We’re pretty sure one week ago not many would have believed humanity was about to show up in all its glory the way it did during and after Monday Night Football. Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit then received medical treatment for nearly 20 minutes before being taken to a hospital. All the fans at the game could see Bills players were visibly worried and upset, Bengals players were consoling Bills players, both Bills & Bengals fans in the stands stood in shock. People at home saw athletes on social media begging everyone to pray, listened to sportscasters focusing not on players playing but players praying for their brother fighting for his life. Then the announcement came that the game would be postponed. They sent everyone at the Bengals’ Stadium home. But not everyone went home. Bills and Bengals fans and supporters still in jerseys and team colors painted on their faces gathered outside UC Medical Center in Cincinnati where Damar was taken and still in critical condition. Well-wishes were being broadcast by media outlets and social media, and they were showing images and videos of people all over praying hard. Then many took notice — they couldn’t remember the last time they saw an entire country get down on its knees and start to pray. This would continue into that evening and into the entire week as support for Damar kept pouring in from people all over the country. This week began with a tragic scene but ended with a celebration of life as Damar is now beli3ved to be making a ‘remarkable’ recovery. (See what w3 did there?) We all witnessed miracles along the way, too, including the good deeds and donations tied to Damar…as well actually seeing that good can come in rivalry (in sports, politics, in all the things). And the one that might be Laurie, Claire and Anna’s favorite: seeing we have the capability to love and unite when we want it. Welcome 2023! Thank you for showing us this new hope for humanity.

Just do it. It’s not just a shoe company trademark. It’s what could make your New Year’s resolution stick. No need to bother to explain or overthink why you can’t or shan’t. Simply just do. Speaking of New Year’s resolutions, it’s almost time to repeat the whole ‘new year, new me’ thing. What do you think of resolutions? Some say it could problematic. Some say it could be a good idea. Also, how do you solve a problem like hard-to-fill job vacancies? Or retaining jobs? If you’re a CEO, managing director or anyone in upper management – Laurie, Claire and Anna have ALL the answers. And they’re all the right answers….or not.

We recorded this HOURS before a crazy blizzard “cyclone bomb” would freeze most of the U.S., causing dips in temps, rare snow/ice rain events in the Pacific Northwest, 50-car pile ups in the Midwest, complete chaos at the Great Lakes, and most flights being canceled. Coach Laurie, Aunt Claire, and Lil Spaz D will try their best to entertain you w/ some pretty bad caroling…whether you’re stuck at the airport or sitting around the fireplace in a blackout. And – hark! Claire finally watched “Elf”! And Anna finally watched the last half of Mary Poppins. Oh sorry, false alarm. She didn’t. Well, anyway, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas, Happy Festivus for the Rest of Us, Happy All The Things from our home to yours!!!

Sad news. We lost a dear member of our podcast. You know her as someone who drops in from time to time — her barks and her funny little toenails :'( If you’ve ever lost a pet, then you know how difficult it can be. Claire shares what comes with the loss of a pet and recognizing when “it’s time”. She talks about helping her other pets with their loss, too. Get out your kleenex…but also take notes because this episode may help you help your family pets process/deal/mourn/grieve the loss of another family pet. Rest in peace, the sweetest girl there ever was – Sadie. In music news, we’ve lost music greats including Christine McVie. You will totally enjoy our Mac & McVie hour in this podcast. Or else! — er, we mean, Or Not.

It’s not just a Lizzo song. Truth really hurts – especially if you have to have a tough conversation w/ a coworker who might fall short of expectations. Laurie, Claire and Anna talk about how sometimes the kindest thing you can do is to tell someone “This is not for you.” They also talk about the madness of political ads, Election Day, and….mmm….donuts.

Maybe Kanye’s going through his worst mid-life crisis (since his last one. You know. The one where he put on the obsessive-ex act? That was terrifying). Well, this time around he’s caused his sponsors to cancel him. Didn’t set a good example for Kyrie Irving who recently pushed the same hate propaganda. We discuss whether or not either can come back from this. Claire, who had been reporting news and traffic remotely, just worked inside some radio station studios for the first time in 2 years. Also, one of her dogs just got skunk’d. Do you know what to do if your pet gets sprayed by a skunk? That’s right. Immediately let him inside to roll around in your bed. Or not.

Smell my feet…go on…smell ’em…because Halloween 2022 isn’t at all like Halloween 2020 when we had candy shoots and left out candy bowls for the kiddos. We actually get to answer the door, hear jokes, and hand out the sweets. What’s not sweet is the split up of Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen. Could the problem be Tom Brady is a 45-year-old man who has a problem with work-life balance? Is it something else? @DangeRuss isn’t feeling the love, either. But hey. Nothing brings the internet together quite like an opportunity to mock a 245-million dollar QB. Or not.

Recorded 9/30/2022. A lot has happened since our last episode. Sadly, we lost Loretta Lynn, Angela Lansbury, Judy Tenuta. We’re still mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth and Coolio. But there was also the welcoming news of Adnan Syed finally able to live as a free man after more than 2 decades in prison. Laurie and Claire discuss the overturning of Adnan’s conviction for a 1999 murder that was chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial”. Also, 50% of Americans consider themselves superstitious. Laurie Hardie is one of the other 50% who is NOT superstitious. Well. Maybe she’s a little – stitious….or not.

It just so happens we recorded this episode days after a Maren Morris concert in Redmond, Washington…and days before the headlines read that Maren had “Just Turned a Tucker Carlson Insult into $150K for the Trans Community”. (Feel free to Google it, but the short of it is Tucker called Maren a “lunatic” after she defended transgender kids and she used his dig to launch a t-shirt line featuring her name w/ the words “Lunatic Country Music Person”. This raised a ton of money!!!). If you’ve followed Maren long enough, you’d know she is committed to making country music more inclusive and she will never stop fighting to see more diversity in this industry. But the time of the concert and of this episode we didn’t know about Carlson’s insult or about what was going down. Meanwhile Laurie, Claire and Anna chat about the concert and about what Maren had said to the crowd about it that night. By the way, if you’d like to buy one of Maren’s “Lunatic Country Music Person” t-shirts benefitting GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program and Trans Lifeline, visit: https://shop.marenmorris.com/products/lunatic-country-music-person-tee . Also, big news! Laurie is a grandma for the 5th time!! Maybe she’ll check to see if Maren’s merch includes onsies!!! – or not.

Move over Great Resignation! There’s a new kid in town, and it’s called “Quiet Quitting”. If you’ve never heard of Quiet Quitting, it’s quite a phenomenon happening right now. Laurie Hardie explains what it is. Part of it has to do with workers choosing self-preservation over physical and emotional exhaustion. Meanwhile, Claire also recently made a decision to protect herself and preserve her well-being after some bully agency unjustifiably tried to come after her. Claire decided she “don’t want no drama. No no drama. No no no drama.” — sometimes it’s a good idea to throw in lyrics from the Black Eyed Peas….or not.