The Normal Mess

Come As You (Mostly) Are

**Warning: This episode contains brief references to intimate partner emotional violence. Those references are toward the end of the episode. If you or someone you love is experiencing intimate partner violence (emotional, physical, or both), there are resources available to help. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at: 1.800.799.SAFE (7233), or can be reached by texting “START” to 88788.**   Ashley and Cayce are both notoriously slow to a trend, except for Ashley when it comes to music, who wants the record to permanently reflect that Spotify told her last year her listening age is 21. We love Ted Lasso (though it is Cayce’s fault it took Ashley this long to get on board), Jane Austen is forever in style, and where do you stand on the orange juice to champagne ratio in a mimosa?! Hint: soccer is to orange as lovable characters is to champagne.   Then, we get spicy about a topic that is, as we have learned, controversial: we think you should bring the whole of who you are to work (within reason, and with clothes on, please). There, we said it! Don’t “at” us, journalists who keep insisting we are wrong. Nothing ever changes if nothing ever changes, and we think your whole self deserves a seat at the table. Ashley rants about “executive presence,” Cayce delivers actionable tips, and we talk about paper dolls.   We end with The Normal Mess IRL, plus a glimmer. Ashley is annoyed by the humans whose first day of earth alwaysseems to happen in airports, and Cayce’s dog needs to cool it on the fertilizer. But: God bless girlfriends and flowers, amiright?!   It’s real and it’s funny, and sometimes it’s real funny. But also, it’s no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We’d love to hear from you:   Instagram & TikTok:@thenormalmess Email: thenormalmess@gmail.com

PLAY.

Cayce has a revelation about her many beverages, and we formally petition to bring back the single-girl-20s multi-hour brunch! Then, Ashley has to talk about her dreams. Why are there so many animals, what does it mean to dream about monkeys, and why is she slapping her husband in the face at 3 am? The monkey dreams were an easter egg, apparently, because this episode is all about... PLAY. We talk about it endlessly for our kids, but not for ourselves. And we think that is a mistake. How do adults play, and why is it so important that we do? Ashley has research and a funtivity (MAJOR shoutout to the National Institute for Play [https://nifplay.org/] on this one), Cayce shares brilliant insight from the always-incredible Brené Brown, and you are welcome for the free tour inside an ADHD brain. We close it out with a round of Flamingo Cards, and let's just say this: Cayce's candle smells MUCH better than Ashley's. It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you: Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess Email: thenormalmess@gmail.com

Tall Poppies & Hypewomen

The Normal Mess is back for Season Two, and we have THOUGHTS. Specifically, we have thoughts about the ridiculous number of places we have both been since we were last on a mic together. We also have cute mugs, new hobbies, and podcast-changing announcements. Spoiler alert: The Normal Mess is now a WEEKLY PODCAST. Are we podcasting every week until we die? Only time will tell, Messy Besties. Only time will tell. This week, we are tackling a topic we circled in Season One but have not addressed head on until now: Tall Poppy Syndrome. Who is King Tarquin the Proud, and why are we still chopping down the tallest poppies in the field, centuries later? Girl on girl crime is still rampant, but we think (in a completely unbiased way, obviously) Millennials might just be the ones to save the world. Tarquin and mean girls be damned, we prefer a garden with a slew of Tall Poppies, and we have the solution: HYPEWOMEN. Cayce blesses us with Buddhist wisdom, Ashley gets feisty about body image, and our kids provide an occasional soundtrack to remind listeners that this is, in fact, still The Normal Mess. We conclude with a new game we invented: Who is your inner celebrity weirdo? Cayce has a freak flag, and Ashley needs to remain clothed while playing bongos. It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you: Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess Email: thenormalmess@gmail.com

Live from New York, It's The Normal Mess and InsHER!

Surprise! Despite our best efforts to take an actual break during this season break, we couldn't stay away from you, Messy Besties! So... we headed to New York and recorded our FIRST EVER LIVE EPISODE, WITH AN AUDIENCE, and it also happened to be our first podcast mashup. In this episode, we shamelessly ride the coattails of InsHER, one of the coolest podcasts that you can listen to now. I mean, wait until you listen to this episode, then go listen to it. That's right: we sat down with THE Megan Bell, host of the InsHER Podcast (go follow and subscribe!), to discuss a topic that is as near and dear to our hearts as it is fitting: grabbing the mic. What does it mean to "grab the mic"? Does it mean you're taking it from someone else? How do you grab the mic if your voice is shaking? And... what is the Dunning Kruger effect?! Unsurprisingly, Ashley Googles. Surprisingly, we have a sponsor! We talk about leadership, confidence, pasta, and... Kate Winslet?! In short, we grab the mic. Thank you to our 100+ live audience members, our sponsors, and of course... our friend and fellow hype woman, Megan Bell. She's the host of the InsHER Podcast, in case we didn't mention that. :) See you on May 7 for the start of Season 2!

The Season One Finale: Messy Besties Talk Neuroscience!

It's the Season One Finale of The Normal Mess, and Ashley and Cayce saved the best for last. And by that we mean: we talked to an actual, human, real-life neuroscientist (instead of Google!) about all our messiest questions from the past nine episodes! That's right: joining the pod for our first interview and the final episode of the season is... DR. EMILY CROSS! Cognitive neuroscientist, mom of two, all-around brilliant human, and self-proclaimed MESSY BESTIE (oh, did we not mention we finally have a name for you beautiful listeners?!), Dr. Cross is here to dole out neuroscience wisdom, a series of much-needed permission slips, and a swear word or two (we knew we loved her). We talk busy traps, FOPO, full chalance, and more, and we confirm our suspicions that moms do, in fact, have an evolutionary edge. (We're basically the equivalent of the first human to walk on two feet. You heard it here first.) Then, Ashley and Cayce reflect on the experience of bringing The Normal Mess to life, and we talk about what comes next. Hint: Netflix renewed us for a Season Two. JK. Netflix doesn't know we exist. But we are coming back! Follow our socials to keep up with us on our short break, and stay tuned for our Season Two Premiere! And in the mean time, go hug your girlfriends. And consider yourselves hugged by us. We appreciate and love you, Messy Besties! See you soon! It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you: Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess thenormalmess@gmail.com