Episodes

Opting Out of Nutrition Insanity with EC Synkowski https://optimizemenutrition.com/podcast/agoodnutritionbook/ Joy and Claire welcome back nutrition coach EC Synkowski (Optimize Me Nutrition), creator of the 800 Gram Challenge and author of A Good Nutrition Book, to discuss escaping fear-based, overly optimized diet culture shaped by CrossFit, paleo, and macro tracking. EC shares her past disordered eating and argues most people—“the worried well”—need fewer rules and less obsession, focusing ...

Lindsay Lohan’s Comeback, Florida Pool Days, and Pop Culture Rabbit Holes Joy and Claire chat about October 3rd pop-culture nods and Lindsay Lohan’s comeback. They discuss Ted Lasso’s new storyline, unseasonably warm fall weather, and work updates. Claire recaps a Florida trip to Bradenton/Anna Maria Island with lots of kid pool time, a touristy date-night dinner, an aquarium visit with manatees, and seafood. They also cover running gear and headphones, Act+Acre hair products, early Botox trend...

Aging Out of Fucks: Midlife Brain Shifts Joy and Claire discuss upcoming travel and Claire shares enjoying runs guided by a British-accented DJ coach, switching her weightlifting to evenings for convenience, and the great on-ear headphones review. They talk about Joy's Santa Fe anniversary trip and a Big Thief concert with incredible people-watching and praise for lead singer Adrianne Lenker’s musicianship. They then unpack Ellen Schur’s “Aging Out of Fucks,” linking midlife hormonal/neurologic...

Estate Planning Part 2: Wills, Trusts, LGBTQ Families, and Picking the Right Attorney (with Zach Anderson) Joy and Claire welcome back Zach Anderson for a Part 2 focused on listener questions. He explains how to “fire” an attorney, how attorneys may withdraw from clients, and what to look for in a divorce lawyer—especially communication, proactivity, and balancing negotiation with litigation costs. The conversation covers confirmatory/stepparent adoptions in reciprocal IVF situations, legal bar...

Joy and Claire catch up after Joy’s birthday weekend, which included friends, cupcakes and IKEA closets. They discuss decluttering excess clothes and shoes and Scott’s “optimization” impulse leading him to gift Claire Shokz open-ear running headphones. Updates include a permitted Arches hike, an upcoming Santa Fe anniversary trip to see Big Thief, quick-fire Q&A on small purchases, fitness and running, Bake Off podcast plans, recharging tips, brow products for thinning brows, and excitement for ...

Joy Turns 49, Lila's Release, and Midlife Mindset Resets On Joy’s 49th birthday episode of Older and Wilder, Joy and Claire reflect on years of podcasting, privacy in the internet age, and September nostalgia. Joy shares a major update about Lilas. They discuss the emotional toll of puppy raising, current dog life with River, Haynes, and new puppy McCoy. Joy talks about recent body dysmorphia, balancing rest vs pushing through, nervous-system reset, training for a Moab trail race, and Delia’s n...

Zachary Anderson on Building a Queer-Affirming Nebraska Law Firm and the Estate Planning Basics Everyone Needs https://www.zandersonlaw.com/whozacharyis Joy and Claire welcome back Zachary Anderson, a law attorney in Nebraska, to discuss his firm’s rapid growth since launching in April 2025 and his recent recognition including the Nebraska State Bar Association Diversity Award, an ABA Family Law Section fellowship, and being a top-three finalist for a Clio award for Best New Law Firm. They foc...

Aging, Menopause at Work, and “Quiet Quitting” Marriage Joy and Claire discuss how recording video and constant self-viewing intensify anxiety about aging, prompting talk of Botox, Morpheus lasers, marionette lines, and comparing themselves to celebrities, along with a resolve to avoid escalating to fillers. Claire shares a conversation with her Spanish tutor about fiber, beans, and GLP-1 drugs, highlighting how American culture uniquely pressures older women to avoid looking older, contrasted ...

Beating the Heat, Better Sleep, and Finding Your Village Joy and Claire discuss relentless August heat in Colorado/Moab, irritability, sweating, and perimenopause questions. Joy shares progress on 3:00 AM wake-ups after taking Pure Synergy’s Vital Ocean Magnesium and they talk about individualized approaches including hormones, ashwagandha, and sleep environment. They tangent to Thorne’s acquisition by Procter & Gamble and concerns about ingredient quality after big buyouts. They credit listene...

Affirming Care, Perimenopause, and the Times We’re In (with Rebecca from Folx) On Older and Wilder, hosts Claire and Joy talk with Rebecca (Laugh Cry Club) about debunking mental-health misinformation and Rebecca’s work at Folx, a telehealth company providing affirming LGBTQIA+ healthcare, including gender-affirming hormone therapy, primary care, and mental health services. They discuss barriers and non-affirming experiences in traditional healthcare, explain that gender-affirming care is caref...

Tinned Fish Corner, Back-to-School Heat, and Pushing Back on the Skinny Comeback Joy and Claire catch up in August before pivoting to parenting in 105-degree heat and the chaos of changing summer camps ahead of back-to-school. They share fall anticipation and Trader Joe’s favorites, quick high-protein lunches, and considerations like mercury and wild-caught vs farmed fish. The conversation broadens to fiber, digestion, and how diet culture evolved from macro counting to Whole30, including fears...

Naps, Diet Culture, and Warming Up for Longevity Joy and Claire open by joking about short naps and then reflect on how a recent episode sparked strong listener response about diet culture’s persistence and evolution, including new medications. They discuss the CrossFit Games’ apparent production and organization issues, and how old photos from macro-counting days resurfaced, prompting a visceral reaction to being extremely lean and the “strong is the new skinny” era that normalized food scales...

Joy and Claire recap Claire’s trip and an Indian-Jewish wedding featuring elaborate bridal henna. They start a segment on being grateful for fitness and a “marriage hack” involving Nordstrom Anniversary Sale clothes. The conversation shifts to evolving body image, past macro-counting/CrossFit diet culture harms, and mixed feelings about GLP-1s and cosmetic fixes, plus personal body-change wishes. They close with “What a Time to Be Alive” moments and a Japan trip launching August 15 for May 2028....

Skunked Dogs, Puppy Tummy Trouble, and a Midlife Culture Check Joy and Claire share life updates from a random episode: Claire is in Colorado for the week for a friend’s wedding and a hectic round of visiting friends and kids’ friends; she and Brandon started watching and loving Ted Lasso. Back in Moab, their dog River got skunked late at night. Joy recounts taking puppy McCoy to the vet for tummy issues. They discuss concerns about ultra-thin celebrity trends, fillers, and weight-loss drugs, n...

Fourth of July Fireworks, Red Rocks Night, and Midlife Health Check-Ins Joy and Claire recap their Fourth of July weekends: Claire traveled to Wisconsin for her in-laws’ elaborate fireworks tradition, including a 30,000-firecracker “Super String,”. Joy stayed local, enjoyed downtown Castle Rock and gelato, watched the suspense film “Obsession,” and attended Andrea Gibson’s “Love Letter From the Afterlife” event at Red Rocks featuring Sara Bareilles. They discuss logistics of traveling and dog-s...

Joy and Claire celebrate Scott’s 49th birthday and discuss Joy’s improved gift-giving, including a Lululemon gym bag Scott wanted and an engraved Ikigai modular vitamin case paired with higher-quality supplements to replace Gruns gummy vitamins, which Claire critiques for poor bioavailability and lack of transparency similar to proprietary blends like AG1. Joy shares updates on service-dog-in-training Lilas and dog-sitting retired breeder Paxton, plus dynamics with Joe and puppy McCoy. They reac...

Father’s Day Adventures, Wildfire Worries, and Life Updates Joey and Claire share a post–Father’s Day episode covering family outings and life updates. Claire describes a cooler La Sals climbing day near Moab with other families, kids’ backseat squabbles, and rescuing a three-legged dog. Joy updates listeners that her dad is improving after an accident, off oxygen, staying active. They also spread their dog JT’s ashes in Westcliffe and made a resin memorial to cement near the creek, inviting ot...

Ronnie’s Lawnmower Accident, Hospital Aftercare, and Finding Joy Online Joy and Claire discuss Joy’s Father’s Day weekend plans and a serious accident involving Joy’s 84-year-old dad who tipped a riding lawnmower. He went to the ER, was transferred to Colorado Springs, spent time in the ICU, and was diagnosed with seven fractured ribs, with scans to rule out internal complications. Joy emphasizes how crucial attentive nurses and having another person present for discharge instructions can be, n...

Haircuts, Rec Center Workouts, a Bozeman Concert, and Remembering Chris Moore Joy and Claire catch up on Claire's new haircut, including a subtle side undercut meant as a low-maintenance nod to her former mullet, and her small-town Moab salon experience. They discuss how making friends in a new town can hinge on community spaces. Joy commits to the rec center, explores the weight room, and embraces fun classes like BodyPump rather than rigid “should” rules about fitness. Joy shares gardening pr...

A ’90s Party, AI Anxiety, and an Unexpected Brushfire Bust Joy and Claire chat about the fast passage of time, a full moon, and Claire’s ’90s outfit for a decades-themed 40th birthday party—complete with butterfly clips, a choker and mini backpack borrowed from her daughter—sparking nostalgia about music, school routines, and teen insecurities. They discuss aging and appearance pressures amplified by phones, Zoom, Botox, facelifts, and celebrity standards, plus skepticism about gurus after a fl...

Memorial Day Plans, Jellycat Shopping, and the GLP-1 Cultural Debate Joy and Claire catch up over Memorial Day weekend, sharing family activities in Moab, recurring McDonald’s order mishaps, an e-bike picnic, paddleboarding plans, and a quick Arizona trip for a friend’s daughter’s high school graduation. They discuss the cliquey dynamics of making friends in a Utah town with a strong LDS subculture plus humorous travel stories including a seatmate chewing tobacco on a plane. A highlight is Scot...

Blue Otter Financial Planning: Joy and Claire welcome back Lenet Rivas to discuss her new business, Blue Otter Financial Planning, launched after a layoff and inspired by conversations at a Surf with Amigas retreat. Lenet shares her background in financial aid at Emory, then Fidelity and investment management, and explains leaving product- and target-driven models to offer flat-fee planning for people—especially women—who don’t meet typical $500K asset minimums. They discuss consolidating scatt...

Mother’s Day on the Green River, Moab Race Meetup, and Puppy Turn-In Updates Joy and Claire chat about early wake-ups, airline announcements, and pilot “too much detail” stories. They share Mother’s Day plans to float the Green River “Daily” near Moab and discuss refining their rafting boat packing system. From their Peru group chat, they float the idea of an unofficial Moab meet-up around a trail race weekend (15K, half, marathon, 50K) and advise booking hotels over pricey Airbnbs, noting the ...

Social Media Breaks, Peru Reset, and What We’re Watching & Reading Claire and Joy open with Arrested Development jokes and then discuss how meme culture and news consumption feel bleak, leading Joy to describe a mental-health-improving Peru “hard reset” of staying off social media, avoiding push notifications, and getting news from traditional outlets instead. They reflect on feeling helpless about Supreme Court decisions and on social media outrage/cancel culture, citing “Therapy Jeff” and men...