Mini-Ep 487: First Time Caller

Summary

Forever35 – Mini-Ep 487: First Time Caller
April 8, 2026
Hosts: Doree Shafrir & Elise Hu

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Episode Overview

In this lively mini-episode, Doree and Elise welcome listener questions and comments on everything from skincare recommendations and solutions for crepey skin, to navigating life in D.C., handling a snoring partner, and the joys of home organization. With humor and self-awareness, they share personal stories, expert advice, and practical tips, all while reinforcing the importance of self-care in everyday life. Special guest and former co-host Kate Spencer calls in with a must-try moisturizer recommendation, and the hosts connect with their community around familiar challenges and small joys.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Kiwi Fiber Fixation

[01:20–02:43]

• Elise shares her new obsession with fiber after a previous discussion with Dr. Pasricha (Monday’s guest expert). Inspired by the advice to eat more kiwis, Elise got the whole family (including her ex-husband and their daughters) on daily kiwis for fiber—until she forgot and the routine fell off.
• Memorable moment: Elise’s daughter Luna asking for her “daily kiwi,” showing how quickly habits take root in kids.
• Quote: "The most dangerous place in the world is between you and your current fixation." — Elise’s ex-husband [01:54]

2. Listener Voicemail: Kate Spencer’s Skincare Pick

[03:14–05:09]

• Former co-host Kate Spencer calls in, sharing her favorite lightweight moisturizer: CeraVe Ultralight Moisturizing Gel.
  • Kate uses it year-round in SoCal, praises its hydrating, non-greasy formula with ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid.
  • She discovered it after her teen daughter rejected it, and she ended up loving it herself.
• Quote: "Long time host, first time caller…" — Both hosts joke Kate should have said this.
• Highlights the importance of affordable, effective products.

3. Elise’s D.C. Memories

[05:47–11:59]

• A listener asks about Elise’s time living in Washington, D.C.—her experiences as a mom, favorite places, and city life.
• Elise reminisces about:
  • Raising her daughter, Ava, in D.C. and taking full advantage of local museums, such as the National Building Museum and the Smithsonian's programs.
  • Living in different neighborhoods as the city’s vibe changed with political administrations (Georgetown for Bush years, U Street/14th Street for Obama).
  • Favorite food spots: Jose Andres restaurants (Zaytinya, Oyamel), Compass Rose, and Michelin-starred Maidan (shoutout to her friend Rose).
  • Weekly drinks with friends at Solly’s near the Washington Post—a hub for federal workers, with “stiff cocktails and grizzled regulars.”
  • The high-achievement culture and competitive fitness scene, which she found mismatched with her own values.
• Quote: “Living in D.C. was like walking through a postcard. It is so pretty in so many parts of the city.” — Elise [05:58]
• Reflects on the pressure of achievement in the city: “I have felt like psychologically that kind of thinking—that competitive ranking—is something we should get rid of because it’s better for our relationships.” — Elise [11:05]

4. Skincare for Crepey Skin

[16:56–19:14]

• Listener asks for solutions for crepey skin at age 56.
• Doree’s advice:
  • In-office treatments (e.g., Morpheus, radiofrequency microneedling, PRP) may be more effective than creams.
  • Over-the-counter: keep moisturized (vitamin C), though improvement may be limited.
  • Tretinoin or retinoids could help—but consult a dermatologist first.
  • Sunscreen on neck is crucial—Elise only started recently.
  • Calls for audience suggestions, especially from listeners in their 50s.
• Potential future episode: inviting Dr. Jenny Wong (dermatologist) back to answer more listener questions.

5. Partner Who Snores: Solutions & Stories

[19:14–22:08]

• Listener seeks advice for co-sleeping with a snoring partner.
• Doree’s personal experience:
  • Used earplugs, tried to fall asleep first.
  • At peak, slept in separate rooms.
  • Life-changing solution: partner got a sleep study, was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and uses a CPAP—now sleeps silently.
• Other suggestions: Breathe Right strips, mouth tape, noise-canceling headphones, sleep studies to rule out medical causes, and having empathy for fellow sufferers.
• Memorable moment: Doree met a listener in person at a children's museum, someone who had written in about snoring.

6. Product Tips: Travel Containers & Plant Apps

[22:08–24:09]

• Nalgene travel containers praised for durability and ease of use.
• Gardening as self-care:
  • Listener recommends using ChatGPT or AI plant apps for plant care, garden planning, and troubleshooting—cost-effective alternative to paid apps.
  • Elise notes a flood of plant app ads post-discussion, reflects on environmental impacts of tech in plant care.

7. Home Organization Tip

[27:44–28:48]

• Listener shares her annual tradition: pick one room to “paint and purge” every winter. Breaks home maintenance into manageable chunks, keeps paint fresh, and declutters by necessity when repainting.
• Both hosts love the bite-sized approach: “taking a room down to the studs” forces intentional reorganization.

8. Gift Follow-up: Teva Slippers

[28:48–30:03]

• Listener Michelle calls to check if Doree ever bought the Teva Re Ember slip-ons after recommending them in a past gift guide.
• Doree confesses she hesitated due to price but now feels justified thanks to Michelle’s gentle encouragement—especially as her birthday approaches.

9. Podcast Recommendation: Uncles in Law

[30:14–31:17]

• Jackie, a long-time listener, recommends the Uncles in Law podcast—hosted by Doree's brother, husband, and brother-in-law—as an insightful listen into male friendships and perspectives.
• Doree appreciates the window into her brother’s life, noting he opens up more on the podcast than in regular conversation.
• Elise: “Matt is a good host and has that warm, non-threatening demeanor…I think he’s able to get your brother to talk about stuff he wouldn’t have otherwise.” [31:38]
• Warm community-building as listeners connect through family ties.

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Memorable Quotes

• “The most dangerous place in the world is between you and your current fixation.” — Elise’s ex-husband [01:54]
• “Living in D.C. was like walking through a postcard. It is so pretty in so many parts of the city.” — Elise Hu [05:58]
• “I needed to get out of D.C. but I’m so, so, so glad I had that time there, that snapshot when Ava was really small.” — Elise Hu [11:36]
• “At this point, I don't feel like a neck cream is going to do the job.” — Doree Shafrir [17:38]
• “He sleeps silently now. It's like...that's pretty crazy.” — Doree Shafrir on the impact of her husband’s CPAP [20:31]
• “I like this idea of taking a room, tackling it... kind of taking it down to the studs.” — Doree Shafrir [28:15]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:20] – The kiwi/fiber family anecdote
• [03:14] – Kate Spencer’s CeraVe moisturizer voicemail
• [05:47] – Elise reminisces on D.C. living and food scene
• [16:56] – Listener Q: Solutions for crepey skin
• [19:14] – Listener Q: Sleeping with a snoring partner, sleep apnea discussion
• [22:08] – Quick product shoutouts: Nalgene containers, plant care apps
• [27:44] – Listener tip: Annual “paint and purge” room organization
• [28:48] – Teva Re Ember slippers gift-giving follow-up
• [30:14] – Podcast recommendation: Uncles in Law

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Conclusion

This episode highlights the Forever35 community’s mutual support, practical life hacks, and the enduring importance of humor and openness in navigating everything from skincare routines to family dynamics. Listener engagement—through voicemails, emails, and tips—fuels lively conversation between the hosts and keeps self-care accessible, real, and inclusive.

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For more resources and links to mentioned products, visit forever35podcast.com. Submit your questions or tips by calling or texting 781-591-0390 or emailing [e-mail].

Transcript

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[Dory Shafrier]

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[Dory Shafrier]

Hello and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things 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 this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts and we answer your questions to the best of our ability. But please remember we are podcast hosts. We are not experts. We always encourage you to seek support first and foremost from a medical and or mental health professional as needed. And if you would like to listen to an expert medical professional. We had one on on Monday.

[Elise Hu]

We sure did. And she's awesome.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah. So if you haven't listened to that episode, I highly recommend that you do

[Elise Hu]

So I suddenly got really obsessed with fiber after our conversation. And then I was like, am I eating enough fiber? Are my kids getting enough fiber? Surely not. And she talked about how her K makes sure like her, she doesn't believe in hacks or anything, but this is Dr. Pasricha from our Monday guest. She doesn't believe in hacks or anything, but she does feed her kids kiwis. Like they have a kiwi each day just to make sure that they get enough fiber. And so now I like for that weekend after we spoke to her I was like, God, I really gotta stop my house with kiwis and make sure that girls are eating kiwis. And so and then I told my ex husband because he has the girls three nights a week and he was like, man, anytime you get your mind fixated on something, I don't want to stand in your way. The most dangerous place in the world is between you and like your current fixation. So I'm. And he's like, so I went and got a bunch of kiwi.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, that's so funny.

[Elise Hu]

And he got a bunch of kiwi and was feeding the girls those before we came on spring break. And then Luna was like, where's my daily kiwi? And she got used to it because her dad was doing it dutifully each day. And then I forgot. So now we're back to, like, probably not enough fiber.

[Dory Shafrier]

That's hilarious.

[Elise Hu]

You. I mean, say. Say what you want about that interview. It certainly prompted actionable change.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yes, totally. Also, like, kiwis are good.

[Elise Hu]

They are. It's a yummy. It's a yummy treat.

[Dory Shafrier]

It's a yummy fruit. Well, Elise, we got a voicemail from, I would say, POD royalty.

[Elise Hu]

A familiar voice.

[Dory Shafrier]

A familiar voice. Okay. Yes, that I do want to play.

[Elise Hu]

All right.

[Kate Spencer]

Hi, Doran. Elise, it's your old friend and former Forever 35 co host Kate Spencer calling in because I just got your newsletter to my email and it said you were looking for seasonal skincare racks. And I realized I have the perfect thing to recommend. And I also was like, I've never called the POD before and share this. Hi. Love you guys. Love the show. Here's my recommendation for a really great, like, summer moisturizer, but I actually use it year round and I have fairly dehydrated skin and. And I love this stuff. I'm on my second bottle. It is the CeraVe Ultralight Moisturizing Gel. I'm holding the bottle in my hand. It says for all skin types, weightless feel on skin, immediate and long lasting hydration. Helps restore the protective skin barrier with three essential ceramides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. Fast absorbing. I love this stuff so much. It is like the perfect lightweight daytime moisturizer. I use it. I think I use it year round again. I told you. My second bottle. The reason I even tried this stuff is because I bought it for one of my teen daughters and it was rejected because I thought it was like the perfect teen moisturizer. Right? Like a super light gel. And I was like, well, I don't want this to go away, so I'll just use it until the bottle's done. And then I loved it. And now I use it every day. You know, I love a CeraVe, love the price point, especially in this economy. And so, yeah, I'm almost done with this bottle, the second bottle, and I'll buy it again. I feel like it would be perfect in humid climates, summer. But again, I'm in SoCal and I use it all the time. So that is my recommendation. Miss you. Love you. Talk to you soon. Hi, listeners as well. Hope everybody's doing great. Bye.

[Elise Hu]

Love that. Love to hear that. And I like a Moisturizing gel. I haven't used this product.

[Dory Shafrier]

I love a lightweight moisturizing gel. I kind of wish she had said, you know how people are, like long listener, first time caller. And what she had said, like, long time host, first time caller.

[Elise Hu]

That would have been cute.

[Dory Shafrier]

Next time, Kate.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. It's so great to hear your voice.

[Dory Shafrier]

It is great to hear your voice. Thank you so much for this wreck. I'm gonna check it out. I haven't, I haven't tried it. I also love that your daughter rejected it and that you took it. All right, Elise, we got this email that was kind of directed at you.

[Elise Hu]

Okay, I'll read it. Hello. I'm a proud native Washingtonian. The District, not the state. And after a decade of living in other cities and back home in D.C. now with my spouse and two little kids, I love Elise's brief mentions of her time here and would love to know what was your life in D.C. like and what was your experience as a mom here? Where did you live and where did you spend your free time? And most importantly, any favorite food. Thank you both for the show. It has been such a comfort for me over the past few years. Living in D.C. was like walking through a postcard. It is so pretty in so many parts of the city. And then it has the Four Seasons. And so I loved that I worked in Chinatown. NPR was in Chinatown when I was there. And then it moved to the area now called Noma, which is on the Red Line at, on Capitol street northeast. It's like 1111 capital northeast I think is the address. And I lived there with my then husband and I had Ava there. So Ava was born in Washington, D.C. and so I had my first two years as a mom there. And she what was so cool is I really tried to like take advantage of everything the city had to offer while we were there because I didn't know how long we were going to be there because I tended to move every three to four years, which I did. I think we lived there for only the end of the Obama administration and or the second term of Obama. And so on the weekends she loved going to the National Building Museum, which surely this caller takes her kids to. And I recommended that for Henry, too. And I think that you guys went and it was such a great, like indoor play space, but also a museum for kids and the Postal Museum. And we did holiday pictures at the Kogod Courtyard, which is part of the National Portrait Gallery. And Ava went to school. Her first preschool was kind of like a co op program. By the Smithsonian. It was Smithsonian Preschool. So we would meet in a classroom for this preschool, and your parent had to go. Like, a parent or a caregiver had to go. And it was only, like, three hours a day because she was only two. And a lot of the kids weren't potty trained. It would meet at the Museum of Natural History. So you would, like, walk past the giant dinosaur exhibit in order to get to this classroom. And then you had these highly trained Smithsonian educators who would then teach class at the National Theater. They would go to the National Theater to do a class or they would do a program, you know, walking the Frick Gallery. And so we really got to, like, live like we lived there, you know, And I have great memories of it. I also was still in my late 20s, and I think I turned 30 there and then moved just shortly after. And so it was also the place of really rich friendships that you have, like, in your late 20s when you're going out all the time. And I remember feeling like I didn't like them as much the nine months I was pregnant, because I was like, oh, I usually hang out with y' all when I'm pretty drunk, and now that I don't get to drink and all y' all are drunk, you're not as fun.

[Dory Shafrier]

That's really funny.

[Elise Hu]

But, no, I love you all. I love all my DC friends. And I actually just saw them last year when we went back and we did. We ate at a lot of the Jose Andres places, like Zatin. Yeah, we hale. Oh, he also had that Mexican restaurant, Oyamel. These are all, like, places from 2010s DC and then we had Tuesday night drinking club, where the four of us in the core group, each of us would take turns choosing where we would meet on Tuesday nights so we could be introduced to new bars and new places to hang. And there's a place near the Washington Post, because I had a lot of Washington Post friends that were part of that club. There was a place near the Washington Post called Solly's, where a lot of, like, old government employees, like federal workers would go and get a drink. And it was so great. It was sort of like in a basement, and you hung out with all these, like, grizzled government workers, and they poured really stiff cocktails. And so I love Solly's. I don't know if Solly's is still there. And then U Street was really big at the time because they say that every D.C. neighborhood has its moment, depending on which administration is in charge. Oh, that's funny. And so like Georgetown was really big during the Bush years because it was like Bush people.

[Dory Shafrier]

Right?

[Elise Hu]

And then 14th street came up during the Obama years because it was a lot of Obama people. And then of course, I have to shout out two restaurants in D.C. that are owned by my friend Rose, Compass Rose, which is now no longer there, but I think exists as a different concept. That's on 14th Street. And then Maidan or Maidan, depending on how you want to pronounce it, which is in an alley. And it's a Michelin starred restaurant and remains a favorite in dc. So shout out to those places and thanks for letting me go on my little DC reverie because I really. Do you think that time of life was really special? I just don't think I am a DC person. There was a lot of like achievement, I think, and people who said they had hard stops at the end of meetings.

[Dory Shafrier]

It's also a lot of lawyers, with all due respect to lawyers, your family

[Elise Hu]

lawyers, a lot of you guys. Exactly. I was taking TRX classes because I had this colleague that was like, you got to do this with me. And he was like super in shape. Um, but that class was full of these lawyer women who were just so next level. And I was just like, this city, this kind of workout pressure is not for me. But it also said something to me about the vibe of this city. It's. It's a place where Flywheel was big, where people like scores were on the board and they liked it, they liked the ranking and things like that. And I have felt like psychologically that's something that we should get rid of. That kind of thinking is because it's better for our relationships to not be in competition with one another. So I needed to get out of D.C. but I'm so, so, so glad that we. I have such warmth. I had that time there, that like snapshot in time when Ava was really small.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, totally. I mean, when you were talking about it, I was like, oh, yeah. I have had some really like lovely times in dc. It is a great place to visit. All right, we are going to take a short break. Before we do that, please do call or text in with questions, comments, etc for us for these episodes. 781-591-0390 can also email us at forever35podcastgmail.com. Our website is forever35podcast.com we have links there to everything we mentioned on the show. Our Instagram is Forever35podcast and on our Patreon patreon.com Forever35. We have a ton of bonus content and extra features. And if you're listening to this on Wednesday morning, there is still time to join our Patreon and join us for the live casual chat, which is today, Wednesday, April 8th at 12:30 Pacific, 3:30 Eastern. All you have to do is join at one of the paid tiers so at the five dollar level or above and you get access to our live casual chat. And that is something that we're doing roughly quarterly. And it's so much fun. I love the first one that we did. And so I'm really looking forward to doing another one today. So that'[e-mail] forever35. And we are going to take a short break and when we come back, we have a question about crepey skin and one about a partner who snores.

[Elise Hu]

Okay. We'll be right back.

[Dory Shafrier]

You know, I feel like one of my sort of ongoing projects is working on creating a more peaceful nighttime routine for better sleep for sure. And I've been working on this for Henry as well. But I will say, you know, one of the biggest upgrades we made wasn't like aromatherapy or meditation, right? It was actually their kid's mattress from lisa. Since making the switch, he unwinds easier, he sleeps deeper. And I just feel like he wakes up for school in a good rested mood. The difference, his sleep is noticeable. His old mattress was like sagging and just not great. And the Lisa is so wonderful. But LISA isn't just about sleep. It's about impact. They work with local nonprofits across the US to donate thousands of mattresses each year to families in need. With over 43,000 mattresses donated to Date Plus, Lisa is committed to eco friendly materials and sustainable manufacturing practices and partners with organizations like Clean Hub and Green Worms to help remove harmful plastic waste from the environment. So go to Lisa.com for 20% off plus get an extra $50 off with promo Code forever exclusive for our listeners. That's L E-E-S a.com promo code forever for 20% off plus an extra 50 off. Support our show and let them know we sent you after checkout. Lisa.com, promo code forever.

[Elise Hu]

I don't know about you, but taxes to me mean actually taking a moment to see my whole financial picture. That's what happens every year around this time. It's part of why I don't like doing taxes so much. Suddenly I see all the money I spent on so many subscription services I should have canceled or how much My Internet bill went up over the year. The list goes on. But with Monarch this year I was actually able to see where my money's going before tax time because I actually want to make progress with my money and not just look back and wonder where it all went. Simplify your finances with Monarch. Monarch is the all in one personal finance tool designed to make your life easier. It brings your ent financial life, budgeting accounts and investments, net worth and future planning together in one dashboard on your phone or laptop. Feel aware and in control of your finances this tax season and get 50% off your Monarch subscription with code F35. Monarch really gives you a lot of information that can keep me on track. Like there's debt payoff timelines, savings goals and that way I feel like I'm making decisions that actually move the needle. I like that Monarch can look at your historical spend to surface insights personalized to me. And Monarch will automatically parse items and prices for me. And now Monarch has made splitting bills easier than ever. Just scan or upload a receipt and Monarch will automatically parse the items for you or split that bill evenly so you all you have to do is share a link or a QR code with the group and everyone can claim or and settle the bill effortlessly. Achieve your financial goals for good with monarch. The all in one tool that makes money management simple. Use code [e-mail] for half off your first year. That's 50% [e-mail] code F35.

[Dory Shafrier]

All right, we are back. Elise, do you want to read this first one?

[Elise Hu]

Sure. Hi Mini up question for you and the listeners. I recently became horrified by my crepey skin. I am 56 and need something that can help with this. I've been using the gold bond lotion for crepey skin but haven't seen much improvement. Any recommendations for products that help with this? Thank you. I don't know. Do you tour?

[Dory Shafrier]

I think that tretinoin maybe can help. I don't know that you're. I would talk to a dermatologist. I don't know if you're supposed to put on your neck. I think I've heard people say red light therapy helps with this. PRP helps with it too. But that's. That's expensive. Like any sort of like more like Morpheus is something that will help with it also which is basically. I think Morpheus is basically like radio frequency microneedling. These are expensive treatments. I personally don't feel like at this point like a neck cream is going to like do the job. I mean, keep it moisturized. I put vitamin C on my neck and I feel like it helps. But yeah, I mean, to me, this feels like an in office treatment sort of situation. But I would love to hear if listeners, especially listeners like in their 50s, have found things that help.

[Elise Hu]

I was like today, years old when I realized I need to put sunscreen on my neck.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, yeah.

[Elise Hu]

I was like, oh, my gosh, my neck is also exposed. Yeah, this truly was maybe like two to three weeks ago. So now at age 44, I have begun to put sunscreen on my neck. So we'll see what happens. But yeah, listeners call in this. This actually, to me sounds like it's time. This is a good sort of universe reminding us that it's time to have my dermatologist, Dr. Jenny Wong, back on to take some questions.

[Dory Shafrier]

Mm. Yes, I agree.

[Elise Hu]

Y' all loved her. Y' all loved Dr. Jenny Wong and so did we.

[Dory Shafrier]

What's not to love about Dr. Jenny Wong?

[Elise Hu]

She was pretty badass.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, she's pretty badass.

[Elise Hu]

Listeners, if you have any suggestions, call in. I mean, that's what these episodes are for.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, totally. All right, this is an email we got. Hi, I'm a listener since the very beginning and have thought to send in this question many times. I'd love to hear about sharing a bed with a partner who snores. Tricks, solutions, commiseration. Thank you for covering all sorts of questions and concerns with sensitivity and good humor. You are the best. I've been there. I was there. I was you for a long time. For a while we were sleeping when it was, like, really bad. We were sleeping separately. Matt was sleeping on the couch because I literally could not sleep with him in bed with me. Like, before it got really bad. I. I wore earplugs. And I also found that if I fell asleep before him, I was able to, like, I was usually able to sort of, like, sleep through it.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

But if he fell asleep before me, I wasn't able to fall asleep with him snoring.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

So that was, like, one thing. But then the thing that, like, really changed everything was when Matt got a sleep study done, found out he had, like, pretty severe sleep apnea, wasn't really sleeping, and got a CPAP machine. And that completely changed his sleep, his life. He came back and slept in the same bed. Like, he. He sleeps silently now. It's like, that's crazy. Pretty crazy. You know, we have. Oh, actually, I should mention this. We were in San Diego recently because Henry was on spring break and we went to the. It's called the New Children's Museum. Really cool children's museum. If you have kids under like 8, I would say it's definitely worth going to. And someone came up to me and was like, I'm a Forever 35 listener. And it was our listener who had been writing in about her snoring.

[Elise Hu]

That's so great.

[Dory Shafrier]

Which is so funny. And you know, she had said she did do a sleep study and she doesn't have sleep apnea. She and Matt actually talked a little bit about snoring. Oh, okay.

[Elise Hu]

Great connections.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, so I would have them do a sleep study and see if it is sleep apnea. Because if it is sleep apnea, the CPAP will really, really help. In the meantime, get some good earplugs or even like if you can fall asleep with headphones on, like noise canceling headphones. That is also an option. Matt would sometimes use those. Breathe Right strips.

[Elise Hu]

Oh yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

And those help a little bit. I think also mouth tape can help, but if it's like really severe, you know, it. It might be something that can only be helped with like a cpap. So this is great.

[Elise Hu]

Door. Yeah, like this is a very complete answer.

[Dory Shafrier]

Okay, thank you. Couple more texts before we take another break. This one very, very short. The Nalgene travel containers are incredible. Wow.

[Elise Hu]

Agree.

[Dory Shafrier]

I feel like I need to get these. They look great. All right. And then this is about gardening as self care. And this listener says, I love gardening as self care. Elise, I highly recommend using an AI chatbot as your plant rx. You can upload pictures and write a prompt asking your specific question and include context, like where you're located in the country or what type of watering and light the plant receives. I use Chat GPT, but I'm sure other versions work well too. I've used it to create a mood board slash collage of various plants to see how they would look together. I've had it diagnose plants that aren't doing well. Both houseplants and outdoor plants also ask many questions about maintenance and care of specific plants. I hope to use it to do some small scale landscape garden planning as well as teach me how to install a simple drip irrigation. Happy gardening.

[Elise Hu]

You know what? I started getting all these plant apps sold to me after we talked about this.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, that's funny because there's all these

[Elise Hu]

apps that where you can take a picture and it will use AI to try and to essentially diagnose your problem and tell you what you need to do and There are so many out there and they're all competing with one another and you have to buy a subscription for 29.99 or whatever it is. I haven't deployed technology to try and address this problem, but if it can keep my plants alive longer, then maybe it offsets the water use of the data center. I don't know how the math works out. You know though, this speaks to what we've talked about before, which is like, we all feel like, you know, individually responsible for such a structural problem and what we really got to push for is like, structural changes.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Where are we going directionally as a, as a country and as a planet. Meanwhile, I do want to keep my plants alive. So thank you for the tip.

[Dory Shafrier]

All right, we are going to take another short break and when we get back, we have an interesting home organization tip.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, okay. Can't wait to hear it. We'll be right back.

[Dory Shafrier]

I'll be right back.

[Elise Hu]

A well cooked, well received home cooked meal is a feeling unlike any other. HelloFresh makes it easy and importantly quick to bring everyone together with meals that are simple and rewarding on busy weeknights. I recently made miso glazed salmon and it came with snap peas also, and everyone loved it. I have made it twice actually. So one question for us was have you made it again? And the answer is yes. This is one of my favorite things to get from HelloFresh, but you can choose from more than 100 recipes every week, including cuisines from around the world and meals that help you beat the winter blues or feel fresh for spring. You can also select recipes with seasonal produce like pears, apples and asparagus. And if you're a seafood fan now, there's three times the seafood for no upcharge. HelloFresh can easily accommodate all kinds of diets. Choose from more than 35 high protein recipes each week including new Mediterranean and GLP1 friendly options. Because when dinner tastes this good, nothing hits like home cooking. All you have to do is go to hellofresh.com forever3510FM to get 10 free meals and a freeze willing knife which is a nearly $150 value on your third box offer valid while supplies last free meals applied as discount on first box. New subscribers only varies by plan. One of the fastest ways to irritate me is to see or feel my sheets slipping off the corner of my mattress. This is so annoying.

[Dory Shafrier]

That's the worst.

[Elise Hu]

It really is. Which I only recently learned means those sheets have actually met their end. We use sheets every day and it only makes sense that they slowly wear down and we don't realize how much it's affecting our sleep until we finally replace them. There's nothing like a fresh set of sheets. And that's why I'm so excited. I am upgrading my bed finally with Boll and Branch. I'm really looking forward to the softness of their sheets, the breathability, and how my bed is just instantly going to feel more comfortable and inviting at the end of the day and also during the day because let's face it, I also work in bed. As everyone knows, Boll and Branch makes everything your bed needs. Their signature organic cotton sheets, pillows, blankets and comforters are all designed to be breathable, incredibly soft, and they get better over time. Most people start with the signature sheets as we are going to do and a lot of customers buy two sets so they can rotate them. Gosh, we should have done that. We also added the waffle blanket and now the whole bed is just going to feel amazing. Amazing. The moment you get into bed, you notice the difference. 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 bowl and branch. B O L L a n d branch.com Forever35 Code Forever35 to unlock 15% off exclusions apply.

[Dory Shafrier]

All right, we are back. Elise, do you want to take this one?

[Elise Hu]

Sure. Here's our interesting home organization tip. Not really home organization per se, but every winter I pick a room in my normal lived in one person home and paint it and purge it. It usually takes a few days looking at you MLK weekend, but it makes decluttering and organizing so much less overwhelming. And keeping my wall paint fresh in a more bite sized way than like it's time to paint my entire house. That's just a good system that works for me. I like that. I like this idea of like just taking a room, tackling it.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah. Making it new but like taking it down. Kind of like taking it down to the studs, you know what I mean? Like totally. Because if you want to paint a room you have to like take everything out. Take everything out. So that really forces you to like think about what goes in this room. So I really like that. Thank you for this tip. I'm not going to do it partly because I don't own my home, but I like this tip. All right. We, we have a. We have another voicemail that, that made me chuckle. It was very. Is actually quite sweet.

[Michelle]

Hi this is Michelle. I had a question for Dory. Back during your gift guide episode, you mentioned the Teva Re ember slip ons. I have them. I bought them for myself, I think, two Christmases ago with some REI gift cards that I got. And I adore them. I love them so much. So I just wanted to see if Dory ever got them because. Because they're amazing and you were thinking about it and maybe you should get yourself a little shoe treat. That's all.

[Elise Hu]

Bye.

[Dory Shafrier]

Thank you. I love this callback. I love that this person has been thinking about this. I never got. Partly because I was like. Well, I was like, oh, they're like 80 bucks. Like, I don't know. I like. It just felt hard to justify spending the money on them. But I feel like this listener has now given me permission to spend the money on. So. Also, my birthday's coming up, so maybe.

[Elise Hu]

And still in the double digits, right?

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, they're not over a hundred, so.

[Elise Hu]

Right.

[Dory Shafrier]

Thank you so much for this. I'd actually forgotten that I'd recommended these, but I'm also glad because sometimes when you recommend something that you haven't actually tried yourself, it's good to hear from people who actually. Yeah, okay.

[Elise Hu]

I've actually.

[Dory Shafrier]

Great. Yeah, exactly. Okay. And our last email. Very sweet. From Jackie in dc. Big DC day.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. It's a real theme.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah. And they say, long time listener, since before Dory was pregnant with Henry. That is a long time listener. Writing to recommend the Uncles in Law podcast, which Dory recommended, recently hosted by her brother, husband and brother in law. If you also find men to be mysterious creatures, I've enjoyed having a window into three who seem like really nice guys and hearing how they talk about work, family dynamics, hobbies, body image, and each other. And the familiarity of them as extensions of Dory makes for an easy transition to a new cast of podcast characters. Oh, that's so sweet. They are really nice guys. Like, they are, you know, I think your family. Yeah, they're my family. But, like, sometimes your family is, like, problematic.

[Elise Hu]

So.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, this is. That's really nice. Thank you so much for this. I also think Uncles in Law is a great listen. And I mean, for me personally, it's nice, especially get a window into, like, what my brother is doing and like, what. What he's thinking and how he's doing.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

He's not, like, forthcoming in conversation.

[Elise Hu]

Is he more forthcoming on a podcast?

[Dory Shafrier]

Yes.

[Elise Hu]

Interesting.

[Dory Shafrier]

I have found this to be true. Maybe it is a man thing, but it's like they get in front of a microphone and suddenly it's like they're able to like bear their souls or maybe Matt brings it out of him, I don't know.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, Matt's a good host.

[Dory Shafrier]

Matt is a good host and you know, kind of like has that sort of like warm and non threatening demeanor. And so I think he's able to like get my brother to talk about stuff that like maybe he wouldn't have talked about. So yeah. Oh, I love that you love it. And thank you so much for recommending it. And yeah, they are the uncles in law podcasts available wherever you get your podcasts, including YouTube. They are also on YouTube. So thanks. All right, everybody, thank you so much for listening. Take care. We'll talk to you soon. And if you're, if you're a Patreon supporter, we will see you today.

[Elise Hu]

See you in a little bit. All right, bye.

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