet shared it (and want to). We share some of our own coming out process and talk about what decisions we made and why. We also talk about what was useful and what things went a little sideways in our coming out process, including some incredibly awkward situations. There is no one right way to come out and so we...