Chip on My Shoulder is a podcast where our two hosts talk about the resentments, big and small, that populate modern life and how they're living and enjoying life anyways. A cozy conversation with your friends, join us!
17: Is Wellness Expensive? We Dig into Wellness Gadgets & Devices
When it comes to wellness and trying to get all the latest things into your routine/regimen, it's easy to get swept up in everybody's marketing campaigns. More lasers! More whole body scans! More tests, diagnostics, assessments and supplements!
We look at a few of these items, their typical costs and what other ways we might all be better served than exclusively focused on individual wellness.
Have a question, like what you hear or want to send us a story idea? Email us! chiponmyshoulderpodcast@gmail.com
13 Mar 2025
17: Are Brand Collabs Totally Evil?! We Investigate
At this point, collaborations in the format of Lululemon x McDonalds (not real yet) or El Chapo x Samsonite (again, not real, that we know of) have become very familiar to us all. But what's really behind every collab and once again, we find ourselves asking, is this really necessary?
Good stuff mentioned in this episode:
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshanna Zuboff (https://bookshop.org/a/11789/9781541758001)
Money Feels podcast episode on "Stealth Wealth/Quiet Luxury" and why it's not really what you think it is.
We use Bookshop affiliate links that support local bookstores with every purchase.
Have a question, like what you hear or want to send us a story idea? Email us! chiponmyshoulderpodcast@gmail.com
27 Jan 2025
15: Americans Unite to Hate Meghan Markle's New Netflix Show
We promised not to do too much celebrity content, but when Meghan Markle's Netflix trailer came out a few weeks ago, she nearly broke the Youtube comments section (64k comments and counting!) and the overwhelming majority of them were negative, and people's frustration with the Meghan and Harry narrative reached a tipping point.
Americans tend to get divided online and in public debates about many things and the duality of that division can be disheartening so watching everyone unite in their common disdain for Meghan is sadly, kind of hilarious. Why so much hate for Meghan? We dive into some of the most common complaints without getting into the undeserved vitriol that some of her haters reserve only for Meghan (when really it would apply to any insulated, wealthy celebrity).
This is our first episode also published on Youtube - check that version out too.
Half-Baked Harvest is an awesome food blog - check it out!
Have a question, like what you hear or want to send us a story idea? Email us! chiponmyshoulderpodcast@gmail.com
Find us on Instagram!
21 Jan 2025
14: Fun & Light in a Dark, Dark World
Hey guys! Don't feel like reading executive orders today? Doom and gloom (or unrestrained glee) about a new world order? What, you thought we would be exploring the impacts of 25% tariffs on your daily life? Maybe another time, today let's talk about trends that have gone viral over the years and what they are supposed to do versus what the research says on the benefits. It's going to be fun, let's talk about:
Grounding
Dry Brushing
Gua Sha
Perineum Sunning
Seed Oils
Oil Pulling
Pre-workout supplements
Trad wife/trad life
Getting up at an ungodly hour to hustle
Cold plunge
Have a question, like what you hear or want to send us a story idea? Email us! chiponmyshoulderpodcast@gmail.com
Find us on Instagram!
2 Jan 2025
13: It's the Economy, Stupid (Or Something Like That)
Happy 2025 y'all! And we're STILL here, talking about our favorite subject, which is how much money you're making. In the last episode (part 1 of this topic), we showed the data that Americans on average have decent purchasing power. And some costs have leveled off in recent years (healthcare) but are much higher than our say, European counterparts. So what gives? Why do we still feel like it's not enough (hint: because it's not)?
From the Gini coefficient to the Bankrate survey on financial freedom in America, let's talk about what people are really making and if it's enough to live the life you want.
Here's the survey showing inflation growth vs. wage growth in the last four years.
Have a question, like what you hear or want to send us a story idea? Email us! chiponmyshoulderpodcast@gmail.com
26 Nov 2024
12: We Can't Afford This House. Everything Feels Expensive rn
Financial experts discuss why everything feels expensive, challenging the notion of high purchasing power in the US, and highlighting key areas of concern such as housing, education, and healthcare costs.
12 Aug 2024
11: We wanted diversity, we got milquetoast DEI
We're back baby! Welcome to Season 2, the massive chips on my shoulder have evolved into wider malaise about the state of certain lofty goals we have for ourselves and as a nation. Let's talk about it!
First up is life in the workplace and academia in pursuit of diversity, and how the path towards that worthy goal has gotten bogged down by selective self-reporting, unclear targets, and too much attention being paid to the reactionaries. We remind ourselves that when you take away the semantics (instead of using "DEI programs" asking about hiring employees from underrepresented groups and minorities), nearly 70% of Americans support these types of diverse hiring efforts.
We mentioned Alison Taylor as someone to follow on LinkedIn and here's her new book Higher Ground.
If you've never read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, we highly recommend it.
I joke when I say he's my "favorite" hedgie, but I still like the original Herbalife short research by Pershing Square and Bill Ackman, although this latest iteration of Ackman definitely paints him in a more sinister (but was probably always there) light.
We use Bookshop affiliate links, which support local bookstores with every purchase.
Have a question, like what you hear or want to send us a story idea? Email us! chiponmyshoulderpodcast@gmail.com
28 May 2024
That's a Wrap on Season 1: Next Up, Super Duped?
Thank YOU for listening.
Your hosts wrap up the first season and say goodbye to these chips on their shoulders, while welcoming in the next set for Season Two.
Everyone deserves peace, safety, and dignity. You can donate to World Food Program USA (https://www.wfpusa.org/) to help the most vulnerable in the occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, Haiti and many other locations.
17 May 2024
10: Short Story Friday: Everyone Has an Accent (Including Me)
Short Story Fridays, where I explore the depths of my insecurities, hope you guys enjoy!
That short "Iranian accent" clip is from comedian Amir K, check him out, he's hilarious:
Amir K - Traffic Court
Amir K - Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amircomedy/?hl=en)
Also mentioned, Sanaz Toossi's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, English
17 Apr 2024
09: Conversation Starters and Questions We Don’t Need to Ask
We debunk so-called conversation starters that can lead to awkward conversations, and figure out which questions might be a better place to start.
Chip on My Shoulder is a conversation about resentments, big and small, and how
23 Mar 2024
08: Short Story Friday: Getting Real about Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
Get the bestselling and tearjerking (for most people) children's book classic, Love You Forever by Robert Munsch: https://bookshop.org/a/11789/9780920668375
Don't take my word for it, read the CDC stats on birth and fertility in the US: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr179.pdf
We use Bookshop affiliate links, which support local bookstores with every purchase.
26 Feb 2024
07: Celebrity Fixation and the Ubiquity of Celebrity Content
If you're in the US, you can donate to UNRWA here: https://www.unrwausa.org/donate
You might enjoy the occasional celebrity content but you've probably had your fill of the endless celebrity gossip, Reese Witherspoon x Snoop Dogg collabs (idk if that's a thing but probably at this point), and total celebrity oversaturation in every aspect of our lives (MrBeast peanut butter wafers?!), so as usual our hosts go off on some tangents while thinking about how celebrity plays a role in our lives and what we might do about that while remembering the one time they saw Suge Knight at the mall (pre-voluntary manslaughter conviction).
Show notes:
Parasocial relationships: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-parasocial-relationship-5210770
A great reddit thread on Taylor Swift and her intentional cultivation of the parasocial relationship: https://www.reddit.com/r/TaylorSwift/comments/13zlbi9/parasocial_relationships_and_taylors_role_in/
Stargirl podcast (highly recommend the Ballerina Farms and Jia Tolentino episodes!): https://open.spotify.com/show/6VFykudaxSh0XNLzcL2YmS
American Time Use Survey, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/tus/
Does the World Still Need Celebrities? https://www.theringer.com/pop-culture/2020/6/23/21300228/celebrity-criticism-covid-19-protests-imagine-video
2 Feb 2024
06: Short Story Friday - The Smooth Baritone of the Verbal Advantage Guy (in memory of Charles Harrington Elster)
This week's Short Story Friday features inimitable transition music from the late 90s vocabulary building program, Verbal Advantage. The program almost veered into Stephen Covey/Dale Carnegie territory, but it was way cooler because it only cared about one thing: giving you a really kick-butt vocabulary which would, according to the author, almost certainly turboboost your personal and professional success (women/men will be unable to resist a man/woman who has a way with words!)
In honor of the late Charles Harrington Elster, who accompanied and entertained me and my dad on many a car ride throughout San Diego County: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Harrington_Elster
Verbal Advantage, Success Edition is still available, and I can personally attest to its efficacy (see that?!): https://bookshop.org/a/11789/9781536651171
We use Bookshop affiliate links that support local bookstores with every purchase.
16 Jan 2024
05: Are all CEOs Narcissists or Do They Just Present as Such?
You've probably had at least one boss or CEO you've come across who is insufferably self-important, but is that the narcissism or is it just a requirement of the role? We consider the CEO, why they're a glass ball waiting to shatter, and why it's not so easy to replicate their success as they move to new roles.
Show notes:
The MBA Myth and the Cult of the CEO: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/2bswcr8vbel8iskltcq2o/corner-office/the-mba-myth-and-the-cult-of-the-ceo
Read more about Jack Welch and his real legacy in GE and beyond in The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America and How to Undo His Legacy: https://bookshop.org/a/11789/9781982176426
Mentioned briefly but an in-depth read on Donald Trump's psychology from his niece, Mary Trump, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man: https://bookshop.org/a/11789/9781982141479
Don't worry, you're probably not a narcissist: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/narcissism-demystified/202003/if-you-wonder-whether-you-are-narcissist
COP28 picture (how does this make you feel?): https://www.adweek.com/agencies/how-pr-firms-greenwashed-the-uns-biggest-climate-talks/
We use Bookshop affiliate links that support local bookstores with every purchase.
22 Dec 2023
04: Short Story Friday - Ode to the Salmon-Colored Tract Home
Another Short Story Friday: where we dive into the nostalgia of growing up in the boomtown age of mid-90s Southern California and its sea of red-tiled, salmon-colored tract homes.
20 Dec 2023
03: Hotel Side Hustles and Privilege, continued
Chip on My Shoulder is a podcast of two people discussing ideas, the resentments they sometimes have, and how they're living and embracing life anyways.
In today's episode, we continue the privilege chat and dig into private collections (what is that really?), hotels as a side hobby, attitudes around universal basic income and any type of cash transfers. Plus our PhD in residence takes it a step further and ties these ideas to liberation psychology and gives us lots of additional reading to consider. SO FUN guys.
Show Notes:
Estelle Manor hotel in the UK: https://estellemanor.com/
Playa Grande Beach Club in the Dominican Republic: https://www.playagrandebeachclub.com/
Read this book: Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond: https://bookshop.org/a/11789/9780593239919
GiveDirectly, a charity for direct cash transfers to recipients: https://www.givedirectly.org/
City of Stockton, California UBI experiment: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/04/973653719/california-program-giving-500-no-strings-attached-stipends-pays-off-study-finds
Read this book: The Colonizer and The Colonized by Albert Memmi https://bookshop.org/a/11789/9780807003015
Read this book: Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire https://bookshop.org/a/11789/9781501314131
About Ignacio Martín-Baró: http://martinbarofund.org/about/ignacio/
Personal finance expert and commentator Bridget Casey: https://www.instagram.com/bridgiecasey/
Antiwork subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/
WorkReform subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/
We use Bookshop affiliate links that support local bookstores with every purchase.
15 Dec 2023
02: Short Story Friday - The Gym Bag Birkin
We dissect ideas we've been holding on to around status in 5 minutes or less, beginning with the woman I would obsess over at the gym and her Hermès Birkin handbag.
10 Dec 2023
01: We Chat About Privilege
Chip on My Shoulder is a podcast of two people discussing ideas, the resentments they sometimes have, and how they're living and embracing life anyways. Join us on our very first episode, it can only get better from here!
Show Notes:
Who Picks the Next Kings of Tech? https://www.publicbooks.org/who-picks-the-next-kings-of-tech/
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.6 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
29
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
71
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