Friends on Purpose

If someone wanted to understand who you are, which five movies would you hand them? In this episode, Eric and Elaine revisit the films that shaped them and uncover the surprising ways those stories influenced who they became. Along the way, they swap VHS memories, debate overrated classics, share movie-inspired life lessons, and discover that sometimes a favorite film is really an origin story in...

Why is it that the funniest things are often the hardest to explain? This week, Eric and Elaine dive into the science, psychology, and sheer absurdity of humor, exploring everything from childhood laughter to the inside jokes that become their own language. Along the way, they share embarrassing stories, favorite comedy influences, and a few theories about why awkwardness is often comedy gold. It'...

Have we been hypnotized by trees, or is rural life actually better? In the first episode of Season 3, we kick things off with a surprisingly deep conversation about small-town living, open spaces, and whether peace is something you find—or something you stop interrupting. Along the way, we explore the science behind forests, gas station pizza, waving at strangers on dirt roads, and why everyone se...

Season Two Finale! What starts as two friends giving extremely unnecessary presentations somehow turns into a full-blown symposium on air conditioning, childhood humiliation, personality formation, and emotional trench coats. Elaine traces how AC changed movies, politics, migration, and climate itself, while Eric unveils a completely unlicensed psychological framework arguing that every adult is j...

What songs instantly take you back to a specific version of yourself? In this episode, Eric and Elaine share the “soundtracks of their lives,” revisiting the music that shaped different seasons, friendships, identities, and growing-up moments along the way. From Dispatch and Counting Crows to Brandi Carlile and Broadway musicals, they explore why certain songs stick with us and what music says abo...

From church rituals and grief ceremonies to porch sitting, fishing, candle season, and yes…fiber supplements…why do humans instinctively repeat certain behaviors? This week, we explore ritual as anxiety regulation, social bonding, emotional processing, and the strange little practices that make life feel meaningful. Turns out the line between spiritual practice and “tiny things that keep us functi...

What if we’re all just… slowly testing positive for age?   We start with a torn meniscus and somehow end up talking about mortality, meaning, and whether sleep scores are now a personality trait. Elaine brings the science (yes, aging might actually be treated like a disease), while Eric brings…whatever Eric brings, as they wrestle with the weird gap between feeling 30 and realizing your body disag...

Does your family still treat you like you’re twelve years old? In this episode, we dive into the chaos of siblings, birth order, and the roles we never quite grow out of, whether you are the responsible oldest, the overlooked middle, or the wildcard youngest. From “don’t tell mom” moments to full blown wrestling matches, we unpack the stories that shaped us and the personalities we carried into ad...

What if Shia LaBeouf was onto something? In this episode, Eric and Elaine refuse to let their dreams be dreams, from teeth falling out and missed exams to lucid dreaming, prophetic visions, and grocery shopping on roller skates. They explore the science of sleep, ancient beliefs about dream symbolism, and the strange ways our subconscious may process fear, healing, memory, and our place in the wor...

Can the way we observe the world help create the reality we experience? Eric and Elaine explore imagination, aphantasia, synchronicities, and the strange ways our minds assign meaning to everything from calendars to numbers. They compare how they visualize apples, read books, organize time in their heads, and why certain numbers somehow feel trustworthy, cursed, or suspiciously French. Along the w...

Why does a personality test feel like it knows you a little too well?   Eric and Elaine take the Enneagram and unpack what it reveals about identity, self-awareness, and the parts of ourselves we’d rather not admit. What starts as a fun quiz quickly turns into a conversation about defensiveness, growth, and the hills we’re willing to die on. With humor and honesty, they explore how being “typed” c...

What is the answer to life the universe and everything? One small thought turns into a deep dive into space, NASA’s Artemis missions, and the bigger questions about curiosity, purpose, and the unknown. Eric and Elaine explore how quickly a simple idea can expand into something much bigger. If you’ve ever gone down an internet spiral or wondered how everything connects, this episode is for you.

How does your sense of purpose change over time? In this episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine explore how their sense of purpose has changed over time—while getting completely sidetracked by movies, personal growth, and the messy reality of figuring out life. It’s honest, self-aware, and a reminder that having great friends might matter more than having all the answers. Rabbit Footnotes:...

What if the scariest thing isn’t horror movies, it’s realizing how much of your life has been shaped by fear? Eric dips into the horror genre for the first time, while Elaine, our resident horror connoisseur, delightfully brings him up to speed on what it might actually be good for, all while accidentally falling down the rabbit hole of fear, death, and what it looks like to live with a little mor...

Ten episodes later, Eric and Elaine take a moment to reflect on what they’ve learned from a season of curious, honest conversations about friendship, personal growth, belief systems, and life’s weird questions. What began as a purposeful weekly conversation between friends somehow turned into a podcast—and a surprisingly good practice for the soul. Season One wraps up here, but being Friends on Pu...

Part 2 of 2 - Eric walks through the highlights, lowlights, and spiritual plot twists of his 25-year church-cult experience—complete with sincere faith, complicated power dynamics, and the slow dawning realization that maybe this wasn’t everyone’s Sunday. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine talk belief systems, cult dynamics, and the strange process of making sense of it all. Ra...

Elaine revisits her coming-out story and discovers it’s changed with time. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, she and Eric unpack shame culture, inherited belief systems, identity, and the possibility that we’ve been blaming ourselves for glitches in the system. It’s a thoughtful conversation about personal growth, healing, and making sense of the stories we were given.

Eric reflects on the gender roles his high-control church assigned to him and his wife—and why none of it ever quite fit. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, he and Elaine unpack the expectations, power dynamics, and belief systems behind rigid roles in religious communities, and how choosing love over control quietly changed everything. Rabbit Footnotes: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - h...

Pooping your pants is rarely on the agenda—but it turns out it’s an excellent teacher. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine explore humor, humility, and the art of laughing at yourself. Because sometimes the fastest way back to being human is admitting the moment got the better of you. Rabbit Footnotes: Heated Rivalry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKO26odltss Carol Burnett -...

Eric reflects on retraining the pathways in his brain and why reframing your story doesn’t mean erasing the moments you wish you’d handled differently. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, he and Elaine talk personal growth, mindset, and self-reflection. Elaine raises the audiobook question. Aliens enter the chat. No one is surprised. Rabbit Footnotes: A review of paternal bonding research: http...

Elaine recounts her visit with a psychic medium and the unexpected insights that came from the experience. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, she and Eric explore intuition, spirituality, curiosity, and why leaving a little room for mystery can be a surprisingly helpful approach to life. Rabbit Footnotes: Grillo Pickles - https://www.instagram.com/grillospickles/ Miller Lite Bad Shit to Good S...

Eric and Elaine talk nerds vs geeks, the wild west days of early internet chatrooms, and the strange experience of talking with online strangers in the 1990s—one of whom might have been the FBI. In this episode of Friends on Purpose , they explore internet culture, nostalgia, friendship, and the kind of inside jokes that only make sense to family. Rabbit Footnotes: Down a Rabbit Hole - https://en....

Eric and Elaine reflect on how their understanding of love and relationships has evolved over time. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, they explore personal growth, relationship wisdom, reexamine the plot of Titanic, and get unexpectedly roasted by a pet psychic. Rabbit Footnotes: East Fork Pottery - https://www.eastfork.com/locations/asheville?utm_campaign=brand-search&utm_source=google-s...

Painted ceilings, unexpected tears, and that rare moment when someone truly notices you. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine share personal stories about kindness, human connection, and the small gestures that shape relationships and personal growth in ways we don’t always expect. Rabbit Footnotes: The Art Lesson - https://www.tomie.com/in-print-books Roosevelt Quote - https://h...

In the very first episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine look back at the moments that make the highlight reel of their friendship. Through personal stories, humor, and conversation, they reflect on the experiences that shaped their relationship, and practice a little fun announcing along the way. Rabbit Footnotes: Downtown - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JGhoLcsr8GA Dipsmas - https://www....