Cayce is leveling up in motherhood, Ashley has a breakup announcement, and we are FEISTY today! You can be very certain that AI was not used in the creation of this episode or any other, but: what is the multiple of "platypus"?

We promise this is not turning into an article-reaction podcast, but we have another article this week, and please buckle up. We're responding to the viral Fast Company article, "Corporate America is Crushing Senior-Level Mothers," which is pretty much a direct slap in the face to last week's hopeful Wall Street Journal piece. Is the solution truly to burn it all down, or did we just girl boss too close to the sun?

Cayce has a PSA regarding meal prepping, Ashley is back to being sweary, and spoiler alert: we do say the word "nipple" in this episode. You've been warned! But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we have a new shero: Shamim Noorani Gillani, SVP of growth and client success at Carrum Health. Shamim, we don't know you, but we are claiming you as a Messy Bestie.

Then, we play a little game of "this or that," and can we all collectively agree that toilet paper goes over, not under?! (That one is for you, Ashley's mom. You are so perfect in so many ways, but you seriously need to get your toilet paper in order.)

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow along as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess

Email: thenormalmess@gmail.com

Cayce has a PSA to whomever is putting dance moms through the ringer: IT'S HARD ENOUGH OUT HERE. WHY ARE WE PUTTING MASCARA ON THREE-YEAR-OLDS?! Then: who would play Ashley and Cayce in a movie, and can we discuss how celebrity faces are basically model homes these days?

Hold onto your hats, Messy Besties: for the first time in TNM history, Ashley is completely and utterly unprepared for this episode! And, weirdly, we planned it that way? Cayce is taking us all on a guided tour through the viral Wall Street Journal article, "Surprising Lessons from Talking with America's Highest- Earning Women," and we have THOUGHTS. Ashley gets the chills, this article is validating, and why can't we all just get along (with our impostor syndrome)?!

Finally, we have new Zero Friends. And, unsurprisingly, these Zero Friends all have to do with travel. Poll question: are hotel rooms close to the elevator bank more dangerous, or are they actually safer because criminals don't like witnesses?! Also, shoutout to the Starbucks at Gate B32: you're the real MVP.

It's real, and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's real funny! Rate, review, comment, and follow along as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess

Email: thenormalmess@gmail.com

**Warning: This episode contains brief references to intimate partner emotional violence. Those references are toward the end of the episode. If you or someone you love is experiencing intimate partner violence (emotional, physical, or both), there are resources available to help. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at: 1.800.799.SAFE (7233), or can be reached by texting “START” to 88788.**

Ashley and Cayce are both notoriously slow to a trend, except for Ashley when it comes to music, who wants the record to permanently reflect that Spotify told her last year her listening age is 21. We love Ted Lasso (though it is Cayce’s fault it took Ashley this long to get on board), Jane Austen is forever in style, and where do you stand on the orange juice to champagne ratio in a mimosa?! Hint: soccer is to orange as lovable characters is to champagne.

Then, we get spicy about a topic that is, as we have learned, controversial: we think you should bring the whole of who you are to work (within reason, and with clothes on, please). There, we said it! Don’t “at” us, journalists who keep insisting we are wrong. Nothing ever changes if nothing ever changes, and we think your whole self deserves a seat at the table. Ashley rants about “executive presence,” Cayce delivers actionable tips, and we talk about paper dolls.

We end with The Normal Mess IRL, plus a glimmer. Ashley is annoyed by the humans whose first day of earth alwaysseems to happen in airports, and Cayce’s dog needs to cool it on the fertilizer. But: God bless girlfriends and flowers, amiright?!

It’s real and it’s funny, and sometimes it’s real funny. But also, it’s no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We’d love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok:@thenormalmess

Email: thenormalmess@gmail.com

Cayce has a revelation about her many beverages, and we formally petition to bring back the single-girl-20s multi-hour brunch! Then, Ashley has to talk about her dreams. Why are there so many animals, what does it mean to dream about monkeys, and why is she slapping her husband in the face at 3 am? The monkey dreams were an easter egg, apparently, because this episode is all about...

PLAY.

We talk about it endlessly for our kids, but not for ourselves. And we think that is a mistake. How do adults play, and why is it so important that we do? Ashley has research and a funtivity (MAJOR shoutout to the National Institute for Play on this one), Cayce shares brilliant insight from the always-incredible Brené Brown, and you are welcome for the free tour inside an ADHD brain.

We close it out with a round of Flamingo Cards, and let's just say this: Cayce's candle smells MUCH better than Ashley's.

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses!

We'd love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess

Email: thenormalmess@gmail.com

The Normal Mess is back for Season Two, and we have THOUGHTS. Specifically, we have thoughts about the ridiculous number of places we have both been since we were last on a mic together. We also have cute mugs, new hobbies, and podcast-changing announcements.

Spoiler alert: The Normal Mess is now a WEEKLY PODCAST. Are we podcasting every week until we die? Only time will tell, Messy Besties. Only time will tell.

This week, we are tackling a topic we circled in Season One but have not addressed head on until now: Tall Poppy Syndrome. Who is King Tarquin the Proud, and why are we still chopping down the tallest poppies in the field, centuries later? Girl on girl crime is still rampant, but we think (in a completely unbiased way, obviously) Millennials might just be the ones to save the world.

Tarquin and mean girls be damned, we prefer a garden with a slew of Tall Poppies, and we have the solution: HYPEWOMEN.

Cayce blesses us with Buddhist wisdom, Ashley gets feisty about body image, and our kids provide an occasional soundtrack to remind listeners that this is, in fact, still The Normal Mess.

We conclude with a new game we invented: Who is your inner celebrity weirdo? Cayce has a freak flag, and Ashley needs to remain clothed while playing bongos.

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess

Email: thenormalmess@gmail.com

Surprise! Despite our best efforts to take an actual break during this season break, we couldn't stay away from you, Messy Besties! So... we headed to New York and recorded our FIRST EVER LIVE EPISODE, WITH AN AUDIENCE, and it also happened to be our first podcast mashup. In this episode, we shamelessly ride the coattails of InsHER, one of the coolest podcasts that you can listen to now. I mean, wait until you listen to this episode, then go listen to it.

That's right: we sat down with THE Megan Bell, host of the InsHER Podcast (go follow and subscribe!), to discuss a topic that is as near and dear to our hearts as it is fitting: grabbing the mic.

What does it mean to "grab the mic"? Does it mean you're taking it from someone else? How do you grab the mic if your voice is shaking?

And... what is the Dunning Kruger effect?! Unsurprisingly, Ashley Googles. Surprisingly, we have a sponsor! We talk about leadership, confidence, pasta, and... Kate Winslet?!

In short, we grab the mic.

Thank you to our 100+ live audience members, our sponsors, and of course... our friend and fellow hype woman, Megan Bell. She's the host of the InsHER Podcast, in case we didn't mention that. :)

See you on May 7 for the start of Season 2!

It's the Season One Finale of The Normal Mess, and Ashley and Cayce saved the best for last. And by that we mean: we talked to an actual, human, real-life neuroscientist (instead of Google!) about all our messiest questions from the past nine episodes!

That's right: joining the pod for our first interview and the final episode of the season is... DR. EMILY CROSS! Cognitive neuroscientist, mom of two, all-around brilliant human, and self-proclaimed MESSY BESTIE (oh, did we not mention we finally have a name for you beautiful listeners?!), Dr. Cross is here to dole out neuroscience wisdom, a series of much-needed permission slips, and a swear word or two (we knew we loved her).

We talk busy traps, FOPO, full chalance, and more, and we confirm our suspicions that moms do, in fact, have an evolutionary edge. (We're basically the equivalent of the first human to walk on two feet. You heard it here first.)

Then, Ashley and Cayce reflect on the experience of bringing The Normal Mess to life, and we talk about what comes next. Hint: Netflix renewed us for a Season Two. JK. Netflix doesn't know we exist. But we are coming back! Follow our socials to keep up with us on our short break, and stay tuned for our Season Two Premiere!

And in the mean time, go hug your girlfriends. And consider yourselves hugged by us. We appreciate and love you, Messy Besties! See you soon!

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok:

@thenormalmess

thenormalmess@gmail.com

Cayce has a groundbreaking, life-changing announcement, and she agonized over it for a YEAR. As the resident Leslie Knope on our show, that makes Ashley's brain fall out. Are you an agonizer or a gut-decider?! Ashley and Cayce love each other deeply, but we could not relate LESS to each other when it comes to decision-making. Speaking of which, can you please help us decide what TNM listeners are called?! No matter what we are, we're messy, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

...but, would other people?! We are dissecting our experience with OPOs: other people's opinions. Do you have FOPO, and are women more likely to consider other people's opinions than men? And, why do we give fewer Fs as we age?! We have a message for our inner voices, and for yours.

If you've ever felt judged, this one's for you! We laugh a lot, cry a little, and then we debate who would survive a Zombie apocalypse. Spoiler alert: Cayce thinks Ashley has hollow bones.

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes, it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess

thenormalmess@gmail.com