Your Weekly Breakdown

Friction Maxxing, the Slow Death of Objective Reality, Exploding Trees, and Happy 50th Ep!!

This week’s episode (their 50th!!) is a full-chaos sampler platter: birthday party debriefs, peak petty relationship moments, and the new life philosophy of friction maxxing—aka choosing mild inconvenience on purpose so your brain doesn’t rot.Cait and Em unpack why the internet is making truth feel optional, what’s actually going on with ICE and the Olympics (spoiler: not what the headlines want you to think), and why TikTok moderation is starting to feel… ominous. Then: exploding trees, miracle baby turtles, dogs curing teen anxiety via gut microbes, and the extremely cursed idea of using AI as a therapist (don’t).Plus: Ozempic is apparently saving airlines millions, B12 deficiency comes for us all, and martinis spark a surprisingly technical debate. Equal parts smart, spiralling, and deeply unserious—just the way the girls like it.Shownotes:danish people petitionICE at the olympicstiktok censoringIranian regimeEllison media consolidationfriction maxxing teens and dogs and anxietychat gpt as a therapistexploding treestiny turtle miraclepancreatic cancer cureairline industry saving money due to glp-1 usagewhat does B12 dovirginia high school students car repairs for single moms*** Follow along: Your Weekly Breakdown on instagram: www.instagram.com/yourweeklybreakdown Your Weekly Breakdown on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourweeklybreakdownpod Caitlin on instagram: www.instagram.com/caitlinhowden Emily on instagram: www.instagram.com/emilykeyistyping Interested in advertising in a Hard Copy Media property? Click hereEmail anytime with questions: hey@hardcopy.onlineSubscribe to the weekly newsletter at hardcopy.online/sign-up

Davos + WEF analysis, Carney's middle powers, Toxic mom groups + who to platform, and Swearing as self-care

This week the girls kick things off with a surprisingly serious (and genuinely hopeful) deep dive on Mark Carney's Davos mic-drop with their first-ever political insider guest Jill Clark, and shift to the usual business talking about naked FaceTimes, strong canned cocktails, and a four-and-a-half-star book review that spirals into why Goodreads is emotionally unsafe. They also consider swearing as a productivity tool, toxic mom groups, celebrity oversharing, platforming debates, and why saying “I just want dialogue” is often a lie. Plus: billionaire math that will ruin your day, California’s drought glow-up, Wikipedia’s AI era, goalie fights, queer sports love stories, declining literacy panic, and one absolutely unforgivable seggs scene on page 527. Smart, chaotic, occasionally enraged, but ultimately very pro celebrating the wins.Shownotes:Guest commentator: Jill Clark Books:Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McNaughyThe Bronze Horseman by Paullina SimonsCanada's billionairesReading is on the declineGoalie fight!NICU nurse gets jailtimeWikipedia + AIElon's Grok deepfakesPM Carney's WEF speech Donald's Davos fact checks*** Follow along: Your Weekly Breakdown on instagram: www.instagram.com/yourweeklybreakdown Your Weekly Breakdown on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourweeklybreakdownpod Caitlin on instagram: www.instagram.com/caitlinhowden Emily on instagram: www.instagram.com/emilykeyistyping Interested in advertising in a Hard Copy Media property? Click hereEmail anytime with questions: hey@hardcopy.onlineSubscribe to the weekly newsletter at hardcopy.online/sign-up

Guest Briana Buckmaster on Community, Grief, Romance, + Hard truths, + the week's headlines

Community is the theme, chaos is the method. With Cait away, Em is joined by Briana Buckmaster for a wide-ranging, hilarious, and surprisingly tender conversation about grief, art, perimenopause energy, and the radical power of doing absolutely nothing together. They unpack why women in midlife want to be left alone (lovingly), why storytelling matters more than ever, how tech and algorithms are flattening culture, and why the egg—not the sperm—actually chooses (iconic). Along the way: immigration crackdowns, dating apps enabling predators, influencer visas, Heated Rivalry as a case study in why romance is back, and a masterclass on female pleasure that men did not ask for but desperately need. Equal parts cultural critique, group chat energy, and gentle manifesto for being a human in public. Shownotes:ice agent shot renee nicole goodnew president of metawomen file lawsuit against tinder and hingeegg actually rejects the sperm it doesn't wantmen's brains not fully developed til 55influencers and only fans models dominate 0-1b US visas bbc news orgasm study Books:coffee table book judd apatowthe names florence knappfight night miriam toewsMovie: wicked little lettersMusic: zach bryan's new album*** Follow along: Your Weekly Breakdown on instagram: www.instagram.com/yourweeklybreakdown Your Weekly Breakdown on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourweeklybreakdownpod Caitlin on instagram: www.instagram.com/caitlinhowden Emily on instagram: www.instagram.com/emilykeyistyping Interested in advertising in a Hard Copy Media property? Click hereEmail anytime with questions: hey@hardcopy.onlineSubscribe to the weekly newsletter at hardcopy.online/sign-up

2026 identity crisis, Pegging, Elon's Grok is undressing minors, + some good health news

It’s 2026, we’re ten days in, and already debating whether being called a “podcaster” is a slur. Em + Cait unpack New Year identity crises, MILF discourse, and why softness might be the most terrifying resolution of all. From hockey romance TV debates and the rise of pegging (yes, really), to AI logos that all look like buttholes, tech gone feral, vaccine chaos, and genuinely hopeful science breakthroughs, this episode pinballs between horny, horrified, and cautiously optimistic. Plus: why you shouldn’t sit on the toilet too long, how to meet people IRL without apps, and proof that this podcast is officially no longer “just a hobby.”The girls also address the sweetest mailbag question about building a community.Shownotes:the boys want to get peggedlogos look like buttsElon's grok is undressing girlstv smoothingbigandmini.orgvenezuela huntington's updatelecanemab alzheimerman paralyzed on the pottypipeline updatesmovies ideas: long shot, game night, bugonia, one battle after another, wake up dead man, sinnerstv to watch: the assemblybooks:you exist too muchmy friends fredrik bachmaneveryone in my family has killed someonewild dark shorehouse on the cerulean sea*** Follow along: Your Weekly Breakdown on instagram: www.instagram.com/yourweeklybreakdown Your Weekly Breakdown on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourweeklybreakdownpod Caitlin on instagram: www.instagram.com/caitlinhowden Emily on instagram: www.instagram.com/emilykeyistyping Interested in advertising in a Hard Copy Media property? Click hereEmail anytime with questions: hey@hardcopy.onlineSubscribe to the weekly newsletter at hardcopy.online/sign-up

Strippers Save Xmas, What to read, End of near burnout + 2026 Goal Setting

This week on Your Weekly Breakdown, Em + Caitlin spiral (gently) from burnout and big-fat book stacks into airport empathy, 2-star Apple reviews, + the shocking discovery that Nantucket is absolutely ripping cocaine. Along the way: strippers save Xmas, a German Shepherd eats $100 underwear, and AI content is officially declared SLOP. There’s joy, grief, French girl crushes, rogue Turning Point USA Google Forms, accidental witchcraft, and a surprisingly moving reminder that most people are still trying to be decent. Cozy chaos, but make it smart.Books:the correspondentmy friends fredrik bachmanemperor of gladness ocean vuongShownotesbadass women of portland strip club communityknix is greatword of the year is sloptimes person of the year is the architects of AIjane austen's 250th birthdayaryna's tennis storyrob reiner latestturning point USA halftime show formrauhnacht goal setting for 2026New york fashion week no more fur, vegan leather is just plastic u guyslady crash test dummieslouvre books ruined*** Follow along: Your Weekly Breakdown on instagram: www.instagram.com/yourweeklybreakdown Your Weekly Breakdown on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourweeklybreakdownpod Caitlin on instagram: www.instagram.com/caitlinhowden Emily on instagram: www.instagram.com/emilykeyistyping Interested in advertising in a Hard Copy Media property? Click hereEmail anytime with questions: hey@hardcopy.onlineSubscribe to the weekly newsletter at hardcopy.online/sign-up