Episodes

This week, Sami Sage is back on the podcast (friend and co-founder of Betches Media), and she and Kate meander through a variety of topics, like searching for purpose in your 20s, Hermes/Birkin appointment culture, the democracy debacle, their fav designer/mid-range handbags, and Sami's go-to leather influencer. After Sami gives some hot takes about The Row, toward the end, they recap the #1 show on Netflix right now called Adolescence, and they chat about how online radicalization affects young...

This week, we're deep diving PepsiCo's $1.95 billion acquisition of the prebiotic soda brand Poppi, discussing the shift towards health-conscious beverages and their potentially misleading claims, and digging into influencer-adjacent beverage drama like cheater brands, "vending machine gate" and rumors about if the investments of Alex Cooper and Alix Earle in beverage companies have something to do with their public falling out (and Alix being "dropped" from the Unwell network). This deep dive t...

This week, Kate reviews Meghan Markle (Sussex?)'s new show: With Love, Meghan. Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HEY-BETH! Because Amika loves Be There in Five listeners as much as we love them, they're giving you a one-time use code for 20% off your first order through the end of March. Just go to loveamika.com/bethereinfive and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout.

This week, Kate is joined by the Pop Apologists, sisters Lauren Atkinson and Chandler Bledsoe to discuss a variety of pop culture-adjacent topics, e.g., their fascination with Mormonism in media, the Lisa Barlow paradox, the rise of Salt Lake City as a cultural moment, and how growing up in a conservative environment shaped their reality TV obsession. After that, the trio unpacks the Meghan Markle discourse, the internet's obsession with Kate Middleton's whereabouts in 2024, and what really went...

This week, Kate welcomes Chelsea Anderson, the creator behind viral Instagram and TikTok accounts (@chelsea_explains and @chelseaexplainsitall, respectively). Chelsea shares some of the tips that contributed to her meteoric rise, like clever hacks and insights for parents and babysitters alike—and how this is actually not all that related to her day job. They delve into her unique ability to remember childhood thoughts and feelings, which helps her create engaging content for kids. She shares so...

This week (in honor of Galentine's Day), Kate reflects on the sentimental and chaotic rituals of getting ready with girlfriends before going out (or out-out). She explores the excitement and economics of the going-out top/designer denim combo, the deeper connections forged at pregames, the cultural pressures and beauty standards of the mid-2000s, and shares memories of bonding over makeup, clothes, and shared anticipation. In the second half, listeners sent in their going out anecdotes, revealin...

This week, Kate and her sister give One in a Millennial one last hurrah in honor of its paperback release by sharing some more behind-the-scenes nostalgia and adding context from their two millennial lives that shaped how the book came to be. Kelly asks Kate questions relating to lots of never-before-shared details, e.g. the metaphorical significance of opening the book inside a shopping mall, examples of cut chapters and concepts, honoring their mutual experiences being routinely friend-zoned, ...

This week, Kate's sisters-in-law are back on the pod for a lighthearted convo about a variety of topics in the second half of the episode, like following up on some One Hit Mumbler news, discussing golf course misogyny, what we'd choose as our grift of choice if we lean into the swindler's economy, the dark side of chocolate, trend fatigue, 90s chain letters, etc. Kate opens by touching on a topic that they discuss later in the ep, in terms of struggling to navigate parenting and self-care in th...

This week, Kate reviews the PR "smear campaign" half of the complex legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, delving into the concept of astroturfing, its relevance to Amber Heard and Meghan Markle, and details the "he said/she said" of the PR warfare detailed in the lawsuits. Then, Kate interviews attorney/former litigator Alex Mack for some legal insights/clarifications about the case to ensure she's not entirely off base when reading through so much legal paperwork. Tune in to th...

This week, we kick off 2025 with a classic BTI5 deep dive, investigating the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni controversy surrounding the film It Ends with Us. Kate unravels layers of legal filings, allegations of workplace harassment, and claims of PR warfare, and examines the charges from both sides. She also delves into the intricacies of their respective lawsuits, the timeline, and the broader issues at stake with media manipulation and astroturfing. Come back for part 2 when she dives more i...

This week, Kate recaps some of 2024's least notable micro-trends, goes through her embarrassing purchases from the Tiktok shop, admits some of her shameful habits in the spirit of the "we listen and we don't judge" trend, contemplates the vibe of Taylor Swift being thrown a Taylor Swift-themed party, discusses her concern for when lyrics about someone being blue border on a HIPAA violation, then reviews Pinterest Predicts for 2025's forecasted trends, but not before taking United Airlines and Na...

In this episode, Kate provides personal reflections about the past 21 months of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour fanfare, online and IRL, then reads listener-submitted stories about major moments and memories associated with the tour. Sweet, sentimental, and sometimes sad, but a beautiful reminder of how pop culture and fangirls are so much *more* than meets the cat-eye. Enjoy! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-...

This week, Kate begins by recapping her experience seeing Wicked twice and shares her favorite Easter eggs, then answers listener voicemails that are a combination of nostalgic pop culture, millennial travel icons, and a witchy women's studies lesson. In this episode, Kate reassures listeners that when America decides, it's not always on our side, as evidenced by many years of questionable voting behavior from the majority that brought us the Soul Patrol on American Idol. Then she pilots somethi...

An episode full of fun, fandom, and frisson where Kate and her guest, Caroline Moss, discuss their hot takes about Broadway musicals, but pepper in plenty of tangents from Babysitter's Club to The Beets (from Doug) and beyond. The majority of this episode is in honor of this weekend's long-awaited premiere of Wicked, and they talk through some Wicked lore, detail their favorite Elphabas, and walk through brain-scratching clips of different pre-approved riffs Elphie can use for her final "battle ...

**Original air date 11/10. Sorry if this is duplicated elsewhere, had to upload another version because some pod catchers are missing the episode** This week, Kate is joined by "America's Government Teacher" Sharon McMahon of @sharonsaysso and NYT bestselling author of The Small and the Mighty. The first half of the episode contains some of Kate's off the cuff thoughts / existential spirals following the election results and the second half of the episode is a nonpartisan discussion (FYI record...

In this bonus episode, Kate discusses the impact of reproductive rights on millennial women ahead of the 2024 election, and uses experts and real-life stories to showcase how prioritizing a highly interconnected system of rights and freedoms impacting half the population is the farthest thing from a "single issue." This episode has three parts: 00:00 Kate's intro about the multi-faceted nature of reproductive freedom and millennials' unique position re: being child-bearing age when the U.S. Su...

It's All Hallows Eve, and Kate has crowd-sourced listener ghost stories to hear about your interactions with the other side. First, she details her fascination with ghost fashions, witchy rituals at sleepovers, and millennials' collective obsession with fall; then, she dives into your paranormal-core sightings—episode 1 of 2 this week. Enjoy! Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HEY-BETH! Thank you to AllModern for furnishing K...

This week, Kate is joined by her sister Kelly, live from their attempt to do an incredibly hard viral dance move that the internet gaslit them into believing would be easy. In this episode, they mostly revisit The Tortured Poets Department for the first time on-air since they recorded their reaction video in April and update listeners on their favorite spins, skips, and sentimental lyrics that helped them reminisce, rage, or ruminate from their headphones in different ways. From TikTok dances an...

Kate's under the weather but over the moon to do some nostalgic reminiscing about staying home sick as a kid with a bed pillow on the couch, knowing exaggerating symptoms may be wrong but at least she got to watch The Price is Right. Then, she crowdsources wellness related Old Wives Tales/urban legends, and fact checks them live on-air, like if wet hair in the cold makes you sick, you shouldn't swim after you eat, or if cracking your knuckles makes them bigger. News you can use! Sick! SUPPORT O...

In this episode, we're joined by Ashley Spencer, author of Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire. She shares her four-year journey researching Disney becoming the choice tween TV channel, and shares details from her interviews with former executives and cast/crew members, like the infamous Hilary Duff and LaLaine fallout or how the Zac/Vanessa High School Musical romance came to be IRL. We explore Disney's internal culture and show development, the r...

This week, inspired by the nostalgic TV masterpiece (excl. reboot) on Lifetime, Unsolved Mysteries, Kate introduces a (maybe?) new series she's testing called "Influencer Unsolved Mysteries," where she wants to deep dive into niche influencer lore, specifically times when fans/followers have been left with unanswered questions or presented with mysterious explanations for something that wouldn't usually be our business, but they told us about it first and it's their literal business. The first ...

In this episode, Kate opens by talking about top-of-mind things for everyone, like P. Diddy's indictment, Sabrina Carpenter's album, and if she actually cut her own face-framing layers this weekend. Then she invites her friend, author, and beloved IG poet (@maryoliversdrunkcousin) Lyndsay Rush on the pod to talk about a variety of things, like Single-White-Femaling each other's lives and careers, e.g. having babies within a day of each other and books come out the same year with the same publish...

Kate recaps the new Hulu series, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Will MomTok survive this episode??! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HEY-BETH! Want to send a text to Kate or leave a voicemail she might read and Right now, Hungryroot is offering Be There In Five listeners 30% off your first delivery and free veggies for life. Just go to Hungryroot.com/BETHEREINFIVE, to get 30% off your first delivery...