Starr Struck Radio

The last episode of Season #2! As we mentioned last week, we'll be taking a 1-month break in between seasons before coming back for Season #3 in April. So, to celebrate the end of our second season, have some fun, and mix things up a bit, we use this week's episode to do a little Q&A; each of us came to the taping with 5 questions for each other--questions that we hadn't seen beforehand--and simply asked each other those questions (and obviously, answered them) on air. The goal of this little Q&A? To allow you to get to know us better {as if you don’t already know a lot of weird + intimate things about each of us and our relationship!} and to share a snapshot of where we are in our lives as the season ends.  Thanks for listening to this episode and Season 2! You can view the shownotes and comment at StarrStruckRadio.com. 

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about thought patterns--specifically negative thought patterns that we both {ahem, Ben} struggle with and then some ways to turn those negative thought patterns into positive ones. In particular, we discuss our experiences with negative forecasting, pre-paving and manifesting. What is pre-paving? What exactly is manifesting? Listen to the episode to find out ;)  As always, thanks for listening! You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.  

In case you missed our big news elsewhere, let this episode serve as our official podcast version of the announcement: Mary Catherine is pregnant. We're having a baby! Thus, obviously, this week's episode is all about this upcoming change: how we got to the point where we both felt ready to start trying for a baby, what the pregnancy has been like thus far, how we’re both feeling about having a baby + about life after baby, and more. Get ready for an episode full of vulnerability, honesty, excitement, anxiety, and quite a few laughs...as per usual ;)  And as always, thanks for listening! You can comment on the episode and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. 

This week, we're talking about the challenges of trying to do it all (or have it all) and the fact that doing everything well--or up to your ideal standards--simply isn’t possible. We get into this topic by sharing the ways in which we each face this reality every day in our own lives, and how we only see it getting worse as our family grows over time. To close the episode, we share some thoughts on how you can train yourself to let go of the things you simply cannot get to and how you can start to make more conscious choices about how to use your time and energy doing what matters most.  You can view the shownotes and comment on this episode at StarrStruckRadio.com. As always, thanks for listening!

Ben is back and this week we’re talking about the challenges of “keeping up with the Joneses” or comparing yourself to others. But first, we do some follow-up from Episode 35: we've finished 'Making a Murderer' so we spend some time sharing our thoughts on that show (spoiler-alert!) and we revisit registries + thank you notes by discussing some listener feedback on these two subjects.  Then, in the second half of the show we talk about how big life decisions can be influenced by what your peers and friends are doing, why it may be tempting to measure yourself against those in similar life stages, the potential pitfalls of comparison, and for those who need it, ways to avoid playing this comparison game. As always, thanks for listening! You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.

Sara is back for her third visit to the show! We use this opportunity to chat about two different subjects that apply to both of our "adult" lives as of late: We start with a discussion about making the big decision to move [from a city] and “settle down"--and what that looks like for each of us in our lives right now. We then chat about making friends in a new place when you no longer have built-in social networks around you and how we each find this challenging in our own ways. To close, Sara gives us a play-by-play on how to approach a potential new friend ;)  Thanks for listening! You can view the shownotes and comment on the show at StarrStruckRadio.com. 

Lets have a chat about two totally unrelated but interesting topics! This week we discuss the podcast Serial + the similar shows that have popped up around it, and then we jump into a conversation about the etiquette around registries, thank you cards, and gift-giving in general....it's a hodge-podge of opinions + murder mysteries! But we think it's worth a listen ;)  You can learn more, view the shownotes, and comment on the episode at StarrStruckRadio.com. As always, thanks for listening!    

It's a new year and we're back! In this week's episode, we start by discussing vacations, holiday travel, + simple pleasures, and end with a conversation about scaling back in the new year. In our household, "scaling back" is the theme of 2016, so we spend some time chatting about how we're each scaling back, why we think it's important to do this, and how we both hope that scaling back will allow us to be more present at home and with each other in this new year.  You can comment and/or view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!

Trainer Bobby Scott returns to Starr Struck Radio as our final guest of 2015!  In the first half of the episode, we finally hash out the blog back-and-forth that Bobby and Mary Catherine have been having over the question, "When it comes to fitness, is yoga enough?" Both Bobby and Mary Catherine explain their thoughts on the subject and as usual, Ben isn't shy about his opinions, either.   In the second half of the show, we introduce a new strength training program that Bobby will be creating for Mary Catherine in 2016, explain how listeners can follow along and join in the program, and Bobby breaks down what he observed in Mary Catherine's body when he did his initial physical evaluation with her (hint: her strengths + weaknesses matched up pretty closely with a "typical female yogi body").  As we mention in the show, this is the last episode of 2016 because we'll be taking a break from Thanksgiving through New Year's. Thanks SO much for listening to our very first year of podcasting! You can learn more + fo

Oh my, this is a doozy of a subject. Why do we women feel guilty so often and in so many areas of our lives? In this week's episode, my good friend (and Starr Struck team member!) Sara and I discuss our issues with guilt, what we feel guilty about, why we think women have so much more guilt than men, and how we try to deal with our negative feelings around the subject.  You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!

Lets talk about one of the topics that comes up in almost every single Starr Struck Radio episode: therapy. As many of you know, I’m a huge proponent of therapy. My dad is a therapist, my late stepmom was a therapist, I’ve spent many hours of my life in therapist’s offices, and I think therapy is an amazing and underused tool that can be life-changing. But, that’s not how everyone feels about it. In fact, for most, going to therapy is a taboo subject; often people are secretive about the fact that they have a therapist and act like it means that something is wrong with them. But it doesn’t! So, in today’s episode, I pick psychologist Erica Merson’s brain about this topic. My hope is that this episode becomes a resource for those interested in learning about how to find a good therapist, what therapy is like, how it can help, and how to decide if therapy is the right fit.  You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!

We've got lots to talk about in this week's episode! First, we tackle some listener comments, feedback, and follow-up from our last two episodes covering Morning Routines and Impostor Syndrome. Then, in the second half of the show, we discuss the idea of “finding your passion” or “living your passion,” which we believe is a big theme for our generation. We get into some of the conversations and controversies that have been popping up online (and in our daily lives) around this concept, and share our thoughts re: how passion relates to the work that we do and the lives that we create. You can learn more and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!  

Do you ever feel like a fraud? Do you struggle with chronic self-doubt or low levels of confidence, especially when it comes to your intellectual abilities? If so, you may have experienced a bit of impostor syndrome, which is what we talk about in this week's episode.  We start by defining impostor syndrome and what it feels like, and then go on to explain how it has shown up (or not shown up) in our lives [Hint: Mary Catherine has experienced it, Ben, not so much.] We also discuss whether or not it affects the sexes differently, how impostor syndrome, confidence, and humility are related, and we close with some tips on dealing with this issue if you, too, are plagued by it.  You can learn more and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!  

It’s time to revisit our most popular podcast topic ever and the focus of our very first Starr Struck Radio episode [ever]--morning routines! In this week’s episode we discuss how our morning routines have shifted in the 9 months since we recorded episode #1, we respond to some listener feedback about maximizing your morning hours, and we share a few new insights into morning routines that we think are worth pondering. As usual, the show starts with our #firstworldproblems and we discuss something that Ben has been working through as of late. Plus, we laugh a lot ;)   Thanks for listening! You can learn more and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Enjoy!

This week, we're talking relationships. More specifically, long-distance relationships, living together, and marriage. In response to a listener question from last season (It's taken us way too long to answer, we know!) and in celebration of our 3-year wedding anniversary--which we celebrated last week--we're getting into it. In the first half of the episode, we share a bit of our history as a couple and our experience moving in together (in 2009) after dating long-distance for 4 years. In the second half of the episode, we discuss how we feel marriage has changed our relationship, how we’ve each changed since getting married, and why we made the decision to get married in the first place. Thanks for listening! You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.

Ben's dream has finally come true--a whole episode about CrossFit! You had to know it was coming, right!?! As many of you know, Ben was an early adopter of CrossFit and has spent way too many hours of his life doing it, researching it, watching it, dreaming about it...thus, recording today's episode gave him the chance to put all of his "hard work" to use and share some of his CrossFit knowledge and experience with you. In the first half of the episode, Ben shares the basics of CrossFit and we both share our experiences with it. In the second half of the episode, we discuss the pluses + minuses of CrossFit and answer the question, "Should you do CrossFit?"  Even if you don't do CrossFit or have never heard of it, I think you'll find this episode interesting because we discuss how CrossFit is changing the fitness landscape in the US and how it's giving us a new way to think about "working out."  You can learn more about Starr Struck Radio + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening! 

Feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or a little lost? Might be time to outsource or hire some help! In this week’s episode, we discuss the ways in which we’ve both (individually and as a couple) recently asked for help and gotten it--and how this help has changed our lives for the better. We cover some of the factors to consider when deciding whether or not to outsource tasks or projects in your life, and as is to be expected, we go off on a few rants about household projects. You can learn more and view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ben takes the lead! And thus, in this week's episode, we tackle two of his recent obsessions. In the first half of the show, we talk spirit animals and Ben shares his recent "connection" with a wild animal in our yard. In the second half of the show, we discuss why laundry has become one of Ben's main life activities, what he can do about it, and some of the lessons that laundry (and other household chores) have to teach us.  You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. As always, thanks for listening!

In this week's episode, we welcome back last week's guest, Brian, for a second go-round during his second week in town. We start the episode with a discussion of Tapas (the cuisine, not the sanskrit word) and then jump into a discussion of willpower--and more specifically, why we're motivated in some areas of our lives and super lazy in others. The show ends with a segment all about engagement rings, getting engaged, and Brian's recent engagement experience. It's a fun one!  You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com.  As always, thanks for listening! 

In this week’s episode, we’re revisiting a topic that we covered last season: guys + yoga--and specifically the question, why don’t more guys do yoga? Today, we take this conversation a bit further by chatting with our friend Brian about his recent foray into the world of yoga. Brian is a big, athletic guy who, until shortly after hearing episode #8, had never done yoga before. Thus, he was the perfect person to interview about his yoga experience and was able to shed some serious light on this topic. In the first half of the episode, Brian shares his preconceptions about yoga, his experience taking his first class, + what makes him feel awkward about being one of the only guys in class. In the second half of the episode, we continue our discussion of why more guys don't do yoga, we discuss how teachers and studios can attract more guys, + Ben gets REAL (as usual).  You can learn more + view the shownotes at StarrStruckRadio.com. Thanks for tuning in!