Friends on Purpose

Does your family still treat you like you’re twelve years old? In this episode, we dive into the chaos of siblings, birth order, and the roles we never quite grow out of, whether you are the responsible oldest, the overlooked middle, or the wildcard youngest. From “don’t tell mom” moments to full blown wrestling matches, we unpack the stories that shaped us and the personalities we carried into adulthood. Along the way, we ask whether siblings actually define who we become or just reveal who we have always been. Because no matter how much you change, your family still knows exactly which buttons to push.

What if Shia LaBeouf was onto something?In this episode, Eric and Elaine refuse to let their dreams be dreams, from teeth falling out and missed exams to lucid dreaming, prophetic visions, and grocery shopping on roller skates. They explore the science of sleep, ancient beliefs about dream symbolism, and the strange ways our subconscious may process fear, healing, memory, and our place in the world. Eric shares how dream interpretation became part of his journey through cult deconstruction, revealing deeper questions about grace, discernment, and personal truth. It’s funny, thoughtful, a little weird, and exactly the kind of conversation you’d hope to have while awake.

Can the way we observe the world help create the reality we experience?Eric and Elaine explore imagination, aphantasia, synchronicities, and the strange ways our minds assign meaning to everything from calendars to numbers. They compare how they visualize apples, read books, organize time in their heads, and why certain numbers somehow feel trustworthy, cursed, or suspiciously French. Along the way, they wrestle with mystery, belief, and whether reality is something we observe—or something we help create. It’s a playful, mind-bending conversation about consciousness, connection, and the weird beauty of being human.

Why does a personality test feel like it knows you a little too well? Eric and Elaine take the Enneagram and unpack what it reveals about identity, self-awareness, and the parts of ourselves we’d rather not admit. What starts as a fun quiz quickly turns into a conversation about defensiveness, growth, and the hills we’re willing to die on. With humor and honesty, they explore how being “typed” can feel both clarifying and uncomfortably personal. If you’ve ever felt called out by a quiz, this episode will hit home.Rabbit Footnotes:The Haunting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Nn5l_13W8Enneagram Test - https://enneagram-personality.com/Oxford Comma - https://www.grammarly.com/blog/punctuation-capitalization/what-is-the-oxford-comma/Artemis II Splashdown - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua0d7xnPUzo

What is the answer to life the universe and everything?One small thought turns into a deep dive into space, NASA’s Artemis missions, and the bigger questions about curiosity, purpose, and the unknown. Eric and Elaine explore how quickly a simple idea can expand into something much bigger.If you’ve ever gone down an internet spiral or wondered how everything connects, this episode is for you.

How does your sense of purpose change over time? In this episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine explore how their sense of purpose has changed over time—while getting completely sidetracked by movies, personal growth, and the messy reality of figuring out life. It’s honest, self-aware, and a reminder that having great friends might matter more than having all the answers.Rabbit Footnotes: Longlegs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou9t6wXJkjEScream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3J6ACKQ7K0

What if the scariest thing isn’t horror movies, it’s realizing how much of your life has been shaped by fear? Eric dips into the horror genre for the first time, while Elaine, our resident horror connoisseur, delightfully brings him up to speed on what it might actually be good for, all while accidentally falling down the rabbit hole of fear, death, and what it looks like to live with a little more courage.Rabbit Footnotes: Before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50ic_o5TE1UBugonia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd_5HcTujfcGood Lord Bird: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0wC_ECqU1o

Ten episodes later, Eric and Elaine take a moment to reflect on what they’ve learned from a season of curious, honest conversations about friendship, personal growth, belief systems, and life’s weird questions. What began as a purposeful weekly conversation between friends somehow turned into a podcast—and a surprisingly good practice for the soul. Season One wraps up here, but being Friends on Purpose continues in Season Two.Rabbit Footnotes:Not My Father's Son, By Alan Cumming - https://www.alancumming.com/2014/2015/6/2/not-my-fathers-sonLeave Your Mark - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkfFeYBiQsI

Part 2 of 2 - Eric walks through the highlights, lowlights, and spiritual plot twists of his 25-year church-cult experience—complete with sincere faith, complicated power dynamics, and the slow dawning realization that maybe this wasn’t everyone’s Sunday. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine talk belief systems, cult dynamics, and the strange process of making sense of it all.Rabbit Footnotes:Breakfast in Hell: with Sarah Davis Part 1 and 2 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breakfast-with-sarah-davis-part-1/id1806983124?i=1000731574463Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - ⁠https://amandamontell.com/cultish/⁠The Exvangelicals - ⁠https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250284471/theexvangelicals/⁠Shiny Happy People - Seasons 1 and 2 - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKfEilxYpbM⁠

Elaine revisits her coming-out story and discovers it’s changed with time. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, she and Eric unpack shame culture, inherited belief systems, identity, and the possibility that we’ve been blaming ourselves for glitches in the system. It’s a thoughtful conversation about personal growth, healing, and making sense of the stories we were given.

Eric reflects on the gender roles his high-control church assigned to him and his wife—and why none of it ever quite fit. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, he and Elaine unpack the expectations, power dynamics, and belief systems behind rigid roles in religious communities, and how choosing love over control quietly changed everything.Rabbit Footnotes:Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - https://amandamontell.com/cultish/The Exvangelicals - https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250284471/theexvangelicals/Shiny Happy People - Seasons 1 and 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKfEilxYpbMBreakfast in Hell: with Sarah Davis Part 1 and 2 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breakfast-in-hell-a-deconstruction-podcast/id1806983124

Pooping your pants is rarely on the agenda—but it turns out it’s an excellent teacher. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine explore humor, humility, and the art of laughing at yourself. Because sometimes the fastest way back to being human is admitting the moment got the better of you.Rabbit Footnotes:Heated Rivalry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKO26odltssCarol Burnett - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_BurnettDropOut - https://watch.dropout.tv/browse/ and https://www.youtube.com/@dropoutGina Mireault Infant Humor - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/opinion/baby-laugh-developmental-milestone.htmlJohnson Woolen Mills - https://www.johnsonwoolenmills.com/

Eric reflects on retraining the pathways in his brain and why reframing your story doesn’t mean erasing the moments you wish you’d handled differently. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, he and Elaine talk personal growth, mindset, and self-reflection. Elaine raises the audiobook question. Aliens enter the chat. No one is surprised.Rabbit Footnotes:A review of paternal bonding research: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9690989/In My Time of Dying (the book, not the Led Zepplin song) - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/In-My-Time-of-Dying/Sebastian-Junger/9781668050835GCREW Models (Eric still isn’t sure which)- https://www.gq.com/ or https://www.jcrew.com Cosmosis Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cosmosis-formerly-the-ufo-rabbit-hole/id1595590107Independence Day - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1E7h3SeMDkImminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFO’s - https://www.harpercollins.com/products/imminent-luis-elizondo?variant=42538152165410EP6: CIA Project Stargate - https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00789R002800180001-2.pdfThe Men Who Stare at Goats - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EKtkSF5TrpwFOLLOW US:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsOnPurposeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friendsonpurposepodcast

Elaine recounts her visit with a psychic medium and the unexpected insights that came from the experience. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, she and Eric explore intuition, spirituality, curiosity, and why leaving a little room for mystery can be a surprisingly helpful approach to life.Rabbit Footnotes:Grillo Pickles - https://www.instagram.com/grillospickles/Miller Lite Bad Shit to Good Shit - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjThYid_kYQPluribus -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6lzvWby9UE Elaine’s Medium, Krysta Heidman - https://www.magickalthinking.com/ Telepathy Tapes Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/1zigaPaUWO4G9SiFV0Kf1cFOLLOW US:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsOnPurposeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friendsonpurposepodcast

Eric and Elaine talk nerds vs geeks, the wild west days of early internet chatrooms, and the strange experience of talking with online strangers in the 1990s—one of whom might have been the FBI. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, they explore internet culture, nostalgia, friendship, and the kind of inside jokes that only make sense to family.Rabbit Footnotes:Down a Rabbit Hole - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_the_rabbit_holeRabbit Trail - CAN’T FIND A GOOD LINK WHICH KINDA MAKES SENSE BC ITS NOT REALLY A POPULAR SAYINGDoogan -http://drop-a-doogan.urbanup.com/514671 (pg 4 of urban dictionary)Doogan’s Fudge Shop in New Hampshire: https://www.facebook.com/doogansgiftandfudgeshop/ - shout out to our friends at Doogan’sWeapons - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpThntO9ixcHeretic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKGxHflevukSinners - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9i2vmFhSSY  - specifically the music scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7jo5Cr6WUAFOLLOW US:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsOnPurposeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friendsonpurposepodcast

Eric and Elaine reflect on how their understanding of love and relationships has evolved over time. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, they explore personal growth, relationship wisdom, reexamine the plot of Titanic, and get unexpectedly roasted by a pet psychic.Rabbit Footnotes:East Fork Pottery - https://www.eastfork.com/locations/asheville?utm_campaign=brand-search&utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=paid&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=15168906946&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgvPKBhCxARIsAOlK_EoK5SFTibDdCex_sUqfSzaB8gFk5KLp7MidYr_tSzkmA9o8sAy3OBsaAnzMEALw_wcBFor the Uncultured (JK) -  https://www.moma.org/artists/3832-henri-matisseSiamese Cat Information - https://www.chewy.com/education/cat/general/siamese-cat-breed-facts-temperament-care-info “I’m Just A Baby” - https://www.tiktok.com/@paramountplus/video/7339989762696105258?lang=en OR https://www.tiktok.com/@neemsthemes/video/7091999097175182638?lang=en  dealer’s choice you know…FOLLOW US:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsOnPurposeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friendsonpurposepodcast

Painted ceilings, unexpected tears, and that rare moment when someone truly notices you. In this episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine share personal stories about kindness, human connection, and the small gestures that shape relationships and personal growth in ways we don’t always expect.Rabbit Footnotes:The Art Lesson - https://www.tomie.com/in-print-booksRoosevelt Quote - https://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/Elaine’s Current Passion - https://duncantoys.com/collections/yo-yos?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22235784450&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgvPKBhCxARIsAOlK_Er8y0p6kzs5tU59DMAJLdEuBwgsvKNflPdhsHc_dw-0UHrgmH70BCgaAo0ZEALw_wcBFOLLOW US:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsOnPurposeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friendsonpurposepodcast

In the very first episode of Friends on Purpose, Eric and Elaine look back at the moments that make the highlight reel of their friendship. Through personal stories, humor, and conversation, they reflect on the experiences that shaped their relationship, and practice a little fun announcing along the way.Rabbit Footnotes:Downtown - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JGhoLcsr8GADipsmas - https://www.cosmopolitan.com/food-cocktails/a46042548/dipmas-party/Hellbox Studio - https://www.instagram.com/hellbox.studio/Noticing Small Things Leads to a Happy Life - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/everyday-resilience/202410/the-power-of-little-things-how-to-find-joy-in-the-everyday/ampFOLLOW US:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FriendsOnPurposeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@friendsonpurposepodcast