From "Mom" to "Mum": What Living in the UK Taught My Daughter

Things We Didn't Appreciate Until They Broke

What happens when your hot water disappears for two weeks? Or when you lose heat during Christmas? Or when you grow up without things that everyone now considers essential? This week on Hopelessly Unedited, Ronit and Cate talk about the everyday conveniences we rarely think about until they're gone. From cold showers and hand-washed clothes to public bathrooms, refrigerators, rapid shipping, and WiFi, we explore the things we take for granted and what happens when life reminds us how lucky we really are. Also discussed: * Growing up without hot water or a refrigerator * Why French public bathrooms shocked us * The secret life of locked televisions * Surviving winter without heat * Mongolia without GPS * Same-day delivery as modern magic * And a device Ronit somehow didn't know existed after decades of friendship As always: no script, minimal editing, and plenty of detours.

I Saw Something I Still Can't Explain | Paranormal Experiences

In this episode of Hopelessly Unedited, Ronit shares two paranormal experiences that have stayed with her for decades. The first happened when she was a teenager visiting Malaysia. Looking out a car window one night, she witnessed a scene that appeared to involve Japanese soldiers and a bound prisoner. The next day, she returned to the location and found only an abandoned hut. The second experience began after participating in a Ouija board session at school and ended with a sudden recovery from a mysterious illness. Joined by Dannah in South Korea and Steveen in London, the conversation explores ghosts, residual hauntings, cultural beliefs, time, perception, and whether some experiences can be explained by science, spirituality, or something in between. Were these ghosts, imprints from the past, coincidence, or something else entirely? We don't know. But we're sharing the stories anyway. #Paranormal #GhostStories #Unexplained #Podcast #HopelesslyUnedited

What Most People Get Wrong About Vodou | With Steveen Ulysses

When most people hear the word "Vodou," they think of Hollywood movies, zombies, curses, and dolls. In this episode, Ronit sits down with PhD researcher Steveen Ulysses to talk about the reality of Haitian Vodou. They discuss its roots in West Africa, the influence of Catholicism, the role Vodou plays in everyday life, and how centuries of misunderstanding have shaped public perception. Steveen also shares insights from his doctoral research, explains why Vodou is often better understood as a cultural inheritance rather than a single religion, and discusses the challenges of preserving traditions while correcting misconceptions. If your knowledge of Vodou comes mostly from movies and television, this conversation might surprise you.

From "Mom" to "Mum": What Living in the UK Taught My Daughter

In Part 2 of our UK grad school series, Dannah shares the cultural side of studying at the University of Manchester. We talk about British slang, student life, traveling across Europe, orientation in the UK, and the surprising ways living abroad can change how you see the world. Along the way, we compare American and British English, discuss party culture, museums, travel mishaps, and whether studying overseas is worth it. A relaxed conversation about education, travel, and growing through new experiences.

Apparently Hawaii Wasn't Far Enough | Grad School in the UK (Part 1)

After choosing Hawaii for undergrad, our daughter somehow decided that wasn't far enough and moved to England for graduate school. In Part 1, Dee talks about why she chose the University of Manchester over USC and University College London, what it was like arriving alone in the UK, navigating housing, banking, roommates, and the surprises of living abroad for the first time. We also talk about graduate school rankings, student housing, international students, and why free city Wi-Fi isn't always as free or useful as advertised. No script. No heavy editing. Just an honest conversation about studying overseas and figuring things out as you go.