Tapping into the toolbox

Question of the week: Shoes... on or off on a plane?

This week we revisit last week's supermarket personality debate and discover that you're a wonderfully eclectic bunch. From the supermarket Shirley Bassey’s gliding elegantly through the aisles, to the Michael Schumacher’s treating Aldi like a Formula 1 circuit, and the Martin Lewis money saver’s meticulously comparing price per sheet, there really is a shopping style for everyone. Then onto this week's important question... Are you taking your shoes off on a flight? Is it perfectly acceptable once you're settled in for the journey, or should shoes remain firmly on from take-off to landing? And if you are taking them off, are you committing the ultimate travel crime and making a trip to the loo barefoot? As always, what starts as a simple question quickly turns into a full investigation. Fasten your seatbelts... this one's a bumpy ride.

Your vibe attracts your tribe

This week we’re talking about the magic that happens when you put yourself out there and find your people. Melissa is still riding the high from a weekend at Manifest, where she experienced the surreal joy of being recognised from the podcast and was reminded that your vibe really does attract your tribe. We also unpack our first experience of being trolled and what it means when not everyone is your cup of tea. Meanwhile, Liane returns from Mallorca with a fresh new rating system for restaurants and hotels (TripAdvisor, we’re available). We celebrate some brilliant humans in Braggers Corner, share the Glory of the Ordinary and, as always, finish with gratitude. Connection, courage, community and questionable hotel reviews… just another week at The Rise and Hive.

Question of the week: What's your supermarket personality?

This week we revisit last week’s holiday unpacking debate and are pleased to report that most people are firmly in the unpack-on-arrival camp, albeit with varying levels of organisation. Liane also discovers that she and Ed share an almost identical approach to holiday protocol, leading to the conclusion that they could quite happily become travel buddies. Then onto this week’s important question… What’s your supermarket personality? Are you calmly browsing the aisles, comparing prices and calculating the cost per sheet of toilet roll? Or are you treating the supermarket like an episode of Supermarket Sweep, flying through the aisles with the energy of a Tasmanian devil and absolutely no intention of stopping to compare anything? Liane admits she’s the person holding everyone up while she works out which option represents the best value, much to the frustration of anyone shopping with her. Meanwhile, Melissa’s approach can best be described as “grab first, think later.” As always, what starts as a simple question reveals far more about us than we’d like. Short, snappy and likely to expose your shopping habits.

Making waves

This week, Liane and Melissa have their first official tiff. The cause? Instagram captions. Don’t worry, we work through it on the podcast, and we’re pleased to report that our friendship remains intact. We also dive into a conversation about your invisible reputation and how easy it is to underestimate the impact you can have on another person. A kind word. An encouraging message. A conversation you barely remember. You never really know what someone is carrying, what they’ll take from that interaction, or how far the effect of it might travel. Because when you positively impact one person, that impact rarely stops there. It ripples outwards. They show up differently for their family, friends, colleagues and communities. The effect reaches people you’ll never meet and places you’ll never see. It’s a reminder that the smallest actions can often have the biggest consequences, and that we all have far more influence than we realise. Elsewhere, in Glory of the Ordinary, the bin saga continues. Melissa is still waiting for her food waste bin, while reports are emerging of bin wagons attempting to collect bins that hadn’t even been delivered yet.  We celebrate some brilliant people in Braggers Corner, and finish as always with gratitude. Friendship. Ripples. Reputation. And a developing bin scandal. Just another week at The Rise and Hive. 💛

Question of the week: Do you unpack on holiday?

This week we revisit last week’s Yorkshire pudding debate and can confirm what we suspected all along… Everyone loves a Yorkshire pudding. There was plenty of appreciation for the frozen variety, but let’s be honest, they’re no substitute for the real thing. Crispy, homemade and taking up far too much room on the plate. Then onto this week’s important question… What’s your approach to unpacking when you arrive on holiday? Are you straight into the wardrobe, organising your outfits by day and settling in immediately? Or are you living out of a suitcase until the very last minute? Both Liane and Melissa are firm believers in unpacking as soon as they arrive. Why spend a week rummaging through a suitcase? And if you’re not unpacking at all, we have one pressing question… Where are you putting your dirty knickers? As always, what starts as a simple question quickly spirals into a full investigation. Short, snappy and surprisingly revealing.