Ever had something you love dismissed because it’s “just” pop culture? What others might deem stupid shit, you know matters. You know it’s worth talking and thinking about. So do we. We're Tracie and Emily, two sisters who think a lot about a lot of things. From Twilight to Ghostbusters, Harry Potter to the Muppets, and wherever pop culture takes us, come overthink with us as we delve into our deep thoughts about stupid shit.
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Lightbringers: Illuminating the Deeper Meaning of the Crime-solving Devil TV Show
Tracie Guy-Decker & Emily Guy Birken
Tracie and Emily are two sisters who really love the show Lucifer. We're rewatching the series two episodes at a time and taking the time to illuminate the deeper meaning of the crime-solving devil tv show. Yes, we are overthinking it. WARNING: There are definitely spoilers. If you haven't watched the whole series (all 6 seasons), listen at your own risk!
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A podcast intended to help busy women find the tools and the encouragement to manage their lives, their time, their stress, and their stuff so they can accomplish the things that matter most to them.
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Send us a text I myself am strange and unusual. On today’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily shares her thoughts about the ghost with the most: Beetlejuice. The Tim Burton film is aesthetically gorgeous, unapologetically bizarre, and legitimately funny–but the character of Beetlejuice relies on sexual predation to indicate his awfulness and Michael K…
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Send us a text All he'd wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. The 1982 science fiction classic, Blade Runner, was a favorite of the Guy girls’ father. Mainstream media critics can’t ruminate about how a loved one’s relationship with a piece of problematic pop culture affects the way we view it. Luckily, we aren’t mainstream media. In th…
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Send us a text I crap bigger’n you! The 1991 film City Slickers holds a special place in the Guy sisters’ hearts because of how much their dad loved it. When Tracie and Emily took him to see this film in the theater for Father’s Day, they had no idea this gentle comedy-Western would offer a nuanced look at the meaning of masculinity, male friendshi…
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Deep Thoughts about Field of Dreams
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Send us a text If you build it, he will come. What better vehicle for the Guy girls to meditate on their relationship with their late father than a movie they once watched with him about a man’s relationship with his late father? With Field of Dreams, the 1989 magical realism baseball film starring Kevin Costner, Tracie brings some deep thoughts ab…
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Deep Thoughts about Nightmare on Elm Street
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Send us a text One, two, Freddy’s coming for you… Today’s episode of Deep Thoughts gives Emily a chance to finally exorcise the boogeyman of every 80’s childhood: Freddy Krueger. Though neither Emily nor Tracie ever saw the influential 1984 film Nightmare on Elm Street, the burned and be-knived Freddy cast a long shadow over the culture, meaning th…
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Deep Thoughts about Dune with Jake Cohen
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Send us a text Fear is the mind-killer… On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie and Emily welcome their cousin Jake Cohen to talk all things Dune, from Frank Herbert’s influential series of novels to the 1984 David Lynch adaptation to the recent Denis Villeneuve films. The conversation ranges from the intricate and well-thought out worldbui…
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Send us a text Podcasts are like onions…they’ve got layers. In this patron-exclusive bonus episode, Emily takes a look back at Shrek, the charming ogre who entertained her young son. Though the movie is still laugh-out-loud funny at times, those guffaws come with unfortunate sides of fat-phobia, misogyny, and bio-essential transphobia that is truly…
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Deep Thoughts about Ferris Bueller's Day Off
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Send us a text Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and listen to a podcast once in a while, you might just miss it. This week, Tracie shares her deep thoughts about the iconic 1986 teen movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off–and unfortunately the results are not as charming as Matthew Broderick’s smile. Not only is Jeannie unfairly made out to be a v…
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Send us a text Only try to realize the truth: There is no spoon. When Emily brings her deep thoughts about the Wachowski Sisters’ 1999 cinematic masterpiece, The Matrix, the Guy sisters are unable to contain the conversation to under an hour. (We’re not exactly known for our brevity.) This movie, possibly the most popular, successful, and influenti…
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Deep Thoughts about The Ren & Stimpy Show
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Send us a text Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy! This week on Deep Thoughts, Tracie brings nostalgia, laughter, and the unfortunate realization that you really can’t go home again with her analysis of The Ren & Stimpy Show. While creator and tortured animation genius John K brought back the artistry and commitment to craft when his angry Chihuahua and sweetl…
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Deep Thoughts about Revenge of the Nerds
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Send us a text NERDS!!! On today’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily shares her analysis (and horrified shuddering) about the oddly influential 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds. Though the filmmakers thought they were writing the “gentle and funny underdog story” that Gene Siskel characterized the movie as, Nerds treats women as less-than-human trophie…
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Deep Thoughts about Dead Poets Society
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Send us a text O Captain! My Captain! Join us as Tracie brings her deep thoughts to the 1989 film Dead Poets Society on today’s episode. Though this beloved film was supposed to be a defense of the humanities (and remember, both Guy Girls were English majors at private liberal arts colleges), this rewatch made it clear the film thinks poetry is sim…
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Send us a text Hold on to your butts! On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily shares her analysis of the 1993 film Jurassic Park. She describes the thrill of being the target audience for a summer blockbuster (she was 14 when it came out) and her discomfort with how the book portrayed the only two female characters as an annoying child and a…
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Sabbaticals – Time to Rest and Refocus – TPW500
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Have you taken (or thought about taking) a sabbatical? This week we look at the why and what of sabbatical. (And listen for a special announcement at the end of the episode.)By Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about The Last Unicorn
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Send us a text Magic! Do as you will! Tracie brings her deep thoughts about the 1982 animated film The Last Unicorn, a lesser-known but beloved part of the traumatizing 80s movie canon. With gorgeous animation–the studio went on to become Studio Ghibli–this film tells an odd story about how mortality allows us to feel regret and reminds us there ar…
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10-Year Podiversary – Lessons Learned – TPW499
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In this episode we’re celebrating 10 years of The Productive Woman podcast and I’m sharing some lessons I’ve learned along the way.By Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about Four Weddings and a Funeral
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Send us a text In the words of David Cassidy, in fact, while he was still with The Partridge Family, I think I love you… Join us this week as Tracie and Emily revisit the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral that they first saw in the theater together. Not only did this film launch Guy girls’ long-standing fixation on Hugh Grant, the floppy-haired…
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Productive Living: Getting Unstuck, with Britt Frank – TPW498
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This week I'm talking with Britt Frank, a therapist, trauma specialist, and author of The Science of Stuck, about getting unstuck and making a life that matters.By Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about King Kong with William Patrick Day
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Send us a text Was it beauty that killed the beast? Or was it capitalism…aided by airplanes? On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie and Emily welcome Oberlin Professor Pat Day to talk about the ape, the myth, the movie legend: King Kong. Prof. Day walks us through how the original filmmakers in 1933 used new technology (A musical score! Cl…
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Preparing for a Productive Retirement – TPW497
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No matter your age, preparing now, with a focus on what matters most to you, can ensure a smooth transition to a rewarding, meaningful, and productive retirement when the time comes.By Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
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Send us a text We’re not bad…we’re just drawn that way! In this episode, Emily brings her deep thoughts about a marvel of innovation and animation: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? This 1988 film, a self-conscious mashup of three different animation studios’ styles and the film-noir of the Chinatown films, is a unique vehicle for a conversation about the w…
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Lucifer 609 + 610 “Goodbye, Lucifer” & “Partners ‘Til the End”
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Send us a text In the final episode of Lightbringers, the Guy girls still manage some significant overthinking. The storytelling leads them to some questions about how people who don’t feel remorse might be tortured in the Lucifer universe (in other words, what was the magic behind Lucifer’s whispered words to Lemec?). Additionally, the confines of…
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Productive Reading: Slow Productivity, by Cal Newport – TPW496
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In this week's installment of our recurring Productive Reading series, we look at key takeaways from Cal Newport's newest book, Slow Productivity.By Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about Dirty Dancing (Patron Exclusive) TEASER
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Send us a text Now I had the time of my life…revisiting this classic! In today’s special patrons-only bonus episode, Tracie dives deep into the unexpected hit film Dirty Dancing. Join the sisters as they unpack Eleanor Bergstein’s very intentional and subversive storytelling that made abortion integral to the plot (which surprised the heck out of c…
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Lucifer 607 + 608 'My Best Fiend's Wedding' & 'Save the Devil, Save the World'
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Send us a text In this penultimate episode of Lightbringers, the Guy sisters continue to notice the moments and threads of season 6 that seem to point to a rushed (and self-amusing) writers’ room. From the unprofessional move of Linda’s book (why didn’t they just make it fiction?) to the disappointingly milquetoast Carroll, there are story and char…
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Deep Thoughts About Event Horizon with Scott Kenemore
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Send us a text Hell is only a word… This week on Deep Thoughts, the sisters welcome best-selling horror novelist (and Emily’s fellow Kenyon alum) Scott Kenemore to discuss the 1997 cult classic Event Horizon starring Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. The wide-ranging discussion moves from the meaning of cosmic horror to the importance of intent whe…
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Lucifer 605 + 606 “The Murder of Lucifer Morningstar” & “A Lot Dirtier Than That”
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Send us a text With these two episodes we get some subtext about addiction and some supertext about racist policing. In “The Murder of Lucifer Morningstar,” the sisters realize on rewatch (especially in the context of our analysis of so many moments of mental health metaphors) that Chloe’s obsession with the super-strength the necklace provides is …
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There are ways to manage stress--and good reasons to do so.By Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about the Addams Family
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Send us a text They’re subversive and they’re kooky, whimsical, sweet and spooky…The Addams Family! snap, snap On today’s Deep Thoughts, Emily overthinks The Addams Family–specifically the 1990s era films starring Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia. The sisters examine how The Addams Family uses horror tropes and subversions to hu…
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Lucifer 603 + 604 “Yabba Dabba Do Me” & “Pin the Tail on the Daddy”
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Send us a text As season 6 progresses, the Guy sisters have some moments of joy and appreciation and quite a few quibbles for the writers. Though the cartoonified episode is in some ways delightful (Tracie wanted to be an animator when she was a kid), there are moments in the writing that feel either ableist or rushed (or both). The sisters note th…
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Productive Living: Becoming CEO of Your Health, with Andrea Nakayama – TPW494
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Andrea Nakayama, Functional Nutritionist and founder of Functional Nutrition Alliance, shares new ways to look at our health and nutrition while improving our productivityBy Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about the Spice Girls
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Send us a text I really really really wanna zig-a-zig-AH! On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Tracie and Emily delve into the global phenomenon of the Spice Girls. Tracie explains how she saw the inevitability of Spicy world domination while living in London in 1997 and decided to embrace the manufactured pop group’s grrl power, despite feelin…
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Lucifer 601 + 602 “Nothing Ever Changes Around Here” & “Buckets of Baggage”
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Send us a text And so begins the Guy sisters’ rewatch of Season 6: Nobody’s favorite season. With these two episodes, the sisters spend considerable time lamenting the fact that there are no media role models for people who are childless by choice, including, it seems, Lucifer. We also are perplexed and perturbed by multiple details of these two ep…
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Disappointment (and worse) can result when we aren't clear on our expectations. Today we’re talking about managing expectations for less stress and more productivity.By Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about Pee-Wee's Playhouse with Mallory Henson
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Send us a text That’s so funny I forgot to laugh! On this week’s episode, Emily and Tracie welcome Mallory Henson to talk about her reverence for the TV show Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Mallory introduces the sisters to the path Paul Reubens took to develop the character of Pee-wee Herman and how the show recreated the joyful chaos of a child’s mind while…
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Lucifer 515 + 516 “Is This Really How It’s Going to End” & “We Could Have Had a Happy Ending”
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Send us a text These two final episodes of season five pack and emotional wallup. With more than one major character death (though 2 don’t stay dead), the Guy girls both admit to shedding some tears, even in rewatch. The views we get of both Heaven and Hell have Emily and Tracie thinking deeply about the nature of punishment, the compatibility of j…
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Crafting a Life That Matters: 10 Essential Questions – TPW492
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Self-reflection is always time well spent, especially if it's helping us grow as an individual. In this episode we’re talking about questions we can ask ourselves to help us create a life that mattersBy Laura McClellan
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Send us a text Party Time! Excellent! [Extended guitar solo] On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily revisits the most important cultural touchstone of the late 20th century: Wayne’s World. In addition to introducing an entire generation to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, this film presented a surprisingly complex characterization of Tia Carrere’…
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Lucifer 513 + 514 “A LIttle Harmless Stalking” & “Nothing Lasts Forever”
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Send us a text “A Little Harmless Stalking” & “Nothing Lasts Forever” are ripe for overthinking, and the Guy girls do. These two stories invite meditations on the reconciliation of adult children and their parents, a scene that has become common in contemporary pop fiction, and which Tracie & Emily dub psychological or family dynamic fiction: art t…
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Productive Living: Financial Wellness, with Tamara Dias – TPW491
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Certified financial social worker Tamara Dias joined me to talk about financial wellness and making a life that matters.By Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about Superman: The Movie
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Send us a text It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s an unreasonable hatred for Hackensack, New Jersey! This week, Tracie brings her Deep Thoughts about the 1978 film Superman: The Movie. From the way this film helped legitimize comic books and superheroes as a valid art form to the huge influence Christopher Reeve’s Superman still has on our culture, th…
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Lucifer 511 + 512 "Resting Devil Face" & "Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid"
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Send us a text “Resting Devil Face” is a delightful romp the sisters want to revisit more often. “Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid” may be both of their least favorite. In “Resting Devil Face,” the celestial siblings’ relationship digs in to the very human experience of realizing one’s parent is vulnerable. In a satisfying dovetailing of the case-…
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From the Vault: Working from Home – TPW490
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Working from home has its benefits--and its challenges. This week I talk about both--and some solutions for the challengesBy Laura McClellan
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Send us a text REDRUM! REDRUM! On this week’s episode of Deep Thoughts, Emily breaks down the horror masterpiece, The Shining. The sisters walk through the ways in which Shelley Duvall’s portrayal of Wendy Torrance is an unexpected feminist icon, how Kubrick created an intentionally incoherent film while abusing his actors (except for 6-year-old Da…
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Lucifer 509 + 510 "Family Dinner" & "Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam"
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Send us a text “Family Dinner” and “Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam” deliver both some of the funniest and some of the most poignant moments of the whole series. With a general appreciation for the relatableness of so much of what happens between characters in these two episodes and a very specific appreciation for Tom Ellis’ collarbones, the Guy sist…
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Mental Load and a Life that Matters – TPW489
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How do you manage the mental load that's part of managing a household, a career, relationships, and a life in general? And how do we get others to share that mental load?By Laura McClellan
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Send us a text HEY YOU GUY(Girl)S! On this week’s Deep Thoughts, Tracie revisits a classic of GenX childhood: The Electric Company. This children’s sketch comedy program with an all-star cast (Morgan Freeman! Rita Moreno! Bill Cosby?) showcased the wonderful ways that informal education can be intentional, subversive, funny, and validating. While n…
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Lucifer 507 + 508 “Our Mojo” & “Spoiler Alert”
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Send us a text On rewatch, the Guy girls were reminded just how much they compartmentalize their memories about these two episodes. “Our Mojo” and “Spoiler Alert” provide delightfully fun and funny moments intermixed with grim details of the serial-killer-right-under-our-noses storyline. The sisters spend time teasing out the phenomenological and m…
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The Art of Balancing Solo and Social Time – TPW488
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A meaningfully productive life includes a balance of solo and social time--but that balance is different for each of us.By Laura McClellan
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Deep Thoughts about Veronica Mars with Joanna Church
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Send us a text “This face right here is my over the moon face.” This week, Tracie and Emily welcome Joanna Church to share her Deep Thoughts about the television show Veronica Mars. Between trying to recap the telenovela-sounding plot to Tracie (coma babies! children switched at birth! a school bus that drives off a cliff and explodes!), Joanna exp…
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