The Long and The Short Of It

Episode 378 - Favorite Things 2025

Transcript:

Pete: Hey, Jen.

Jen: Hey, Pete.

Pete: 'Tis the season.

Jen: 'Tis.

Pete: 'Tis the season for celebration. 'Tis the season for us to come to the table with a prepared episode. 'Tis the season for our Favo(u)rite Things episode.

Jen: Yes.

Pete: Our favourite things of 2025...I almost said 2026. 2025.

Jen: Don't rush me, Pete. Don't rush me.

Pete: So we have some set categories, which we'll share with everyone, and some responses to said categories. And I don't know, maybe there'll be a bonus one or two, because you always throw a curveball at me. Let's just dive in.

Jen: Our favorite things, 2025. This is The Long and The Short Of It.

Jen: Pete, we have no idea what the other person's answers are, which kind of makes this fun.

Pete: It does. Yeah, this is fun.

Jen: Yes. Should we share the categories that we're going to do this year?

Pete: Yes, we shall. We shall. So, a couple of favourites to start. Our favourite fiction book. Our favourite nonfiction book.

Jen: Yep.

Pete: They're pretty standard staples. What's next?

Jen: Next up is favorite podcast, not of ours. And favorite podcast episode, of ours.

Pete: Yep. Yep, yep, yep. Always hard. Then, we've got favourite thing that we watched. I think we used that one last year, as well. A new category is entering in 2025 because we like to mix it up, which was from you, which is a new motto / mantra that you have discovered. Then, there's one final one. What is it?

Jen: The final category is your favorite thing you discovered about yourself.

Pete: A little bit of self-reflection and exploration. I went a little deep on that one. And then, I came back out and was like, "I'm just going to come back up to the surface. I don't need to have an existential crisis."

Jen: Not at this time of year.

Pete: No. There's been plenty of those throughout the year. We don't need another one. Alright. Do you want to start fiction?

Jen: So, this kind of became a year of re-reading for me. I read a lot of new books. But with my daughter now being in high school, she is reading books that are like adult books.

Pete: Of course.

Jen: And I want to be able to discuss them with her, so I've been reading the books she's reading.

Pete: That's cool.

Jen: Some of them, I'm ahead of her. They're coming in the next semester. But I've so been enjoying it. So I picked two of my favorites, although I re-read more than that. The first is The Great Gatsby. I mean, come on.

Pete: Oh, classic.

Jen: It's so good. It's a real page-turner. And I had kind of forgotten the tone of the point of view. Because recently, that book has been turned into two different musicals that have a very different tone. So, it was really fun to re-investigate that. And then, the other was Pride and Prejudice.

Pete: Oh, wow.

Jen: Which, I don't think I had revisited since I was maybe in high school. And wow, I love a good romance. I love a good, "I don't love you. I don't love you. I don't love you. I do love you."

Pete: "I actually really do. I really do." Oh, I love it. They're good ones.

Jen: What about you?

Pete: So listeners may remember, at some point this year, I think I mentioned that I was on a fiction binge, specifically to do with one author whose name is Fredrik Backman. And I ended up reading five or six of his fiction books, because I was so taken by his style and the stories that he shared. So, I was trying to pick my favourite of those. And I went with Beartown, which is the kind of book where like your heart is beating in your throat, is like the way I would describe it. That, you just have to keep going. Because it's a little bit shocking. You know, there's a crime. There's drama. There's like things that you want to find out. Just, it's beautifully written in twists and turns. And it's horrendous, in many cases. But like, so compelling in others. And it's just like, yeah, it's one of those books that makes you feel all these things. And I'm like, that is a sign of a good fiction book. So, Beartown by Fredrik Backman. Highly recommend.

Jen: Sounds good.

Pete: Also, it's about ice hockey. And like as an Australian, it's just like, I don't know anything about ice hockey. But I'm learning about a little kid's ice hockey team.

Jen: Do you even have ice in Australia?

Pete: Exactly. Exactly.

Jen: Alright. Shall we move on to nonfiction book?

Pete: Yeah. How'd you go with this one? Because this one, I feel like, is often the hardest for us.

Jen: Well, I have to give two again, because one was a re-read.

Pete: Okay.

Jen: And it is In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. Which, as a person who spends a lot of time in Nantucket, Massachusetts, this is the story of the very tragic journey of the whaleship Essex, which was the inspiration for the great American novel, Moby Dick. This ship went down because it was rammed by a whale.

Pete: That's wild.

Jen: It's crazy. And the story is so compelling. It is a nail biter. I recommend it to all. Even if you're not going to visit Nantucket, visit the world of In the Heart of the Sea. It is so compelling. And I think our listeners know this, but maybe I haven't shared it. I'm obsessed with survival stories, like completely obsessed. And what these people had to do to survive is unthinkable. You can't even wrap your brain around it. I don't want to spoil it. Of course, you could google what happened to the Essex and find out. But maybe, instead, read the book, In the Heart of the Sea. And then, for the nonfiction that's more typically in the Jen Waldman vein, it is a book called You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion and Why It Matters by Vanessa Bohns. And let me tell you, this book rocked me. Because all other books I have read on influence have been about, how do you create more opportunities for influence? How can you have more influence? But the point of this book is to recognize the influence you inherently already have, and manage it effectively, and use it for good.

Pete: Nice. I like that. Leverage what you already have. As opposed to, you don't have the thing and now you need to learn it.

Jen: Yeah. I loved this book. Loved it.

Pete: Great rec. Alright. Well, I had a little hard time with this, but I forced myself to come up with one. I went with the one that has been most practical and useful for me this year. And I feel like it'll become obvious when I say the title. The book is called Little People, Big Feelings by Gen Muir.

Jen: Yes, Pete has a small child.

Pete: It's a book on parenting toddlers. And it's by this amazing Australian author, who is very well-reviewed in the parenting / child development circles. And she's written this great practical book about how to navigate having a toddler. And let me tell you, when I've gone back to this book three, four, five, maybe twelve times, I have definitely gone back to this book three, four, five, maybe twelve times. And it is super useful, very practical, and has been something that I have relied upon time and time again. And also, she's done a bunch of podcasts where she talks about concepts of the book, and it's just great. It's great. I found it really helpful. I found it reassuring. I mean, the opening chapter is like this hilarious story of, "Let me tell you about my lowest parenting moment." And just reading that, as someone who is an expert in this stuff, is enough for you to go, "Oh my god. Oh my god, it's all okay. We're all just fumbling our way through this experience." So, Little People, Big Feelings turns out is a great read. Highly recommend for the parents out there.

Jen: That's great.

Pete: Okay. How about podcasts? So, podcast that was not ours.

Jen: This is really hard, Pete, because I love a podcast. But what I used as my criteria this year is, what is a podcast that I literally did not miss a week?

Pete: Oh, that's a good one.

Jen: That like every week, I was like, "Gimme, gimme, gimme." And what it is might surprise our listeners. It is Las Culturistas with Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. And I don't know if this podcast has crossed the pond, but it's very popular in America. But it's a comedic take on contemporary culture. And then, at moments, it's like quite deep. These guys are so hilarious and so vulnerable. They say everything that's on their mind, no filters. But my favorite part of the podcast is they do this segment at the end called, "I don't think so, honey," where they pick something in culture that drives them crazy. And then, they get sixty seconds to just rant about it.

Pete: Nice.

Jen: And it's become this thing that I do with Cate. Once in a while, we go, "Do you want to do an, 'I don't think so, honey?'" And we'll each pick something. And then, we'll go off on it for sixty seconds. So, thank you to Matt and Bowen for giving me a framework to learn what is bothering my kid.

Pete: I love that. That's brilliant. When I was younger, I was in a Family Guy era, when I used to watch Family Guy as a, I don't know, twenty-one year-old. And there was one episode where there's a segment called "What Grinds My Gears". It's the same concept. It's like, "This is what grinds my gears today." I think that's so funny. It's great.

Jen: Oh my gosh, I love it.

Pete: So podcasts, I too found this hard. One of the things I found most hard was like, how do you even review? How do I even go back to my Spotify history? What I discovered in doing so is...this felt like a large number. It said in my Spotify that I've listened to 20,536 minutes of podcasts. I was like, "That feels like a lot." So I divided that by 365, and it came out at 56 minutes a day. I guess that's right, one podcast a day. And so, how do you review that many? So I went with, what's the one that I have turned to the most for comedic relief? That was essentially where I landed. And for me, that podcast is Smartless, which I probably mentioned on this podcast at some point. It is a podcast with three of my favorite, I guess, comedians, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes. And it is just this ridiculous podcast that always puts a smile on my face. They usually get a famous actor or someone famous in the entertainment industry to talk to. But inevitably, the fourth person, the guest, almost takes a backseat, and it's just the three of these guys bantering with each other. It is so foreign to my world. They are clearly stars of what they do in their world. And for that reason, I just turn to it when I'm...it's like a total de-plug from my life, because it's so foreign and funny. And the way they, as we would say in Australia, take the piss out of each other is just, it's chef's kiss. I love it. There's so much love in how they take each other down, but they take each other down all the time. It's great. So I just keep coming back to that one, Smartless.

Jen: I think it's kind of interesting, Pete, that you and I both picked comedy podcasts as our favorites this year.

Pete: That's true. I feel like it's sort of interesting. But maybe not, because we're all looking for a little respite, at the moment, in the world.

Jen: We need a little levity in these trying times.

Pete: Actually, because we're all reading nonfiction books, and everything's about learning and growth, I love me a good podcast where they're interviewing someone really smart. I really do. But sometimes, I just want a podcast where everyone's just talking crap and laughing, and that makes me laugh.

Jen: I love it. Okay, let's move on then to our favorite episode of our own podcast. And this is really, really hard, because I love so many of them. But Pete, what was your favorite of the year?

Pete: I had a hard time with this. I had a really hard time with this. I went for a bit of a theme. So, I have two. But I think they pick up on the same theme. The two are Six Strokes and Cadence. I picked them because I've gone back to the ideas we talked about in them quite a bit recently, which was essentially around, "Can you think about specific cues or questions or ways of breaking a skill down into bite-sized chunks that enables you to become more proficient in said skill?" So in the Six Strokes episode, we talked about, "You don't just get in a pool and swim. You get in the pool and think about moving your scapula and your fingernail. And doing that for just six strokes, without breathing, is a way to then build the capability of being a better swimmer." And so, that as a metaphor and a product of learning and growth and coaching people and running workshops is something that I've spent a lot of time thinking about. Similarly, with Cadence, breaking running down into like how many steps you take per minute is a concept I just have been nerding out on quite a lot lately. So, I've found those almost like most practical and useful in my own work.

Jen: Cool.

Pete: What about you? What did you come up with?

Jen: So, I think I might have used this criteria last year as well. But it's like, what is the episode where we coined a phrase that I've heard people repeat back to me over and over and over again, so I know that the concept landed? And this year it was Episode 358: Caramelized Onions.

Pete: What? What?

Jen: I know.

Pete: That's not what I thought you were going to say. That's great.

Jen: Right. We've said things that were far more profound. But the idea that caramelized onions take a long time to caramelize or caramelize depending on where in the world you're living, and that you can't rush a caramelized onion. It turns when it wants to turn. It takes time. I've had so many people, when I'm talking with them about something they're working on, say, "And I know, I know it's caramelized onions," or ask me like, "Is this a caramelized onion situation?"

Pete: Oh my god, that's great.

Jen: It's just like a real quick way to ask or to share, "This takes as long as it takes and you can't rush it."

Pete: That's great. I love that so much. I want to give an honorable mention to Land Snorkeling.

Jen: That was mentioned to me a ton over the summer and the fall, because it's just such a funny episode and such a fun concept.

Pete: I have been out on walks many times, and I've thought to myself, "Well, like, your mind is drifting. What if you just did a bit of land snorkeling right now, and focused on what you can see?"

Jen: Yep. I love a good land snorkel.

Pete: Honorable mention to Land Snorkeling. Okay. What about favourite thing we watched? We've expanded this from I think TV show in the past, because we both realized that we watched like maybe one TV show for the year.

Jen: To me, this was the easiest question to answer. Because it's not just my favorite thing I watched this year, it's my favorite thing I've watched in years.

Pete: Wow.

Jen: The bar is now set so high. I can't wait to see what is going to unseat this as my favorite thing. The favorite thing I watched is the play John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower. This play rocked my world. I saw it with my daughter. I can still recall moments in the play where my whole body was like convulsing in reaction to what was going on, on the stage. It was so incredible. It has since closed. But here's the good news, listeners. If you're in London in the spring, it's opening. We're definitely going to see it in March, in London. And then, it is being turned into a feature film, produced by Sadie Sink. (And I'm hoping starring Sadie Sink, who starred in it on Broadway.) It is one of the smartest, funniest, most devastating and electrifying things I've ever seen. Oh my god. And thank you to everyone who worked on it.

Pete: Wow.

Jen: It changed me. And my daughter talks about it every single day...literally, every single day. A life-altering experience in the theater.

Pete: Holy guacamole. That is, I mean, that's a bar that I can't possibly reach. Mine feels so ridiculous compared to yours, that compelling experience you had.

Jen: What's yours?

Pete: Well, I mean, they feel so ridiculous now. I had two, and there is a theme. So firstly, I did go down the, "What was a TV show I watched?" And I ended up on an episode of Bluey. Which, for those that don't know, it is a children's show actually written and created by someone who lives in Brisbane, Australia, that has since become, I think, like one of the most popular children's shows of all time in the world. Like, it's a big deal even in America. And it's actually based in Brisbane, which is irrelevant. But it's one of those shows that has just a little nugget for the adult, as well as the kids who obviously love this show. And there's an episode that is so specific to people who grew up in Australia, enjoying and playing and watching cricket. Which is a sport, for those that don't know. And there's an episode about cricket. And it is, I've had this experience with my brother. We share this in common. My dad has watched it, even though he doesn't have a young child anymore. And the three of us have all essentially had this experience of just crying in the middle of this episode of Bluey, because of how it articulates the feeling and the sport of cricket. It is...I don't know how to describe it other than if you grew up playing cricket, or maybe even if you didn't. It's seven minutes. And I've watched it about six times. And every single time, it makes me cry. It's crazy. I don't know how they do it.

Jen: Woah, that's amazing.

Pete: So, Bluey for the win. Bluey for the win. And then, the other one was only two weeks ago. And it is...I guess I'm on the theme of like when you're a parent and you get made to cry. That's apparently my criteria, at the moment. Two weeks ago, I took Ollie to his first concert. It was The Wiggles.

Jen: Yes.

Pete: It's also an Australian phenomenon, who's gone global. And watching Ollie watch The Wiggles was hands down one of the favourite things I've ever seen. It was his first concert, and the awe and the wonder and the like mesmerization of him seeing The Wiggles in the flesh. I was like, "Oh, I think there's some dust in this room, because I'm getting a little watery in the eye." So, watching Ollie watch The Wiggles was my other favourite thing that I watched this year.

Jen: Toot-toot, chugga-chugga, big red car. Yes. Wow. That's awesome.

Pete: Okay. What about...you came up with this new category, which I assumed meant you had some compelling, amazing answer to it. New motto, new mantra, new thing you found yourself saying to yourself. What was it?

Jen: Well, this might not sound so compelling or amazing. But I had a series of experiences that were trying to teach me a lesson. And my daughter has her first single coming out in January, which we'll talk about on a future episode. I was playing it in the background and I was pacing around the studio, trying to figure out like, "What is life trying to teach me? I need to be able to bottle this and make it something simple." And then, the chorus started playing. And the song is called Easier. And the last lyric in the chorus is, "Make it easier." And I was like, "Oh. Make it easier. Wow. I think that is what life has been trying to teach me, is cut out all of the bullshit. Simplify. Get rid of the things that are over-complicating and making things cloudy. And just focus on the simplest, easiest to execute, least concerned with perfectionism version of what you're doing."

Pete: Nice.

Jen: So, "Make it easier." That's my mantra.

Pete: I love it. "Make it easier." My goodness. And I have been lucky enough to have a sneak listen, sneak preview of this song that you're talking about.

Jen: It's amazing.

Pete: Oh my god. It is so good. Is the expression "an earworm"? Is that an expression?

Jen: It is an earworm. It's a bop. The hook is so hooky. Listeners, get ready.

Pete: Oh my god.

Jen: Because the song is...it's the song of your 2026. I can't wait to share it with you.

Pete: 100%, it is. It is. It just is. It's a bop. Alright. So, new motto / mantra. Mine feels less profound. But it's the thing that my wife and I have said to each other the most this year. And that is, "Something's got to give." And so, this comes from a place of two ambitious humans trying to create a life and a career for themselves, running a business for me, being a very senior leader at a very big company for Tracey, also having a toddler, also living in Brisbane where we have no support network, and also both traveling a lot, and wanting to do a lot in our lives. And we have got this expression that, "Something's got to give." And so, we use it as a way to help us say no to things, really. Which, we both find hard. Where it's like, "Oh, there's this cool opportunity for you to go and do a keynote in Sydney." And I'm like, "Yeah. But also, it's on Monday. And Monday is the day I usually have with Ollie, and you work. So like, something's got to give. I've just got to say no to that opportunity." So it's a, I don't know, practical way that we've used to remind ourself that while you can have a good crack at doing a lot of things, you can't do everything all at once. And so, there are certain moments where something's got to give. And that short expression has helped us, I guess, be more comfortable with saying no to things.

Jen: That is so powerful and so simple. And I bet a lot of listeners needed to hear that for themselves.

Pete: Maybe. Maybe.

Jen: Wow. Okay. Well, the last category is your favorite thing you discovered about yourself.

Pete: Yeah.

Jen: What's so interesting is, as I was trying to think of what this is, I was like, "Well, I've discovered so much about myself. I don't know if any of it's my favorite. Hmm."

Pete: I did the same thing.

Jen: So, maybe I have to rename the category as the thing I was relieved to discover about myself...I'm an introvert.

Pete: Oh my gosh. I've never heard you say that before.

Jen: I didn't know.

Pete: Wow.

Jen: I didn't know. I am an introvert in pretty much any social situation that is not professional.

Pete: Wow.

Jen: I don't like parties. I don't like crowds. I don't like groups. I would rather sit in the corner by myself than schmooze. I'm great in a professional environment. I know how to behave in those scenarios. But I'm realizing, after like kind of observing myself this year, I'm like, "Oh, right. I'm not an extrovert. I seem like one to people, but I'm not."

Pete: Yeah.

Jen: And that really was a relief.

Pete: Amazing. Oh my god. I love that. That's a good one.

Jen: What about you?

Pete: Well, the favourite thing I discovered about myself, and maybe the most surprising, is I really enjoy triathlon training. At the start of the year, a friend of mine said, "I'm going to sign up for this new triathlon. Do you want to do it with me?" And I was like, "Sure." I thought to myself, "I don't think I'm going to enjoy riding a bike for hours at a time. And I have had a history of getting injured while running. So, I don't know if I'm going to enjoy that. I quite like swimming, so maybe I'll enjoy that." And what I've discovered is, the rabbit hole that is triathlon training has been a rabbit hole that I've absolutely loved.

Jen: That's so great.

Pete: And I love that it gets me outside. I then went and upgraded my bike, because I was getting all nerdy on like cool bikes and what bike technology looks like. And the process has become the fun part for me, which is not something I would have expected. I would have thought once I achieved the outcome, I completed the triathlon, I'd be done. But actually, I'm like, "Oh, I'm signed up for another few, because I like the process of training." So I discovered that about myself, which is cool. It's like learning a new skill / modality / sport for the first time. And it's just like, when's the last time I got to do that? I haven't done that for ages.

Jen: That is amazing, Pete. That's so cool. I just want to repeat back to you what I think I heard. You've registered for several.

Pete: A couple. Two.

Jen: Wow. That's so cool.

Pete: Yeah.

Jen: Well, listeners, hopefully this gave you some ideas about things to check out. And we, of course, are so open to hearing from you about your favorite books, the favorite things you've seen or heard or watched or learned this year. So, always feel free to reach out to us: hello@thelongandtheshortpodcast.com. And happy holidays.

Pete: Happy holidays, listeners. Thank you for tuning in. We cannot believe that you do, and we love that you do. And we're so grateful for all of you, for tuning in, in 2025. Here's to another fifty-two episodes next year, in 2026.

Jen: And that is The Long and The Short Of It.