Episodes
Imagine this as a sunset.   Find Us Online - Twitter: @ThisIsGoodPod - Instagram: @ThisIsGoodPod - Merch: thisisgoodpod.com/merch - Patreon: thisisgoodpod.com/patreon - Nichole: @tnwhiskeywoman - Multitude: @MultitudeShows - Email: [email protected]   Production - Producer: Eric Silver - Editor: Mischa Stanton - Executive Producers: Amanda McLoughlin and Nichole Perkins - Theme Music: Donwill - Artwork: Jessica E. Boyd   About The Show Nichole Perkins wants people to...
Published 07/29/22
Published 07/29/22
It’s been a while since I got dressed up to schmooze and mingle, but recently I attended a gala. I got nervous about what to wear: I didn’t want to be underdressed and I definitely didn’t want to be overdressed. My guest today, Alex Zaragoza, has plenty of thoughts on the joys of overdressing, including the extra razzle dazzle of blue eyeshadow. I’m so fascinated by this phenomenon and I’m glad I got to talk to Alex all about it.    Indulgence Nichole recommends letting the hype settle. ...
Published 07/22/22
My four years of college I dated the campus local DJ. I loved watching him practice, not just because of the stars in my eyes, but I also love seeing artists practice their craft and seeing what all goes into it. Good DJing is a skill, it is an actual skill. Just go to YouTube, type in ‘turntablism,’ and just watch magic happen. My guest today is H Drew Blackburn, a writer and yes, a DJ, and he's going to get into all things DJing and how it brings peace into his life.   Indulgence Nichole...
Published 07/08/22
I recently took a break from listening to my boo Hozier so much. I had started feeling self-conscious about how often I was listening to him, and how I felt like I knew him even though we had never met. Today’s guest knows all about what happens when fandom can get a little extra, and we got into all the good and bad parts of the parasocial relationship that happens between artists and their audiences.   Indulgence Nichole recommends being a digital tourist!   Guest Vanessa Willoughby...
Published 06/10/22
For a long time, I tried to hide my love of romance novels. They and the readers who loved them were criticized. Any time someone would ask, “What’s your guilty pleasure?” I’d respond sheepishly “romance novels.” Then I realized how f****d up it was to be ashamed of something that brought me such joy. Today’s guest, Sarah MacLean, knows all about that. We’re starting a new series of episodes,  _______ Is Not a Guilty Pleasure, to open up the types of episodes that can be on TIGFY. Not...
Published 05/27/22
When my mind tries to protect me from things that cause me pain, I have to redirect my sadness onto something else. I won’t cry about the lack of clarity in my professional life so I’ll listen to my “Sad White Boys” playlist and let a tear go for the ache in Chet Baker’s voice as he sings “My Funny Valentine.” Ashley C. Ford does something similar, and I’m so glad I got to talk to her about the catharsis that happens when you make yourself sad on purpose.    Indulgence Nichole recommends a...
Published 05/13/22
As much as birds bother me, there’s something enviable about them. They can just take off when they’re tired of us, and pull up to the wide view of everything. Maybe that’s why folks are so interested in watching them. I put my annoyance with birds aside and ask my guest Grace Bonney what’s so wonderful about following these little creatures of land and air.   Indulgence Nichole recommends a cooking class!   Guest Grace Bonney founded the blog Design*Sponge, the print magazine, Good...
Published 04/29/22
We’ve been doing this for one year! I can’t believe it. As an anniversary present, producer Eric interviewed me about how I ask questions, reveal truths to guests, and turn the things I like into work.   Find Us Online - Twitter: @ThisIsGoodPod - Instagram: @ThisIsGoodPod - Merch: thisisgoodpod.com/merch - Patreon: thisisgoodpod.com/patreon - Nichole: @tnwhiskeywoman - Multitude: @MultitudeShows - Email: [email protected]   Production - Producer: Eric Silver - Editor:...
Published 04/15/22
I’ve been thinking a lot about peace in recent years, and how I eventually want to buy a home and make it a haven, I daydream about having a large entertainment room with a corner with board games. I love word games and two-player games, but not as much the collect-pieces-and-build-worlds ones. So to broaden my horizons, I talked to K. Alex Mills and Tracy Clayton about their favorite games and how they make their lives better.   Indulgence Tracy recommends Wingspan!   Guests - K. Alex...
Published 04/01/22
I am not someone who just goes for a walk. I’m from a place of strong car culture so if I can’t walk there within 15 minutes, I’m over it. Plus, I can’t separate walking from the years of street harassment I’ve been subjected to. So I don’t just have to figure out my physical energy levels but also… how safe will I be? If there was someone who can talk me into the meditative powers of going for a walk, it would be Isaac Fitzgerald, who’s reworked his life around incredibly long walks.   ...
Published 03/18/22
I know wrestling has a complicated reputation. Is it a sport? Is it entertainment? If it’s both, does that make it less than? Why do we need wrestling to be “real” but have no problems when soccer players flop on the field or when basketball players hunt for fouls? I have questions that can only be answered by getting in the squared circle.   Indulgence Nichole recommends fountain pens (and the incredible resource of jetpens.com)   Guest Eric Parsons is a wrestling enthusiast that lives...
Published 03/04/22
Being a sneakerhead is so foreign to me. I know what I like and what serves a purpose for me, but the mythology and processes of it all are beyond me. There’s so much more beyond the surface of “I like these shoes.” I wanted to find out more about this hobby and why it’s become such an elite moment in fashion history, so I asked Jamal to tell me all about the culture of being a sneakerhead and how it’s changing.   Indulgence Nichole recommends sachets!   Guest Jamal Smith is a DC area...
Published 02/18/22
I tend to treat my books both with and without reverence. I dog-ear pages but I don’t lend out my books. Even if I don’t like a book, I won’t give it away. So when my friend Leonor Mamanna told me she recently started painting in books, I was like “Oh yes. You have to come talk about that.”   Indulgence Nichole recommends gua sha!   Guest Leonor Mamanna is a photo editor by day, passion project pursuer by night. Leonor has a weekly newsletter with recommendations on what to read, watch,...
Published 02/04/22
I like watching sports, but I don’t have the dedication to be a diehard fan. To be a fan–especially a body-painting, tailgating kind of fan–you have love any player who joins the team or forgive constant losing and that ain’t my bag. There’s a lot of shit within sports fandoms I don’t understand, so I asked Josh Terry help break down what goes on behind the face paint.    Indulgence Nichole recommends Queens of Mystery, available online via AcornTV!   Guest Chicago-based writer Josh...
Published 01/21/22
When people hear I’m from Nashville, they always ask me about country music. They’re also surprised to hear I’ve never gone honky-tonking: enjoying and dancing to country music in a bar or place full of other people who also love that type of music. But I do have a friend who does it all the time. Today’s guest, Donkey Dover, Jr., tells me all about the honkytonk scene and might even help me get over some preconceived notions about that kind of nightlife.   Indulgence Nichole recommends...
Published 01/07/22
I know I’m not the only one out there who still has a fondness for VHS tapes of old, so I asked my buddy Tyler Sorensen to come on the show and talk a little bit about his collection of tapes. But Tyler’s VHS collection isn’t what you think; they’re mostly erotic thrillers— those movies that are basically film noir gone cheesy. Yes, I was also quite surprised.   Indulgence Nichole recommends the album Catching Leaves by Avi Wisnia.   Guest Tyler Sorensen is an audio ad producer who has...
Published 12/10/21
The holidays are hard for me, so I'm constantly looking for things to occupy myself in a way that suits me. Last year, I started buying jigsaw puzzles. Someone on Twitter posted a puzzle that was a collection of erotic pulp fiction and I thought “well, surely that was made for me!” It was great until I adopted my cat, who liked to sit on top of the puzzle and pull at it. But my special guest today may convince me to get back into them!   Rachel mentions the NYT Guide to starting crossword...
Published 11/26/21
This episode is two things good for you for the price of one from some of my favorite longtime podcasters. Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings started For Colored Nerds, which morphed into The Nod, and now they’re bringing back For Colored Nerds, and I can’t wait for it. But today, we’re talking about what they do when they’re not working: the pleasures of wandering aimlessly and  coloring outside the lines.    Indulgence Brittany recommends eating by yourself. Eric recommends A Million Little...
Published 11/12/21
Books are my happy place. When I was younger and read something that moved me or something that I recognized as being superbly crafted, I would sleep with the book under my pillow, hoping to absorb the talent. Even as my job revolved around writing, the act of reading has always felt important and constant. And Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks, feels exactly the same way.   Indulgence Nichole recommends saying no.   Guests Traci Thomas is the host of The Stacks, a weekly podcast about...
Published 10/29/21
One of the ways I end up stuck inside during the winter is too much comfort tv. I’ll burrow into a cave of old sitcoms from my high school days when all I had to worry about was how not to get caught skipping school. I don’t fool myself into thinking the old days are better. I know they’re simply different, but sometimes the nostalgia does take over. But Tracy Clayton and Josh Gywnn, hosts of Back Issue, love that nostalgia so much they made a podcast examining it.   Indulgence Josh...
Published 10/15/21
Cannabis does what I need it to do and I don’t need much else, but I had to do some research to settle my fears about certain things, including examining who gets to be the cool, funny stoner and who gets to be labeled criminals and degenerates. That is why I’m talking to Laura OG, founder of SMKBRK, who is advocating for equity and diversity within the cannabis industry and hopes to normalize seeing women in all discussions about weed.   Indulgence Nichole recommends a return to jewelry! ...
Published 10/01/21
I know so many people who swear by running, but I cannot understand it. I have to run... outside... in front of other people? I just don’t get it. That is why I have writer and journalist Lyz Lenz on the show today to help demystify the whole thing of running and how it has become an essential part of her life.   Content Warning: this conversation touches on topics of sexual assault and miscarrage.   Indulgence Nichole recommends stepping outside of your comfort pop culture zones, like...
Published 09/03/21
I love getting my nails done. I love matching a nail color to my mood or sending out a secret message only I can decode with my nail color. And I’m frequently clicking through nail design hashtags to marvel at manicures from around the world. So when I saw Cate Young posting pictures of her manicures and the polishes she uses, I was like “Here are my people!”   Indulgence Nichole recommends dressing up for yourself!   Pre-order Nichole’s book Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be...
Published 08/20/21
My book, Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be, is finally out! Listen to an exclusive clip of the book now, and then order a copy (and check out my virtual tour) here. See you on Friday with a brand-new episode!
Published 08/17/21