I'm a Hick, I'll Kill You: Tradition x Marcus Aurelius

My Mom Made Me This Way x Debbie Woodson

This episode is a love letter to shared stories. Caroline and her mom talk about growing up immersed in books, theatre and music; and how those shared experiences became their favorite stories. From sneaking into sketchy purse buildings in New York to crying at concerts, revisiting Wicked, and reading The Penderwicks out loud, this conversation is about how culture becomes family tradition.

Doers Vs. Talkers x Virginia Woolf

In this episode, Caroline takes you from her college commencement speech to Virginia Woolf to summer camp crushes. This month’s theme is tradition: the lovely parts we inherit, the darker parts we try not to repeat, and the bizarre fact that women couldn’t get approved for their own credit cards until fifty years ago. Caroline unpacks a line from To the Lighthouse, spirals lovingly through Woolf trivia, and talks about how our lives stack on top of each other like messy little family heirlooms. She reviews God of the Woods (no spoilers, she hasn’t finished it), explains why she watched Minx exclusively for Nick Miller, and shares why the play God of Carnage might be the truest thing ever written about “civilized” adults. And then, of course, a story about a summer camp crush named Ian—because what’s tradition without a rite of passage? Full of books, plays, TV, nostalgia, and tiny human illuminations, this episode is a reminder that all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves… but she may be wrong.

I'm a Hick, I'll Kill You: Tradition x Marcus Aurelius

Caroline kicks off a month on tradition with a trio of touchstones that somehow make perfect sense together: the grounded wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, the chaotic comfort of apocalyptic cartoons, and the heart-thumping emotional messiness of Sally Rooney’s novels. These become her compass points as she digs into why we crave routine, community and the tiny rituals that keep us steady—even when the world feels like it’s tilting. (A waitress shouting “I’m a hick, I’ll kill you” makes a cameo, but only to prove the point.) External Sources Highlighted: * Meditations — Marcus Aurelius * Carol and the End of the World * Beautiful World, Where are You? by Sally Rooney * “In the Airplane Over the Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel

Dissecting the Bird (and Other Ways to Miss the Point) x Charles Dickens

At a unicorn pajama party in California, Caroline finds herself running games, managing cupcakes, and teaching seven-year-olds the power of a good thank-you note. From Peppy’s birthday to Dickens’ ghosts, this episode is about gratitude, presence, and remembering how much we already have—stuffed ravens and all. This week's episode finishes out our month focusing on gratitude and talks about the TV show "Beef", Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous", and the song "Dissect the Bird".

Tiny Spaces, Big Hearts x A.A. Milne

What starts as a Facebook Marketplace rescue mission for a $30 pink chair turns into a reflection on how (and with what) we fill our lives — and our hearts. This week, Caroline traces a very college-theater-kid kind of furniture saga back to Piglet’s reminder that even a small heart can hold a large amount of gratitude. There’s a little Winnie-the-Pooh lore, a little Sally Rooney, a song, a movie, a poem about lactose, and a lot of talk about how friends, furniture, and feelings end up furnishing our lives.