Pleasant Conversations

Happy New Year, dear listeners! We at Pleasant Conversations hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones. Jasmine and Michael are still decompressing after the holidays and decided to start this month with a look back at the podcast’s inaugural season. In our first Pleasant Conversations Rewind, we hop in our DeLorean to travel back to August 2025 for Jasmine’s Game Night Birt...

It’s the final special episode for this holiday season! Jasmine and Michael hope you all had a wonderful time during the holidays with your loved ones and that you enjoyed our break from normal programming. We wanted to get more to you, but life had to life, and time ran thin. But I digress. This week, we want to wish all who celebrate a very happy Kwanzaa! And what better way to celebrate than to...

Merry Christmas and look out for those pesky flying mammals pulling a fat guy in a sleigh! This week, Jasmine and Michael are joined by the pod’s personal guru, Lucas! Randy Brooks wrote a song that incensed grandmothers for decades and then Time Warner made an animated special about it! That’s right, your Christmas gift from the pod is a discussion about “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”. Grab...

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate! This week’s episode, we dive into an animated classic telling of the “Meanie of Chanukah” and are joined by an extra-special, first-time guest, Melissa! As this is the first time Michael is joined in his “studio” with a guest, the sound is different, but the laughs are still the same. Join Jasmine, Michael, and Melissa as they discuss an episode of the Nickelod...

Jasmine and Michael are plugging along with their holiday movie reviews with a modern classic musical adventure. Take a journey with our hosts as they travel to a Dickensian English village of a different timeline, filled with whimsical inventors, plucky kids, magical toys, randy postwomen, and the legendary Phylicia Rashad. Spoiler alert: they loved this movie! So dust off your magic robots and t...

Happy December 1st, dear listeners! Mariah Carey has emerged from her slumber, and it’s time for peppermint mochas, sugary treats, sleigh bells, and some of the best AND worst holiday movies and specials. First up, our foul-mouthed bestie from Down Undah, Cass, joins us to discuss a holiday murder mystery brought to us courtesy of Lifetime. This movie has everything: snowy scenes in an old mansion...

Happy Turkey Day! We hope you are all enjoying time with your loved ones and “gobbling up” all the good food being offered. We also hope your gravy isn’t tainted with bigotry. In this special episode, our hosts are discussing the 1995 chaotic classic, “Home for the Holidays”. Spoiler alert: Jasmine is not a fan. If you have a messy family, you’ll feel right at home. If not, come see how the other...

The holiday season is nigh, so Jasmine and Michael have decided to take a break from the normal programming structure to bring you some special episodes to keep you in the spirit while the world continues to burn around us. On today’s episode, our hosts travel back to 1987 for a John Hughes Thanksgiving classic comedy. Buckle up because we are taking the longest three-day journey from Manhattan to...

This week is the last traditional episode for the year, as we move into our special holiday episodes. Our hosts talk health and body woes as they age, Michael talks cars and Fortnite and Jasmine talks babies when it comes to smiles for the week. Michael takes over the news desk this week and shares stories of nature and art becoming one for sustainability, Australia’s Women of the Year awards, and...

This week, our hosts recover from candy hangovers as they welcome us into November. This week’s smiles include co-workers and mental restarts. Jasmine shares how this Halloween was more enjoyable for her at her school, and Michael talks about the new Frankenstein film. Jasmine brings us good news of churches standing up for queer rights and helping those in need during this furlough and the possib...

Our hosts are basking in their post-Halloween glow and marching forward into autumn. Jasmine and Michael have big news for the upcoming holiday season and want YOU to join them for an episode! The news brings good stories about Alaskan pet rescue, climate talks with indigenous South Americans, Bon Jovi helps feed federal workers, eyesight being brought back to the blind through scientific advances...

Happy Halloween, listeners! This week Michael is joined by returning special guest Zachary to travel back to the turn of the century and discuss the 2000 horror comedy parody, “Scary Movie”! Join our hosts as they laugh through their breakdown of this hilariously stupid film that rebooted the idea of a parody film, spawning five sequels (a sixth is coming next year!) and inspiring countless other...

This week, Jasmine and Michael take a break from normal programming to talk about a movie just right for Spooky Season! Let’s take a trip back to 1995 and visit the ghosts of Whipstaff Manor for a review of “Casper”. Our hosts talk Halloween nostalgia and then do a full breakdown of the absolutely bonkers film that was meant FOR KIDS. Come laugh along with Jasmine as Michael revisits a movie he ha...

This week, we are thrilled to have our dear friend Anna on the podcast! Join us as we talk about candy corn, multiple browser tabs, “Friday the 13th” in 3-D, community fundraising wins, birthday plan shenanigans, and paranormal activity. The News Hounds bring us stories of NICU knits, HIV drug advancements, and food bank bakers. Michael also adds some fun, spooky facts to kick off October. The Whe...

It’s a complete energy shift from last week! In this episode, Jasmine and Michael carry on, no matter the incompetence of Velda Johansson or the government. Michael shouts out Illinois Zoomers and forgets the delightful Tony! Tony, you will have to join us at Judy’s! The hosts talk smiles and recent joyous occasions. Our news hounds bring positive stories of solar power, gene therapy, tortoise saf...

This week, our hosts are both feeling a little blah, but still try to bring the joy for you. Michael plugs Good Hang with Amy Poehler once again and shares two recent movie-going experiences. Jasmine brings us good news of free child care, a mental health awareness trek, NYC’s production of “black gold,” and students rallying for gun reform. Michael tells us about a wildlife overpass and then does...

This week, Jasmine and Michael take a break from the normal programming to have another co-host interview. Of course Jasmine’s questions are a little more professional than Michael’s off-the-wall ones (there is a question about which color food would you eat for the rest of your life if you could only pick one). Our co-hosts really enjoy the fun banter and hope this episode will take your mind off...

This week, Jasmine isn’t really feeling the joy, so Michael tries to help out by bringing some extra smiles and positivity. He recaps his birthday weekend, his return to the paranormal, and his love for Spooky Season! The news brings us stories about first responder mental health, LGBTQ+ pilgrims in the Vatican, content creators for clean water, PBS’s celebration of food by state, and This Day in...

This week, our hosts are heading into the holiday weekend, talking plans and Michael’s birthday. In world news, will beer save our watersheds? Also, Princess Week brings the magic, listener Anna (Gold Star Submitter) shares hopeful trans support news from Michigan, and global environmental activists get their flowers! The Wheel of Topics has our hosts dive deep into the world of Overrated vs Under...

This week, Jasmine and Michael start off strong with talk of textbook cover designs and allergies. After a fun two-parter full of games, it’s back to business with smiles and positive news stories from around the world. The Wheel of Topics dives into weird purchases. Michael uses his Ashes & Embers to share his thoughts on the finale of “And Just Like That”, while Jasmine keeps hers short and...

The finale of Pleasant Conversations: the Game Show! Join us for the second half of our special game night celebration for Jasmine’s birthday. It all comes down to fate! As we enter the early morning hours of recording, the snark gets strong with our contestants. Who will make it to the end intact? Will someone claim the ultimate prize trip to Planet Spaceball? You’ll have to tune in to find out…...

That’s right, we have a two-parter! In these next two episodes, we celebrate the birth of one of our hosts in such a way, we had to split the event. Join Jasmine, Michael, and some guests as they transform the studio into a flashy Hollywood soundstage to play some games! Grab your buzzers and hope for no whammies, as we proudly present, live from Burbank (not really), Pleasant Conversations: The G...

This week, our hosts start off strong with talk of weather woes, adorable kids, Disney, and a Milwaukee legend. Then, Michael does a deep dive into Jasmine’s first time…at Universal Orlando (apologies to non-theme-park persons, but we go for an average Disney ride wait time). Jasmine and Michael then move on to The Wheel of Topics, where they discuss surviving without tech and end the show with as...

This week, Jasmine has returned from her adventures at sea, fighting off pirates and luring sailors to their doom. After some catching up, Michael gives two spoiler-filled reviews for “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” If you want to avoid them, skip to 26:30. After he talks for a while, Michael hands the reins over to Jasmine to do a co-host interview about h...

Jasmine is about to go on her much-needed vacation, so what better conversations are there for our hosts to have than about politics and animals! Don’t worry, the animals always outweigh the politics. After some political griping, our hosts delight in some banter about 90s TV shows, good news in both the animal and environmental worlds, an educationally fun topic, Ashes & Embers, the weekly af...