Episode 400: We Mark A Milestone with Kate Spencer

Summary

Forever35 – Episode 400: We Mark A Milestone with Kate Spencer

Hosts: Doree Shafrir & Elise Hu
Guest: Kate Spencer
Date: May 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

Celebrating the landmark 400th full-length episode, Doree and Elise reunite with original co-host Kate Spencer for a joyful, wide-ranging conversation infused with humor and candid self-care talk. The trio reflects on the evolution of the Forever35 podcast, the value of self-care practices, parenting teens, sleep hacks, Costco finds, and updates from Kate’s creative life. The episode strikes a balance between nostalgia, practical life tips, and lively banter, making it accessible both to long-time listeners and newcomers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcast Milestone Reflections

[02:12–08:07]

• Eight Years & 400+ Episodes: Doree, Elise, and Kate reminisce about the start of Forever35, the transition from in-person to remote recordings during COVID, and the evolution of podcasting itself.
  • "This podcast has been part of my life for the past, you know, eight years. It just feels like... my life now." – Doree [03:34]
• Dropping Episode Numbers: They’re discontinuing episode numbering to be more welcoming to new listeners, acknowledging feedback about “gatekeeping.”
  • "We’ve gotten advice that it is sort of gatekeepy to have the Numbers on here because it makes... new listeners feel overwhelmed." – Elise [02:47]
• Changes in Structure: "Mini episodes" are now absorbed into the Monday main feed, increasing accessibility.

2. Kate Spencer Returns: Catching Up

[13:41–15:22]

• Kate receives a warm and playful welcome, joking about ousting Oprah for the 400th slot.
  • "Oprah or me? And I appreciate... Oprah couldn’t do it." – Kate [14:54]
• Prompted by the hosts, Kate shares her most recent self-care practice.

3. Self-Care Spotlight: The Pep Talk Journal

[15:30–18:05]

• Kate’s new evening ritual centers around a “pep talk journal”: nightly checklists, positive affirmations, and reflections help structure her mornings and foster positive self-talk, a longstanding challenge.
  • "I kind of write myself like a positive message. Or I find a quote... I’ve never seen a journal where you just like talk positively to yourself as well." – Kate [17:13]
• Elise introduces the Snoop Dogg "Affirmation Song" as a lighthearted tool for self-worth (with a link promised in show notes).
  • "My feelings matter and then you repeat it... I choose to feel happy. My family loves me so much." – Elise [18:11]

4. Parenting Teens in 2026

[19:31–23:25]

• Kate and Elise discuss the unique challenges and rewards of raising teenagers, including shifts in music (Tame Impala, A$AP Rocky) and cultural influences.
  • "The culture... disseminates very quickly. So yeah, they are Tame Impala-ing." – Kate [21:18]
• The hosts highlight the joys in seeing their kids rediscover old music and learning to respect their evolving tastes.
  • "How beautiful to get to witness them discovering something even if it’s super old." – Elise [22:39]

5. New Creative Pursuits: Watercolor and Writing

[23:32–24:43]

• Kate finds fulfillment in local watercolor classes, relishing adult learning and cross-generational friendships.
  • "I love it. It’s been really rewarding... Just like, I enjoy... being told what to do." – Kate [23:53]
• She is working on several new writing projects in their early stages.

6. Sleep Self-Care & The Strategist Feature

[31:04–35:12]

• Kate details her intricate sleep routine, featuring a CPAP machine (for sleep apnea), sleep bonnets, specialized pillows, and a gratitude journal.
  • Memorable Quote: "I’m like a sleep gearhead." – Kate [34:21]
• The CPAP has been life-changing, marking a huge improvement in sleep quality and daytime energy.
  • "The sleep apnea diagnosis and the CPAP machine... has changed my life." – Kate [34:35]
• Discussion of favorite alarm clocks and striving for tech-light sleep environments.

7. Book & Audiobook Recommendations

[38:07–42:28]

• Romance & Memoir: Kate is still loyal to Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarian series, recommends Rachel Reid’s Game Changers, and enjoys a memoir listening spree (notably Lena Dunham, Bell Burden).
  • "I’ve been on kind of an audiobook memoir tear." – Kate [39:23]
• She’s also reading along with her daughter’s school assignments and enthuses about Swift River by Essie Chambers as a gripping, lyrical debut.

8. Costco Faves & Life Hacks

[42:31–46:56]

• Current Obsessions: Kate shares her current Costco picks: Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend coffee, Meiji Choco Rooms, Kirkland ramen broth, and frozen shrimp tempura (tip: great for shrimp tacos).
  • "Shrimp tempura... is also great to eat as a shrimp taco." – Doree [45:22]
• The hosts bemoan the limits of counter-depth fridges versus deep freezers, share “garage fridge” memories, and joke about the luxury and expense of Erewhon prepared foods.

9. Listener Connections & Where to Find Kate

[48:08–49:02]

• Kate points listeners to katespencerwrites.com, her monthly newsletter (with journaling and book recs), and active Instagram stories (her grid is minimal now by design).

10. Intentions & Closing

[49:15–52:37]

• Doree and Elise set intentions for the week—trip planning, summer logistics, resuming strength training, and “adulting” tasks like medical appointments.
• Doree confirms she’ll “figure out the summer” for her family, while Elise shares her own healthcare navigation journey.
  • "My intention is going to be to adult, you know, sure. Book those appointments. Be an adult." – Elise [52:31]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Everything old is new again. I mean, this is now like the, like the 4th 15th. Pivot to video." – Doree [06:12]
• "We listen to it’s like non stop Tame Impala and ASAP Rocky... I'll be in the car, like, bopping to the Grateful Dead, and then one of them gets in... we're back in the Tame Impala cycle." – Kate [19:49]
• "I just try to like bop along and find the songs I enjoy... but you don't want to enjoy it too much because then you seem cringe..." – Elise [23:01]
• "It is so much. It's a lot." (on her sleep gear routine) – Kate [34:18]
• "You know how some people are gearheads for cycling? I'm like a sleep gearhead." – Kate [34:21]
• "I loved them." (on Ice Planet Barbarians) – Kate [38:07]

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Recommended Resources & Recap Links

• Snoop Dogg’s “Affirmation Song” for both kids and adults: positive self-affirmations set to music [18:13].
• Kate’s Pep Talk Journal: Nightly checklist plus positive affirmations left open on the bedside to shape mornings [15:45–18:05].
• Audiobook Recommendations: Lena Dunham’s memoir, Bell Burden, Rachel Reid's Game Changers series.
• Book Rec: Swift River by Essie Chambers [41:45].

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Podcast Milestone and Reflections: [02:12–08:07]
• Kate Spencer Returns: [13:41–15:22]
• Self-Care Journal: [15:30–18:05]
• Parenting Teens: [19:31–23:25]
• Creative Pursuits: [23:32–24:43]
• Sleep Journey & Gear: [31:04–35:12]
• Book Recommendations: [38:07–42:28]
• Costco Round-up: [42:31–46:56]
• Where to Find Kate: [48:08–49:02]
• Weekly Intentions: [49:15–52:37]

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Tone & Takeaways

This episode is warm, funny, and brimming with practical wisdom and real-life self-care strategies. Kate’s presence brings a nostalgic yet forward-looking vibe to the milestone celebration, and listeners get actionable tips on everything from morning motivation and sleep hygiene to Costco shopping and intentional parenting.

Standing invitation: Kate is welcome back anytime, much to the delight of both hosts and listeners.

Transcript

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[Dory Shafrier]

Hello and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things we we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Dory Shafrier.

[Elise Hu]

And I'm Elise Hu. And we're just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.

[Dory Shafrier]

And today is a very special episode.

[Elise Hu]

It's officially the 400th full length episode of Forever 35.

[Dory Shafrier]

Wow.

[Elise Hu]

There are more than 400 in total. It's probably like more like 700 something in total because there are many apps.

[Dory Shafrier]

There are many apps.

[Elise Hu]

But as for the Monday full length episodes, this is episode number 400 and we are also going to stop numbering them from here on out because we have gotten advice that it is sort of gatekeepy to have the Numbers on here because it makes. It could make.

[Dory Shafrier]

It seems overwhelming.

[Elise Hu]

New listeners feel overwhelmed. So welcome in if you are new. We are going to have fresh episodes on the main feed every Monday going forward. And we're collapsing the episodes formerly known as mini apps that were on Wednesday. We're collapsing those into Monday apps that are going to appear every other Monday. So we're going to be with you weekly now on Mondays and then additionally on our Patreon on Fridays with a casual chat for those of you who want to join the patreon, but. Happy 400th door.

[Dory Shafrier]

Happy 400th I have been here. I have been here for the whole time. The whole time.

[Elise Hu]

Are you feeling wistful? Are there any, like, standouts, memories from this journey?

[Dory Shafrier]

Well, it's just. It's like really hard for me to wrap my head around.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

How many episodes. Which I guess is why we're not numbering them anymore. It's even hard for me to wrap my head around it. Yeah. I mean, you know, in a way, it's like, oh, I've just, you know, I've been doing this. This podcast has been part of my life for the past, you know, eight years. It just feels like this is like my life now. But I sort of look back on where things were when we started, and it's like so much has changed.

[Elise Hu]

Because you started in person, right?

[Dory Shafrier]

We started in person. We would record at either Kate's house or my house. We would bring all. Sammy would come. Sammy lived in LA still. Sammy would come and, like, you know, engineer the recording.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, my gosh.

[Dory Shafrier]

We had all this equipment.

[Elise Hu]

How did you find Sammy? Both Sammies. What is the story?

[Dory Shafrier]

Sammy Junio we found through a woman that used to work with Matt.

[Kate Spencer]

Okay.

[Dory Shafrier]

But she referred us to Sammy. And I remember we. I was still working at Buzzfeed and our office at the time was in like a. At a sound stage essentially on Sunset. And there was a coffee shop in, like, on the street level. And I had Kate and Sammy meet me there because I was working. So I just, like, went downstairs and met them for coffee. And I remember Sammy came in on their scooter. They're like Vespa or something. And was in, like, a leather jacket. We were like, sammy's so cool.

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

I don't know. Sammy might be too cool for us. They still are. They still are. Still are.

[Elise Hu]

Yes.

[Dory Shafrier]

The rest is history. And then during COVID we started recording remotely. I mean, we used to have. Do our guests in person, too.

[Elise Hu]

So it was like totally different era.

[Dory Shafrier]

It was different. People had to be in la. Sometimes we would coordinate with people when they were like, making a stop on their tour. But, like, it was. I feel like it really skewed heavily towards people who, who lived in la. So doing it remotely, like, really opened up our guest capabilities. Right, right. And then when lockdown sort of ended, we were like, well, it's so much easier to just do it remotely. And it's sort of funny now, now that people are doing video podcasts, the in person recording has kind of come back.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

Because people are doing it in studios.

[Elise Hu]

Right.

[Dory Shafrier]

But yeah, that's just like a different. A different thing.

[Elise Hu]

Everything old is new again.

[Dory Shafrier]

Everything old is new again. I mean, those of us who have been in like the digital media space for a long time, such as myself, I mean, this is now like the, like the 4th 15th. Pivot to video. Pivot to video.

[Elise Hu]

Every time there was a pivot to video, it. Well, now looking back, it seems like it was driven by some platform. Right. Like there was a pivot to video driven by Facebook. Now there's a pivot to video for another monetary reason. It's because, like, YouTube wants it or Spotify wants it. And so, I don't know. I mean, I started in video, I started in television, so it's. I like it anyway, but I find all of these platforms to be money grubbing and not worthy of my trust. So we will see. We will see what happens.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Either way, every time there's a pivot to video, because I spend this time being skeptical about it and then I probably miss out on those early rush, you know, that flood of money that comes in at the very beginning before things bottom out.

[Dory Shafrier]

No, for sure. I mean, me too. I'm always like, well, this won't last. Yeah. So anyway, yeah, it's been a wild journey, but for the 400th episode, we decided it'd be fun to bring back the one and only Kate Horse Spencer.

[Elise Hu]

Kate Horse Spencer.

[Dory Shafrier]

That's what we said. Is that her middle name?

[Elise Hu]

No, I like it. I mean, I have a living middle daughter whose middle name is Rock, so, you know, it's cool.

[Dory Shafrier]

There you go. Yeah. Because we had, we had Kate on when her last book was coming out, but we hadn't really had her back on for just like a chit chat. So it was really fun to get to catch up with her and get her in front of a microphone again.

[Elise Hu]

She figured it out. She was like, oh, I speak here. Yeah, she's got it.

[Dory Shafrier]

I think, you know, people have Been listening to the POD for a while. Will enjoy the conversation. If you haven't listened to the POD for a while, I think you will also enjoy the conversation. So, yeah, it was a good time. But what. What's new with you, Elise?

[Elise Hu]

Well, on the topic of Kate Spencer, actually, we went to Independent Bookstore Day, which was last Saturday.

[Dory Shafrier]

Cool.

[Elise Hu]

As of this recording. So it would be a week from this past Saturday for those of you all hearing this episode. And on Indie Bookstore Day, I went to a new indie bookstore in my neighborhood on the west side of LA called Good Girl Books.

[Dory Shafrier]

And I saw their. Their Tick Tock was, like, served to me. And so I. I followed a bit of their, like, journeying out of their store. Yeah. So it's exciting to hear that they're open.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, they were open. And I took Ava, my eldest daughter, in order to find some books. And we get in there and along the back side of the cash wrap, they had local authors. They did featured books from local authors. And so they had some of our favorites here at forever 35. They had Alyssa Sussman, they had Lisa. See, they had Stuart Gibbs, who writes all those YA and children's books. He's like, in Marina. And at the very end, Ava picks up a book and she was like, oh, this is clearly Enemies to Lovers. And then she reads the back of it and it's like, oh. And then one steamy night turns into two, turns into more, and she's like, super into it. And it turns out it was one last summer by the one and only Kate Spencer.

[Dory Shafrier]

Kate Horse Spencer.

[Elise Hu]

Kate Horace Spencer. And Ava didn't know that we were connected and that we were friends or any of this, but she wanted the book. And then she also got hand sold to other Enemies to Lovers books by the booksellers there who really knew their stuff. Because Ava has a very specific subgenre she's into. It's enemies to lovers with murder.

[Dory Shafrier]

Okay, okay, Ava.

[Elise Hu]

So she was. So she was sold. She was sold an Enemies to Lovers ghost tale because the booksellers were like, there was a murder. That's how one of them wound up as a ghost.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, my God.

[Elise Hu]

She's like, okay, that's so funny. Okay, so I'm getting. I'm getting some bits and bobs of the one last summer story told to me in the car on the way to school in the mornings.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, my gosh. I love that. Okay. So fun. I'll have to go check out that store. I'm excited.

[Elise Hu]

Yes. When you're out on this side of town perhaps before the Lena Dunham event coming up.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh yes, yes.

[Elise Hu]

You could stop and pick up some books.

[Dory Shafrier]

Very excited about that. If you too are going to the LA Lena Dunham event, let us know. All right. Well, we are going to get to our dear friend Kate. I mean Kate really needs no introduction.

[Elise Hu]

Nope.

[Dory Shafrier]

She used to host this podcast. She's written so many great books.

[Elise Hu]

Enemies to Lovers Books.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yes, great. Some great Enemies to Lovers books. Before we get to her, just a reminder that our voicemail number is 781-591-0390. You can email us at forever35podcastmail.com. We are still going to be doing what used to be called mini episodes. We haven't landed on a great name for those yet, but we will. But we will be doing these sort of like mailbag episodes. So keep the questions coming. 781-591-0390 forever35podcast Gmail com. Our website is forever35podcast.com. We have links there to everything we and our guests mention on the show. Our Instagram is @forever35podcast and our Patreon is patreon.com forever35 at the free level you get our semi monthly newsletter which is super fun. And then for $5 a month you also get our casual chat which is now on video. Those are weekly. We do live casual chats every quarter. You have access to our little community chat in the Patreon app. And then at $10 a month, you also get ad free episodes and a shout out on the podcast each and every month. So we will be right back with Kate.

[Elise Hu]

We'll be right back.

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[Elise Hu]

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[Kate Spencer]

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[Dory Shafrier]

Well, well, well. Look who we have here.

[Kate Spencer]

Look what the cat dragged in. I'm literally the cat. I'm the cat.

[Dory Shafrier]

You're the cat.

[Kate Spencer]

I dragged myself in.

[Dory Shafrier]

You dragged yourself in.

[Kate Spencer]

Hello, Dory. Hello, Elise. Hi. Hello.

[Dory Shafrier]

So nice to see you.

[Elise Hu]

And to be clear, we invited you because it is a huge anniversary. Do you know this, Kate?

[Kate Spencer]

I do, because Sammy Reed, project manager extraordinaire of the pod, in the headline to the email that Sammy sent to me, it said 400th episode. And I was like, how and what? And then I thought back in time to 2018. That's a long time.

[Dory Shafrier]

A lot has changed.

[Kate Spencer]

The whole world.

[Dory Shafrier]

The whole world has changed.

[Kate Spencer]

It's wild. Yes.

[Elise Hu]

The president is the same as it was though, you know?

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah. And for that, I want to crawl into my bed and never come out. But I'm happy to be here.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yes. So we were like, who would be a more fitting guest for our 400th episode than one and only Kate Spencer?

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah. Oprah or me? And I appreciate the. Oprah couldn't do it.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. She had a conflict.

[Dory Shafrier]

So, I mean, here you are between us. We turned her down.

[Kate Spencer]

You did? I knew it.

[Dory Shafrier]

She really wanted to come on. And we were like, sorry, Oprah, we've had. We have Kate Spencer available.

[Kate Spencer]

So she was like offering.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, you're gonna have to wait for the 401st episode.

[Kate Spencer]

Well, I'm very happy to be here.

[Dory Shafrier]

So, Kate, you know, we always ask our guests about a self care practice that they have. You might have even come up with this.

[Kate Spencer]

No idea.

[Dory Shafrier]

But I feel like you have had a lot of self care practices over the years and I'm wondering if there is something that you are doing right now that maybe you know is new since you were last on.

[Kate Spencer]

I actually have a new practice that I have been doing for about a month. Okay. And the name I have given it is my pep talk journal. And it's kind of a combination of a few things, but it is a small notebook that I keep on my bedside table. And every night I write kind of the. A checklist of what I want to do in the morning so that when I wake up, I have a plan. And right now it's like, get up, get your coffee, take your meds, get dressed, like, eat some protein and then go write. I've been waking up and writing at 6 in the morning. Or I wake up at 5:30 and I write at 6. But so this gives me. If, if I don't see exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, it all goes out the window. So this is kind of like my roadmap for the morning. But then I also include some positive self talk because I my, I just really struggle with negative self talk talk and negative self thought. And if you have listened to me on this podcast in the past, you probably that might sound familiar. Fun fact, it hasn't changed and but this has been like a nice. I kind of write myself like a positive message. I just kind of, I don't know, something cheerful or like you've got this. Or I find a quote and then oftentimes when I've completed the thing, I'll just write a little note after and about how it went. Or I just, I bought so many journals and I was looking for a use for this little tiny one and I had never seen. I know people keep like note, you know, notepads on their side of their bed or write like a morning to do list. But I've never seen a journal where you just like talk positively to yourself.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

As well. So that's what I've been doing and it's like actually really been successful. Like I really like it. I look forward to like writing it at night. I look forward to seeing it in the morning. And it does remind me to go do those things because if I don't have a visual reminder right in front of me, the notebook has to stay open. If the notebook was closed on my bedside table, all of it, even if I had written all this, it would be useless. So that is my current. That's a current self care practice that I have really enjoyed.

[Elise Hu]

This reminds me, have you ever sung along to the Snoop Dogg affirmation song?

[Kate Spencer]

I'd never even heard of such a thing.

[Elise Hu]

Oh girl, it's so good. It's so good. It's for kids, but it applies well to adults. And I will do it every once in a while, especially if I'm like in a mid afternoon slump and I feel completely unmotivated to continue on with the day. Snoop Dogg has a song called I think it's called the Affirmation Song. Yeah, and it came out in a few years ago, but he essentially says like my feelings matter and then you repeat it. My feelings matter. And then it's like I get better every single day and then you repeat him, you follow along with the song and it's like I choose to feel happy. My family loves me so much. And it's so fun. It's Snoop Dogg. And then you just like sing along to them. It's so much fun.

[Kate Spencer]

I love that. That kind of, that kind of practice of just like reminding yourself of, you know, of your self worth is valuable at any age. Right. Like, I love that. That is intended for kids, but also it's so great. I wish I had had that when I was five.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

Maybe I wouldn't be here today, but I think that sounds delightful.

[Elise Hu]

You just fake it till you make it. And so I'm just like, great. My feelings matter.

[Dory Shafrier]

They do.

[Kate Spencer]

And they do matter.

[Elise Hu]

It's great. So anyway, we'll put it in our show notes.

[Kate Spencer]

Send me the link.

[Elise Hu]

Will do. Will do. What is it, like, raising teens right now? Are both your kids teens now?

[Kate Spencer]

They are, yeah.

[Elise Hu]

I wanted to hear all about this and how those years are going.

[Kate Spencer]

It is actually very fulfilling. I mean, you're raising teens.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, I like it at all.

[Kate Spencer]

It's really hard. It's really hard. But I also find it really, like, really rewarding in a way that like, feels like a first for me as a parent. I don't know. Like, I really do enjoy it and I, I, I like their friends and I try to, like, stress that I'm there to support them, but, like, not also not get in their way. We listen to it's like non Stop Tame Impala and ASAP Rocky. And I just like. And I like both those artists, but it's like, I get like, I'll be in the car, like, bopping to the Grateful Dead, and then one of them gets in the front seat and it's just like, we are, we're back in the Tame Impala cycle.

[Dory Shafrier]

Can I just sidebar about Tame Impala for a moment?

[Kate Spencer]

This is. Yes, I, I want to go here.

[Dory Shafrier]

Okay. Because they were popular like 15 years ago.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, it's all coming around.

[Kate Spencer]

It's all coming back.

[Dory Shafrier]

And all of a sudden they're like, super popular. And I'm like, what, what is, what is happening?

[Elise Hu]

Do you remember when Stranger Things premiered? And all of a sudden, like, all these 80s songs were back too. It was wild.

[Dory Shafrier]

What happened? Like, was it tick tock? Like, what happened? Why did.

[Kate Spencer]

I'm assuming tick tock.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, okay. It was a tick tock all.

[Dory Shafrier]

Thank you for clearing that up.

[Kate Spencer]

What's so interesting is that my kids don't still don't have TikTok, but it doesn't matter, right?

[Elise Hu]

It doesn't matter. They're influenced by it because it's in

[Kate Spencer]

the culture yeah, yeah. The culture, it gets the, like online culture disseminates very quickly. So yeah, they are, they are tame. Impala Ing.

[Dory Shafrier]

Wow.

[Kate Spencer]

And asaping. That's like, those are the main. Don Toliver is a new person I keep hearing about. I don't know, another.

[Dory Shafrier]

Another person who's been around for Don.

[Kate Spencer]

I've never heard of Don To.

[Elise Hu]

Don Tol. You don't?

[Kate Spencer]

The British comedian?

[Dory Shafrier]

No, Don to has been around for a minute. Like, who the hell?

[Kate Spencer]

I. I've never heard of this person. Again, I listen to mostly Jam Ban still, but.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, well, I mean, he's been. I guess I'm looking him up now. He's been around for says years. Active 2015 to present. Like, he's. It's not like he got famous, you know, six months ago. Like, which 30 and 40 year olds are like breaking through to the youth. I'm curious and I have a very

[Kate Spencer]

vivid memory of when I saw Wayne's World in the movie theaters and heard Bohemian Rhapsody for the first time in my life and thought I had discovered it was like life changing. Learning about Queen and then suddenly I was like blasting that song over, you know, like there's always that moment where somehow you have missed something until the moment you haven't and you're like 10 years, 15, 20 years late, but it's still so good.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

And how beautiful to get to witness them discovering something even if it's super old. It's like, oh, look at you enjoying this.

[Kate Spencer]

Yes. And I try to keep my mouth shut because it's not that I don't enjoy their music, but I just like remember my parents commenting like, man, what is this like, man, you know, like kind of.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

And I'm so. I just try to. Yeah, I just try to like bop along and find the songs I enjoy and, you know.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, but you don't want to enjoy it too much because then you seem cringe because, like, I really like a

[Kate Spencer]

lot of teen culture, you know, but

[Elise Hu]

then I don't want to be like Amy Poehler in Mean Girls, which I think I always run the risk of anyway because they all think that I'm like too youthful, like into youth culture. So anyway, there's really. It's hard. It's hard. But Kate, will you want to update us on you and update the listeners on what you've been doing, what you're excited about?

[Kate Spencer]

Well, I've taken two watercolor painting classes through my local parks and recreation department and I love it. That has been really satisfying.

[Elise Hu]

Have you made New friends, like cross generational friends in these classes?

[Kate Spencer]

A little bit. Yeah, kind of. It's a. It's so delightful. There are people, mostly everybody is older than me.

[Dory Shafrier]

Love that.

[Kate Spencer]

I love it. It's been really rewarding also. Just like, I enjoy of. I've never done a visual art before, and I find it. I find it very soothing. And I like doing a class because it is structured. I've never once, like, painted at my house by myself, but I like going to the class and like being told what to do. And I do like meeting members of my community who aren't, you know, in the 30 to 50 range with children at the same schools as mine.

[Dory Shafrier]

Right.

[Kate Spencer]

I have been writing. I've been working on some writing projects. I'm working on three things I'm excited about kind of simultaneously, but they're all very, like, rough draft, early morning messes. But that's also been really rewarding, I'm sure.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

Are you.

[Elise Hu]

Is your older one gonna be looking at colleges already soon or.

[Dory Shafrier]

No?

[Kate Spencer]

I would say my oldest is a freshman finishing freshman year.

[Elise Hu]

Okay.

[Kate Spencer]

Okay, we have time. But it's definitely, like, something she thinks about, especially because, like, she's. She's on the track team, and so she's friendly with a lot of these seniors and they're going to school. And so that's been kind of cool just for her to, like, know these older kids who have been very, like, kind to her and her freshman friends and, you know, so I feel like the teens get a bad rap, but, like, I do feel like the teens are also great.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

You know, like, the teens are. Are also doing okay. How is pickleball okay, girl, I need major structure again. Like, I don't have it in me to just go to the pickleball open, play at my, like, local courts and put.

[Dory Shafrier]

I mean, that's also intimidating. Like, I've seen those pickleball open play situations as I bop over to the tennis court and I'm like, I. I don't think I would.

[Kate Spencer]

I don't know.

[Dory Shafrier]

It does feel intimidating.

[Kate Spencer]

It does. It doesn't. It feels like a lot for me. And so I haven't done that, but I did play in a ladies ladder league.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, cool.

[Kate Spencer]

Singles or doubles? Well, doubles. Most pickleball, like, recreational pickleball is doubles. That was very intimidating for me. So I'm trying to kind of, you know, like, push myself out of my comfort zone here as I. As I head towards 47 years old.

[Dory Shafrier]

Okay. Kate, you're wearing a lovely red lip.

[Kate Spencer]

I Thought I would spice it up today.

[Dory Shafrier]

I love that for you and for us. Could you tell us about this? Lippy?

[Kate Spencer]

Lippy.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, lippy.

[Kate Spencer]

Oh, boy. Lippy.

[Elise Hu]

Okay.

[Kate Spencer]

It's by merit and it is called vermilion signature lip. I cannot see. My eyes are. There we go. Signature lip Vermilion. It's kind of an orangey red and I quite like it. A matte orangey red.

[Dory Shafrier]

I like it too.

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah, it's really nice. I would not like. I wouldn't. Am going to go get my kids after this. I wouldn't normally bust this out for a pickup, but for like a going out lip or like a pod or a zoom lip or a podcast recording lip. I like this. It's a very nice color. Shout out to Merit. I use a lot of their products and I quite like them.

[Dory Shafrier]

So we're just going to take a short break and we will be right back. You know, I feel like we put so much effort into our skin care with all the serums, the treatments, facials routines, et cetera, et cetera, but do we think about the thing touching our skin for eight hours every single night?

[Elise Hu]

Our sheets?

[Dory Shafrier]

Yes. Let's spend some time considering our bedding.

[Elise Hu]

Good point. Good point.

[Dory Shafrier]

Bowl and branch bedding, from their organic cotton sheets to their breathable pillows and comforters, is made with ultra clean materials that are gentle on skin and free from harsh chemicals. Their fabrics are breathable, soft, and temperature regulating so you're not overheating or tossing and turning. When your entire bed is made with better materials, it supports the kind of sleep that actually helps your skin recover overnight. Elise, we just got new bowl and branch sheets.

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

And I'm kind of obsessed with them.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, I'm so excited.

[Dory Shafrier]

Super soft, but they also. They feel, like, substantial. Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

Like, I feel like I've gotten sheets in the past that just feel kind of flimsy and these feel, like, really nice. Do you know what I mean?

[Elise Hu]

They're lux.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yes, they are lux. And they were soft when I, like, picked them up out of the box. But, you know, you washed your sheets before you put them on the bed and they got even softer, like even just after the first. So great wash. So I'm obsessed.

[Elise Hu]

I love.

[Dory Shafrier]

It was so nice to come back from vacation and just, like, get into my cozy, comfy bowl and branch sheets. Oh, so nice. A lot of people start with the bowl and branch signature sheets, and then they add the matching pillowcases and a waffle blanket, because that combination makes the whole bed feel softer and cooler. It's one of those upgrades where you notice the difference the very first night. So upgrade your sleep with bowl and Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at bowl and branch.com/forever35 with code Forever35. That's Bowen, Branch B, O, L, L, A, N D branch.com Forever35. Code Forever35. To unlock 15% off exclusions apply. Elise, I want you to picture this.

[Elise Hu]

Okay?

[Dory Shafrier]

It's the middle of the week. You want a home cooked meal, but you can't think of anything to cook except the same thing you cook every week.

[Elise Hu]

True story.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, it's like that's comfort food, but you want some adventure.

[Kate Spencer]

Mm.

[Dory Shafrier]

But with HelloFresh, you can cook up bold flavors from around the world without ever leaving home. Which I think you actually did do recently.

[Elise Hu]

I sure did. I made the HelloFresh classic beef tacos which everyone loves. It comes with restaurant style salsa and a little chipotle lime crema. So we kind of, yeah, we made it a little more authentic for taco night. And it's classic yet sure to satisfy. It was great for the whole family.

[Dory Shafrier]

I love that. Hellofresh really makes savoring new flavors from around the world. Delicious, simple and wholesome. With HelloFresh, no two meals will be the same. You can choose from over 80 recipes from all over the world every month, including Vietnamese, Moroccan, Caribbean and more. If you've been interested in trying ingredients like lemongrass, gochujang and curry paste, but don't want to buy a whole like thing of it, this is the perfect opportunity. They send those ingredients pre portioned for you. Hellofresh makes cooking effortless. You can always look forward to a homemade meal because nothing hits like home cooking.

[Elise Hu]

Go to hellofresh.com forever35 10fm now to get 10 free meals plus a free breakfast for life. One per box with active subscription free meals applied as discount on first box. New subscribers only. Varies by plan. That's hellofresh.com forever35 10fm to get 10 free meals plus free breakfast for life. Kate, I wanted to ask you because recently you were in New York magazine's the Strategist.

[Kate Spencer]

Oh yeah.

[Elise Hu]

With a big picture of you and your CPAP machine. So tell us about your sleep journey.

[Kate Spencer]

Okay, well may I first just say I posted a photo of myself in bed with my full like accoutrement on and just made some like snippy comment about like what is it like to not go to bed like this? I can't remember exactly what I said and I posted it to my Instagram Stories and then someone at the strategist reached out and was like, hey, we saw this. Would you want to like break down your, you know, your sleep practices? And I didn't realize it would essentially be like a verbatim. I thought they would maybe just like make a list. I don't know. I. So they really like posted verbatim our 30 minute conversation. And as you know, I like hyper fixate and get really passionate about like I feel very passionate about my sleep stuff. So I am just like rambling in that conversation. So it was very. It was fun. It was like I was like excited to do it. But also I was a little bit like mortified that I had no sensor. But yes, I will tell you, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea like a year and a half ago and I have a CPAP machine that I love. As I explained in that interview, this is all covered by my insurance, which is very fortunate because those CPAP machines are expensive. So I just want to add that caveat that this shit is expensive. So I. Yeah, so I wear a CPAP on my nose I don't use. I had a one that covered my mouth that was too much for me. First I put a sleep bonnet on from kitsch. Then I put my head strap on to hold my chin up so that my mouth doesn't fall open while I sleep. Also I've put my retainer in then.

[Elise Hu]

This is so sweet.

[Kate Spencer]

It's so hot. My husband.

[Elise Hu]

You're really painting a picture.

[Kate Spencer]

He's next to me like can't wait to pounce. You know what I'm saying? It's so attractive. I put my CPAP mask on. Then I put my eye mask over it. And then sometimes I'll put my sleep headphones on, which I feel like I found about from Dory because Matt was wearing them at some point. Like those like the headband.

[Dory Shafrier]

Headband. Yeah. He doesn't. He doesn't wear. They didn't really take for him, but I'm glad they work for you.

[Kate Spencer]

I bought those to go on a three day backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevadas because I knew I couldn't sleep without white noise. This is what a like a monster I've become. So I would like charge my phone. I had downloaded white noise and then I would. Or brown noise, my preference. And then I would blast that on this camping trip. And those headphones. But anyway, sometimes I wear those and listen to a meditation. Then I put on brown noise on my lofty sleep clock. I do my gratitude journal and my one line a day journal, and then I snuggle on in. And I also have a leg pillow, my baby blanket. I have a warmie, which is like a heating stuffed animal. I mean, it's just a lot. It's so much. It's a lot.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

This is a lot of gear.

[Elise Hu]

This is a lot of gear.

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah. You know how some people are gearheads for, like, cycling?

[Elise Hu]

Yes, yes.

[Kate Spencer]

I'm like a sleep gearhead.

[Dory Shafrier]

But, you know, I. I feel like for a long time you had some sleep struggles.

[Kate Spencer]

The sleep apnea diagnosis and the CPAP machine has changed. Has, like, has changed my life. And because I sleep, I mean, I'm. Because I'm breathing and my brain not stopping breathing at night and I'm sleeping, I feel more rested. I'm sleeping better. I'm also on a variety of hormones, which is helping the perimenopause sleep issues that I have. But ye. Yes. No, that was. I was waking up tired and with a headache every morning, and I would sleep. Even if I slept for like eight hours, I would feel exhausted.

[Dory Shafrier]

You weren't getting good sleep.

[Kate Spencer]

No. So that has been.

[Dory Shafrier]

That's amazing.

[Kate Spencer]

That has been really exciting.

[Elise Hu]

I'm glad you brought up an alarm clock too, because in a recent listener question, somebody actually asked, do you have any alarm clock recommendations? And it sounds like your brown noise clock from Lofty also serves an alarm as an alarm clock. If you want.

[Kate Spencer]

It's an alarm. It is an alarm clock.

[Elise Hu]

Okay.

[Kate Spencer]

I have tried so many of these smart clocks. I've tried Hatch, which I liked, but it felt like almost too many bells and whistles, and I couldn't quite figure out how to use it. And I think this Lofty clock is a similar thing where you could put a meditation on your clock. I'm just. I'm not doing that. I'm more just. It's just a. It works. The alarms are calming. It's not my phone. And it plays brown noise, which is what I like to listen to when I sleep. And it plays other. Other things as well. I got. You could do white noise or pink noise or whatever, but, yeah, it gets the job done.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

Great.

[Elise Hu]

And you mentioned, at least in this strategist piece, as you were like, recording a stream of consciousness. Recording stream of consciousness for the reporter. You mentioned that you actually had sleep troubles. Way younger. Right. Like, when did they first start for you?

[Kate Spencer]

Well, I have an anxiety disorder, and that would. When I was having what, I didn't really understand what was happening, but I Was having either like, anxiety attacks or panic attacks. And I. I would be up within kind of this, like, panicked insomnia all night. I'd have to sleep on the floor. Like, I couldn't. I couldn't sleep in my bed. So I would make a bed on the floor and something about that would help me settle my nervous system. And I do still from time to time have insomnia. And I just wake up and go sit on the couch and like, you know, look at my phone. To be honest, sometimes I will read, but, like, you know, let's be real. But yeah, I've. I've always. I have struggled with sleep. Like, falling asleep just. It's a lot of it, I think is just like calming the. My brain in many ways, which, again, is probably going to be just like a lifelong journey.

[Elise Hu]

Well, it sounds like all of these, all of the gear has helped, so. Good.

[Kate Spencer]

It's helped. You know what I also hate to say has helped is meditation does help. When I meditate, I feel better. And I. That annoys me, but it's true.

[Elise Hu]

Dan Harris, thanks you. Because you're 10% happier.

[Kate Spencer]

I don't know if I'm happier, but it does get crazy.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

Okay. But I do feel slightly better.

[Elise Hu]

Better.

[Kate Spencer]

And that, like, enough that I notice. And that's also interesting to me.

[Dory Shafrier]

Great.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

Kate, one thing that you were really into kind of right before you stopped doing the pod was the Ice Planet Barbarian series of books.

[Kate Spencer]

I loved them.

[Dory Shafrier]

What are you into now? What are you reading? Has anything come close to the glory that was the Ice Planet Barbarian?

[Kate Spencer]

No.

[Elise Hu]

I mean.

[Kate Spencer]

Well, because that author has. Ruby Dixon is prolific and has written so many and so many iterations of this amazing world. So I've read like 50 books adjacent to the Ice Planet Barbarian world. I really did enjoy the entire Rachel Reed Game Changers series. And then I also read her two standalone hockey romances, and I loved those two. In fact, one of those takes was my favorite, I think, of all of her books. So I blasted through those and I mostly listened to them on audiobook, and that was wonderful.

[Elise Hu]

I just started on audiobook, Lena Dunham's new.

[Kate Spencer]

That's what I'm listening to.

[Elise Hu]

It's great because she reads it, you know, it's great. And, you know, she comes from such. She has such an interesting perspective over the last 10 years, like only it. Only Lena Dunham was in Lena Dunham's shoes and in Lena Dunham's body. And so to hear her articulate, that has been very enjoyable, actually, to Listen to.

[Kate Spencer]

I have been on kind of an audiobook memoir, Terror.

[Elise Hu]

What else do you like?

[Kate Spencer]

Well, I listen to Strangers by Bell Burden.

[Elise Hu]

I listened to that as well. I thought it was very well done.

[Kate Spencer]

I also thought it was really well done. I tend to kind of just see what is available that I think I bought. But I just go to Libby and I look up like celebrity memoirs and just to have somebody chatting in my ear. That's not like a political podcast or like there's, it's. There's just something soothing about like a famous person talking about stuff that isn't too high stakes that I find to just kind of like settle me a little bit.

[Dory Shafrier]

Well, it's high stakes for her. For.

[Kate Spencer]

Yes. And I should say like both of those, you know, Lena Dunham is dealing with like her. There's a lot of stuff.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

Health assault. I mean they're not like light and fluffy, but I do. That is kind of my, like, I tend to kind of like I'll try to listen to like a, you know, a historical like non fiction book about like how did the Vietnam War start? And I just get. It gets. It's too hard. I haven't, I haven't done that. So what else am I reading right now? I've been posting. You know what, I've been like putting book links up on a bookshop page that I throw up in my newsletter because I'm reading. I'm kind of just trying to read. I've been on a little bit of a, like in a dip this last month, but I have been reading a lot more and listening to a lot more audiobooks. So I've been trying to share that in my newsletter because I'm trying to just keep it.

[Elise Hu]

Well, I need to hit you up for some suggestions too because I am guest editing Downtime, which is a substat newsletter.

[Kate Spencer]

Yes.

[Dory Shafrier]

Okay.

[Elise Hu]

And I'm putting together. I guess we're just gonna share now. I'm putting together a list of beach read recommendations that aren't necessarily beach reads. So I'll follow up after this conversation because would love for you to pitch into.

[Kate Spencer]

You know what also I have been doing is reading what my daughter is reading in school.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, what are they reading? What do they have going on?

[Kate Spencer]

She read this year. She read the Outsiders and Animal Farm. I hadn't read either of those books. And they were so good.

[Dory Shafrier]

They're so good.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

So good. And then you know what book I read that I thought was so good? It's a debut. It's called Swift River. And the author is Essie Chambers. And it's a heavy book. Like, it deals with a lot of, like, hard stuff, but it was so beautifully written. Like, the, the prose was just, like. I just loved it. Like, I, I. I felt, like, swept up into it immediately. I really enjoyed that book. So that might be a good. A good beach read. It's not light and fluffy, but it's so. It was engrossing and, like, just beautifully written. It was really moving.

[Elise Hu]

I think you've captured the prompt.

[Kate Spencer]

There we go. Okay. I love it.

[Elise Hu]

Not necessarily light and fluffy, but. No, engrossing and enjoyable.

[Kate Spencer]

I loved that book, too. So those are some of my recent. Rex.

[Dory Shafrier]

Okay, Kate, what about Costco? Rex? Is there anything at Costco right now?

[Kate Spencer]

Y'?

[Dory Shafrier]

All?

[Kate Spencer]

Can I tell you something? I got invited to, like, an influencer event at a Costco.

[Dory Shafrier]

What?

[Kate Spencer]

I. I was like, have. I don't get any influencer stuff anymore since I don't, you know, podcast anymore. So I get no, like, I rarely get any sort of, like, here's, you know, do you want to try this thing out? Or whatever. But, But I think these. This company has maybe familiar that with the fact that I love Costco and amazing. Like, a Costco of an event with a.

[Dory Shafrier]

What?

[Kate Spencer]

I know. I'm so. I'm going to that, I think, in May. What am I loving at Costco right now?

[Elise Hu]

This is the time of year when they have a lot of outdoor stuff, too, like patio furniture and Forget it all.

[Kate Spencer]

Stuff I don't need. Should it buy plants? Giant plants. Yep. Oh, man. I was like.

[Elise Hu]

I was like, yes. I need some more lavender, and then I'm gonna kill it.

[Kate Spencer]

No, I did the same thing. I can't buy that stuff. But I will say I have recently switched my coffee beans.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

Oh, to what? Pete's. Pete's.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, like Pete's Coffee.

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah, Costco. It's the. I think it's like, Major Dickinson. I don't know. Major. Hold on. Yep. Major Dickinson. Whole Dickinson's whole beans.

[Elise Hu]

Great.

[Kate Spencer]

That's my coffee choice. My current bean choice at Costco. I'm trying to think of what else you mean. They have those chocolate covered mushrooms, forgetting the name of. I believe they're Japanese.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yes. They're not actual Japanese. They're sort of like.

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

Cookie, cracker kind of mushroom.

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah. Oh, my God. Hold on. I just have to find the correct name because Choco Shrimp or something.

[Dory Shafrier]

Choco Rooms. Yeah. Matt likes those.

[Kate Spencer]

Oh, my gosh. Magi Choco Rooms. You can buy those At Costco. And that's like my favorite. Yes. And you buy them in bulk, but they're the little snack pack size. And that is my favorite. Like, sweet treat.

[Elise Hu]

That's a good one, Matt.

[Dory Shafrier]

Kate just recommended the Choco rooms. I like the chocolate pandas more.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, yeah, Chocolate pandas. It's also like a Korean or Japanese snack. I can't remember, but yeah, you.

[Kate Spencer]

There's.

[Elise Hu]

They're pandas on the outside. The cookie is on the outside, and then the chocolate or the strawberry filling is on the inside.

[Kate Spencer]

Ooh, that sounds good.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, that's a big hit in the husband.

[Kate Spencer]

Have either of you tried the Kirkland brand tonkotsu ramen broth?

[Elise Hu]

Yes. Very good.

[Kate Spencer]

Is it good? Okay. I saw, I was like watching a video about this the other day, and I was like.

[Elise Hu]

And the shrimp tempura, the frozen shrimp tempura is very good. You can put it in your air fryer.

[Dory Shafrier]

I love the shrimp tempura.

[Elise Hu]

Really? Okay.

[Kate Spencer]

Yes.

[Dory Shafrier]

And I'll tell you what else. You know, it's great to eat as tempura, but it is also great to eat as a shrimp taco.

[Kate Spencer]

Oh, that's a great idea.

[Dory Shafrier]

It's so good in a shrimp taco.

[Elise Hu]

Put a little slaw in there.

[Dory Shafrier]

Put a little slaw, a little tortilla. It's really a great idea.

[Elise Hu]

That's a good hack.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah.

[Kate Spencer]

Because.

[Dory Shafrier]

Okay, so they used to have. In the prepared food section, they had shrimp tempura tacos.

[Kate Spencer]

Like really?

[Dory Shafrier]

The big. Yes, the big. You know, now they just have chicken, but they used to have shrimp tempura. And I would get those all the time because they were so good. And then they just stopped offering them. But then I started getting the big box of shrimp tempura. Great. And making them myself.

[Kate Spencer]

Yep. That sounds really good. I might try that. That sounds delish.

[Elise Hu]

I wish I didn't get a counter depth fridge because I have, you know, there's regular depth fridges and then counter depth so it doesn't jut out into your kitchen so much. And I don't, I don't have a large kitchen. And so I got a counter depth fridge, but that means I have almost no, no space in my freezer.

[Kate Spencer]

I'm in the same boat as a ongoing struggle with a freezer.

[Elise Hu]

Either problem.

[Kate Spencer]

Yep. Wouldn't you let. Like sometimes I watch videos of these people who have these, like, massive ass fridge situations.

[Elise Hu]

Everyone I grew up in, grew up with. In Texas, we all had two fridges. Because you had your garage fridge.

[Kate Spencer]

Yes.

[Elise Hu]

Or your garage fridge. And garage freezer.

[Kate Spencer]

Oh, oh. Like a deep. My mother in law has a deep freezer.

[Dory Shafrier]

I am desperate for. For a chest freezer.

[Kate Spencer]

Yes. That I thought about getting. I don't know where it would go. But I did have this thought of like if I got that and then I could just meal prep a bunch of things and freeze my little heart out.

[Elise Hu]

You could start broughing even I'd be like an Erewhon,

[Kate Spencer]

you know? Yeah. Like that is a place I've been to, I think two to three times in my life.

[Elise Hu]

Same, same. But lots of broth.

[Kate Spencer]

Yes. It's so expensive. But you know what? The times I've gotten food at Erewhon, it's all been really good.

[Elise Hu]

I know their prepared foods are excellent. It was annoying except like, do you want to pay your mortgage or do you want to.

[Kate Spencer]

Unreal how much that costs.

[Elise Hu]

Well, Kate, this is a really great note to end on because I feel like you have offered us so many wrecks across so many categories.

[Kate Spencer]

It's fun to get to talk, you know, it's fun to get to yap about this stuff because I. I haven't.

[Elise Hu]

You're welcome to come yet.

[Dory Shafrier]

You haven't talked about it.

[Kate Spencer]

It doesn't have a while. It does not have to be an anniversary. Okay. Okay, great. Well, I did leave a voicemail because I got the newsletter for the. And I was very excited. And then I did listen to the episode in which you played it and I had a good chuckle at Dory. Whatever Dory suggested.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, I said, long time host, first time college.

[Kate Spencer]

That was so smart. And I was like, God damn it, Dory. Of course, you know, like a good play on words. Well, this is a. This is a pleasure.

[Dory Shafrier]

This was a delight. Thank you, Kate. Now I always have to ask, where can our listeners find you?

[Kate Spencer]

My general hub, katespencerwrites.com you can find all my like basic info there. And then I am updating my newsletter regularly. About once a month I'm going to be talking about. I'm going to be talking more about my journaling and a morning ritual that I have which is also new. I'll save that for my newsletter. So I kind of try to send it out once a month. Book recs, rambling, the usual. And then I am in my Instagram stories. My Instagram grid is just a nine photo grid now. I've kind of.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, you cleaned it up.

[Kate Spencer]

I cleaned it up. I had. I hired someone who was lovely and just helped me make a grid so that I don't feel stressed about posting to the grid, but I'm in those stories, so you can always find me on Instagram and my DMs. You can always send me a DM.

[Elise Hu]

Kate. Thank you. Thank you.

[Kate Spencer]

Thank you, Kate.

[Dory Shafrier]

This was so fun.

[Kate Spencer]

Thank you guys. Love you both.

[Dory Shafrier]

Well, that was fun to get to talk to Kate.

[Elise Hu]

Standing invitation too. She can join us anytime.

[Dory Shafrier]

Come back anytime. All right, here we are in the intention zone.

[Elise Hu]

What was your intention?

[Dory Shafrier]

My intention last week was a kind of like post trip reset.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, yes.

[Dory Shafrier]

And I feel like I'm still like, in the midst of it.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

But I'm definitely like, resetting for sure. Taking care of some, like, stuff for all of a sudden, like the summer is upon us.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

Like I'm trying to figure out what we're doing, what Henry's doing, like all that. And just I'm suddenly like, oh, the year is over.

[Kate Spencer]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

So I don't know. That's kind of like my this week thing. Figure out the summer. We'll go to Boston at some point and I have our tickets there, but I don't have our tickets home because I haven't figured out exactly when we're going to come back. And like, Henry likes to know the plan. So he keeps asking me, like, when are we coming back? And I'm like, I don't know. And he's like, that's, you know, that's like very stressful for him. So I'm like, okay, I gotta figure that out.

[Elise Hu]

He won't be stuck in Boston interminably. He will not indefinitely or anything like that.

[Dory Shafrier]

He definitely. He will not be. He will not be. What about you?

[Elise Hu]

I committed to re upping the strength training. I have gotten in one class, like one reformer class. So better than the week before. But a lot's been going on here. And then I finally had my appointment, which I forgot to update you on.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

How did you look at my lump? Well, it turns out she thinks on sonogram. This is with a different breast surgeon. She's like, I think your two lumps are actually connected because there was one that's a cyst and the other is a papilloma. And they're all in the same milk duct that goes up to, you know, that would have fed my kids. So right behind my nip.

[Dory Shafrier]

Interesting.

[Elise Hu]

And so she's like, if I went in there, I'd just cut them both out because why not? If I'm going to open you up, I just get them both out. And she's like, they're tiny. They're the size of a pencil. One's the size of a pencil eraser. One's the size of the tip of a pen. You know, they're small, but, like, she's like, let's just munch them out there. And there's two methods to do it. There's one that insurance covers, and there's one that insurance doesn't. And obviously, the one that insurance doesn't is the one that's, like, fancier. Less invasive, is just local. They just numb it locally. You don't have to go under general anesthesia. But then my parents were like. I called my mom to consult, and she was like, wait, but you'd have to pay out of pocket. She's like, don't do the one that's out of pocket.

[Dory Shafrier]

She's like, absolutely not.

[Elise Hu]

Absolutely not. And I was like, well, Oscar has cost way more than this. But I didn't bring that up. I did not actually bring that. That up because I feel like that would be even more upsetting to my frugal mother. So I. My intention is going to be just to line up more appointments because now I have to get an mri. MRI to see, like, a fuller picture. I haven't gotten one, and people recommend that. And then I have to get my annual eye exam. So I'm kind of like you after a trip, like, just having to get some logistical things out of the way. So I guess my intention is going to be to adult, you know, sure. Book those appointments. Be an adult.

[Dory Shafrier]

Be an adult.

[Elise Hu]

Pay my parking ticket.

[Dory Shafrier]

Be an adult. Okay.

[Elise Hu]

Putting it out there.

[Dory Shafrier]

Great. I love that. So this is when we thank our Patreon supporters at the $10 level and above. If you would also like a personal thank you once a month, subscribe to our [e-mail] Forever35. And in the meantime, thank you so much to the following supporters. Eileen Downing, LM Alvin Ariel C. Laura Ciccone, Sarah Liska, Felicia Justice Biro, Jasmine De Jesus, Christy Caitlin H. Katie Ashley Taylor Teresa Anderson, Nicole Gass, Maya Barbara C. Amy Amy Schnitzer, Megan Shelly Lee, Sarah Boozy, Allison Cohen, Melissa McLean, Jackie Leventhal, Fran Kelsey Wolf Donne Laura Eddy Jettle Apti Valerie Bruno Julie Daniel E. Jackson, Alicia Catherine Burke, Amy Maseko, Liz Rain JDK Hannah M. Julia P. Maddie o', Day Marissa Sarah Bell, Maria Diana St. Coco Bean, Laura Haddon, Josie H. Nikki Bossert, Juliana Duffy, Chelsea Torres, Tiffany G. Stephanie Germana, Olivia Fahey, Elizabeth A. Christine Bassis, Jessica Gale, Zulima Lundy, Carolyn Rodriguez, Carrie Gold and T. Katherine Ellingson, Kara Brugman, Sarah H, Sarah Egan, Jess Combin, Jennifer Olson, Jennifer hs, Eliza Gibson, Jillian Bowman, Brianne Macy, Elizabeth Holland, Karen Perelman, Katie Jordan, Sarah M, Kate M. Josie Alquist, Tara Todd, Elizabeth Cleary and Monica. Thank you so much. We are so grateful.

[Elise Hu]

Thank you. Thank you. Yay.

[Dory Shafrier]

Forever 35 is hosted and produced by me, Doris Shafreer and Elise Hu and produced and edited by Sam Hunio. Sami Reed is our Project Manager and our network partners, Acast. Thanks everyone.

[Elise Hu]

See you later.

[Dory Shafrier]

Bye. We're lost.

[Kate Spencer]

It feels like we're going round in circles. I'm gonna ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the state fairgrounds.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Well, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road.

[Kate Spencer]

Nah, I'm just kidding.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Let me get my phone out.

[Kate Spencer]

How is there signal out here?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

T Mobile and US Cellular are coming together. So the network out here is huge. We get the same great signal as the city, saving a boatload with benefits. And there's a five year price guarantee too. Okay, here's the turn.

[Kate Spencer]

Actually, can you pull up the way to a T Mobile store?

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

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[Discover Advertiser]

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