Is This A Thing?

Dear Listeners, I write to you from my home office (which is...my only office) here in Maine. It's mid-morning on a Monday; a candle is burning; the remnants of yesterday's weird slush storm are dripping down the side of the house; and I already have my desk light on because the day is gloomy.  But despite the gray, today is exciting. It's release day for episode 20 of  Is This a Thing?...

Get in losers, we're going shopping. Beep beep! Or actually, maybe we're not. Because Alli is driving (which she likes) but the parking situation is uncertain, and that makes her nervous, and so...maybe we'll just stay at home and shop from our laptops instead? In case it's not obvious, today we're talking about PARKING ANXIETY.    We also chat about: Lingering coughs, and how cough...

Last week we talked about “hate listening” to podcasts. This week, we’re talking about media consumption again—but this time, we’re talking about  comfort  TV. But there’s one more twist: Abby wants to know if high-stress shows like The Pitt and ER can be comfort shows (because they definitely are for her).  We also chat about: Going on a cross-country road trip and the roles each o...

Raise your hand if you've ever opened up your Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, or [ Insert your social media platform of choice ] and navigated toward the profile of someone you, well,  really don't like . We won't say you  hate  that person, per se, but you definitely don't  like  them, and you may not even know them. Yet you often find yourself scrolling through their page t...

Oh no! You thought we'd abandoned you? Left ITAT behind, and walked off into the sunset? Never! (Well, maybe one day, but not anytime soon.)  Today we're back with the first episode of 2026 (which just so happens to be the year of  TOO BLESSED TO STRESS ) .  In episode 16, Alli and Abby finally open up the Christmas gifts they got each other and discuss a plethora of random things,...

If there’s one word that really resonates with Abby, it’s restless. Thankfully, she doesn’t have restless leg syndrome (that she knows of), though she feels for anyone who does. But she  does  for sure have restless  life  syndrome, a phrase she discovered while reading one of Nora McInerny’s newsletters. In this episode, we explore what restless life syndrome means, how it’s s...

Subscribe on  Substack  for access to FULL episodes, including this one! We appreciate your support :) HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON! Let's get festive with a deep dive into the business of made-for-TV Christmas movies... and whether or not it's problematic to consume them like candy. Check it out: Good Hang with Amy Poehler Democracy in Retrograde by Emily Amick and Sami Sage This Might Hurt tar...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes, including this one! We appreciate your support :) Yes, yes, Gilmore Girls fans we know that Stars Hollow is a thing in the world of Rory and Lorelei... but is there a version of it that exists IRL? Check it out: Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness Good Hang with Amy Poehler (Kate McKinnon episode) ITAT on Instagram Al...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes, including this one! We appreciate your support :) Alli and Abby are both obsessed with their pets, but on Episode 12, they discuss if their relationships with their furry friends are parasocial. Check it out: ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram Abby on Instagram ITAT on Substack Pre-order Alli's book! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes, including this one! We appreciate your support :) Fall is in the air, and we're celebrating on ITAT with a conversation about Abby's anxiety regarding seasonal changes year-round. Sound familiar? Check it out: Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram Abby on Instagram ITAT on Substack Pre-order Alli's book! Hoste...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) On Episode 10, Abby and Alli share the little things that are making them smile amid tough collective times before diving into this week's main topic: dreams with weird, complicated histories and timelines. Is this thing? Friendly note: starting next week, full episodes will be available via subscription only ($5/mont...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) This week, Alli and Abby discuss their personal experiences with therapy and compare notes on their tendencies to try to perform for/impress/accommodate them. Is this a thing? We'll figure it out! Check it out: Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram Abby on Instagram ITAT on Substack Pr...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) This week, Alli and Abby step back a bit and consider "guilty pleasures" as a big-picture concept. Is this a thing—or, perhaps more appropriately, should it be? ITAT also welcomes its first special guest! Check it out: ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram Abby on Instagram ITAT on Substack Pre-order Alli's book! Hosted...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) Is Abby the only person citing things in her personal diary? Is this a thing? Let's discuss. Check it out: Chani Horoscope site Co-Star app Alli's favorite Flair pens Alli's Desk Tour in Olivia Muenter's newsletter The Hunting Wives Big Fan Comedic Timing   ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram Abby on Instagram IT...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) If you thought exclamation points were all about FUN and HAPPINESS, you thought wrong. On Episode 6, Alli shares the stress and anxiety they cause her—in work and life. Check it out: Hannah Orenstein on Instagram Becca Freeman on Instagram ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram Abby on Instagram ITAT on Substack Pre-orde...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) Episode 5 brings you perhaps the most hyper-specific and hilarious conversation yet, all about Abby's obsession with niche subreddits. Does Alli share a similar fascination? Listen and find out! Check it out: Alli's Substack post about Reddit Sounds Like a Cult: The Cult of Reddit ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram A...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) On Episode 4, Alli discusses her (potentially bad) habit of setting books aside when she's already read 85% (or more) of them. She thinks it's a thing, but Abby is unsure. Check it out: @clairefromonline on Instagram The Magic Hour newsletter by Caroline Cala Donofrio Erin Sterling's books ITAT on Instagram Alli on In...

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) On Episode 3, Abby introduces Alli to The Shoppies, along with some of her best acquisitions. Check it out: ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram Abby on Instagram ITAT on Substack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) On Episode 2, we consider if Alli's Hotel Candy ritual is a thing. Check it out: ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram Abby on Instagram ITAT on Substack Abby's slippers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subscribe on Substack for access to FULL episodes! We appreciate your support :) Welcome to the first-EVER episode of Is This A Thing? On Episode 1, we consider if sliding into the DMs to make friends is a thing. Check it out: ITAT on Instagram Alli on Instagram Abby on Instagram ITAT on Substack Back Cove Books Olivia Muenter's Substack Such a Bad Influence Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Is This A Thing? *officially* launches on Thursday 6/12! In the meantime, follow us on Instagram @isthisathing_pod . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.