Your intrepid host is no longer a twenty-something trying to figure stuff out--as of this past July, I'm now a thirty-something trying to figure stuff out!To mark the occasion, this past summer I asked previous Perennials guests to share some

Episode 70: Exploring the Enneagram with Maria Bowler

Aug 21st, 2021 57m 57s

In today's episode, I'm talking to Maria Bowler, a contemplative artist, spiritual director, and enneagram guide. We discuss the mysterious roots of the enneagram, and Maria shares her unique way of differentiating the nine different types, as

Episode 69: Couples Therapy with Dr. Nadia Nieves

Jul 16th, 2021 1h 14m

Today, I'm talking about couples therapy with Dr. Nadia Nieves, PhD, a limited license therapist in New York City. Nadia works with couples using an integrated approach of relational psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Emotion

Episode 68: Exploring The Midnight Library with Danica Browne

Jun 18th, 2021 1h 14m

In today's episode, my friend Danica Browne and I are unpacking themes from the novel The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. This is a book about unlived lives, regret, possibility, and hope. In this episode, Danica and I are talking about how thes

Episode 67: On Disappointment and Patience

Jun 3rd, 2021 23m 32s

In today's shorter, solo episode, I'm talking about wanting something, trying and striving for something, sitting with uncertainty, anxiety and excitement, entertaining romantic ideas and fantasies about greener grass, and ultimately, being dis

Episode 66: Wisdom from Folklore with Felicia Russell, Part 2

May 21st, 2021 1h 9m

My sister Felicia Russell and I are continuing and concluding our conversation about Taylor Swift's album Folklore with an exploration of themes like commitment, communication, betrayal, and escape. We share personal stories from our own lives

Episode 65: Wisdom from Folklore with Felicia Russell

May 13th, 2021 1h 12m

In today's episode, my sister Felicia Russell and I are unpacking wisdom from a little-known indie album we found in the back of a dusty old record shop...okay, just kidding. We're close-reading one of the most talked-about albums of 2020, Tayl

Episode 64: Spring Cleaning with Melissa Adamo and Jessica Gaeta

Apr 16th, 2021 1h 2m

There's something about springtime that can bring a renewed sense of energy and a desire to declutter, freshen up, make space, and look forward with hopefulness. That's why I decided to talk to Monica Geller and Danny Tanner--I mean, sorry, my

Episode 63: Parenting Ourselves with Sheryl Paul, Part 2

Apr 9th, 2021 31m 23s

In Part 2 of our conversation about learning to parent ourselves, Sheryl Paul and I get into even deeper and richer territory--the territory of heart and soul. We talk about tuning into what's happening in our bodies and in our hearts, and hav

Episode 62: Parenting Ourselves with Sheryl Paul, Part 1

Apr 2nd, 2021 45m

My first-ever Perennials guest is back! This time, beloved therapist and author (whom I'm lucky to call my aunt!) Sheryl Paul and I are talking about learning to parent ourselves. This topic comes up a lot in Sheryl's work as a therapist: the p

Episode 61: Embracing Weakness with Shannon K Evans

Mar 25th, 2021 54m 21s

In today's episode, I'm talking to Shannon K Evans about themes from her book Embracing Weakness: The Unlikely Secret to Changing the World. Shannon is an author, speaker, contemplative and advocate who demonstrates how embracing our need for e

Episode 60: In Between Seasons

Mar 18th, 2021 24m 50s

Today’s episode is a reflection on seasons and being in between seasons. In the month of March here in New Jersey, we have one foot in winter, one in spring. Similarly, I began this podcast out of a sense of feeling in between life seasons in t

Episode 59: What Friends Are For with Jessica Kradjel Part 2

Feb 12th, 2021 46m 21s

Jessica Kradjel and I continue our conversation about friendship in today's episode. Jess describes her experience of creating a close chosen family and living community with two of her college friends in their early-mid 20s, and what it’s been

Episode 58: What Friends Are For with Jessica Kradjel

Feb 4th, 2021 42m 55s

In today’s episode, I’m talking to my friend of almost twenty years, Jessica Kradjel. We trace the trajectory of our friendship from light rivalry in sixth grade Chorus class to long distance love throughout college and beyond.During this trip

Episode 58: What Friends Are For with Jessica Kradjel, Part 1

Feb 4th, 2021 43m 48s

Episode 57: Resilient Kindness with Zachary Cox

Jan 29th, 2021 59m 20s

Today, I'm talking to Zachary Cox. Zac is a Ph.D. student in the Disaster Science and Management program at The University of Delaware, and since April 2020 he has interviewed almost 100 people from different walks of life to find out how they'

Episode 56: Money Matters with Megan deBoer

Jan 21st, 2021 58m 25s

Today's episode is about the very grown-up topic of money. So many young adults, like myself, enter into a tough job market with a ton of student debt, little financial education, and no idea how to afford rent. It's easy to feel completely ove

Episode 55: Happiness is an Inside Job with Lizzie Finn

Jan 13th, 2021 59m 9s

Today's guest is my aunt, Lizzie Finn. We're talking about how Lizzie has grown through some difficult experiences in midlife (including chronic illness, divorce and empty nest syndrome) and the commonality she finds with young adults asking qu

Episode 54: Being More Human with Amber Haines

Dec 16th, 2020 55m 22s

Amber Haines is the author of Wild in the Hollow: On Chasing Desire and Finding the Broken Way Home (2015), a spiritual memoir about her search for freedom, belonging and true intimacy with God. Amber's book traces her path from an Evangelical

Episode 53: A Self-Care Visualization Inspired by Queer Eye

Sep 11th, 2020 25m 42s

This special episode invites you to think about how you can use your imagination to tap into different parts of yourself, parts that can see your gifts and strengths and offer you compassion and care. In the first half of the episode, I give s

Episode 52: What Was Missing with Khay Muhammad

Aug 27th, 2020 56m 19s

Recently, Khay Muhammad called me up to ask if we could do a follow-up to our conversation for Episode 45: Belonging in Yoga. Khay explained to me that something important was missing from that episode, and she wanted to make it right. This epi

Episode 51: How You Matter with Maya Sanyal, Part 2

Aug 14th, 2020 53m 37s

Maya Sanyal and I continue our conversation about purpose by getting a little deeper and more philosophical. Maya talks about how she responds to questions that many of us ask ourselves at some point in our lives when we are faced with trying f

Episode 50: How You Matter with Maya Sanyal, Part 1

Aug 13th, 2020 1h 9m

Maya Sanyal is many things: a career and academic counselor; a mentor and teacher; a writer; a friend; a loving dog mom; a passion skeptic; a purveyor of hope; a business woman. In Part 1 of our conversation, Maya and I talk about her career t

Episode 49: Wild Invocations with Ysabel Gonzalez, Part 2

Jul 31st, 2020 37m 41s

Ysabel Gonzalez and I continue our conversation about the poems in her collection Wild Invocations, which traces her journey from girlhood to womanhood. With fire and tenderness, these poems explore relationships and identity, expectations and

Episode 48: Wild Invocations with Ysabel Gonzalez, Part 1

Jul 30th, 2020 46m 3s

Ysabel Gonzalez's full-length collection of poetry, Wild Invocations (published by Get Fresh Books in 2019), is a juicy, earthy, sparkly, raw, raucous, contemplative gem. I'm lucky to call Ysabel my friend as well as my colleague at the Gerald