The Girl Next Door Podcast

Gifting has lost the plot a little bit lately. Instead of feeling generous and joyful, gifting during the holidays can feel like a chore. We're exploring what's changed and how we can gift better. Plus, how to make managing wish lists less onerous and a few little luxuries we're recommending. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we each share something we're doing differently when it comes to gift...

Grab a snack because this episode will make you hungry. We're leaning into cozy season with a conversation all about comfort food. We share the comfort foods from our childhoods, the new ones we've found in adulthood, and what comfort foods we're creating for our kids. Plus, what we crave when we're sick. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're each sharing the specific comfort foods we crave w...

In honor of spooky season, we're revealing – and laughing over – our minor fears. Find out why you too should be terrified of: arts and craft, a trip to the zoo, sending a friendly text, and more. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're each sharing a time we had to overcome a fear. Also for Friends of the Show , mark your calendars for Sunday, November 16 at 9 am Pacific / 12 pm Eastern for ou...

We have a tender episode today talking about death. We share our experiences with death thus far, and how we are thinking about that inevitability for loved ones and more generally. We also share the songs and writing about death that have moved us. Thanks for being here with us, and we're so glad to be with you. Just for Friends of the Show , we're each sharing our current thoughts on how we hope...

Are you ready for creepy, cozy reading season? You know we are! On this bookish episode, we share our current reads and TBRs. Plus what our kids are reading, what else we're listening to, and our recent memorable reading moments. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're each sharing a recent book or two that disappointed us! We don't like to bash books publicly, but every reader knows that you n...

Friends, it's Fall Extravaganza!! This year, we have an apple theme and take it way too far. (Would you expect anything less?) On our apple romp we get judgy but also informative, try apple recipes, and declare apple approves and abominations. Plus, we sniff sophisticated apple candles and take an apple-themed "would you rather?" quiz. Detours include witchy book club, jeans shopping, and Midweste...

Hop on in, we're going for a drive! We compare notes on learning how to drive, and make pit stops for our driving personalities, car essentials, and the joy of driving. Plus, Kelsey's driving quirk and what Erica can't stand in the car. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're chatting about how we're thinking about teaching our own kids to drive (gulp!). And would love your advice! Happy (safe)...

Join us for a conversation full of fall leaves, cozy libraries, and tradition. Erica interviews Kelsey about her time at Yale as a graduate student! Erica asks all of her burning questions, and Kelsey invites you to stroll down Ivy League memory lane with her. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , Kelsey is telling us what she would do differently if she were going to relive her time at Yale. See f...

Become a Friend of the Show! Join our Patreon community and get bonus content. Happy back to school season! With three middle-schoolers between us, we're diving into those beautifully awkward, formative years. We'll share stories from our own middle school days and talk honestly about parenting tweens today: the wins, the struggles, and all the messy moments in between. For Friends of the Show on...

Today we're parenting in public, or at least talking about it. We discuss why it makes us a little sweaty, the worse public parenting situations we've been in, and our best advice. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're sharing the parenting things we only do at home and never in public. Join us there for our answers plus all of our bonus content including full-length bonus episodes! See full...

Get your checklist ready, let's get stuff done! We share our strategies for being productive, calendaring, and to-do lists. Plus, how we motivate ourselves when we really don't want to do anything. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're sharing what stuff we're not getting done. See full show notes on our website: How We Get Stuff Done Become a Friend of the Show! Join our Patreon community an...

We're catching up on how our summers went—as friends do! We share highs and lows and discuss how our summer plans actually played out. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're sharing what didn't go so well this summer. See full show notes on our website: How Was Your Summer? Become a Friend of the Show! Join our Patreon community and get bonus content. Connect with us on Instagram: @higirlsnext...

We're sharing what money management looks like in our houses and in our marriages. We talk about the roles we and our husbands take when it comes to finances, the disagreements we've navigated with our spouses, and what we've learned along the way. Plus, how we're teaching our kids about money. With Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're each sharing a financial conversation that we had in our mar...

What's on your bucket list? Join us as we share ours including what we want to accomplish, where we want to travel, and what's on our family bucket lists. Just for Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're both sharing some more personal bucket list items. See full show notes on our website: Bucket Lists Connect with us on Instagram: @higirlsnextdoor We love to get your emails: higirlsnextdoor@gmail....

Become a Friend of the Show! Join our Patreon community and get bonus content. What does summer what does summer look, smell, feel, taste, and sound like to you? That's what we're chatting about on the show today. From grilled hot dogs to legs sticking to hot vinyl car seats, we describe unique portraits of summer in our childhoods and in parenthood. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're talk...

To celebrate America's 247th birthday on July 4th, we're exploring what patriotism means to us and reflecting on how it's expressed today. We also share what makes us proud to be American, and where we see room for growth as a nation. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're each sharing how we feel about patriotic symbolism like flying the flag and singing the national anthem before sporting ev...

Moms, pack your swimsuit and emotional baggage, we're going on vacation! We explore the experience of being a mom on vacation and how to make the best of it, from planning, to family time, and doing what we love too. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we share what we think our kids will remember about us on vacation, the good and the bad! See full show notes on our website: How To Vacation Mom...

In today's episode, Erica shares her experience growing up in the Evangelical Christian church. She reflects on both the meaningful aspects that she still values today, and what she finds problematic. Erica opens up about how her faith has evolved and what she now seeks in a church community. Thanks so much for listening with an open heart. See full show notes on our website: Erica's Evangelical U...

As ladies in our 40s, we've got perimenopause on our minds – let's chat about it! We share where we are personally in this journey, what our interaction with providers has been like , and how we'd like to see the conversation around perimenopause change. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we have a companion bonus book club episode for you! We are discussing The New Menopause by Dr. Mary Claire...

Let's design our summers! We're chatting about how we plan a summer with kids and get into topics like snacks, chores, screen time, and–oh yeah!–summer fun! For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're both sharing how we design great summers for ourselves as well (not just our kids!). See full show notes on our website: Designing Our Summers Become a Friend of the Show! Join our Patreon community a...

**Whoops, we scheduled this episode to come out a day early so it's our little Tuesday gift to you!** In honor of both of our wedding anniversaries this month, we're bringing back a favorite relationship topic: best spouse/worst spouse! In the spirit of loving honesty, and with full acknowledgement that we actually think our husbands are the best, we share the traits that make our husbands, and ou...

We invite you to join us with an open heart as we discuss abortion. While we're not experts, we hope to model how we can have nuanced and meaningful conversations even on divisive topics. Thank you so much for listening and being in conversation with us. See full show notes on our website: Let's Talk About Abortion Become a Friend of the Show! Join our Patreon community and get bonus content. Conn...

It's time for another bookish episode! We check in on our reading lives, chat about what we're reading lately, and what we're looking forward to reading. Plus we share what our kids are reading lately. We mention what else we're listening to (besides audiobooks) and our recent memorable reading moment. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're sharing our favorite reading and bookish accessories...

Today we're sharing the 10 best pieces of advice that we've heard. They touch on parenting, trusting yourself, personal finances, time management, navigating hard times, and more. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're sharing the worst advice we've ever heard – we'd love to know if you agree! See full show notes on our website: Best Advice We've Heard Become a Friend of the Show! Join our Pat...

Sometimes a little change makes all the difference. Today we're sharing 10 little changes we've made that have made our lives better. For Friends of the Show on Patreon , we're each sharing a nagging annoyance in our lives and we're asking for your ideas for little changes that might make them better. See full show notes on our website: Little Changes, Big Difference Become a Friend of the Show! J...