Life Coaches Talk Movies

It's a 'Jumanji' double feature! If you were of the impression that movie-nerd life coaches wouldn't be able to find deep topics in a pair of rollicking comedy-adventure films, allow this episode to change your mind. We're talking about 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle' (2017) and its sequel, 'Jumanji: The Next Level' (2019). These were both Jessica&apos...

Our movie for this episode has had a long-standing place on Gabi's top ten list. 'Adventureland' (2009) tells the story of James Brennan's summer following his college graduation, when life throws him a series of curveballs, and he ends up needing to take a job as a games operator at his local amusement park, Adventureland. Set in 1987 (with an amazing soundtrack to boot), we j...

It feels great to be back to talking about movies after a bit of a break, and for this episode, we're taking on Disney's 'Encanto' (2021)! If you have young children like we do, we know there's a decent chance that the songs from this movie are stuck in your head (and who could blame you, because they're AMAZING). 'Encanto' is the story of the magically-gift...

After an unplanned break, we are so grateful to be back. And we're taking this opportunity to bring you an episode that combines some intense and important life updates (mostly from Gabi) with a discussion about the role that movies play in our lives as we move through real experiences of loss and grief. Please note that the subject matter of this episode might be a bit jarring, even more so...

It feels pretty cool to be ending 2024 with the 30TH episode of our podcast! Round numbers are so fun. And what better way to close out the year than with a musical? We're talking about 'Hamilton' (2020)! It's a first-time viewing for Jessica and an umpteenth-time viewing for Gabi. 'Hamilton' is the filmed recording of a June 2016 performance of the beloved musical ch...

Join us for this special episode where we depart from our usual single-movie discussion, and instead explore a movie-related topic: The Value of Favorites. This very podcast came about because Jessica and Gabi began sharing their favorite movies with each other. So, we have first hand experience with the connection that can happen when we let other people in on the things that we love most. We tal...

Was this movie MADE for life coaches? Maybe! The movie for this episode is one of Jessica's picks, but it's beloved by both of our hosts: 'Inside Out' (2015). This Disney offering is unique among other animated films in its class. It takes the audience inside (literally) the mind of 11-year-old Riley who is about to move from Minnesota to San Francisco, leaving behind the only...

Have you ever watched a movie and loved it so much that you want to immediately start it again? That's how Gabi and Jessica feel about the subject of this episode: 'Little Women' (1994). In Gabi's humble (or not so humble) opinion, this is the definitive film version of Louisa May Alcott's novel by the same name. Starring a young and energetic Winona Ryder as Jo, alongside...

We're Vikings, it's an occupational hazard! In this episode, we're taking on one of Jessica's top ten favorites: 'How to Train Your Dragon' (2010). This charming animated feature boasts a star-studded cast of voices, including Jay Baruchel as the awkward but endearing Hiccup, Gerard Butler as his imposing father Stoick, Craig Ferguson as the hilarious Gobber, and many...

TWENTY-FIVE episodes! To celebrate this milestone, we've chosen a special movie-related topic to discuss: The characters we can see ourselves being friends with, and why. Naturally, we peel back the layers of the concept of true friendship, what it means to be drawn to a person vs. form a meaningful relationship with them, and the criteria we use for seeking out the people who could become pa...

A short movie doesn't necessarily mean a shorter discussion! We ended up recording this episode in two parts and combining them into one longer episode because we had SO MUCH to talk about. Join us as we wander through the humor, tenderness, and richness of 'The Holdovers' (2023), starring Paul Giamatti as the prickly teacher Mr. Hunham, Dominic Sessa as Hunham's complex studen...

We're excited to bring you the second half of our Barbenheimer series! In this episode, we're tackling another movie that took the world by storm last summer: 'Barbie' (2023). Director Greta Gerwig helms this funny and surprisingly introspective film about the doll that was a hot pink sensation during Jessica and Gabi's childhoods. With Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in th...

We're back with a bang (heehee) after resolving some technical issues, and in this episode, we're talking about 'Oppenheimer' (2023)! This film swept the recent Academy Awards and stars Cillian Murphy in the title role of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atomic bomb. We watch his rise from theoretical physicist to national hero, followed by his fall from grace in the...

For this episode, it's Jessica's pick! And she chose Guy Ritchie's witty romp, 'Sherlock Holmes' (2009). This adaptation stars Robert Downey Jr. in the title role with Jude Law as Watson. Rachel McAdams plays Sherlock's nemesis/love interest Irene Adler, and Mark Strong is the mysterious villain, Lord Blackwood. Sherlock himself gives us so much to talk about as we ex...

We're celebrating our TWENTIETH episode! And to mark the occasion, we're departing from our usual format of talking about a single movie, and instead, we're diving deep into the topic of how movies change lives (and which movies changed ours). Join us as we present a rather eclectic list of films, some of which we've featured on the podcast before, and many of which we'd l...

"May the force be with us." It's a Star Wars episode! But don't panic, we promise you don't have to be a fan or even very familiar with the Star Wars universe to get invested in this movie. Jessica can vouch for that! We're discussing 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' (2016), the tale of a young woman named Jyn Erso who has dissociated herself from the battle b...

It's so much fun when we tackle a movie that's a favorite for one or both of us! This time, it's one of Jessica's: 'Return to Snowy River' (1988). As promised, however, we do wrap up our discussion on 'Singles' (1992) since we couldn't bear to leave so much unsaid. 'Return to Snowy River' is the sequel to 'The Man from Snowy River',...

We're back with our first episode of 2024! This time, Gabi has reached deep into the vault of her long-time favorite movies and pulled out 'Singles' (1992), a quirky and somewhat obscure romantic comedy set in grunge-era Seattle. In all of its early-90s glory, 'Singles' tells the story of five twenty-somethings who are navigating the period of tension between settling into...

It's our last episode of 2023! And it's a fun one...but aren't they all? Come with us as we peel back the layers of a movie that goes surprisingly deep, considering that its target audience is children and 'Shrek' universe afficionados. We're talking about 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' (2022), featuring Antonio Banderas voicing the title character. In this...

Instead of tackling a single movie in this episode, we're trying something new! Join us as we take turns answering the question: If you could enter the universe of a particular movie, which one would it be, and why? Right off the bat, we are pleasantly surprised to learn that we chose the same three movies to answer this question! We talk about our relationship with our unique talents and ski...

Join us as we chat about one of Gabi's all-time favorite movies: 'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012), starring Bradley Cooper as Pat, a young man who is trying to find his feet after coming home from an extended stay at a mental institution. Pat is laser focused on trying to win back his estranged wife, Nicki, when it's obvious to his friends and family (and us) that the ship has...

In this episode, we're taking on one of the more "brainy" movies on our list of shared favorites: 'Inception' (2010). With Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role and a truly memorable supporting cast (hello, Tom Hardy!), we are presented with the futuristic concept of dream-sharing, where highly skilled "extractors" like DiCaprio's Dom Cobb can enter someone&apo...

What's in your backpack? In this episode, we tackle a movie from Gabi's list that feels like it was made for life coaches to talk about: 'Up in the Air' (2009). Made during the height of the economic downturn in the mid-aughts, this is the story of Ryan Bingham, a blunt yet endearing commitment-phobe whose job entails flying all over the United States to fire people. In the rol...

Aaaaand...we're back! After a few weeks' break during which Gabi added baby number three to her family and Jessica launched an amazing new group program, we've dusted off our mics to discuss Disney's 'Frozen' (2013). Gorgeously animated and full of musical numbers that don't need to slap as hard as they do, 'Frozen' might be written off by many as being...

We're taking a short break from recording, but for a good reason! Gabi is getting ready to have her 3rd baby, and Jessica is working on the launch of her new group program. We can't wait to start recording again soon and dive into all the movies we're so excited to talk about. Thanks for listening! We'd be so grateful if you could leave us a review wherever you listen to podcas...