In this grab bag episode, Becky and Taina get candid about everything from perimenopause and airplane germs to religious trauma and transformative fanfiction. Taina shares how one piece of Draco/Hermione fanfic cracked her wide open, while Becky reflects on the power of feeling seen in storytelling and media. They dig deep into the Catholic Church’s history of abuse, the political theater of the new Pope’s election, and how both personal and collective healing are tied to dismantling the systems that harm us. Expect musings on community, curiosity, cultish behavior—and a few pop culture tangents along the way.

Discussed in this Episode

• The surprising diversity of Houston, TX
• Air travel fears and post-pandemic etiquette
• Cultural differences in masking and public health
• Fanfiction as feminist literature
• Chronic illness representation in fiction
• The emotional labor of facilitation and caregiving
• Perimenopause, gendered medicine, and feeling invisible
• Religious trauma from both Catholic and evangelical backgrounds
• The politics of the new Pope and abuse cover-ups
• Community vs. cult dynamics and MAGA parallels
• Why questioning matters more than being right

Resources Mentioned

• "Greenlight" fanfic by Serena Muzaffir (on AO3)
• “Real Americans” by Rachel Khong
• “Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Just Getting Better podcast

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