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Race to 35: Day 8 + Chelsea Handler
Liz and Monica declare their sisterhood in episode 8 (of 10) of Race to 35. The two discuss how pain is passed down, Monica cries over Delta, and they talk about how this experience is affecting the way they view their parents. In the second half of the episode, they discuss the choice to not have kids with Chelsea Handler. They talk about the value of being able to give globally instead of insularly, Chelsea shares the story of when she realized she didn't want kids, and she reinforces the idea that one can have a full life without children.
Flightless Bird: Bears
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand one of America’s grandest animals, the Grizzly Bear. Emblazoned on the California flag and seal, what does this giant predator have to say about the American people? David discovers that animals kill about 400 Americans every year… how many of those deaths involve bears? To get some perspective on this often misunderstood creature, David sits down with journalist and newspaper editor Rob Chaney, who wrote an incredible book about Grizzlies called “The Grizzly in the Driveway”. What are the main misconceptions about the Grizzly bear and why does the population of Grizzlies in major parts of America still face being wiped out? Why can other countries co-exist with this giant beast yet America is still struggling? David also learns about how to best protect yourself from a Grizzly attack, what happens to the human body in a Grizzly attack, and why despite their size this spectacular megafauna still tends to come out the loser when it comes to humans.
Race to 35: Day 7 + Dana
Liz and Monica are “feeling superior to men today" in episode 7 (of 10) of Race to 35. The two talk about their fears of being needy and question what it would look like to build a non-traditional family. They chat with a choice mom, Dana, who has a two year old son via IUI and donor. She talks the women through the process of picking a donor and the highs and lows of having a child without a partner.
Flightless Bird: Thanksgiving
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to find the perfect turkey and in doing so discovers what Thanksgiving is all about. Somehow, Farrier gets acclaimed celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio to cook him, Dax, Monica, and Rob a full Thanksgiving meal - which involves a lot of turkey, sides, stuffing and pies. Voltaggio and Farrier discuss turkey jacuzzis and where Michael can be found most Thanksgivings. Puzzled by the origins of Thanksgiving, David talks to Crystal EchoHawk, founder & Executive Director of illuminative.org - to find out the real origins of Thanksgiving and how to best spend the Holiday - including just checking an app like Native Land to clock the history of the land we live on. Kristen and Dax smell the turkey in the air and decide to show up for a tasty Voltaggio meal - and the whole Flightless Bird team gives thanks.
Race to 35: Day 6 + Christina Perri
Monica and Liz's trays finally arrive in Episode 6 (out of 10) of Race to 35. In this episode, the two women start a new shot and Monica lies to Liz about how much it hurts. Additionally, Liz is put on a blood thinner because she tested positive for a genetic blood mutation. The two talk to singer/songwriter Christina Perri about her struggle with fertility and her experience enduring multiple miscarriages. Christina learns vital information about her body and the simple solution that could have prevented her miscarriages. She bravely shares this information with Monica, Liz, and the listeners in hopes of preventing the same outcome for others.
Flightless Bird: Airports
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand the American airport and what makes it tick. Why are the top seven busiest airports in the world all based in America, and what does that mean for the traveler? David sets off for the world’s third business airport, Denver, to dig into the various conspiracy theories surrounding the airport. Why does it greet passengers with a giant terrifying mustang with glowing red eyes and did it really kill the artist who made it? David descends into the huge underground network of tunnels under the airport to find out what’s really going on there and tries to find answers to the strange, apocalyptic artwork on display at the terminals.
Day 5 + Andrew Huberman
Liz and Monica decide they can't get canceled in ep 5 (of 10) of Race to 35. They revisit a final destination moment from last night's shots and Liz declares she finally feels like a person after hearing words of encouragement from an Uber mom. Monica receives some encouraging news about her follicles and they lament about the stingy medication implementation. Then they get science-y with professor at Stanford, podcaster and friend of the pod - Andrew Huberman. Huberman talks about how to maximize egg and sperm health, he walks through the purpose of each relevant hormone, and they receive a call from a very special megalith.
Flightless Bird: News
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David sets out to understand American Network News, and the country’s obsession with rolling 24/7 news coverage. Why does the Fox News Channel averaged more total viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined and how is American TV news faring in the wake of Twitter and TikTok? David talks to Stacy Scholder, a professor at the University of Southern California who teaches TV journalism. What is she teaching the next generation of TV journalists and what was it like covering OJ Simpson’s escape on the LA freeway? He also meets Victor Vlam, a 38-year-old man in the Netherlands who has the biggest collection of news theme songs on the planet. Why does he have 876 hours, 2 minutes and 52 seconds of news music? Victor explains the importance of news theme music and what it says about the news you’re about to hear. What’s the best news theme song and the worst?
Day 4 + Eve Wiley + Bee
Liz and Monica don't know what's real in episode 4 (of 10) of Race to 35. Monica receives unfortunate news from her doctor, we learn about Liz's synchronized swimming history and they remind each other they can do hard things. The remainder of the episode focuses on fertility fraud. They speak with Eve Wiley, advocate for regulation and legislation in the fertility industry, who tells a harrowing personal experience in uncovering her genetic truth. We also speak to Bee, a young woman who discovers she has many "diblings" (donor siblings) across the US and how she has learned to embrace the positive.
Flightless Bird: Maths
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand why Americans say “math”, while New Zealand - and most of the rest of the world - says “maths”. He speaks to Dean Koorey about the mysteries of language, before stumbling into the depths of math/maths and the perils of the metric system. How many ounces in a pound? How many pounds are in a stone? And why is America stuck using the imperial system when the rest of the planet loves the sensible metric system? Farrier is shocked to find that NASA once lost a space probe thanks to a metric conversion disaster, and meets with aerospace engineer Omar Abed to get to the bottom of the mess.
Day 3 + Emily Oster + January Jones
Monica and Liz are owning their dumbness in episode 3 (of 10) of Race to 35. They discuss last night's shots which were an utter disaster involving Monica giving Liz a proper stabbing. They talk to Emily Oster, American author and professor of economics at Brown, who talks about how to apply the principles of economics to fertility and pregnancy. She applies cost/benefit, optimizing the margin and opportunity cost to their egg freezing journey. They also speak to a friend of the pod, actress January Jones, who discusses her personal experience with egg freezing and solo parenting.
Flightless Bird: Halloween
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets to understand where the heck Halloween came from, a holiday that generates over $10 billion in retail sales in the US each year. Why does an average American spend $60 on the scary day, and is it more tied in with paganism, Christianity, or scary monsters? David meets with Regina Hansen - a writer and scholar who teaches at Boston University - to talk about why we used to carve turnips instead of pumpkins, before calling up professor of philosophy and religion Justin Sledge to talk horror movies. Finally, David decides to use the spooky season to try and communicate with a ghost that’s been waking him up every morning at 3am.
Day 2 + Douglas NeJamie + Dre & Rachel
Monica and Liz are feeling "floopy" in episode 2 (of 10) of Race to 35. They discuss the previous nights' shots, the potentially deathly air bubble, substitute trays, and how they shouldn't be allowed to make purchases or decisions of any kind. They talk to Douglas NeJaime who is a professor of Law at Yale. Douglas specializes in parentage law and provides insight on what we deem legal parents in this country. Liz and Monica also talk to Dre and Rachel - a beautiful married couple who chose to use Dre's brother as their donor and sperm sample.
Flightless Bird: Shower Curtains
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand why America - despite all its advancements in innovation and technology - has decided to stick with the puzzling shower curtain. Why, while countries like New Zealand embrace the shower door, is America stuck in a long-term love affair with the fabric (or sometimes plastic) mistress? David calls his old friend Harvey from the Toilets episode to discuss American showering habits, before spending the day with the self-proclaimed “Glass Queen” who spends her days removing shower curtains and replacing them with glistening shower doors. He talks to professor David Schmidt about his complex mathematical simulations of shower curtains, to discover why the shower curtain insists on sticking to your body while you shower. Maybe this is a clue to why 66% of Americans shower daily, compared with 80% of Australians… and why 10 million Americans shower once a week or less.
Race to 35: Day 1
Day 1 - Liz and Monica embark on their fertility journey. They sit down with Monica’s BFF - who has gone through the egg retrieval process herself - to ask questions and discuss their fears about the upcoming 10 days. They talk needles, they learn what follicles are, and they equate the vaginal ultrasound wand to an uncomfortable dildo. At the end of the episode, Liz and Monica administer their first shot on air and it is quite a rollercoaster.