The Soft Spot

I've Been Emotionally Blackmailed by Hollywood

Settle in with some popcorn and a comically large beverage baby, because we're going to the movies! Fiona and Elsa are joined by their friend Emile Bertherat who also moonlights as a film critic, educator, and diehard fan. They discuss how film is a form of translatable language, what makes a story right for the big screen, and the therapeutic aspects of cinema. Plus, how can you use the sweeping drama of, say, Ridley Scott's The Gladiator to feel better about the silly inconveniences of your own life?

Wake Up Babe, It's Time to Doomscroll!

Feeling down about what you've been seeing on the news? Us, too! Join Fiona and Elsa for a chat with media & war specialist Noémie Oxley and AFP journalist Jurgen Hecker, both professors at the American University of Paris. They share insights from their respective fields and discuss what makes something news, personal and global context colliding, and why not all emotions are necessarily actionable. What does it mean to reclaim agency over our emotions and the way we consume news? *Please note this episode contains brief descriptions of war and violence.

Is It Shoegaze or Is It Cake?

Unbuckle your belt for round two of the Big Feelers Musical Dinner Party. Elsa and Fiona talk about getting jabbed in the soul by James Blake, why kids these days are bringing back shoegaze (ft. Cocteau Twins and Slowdive), and why Fiona's embarrassed to listen to Mitski. Plus, we talk about SZA's self-sacrificial prose and existential pints with The Clientele. And of course, who's bringing moldy fruit to the table?

Night at the Museum 5: Swole Baby Jesus

Fiona and Elsa are joined by their friend Sara Wynn, a textile artist based in Paris. In this episode, they discuss the visual primacy of self-expression, what facets of museum design invite emotion (see: light, RAMPS, and well-proportioned horses) and the shock of seeing your interior world reflected back at you. They also share stories of when art hit them smack bang in the feels.

Can I Book the Crying Room for Noon?

In this episode, a very sick Fiona and Elsa discuss the pros and cons of the dreaded cry in public. They explore the science behind public crying, how other countries make space for public displays of emotion (or not), and the personal data analytics of tears. They enlist the help of friends from all over to tell stories of their most memorable display of emotion at inopportune moments.