Then When

E14 - Then When? To Get Behind the Wheel!

You know that thing you've been putting off since basically forever? Not because you can't do it — but because you told yourself a story about why you shouldn't, can't, or won't? Yeah. This one's for you. This week Serina and Mary are getting into the sneaky, shape-shifting world of learned history — those old narratives baked into us from past experiences that quietly run the show when we're not paying attention. We're talking about the backlog item that won't leave you alone (look at me, look at me 👀), the skills you already have but still don't trust yourself with, and the difference between "not ready" and "just scared." Spoiler: you're probably ready. Also on the docket: Serina is finally — finally — returning to re-learning driving a stick shift until it feels natural 🚗, Mary is wrangling vegetables and work projects with behavioral science, and someone in the conversation recently signed up to get certified in sound therapy (we are CHEERING 🎶). Big moves happening over here, people. The invitation this episode? Try it on. What's the story you keep telling yourself that you're finally ready to put down? Let's walk through it together. 💛 ---------------------------------------- In this episode: 🎙️ * 📖 The stories we tell ourselves and how our learned history quietly runs the show * 🚗 Serina's manual transmission saga — a tale of a terrifying intersection, a kind stranger, and unfinished business * 🧠 Unhooking from "I'm not good enough or ready enough" — Mary gets real about the story that holds her back * 🎶 Big news: Serina signed up to pursue her sound therapy certification (parasympathetic nervous system girlie, incoming) * 💌 Why eulogizing people AFTER they're gone is a tragedy — and how to give your flowers NOW * 📊 The passion PowerPoint trend and why it's secretly one of the best antidotes to imposter syndrome * 🦎 Lizard energy makes a return — this time for running up hills, apparently * 🏃 Peach Tree Road Race, Bolder Boulder, Cooper River Run, and the wisdom of the lamppost method * 🥦 Brussels sprouts discourse (boiled baby cabbage: threat or menace?) * 🎯 Doing the hard thing first, the fun thing second: behavioral momentum in real life * 💬 Call to the community: what story are you ready to unhook from? ---------------------------------------- Links & Resources 🔗 * 🌐 Then When website: https://www.thenwhenpodcast.com/ [https://www.thenwhenpodcast.com/] * 💬 Join the Discord — drop your story, your then-when, or your hot take on Brussels sprouts: https://discord.com/invite/UYjfTPSdcQ [https://discord.com/invite/UYjfTPSdcQ] * 📱 Find us on TikTok & socials @thenwhenpod * 🎙️ Listen on all major podcast platforms — and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it 💛 ---------------------------------------- We'll see you in the then — so we can get to the when. 🤍 ---------------------------------------- #ThenWhen #ThenWhenPodcast #IfNotNowThenWhen #SomeDayIsToday #StoriesWeTellOurselves #UnhookYourself #LearnedHistory #SoundTherapy #PersonalGrowth #SelfTalk #MindsetShift #TryItOn #BreathWork #DoItScared #GiveYourFlowers #ManualTransmission #SmallSteps 🧠🚗🎶💛

E13 - Then When? To Hold Your Ground

Hold Your Ground (And Maybe Pull Some Weeds While You're At It) 🌿🔥 You know that feeling when someone crosses a line and your eyes start boiling? Yeah. We've been there. This week Serina and Mary get into the real, sometimes messy work of holding your boundaries — not just setting them and hoping for the best, but actually defending them in the moment, when it counts, when it's hard, and when a random text from your green-thumb bestie shows up exactly when you need it. ✨ Because here's the thing: your boundaries don't just get set once. They get tested. Constantly. And how you respond in those moments? That's where the growth is. That's the Then When. We also get into noticing your patterns (even in the laundry pile 🧺), redirecting hot energy into something useful (like tearing out dead shrubs and planning a raised garden 🌱), and why sometimes the best thing you can do is say, "I'm not making a decision right now because I'm not calm enough." That's not weakness, people. That's wisdom. P lus: grandmothers who did Jäger shots at 10am, sweet "no soap radio" memories, a surprise string quartet concert for a very lucky nephew 🎻, and a great-great-grandma who decided that if she couldn't have her daily whiskey, she was done. At 102. On her birthday. We stan a woman who holds the boundary. ---------------------------------------- In this episode: 🎙️ * 🔥 Why your boundaries will always get challenged — and what to do when they do * 🦎 Serina is a lizard (you'll have to listen to understand, but also: take up your space) * 🧠 The "molting stage" — shedding the hard shell and surviving the tender meatsies phase * 🛑 The power of pausing: "I'm not making a decision right now" * 🌿 How redirecting fierce energy into a then-when project can be genuinely healing * 👀 Body scans, pattern-noticing, and finishing the laundry all the way (Mary's growth arc 👏) * 🔬 Dr. Lisa Miller: when spirituality meets science (spoiler: Mary wants her on the pod) * 🎻 Knights of Tears — a live string quartet tribute to Hollow Knight & Silksong that Serina surprised her nephew with (in a cathedral, no less — absolutely breathtaking) * 😂 Two short jokes and one long joke. You've been warned. * 🥃 Great-grandma stories, 102-year-old boundary queens, and Jäger shots with grandma at 10am * 🎵 Sweet Caroline in the kitchen, Neil Diamond, Taylor Swift, and how someone's energy lives on in a song ---------------------------------------- Links & Resources 🔗 * 🎻 Knights of Tears — string quartet tribute to Hollow Knight & Silksong: knightsoftears.com [http://knightsoftears.com] * 🌐 Then When website: thenwhenpodcast.com [http://thenwhenpod.com] * 💬 Join the Discord — tell us YOUR then-when moment, your calling card of joy, or your best joke: thenwhenpod.com/discord [http://thenwhenpod.com/discord] ---------------------------------------- We'll see you in the then — so we can get to the when. 🤍 ---------------------------------------- #ThenWhen #ThenWhenPodcast #IfNotNowThenWhen #SomeDayIsToday #DoItNow #Boundaries #PersonalGrowth #NotTakingYourselfSoSeriously #HoldYourGround #MindsetShift #EnergyRedirect #SelfCare #CoreMemories #GrandmaWisdom #HollowKnight #KnightsOfTears #CottageIndustries 🎻🌿🔥🦎💛

E12 - Then When? Can I Have Your Attention, Please?

What happens when three ladies, a Lego set, and a two-year plan to play hockey all end up in the same recording session? This episode. 🏒 We welcomed the one and only Lisa Oestreicher to the podcast this week — Serina's longtime friend, certified Lisapedia, queen of handmade cookie cutters, and all-around creative force of nature. (Spoiler: she is not just one thing. She is, in her own words, a bunch of goblins in a trench coat — and honestly? Aren't we all. 🫂) We dove deep into the art of attention — how we manage it, lose it, fill it back up, and use it to stay connected with the people we love. Oh, and Serina tried to build a Lego set while recording. Live. With guests. Bold choice. Focus, focus, LET'S GO SKATE! 🛼😂 A huge shoutout to the Marietta History Museum 🏛️ — where Lisa works her magic as museum assistant, resident numbers whiz, and the creative brain behind some seriously awesome Big Chicken merch. 🐔 If you've never heard of the Big Chicken — Marietta's most iconic landmark and the OG pre-MapQuest GPS — well, now you have. Museum Nerd shirts, buttons, and stickers available in-store. Link in show notes. Yes, really. ---------------------------------------- In this episode: * 🧩 Serina attempts to build a Lego set mid-episode while holding a full conversation — a masterclass in multitasking OR chaos, depending on who you ask * 🎨 Lisa's creative life: handmade cookie cutters, museum merch, designing Big Chicken-themed goods, and being the human encyclopedia her husband aptly named "Lisapedia" * 🏛️ A love letter to the Marietta History Museum and the joy of local art, local history, and Museum Nerd merch (you need the shirt, trust us) * 🧠 How each of us finds our "attention sweet spot" — doodling, timers, fidget rocks, neo soul playlists, and more * 📱 Marco Polo app — the unofficial sponsor of Serina and Lisa's friendship, and honestly? It should be an official one. (Marco Polo, call us. Link in show notes 😂) * 🏒 Lisa's THEN WHEN: a two-year plan to play hockey at 47 — starting from scratch, building endurance, and doing it anyway. We are obsessed. * 💪 Breaking goals into consumable steps, celebrating small wins, and why "showing up IS the badass move" * 🪞 The quiet power of mirroring — how watching someone else pursue their goal lights a fire under the rest of us (Lisa's workout Marco Polos have Serina AND her mom moving more 🥹) * 💬 On receiving compliments gracefully — just say thank you. That's it. That's the whole thing. * 👩‍👧 Parenting with your whole heart, modeling boldness for your kids, and cheering on the feral little creative creatures they are ---------------------------------------- 🎙️ We want to hear from YOU. Do you have a THEN WHEN you're working toward — big, small, or somewhere in between? Are you your own version of Bambi on the ice, just showing up anyway? 🥺🏒 Come tell us about it in our Discord community! Drop your goals, your check-ins, your sweaty progress pics — we're here for ALL of it. Serina and Mary will be cheering you on. 👏 ---------------------------------------- We'll see you in the then — so we can get to the when. 💫 ---------------------------------------- Then When Links * Website: https://www.thenwhenpodcast.com/ [https://www.thenwhenpodcast.com/] #ThenWhenPodcast #KindnessMatters #SmallActsBigImpact #PayAttention #MariettaHistoryMuseum #BigChicken #MuseumNerd #AttentionIsAGift #CommunityOverEverything #GoalsAndGoblins 🐔🏒🎨🧩

E11 - Then When? Will You Love Yourself, Honey!

Then When Will You Love Yourself? 💛 Spoiler: the answer is now. In this episode, Serina and Mary drop in — warm, a little nerdy, and genuinely funny as they dig into what self-love actually looks like — not the polished, curated version, but the real, everyday, still-a-work-in-progress kind. From loving your past self (not just your future one) to joy replenishment, mirror talk, and the rituals that quietly refill your tank — this conversation is part therapy drop, part bestie chat, and 100% permission to finally be a little kinder to yourself. 🌸✨ Because the then when isn't someday. It's right here. ---------------------------------------- In this episode: * 💡 The quote that reframes everything: "Information doesn't change behavior — design does" * 🔙 Why loving your past self matters just as much as betting on your future self * 🌸 Self-acceptance vs. self-love — and why both are part of the journey * 🗣️ Talking to yourself like you'd talk to a friend (and why we're all terrible at this) * 🌊 Joy replenishment: what fills your tank? (dance nights, library trips, and secret forest coves all qualify) * 😂 Playful self-love questions that make you think AND laugh * 🌺 Mary on growing through body image, bullying, and what actually shifted * 🏺 Serina as the "glimmer keeper" — and why your lore-keeper friends are everything ---------------------------------------- We want to hear from YOU! 💬 Serina and Mary are posing these questions to the community — drop your answers in the Discord or the comments: 🌴 If self-love were a vacation destination, where would yours be?  🎤 What compliments do you freely give others that you should be giving yourself?  🏆 What's something you do really well that you tend to minimize or dismiss? (It doesn't have to be deep — bird whistles count!) 🚗 What's your favorite song to dance to in the car? (Don't lie, we all do it.) ---------------------------------------- We'll see you in the then — so we can get to the when. 🎙️💛 Join the conversation in our Discord and share your own then when moments! Then When Links * Website: www.thenwhenpodcast.com [https://www.thenwhenpodcast.com/] * Insta: https://www.instagram.com/thenwhenpod [https://www.instagram.com/thenwhenpod] * Discord: https://discord.com/invite/UYjfTPSdcQ [https://discord.com/invite/UYjfTPSdcQ] #ThenWhenPodcast #WhenWillYouLoveYourself #SelfLoveSeason #KindnessMatters #SmallActsBigImpact #LoveYourPastSelf #SelfAcceptance #JoyReplenishment #GlimmerKeeper #PersonalGrowth #YouAreEnough #PodcastCommunity 💛✨🌸

E10 - Then When? You're The Inspiration!

Ever notice how a single moment — a stranger's smile, an unexpected compliment, someone just showing up — can shift your whole day? ✨ That's what this episode is about. Serina and Mary get into the magic hiding inside everyday human interactions and why those small acts of kindness hit different than we give them credit for. 💛 This one's equal parts heartfelt and energizing, and honestly? It might make you want to call someone you love. 📲 We're talking about finding joy in the little things, what it actually looks like to support each other through growth and change, and why being vulnerable enough to share your story might be the most powerful thing you can do. 🌱 Plus — yes — we go on a whole tangent about weather and location, and somehow it gets deep. 🌦️ Don't question it, just trust the process. If you've ever been someone's reason to keep going without even knowing it, this episode is for you. 🫶 In this episode: * 💫 Why small acts of kindness carry more weight than we realize * 🎉 Celebrating tiny wins (and why they're not actually tiny) * 🌿 How nature, perspective shifts, and the people around you can change everything * 💪 Vulnerability as a superpower — not a weakness * 🎙️ The ripple effect of sharing your story ---------------------------------------- We'll see you in the then — so we can get to the when. 🎙️✨ #ThenWhenPodcast #PersonalGrowth #KindnessMatters #SmallActsBigImpact #Inspiration #Storytelling #Vulnerability #GrowthMindset #SpreadPositivity #PodcastCommunity #CelebrateTheWins #EverydayMagic #MindsetShift #SupportEachOther #YouGotThis