The Couch Podcast
Conversations about pop culture and why it matters
The Couch Podcast #132: It’s a Jolly Holiday with Our Favorite Disney Songs (with James Walters)
Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? In a little town, a quiet village? Am I a man or a muppet? And what are the bare necessities of life? And finally, is this episode going to get a whole bunch of songs stuck in your head? Yes, both, and absolutely. You’re welcome.
My brother and good friend of the show, James Walters, is back on the couch this week to help me create an exhaustive list of the very best Disney songs ever. We’ve got historical context, musical backgrounds, spreadsheets, and list-making parameters galore, so buckle up! We’re about to get real nerdy about Disney music.
The Couch Podcast #131: Fall Movie Preview (with Dawn Camp)
My good friend (and good friend of the show) Dawn Camp is back on the couch to talk about the movies we’re planning to watch this fall. As always, we have recommendations for date nights, girls nights, family nights, and even take yourself to the movies night. Or afternoon. Or whenever you like to see a movie on your own. And, don’t worry, we also give you the premiere dates of the movies we have no interest in watching but will still be big ol’ hits. Basically, if it’s a movie you need to know about, we’re gonna talk about it!
The Couch Podcast #130: Pay Attention, Class! We’re Going Back to (TV) School (with Jenny Rapson)
My good friend (and good friend of the show) Jenny Rapson is back on the couch to talk about our favorite TV shows that are school-adjacent. We didn’t just list off all the series we could think of about school-aged kids, though. No, we made sure to have clear criteria for what shows receive an A+ from us.
The Couch Podcast #129: Helping Kids Learn Empathy with Picture Books (with Matthew Paul Turner)
You don’t have to look far or listen long to know why we need to teach our kids empathy. Basic kindness seems to be harder and harder to find, and if you’re like me, you are deeply motivated to encourage your kids to be better. To be more inclusive, to be kinder, to be different than what we’re surrounded by. And that is why my friend and children’s author, Matthew Paul Turner, is here today to talk with me about specific children’s books that help us do just that.
The Couch Podcast #128: Amazing, Messy TV Moms Who Just Need a Break (with Jen Babakhan)
Jen Babakhan, author and curator of the best parenting memes on the internet, joins me to talk about our favorite TV moms—the messy, lovable moms we’d love to give a big iced latte or Diet Coke and send them off to the nearest park bench, parking lot, or pantry to hide in. All moms need a break sometime and these real, relatable moms are no exception (even though yes, we do understand they are fictional).
The Couch Podcast #127: What Superhero Stories Teach Us (and Superhero Shows for Younger Kids) with Tara L. Cole
Why am I so obsessed with superheroes? To be fair, it seems like the whole world of entertainment and pop culture is obsessed with superheroes, so I’m not exactly alone. My friend, Tara Cole, is with me too. Tara is a teacher, author, and podcaster—as well as a mom of three boys. Her family is maybe even more into superheroes than I am! So today we’re talking about what it is about these stories that keeps us coming back for more, and then we share some superhero movies and series for younger kids who might not be ready for the more intense action of Marvel and DC movies.
The Couch Podcast #126: We Don’t Talk About Bruno, but We Do Talk About Ms. Marvel (with Tasha Jun)
Have you watched Ms. Marvel yet? My good friend (and friend of the show) Tasha Jun and I got together on The Couch this week to RAVE about our favorite new show. If you’re a Marvel fan or a Ms. Marvel fan (or, obviously, both), you’re going to love our conversation about everything we enjoyed about this new Disney+ series, our favorite characters, what we think might happen next, and even what we wish might have been a little different.
The Couch Podcast #125: Finding Family Movies to Watch Together at Home
If you’ve ever spent an hour scrolling through apps and skimming reviews in an effort to find a movie your entire family will like, this episode is for you! Yes, we’re talking about family movie nights again, this time with a long list of movie recommendations you might not have heard of or perhaps you’ve forgotten. I’m digging deep into the archives and giving you real-life reviews from my family about some of our favorite recent watches.
The Couch Podcast #124: Surf’s Up! Escaping with Beach Movies (with Tori Rask)
Who else needs a beach vacay right about now? I don’t know about you, but the first half of my summer has not been what you’d call ideal. And this week’s guest said it’s been about the same for her. So we decided to lighten the mood and raise our spirits (or at least escape the things bringing us down) by talking about beach movies.
The Couch Podcast #123: Holiday Movies We Watch Over & Over (with Anna Rendell)
Ughhhhh, this summer has been so stinking hot! Good thing Christmas in July—where we can at least watch snowball fights and ice skating and outright blizzards on the TV—is right around the corner! Today my friend, friend of the show, and Hooked on Holiday Movies...
The Couch Podcast #122: Ask the Couch, volume 6 (with Alana Dawson)
I’m answering your burning pop culture questions today in volume 6 of Ask the Couch! My friend and podcast coach (and friend of the show), Alana Dawson, is here to grill me—I mean, ask me the questions. And as always, it’s a fun time! (Don’t be deceived by that image up there. While we do talk about Daniel Tiger, Theodosia, and the Gilmore Girls, we also get ALL INTO the changes happening at Hallmark and the actors leaving for GAC, the first-ever Hooked on Holiday Movies LIVE EVENT coming this fall, and my new book hitting shelves this August!
The Couch Podcast #121: Swooning Over Historical Romance (with Rebekah Hoffer)
Buckle up, friends. Today’s episode is about historical romance novels, and it gets a smidge steamy! My friend (and friend of the show) Rebekah Hoffer is back on The Couch to discuss why I love them and she doesn’t. And in the course of this conversation, we do dive into some spicier topics than usual, so head’s up that this episode might not be for little ears (and could, in theory, cause one to swoon).