PODCAST · society
Friendlier
by Sarah Kopper & Abby Olena
Friendlier is like eavesdropping on a phone call between Sarah and Abby, long time friends—and now parents—who love to talk, read, and eat. Every episode we review books, share recipes, and explore a sometimes random/sometimes serious topic. Join us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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Final episode: looking back on 2024 and ahead to 2025
We discuss the past year and look ahead to 2025. Also, surprise! This is our final episode of the podcast and we share our favorite episode and what the pod has meant to us over the last 8 years. Our favorite episodes: Quitting, Hard times, Enneagram 8 Experience (Sarah) and Everyday superpowers...
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Day in our (fall) lives
Day in our (fall) lives We share the details of our days from Tuesday October 22nd. You can also listen to our first day-in-the-life episode or similar episodes from 2020 and 2022 if you’d like to see how our days have changed. Links we mentioned: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner The Swifts: A...
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Our dream lives
Life lately Sarah has a running injury and is rethinking her fall race plans. Abby and fam had an incredible long weekend at the beach. Reading lately Sarah shared two nonfiction hits: Behind Their Screens by Emily Weinstein and Carrie James and Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey. Abby read yet...
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Transportation update
Transportation update We share our current transportation situations, how they've changed since our last episode on the topic, the challenges and joys of this stage, and our transportation dreams for the future. Life Lately Abby is over the summer and ready for fall. Sarah's family is adjusting…
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Choices in parenting
We chat about the ways in which we support our kids to learn to make choices and how that's changed in the different seasons of parenting. Life lately Sarah and her people had an amazing week at family camp. Abby is over summer and ready for school to start again please and thank you. Reading...
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Midyear check-in, 2024
Checking in on 2024 We reflect on how the year is going so far, remind ourselves of our words for the year, and look ahead to the second half of 2024. Life lately Abby is starting a new job. Sarah loved the show The Break: A New Rock Musical. Reading lately Abby thoroughly enjoyed Ink, Blood,...
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Family life lately
Family life lately We chat about what's going well and not so well in our families these days, as well as share some optimism about things that have been hard in the past and aren't any more. Life lately Sarah's children are out of school and summer has begun! Abby is eagerly anticipating a…
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Obsessions
Obsessions We share what we've been into lately, from camping to curry. Links mentioned: 1000 Hours Outside podcast about camping Where Should We Camp Next? Budget Camping by Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi Life lately Abby's family is down to one car after the Volvo's transmission died. Sarah...
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Getting stuff done
We chat about how good we are at getting things done, which tasks are easy for us to start and finish, and whether anything helps us check things off our lists. Life lately Sarah (along with all of Bloomington) is prepping for April 8's solar eclipse. Abby got a puppy, Edie. Reading lately Sarah...
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Looking ahead to turning 40
Life lately Abby is feeling good about their family's summer plans. Sarah's kids are enjoying some winter hobbies. Reading lately Abby read True Biz by Sara Nović and Sarah read S.K. Ali's young adult novel Saints and Misfits. Looking ahead to turning 40 As we enter the last year of our 30s, we...
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Religion and spirituality
Life lately Sarah is thankful that January is behind us, and night shift is going surprisingly well for Abby. Reading lately Sarah read (and loved) The Good Part by Sophie Cousens. Abby listened to Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann. Religion…
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New year's intentions, 2024
New year’s intentions, 2024 We set our intentions for the year, share our words for the year, and discuss specific goals in various categories. Life Lately Abby is looking forward to time with family over the holiday (plus Tex-Mex!). Sarah shares to home winds: the headboard Neil made and all the...
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Reflecting on 2023
We look back on our respective years, talk about how we did with our intention words, and do a lightning round of favorites from 2023. Life lately Sarah recommends the Fantastic Fiction website. Abby is leaving the leaves this year. Reading lately Sarah read the nonfiction book The Chaos Machine:...
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Our year in books, 2023
Our year in books, 2023 We share the highs and lows of our reading year as well as our favorite books in various categories. Life lately Abby loves her new Pact sweaters. Sarah is cozying up with the Calm Christmas podcast. Reading lately Abby read the spicy romance novel (set in Bloomington!)…
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Our current clutter
We give an update on the state of clutter in our homes and discuss how we think we might manage it better. We'd love your ideas! (And here's the podcast Sarah mentioned: A Slob Comes Clean) Life lately Sarah ran a half marathon—yay! Abby built a screen door. Reading lately Sarah read the…
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Parenting strengths and downfalls
Parenting strengths and weaknesses We share areas of parenting that come easily to us (and those that don't!), our partners' parenting superpowers, and a recent parenting win. Episode about our everyday superpowers Life lately Abby shares the sad news that the hospital where she works will be...
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Summer reflections
We look back on how the summer went and what we learned about how to make next summer even better. Life lately Sarah is picking paint colors again. (What a nightmare.) Abby healed one of her kitty's ears without a vet trip thanks to this product. Reading lately Sarah read the Six of Crows/Crooked...
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Mindsets
Mindsets We share mindsets and mantras that have served us well over the years, ones that do not work for us, and mindsets we are trying to help our kids cultivate. Life lately Abby was on television for her work. Sarah's family has joined the local climbing gym. Reading lately Abby is all-in on...
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Midyear check in
We reflect on how the year is going so far, remind ourselves of our words for the year, and look ahead to the second half of 2023. Life lately Sarah’s children are at sleep away camp for the first time. Abby recently did a refresh of her indoor plants. Reading lately Sarah read and loved You…
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Our preferences
Preferences We share our preferences in our lifestyles, food, music, tv/movies, books, and socializing, as well as how our they have changed over time and whether they align with our spouses' preferences. Life lately Abby's battling the lice that made their way into her home. Sarah's family is...
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Looking ahead to summer
With this episode, we're starting a new schedule for Friendlier. We’ve decided to release new episodes on the first Tuesday of each month, instead of every other week, as we’ve been doing. As our lives have gotten busier, it’s been tough to fit in podcasting, but we love this creative project and...
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Our K-12 school experiences
K-12 school experiences We share the highs and lows of our experiences in elementary, middle, and high school. Life lately Abby has poison ivy. Sarah just got back from the SEC gymnastics championships in Georgia. Reading lately Abby enjoyed the cozy fantasy The Very Secret Society of Irregular...
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More and less
We discuss what we want more of and less of, as well as things that are just right in our lives. Life lately Sarah took the kids to their first public meeting. The neighbors fixed the fence at Abby's house. Reading lately Sarah enjoyed Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. Abby got into…
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Technology
Technology We share our most used tech in daily life, technology other people seem to love but we don't, favorite tech related to kids/parenting, and our technology aspirations. Links we mentioned: Kindle strap Wireless headphones Wyndy app Calm app Life lately Abby shares that her beloved cat,...
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Family food culture
We talk about cultivating a family food culture: what we want food and eating to feel like in our families, what is working and not working in our family food experience, and resources that we’ve used in developing family food culture. Links we mentioned: Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and...
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Our winter days
The days are dark and cold, at least in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. We thought it would be fun to share what is bringing us joy, comfort, and generally helping us get through these months until spring arrives. Life Lately Abby used this kit to pierce a second set of holes in her ears....
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Our homes
We discuss our favorite spaces in our homes, the projects we want to tackle, and how we want our homes to feel. Life lately Sarah’s enjoying her newly installed windows and an accompanying living room rearrangement. Abby passed the NCLEX (nursing board exam) and is now an RN. Reading lately Sarah...
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New year's intentions, 2023
New year’s intentions, 2023 We set our intentions for the year, share our words for the year, and discuss specific goals in different categories. Life Lately Abby shares a toy all six of her cats love. Sarah and Neil attempted a calendar meeting to moderate success. Reading lately Abby read The...
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Looking back on 2022
We reflect on the past year and discuss our words of the year, how it went in several categories, and do a lightning round of 2022 favorites. Life lately Sarah and her family took an awesome train trip to California, and Abby is struggling with the transition away from school. Reading lately…
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Our year in books, 2022
Our year in books, 2022 We share the highs and lows of our reading year as well as our favorite books in fiction, non-fiction, memoir, romance, audio, most-enjoyable, and read-aloud. Life lately Abby has finished nursing school and Sarah is starting a new job. Reading lately Abby read the novel…
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Gift giving and receiving
Life lately Sarah and her family had a lovely Halloween, and Abby gives a winter garden update. Reading lately Sarah enjoyed the nonfiction read, Achtung, Baby: An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children by Sara Zaske, and Abby read two romance novellas from the Love...
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Graceful quitting [2018]
Life lately Abby successfully completed her longest solo-parenting stretch to date! Sarah is headed into a cold-weather camping weekend; wish her luck! Reading lately Abby read Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, the first book of a fantasy fiction trilogy. Sarah stepped outside her...
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For better and worse
For better or worse We share the best and worst traits we and our spouses bring to our marriages. Girl Next Door's Best Spouse / Worst Spouse episode Life Lately Abby has started her practicum in a labor and delivery ward. Sarah cut off her hair and is rocking the buzzed look again. Reading…
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Listener Q&A
You all submitted a wide variety of questions, and we loved answering them. If you sent in a question, but didn’t hear it, it was probably so meaty that we’re saving it for it’s own episode later on. Thank you for being such great listeners! Life lately Sarah shares updates on her latest 5K and...
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Novelty and progress
Novelty and progress We share how we feel about novelty and progress, where we most enjoy them in our lives, where we prefer the comfort of the familiar, and how our thoughts have changed over time. Life lately Abby prepared her garden for fall, including removing all the giant zinnias. Sarah is...
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Best and worst of the seasons
We chat about the seasons, including our favorite and least favorite things about each one, the best seasonal foods, and whether there are seasons we’d skip if we could. Life lately Sarah’s kiddo HP took his first trip away from home without family along—and did great. Abby and her family watched...
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Personal policies
Personal policies We share mantras that guide our lives, boundaries we maintain, things we always say yes/no to, and aspirational policies we'd like to bring into our lives. Mentioned on the show: Girl Next Door episode on personal policies Sow Connected episode on rules to live by B Team…
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Frugality lately
We chat about how we’re coping with inflation, what frugal tricks have helped, and our frugal aspirations. Reading lately Sarah read another family gap year memoir, We Came, We Saw, We Left by Charles Wheelan. Abby was compelled by but is not sure what to think of Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey....
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Flexibility
Flexibility We share where it's easy for us to be flexible, where we find it more challenging, and how we've grown more and less flexible over time. Life lately Abby got another cat and Sarah has Covid. Reading lately Abby flew through the Ravenswood series by Talia Hibbert. Sarah was moved by...
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End-of-summer gratitude
We discuss the things giving us life at the end of the summer. Links to Abby's bathing suit top and bottoms (although it looks like black is sold out). Life lately Sarah loves the towel racks and trash can Neil custom made for their new bathroom. Abby is so thankful for her nursing school…
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2022 update
2022 update We do our annual mid-year review, reminding ourselves of our goals and intentions and checking in on how things are going halfway through the year. Life lately Abby took a spontaneous camping trip and Sarah is showering in her new shower. Reading lately Abby read I'll Show Myself Out:...
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Summer day in our lives
We share the details of our days from Wednesday, June 15th. You can also listen to our first day-in-the-life episode and a similar episode from two years ago if you’d like to see how our days have changed. Links we mentioned: The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall YouTube Swim Lessons Life lately…
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Capturing family memories
Capturing family memories We share our philosophy around capturing family memories, our best strategies, and how our approach has changed as our kids have grown. Little Hoots Five year line-a-day journal Life lately Abby has a cat adventure to share. The remodel at Sarah's house is (finally)...
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Discernment
We talk about how our processes of discernment look and rave about this essay by Cheryl Strayed. Life lately Sarah is enjoying TV, especially Bridgerton. Two and a half years after moving to Birmingham, Abby finally feels like she has friends. Reading lately Sarah read Remember: The Science of...
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Pets in our lives
Pets in our lives We share our history with pets, our current pet situations, the best and worst parts of having (or not having) pets, and our future pet dreams. Life lately Abby's planned lots of short trips for the upcoming months and Sarah is loving all the outdoor play happening in the...
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Family favorites
We share the favorites in our families that have stood the test of time. Visit our show notes for links! Life lately We share our plans for the upcoming summer. Reading lately Sarah read I Must Betray You by Reta Sepetys, a young adult historical fiction novel set in Romania at the end of the...
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Learning new things
Trying new things We share new things we've tried as adults, our trying new things fails, mantras/mindsets that help us when trying new things, how parenting intersects with our approach, and new things we aspire to try in the future. Life lately Abby is almost done with her first semester of...
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Finding our next reads
We share how we find new books to read, strategies for managing our holds queues at the library, and what influences the kind of book we want to read next. Links mentioned: Sarah and Abby on Goodreads Shelf Awareness and Maximum Shelf newsletters Booklist newsletters Reading the Past (for...
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Division of labor
Division of labor We give an update on how we divide the housework in our families: who does what, how we feel about it, outsourcing, and what we have found to be most successful. Life lately Abby's family welcomed two new cats to their home. Sarah took an overnight trip to St. Louis. Reading...
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Back to school as adults
We discuss what it’s been like to be back in school as adults, including what we are studying, the best and worst parts, and tips for anyone thinking of going back to school. Life lately Sarah is relishing riding a bike with working brakes. Abby shares that Pepper was vaccinated as part of the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Friendlier is like eavesdropping on a phone call between Sarah and Abby, long time friends—and now parents—who love to talk, read, and eat. Every episode we review books, share recipes, and explore a sometimes random/sometimes serious topic. Join us!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HOSTED BY
Sarah Kopper & Abby Olena
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Friendlier have?
Friendlier currently has 183 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Friendlier about?
Friendlier is like eavesdropping on a phone call between Sarah and Abby, long time friends—and now parents—who love to talk, read, and eat. Every episode we review books, share recipes, and explore a sometimes random/sometimes serious topic. Join us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...
How often does Friendlier release new episodes?
Friendlier publishes regularly with 183 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Friendlier?
You can listen to Friendlier on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Friendlier?
Friendlier is created and hosted by Sarah Kopper & Abby Olena.
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