Bad On Paper

In this episode, we share stories about how we became readers, and our favorite childhood books. Although we have different reading routines, ways we organize books, and views on putting a book down - we can agree that vacation reading is the best reading. We share our favorite recent books, our process for vetting the books for our monthly book club, and the books we think are overrated. If you ever have trouble finding new books, or picking something to read we list our top ways to find new reads.

In this episode we talk clean beauty with the founder of Follain, Tara Foley. Tara, a self-described “activist-at-heart” shares with us her journey from discovering clean beauty to opening Follain. We chat about everything from budget-friendly to high-tech clean beauty recs and she gives us specific suggestions for both dry skin and acne-prone skin routines. If you’re thinking about using more clean products, Tara makes that sound a whole lot less daunting and this episode is the perfect place to sta

Followers by Megan Angelo is a thought provoking take on influencer culture. The book alternates between the present day story of Orla and Floss living in modern day New York with their own reality TV show; and Marlow, 35 years from now living in a town called Constellation where influencers have become government employees and have their lives broadcasted 23/7. It’s sharp and witty (when does sharing go TOO FAR?). A wild ride from New York to California to a futuristic colony called Atlantis.

Taylor Lorenz is a journalist at the New York Times covering Internet Culture. In our conversation, she maps out the jobs that led her to where she is today and how she developed her own beat. We also delve into everything going on on the internet: from influencers to trolls to TikTok. Whether you’re looking to get current (what is The Hype House?) or are an internet culture vulture with strong feelings on Caroline Calloway, we cover it all in our conversation.

In this episode we are talking about being single in your thirties! We answer your questions about dating, and give the best advice we can. This episode is broken into four parts: why being single in your thirties is actually pretty great, how to stay positive, how to make new friends (and keep the old), and all things DATING. If there’s one thing you take away from this episode, it’s the importance of building a life you truly love - one that feels good to YOU… with our without a partner!

Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur, founders of Of a Kind (RIP!), join us to talk about founding & running a business with your friend. We dive into how they split their roles in the business, travel styles, and hiring a management coach. We also chat about how they’re processing the closure of their company and what’s next. Then we turn to the subject of motherhood, and have an incredibly candid conversation about how they’ve supported each other and stayed close despite their disparate decisions.

This month we read Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison. This book combines some of our favorite things: rich unsupervised teens at a boarding school, secret societies… and murder. Ash is an outcast, relocating from England to attend boarding school at the prestigious Goode School in Virginia. When she gets tapped for the Ivy Bound secret society, things go haywire. Her roommate dies, but who did it? And why? Even though we found (nearly) every character to be deeply unlikable, we still really enjoyed the book.

We welcome back friend of the pod (and former Obama Deputy Chief of Staff), Alyssa Mastromonaco to answer our burning questions about this presidential election. She also touches on Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Mike Bloomberg, and why we need to keep an eye on how the candidates spend their money (like during the Superbowl). She also explains how the caucus system works (it’s kind of crazy!) and why local politics are so important if you want to enact real change.

We’ve got that January motivation and are talking all about organization in this ep! We share about how we organize our lives (both physically in our homes, and our digital lives). We discuss how we handle filing papers, managing our closets, email boxes, and even reveal how often we clean! Becca breaks down her calendar system and Grace tells us about a paper planner that helps you organize your time. We also have plenty of recs on home goods that help you find a place to keep everything. 

We’re thrilled to have sister-in-law duo Veronica Swanson Beard + Veronica Miele Beard with us today! We learn how they got their start and went into business together. With backgrounds in design, entrepreneurship, finance, and a mutual love for fashion, they created a smart , stylish, and inclusive brand. We talk about extending their size range, their best-selling Dickie jackets, their 10 year anniversary, personal style icons, the importance of family and life outside of work.

It’s a brand new year (and a brand new decade!). While neither of us are huge fans of setting “resolutions,” (it just sounds so drastic!) today we wanted to reflect on last year and share some goals for 2020! We look back on 2019 and share our biggest accomplishments from the year (and what could have been better) and set some goals for the year ahead! We both have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to. So here’s to making this year calmer, cozier, and even better than the last!

Happy New Year! Today our friend Kellie Brown joins us. She is the founder of And I Get Dressed, blogger + Youtuber, fashion industry PR prodigy, and body positive activist (she created the #fatatfashionweek hashtag)... and more! Kellie tells us about her career journey, her blog + Youtube channel, + working for herself. Shares her views on weight, the dangers of “new year, new me” mentality, confidence, ways that people weaponize words (and how to deal), how to make even the most basic wardrobe cooler.

For our December book club, we’re reading One Day in December by Josie Silver. This was one of our favorite books from last year! What would you do if you had a “love at first sight” moment, but the man of your dreams turns out to be your best friend’s new boyfriend? The book follows the three of them over a decade, through life’s ups & downs and heartbreaks. Both Grace & Becca share opinions on audiobooks, meeting men (#morecrushes2020), modern dating, and definitely think this should be a Hallma

You already know Becca, but how well do you really know her? Today all of your questions are answered. Does Becca have a secret boyfriend? Becca tells us her goals for the podcast, thoughts on the word influencer and why she doesn’t consider herself one. Becca talks about shifting to freelance, getting clients, managing people, and knowing when it is time to leave a job. We get the scoop on using an interior decorator, the process, pros and cons, and of course a glimpse into her friendship with Grace!

Kate Kennedy join us today! You know her from her podcast, Be There in Five… OR her book Twinkle, Twinkle Social Media Star, her hilarious pop culture commentary on Instagram, or her viral doormat business. She talks about starting her business, how she came up with the idea for the podcast, and her career journey. We talk about press trips, Instagram triggers, the influencers we admire most, and (of course) Taylor Swift, and why Kate is such a Stan. She also shares her 2020 pop culture predictions!