Mildly Thriving

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 In Part 2 of this friendship deep dive, Meredith and Kimberly take the “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” theory and absolutely overthink it (for your benefit).  The girls break down the traits that actually matter when choosing friends and partners…and remind you that it isn’t always just hobbies or politics, it’s about the details: humor that doesn’t make you cringe, communication that doesn’t raise your cortisol, and emotional maturity that doesn’t require a PowerPoint. They unpack what traits actually make relationships...

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 In this episode, Meredith and Kimberly get real about how the people you hang with can make you thrive… or slowly drain your will to live. With personal stories, questionable decisions, and a few friendship red flags waved proudly in the air, the girls dive into what accountability and real support actually look like. They also unpack why keeping friendships alive during major life plot twists can be really freaking hard and why negative friends should come with a warning label.

This is our first video episode and we're jus...

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 In this week’s episode of Mildly Thriving, Kimberly and Meredith tackle the hard-hitting topic of joy. Yes, JOY, the KPI (key performance indicator) of life that somehow keeps getting overshadowed by money, “success,” and other things that can’t hug you back. Why isn’t joy the metric we obsess over? And who do we blame? (Hint: the Puritans. Obviously.)

The girls share some of the historical weirdness that made joy feel like a guilty pleasure, sprinkle in some actual insight, and, because this is Mildly Thriving, drop multiple references to classic...

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On this episode of Mildly Thriving, Meredith and Kimberly take a hard look at Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions and past experiences and spoiler alert: they’re not fans of turkey (because, let’s face it, who is?). Don’t worry, they will tell you their honest thoughts on all Thanksgiving food and why anyone who says they like turkey is probably lying. They also dive into the somewhat mildly soul-crushing tradition of Christmas gift-giving and what it’s really like to deal with family during the holidays, because nothing says “peace on earth” like passive...

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On this episode of Mildly Thriving, Kimberly unveils her latest theory: life might be easier if she were... a psychopath. Yes, really. Don’t panic! Hear us out. A little break from constant empathy, worrying what people think, and our chronic shortage of confidence? Tempting. We dig into what psychopathy actually is (spoiler: it’s not what we thought) and stumble across some surprising facts we definitely did not know.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

Insert legal disclaimer and jargon here... but...

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 We’re finally doing it folks! The “get to know us” episode you’ve all (probably) been waiting for. Meredith and Kimberly pull back the curtain (just a little) to share who they are, what they do, and why they started this delightfully mediocre podcast they are grateful you’re listening to. 

Expect the usual tangents, but this time they talk day jobs, hyperfixation shows, accidental cruise ship performances (Meredith’s got moves, apparently, even if it’s against her will), and Kimberly’s quest for morning routine perfection. 

Will we ever stay o...

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 Wanna witness the carnage yourself? Head over to our Instagram @MildlyThrivingPod to see the aftermath of the tenant from hell.

In this episode of Mildly Thriving, Kimberly presents Meredith with a very prestigious honor: The Friend of the Month Award. The reason? After Kimberly’s condo was destroyed by a truly disgusting tenant, she sent a panicked text to Meredith with one urgent request "Go to Home Depot. Now.”

Without hesitation (or underwear), Meredith leapt into action like the loyal friend she is. Unfortunately, this heroic act meant exposing herse...

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In this episode, Kimberly has a shit day, rips up her original plan for this episode , and surprises Meredith with one of her “hills she WILL die on.” Her latest hill? The word “should” SHOULD deserves a spot right next to "shit" and "fuck" on the list of words you probably shouldn’t say...

From there, things spiral (appropriately) into a full-blown SHOULD TORNADO, where we unpack how this one tiny word manages to guilt-trip us into oblivion. We attempt to offer advice on how to stop “shoulding” all over ourselves—but let’s be hon...

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We thought we knew what menopause was, hot flashes, mood swings, maybe a mid-life crisis? But suddenly, social media starts whispering that if you’re over 35, you should be terrified of this mysterious thing called peri-menopause. So we started freaking out and asking what even is peri-menopause?

In this episode, Kimberly dives headfirst into the hormone pool to figure out what peri-menopause actually is, how it’s different from menopause, and whether we should all start stockpiling yams (anyone else remember the creams Samantha used in the Sex & the City 2 movie?). She...

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To Meredith (not so much Kimberly), routines are like leftovers, pretty good the first day, forgotten about by day four. In this episode, we unpack our ongoing struggle with sticking to routines. Don’t expect a life-changing productivity hacks though. We mostly debate the fine line between motivation and discipline (whatever that means). Meredith even references “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, which she swears helped her understand habits… just not actually do them.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

Insert legal di...

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In this episode of Mildly Thriving, Kimberly drags Meredith into one of her fave mental gymnastics routines: pretending she’s a medieval peasant just to feel better about her life and fill her up with gratitude. Hot water? Magic. Indoor plumbing? Royal treatment. We also unpack Meredith’s genius strategy of buying event tickets before she has anyone to go with, and how she inspired Kimberly to give it a whirl.

Insta: @MildlyThrivingPod

Original audio by Patrck Joseph (Thanks Patrick)

Insert legal disclaimer and jargon here...

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On the days when Meredith and Kimberly are thriving less than mildly, we toss our show notes straight into the dumpster fire that is our insecurities and try to embrace the art of winging it. Is that a recipe for podcast gold or a total shitshow deluxe? Honestly, you tell us. Kimberly comes in hot with the ultimate break up question: if the dog you once shared dies, do you reach out to your ex you have no contact with? Then we discuss our insecurity spirals and how we deal with them (spoiler...

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In this episode of Mildly Thriving, Kimberly & Meredith talk about how much other people’s opinions, whether they are strangers, friends, family, or even people we just make up in our heads, mess with how we live our lives. We call each other and ourselves out for all the sneaky ways we let the fear of what someone *might* think influence our choices. We also laugh about how we will spend thirty dollars to have a ten dollar burrito delivered but baulk about the cost of getting clothes properly tailored. We go off ab...

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Kimberly & Meredith are serving up some real talk on the Body Positivity movement. We explore wether it's really empowering us, or just another way to guilt-trip ourselves because we’re not “positive enough” about our bodies? (Like, thanks but no thanks.) We spill on how growing up in our respective households shaped everything from body image to how we see what past generations put up with. Plus, us girls reveal our not-so-secret weapon we learned from some random chick on Insta: sometimes the ultimate confidence boost is just declaring yourself a hot girl! Oh, an...

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Cetus-Lupeedus fellow MiTh-ers. In this week’s episode, Meredith & Kimberly talk about important topics like dicks and butts on a bus, should we even bother taking pictures if we’re traveling for ourselves, and how much social media influences (and the Disney Channel) where we go and what we do while we’re traveling. We offer unhelpful advice on how to be more in the moment and live for you, not your Insta. We also go on a random tangent about Tacoma's Porchfest and the fire-breathing fiberglass dragon vehicle that we now want to bui...

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Welcome back to Mildly Thriving! This week, Meredith and Kimberly unpack the mystery of why making/maintaining friends in your 30s feels harder than trying to assemble IKEA furniture without (or hell, even with) the instructions. Spoiler: we’re blaming our parents, our healthy sleep routine, and maybe even our social energy batteries.

Somehow, we also take a scenic detour into why camping is the absolute worst (sorry, tent enthusiasts).

If you’re looking for actionable tips to grow...