Let's Hear It

Leaving anything can be tough. The Pursuers (Ellen and Dennis) talk you through it.

If you’re looking for the one where we talk about marriage proposals, you’ve come to the right place. Dear listener, would you make us the happiest podcast in the world and give this episode a listen?

There are so many messages making demands on our time. What do we do when we feel overwhelmed? And what are some strategies you can use to keep the flood of notifications, messages, alerts, and badges down to a manageable level? The Pursuers dig in and explore the topic, leaving the world a little better […]

What’s your relationship with Social Media Scrolling (particularly video scrolling)? Do you feel your brain turning to mush? Do you think it’s added any good to your life? Do you set up time limits, and do you abide by them? The Pursuers (Ellen and Dennis, naturally) explore these questions and more, plus we share feedback from […]

The Pursuers (Ellen and Dennis, naturally) have a big conversation about small talk. And we hear from you, the listeners–I mean we really hear from you–in our first ever listener voicemail segment!

It’s the end of 2023 and the Season 5 wrap, aka “The Big Finale”! The Perfectionists™️ (Ellen and Dennis, naturally) take a look back at the year, the season, and the evolution of PoP Pod as a whole, and share their (our) thoughts about what they (we) learned and where they’re (we’re) going. So what […]

Do you struggle to keep your living space neat and clean? Welcome to the human race, bud! This week, the Perfectionists (Ellen and Dennis) share their thoughts on tidying and reveal some hidden, dark truths about their own struggles with tidiness. Also, PoP listeners share their own tips on how to keep your living space… […]

The title says it all, folks! This week, Ellen and Dennis rank all the time-based Batman villains and crown a winner. All this plus listener emails! If you like what you hear, please consider writing a review on Apple Podcasts. And tell your friends!

Do you consider yourself a failure whenever you order food delivery vs. cooking a meal? Oh, sorry, a projection right out of the gate! What we mean to ask is, what is your relationship like with cooking? Do you enjoy it? Do you feel like an artist making a beautiful piece of work? Do you […]

Perfect people read books, right? Man oh man, have the Perfectionists got some things to say about that. Ellen and Dennis talk about their experiences reading (and not reading) books, confess some embarrassing book-related secrets, and try to exorcise some of their guilt about not being perfect readers. All this and listener mail, too! If […]

Exercise. It’s tough to get out there and do it sometimes! And if you’re a perfectionist who tends to be hard on yourself, it’s even harder. What’s a perfectionist to do? Ellen and Dennis share their tips, strategies, and strained metaphors to help you get back on the hamster wheel. Plus, listener responses! Follow us […]

It had to happen! For 4 seasons The Perfectionists (Dennis and Ellen) have danced around it, referenced it, alluded to it, even performed it… but they’ve never actually devoted an entire episode to it. Until now! Saddle up, improv nerds, ‘cuz this episode we are talking all! Things! Improv! Ellen and Dennis sit down with […]

It’s the episode YOU demanded! Strap in folks, ’cause we’re talking about Wordle, the digital word game that’s taking America by storm! Fan favorite guest Rob Penty returns to gab about his essay on his complicated and sometimes heated relationship with our favorite daily word puzzle. The Perfectionists (Ellen and Dennis) commiserate… and maybe do […]

Is there anybody out there who regularly gets a perfect night’s sleep? Your hosts Ellen and Dennis sure don’t. This episode, we try to crack the code. We share our tips, tricks, and personal stories—plus we hear from our listeners about their experiences trying (and sometimes succeeding!) to get perfect sleep. Subscribe, rate us, write […]

It’s hard to make friends as an adult. Right? It’s not just us? Okay, cool. So what’s the secret? Join us this episode as we explore the perfect way to make friends as an adult. Plus, hear from our very insightful listeners who write in with their own advice for making new friends. Look out […]

How do you spend your birthday? Is it a day, a week, a month of celebrations? Do you have an annual tradition or ritual? Is it a time of somber reflection or a wild bacchanalia? Do you try to ignore it? We hear from listeners and share our own personal stories of perfect birthdays. If […]

Oh boy, do we get into it this episode! Rude strangers. They’re out there! And sometimes you can’t avoid them. What do you do? Ignore them? Lead with compassion? Do you get aggressive, or do you practice kindness and patience? Folks, we’ve tried all strategies and we’re here to share our real-world takeaways. Also, listeners […]

What is coolness? When do you got it? When do you not? From their rarefied position as two of the coolest average Joes in Podland, Ellen and Dennis peel back the mysteries of cool and reveal how anyone can achieve perfect coolness. Also, listeners of the PoD write in and relate the times in their […]

It’s time to check in with our New Year’s Resolutions. How are we doing? Perfect? Probably not, and that’s okay! In this episode, Ellen and Dennis dig in to the mentality of New Year’s self improvement pledges and talk about out how to make those life changes we all want to make—without beating ourselves up […]

Ever been embarrassed? Yeah, us too! This episode, your intrepid hosts Ellen and Dennis focus on listener input about how to handle embarrassing moments perfectly. It’s Season 4: Overthinking with Dennis and Ellen! This season will be cozier and more intimate, focusing on stories and opinions from you, the listeners. Each episode we’ll drill down […]

This week on the pod we talk “Perfect” Parenting with our friends Mike and Tayler Westervelt! The Westervelts invite us into their world over a glass of wine (because, according to them, it’s been a DAY). They tell us about raising their two “adorable terrorists” and how they went from warming their daughter’s bath towel […]

This week on the pod we’ve got legendary improv instructor and founder of the Magnet Theater Armando Diaz! Armando talks to us about his improv journey from Chicago to New York, where he became the Johnny Appleseed of New York improv theaters—from UCB in its earliest days, to the PIT, and finally to founding the […]

This week we have science writer Luis Enrique Sandoval Del Prado. Luis recounts the story of how a college drama department production of Beauty and the Beast helped him defeat the demon of negative self talk, and we talk more generally about creative expression and how it can help us manage stress. All that, PLUS […]

Folks, this week we present our lovely chat with the wonderful Adam Wade. Adam is a 20-time Moth Story Slam winner (18 StorySLAM victories and 2 GrandSLAM Championships). He has toured across North America with The Moth Main Stage, and his stories have appeared on The Moth Radio Hour and The Moth Podcast. He’s also […]

This episode we break down our second season, guest by guest and episode by episode, and try to see if we managed to take any lessons away. Join us (Ellen and Dennis, natch) as we wax nostalgic about a truly fun and rewarding sophomore season. We made friends. We influenced people. We talked about tightening […]