brb crying
by nins + arns
brb crying is a cozy comedy podcast where we share what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh. join nins + arns—two thirty-something teenagers and lifelong BFFs—as they dive into what moves them to tears (movies! books! personal stories! tbh anything is fair game!) and why crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.
Episodes
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059: friends, forgotten island, + the family we choose
This week, we're getting into friendship of all kinds with the iconic sitcom Friends and the DreamWorks 2026 animated film Forgotten Island. First, Nins takes us through the Friends Experience in New York City, sharing why Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey, and Ross feel like her friends…
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058: cry, sweat, connect | marie from one vo1ce, dj jayou, + coach mike on wellness beyond fitness
We're getting sweaty, y'all! Ahead of our Rhythm & Burn x brb crying workout on October 24, we’re bringing together the souls behind the experience: Marie Ceralvo of iconic Filipina American music group One Vo1ce, Jen Uy (DJ Jayou) from Seafood City's Late Night Madness, and Coach Mike Pacis of…
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057: the hero's journey, the odyssey, + project hail mary | why love makes us brave
This week, we're crying over two very different 2026 films (or maybe they're the same?): Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, and Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling and based on Andy Weir's bestselling novel. Arns first takes us through The Odyssey, exploring why this 3,000 year-old epic is so...
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056: why ariana grande is a mirror for our healing | eternal sunshine, pov, + petal
If you're not already an Arianator, you sure as hell are about to be—because this week, we're crying over Miss Ariana Grande. From a childhood destined for stardom to her rise as a global pop star, Ariana's life has been rife with grief, loss, trauma, public scrutiny, heartbreak...and through it...
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055: all the tomorrows after & the books we see ourselves in | feeling "too much" with jazzle
This week, we're joined by Jazzle (@jazzlesbooks), a pre-K teacher, mom, and “emotional book translator” who unpacks not just what books are about, but why they make us feel the way they do. Jazzle shares the origins behind her bookstagram, including how postpartum cracked her open, how books...
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054: moving homes, cleo dang would rather be dead, + how grief & joy coexist
This week, we grieve the places we've left behind, the people we've lost, & the joy we find anyway. Nins says goodbye to the apartment that held five years of her life, reminding us that moving to a new home isn't just about leaving a physical space; it means leaving behind the version of you who...
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053: what made you cry? 9 strangers, 9 stories from our first wellness pop-up
This week, we ventured beyond the recording studio and into the real world for our very first brb crying pop-up at a local wellness event. Armed with one simple question—"what made you cry?"—we invited fellow vendors and attendees to share the stories that have been living in their hearts. What...
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052: wolf children, motherhood, & learning to let go | cryable anime with gabe (pt. 2)
This week, we're back with Gabe (@daemoncorps) for part 2 of our cryable anime series. Arns takes us through Mamoru Hosoda's 2012 masterpiece Wolf Children, a heartbreaking story following one mother's journey raising two half-human, half-wolf children all on her own. Beneath this single mother's...
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051: 5 centimeters per second & why lingering hope hurts | cryable anime with gabe (pt. 1)
This week, we're joined by Gabe (@daemoncorps), a cartoonist and letterer with "too many opinions on anime," for the first installment of our two-part cryable anime series. Gabe shares his journey re-discovering himself as an artist—including an anime convention horror story that accidentally…
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050: olivia rodrigo's "drop dead" & "the cure" on dreaming, hurting, & healing + celebrating 50 episodes
ep 050 (!!) is our biggest milestone yet, so we're celebrating the only way we know how: by crying over Olivia Rodrigo. This week, Arns unpacks the iconic "Drop Dead" music video, exploring why filming at Versailles was so culturally momentous, what it means to watch a fellow Filipina take up...
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049: how to take a chance on yourself | dr. nicole garlit on entrepreneurship, burnout, & self-belief
This week, we welcome our first ever guest (!!): Dr. Nicole Garlit, physical therapist, entrepreneur, and founder of her own private practice. Nicole joins Nins & Arns to talk about the emotional reality of building a business, navigating uncertainty, and learning to trust yourself when there's…
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048: heated rivalry (part 2) + the spoiler moments that destroyed us
Nins & Arns return for a follow-up episode on Heated Rivalry that absolutely no one asked for (because one emotional breakdown over yearning, hockey, and devastating eye contact was clearly not enough!!). After finally bingeing the series, Arns comes fully prepared with a spoiler-filled…
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047: justin bieber’s “everything hallelujah”, lilo & stitch, & choosing joy anyway
This week, Nins unexpectedly develops Bieber fever after hearing Justin Bieber’s “EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH” and spirals into a wildly emotional deep dive on healing, fame, survival, gratitude, and brushing your teeth while depressed. Meanwhile, Arns revisits Disney’s Lilo & Stitch (2002) and fully...
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046: harry baker, heated rivalry, & loving so much it hurts
This week, Arns unpacks “Sunflowers” by Harry Baker and spirals through grief, funerals, and the terrifying urgency of being alive right now. Meanwhile, Nins dives headfirst into Heated Rivalry, the wildly beloved hockey romance series full of yearning, emotional repression, devastating tension,...
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045: "st. clarity" by the paper kites & an emotional birth story
This week, Nins & Arns drift through “St. Clarity” by The Paper Kites, emotional healing, pregnancy, childbirth, and the strangely beautiful process of becoming someone new. Nins gets lost in the dreamy stillness of “St. Clarity” by The Paper Kites, reflecting on the song’s peaceful atmosphere,...
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044: filipino american smithsonian exhibit & what fighting revealed about my marriage
This week, Arns visits the Smithsonian exhibition How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories and reflects on Filipino migration, generational memories, family sacrifice, and the emotional weight of the objects and stories we leave behind. From ornate steamer trunks to embroidered…
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043: PMDD, queen charlotte, & being loved through it all
Nins & Arns choose each other's stories in this special throwback episode. Arns chooses ep 003: periods are hard, where Nins shares her struggles with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Nins chooses ep 011: a bridgerton (sob) story, where Arns reminds us that love is a choice through Queen...
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042: the weirdly specific things that make us cry
This week is a chaotic emotional spiral through all the oddly specific things that make people cry. Nins and Arns pull different “cry categories” out of a jar and unpack the videos, memories, fears, therapy breakthroughs, celebrity interviews, childhood movies, random scents, and late-night…
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041: f1 champion lando norris, titanic, & the dreams that carry us forward
This week, Arns unpacks the emotional aftermath of Lando Norris’ Formula 1 championship win—from childhood karting dreams and impossible pressure to the vulnerable reality of finally achieving the thing you’ve chased your entire life. Nins revisits Titanic (1997), reflecting on doomed love,...
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040: how to end a love story (yulin kuang) + the women (kristin hannah) on grief, love, & healing
In this Valentine's Day collaboration with A Novel Affair Romance Bookstore, Nins & Arns discuss two completely different novels—a contemporary romance and a Vietnam War novel—that somehow arrive at the exact same conclusion about self-love, healing, and forgiveness. First, Nins dives into How to...
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039: we live in time, modern love, & the people who change us
This week, we explore the people who quietly change our lives—and the fleeting moments we wish could last forever. Arns reflects on We Live in Time (2024), starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, and why this devastatingly beautiful film about love, mortality, grief, and the passage of time...
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038: animal communication, emotional healing, & finding yourself again
This week, we explore animal communication, emotional healing, personal growth, and the lifelong process of finding yourself again. Nins shares the story of an emotional animal communication session with pet psychic Jenny of Bluebird Animal Communication. After years of wondering what her beloved...
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037: losing my soul dog, wading through grief, & the relationship that kept me grounded
In this deeply emotional throwback to episode 010, Arns shares the story of Cosmo, her beloved Maltese who spent more than 16 years by her side. From awkward high school memories and college adventures to the devastating experience of saying goodbye, she reflects on pet loss, grief, unconditional...
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who the f*ck are we, even??: the brb crying origin story
We've spent dozens of episodes crying about movies, books, songs, childhood memories, and existential crises—but somehow we've never properly answered the question: who the f*ck are we, even?? In this special bonus episode, we're ditching our usual essay format and sitting down for an unhinged...
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036: why a viral pianist's tears moved millions + baking as a love language: yumeka nakagawa, vulnerability & friendship
This week, we talk about a viral piano performance that left millions of people emotional—and the surprising ways love finds its way back to us. First, Arns shares the story of Japanese pianist Yumeka Nakagawa, whose tearful performance of Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude captivated audiences around…
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035: why tems' "higher" hits so hard + the 6-hour flight delay that changed everything
This week, Nins dives into "Higher" by Tems, the haunting Afrobeats ballad about toxic relationships, self-worth, healing, and finally choosing yourself. From the song's powerful lyrics to the surprising story behind Future's Grammy-winning sample in "Wait for U," this conversation explores what…
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034: the wicked scene that destroyed us (+ why ghost still makes us cry 35 years later)
This Halloween, we're taking a break from traditional scares and talking about the movie moments that truly haunt us. Arns dives into the 1990 classic Ghost, starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Whoopi Goldberg, exploring grief, love, and what we'd give for one more moment with the people…
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033: klay thompson, grief, and the loves we never really lose
What do Klay Thompson leaving the Golden State Warriors and a viral TikTok about a grandfather visiting his wife's grave have in common? Apparently everything. :') This week, Nins explores why Klay Thompson's departure from the Golden State Warriors became a surprisingly emotional lesson about...
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032: what ACOTAR teaches us about self-love & the neanderthal who proved humans are kind
This week, we explore two surprisingly connected stories: a powerful moment from Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series and the real-life story of Shanidar 1, a Neanderthal whose survival became one of the earliest known examples of human compassion. Arns reflects on a...
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031: about time (2013), somebody feed phil, & finding joy in everyday life
This episode dives into two unexpected tearjerkers: Richard Curtis's beloved time-travel romance About Time (2013) and Netflix's food and travel series Somebody Feed Phil. Nins revisits About Time and reflects on its powerful message about grief, parent-child relationships, time, mortality, and...
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030: the viral figure skating couple that made us cry + the law of attraction explained
Nins shares the heartwarming story of Jerry & Tally Leonard, the viral figure skating couple whose decades-long love story has moved millions online. From public skating performances to 58 years on the ice together, their partnership is a beautiful reminder of lasting love, shared passions, and...
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029: the last of us episode that broke our hearts + the disney symphony that left us speechless
This week, Arns dives into one of the most devastating hours of television ever made: The Last of Us Episode 3, "Long, Long Time." We revisit Bill and Frank's unforgettable love story, explore why the episode resonated so deeply with audiences, and reflect on how love gives life meaning even in…
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028: little women, the female experience, + finding magic after loss
This week, we dive into Greta Gerwig's acclaimed adaptation of Little Women (2019) and the timeless themes that have made Louisa May Alcott's novel resonate for over 150 years. Nins explores the emotional power of Little Women, from Jo March's fierce independence and rejection of societal...
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027: dìdi (弟弟), bruno the rescue cat, & learning to accept love
This week, Nins & Arns explore two powerful stories about growing up, being misunderstood, and the transformative power of love. Arns revisits Dìdi (弟弟), Sean Wang's award-winning coming-of-age film set in Fremont, California during the early days of MySpace, AIM, and YouTube. Through the eyes of…
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026: ariana grande's "we can't be friends" & alok's "biology" broke us: grief, identity, & our shared humanity
This week, Nins and Arns explore two powerful works that ask what it means to remain human in a world obsessed with labels, expectations, and letting go. Nins dives deep into Ariana Grande's "we can't be friends (wait for your love)," unpacking the heartbreaking music video inspired by Eternal...
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025: moana & "marigolds": sisterhood, ancestry, & choosing yourself
This week, Nins & Arns explore two moving stories about identity, family, belonging, and the people who shape us. Arns revisits Disney's Moana (2016) and discovers an entirely new meaning hidden beneath the beloved animated film. What once felt like a story about adventure becomes a powerful...
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024: a short stay in hell, golde's trinity mouzon wofford, & hope as an act of resistance
This week, Nins and Arns explore two stories that unexpectedly arrive at the same question: how do we keep hoping when the world feels impossible? Nins dives into A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck, the cult-favorite existential novella about a man trapped in an infinite library searching for...
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023: "seed of a seed" & "draco malfoy and the mortifying ordeal of being in love": yearning, love, & simple joys
In this Valentine's Day special of brb crying, Arns and Nins explore two very different stories that arrive at the same question: what does it mean to love deeply? Arns reflects on "Seed of a Seed" by Haley Heynderickx, the indie folk song about slowing down, resisting consumer culture, and…
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022: a phone call from my dad + dan da dan: self-worth, parents, & feeling enough
This week, Nins reflects on a simple phone call from her dad that unexpectedly unraveled everything she thought she understood about growing up, immigrant parents, adulthood, and the quiet ways love is expressed. Arns dives into one of the most emotional storylines from the hit anime Dan Da Dan,...
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021: bali & the great british bake off made us cry: healing, joy & finding yourself
Arns reflects on a transformative trip to Bali that unexpectedly changed her perspective on pleasure, healing, self-discovery, and what it means to intentionally create a life you actually enjoy living. Then Nins dives into the comforting world of The Great British Bake Off, sharing why…
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listener sob stories: lord of the rings, ghosts, & park bench plaques
In this special bonus episode of brb crying, Nins and Arns step away from their usual format to share some of the most unforgettable listener sob stories from season two. From The Lord of the Rings' iconic "You Bow to No One" scene to mysterious spirit encounters inspired by Journey of Souls,...
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020: tems' "me & u", "daughter of a lost bird", & what it means to belong
Nins explores the transcendent beauty of Tems’ song and music video “Me & U,” uncovering a powerful meditation on spirituality, self-discovery, faith, and the deeply personal relationship we each have with a higher power. Then Arns dives into Daughter of a Lost Bird, the moving documentary that...
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019: why the election broke our hearts | grief, hope, & finding community
Nins and Arns take a break from their usual stories to process the emotions surrounding the recent presidential election. Together, they reflect on post-election grief, anxiety, fear, disappointment, hope, and what it means to keep moving forward when the future feels uncertain. From…
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018: julie: the unwinding of the miracle, shark heart, & why we can't prepare for grief
This week, Nins and Arns explore two unforgettable stories about grief, love, mortality, and what it means to leave something behind. Arns reflects on Julie: The Unwinding of the Miracle, the moving podcast and memoir chronicling the life of Julie Yip-Williams, a lawyer, mother, refugee, and…
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017: "the house of mourning" & casper: grief, death, & childlike wonder
We're getting spoOoOky! In this week's brb crying Halloween special, Nins explores grief, death, and childlike wonder through Kate Braestrup's unforgettable story "The House of Mourning," performed on The Moth. Through the eyes of a five-year-old girl saying goodbye to her cousin, the story...
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016: leon bridges' "beyond" & steve from blue's clues made us believe in love
This week, Arns and Nins explore two stories about love, connection, and the people who stay with us long after we think we've moved on. Arns revisits "Beyond" by Leon Bridges, the soulful love song that captures the exhilarating terror of falling in love and wondering if you've finally met "the...
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015: hamilton act 2 & our younger selves on legacy, forgiveness, & becoming
This week, Nins concludes our Hamilton tour of tears with Act 2 of Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical. From Alexander Hamilton's public downfall and the heartbreaking loss of Philip Hamilton to Eliza Hamilton's extraordinary act of forgiveness and her determination to preserve a legacy,...
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014: a place for us, hamilton act 1, & the love that goes unspoken
This week, we dive into two stories that explore family, sacrifice, identity, and the complicated ways we love each other. Arns discusses A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, the acclaimed novel about an Indian-American Muslim family struggling with faith, belonging, estrangement, and the...
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013: why journey of souls & dove real beauty sketches changed how we see ourselves
This week, Nins and Arns explore two stories that challenge the way we see ourselves—and our place in the world. Nins dives into Journey of Souls by Dr. Michael Newton, the bestselling spiritual classic that explores reincarnation, soulmates, spirit guides, the afterlife, and the possibility that...
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012: animal crossing's letters from mom, long-distance loved ones, & loving from afar
This week, Arns and Nins explore the ache of loving people who live far away. Arns reflects on a trip to New York to visit her cousin, who feels more like a sister, and the quiet grief that comes with saying goodbye to long-distance loved ones. From childhood memories to adult friendships, she...
About this show
brb crying is a cozy comedy podcast where we share what makes us cry in a way that makes us laugh. join nins + arns—two thirty-something teenagers and lifelong BFFs—as they dive into what moves them to tears (movies! books! personal stories! tbh anything is fair game!) and why crying helps us connect with ourselves and each other.
Hosted by
nins + arns