Family Trolls and Hosting Goals

Andrea: Welcome to Those Who Can't Do. I'm your host, Andrea Forcum, and today we have Becca Cousins, who is the creator of Host in Your Home on Instagram. But I think probably her biggest claim to fame and joy in life is that she is also my little sister. I am. You are. I am your little sister. I I'm so excited for this because we've spent a couple different posts recently trolling each other on the internet to our parents great delight, I think.

I think that they are our biggest fans on the internet right now. 

Becca: Definitely. They definitely are. I get, like, texts from dad who doesn't always text me going, oh, that was so funny what you did. And I'm like, yes! 

Andrea: Yeah, so if you guys haven't seen Becca's page, Becca's entire presence is like, it's about hosting parties in your home, and it's so aesthetic, it is, if there could be like a polar opposite of the kind of content that I create.

It would be what Becca creates with like, it's very like, I don't know, like aesthetic and calming and pretty. And how would you describe what you do on, on the interwebs? 

Becca: My whole mission is to help people. So it's, it's always funny to me when you call it aesthetic, because I compared to like my dream aesthetic.

So if you were to like, look on my home inspiration board on Pinterest and what I would want. to do with my, with my house and how we would decorate it. Like we, we've pretty much only painted and done nothing else to our home. And so there's so many things about it from like previous owners, cause it's an older house that, uh, are not like the finishes that we would have chosen.

And they're like really old. So when you call it aesthetic, I'm like, Oh man, I don't even think being aesthetic is, is my strength. It's something that I have to really work at. Um, but the idea is, is that anyone with any home can have people over and have fun because so many of us, when we were on social media, we see these like gorgeous houses with these huge kitchens and like 12 foot long tables where they can have 16 people sitting at them.

And, um, My, my whole goal is to help people who feel like they don't, their house isn't good enough, um, or perfect enough to have permission to host the imperfect party in their home. I do that by providing recipes, um, kind of formulas for decorating more easily without spending a ton of money, and, um, also really practical how to information so that people, um, can kind of get over that initial, um, the initial planning barrier, because there is a lot to think about when you plan a party and if you haven't done it anyway.

If you haven't done it before, um, it can be so overwhelming that you just like don't plan a party. 

Andrea: Yeah. Why do you think that that is the angle that you have ended up really thriving in? Because you had done a couple of different things with bakeries and I, my same, same thing with my social media, it kind of evolved from, at first it was literally just about books and then it became about education and all of that.

And yours started like kind of recipe heavy and like doing some. baked goods that you ship to people and now it is more of almost like a teaching platform. Where do you think that came from? Like, I, I have suspicions based on our childhood where some of this inkling went, came from, but where do you think it came from?

Becca: Yeah, well, growing up, I actually just did my first, like, Paid, um, speaking event. And I taught people how to host and it really had me thinking about why hosting became really natural to me. And I asked mom to come and I was like, well, mom's coming. My husband was like, if your mom's coming, you gotta make sure you include something about your mom in it.

And I was like, oh, yeah. So then it really got me thinking and growing up. First of all, mom and dad did their best to have the house that would be easy to have friends over at. And, um, when we got older, you were like getting closer to get up, getting out of the house, but they had a house that had, um, a pool, a pool table, a ping pong table, a basketball hoop, and they made it a really safe environment for us to bring our friends over.

Do you ever remember a time when you asked mom to have friends over and she said, no, because I can't. 

Andrea: Uh, only one time, and that was for my 16th birthday party, and that was a consequence because of my 15th birthday party. Because, yeah, it was a con So, for context, on my 15th birthday party, I had invited my entire, like, like of so many people.

And I think, for like five or six people showed up to the party. And I, rather than enjoying the time with these wonderful people, I was a very dumb, snotty teenage girl. And I was like, this is all that showed up to my party. It was so rude, so rude and mortifying. I was like, this is it. And my mom was so mad at me for being so rude to everybody who had shown up that she told me for my 16th birthday party that I was not going to have a party.

And I did not, but that isn't the only time. Yeah, and I will say also, like Becca mentioned, all of like the sweet stuff in the house did not exist until I was 14 or 15. Becca and my, our younger brother, Mark, they grew up with the land of plenty for my parents. Like, my older brother is two years older than me, Becca's four years younger than me, and there was like, Matt and I were.

Matt's our older brother, and we, like, always, like, he and I both are like, it's so unfair, because by the time my parents had the resources to have, like, all of that stuff, Matt was what, like, a sophomore in high school, I think, and I was a freshman in high school when we moved into the house you're talking about.

And so, like, I, I definitely did get to, to play with it and have some fun with it, but poor Matt, he got, like, two years and he left the house. For college and paid for like 90% of his college himself and all of that kind of stuff. And like I didn't have a car until I was, well I didn't even have a license until I was like 18, but

Um, but like all of those things and then the younger two siblings like got got all this sweet party stuff. But we did totally off on a tangent, but Yeah, it did. 

Becca: Yeah. 

Andrea: Anyways. Yeah. 

Becca: Yeah. So when, I think part of the reason that mom was able to say yes when we hosted was because she had a formula she always made.

The same thing. She always made pizza or bought pizza from one place and then had M& Ms and then made her like legendary cookies and then lemonade. Did I just say lemonade? No, I didn't say lemonade. Um, and she didn't make it any fussier than that. Um, and that allowed her to like, say yes, literally whenever we asked.

And so when I, when I got married, um, we were on one income, I was going to grad school and everyone like in our peer group was doing things like going out to dinner at restaurants all the time where you're spending like 50 to 75. And our grocery budget at the time was a hundred dollars. So we weren't going to be able to do that regularly, but we still needed to make.

Friends because we didn't know very many in the area. So I started having people over and what happened is I stopped feeling left out. And so for the last 10 years, I have like the primary way that I've been like building my community has been through hosting, not necessarily always at my house, but going to other people's houses.

There's just like a culture of hosting and we have really realistic expectations and respect for what other people are able to do. Um, like. Sometimes you're going to go to a friend's house and like, you know, their house isn't going to be clean, or it's going to like have toys everywhere, or they're going to buy everything store bought.

And that's okay if it's different than how you do it. Just like everyone does it in their own way. And then when I had my own bakery and I was trying to figure out where to pivot, because I still wanted to financially contribute to our family. And I'd seen the success that you had. And then mom was like, Becca, You, because even though mom did all those hosting things, she saw how like the stuff that I was doing was like a next level and She told me that I really took for granted The skills and the information that I had on hosting and every time I would host about the dinner parties, we would go to our host.

I would get such a positive response and people would be really intrigued. And, um, yeah, I think because our parents also raised us with an attitude of service. Um, and, and helping people. Our parents were always very generous. They were always, um, volunteering their time in different ways, in leadership ways, but really with the heart of, like, wanting to help the community that they were a part of, not wanting to, like, not, not being in a position of leadership to be the decision makers, but because they wanted what was best for the people around them that they loved.

And it was such a natural transition for me. And then I also realized that, um, things that I felt like held me back in my life and things that made me feel bad were pretty like universal. Most of us don't have our dream home. Most of us aren't, may never get our dream home. Or if we do, we have to wait for a long time for that.

And in the meantime, we still have to live life and we still have to have friendships and build community. And it doesn't make sense to wait for something that may never happen for us in order to, um, do the things that are fun and do things with our friends that are realistic for the stage that we're in.

Andrea: Yeah, I think you're so right, especially, like, with our parents, like, you said they were very generous, and that was, I, I remember even when I was little, and they would, they would host parties, and remember, my, like, my mom, her, hate, okay, so, she hates parties. large crowds of people with a fiery passion that I, that I have not seen by many people.

Like if I remember asking her to go to like parties at Chuck E. Cheese or go to parties at like places where there are large crowds of children and she is doing it. just viscerally against attending those things. But she would host the most creative birthday parties for us that, like you said, were very cheap.

Like, she was not going, she was not a Pinterest mom. At no point was she concerned about the aesthetics of how a it like worked out like is this going to look good in a pic number one Pinterest didn't exist yet, but also like she wasn't as concerned about that but I remember we had a birthday party when I was a kid where we made candles but it was like the sand candles you know and there was a a like a tie dye party we did one time where we all tie dyed our own shirts and then we had like something to bring home like there was always something she tried to do that was like very creative so I think that you got a lot of like that spirit of like wanting it to be very creative and I think you got the spirit of wanting to make Make do with situations less than optimal from sharing a room with me for the first half of our lives.

Um, like, where you had, we had bunk beds. We had, I had, I remember vividly, I had a white desk that, um, I, guys, I had a real passion and love for glitter glue in my early years, just real deep in my soul. I wanted everything to sparkle. And so I remember just caking up the walls of this white desk and all on the front of the white desk, just with, with caked glitter glue.

Do you remember that? I forgot about the desk. 

Becca: Yeah. Could you imagine if one of our kids did that, what we would say? I don't remember you getting in trouble for that. 

Andrea: I didn't. No, mom was like, well, I guess that's, and my daughter, she absolutely would do that and does art constantly, um, because that is just in her soul.

But yeah, I think that I gave you the gift of like having to decorate and do the best that you can in suboptimal conditions because you got to share a room with me for such a long time. 

Becca: You gave me the gift of me having to do all that. Cleaning. I distinctly remember, and this is when we were older, and we were supposed to take turns cleaning the upstairs bathroom, and I was like, Andrea, it's your turn once this week, and you were like, Oh.

Well, that's too bad. Because you knew every other week, because I was a rule follower, I would still clean the bathroom. You're like, a bathroom can go two weeks without being cleaned. 

Andrea: You say that. I have no memory of me not cleaning the bathroom. And if it makes you feel better, uh, my husband, I don't want, I'm not going to like put him on blast, but he has not cleaned a bathroom in the 15 years we've been married.

And my bathroom is cleaned every week. So if it makes you feel better, I literally scrub the toilet, hands and knees every single Saturday, okay? You know what I had to do, I have to rebrand it for myself, is like, I get to have a really clean house today because the rest of the week things go to chaos and kids and all of that.

Like, so I've tried to like pitch it to my kids as like, guys, today's the day we get to have a clean house, like completely clean every, like the, the house smells like bleach, just chemicals just burning off. I love that. The skin layers on all of us. Ugh, it's so glorious. But yeah, so I have in fact gotten my just desserts and I, I clean a toilet every single week.

Two toilets every single week, because that's how many I have. 

Becca: That does make me feel better. I do not clean our bathroom every single week. I have, um, I have shirked my perfectionist tendencies, and it's like one of those things inside of me that I like, well, if I clean on a regular basis, I'll probably become a perfectionist in other ways, and that won't be good, so I just don't, I don't know if that's a healthy coping mechanism, or if there's any science behind that, but it feels true.

That's true to me. 

Andrea: That tracks. So something else, like, I, I personally, I think even if you weren't my sister, I'm probably biased, but I think even if you weren't my sister, I would follow your page because I very, like, I very personally do not like the house that my husband and I have right now because it is a house that it feels like a transitional house.

It's very old. There's a part of the floor that dips a little that makes me think that maybe there's some foundation issues. Like there's, uh, and there, it, the house was built in like the late 60s. Um, whoever lived in there before us used latex paint over oil paint. And so you can tell, yeah. And so there's parts of like my cabinets that are peeling a little bit.

And whoever did the, The oil paint, I think, used pink. And so the latex paint over it is white and the oil paint underneath it is pink. And I'm just like, at some point I'm going to have like polka dot pink cabinets. And I, I look at all of these things and they bother me so very much that it has, even to this point, like I've lived in Indiana now for a year.

Um, I still haven't hosted anybody in our house because I am so, so, like self conscious about the house that I'm like, I don't, I don't want to have people in here. I'm so embarrassed. Like, how do you think people can, and me personally can get over that? Because it really like actively, and to be clear, I would not care if I went into somebody else's house and their paint was peeling on their cabinets.

Why would I care about that? I'm there to hang out with them. But yet when I think about people coming into my home, I'm like, I can't let people know that my cabinets. are pink underneath the latex white, you 

Becca: know? But you know what? I think, and I think this is like actually very applicable to you because you're in a new area.

So the people that you're meeting are people who are new to you. So it's very easy for them to find out how successful you are in your life. And if they were to go, if they were to find out all that information about you that you would have, like you teach at a college, you have two awesome young kids, your husband just finished PA school, like your life.

from the outside seems like probably really unattainable to a lot of people because it is because you guys have worked really really hard and if they were to go to your house and see that your house isn't perfect and that your house probably looks like theirs they'd be like thank goodness she's her house isn't perfect either 

Andrea: Right?

Or they're like, thank goodness I didn't go to school when I could have the exact same house without all that schooling. Like, thank God I don't have the debt she's got. 

Becca: Yeah, well they're gonna just see it as something endearing and they're gonna know that they can be real around you too because not everything around, about you is perfect.

No one wants to be friends with a perfect person. Like, if I know a friend is like, really, really clean. And I stopped by her house randomly one day and I see that her house is an absolute mess. I'm not going to think to myself, gross, her house is messy. I'm going to think to myself, Oh, thank goodness.

She's human too, just like me. And it allows people to be more vulnerable. And if you can't be yourself around people, Then, um, you're just not gonna, you're not gonna be able to, like, do life with them in any meaningful way. And I think that goes for everyone. If we show ourselves the same grace, because like you said, you're not thinking that, you're not thinking any differently of someone because they have paint chipping on their cabinets.

And so if we show ourselves the same grace that we show others and we don't apologize for it, that's a big thing. So when someone comes into the house, Oh my God, even if they stop by unannounced and you're like, Oh my gosh, so sorry for the mess. Like you're actually not, we do that to make people feel more comfortable, but what you're actually doing is Bringing the attention to yourself and you're putting the responsibility on them to make you feel better.

When all they're really taking away from that conversation is number one, they might feel a little bit uncomfortable because maybe they didn't notice in the first place. And number two, they know, Oh, if they come over to my house and announce, I'm going to also have to apologize. Even though like it's just a part of life that, um, sometimes your house is messy and dirty.

Andrea: Yeah, you're so right. That's such a good point, too, because I, I know that like, depending on like the level of relationship I have with someone would be the like, the less I know them, the more I would be concerned about the dirt and the grime and all of that, because I would be like, well, like, that's now what they think of me.

And I think also part of it has to be how much time I spend reading other people's opinion of me. And the content I create and all of that. I think that that also is a part of it. And something I also think about, like, I have a babysitter who comes over and I love her and I trust her a lot. But one of the things I had to consider as well is like, What if she films, like, my house, and it, like, or somebody films my house, and, like, it gets somehow online, and then people are, like, oh my gosh, look how, like, how pathetic, like, I, you know how insane and so narcissistic to think that anyone cares that much, right?

But it's something else that I'm just, like, oh my gosh, like What if, what if it gets around that Educator Andrea is, like, really messy and, like, how are they going to trust me with education stuff if they know, like, so? 

Becca: I can't say that the internet would be as gracious as someone who you're, like, feeding in your home and have invited over for, like, a barbecue.

Yeah. That is like a legitimate thing. Just have her sign an NDA. Yeah. Go like full Beyonce on her. Full Kardashian. Oh 

Andrea: man. You're 100 percent right. I think it's so fun that you have taken this skill set, because mom's complete, don't tell her this, but mom is right about this, that like you do have like this amazing skill set that I think comes very naturally to you of like.

You especially, oh my gosh, you posted this video looking through a woman's, um, it was an estate sale recently. You posted a video going through Judy's stuff and talking about how fun she seemed and what a, what a great like party host she probably was because of all of her fun little seasonal decorations.

And I was looking at that and I was like, I know I wouldn't have that attitude if I went to the estate sale, I would get overwhelmed and overstimulated. I would end up not probably buying anything because I couldn't see, I couldn't envision what it would look like in my house. And like you said, you haven't decorated your house other than painting, which is absolute nonsense because your husband is also an incredible artist.

Like he is an incredible artist who has drawn and created this beautiful art. And you also know how to like grab stuff that I would look at on the shelf and be like, that is junk. And then you put it somewhere and you put something else next to it and it looks like art. And I, I can't figure out how you do that.

And it makes me angry because 

Becca: I 

Andrea: will try. 

Becca: Craig, my husband, he's a designer. So like he's done most of the organizing and if I were like leave for more than like three hours, something in our house is going Reorganized, like, even if it's just a lamp, our house will be reorganized. He'll, he'll like move a lamp and a plant.

And like, for most people, they're not moving. Well, I don't know, growing up mom, like literally never moved any single piece of furniture ever in like decades, ever. So the fact that he will just rearrange a couple of things, I think it's actually pretty unusual. Most people aren't doing that as far as I know.

Um, so I, I've also learned a lot from him. on how to, how to style and bring things together and figure out what, but here's the thing too, that also like kind of bothers me is a lot of the stuff that I've thrifted, I don't know that it would necessarily go with the house that we would, um, like when we renovate, I don't know if it would go, I don't know.

I 

Andrea: mean, a great example of the way that I have, like, attempted, because I'm like fall, right? And we have true fall. I know you found some leaves that changed color for your tablescape or whatever you did. But here in Indiana, there is actual fall and the trees are changing. It's so beautiful. And so I was like, all right, I'm going to be festive.

And so I bought a couple of pumpkins. I put them out on the front stoop. These freaking squirrels, they ate a hole through my pumpkins. I believe it. And like now there's like pumpkin guts all over the place. I now have rotting vegetables on my front stoop. Ugh. I'm like, this is what I get. I'm like, let me be festive.

Let me like buy some pumpkins and I'm not going to carve them yet because it's too early. No, but the squirrels literally ate a hole through them and are are disemboweling the pumpkins on my front stoop. So now it smells like rotting pumpkin when people come to the front of my Wait, you left them there?

They're still there? They're still there. It's been there for four days now. Yeah. Because I forget. I forget. Yeah, you like go outside and you're like, I'll remember later. Yeah, but then Also, like, squirrels gotta eat too, and I'm like, well, they're enjoying it, so I guess What if 

Becca: you have, from this, you're gonna have, like, a pumpkin patch in your front yard, because they're gonna poop the seeds out.

Andrea: That would be so messy. 

Becca: It'd be so whimsical to have a pumpkin patch in your front yard. There was a story about a pig who would eat, um, I think it was a criminal episode, where they would eat, they would eat people's pumpkins, and then they, like, there was, like, pumpkins all in the neighborhood. I might be making that up.

I'm pretty sure that happened. 

Andrea: I thought the thing with pigs was that they would, like Eat everything and there would be like no trace left. Isn't it just birds that can eat seeds and then poop it out and it like re like, I don't know. This is not a nature show. That's not what, stop. Yeah, it's not a podcast.

Podcast, Andrea. Not a science podcast. 

Becca: I was thinking though, oh, I was thinking, because I feel like between the two of us growing up, that if we were to guess who would be the teacher, it would've been me. And I did do yes. Teacher adjacent things. And I was like, oh, I bet Andrew is going to say I would have been an elementary school teacher, but I don't like kids that much.

So I probably would have been a, I don't, I probably would have been a high school teacher. And I was like, what subject would I would have been? I probably would have done health. And I probably would have done biology, maybe chemistry. I don't know. I was going to say biology. 

Andrea: I could see. Yeah. You have the energy of a biology teacher.

Oh, really? Yeah. I could see it. I could definitely see it. The second you, there's just a vibe. I don't know. Like I give English teacher vibes a thousand percent. And I, cause I was thinking, I was like, I could see you doing, I could see you doing PE or I could see you doing health or bio. I think would, cause I don't think math.

Just doesn't feel right. English doesn't feel right. 

Becca: I like really peaked at geometry. I'm so good at geometry. 

Andrea: What a flex. All right. Well, on that note, we are going to take a quick break. And then when we get back, we're going to talk a little bit about the other teaching career that Becca had as a corporate trainer and chat a little bit more about, uh, how our childhoods.

prepared us for these adventures. So we will be right back.

Welcome back to Those Who Can't Do, and Becca, you did some form of corporate training, did you not? No.

Becca: I wasn't. 

Andrea: I 

Becca: was a consultant, so I had clients. So I have my master's in public health. Um, and I feel like I would have gone into teaching, um, but I was like, like you, I was like, I want to make money. So then I went into a, like basically a nonprofit. Uh, type job where, and then I didn't go the math route. So I ended up going to like the non profit route essentially.

Um, and I was a workplace wellness consultant. So I had a book of business of clients who were assigned to me and I would help them figure out wellness strategies for their workplace. And then as time went on, I started realizing that like people don't really need, and I, well I actually had a few clients that were teachers unions, um, and like teachers don't need like a lunch and learn where they get Panera and they learn about like, um, guided meditation.

That's not what they need. Like teachers need like. Uh, more, well I don't know, like, in general, teachers need like paid caregiver leave, teachers need affordable healthcare, teachers need, um, actual resources to make their life less stressful. Which a lot of this goes in with every organization of matter, whether it's teaching or, I don't know, finance or tech, like you're gonna need supportive leadership and leadership that not only like supports their employees and work life balance, but also models that themselves.

And so all of these play into social determinants of health. So as I was going on, I started, um, being able to educate my colleagues, um, and my counterparts on the importance of that. And then I had my second daughter and did not end up returning to really work on that, nor I don't think I would have been able to because there was like a restructure in the company, but I did that for five years.

Um, and yeah, it's been a, it's been an interesting transition feeling like I, It can be really easy to convince myself that I'm not using that information, but totally like when I work with brands, when I do, um, uh, like cold calls to other brands, I'm definitely leveraging the corporate experience that I have.

I've also started doing like social media marketing as another side job. And I, the fact that I know how to like, not just write an email, but like show metrics and Um, it's something that I, I learned in that corporate experience. And I feel like as a woman, it's always really funny because when I talk to my friends husbands, they've went like corporate jobs, I'm like, Oh, how's your book of business going?

I can like talk shop with them, which always like secretly, um, cracks me up, but I know the lingo. 

Andrea: So when you were, um, doing, um, the work with your clients. You would do like presentations though, right? About different, now, were you telling them like wear a pedometer and eat a vegetable or what were you telling them exactly?

Becca: So I had two different, I worked for the health insurance company, so I had client facing. So that often was like C suite employees. Usually it would be the CFO because the CFO is usually who HR directly reports to and I'd be working with the HR person. And depending on the The company structure, it might be the HR person that does like most of the employee relations or they do the benefit stuff.

Um, but some, it, it was twofold. So sometimes it would be recommendations to make their plan. And that's what we would call like the low hanging fruit. So like you can do these things and your, your employees will naturally utilize the plan in a way that will be less costly for you as an employer. And then other things were like, okay, you should do a walking challenge.

And so we'd coordinate with vendors to do walking challenges, or you should have, I don't know, fruits and vegetables delivered to your. break room every week, or you should do like a massage event. So more tangible things with the employees, and then they would have to go back and think about it and decide what they wanted to do.

Andrea: So like that episode of The Office where they had the weight loss challenge and Kelly drank, Kelly drank like that horrible, what was it, like apple cider and lemon juice or whatever? 

Becca: We talked about that episode so many times and actually right when I was starting, weight loss challenges became less common, um, partially from like, Like an Employees with Disabilities Act, uh, like legislation.

And then also because people are like legitimately like passing out in the workplace and like, like the, the, um, what's it called? Had to be called the. Paramedics had to come like pick them up. 

Andrea: Oh my gosh. Now, is that like a liability issue? Oh, for sure. When you have made a recommendation? 

Becca: Yeah, well, and 

Andrea: you're like everybody lose weight and people are literally passing out.

Becca: Yeah. Well, and then, and like Employees are like, wait a minute, like I, it felt coercive to some, like, sometimes the prizes were so good, like it would be like an Apple watch or like, I don't know, a computer or something and employees will be like, well, not only is there like social pressure, but I also really want a free Apple watch.

So then they would do it. And it's just like, you end up in some gray areas. 

Andrea: Yeah, I feel like in the last 10 ish years, the view on health and weight has also changed quite a bit. And the conversation of just telling somebody like, you need to lose weight, like that is a very different vibe than it was when we were growing up and all of that.

Becca: Well, and like, this is the, like, I'll officially go on the record. I have very mixed feelings about workplace wellness now because I feel like most of it misses the point. I think most people need more work life balance. Better pay, um, better resources to support their family, um, and like communities that are supportive of them.

And there's, there's like huge disparities and like already the most vulnerable people in our country are also more likely to be, um, in jobs where they don't have, you know, The opportunity, they might not be salaried, they might not have, um, affordable healthcare plans. And there are ways that you can like do it that like makes sense for an employee, but it's also an investment that an employer would have to make in their employees knowing that like, okay, if my employees are less stressed, you talk about this all the time, like when teachers ask about whether or not they should stay in their position because they have literally horrible bosses that would stress anyone out.

Yeah. And you're like, well, you need to leave because it's not going to be sustainable. So I think, I think some companies get it and, and other companies and other industries may never get it. Um, but just from like a human decency perspective as well, treating your employees well, um, so that they can be happy and take care of themselves and their family makes sense for your bottom line, even if it like, doesn't make sense for your bottom line.

Andrea: Yeah, it's really interesting too with teaching because I feel like, and I've seen this on, um, there's a creator that I follow and she left teaching and it wasn't until after she left teaching that she realized that she had developed an alcohol dependency issue, um, because she was under so much chronic stress and that is a pretty big theme.

Like, I joke about drinking wine and all of that kind of stuff and I enjoy wine, um, But there is definitely a correlation, I think, for a lot of teachers between their alcohol use and whether or not they are in the school year. Because the level of stress you're under is so severe, and it feels like it doesn't kick off at the end of the day.

And that content creator that I followed, like, she has now, like, completely stopped drinking alcohol. And she uses her platform a lot talking about the way that teacher culture and alcohol culture is very intertwined. Um, And that like, it's like, ha ha, so funny. But at the same time, like it is pointing to a wellness issue of like, we have created such a chronically stressful environment for a lot of teachers that they are using alcohol to simply cope.

And what would be the impact then of like shifting the culture so that way it wasn't so, so that a teacher could do it, not just to stop being so overwhelmed, but just like, because they enjoy a glass of wine sometimes, you know, like I, I do wonder with that, like, because, you know, for me going from teaching K 12 to now teaching at the university level, and I've had so many people comment like, oh my gosh, you, like, you look so different.

And part of it, and I have been pretty public about this, is that I'm on a GLP 1, I'm on Majaro, um, and have been since about three months before I stopped teaching K 12. I was also, while I was teaching K 12. I also had two very small children. I also was getting my doctorate. Um, and so like I had all of these different factors that were causing me stress.

And now a lot of those have been alleviated by, you know, now I, my college teaching job, I do have a very high quality of work life balance. And I was just thinking about this. Our sister in law, um, our older brother, Matt, just had a baby and my sister in law, you know, is, has a baby that's like a month old right now.

And I was literally thinking about the fresh hell that it is for me, at least having a newborn baby and how. You are just literally every moment of your day, a milk factory keeping that baby human alive. And I was just thinking like, Oh my gosh, like I've, sometimes I forget how hard that was, you know? And so we have people who are working as a teacher and being a mom and there's just no off switch.

And it just, it's so hard to think about. Like what we can do that like at our level, right? Because like, it'd be great to be like systematic change. Like let's do a systematic change. But I, I don't know. I just think it's really fascinating to think about like how we have these high, high expectations. And now you're telling people that they should host in their home.

Becca, that's too much. I'm done with you. Now I'm angry 

Becca: actually. Basically what you're saying is you're like, we need to change the world because people are hurting. And like, that's like, both of us are like, like have that same underlying. Problem that we want to solve and we're like, how can we do this in like our, our corner of the world?

And I think that's really interesting. We both ended up, yeah, basically doing the same thing but with like 

Andrea: different ways. And I do think that I need to just grow up and I need to try harder to host people. 'cause like I said, like I do have a better, like, balance quality of life now than I did before. Um, and I need to get over myself and just have people over and they can deal with the p.

This is 

Becca: actually the perfect time of year for you to start doing that because I don't, okay, I don't know a lot about your neighborhood. I'm assuming there's like young kids in the area. Do like a chili cook off. I don't know. I have friends who live in Nashville and they're like, people always hang out like on their driveway.

I don't know if like you can do that in your neighborhood, but do, um, A chili cook off. Walk around the street and like, knock on doors with your kids and say, we're inviting you to an event for Halloween and you do something and then you go trick or treating. That would be so fun. That'd be a fun way to like, build community.

Nothing may come of it, but at the very least you're getting practice hosting and you might be able to like, share some fun recipes. Um, and then everyone gets to contribute. 

Andrea: I do love the idea of, like, people coming over for candy on Halloween and I just give them a cup of chili. I'm just like, here you go.

Enjoy your chili. No before you go 

Becca: trick or treating. So it starts at like, I don't know, it starts at like 4. 30 or something when people start coming over and then at like 6 you disperse and then everyone goes trick or treating. 

Andrea: I still think I want to give out cups of chili to people instead of actual candy.

Could you 

Becca: imagine the looks on the faces of the parents? They're like, 

Andrea: why are you giving like the messiest food to our children right now? What is wrong with you? Right, exactly. You got to balance out the blood sugar. Well, I do have a neighbor actually who, He does, he makes mulled wine and last year we were invited to come over and have some mulled wine and s'mores in his backyard as like, and that's like, yeah, very fun.

But the weird thing in Terre Haute is they do two days of trick or treating and we did not discover this. until on the 30th, the kids started showing up in costumes. And I was literally like, what is, what's happening? And then everyone's like, yeah, we have two days of trick or treating in Terre Haute. And I'm like, who was gonna tell me like that?

Why? What? So I thankfully had already bought candy for Halloween. Yeah. So we handed stuff out and I just told The kids. I was like, Hey guys, guess what? Today is the day we get to give candy tomorrow. We're going to go get some and just pitched it that way. But maybe because apparently this guy does the mulled wine every year.

Maybe our house will be like a stop for like a little bit of food and some candy or whatever. And then the next night is mulled wine at the neighbor's house. That's 

Becca: perfect. And then you make it a tradition and people count on that and then it's fun. 

Andrea: Why does it fill me with so much anxiety? Even the thought of that.

What is that? 

Becca: All you need is like a folding table. Some bowls and some spoons and like the crock pot that you've made the chili in or the pot that you've made the chili in and then you can like coordinate with people what they want to bring. Have someone bring cornbread, have someone bring cheese or whatever.

Andrea: Literally, the thought as you said that is like, but then I'm gonna have to talk to people. I don't know what happened to me. I used to be very outgoing and now I'm like, gosh, I don't know. I don't know what has happened to me. But literally my thought was like, then like if I'm feeding them, then they're going to think I want to talk to them.

Well, 

Becca: you know what I wonder? You know what I wonder? It's because right now you're used to, you're used to social environments where like. You're in charge. And like, so like teaching, you're the ones in charge. And like social media, like you're obviously the one that's in charge. Like podcast, you're the one that's in charge.

And like that, like everyone's on even playing field. So like, I'm not saying that, like you have like a, what am I trying to say? 

Andrea: That I'm a narcissist. You're 

Becca: all, yeah, I'm not saying that you're a narcissist. I'm just saying like, you've like, literally like your brain is wired to be in situations where like, all, and you you've been practicing being in those situations.

And like, that's what you know you're good at, and then all of a sudden you're like in this new situation. It's like going to a party without your, like, partner or spouse or something, you know? Like, it's so weird. Like the, the times when I go to a party where there are couples there and then my husband's not there and I'm like, oh, do I know how to small talk anymore?

You're just not used to it. You just gotta try. 

Andrea: I think you're right. I think it is a matter of like, it, like, it's uncomfortable, uncomfortable for me not to know what the vibe is going to be. I think that's what it is, is because when we are socializing, and I think maybe it also has something to do with, like, having kind of cloistered.

During the pandemic, especially because I had small kids during the pandemic. And so putting myself in a situation where I don't know how it will be perceived. I don't know what, like what the vibe is going to be like, like you're right. Like when I'm in a classroom and around other people, I do, it does not bother me because I know what the vibe is going to be.

Cause I'm setting the vibe. And if I'm just standing out front, my house handing out chili and chit chatting with neighbors, like I am putting myself out there to be like, Oh, like, I don't get to control how many people come, how long they hang out, any of that stuff, like, very uncomfortable, I think. 

Becca: When you were upset.

Andrea: Yeah. Where almost nobody came. This is childhood trauma. This trauma. It's a trauma response. Is that if I host a party, no one's going to come, even if I try and give them chili. Also, Becca, the Midwesterners, they don't like seasonings. I'm a little concerned about. They do love chili, but I am a little concerned that if I try.

They don't like spicy stuff. 

Becca: I'll just have so much sour cream. Have a lot of sour cream. Do that. 

Andrea: I'd have to probably also have some sort of spoonable cheese of some kind, not shredded cheese. I mean like Velveeta, like a vat 

Theme: of 

Andrea: Velveeta. Maybe I could have like tortilla chips and Velveeta cheese and a pitcher of chili and then just let people 

Becca: do that.

Well, and you know, the great thing about being an adult is like, you know, you're worth now. You have like an amazing career. that you've worked super hard for. You have a husband who loves you, you have awesome kids who love you, and um, a family that's supportive of you. And so like, if people are going to not like you because you gave them free food, then like, you don't want those people in your life anyways.

Andrea: That is such a valid, uh, absolutely valid. point. It is funny because I do, I vacillate wildly between like really caring what people think and so not caring what people think because I am like secure in who I am, but I sometimes have to remind myself of that, but I'm like, wait, hold on. Like I actually am that bitch.

So I don't know what is the problem here. Like, 

Becca: I heard someone say recently, 

Andrea: Mom, take out the earphones. She won't like that. She will not like that. I 

Becca: heard someone say recently that they were like, I'm just, I just know that 1 in 10 people I meet aren't going to like me. So when I meet that person, I'm like, okay, you're the 1 in 10.

And then I move on. 

Andrea: I don't know if I can handle 1 in 10. That feels like a high percentage. 

Becca: It's like biologically. 

Andrea: I know. I know. And I can explain that to like my little student, like my EFE student teacher is that getting ready to get in the field, like some people aren't going to like you and it's okay.

And you just got to let it go. And it's okay for them, but it's like not okay for me. You know, like I'm like fine with it when it's other people that people don't like. And then if it's me, I'm like, let's talk about this. I bet if you got you like you, 

Becca: do you like you? You like you? Yeah. Yeah. Yes, 

Andrea: I like me, but I also like when other people like me.

So that's also a part of the thing. And ironically, you feel the same way, because when you worked at a pharmacy and you felt like people didn't like you, you did not handle that well either. I 

Becca: still dream about that job. I still dream about it. 

Andrea: What did you gain from that experience though? 

Becca: Nothing. Money.

I gained money from that experience. 

Andrea: Nothing else. Our parents will be very sad to hear that. Beck and I both worked at pharmacies at different times. And I When I got yelled at was very, actually, ironically, based on this conversation, I was very unbothered when people yelled at me at the pharmacy. Like, I'd never cried in response to that.

I'd never ruined my day. I was just like, that person was unwell. Like, they are unwell. 

Becca: So many times. 

Andrea: Yeah, because when you work at a pharmacy, you have people who are in pain and sick and just not doing great, generally. 

Becca: And insurance is confusing. Insurance is confusing. 

Andrea: And then you ended up working for an insurance company, naturally.

That 

Becca: actually did help me. That gave me a leg up on the interview. I think I did get that job because of the pharmacy job. Mom. My mom. Mom was like, see, you wouldn't have gotten the job. I told you. And I was like, I hate that job. I still dream about it and nightmare.

Andrea: Mom loves to find a moral in every horrible thing, a horrible job that we've had. She's like, no, let's talk about the lessons that we've learned from this time. And I'm like, it was terrible. Like when I was a tech writer, it was a horrible job. And she's like, yeah, but that writing that you did was probably helpful in fill in the blank and writing your dissertation.

That was 

Becca: crazy because that job that you hated, that ended up being one of my clients when I was a wellness consultant. Like what workplace wellness has been consulted and I had to go all the way out to Pennsylvania and do like a 5 a. m. benefit presentation for that client, like rural Pennsylvania, um, for that client.

And I had like secret insight. on, um, their well being because of you. 

Andrea: So I worked at a garbage job for three years, for three years, so that you could do better on a single presentation. 

Becca: And you got a couch from it, right? 

Andrea: I did. Yes. Yeah. I had started working as a teacher And they kept me, first of all, I was bad at that job.

I was a technical writer and I was very bad at it, but I was a personality hire and they kept me, I was like, can I come back on summers? Cause I'm a teacher right now and I didn't have kids yet. And they were like, sure. So I came back Literally my job was to like edit working documents and I would have a document and then I would have to edit it.

And then I gave it to somebody else. I would, I, my ADHD was ADHD. I would stare at the same document for so long. My Pinterest board got very extensive during the time that I worked there, but I worked there for a whole extra summer because we, my husband and I, we were broke and so we needed a new couch desperately.

And so I worked there all summer and then I got a leather, I still have that couch. It's a great couch. It's worth it. But that was a terrible job as a technical writer. It was absolute garbage. Um, uh, okay, Becca. So, uh, moving on. Some of the things we tend to do are get questions from listeners about teaching, but since you are not a teacher, I kind of want to hear from you.

Is there. A question you get asked most about hosting in your home that you could share with everybody. Like something that you notice in your DMs or on your comments that people are always asking you about. 

Becca: We actually were talking about this last time you were visiting and something I think holds a lot of people back beyond just hosting.

building confidence in their skills and in their home is that they're really busy. And so they just don't have time to do all of the planning. And so what I try to do is I try to create like formulas and resources for them so that they don't have to do the planning and they can just like pick it up or they can read a post and be like, okay, these are the things I need to do.

These are the, this is the checklist I have for, um, How to like set the vibes before people come over for a party or like if I need a menu for this type of event, I have like a Pinterest board for that. So I think that's usually a really common question. The other question I think that is also that always like cracks me up is like people want to know how to get people to leave because sometimes people and like you kind of have this problem with students too because they're in like your free period.

They have a free period and they're like, Mrs. Corcombe, I will, I, you don't have, Students don't talk like that anymore, I would think, but when you did teach high school, it was like, Mrs. Forkham, can I sit in here? And you're like, you have to do your work. And they're like, okay, I'll do my work. And they end up like talking to you about their life problems.

But, um, yeah, so it's, it's a little bit different with hosting because usually it's like unwelcomed people are staying late into the night and they just honestly don't realize how late it is. Sometimes people are real, like what time do you go to bed? 

Andrea: Uh, between nine and 10. Oh 

Becca: my gosh. See, I usually go to bed at like 11, but you don't, you just don't know that about people.

You don't know what time people go to bed. And when people stay up later and they're at someone's house that stays up early and you don't know that they go to bed at 8 30 on a regular day, they, they end up overstaying their welcome big time. One time I, I, I, changed into my pajamas and laid flat on the couch and they still didn't leave.

And I think what they were thinking at that time is they were thinking, wow, they must be so comfortable. She must be so comfortable with me because she put on her pajamas and laid down and they still haven't told us to leave. 

Andrea: That is a wild thing to do while people are in your house. You changed into your pajamas and laid down on the couch.

Yes. 

Becca: And I have had people tell me taking out the trash. started a little dishwasher and blown out all the candles and turned on the big lights and people still won't leave. So what you just need to do in those situations is you just need to say, guys, we've had so much fun. This is really late for us or give another excuse that could be valid or could be made up.

Like our kids are going to wake up at 5 a. m. Tomorrow. We have a lot, we have a busy day tomorrow. We have lots of still clean up. We're going to have to kick you out now. That's all you have to say. And then people go, Oh my gosh, okay. They don't feel, it doesn't like hurt their feelings when you're like, Oh guys, it's really late for us.

We have to keep working on something else. We're going to have to kick you out. Um, yeah, that's the other thing. It always cracks me up when people message me that, because I feel validated that I wasn't the only one. And I think it is a pretty universal. Problem. 

Andrea: Yeah, I, well, in the Midwest, they do the whelp, and then they slap their legs, and then they spend another 40 minutes talking to you as you walk them step by step to the car.

Um, so I don't know that saying like, I gotta kick you out now would necessarily help. That has been also one of the other cultural things. You know what also, okay, all right, now that I'm saying this, I, I can recognize it. Okay. One of the things that makes me less likely to try and host something is that people are so friendly here.

And they will talk to you forever. My husband has spent 10 minutes talking to the pizza delivery man before. That's, that's my personal hell. If you are here to do something for me, if you are, if we are just like in passing, I don't, I, we're not doing this. When I go to the doctor and the nurse is asking for my personal health history, she sometimes shares it back with me.

Like, I will be like, yeah, um, I broke my pinkie, uh, when I was little and when I broke right on the growth plate. And she's like, wow, that's crazy. And then she will share a time that she has broken a finger or a bone. And I'm like, why are you telling me this? You asked me for my history. This is, we're not, this, we're not friends though.

Like, that's not what this relationship is. And so it's, And I don't know why that makes me so irrationally, like, annoyed. I think because I just, I, I have like an allotted time for things. And when people go over the allotted time, I'm like, I'm done. I'm so done. And in the Midwest, like, It is very rude to simply get up and say, okay guys, I will see you later.

It was so nice hanging out. And then walk out. Deeply offensive. I have done this several times at family events and I have gotten in trouble because Stephen's like, my husband is like, Andrea, you have to hug people. I'm like, I hugged them when I got there. And he's like, yeah, you have to do it again. 

Becca: I don't even hug you after I haven't seen you for months.

Andrea: That's not true. I hug you when I come back into California. I hug you once. But it's not, like, a long hug. Your quota. And I might not hug you when I leave. I hug my children and I hug my husband, but that's pretty much it. I'm just not, like, a touchy feely person, which we can also blame on mom. She's not very huggy.

Well, 

Becca: hugging is different than, like, conversation, but I am actually intrigued at this, like, cultural difference because, like, what you're describing is something that doesn't exist in Southern California as far as, like, the Midwestern goodbye. Um, so I don't know if that tactic would work. I'll have to, I'll have to pull my audience and see if they think it would work.

Andrea: Yeah. Please report back because, um, if I invite a bunch of people over for chili and they then overstay their welcome even more, and then everybody wants a hug, 

Becca: then you have to, you say, I have to go inside. I have to go inside and I left the oven on. I have to go to the bathroom. Here's something that mom and dad didn't teach us that I've had to learn from Craig.

You have to like get better at like the art of like, just. Like, small little lies. And it's like, it was like, really horrifying when we first got married, but like, as I've been a parent, I'm like, oh yeah, the park is closed. 

Andrea: Yeah, so sorry about that. The park is closed. It's unfortunately shut down and closed.

Yeah. 

Becca: Candy. 

Andrea: Mom and dad are going to listen to this. They're going to be really disappointed. 

Becca: I know. Hopefully she thinks it's funny and doesn't think less of myself or my husband. 

Andrea: You're going to get a book for Christmas about integrity.

Oh my gosh. Yeah. That's, that's interesting. I do look forward to hearing if your followers feel the same way. If like, The Midwest Goodbye because I know Midwesterners, they love it. They love the Midwest Goodbye, most of them, especially if they grew up in the Midwest. They love that they get a very elongated goodbye.

The 

Becca: friends that I had to change into my pajamas for, she's from Ohio. 

Andrea: Yeah, I guarantee you they were trying not to be rude and you hadn't slapped your legs yet and said, And then the leg slap and then you walk and then you hug and then you go, Oh, did I tell you? And then you have another 10 minute conversation.

And then you walked the car. 

Becca: She has the word for this. She calls it the boomerang because like one person leaves and then the other person gets stuck in a conversation and then they go, they, they do the welp and then they get, cause you're waiting for that person and then you end up getting pulled into a conversation.

They call it the boomerang. 

Andrea: It's awful. It is my personal hell. Yeah. And it, it's, It is worse when you have kids because to me, like, if it's just Steven and I and we're at a party or whatever, like, that to me is much more manageable as opposed to if I have kids that are melting down. Like, if I say bye and I'm trying to get my kids to the car, we're not boomeranging.

I'm not having another conversation with you. Yeah. Like, and one of the times I got in trouble, I still, I, justice for me on this because both kids had already overstayed the, the exhaustion level. Right. And so they were like, Screaming and I'm like, okay, guys, bye. It was so good to see you. And I get them in the car and I get them buckled and settled.

And then another 15 minutes goes by and I'm in trouble because I didn't spend those 15 minutes inside. And I'm like, no, like, do you, like, Situational awareness, guys. Like, my kids are melting down. You want them to be in here screaming and acting like animals? Absolutely not. Like, I'm gonna lock them in a vehicle, in a little metal box, so that at least they're nobody's problem but mine.

So, yeah, I just, it's a cultural thing I'm learning to deal with. Velveeta cheese on everything and 20 minute goodbyes minimum. Now I've started to be like, okay guys, this has been super fun. Like long before we're actually ready to leave. You got to work 

Becca: smarter, not harder, right? You got to work the system.

I guess. You got to leave before they're upset, like leave. And then. You won't regret it. 

Andrea: Yeah. I guess. But man, that's, I'm gonna, like, welcome people to my driveway for chili and Velveeta. And I, as soon as they show up, I'll be like, well, this has been fun. So I can start the Midwestern goodbye because 20 minutes is about, like, my social battery limit right now.

We got to work our ways back, way back up. So like, welcome. Here's some chili. This has been fun. The oven is on and I have to pee. I'm so sorry. I'm going to have to leave. And they're going to still be scooping the Velveeta as I say those things. 

Becca: You probably won't even have to lie. about, um, having to pee because you do have to pee a lot.

Andrea: I do. That's true. And just don't get a lot of Velveeta. Don't overbuy the 

Becca: Velveeta. People will leave when the Velveeta runs out. It'll be like a natural, like, sand, what are those? The sand timers? It'll be a natural sand timer. 

Andrea: Yeah. 

Becca: In the Midwest. 

Andrea: Just buy limited Velveeta. That, you should make that Midwestern hosting, like, limit the Velveeta and people will leave.

Like, they will automatically leave when the Velveeta runs out. I think that's excellent advice. Um, for the, for the other tidbits of knowledge that you can share with the audience, can you share where people can find you? 

Becca: Yes. So I have a website that I have been slowly adding to with my recipes and blog posts.

Hostinyourhome. com. Everything's basically hostinyourhome. Um, Pinterest at hostinyourhome, where I have some original recipes and then some recipes that I just like love and use. And then, um, you can find me on Instagram at hostinyourhome and on TikTok at hostinyourhome except there's a period in between each word.

Andrea: Oh, and before you go, um, you had mentioned that you thought my biscuits were dry. 

Becca: Yeah, let's talk about this. We never talked about the family baking competition. 

Andrea: No, and I just realized that as you, as we were wrapping up, I was like, we can't let this go by because the audacity of you. So 

Becca: here's what I'll say.

Cause I tried your biscuit recipe. Your biscuits are really good. Um, but when I tried to make your biscuits, a lot of the butter leaked out and with my biscuit recipe, the butter doesn't leak out. So I think That alone makes them superior. 

Andrea: That you did it wrong. I will 

Becca: admit, I do think it's time for us to clear the air.

You have won more family baking competitions than me, and I agree with all of those results. I was going to write down every one. Okay, there was one year where there was a cheesecake. Amanda won, our sister in law won. 

Andrea: Amanda, yeah, I did not win that one. 

Becca: The apple pie. 

Andrea: I won. 

Becca: Apple pie you won, and that pie was superior.

I will admit, the pie was superior. Pies are not my strength. 

Andrea: You would say, however, that scones. Are a strength for you? I'm still mad 

Becca: about scones. I'm still mad about scones. And you know what you've done that I am unwilling to do in the family baking competitions is you are willing to cater to the audience, and I'm unwilling you put frosting on your scones.

And had I put frosting hell on my scones, I would've won. I would've won. But I wanted, I think s to say we're so good, but our father basically eats frosting straight. There's always, yeah, there's always a tub of frosting in the fridge that our mom makes for him. And he eats it. He eats through the frosting.

So had I put frosting on the scones, I would have won. And I'm unwilling, I'm still unwilling to accept those results. But then you did win the brownie year and the brownie year is like, okay, you made the brownies. There, there were different brownies. Your brownie was good. 

Andrea: I will 

Becca: admit. Um, but I was cinnamon rolls and mine was the best.

Andrea: Yes, you won one, and I won three. 

Becca: You've won three, and everyone, so mom, and then our sister in law, and myself have all won one. 

Andrea: Yeah, and I've won three. 

Becca: And it's a shame I'll never come back for holidays, because Um, I think I will win. We don't know what we're making this year, but I think I will win, but it's not going to be the same if I don't also beat you.

Andrea: Right. Exactly. Cause at this point, like it literally does not even matter how many times you guys win because I'm not competing currently. And so I just am reigning champion. And, um, I think that we'll just leave it on that note. So, um, if you guys don't yet follow Becca on Hosting Your Home, please do so.

1. We'll continue to troll her on the internet for all of the things that she posts, um, and I'm sure she will continue to, to respond in kind. And at some point, as sisters do, at some point it would be very fun to have, uh, an episode or a couple of videos of us cooking together because I, I do visit occasionally and all of that.

Um, 

Becca: Oh, you know what we should do? That would be very fun. No, here's what we need to do. We need to do a live where you teach me how to make your mashed potatoes. Because I, you do make really good mashed potatoes and I don't, and I know there's like, you're going off of vibes, but also like butter. And like, I, every time I try to make it, they don't come out as good.

So I think we need to do that. 

Andrea: All right. This Thanksgiving we'll do a live. So guys stay tuned for that. Um, I'll teach you how to make heart attack. mashed potatoes. So, all right, guys. Thank you, Becca, so much for coming on. This was super fun. Our parents are going to just delight in it. So I appreciate it.

I 

Becca: definitely will. 

Andrea: All right, guys, we'll be right back.

Welcome back to those who can't do. I hope you enjoyed my chat with my sister. It is honestly so much fun because as we said, I no longer live like four years. 45 minutes away from her and I'll live a plane ride away from her. Um, so it was fun for me just to kind of chit chat about all of the stuff that has happened with her hosting website and her social media presence because she's been working on that now for a couple of years and truly, truly, I think it's really helpful and.

I actually had her I make I make her send this stuff to me so that I can give feedback because I am I think her Key demographic of people who get very overwhelmed with the thought of trying to host And I think it's just really fun that she is in her own way doing a little bit of teaching she's kind of meeting people where they're at with struggling with hosting and struggling with like the Decision fatigue, I think that a lot of us have.

I know for me, I for sure get Facificicd. Decision fatigue when I think about trying to host and like, as you guys heard, and I'm like, Okay, maybe I could like, make some chili and put out some Velveeta over the course and just kind of try and meet people and see if there's something there. Um, so I highly recommend that you guys go check out her pages hosting your home on TikTok and Instagram.

They're really good. And every once in a while you'll see me pop up because because I like to just Pick on her on the internet from time to time. Um, if you have thoughts about what we talked about today, or you have a suggestion on who you think should come on next, you can contact us. Andrea at human dash content.

com. Or you can contact me on Tok at Educator Andrea. You can also contact the whole human content podcast family on Instagram and Tik Tok at Human Content Pods. And thank you guys so much for those of you who have been leaving reviews. It makes my day, um, Aquanet Kill, I think is the name on Apple, said she's proud of it and it's good.

Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I am very proud of this podcast, um, and the work that we do. I think it's. Really fun to get to share a little bit of time with you guys in the midst of the week and get to share with you, um, Some of the people, I feel like that's been kind of a theme lately as I've been sharing some of the people with you who make my life just so full and so joyful.

So I hope you're enjoying kind of the walk through my time with Denver and my sister and some of my teacher besties and along with a couple of other people that just make the education space really great. Fantastic. Um, if you want to catch the full YouTube episodes, they are up every single week on YouTube at Educator Andrea.

Thank you so much for listening. I am your host, Andrea Forkham. A very special thank you to our guest co host today, Becca Cousins. Our executive producers are Andrea Forkham, Aron Korney, Rob Goldman, and Shahnti Brooke. Our editor is Andrew Sims. Our engineer is Jason Portizzo. Our music is by Omer Ben Zvi.

Our recording location is the Indiana State Bi College of Education. To learn more about our Those Who Can't Do's program disclaimer and ethics policy and submission, verification, and licensing terms, you can go to podcasterandrea. com. And also go look at it anyways because we just did a bunch of stuff to it and it's, it's really cool.

So go check it out. Those Who Can't Do is a human content production.

Thank you so much for watching. If you're like me and you're thinking, gosh, I really need more of those who can't do in my life, you can start your binging right now by clicking on that playlist button right over there. New episodes are out every Thursday, so please subscribe and join us each week on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.