Modern Adults: Everything You Need to Know About Adulting

I tell you what, moving out of my parents’ house in Jacksonville, FL and into an apartment with two strangers in Louisville, KY was more adulting than I ever wanted to do. And honestly, way more than I was prepared for. And I’m still not prepared. Adulting is just really hard; from doing my taxes to setting up an account with the electric company to changing my headlight (haven’t gotten to that) to finding a doctor, being alive requires a lot of people and trains us for very little of it. Which is probably why, when I heard of Modern Adults, a podcast by Stephanie Cole and Monique Hammond covering all the topics kids-in-adult-bodies like me need to know, I just had to talk with them.

When I asked, the pair had different responses to what led them to start the show. Monique said they “started the podcast because [they] have a lot of thoughts, feelings, and opinions about a lot of topics, but [they] also realize that [they’re] still growing.” In a similar vein, Stephanie said “I am very nosy, but also very anxious about everything. So you could imagine how many questions at any given time I have for anybody who has 2 minutes to listen to me waffle. “Being an adult comes with a lot of challenges and we’re working our way through these challenges along with our listeners,” Monique explained.

So what is Modern Adults? Simply put, it’s “a podcast about adulthood.” Monique and Stephanie want to talk to the people who are new at being adults or just really bad at it and let them know they aren’t alone. “We ask all the dumb questions about adulthood, so you don’t have to. We explore topics ranging from finance, workplace, dating, life experiences and sexuality. Our goal is to educate ourselves and make all the mistakes so others can learn from it.” The duo is committed to diving into anything and everything you may need to know to do your daily adulting. But teaching others requires a lot of learning as well.

When I asked what the pair have struggled with the most, Monique cited, “podcast etiquette! There’s a whole art to speaking without making weird noises which have been tricky to learn.” Of course, she’s getting better and better at recording well, and Stephanie is working on something similar: “The number of times I sit down to edit the episode and someone is playing with their necklace – I’ve come to the conclusion that all ‘professional’ podcasters must be recording naked. There is no other way.” While the duo hasn’t taken measures quite that extreme, they are loving learning to make the show better and better so they can keep doing what they love.

For both Monique and Stephanie, their favorite parts are getting to think through and research the topics they choose to cover (Stephanie also pointed to the midroll ads she makes, but since Monique personally apologized for the commercial that included a rap by Stephanie, I felt this belonged in an aside). Researching new topics is especially fun when the duo get to answer listener questions. Monique said that “We get a lot of positive feedback about how relevant our topics are, which is always a good thing. Lots of people give us suggestions about what to talk about next, which we’re always open to.” Stephanie also said the show welcomes criticism in order to improve but “people are being too nice and it’s stressing [her] out.” Of course, that could just mean that Modern Adults is doing a really great job and is going to keep doing exactly that!

Monique is really looking forward to “future live shows when [Modern Adults] become a global hit. Because Stephanie will panic and it will be hilarious.” Stephanie rebutted that “[she] think you’ll find that [she] would thrive on a stage. Or cry. But [she] likes to think it’d be a bonding experience for both [her] and the crowd.” So, if you’re struggling to adult like me (and the majority of the adults hanging out around here), check out Modern Adults and be sure to leave a rating and review to let Stephanie and Monique know what you think!

Chasing Pods is a Podchaser blog series dedicated to letting our readers know about podcasts they may not have heard of or provide a sneak peek into the making of their favorite podcast. We talk to podcast creators about their journey into podcasting, the creation of their shows, the ups and downs of the work, and what they’re looking forward to for their podcast

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