It Sounded like a Good Idea at the Time

It's book club day! This is our first take on a podcast version of a book club, and we already have ideas of what we'd like to do differently next time. If you have some thoughts, shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com or message us on Instagram @agoodideapod! We'd also love suggestions on what book we should all read next. But before we get into The Virtue of Sin by Shannon Schuren, we talk a little about what's going on around the world of women today. This video from James Corden is the one we discuss about fat shaming, and it's worth the watch. You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Did someone say freelancing? Well, Caroline did, when she decided she wanted to leave a full-time job to stay home with her newborn almost 5 years ago. The rest is history, and we'll break it down in this episode because making money for ourselves is an option that many of us don't know how to dive into. But before that, body image positivity, artists and their rights, Jane Doe coming forward and wowing us with her continued bravery, and more! You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We could not be more excited (or more hungry) for this episode! Our friend Cris (aka The Batchmaker) stopped by to talk to us about her exciting future, mental health, relationship advice, and balance. She's refreshingly honest and an immediate friend and we already can't wait to have her back. We hit heavy on some celeb gossip, because we can't not. And as always, some books, some gardening, and some minor Netflix-spying. Cris mentions in this episode that her husband has recently illustrated a children's book! You can find it on Kickstarter for the next few days here. We can't wait to get our hands on it! And if you're looking for more info on the 1619 Project, head over here. You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Hey-ohhh we've got books to talk about! We took a break last week and focused on tv but this week we're back with some thoughts on what we're reading. Here's a list of the books we talked about: Savage News, by Jessica Yellin Unbreakables, by Lisa Barr The Incendiaries, by R.O. Kwon Ordinary People, by Diana Evans Also, if you're interested, grab a copy of The Virtue of Sin by Shannon Schuren and read along with the gang at A Good Idea pod! Here's another thing we think is pretty great: Sex Ed is changing! Check out more over at NBC News.

Today is the venting session you didn't ask for, because we struggle with things and think it's a good idea to discuss them. Sometimes in these discussions a solution is reached, and sometimes you don't find an answer but you feel seen. We hope you feel seen a little bit or feel ready to open up to someone about what you're going through, whether it's big or small. But before that, we talked about some pretty important topics. First of all, the 9th Congressional district of North Carolina has a special election coming up on September 10th! If you live in that district, check out where you can vote and make plans to be there. If you're unsure of who to vote for, hit up our fave site I Side With to figure out what the candidates stand for and who you want to represent our district in Congress. We also talked about Popular Information, "a newsletter about politics for people who give a damn." As a subscriber to this newsletter, I (Hannah) totally recommend it. "A common trait among mass killers: hatred of women" is the article that we really hope you read, and it brings light to the data that we have from our plethora of history with mass killers in the United States. You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Before we get into today's episode, we want to encourage all our friends out there to contact your members of Congress and let them know that we need gun control immediately! Let them know that when they run for re-election, their stance and record on gun control will be something that helps you decide whether or not to pull the lever for them. To get in touch with the office of the people representing you, check out this site. It couldn't be easier! Your voice has to be heard on this. It's too important! On a more light-hearted note, we had a lot of fun recording today's episode! (To be fair, we say that most weeks) Our friend Mallory sent us this article, and it hit so close to home that we had to bring it up. Here are some of Caroline's favorite go-to meals for herself and her family: Healthy Zucchini Muffins (these are the ones Hannah raved about, and we are overflowing with fresh zucchini in the south right now!) A Warm Pan of Chickpeas, Chorizo, and Chèvre Crockpot crispy caramelized pork ramen noodle soup with curry roasted acorn squash Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup Everything Greek pork pitas Sunday Night Gnocchi Bolognese bake Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma Super Easy One-Pot Lasagna And here are some of Hannah's faves: 30 minute Thai peanut chicken ramen (I sub diced tofu for chicken) Chicken, black bean, and vegetable enchiladas (I've made these a lot recently with ground or diced tofu!) Chickpea, coconut, and cashew curry (this is one of Pasan's current faves, and I skip the food-processing stage) Cuban Quinoa Bowl with Spicy Lemon Cashew Dressing Healthy BBQ Shepherd's Pie (we sub ground turkey in this recipe as well) Also, we didn't get to it on the pod today, but this is my all-time favorite and most-used cookbook:

This week, we have a plethora of good reads by women authors before we talk with some more transparency about finances and where we find it necessary to splurge, but it doesn't feel like a splurge. We're talking B-level priorities that make it into our monthly budgets. One of us splurges on being healthy, and one splurges on take-out. You can probably guess which is which. We also talk about Joy for Charlotte, a Kindness Movement that April and Christina, good friends of the pod, (@carolinacharm and @smidgeofthis) are kicking off to spread joy around the world. The message is one that we wholly believe in, and we hope you'll check this out and spread a little extra kindness today. To read more about this, check out Christina's post. Also, if you listen on release day (Wednesday, July 31) it's Caroline's birthday! Head over to our IG @agoodideapod to shoot her good wishes for the following year. Here's hoping that the next year brings new feelings that don't include the buzzword "haggard." You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

What's your idea of aging into confidence? Do you feel great in pool and beachwear? We're digging into this as it's currently dead in the middle of summer and we're feeling the body image messaging coming in from all sides! What was that short story that Hannah mentioned? You have to check it out! It's called Cat Person, by Kristen Roupenian. You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Ever wonder what house plants have to do with staying present and enjoying the "now," while also looking to the future? Well, we didn't. But we got there anyway. Right after a talk about how women, and especially female creatives, are coming into their own and refusing to let their work be controlled without their consent. You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We took a break last week, and we're back to talk movies, books, and ambition! Do you feel ambitious? Do you think everyone needs to be ambitious? We're getting into it today. You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

You asked and we answered: April Robson from Smidge of This is back with us today! We're talking all things money, and we're not letting it get awkward! How do you handle finances for your life? You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The FIFA Women's World Cup, Taylor Swift's new video, and Big Little Lies season 2. We've got some big talking points for this week's episode, and we've also got some funky sound thanks to a new recording set up. Bear with us as we work out the kinks! We want to know about authenticity on social media. How do you achieve it? Is it necessary? And where did this trend of keeping it real come from, anyway? You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The persecuted becomes the persecutor, b****. (Caroline's words.) She's delving into the mind of her younger self today and Hannah is gloating about her youth and ability to always have a good time. All in all a feel-good episode for everyone involved. What advice would you give your younger self? You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

If you've been awake at any time in the last few years, then you know that burnout is a very real thing. But what does burnout specifically look like for women? We have some thoughts, and some of us may be realizing that it's time to take further steps in getting a hold of our mental health. We hope you feel seen in this episode, and would love to know how you feel about burnout. And of course, we're hitting on some hot topics in the world of women! Where can I find the article that started this conversation? Check it out here! You can check out our website to see previous episodes! What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know over on Instagram @agoodideapod, or you can shoot us an email at agoodideapod@gmail.com. Our music is: Werq Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Did you know that one state currently has a history-making majority female state assembly? And that North Carolina's governor is doing some pretty great things for women? And that Countess Luann has a cabaret show? It's all on the docket today, and then we're talking about our relationships with food and alcohol. Are they healthy? Are we happy? We asked you to weigh in, and we're breaking it all down PLUS one of us is getting insulted, pretty regularly, by the other. We'll let you figure out which is which. Hannah was talking about a few IG accounts for that push body positivity. What are they? Check out @talmeshak and @lovethyself365