Episodes

Musings about DCOMs, recent events, wearing your metaphorical seatbelt, the mystery of literal seatbelt purses, Kate's educational plastic surgery consultation gone awry, things that haven't changed all that much from when she was 21 and now in 2021, a lot of random interjected thoughts about famed scripture-forward bags of Forever 21, and some closing thoughts for the year that are less of a bid for better days, and more of a plea to be better to yourself in 2022. She apologizes if this episode...

This week, Kate is joined by podcaster, writer, producer (and fellow influencer culture enthusiast) Caroline Moss (from Gee Thanks, Just Bought It) to discuss literally everything and nothing about conspicuous consumption. They do a lighthearted snorkel through many topics, such as 2010s fashions, the Dyson airwrap, the elusive cowl neck, going out tops, Michael Kors watches, bloggers pretending they shop at Wal-Mart, DSLR phases, early Bachelor influencers, sponcon pet peeves, and what they thi...

This week, Kate does a classic stream of consciousness style episode, exploring a variety of topics, from existential mopiness c/o the Garden State soundtrack to contemplating the concept of where "home" is as an adult, in addition to lighter fare such as her investment in two Tiktok stars' relationship and an alarming parasocial relationship with her fav twins, Scout & Violet. She also discusses the Sex & The City reboot "And Just Like That," as well as Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, the Dy...

This week, Kate is joined by licensed therapist Amanda White (@therapyforwomen) to discuss the proliferation of mental health content (and digital diagnoses) on Tiktok and Instagram. In the past year or so, there's been an uptick of quippy, short-form videos that deliver information about serious mental health topics (that would require a lot of individualized therapy to formally diagnose) and they are often oversimplified in a clickbait format on social media, creating a spectrum of helpful to ...

Part 2 of Kate's Red (Taylor's Version) Review, covering mostly All Too Well (10 minute version) and the related short film. Also snorkels Nothing New and shares overarching thoughts about the new lyrics, the Jake G of it all, the scarf as a metaphor, and more! Support our Sponsors Go to Framebridge.com and use promo code BTIF to save an additional 15% off your first order Support our show by going to Nutrafol.com and entering the promo code BETHEREINFIVE to save FIFTEEN DOLLARS OFF your firs...

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In anticipation of Red (TV), Kate reminisces briefly through the Red album and provides her (accidentally 40 minute) All Too Well dissertation (in a pre-Red TV world), reminiscing on what the song meant to her then and now. Then, Kate airs an episode she recorded with Kelly (her sister) in San Diego amidst a coyote scare. They discuss 90s TV like TGIF, SNICK, Hey Dude, Are You Afraid of the Dark, etc., then venture into casual questions like "how to avoid existential dread?" Then Kelly gives a l...

The "Beth: A Week in the Life" series is a format where Kate records for 15-20 mins per day in a given week to discuss what she cares about in that moment, attempting to capture small pockets of her interests that get lost in the fast news cycle. This episode covers a variety of topics, such as: -Irrational childhood fears as developed by The Face on The Milk Carton -Another unforeseen snorkel into the Cosmos, astrology, the book of Genesis, and the origin of time, feat. the ancient world's h...

Part 2 of the American Girl Deep Dive. Kate reads submitted stories and anecdotes that are hilarious and heartbreaking and everything in between about BTI5 listener's experiences with this iconic American brand and its subsidiary ventures like "The Care and Keeping of You." Following a brief snorkel about LL Bean catalogs, she can't help herself. Enjoy! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Use code BETHEREINFIVE for $5 your first order at broadwayroulette.com Go to Framebridge.com and use promo code BTIF to ...

An American Girl deep dive: Part 1. Allow Kate to provide you some pleasant company while she discusses the iconic and historical dolls she grew up worshipping from the Pleasant Company. From catalog culture to Kirsten's actual log culture, Kate discusses her magical experience as a child, her criticisms as an adult, the brand's history, gives her shallow hot takes on the dolls' sartorial and interior choices, and then reads from listener-submitted stories about their memories involving American...

This week, Kate is answering listener voicemails spanning a variety of topics, including (but not limited to): decoding John Mulaney's relationship timeline via Anna Marie Tendler's art history-forward Instagram, more 'one-hit mumbler' tunes, what if Taylor Swift started an MLM, Kate answering if she's a doomsday prepper, a guide for how to main character, a gripe about bloggers' white towels, a personal update from Kate post-miscarriage, a brief snorkel into Paul Revere's ride, Kate's 'serial k...

A deep DIYve. In this episode, Kate explores DIY blogging through the lens of LDS influencers that promote power tools as a tool for women's empowerment. Kate meanders through her history with home decor shows, discusses how she came to find this renovated girl boss messaging, then walks through the who/what/when/why of how some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints got heavily involved with blogging, and more specifically (per listener emails from church members) how DIY bl...

This week, Kate sits down and chats with Amanda Montell, author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism to discuss the LuLaRoe documentary from a culty and linguistic angle. They discuss a variety of topics surrounding the language and communication styles of Mark & DeAnn and how they were effective in coercing thousands of women to join their self-serving organization that had all the trappings of cult. They talk through some of Kate's cult-related questions, e.g. how did Mark & DeAnn have so mu...

This is part 1 of a 2-part deep dive about the Amazon Prime documentary LuLaRich, a series chronicling the rise and fall of the infamously moldy, egregiously unattractive, paper thin short-lived leggings empire, LuLaRoe. After learning this company is holy in more ways than one, Kate dives into a couple different angles she wanted to elaborate on following watching the documentary, the first being the relationship to her prior series about the "venn diagram" of exploitative sales pitches and how...

This week starts with Kate sharing an update about how her birthday surprise turned out along with the weird coincidences and special moments that made her hopeful she's headed for Better Days. Relevant to the surprise, the first hour or so is a nostalgic snorkel covering carnivals, concerts, and 90s mumbly pop rock (feat. an intense argument for why the Goo Goo Dolls are the greatest), followed by an interview in the second hour with 3 very esteemed guests, Kate's husband's sisters Rachel, Clai...

Kate's got 9/9 problems and her birthday is one. Today is her bday and she decided to spend the workday with you meandering through some birthday-related thoughts, musings, and memories. From the heavier topics, e.g. the pressures we put on ourselves to be at a certain place in life, coping with the birthday blues, managing your own expectations, and why other people's parties look so fun to lighter fare, such as the good/better/best of childhood bday party gift giving and reading from crowdsour...

This week, Kate experiments with the snorkel format by recording daily minisodes and threading them together (as opposed to a stream of consciousness in one sitting) to create a week in the life. She feels like she gets really into things but forgets about them near immediately, and this format is attempting to capture what she's thinking about on a daily basis and what pop culture/tv/tiktoks she's paying attention to in passing. In this episode, Kate takes on: -The Texas 6-week abortion ban (...

This week, Kate is joined by Cathy Peshek (@poorlittleitgirl) to deep dive the Twilight Saga. Twilight has experienced somewhat of an internet renaissance ever since all 5 movies arrived on Netflix in July. Unsurprisingly, these ageless vampires did not exactly age well, so Kate and Cathy both celebrate and lament elements of the books/movies; from loving them for what they were to understanding the more troubling themes that seem so obvious now. They discuss the standout themes from each movie,...

This week (while experimenting with a Sunday release), Kate takes on a type of influencer/coach she hasn't specifically discussed yet; wellness influencers that make a living teaching people how to manifest their dream life (by way of having allegedly manifested theirs). This is a confusing conversation; Kate both wholeheartedly believes in impossible things happening that she can't comprehend due to her own [manifest] density in understanding the vastness of the universe, yet also feels griped ...

This week, Kate resuscitates the 2019 sorority deep dive to bring you part 3: the potential new member bender. The tides didn't turn but they have appeared to have rolled in the favor of Bama rush taking over Tiktok For You pages across the nation. In this episode, Kate breaks down her fascination with reliving sorority recruitment via Tiktok, her confusion at where their accessories are from, reminisces about her own experience with raising her glass (then getting sent to standards), and discus...

A fairly fast-paced snorkel detailing every question Kate has about the cottagecore internet aesthetic and its relationship to folklore, quarantine, bloggers, the popularity of the nap dress, homesteaders, big berry picking energy, condocore, horse and/or dolphin girls, among other things. Includes snorkels about Red (Taylor's Version), Hill House Home, and My Unorthodox Life as well. Enjoy! WORKS CITED https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Cottagecore https://www.chicandcultural.co.uk/post/aest...

This week, Kate starts with a personal update, then has a *burning* desire to tell you about the consequences of a recent Amazon purchase she made. She then answers listener questions about a variety of topics, ranging from men telling women to wear less makeup, bridal parties, Taylor Swift lyrics, small talk, quitting your job, being single, and more! Enjoy. Personal episodes (wedding etc.) and more at patreon.com/bethereinfive CLEAR THE LISTS! https://bit.ly/bti5clearthelists SUPPORT OUR SP...

Continued from last year, when Kate wrote a rough, albeit spirited, partial script imagining how the characters of Stars Hollow would react to COVID-19. She posts niche content like this on Patreon (given it's a soul-baring indicator of her level of obsession in the series) but hopefully fellow Gilmore Girls fans will enjoy! If you've already heard the Patreon version, FYI this has both the original plus roughly 30 mins more of added commentary and personal fan fiction plot lines. Next week, we ...

A deep dive into the world of MK&A including two hours of meandering through Full House, DualStar, My First Video, direct to VHS, and some of the greats: Billboard Dad, Passport to Paris, Holiday in the Sun, etc. The 20 min intro contains Kate's recent thoughts, but the rest of this was recorded last year and Kate was lucky enough to be joined by a fellow MKA-obsessed listener, Kelly Bare. This week, instead of new episodes, Kate is releasing some of her niche bonus episodes from Patreon that ha...