Top Five

Chris is astounded by the Smartmatic lawsuit, and Liz recalls a fifth chapter of sex ed that she forgot to mention in the last episode. Then we get into a topic that’s resurfaced again on Asian American social media: MRAzns, or Asian men who harass Asian women on the internet. We talk about our experiences with them, what we think motivates their behavior, and if there’s any hope for change. Plus,...

Chris atones for the transgression of calling Michelle Branch a one-hit wonder, and Liz still isn't over how amazing Michelle Obama looked at the inauguration. Then, inspired by our discussion of Big Mouth in the last episode, we talk about the fraught terrain of puberty — what the show gets right, our own awkward and traumatic experiences, and what we learned about sex and our bodies from school...

[Content warning: body image issues] Chris pays tribute to his late uncle; Liz is blasting through Big Mouth on Netflix. Then we dig into all the messages we got from our parents about our bodies -- what they told us about our weight (and height, and skin, and...), how those messages impacted us and what was really behind them, and how we navigate these conversations as adults.  We wrap with...

Liz is obsessed with Future Nostalgia , Dua Lipa’s incredible new(ish) album, and Chris is digging into The Color of Law , Richard Rothstein’s landmark book about housing segregation. Then we talk about that age-old adult problem: how to navigate old friendships where you no longer see eye to eye. We talk about the place that our old friendships have in our lives, how we’ve handled significant dif...

On the eve of his move, Chris reflects on his time in DC, while Liz finally sees the light regarding Harry Styles. Then, as we love to do at the end of every year, we reflect on what this year of cataclysmic change meant for us personally, how it changed us, and what we’re looking forward to in 2021.  Plus, our top five things we’ll never do again after 2020.  Which leads to a discussion...

We’re so excited not to be talking about existential threats anymore! Liz is mourning the loss of Tony Hsieh, and Chris is binge-watching The Queen’s Gambit and The Legend of Kora . Then we get into the real quandary of the day: gifts for our parents. What do you get for an immigrant parent who has no hobbies and can buy anything they need? Why have we still not figured this out after thirty-some...

We've got reasons to celebrate: Liz, the power of the people in getting Detroit's election results certified; Chris, the selection of Kim Ng as the General Manager of the Miami Marlins.  Then, in our final election discussion, we dig into exit poll data and try to make sense of some surprising findings:  Why did support for Trump go *up* in every community of color, compared to 2016? &nb...

IT’S NEW DAY IN AMERICA, Y’ALL. We’re elated to talk about Biden’s election win, our experiences of election week (including Liz’s day working at the polls… in Trump country), and the results we’re celebrating and grieving. Plus, our top five states and people we have messages for, in light of the election, since that’s all we’ve been able to think about for the last two weeks. Florida, it’s not u...

Liz is channeling her pandemic and election anxiety into home improvement, while Chris feels the effects of an executive order at work. Then, on this Election Day Eve, we reflect on the last four years: where we were during the last presidential election, how the last four years have changed us, and (dare we even hope) what we’d want to see immediately from a Biden administration, should we be so...

We‘re jazzed about the Michelle Obama podcast (and pitching in for the election)! Then, we talk about the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg - hearing the news, our favorite RBG achievements, and what progressives should do in the wake of Amy Coney Barrett's certain confirmation. And after weeks of dragging so many other people and things, we drag ourselves in this week’s top five: most embarrassing o...

So much has happened in culture since our last season ended, so consider this our pop culture catch-up.  We finally get to discuss The Last Dance (remember when that was what everyone was talking about?  Can you even remember?) and Indian Matchmaking before tackling Nice White Parents, the new podcast from the producers of Serial.  We talk about the tensions between valuing equity a...

Happy Labor Day, everyone!  Liz is still buzzing from the Democratic National Convention, while Chris is reeling from the newly released bodycam footage of Masai Ujiri, president of the Toronto Raptors, and his run-in with police in the aftermath of his team’s championship win.  Which leads us into our topic of the day: how the racial landscape has changed in the post-George Floyd era, p...

We’re back for our second season! And my oh my, how the world has changed. Liz is thinking about education and equity as a new school year starts in the COVID era, and Chris runs down everything that’s happened in the world since our last episode. Which leads us right into the news of the day (of recording): Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential candidate, and we can't wait...

In these trying times, we’re finding hope in the political realm, of all places -- Chris from old Obama videos, Liz from a surprising victory in Wisconsin. Speaking of politics: Now that the Democratic primary is settled, we finally have the spoons to talk about it -- who we were rooting for, our feelings about its conclusion, and our hopes and fears for the presumptive nominee. And as we wrap our...

Liz has Feelings about Andrew Yang’s op-ed in the Washington Post, and Chris is not feeling Tiger King.  We’ve also got feelings about how some religious communities have responded to the coronavirus, which brings us to a conversation about religion and science -- how the evangelical communities of our youth separated the two, our journeys of breaking down that barrier, and engaging (or not)...

The world has completely changed since we last recorded, and we’re trying to make sense of it all. We break down what our lives look like in the era of social distancing and working from home -- with and without kids -- and, to lighten things up, the silver linings and winners of quarantine. Then we share our top five pop culture things giving us life in the time of corona, because in these trying...

Liz devoured the Catch and Kill podcast, and Chris is thinking about the immediate and long-term implications of coronavirus. Then we break down our ever-evolving relationships with the suburbs: our childhoods in peak suburbia, fleeing to cities as young adults, and — dare we say it — slowly warming to the ‘burbs again in our thirties.  Plus, our top five movies that changed our lives. (Note:...

We can’t wait to talk about the Oscars!  And we’re just as excited to talk about a recent Code Switch episode about race and friendship.  We break down the kinds of friends we had growing up and now, how intentional those decisions are, and how we experience interracial friendships as adults. Then, a super-fun top five: Ways we’re turning into our parents. The transformation has begun, y...

Chris is thinking about baseball’s sign-stealing scandal, while Liz is verklempt after getting a glimpse of her brother’s life in DC. Then, we talk about side hustles - the pros and cons of having projects to work on after work, piecing together a professional life with multiple jobs, and making room for rest in the midst of all of it. Plus, the top five dining experiences of our lives. Who knew t...

Chris is still reeling from a visit to a California cannabis dispensary, while Liz can’t get over Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio’s interview on the WTF Podcast. Speaking of Brad and Leo, the Golden Globes happened! We break down the moments we loved, the things about award shows that make no sense, and why we love celebrity culture (all the time for Liz, some of the time for Chris). Plus, the top...

Impeachment catches Chris's attention, and Liz revels in the food trends that defined the 2010s. Then we reflect on what the decade meant for each of us -- where we were when it started and where we are now, the central conflicts we had to navigate -- and what we hope the next one will be about. And to celebrate all the delicious gifts of the 2010s, we wrap them up with a retrospective top five: p...

Liz reflects on the end of Kamala Harris’s run for president, while Chris embarks on his first man-date. Then, in honor of the holiday season and all the big dinners that come with it, we talk about contentious family conversations: navigating them with our families and in-laws, how the addition of partners and children can change the dynamics, and setting boundaries when your parents have (litera...

It’s our first in-person episode! We talk about Chris’s weekend in Ann Arbor for the Michigan-Ohio State game and Liz’s last hurrah with football. Then, we get into a topic that isn’t discussed often enough: making friends in your thirties. Why is it so hard? What makes it so different from making friends in your twenties? How do we get over the hurdles and make these friendships happen? Plus, in...

Liz wonders if she’s reached the final straw with football, and Chris raves about Parasite and Boon Jong-ho. Then, a discussion about the end of journalism as we know it, most recently evidenced by the gutting of Sports Illustrated and Deadspin , morphs into a conversation about how to mitigate our complicity in a capitalist system. We close with the top five things we can’t believe are...

Both of us are thinking about recent episodes of Fresh Air - Chris, an interview with the writer with whom Prince collaborated on his memoir; Liz, a discussion about the cost of rebuilding coastal real estate in the face of climate change. Then we get into another topic we can’t reasonably cover in 20 minutes: our relationships with our parents, now that we’re in our thirties. What do we talk abou...