Rala & Baby: The Big Idea is a brand new (for now) podcast that comes out of a 5 year friendship of deep collaboration, serious curiosity, and big time American style laughs, the kind that the other people in the restaurant are interested in, one way or another.
A lot of times we (Rala and Baby) are having these hours-long conversations about art and life and change and different kinds of nuts and we are thinking, what-we're gunna keep this to ourselves?!?! That's not only a disservice, but it's also unfair. Mostly to us, because we are nothing if not generous, so after we have these great insights, we have to go around repeating ourselves to other people one by one. IT TAKES A LONG TIME.
Here it is compiled: some thoughts new, for your viewing and listening pleasure, some thoughts regurgitated while we catch you up. We can't wait to all be on the same page.
Thank you for supporting us. We'll get you back someday.
Hugs, Kisses, Rala and Baby (AKA Lara Ricote and Abby Wambaugh)
It's Rala. It's Baby. It's another episode of The Big Idea.
Thanks so much for being here! We’re throwing some enormous ideas on the table today.
Is fiction more trustworthy than nonfiction?
Okay, and what about the decisions we make? What happens when we choose one thing, and all the other possible versions of our lives disappear?
Also:
- Speculative memoir
- An island full of every version of yourself
- Weird Al
- Knowing you're stupid
- Decisions vs. choices
- Killing off the other options
- Third-person omniscient narration
- Delusion
- Getting everyone to yell their worst insult
- The problems of community
- Telling yourself what is happening
So...
What are you going to say happened?
And what happens next? The choice.... is yours.
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala and Baby
13 Aug 2026
Episode 13: Resist Less
Welcome back to Rala and Baby: The Big Idea.
Thanks so much for joining us! Okay, so this week, we talk about things like perseverance and trying hard. Is it really worth it?
We also chat resistance, summer camp and why choosing your own ceiling fan might be the most human thing you can do.
And:
- A kid named Pocket
- Running through the bushes
- Rigid discipline
- It happens to the best of us
- Trying
- 70-year-olds in a restaurant
- Picking things
- "That's definitely projection"
- Swimming upstream
- Staying in the stream
Okay, so what if you could achieve your goals without trying so hard?
Could you? Should you? The time for discussion begins NOW.
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala, Baby
6 Aug 2026
Episode 12: Consideration (First Good One)
It's Rala. It's Baby. And this is a big one...
WE FOUND IT!
This is how the podcast will be! most of the time. We found or mojo.
In this week's episode we wrestle with a few pretty big ideas (all at once). We unpick what the nature of evil is, discuss why true art requires genuine vulnerability and also why music might just be the ultimate company for your contemplation. These things might not seem connected, but maybe they are.
We would like to think it's worth considering.
Also:
- Awful Knofel
- The Millerton Inn
- What is evil?
- Puglia clown show
- "dropping it"
- Real effort vs. pretend effort
- the song in your head
- country music
- Mad Scientists vs. Jazz Musicians
- A place of facade
- dried blood
So... are you taking away the opportunity to feel something real? Are you being truly evil?
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala and Baby
30 Jul 2026
Episode 11: Impermanence
Welcome back to Rala and Baby: The Big Idea.
Thanks again for being here! This week we recorded a brilliant episode... and then immediately lost it (it's probably gone forever). So naturally, we decided the only sensible thing to do was to make another brilliant episode. This one is about impermanence.
We talk about what happens when you stop trying to hold onto things, why forgetting might actually be a gift, and whether thinking is helping us experience life... or distracting us from it.
Also:
- The lost episode
- Burning hot dumplings
- The Edinburgh Fringe
- The Iron Age
- Spider-Man
- Marty Gleeson
- Dog Ears
- Being your own 80-year-old self
- Discernment vs distinguishing
- "It takes all kinds"
- Interesting
So... if nothing stays the same, what are we all trying so hard to hold onto?
Maybe we'll forget it all anyway. Who knows. Let's find out!
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala and Baby
23 Jul 2026
Episode 10: Say What You Mean
Welcome back to Rala and Baby: The Big Idea.
We sincerely hope this podcast finds you well.
This week is a big one. We discuss making things.
More specifically: what it's like to direct eachother. Making shows, trusting your instincts, creative dry spells, and figuring out what you're actually trying to say.
Also:
- New York
- Edinburgh
- Monkey Barrel
- Lil Wenker
- Pregnancy Pillows
- The Oracle of Delphi
- Jacqueline Novak
- Dancing with words
- The power of the pause
- Venn diagrams
- Michelle Brazier
And...
Have you got an idea that won't leave you alone?
Can you trust something before you fully understand it?
What if the thing that makes no sense is actually the most important thing?
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala, Baby
16 Jul 2026
Episode 9: Pearls Before Swine
It's Rala. It's Baby. It's another Big Idea.
And this week we discuss our relationship.
Which means we also talk roller coasters, waiters, dates, strangers, comedy festivals and crying in public.
Also:
- Luna Park
- Kids
- Melbourne Comedy Festival
- Loving kindness in your heart
- Crossing the road
- A 40-minute queue
- A cat in the rain
- Being too cool to laugh
- Small talk
- Big talk
- Old people noises
And...
As a wise person once said, "imagine what you could talk about in 40 minutes".
Let's find out!
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala and Baby
9 Jul 2026
Episode 8: Gun To My Ass
Welcome back to Rala and Baby: The Big Idea.
Thanks for being here! If you're in the mood for some big ideas, you're in luck. Because this week, we get into some seriously big topics. We discuss contemplation, meaning and curiosity. But also stuff like... whether people should be allowed to Google things immediately, and why some questions are worth getting a little bit pissed off about.
Also:
- Wi-Fi on airplanes
- Chemistry class
- Pasta in the bathtub
- Boba
- Joe Dispenza
- The Queen's Guard
- Maslow's Pyramid
- Virginia Woolf
- "It takes all kinds"
- Generosity
- Playfulness
- Death and famine
So, is there anything you'd wish upon everyone?
Buckle up. This one gets a bit heated (we're still friends).
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala and Baby
2 Jul 2026
Episode 7: Rule vs Ritual
Hey, welcome back to Rala and Baby: The Big Idea.
Thanks again for being here. Today's big idea is Rules vs Rituals - but it's also people.
We discuss generosity, artists, flight anxiety, hearing aids, Parkinson's, movie theatre red tape, and what happens when someone you love breaks the rules in exactly the way you needed them to.
Also:
- Peter Hamburger
- Soul soup
- The puzzle store discount
- How Should a Person Be?
- Miranda July at the door
- Neurosis
- A whole hard-of-hearing family
- The money counting finger
- The lobby
Alright then, so...
What if generosity isn't one-way?
What if people are good?
Can humor be the way into a difficult conversation?
And what's the difference between a boundary everybody agrees on and a ritual you've built together with someone you love?
Perhaps the kindest thing we can all do is let someone step past the red tape. I dunno. What do you think? Could be.
Come on in!
Rala, Baby (and custodians of the Big Idea wellness fund)
25 Jun 2026
Episode 6: Tether
Hello. I am Rala. And I am Baby. And we are bringing you yet another Big Idea.
Today's big idea is kind of about love. Which means we also end up talking about all the other big things around it, like respect, parents, friendship, responsibility, dish towels, and how relationships are mostly just trying to teach us stuff.
Also, on today's action-packed agenda:
- Plato's Symposium (this time for real)
- Morning pages
- Fear of thinking a thought
- Mr. Daddy
- Calling your dad for cooking advice
- "Remember, I am your mother."
- Daniel Craig
- Leash neck to leash neck
- Summer camp
- A really cool, nice lady
- "You'll love this when I'm dead."
So...
What makes something love instead of responsibility?
Why are some people attached to us by ropes and others by spider webs?
What if respect isn't fear at all, but believing someone is capable of change?
Come with us, and let's all follow this string.
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala, Baby
18 Jun 2026
Episode 5: Bag of Pistachios (Halitosis)
Hello again! It's Rala & Baby with yet another jumbo bag of expertly roasted (and lightly salted) Big Ideas.
For this one we sat down to try and talk a little bit more about Plato's Symposium, but that may or may not have happened. We definitely did discuss socks, Quaker meetings, Jack Kerouac, artistic practice, relevance, and a bag of pistachios.
Also:
- Wool
- Eye boogers
- Halitosis
- Hannah Gadsby
- Dogs that may or may not be diagnosing people
- "Remember passion"
- Rock climbing
- Family nuts
- Relationship yoga
- The truth needs to be sold
And so much more you wouldn't believe!
So, what if every problem in your life is a pistachio?
What if being open to an idea is enough for now?
Let's crack a few of these stubborn ideas open (together) and find out (together).
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala, Baby
11 Jun 2026
Episode 4: Plato's Symposium (Books)
It's Rala. It's Baby. It's another Big Idea.
Now, today's big idea is Plato's Symposium (up to a point). We also discuss the value of education, politics groups, books we finish, books we abandon, and how pink polo shirt guy is out there changing lives.
Also:
- Losing two passports
- Nora Ephron
- Air quotes
- Octavia Butler
- Lonesome Dove
- "You didn't tell him how long to make it"
- What the hell are you talking about?
- Huge if true
- Gossip as a thought experiment
- Changing your mind immediately
And... Is being curious more important than being right?
Is it possible to try on another person's thoughts like a jacket and see what fits?
Let's take these ideas for a walk.
Hugs, Kisses,
Rala, Baby
4 Jun 2026
Episode 3: Garlic Confit
Hey! It's Rala and Baby, coming through with another piping hot episode of The Big Idea.
If you think you heard us say this is episode 1 a few times, I'm afraid you are mistaken. This is NOT episode 1. This is of course, episode 3. And we're talking about being alone, being understood, being misunderstood, being judged, judging other people and FaceTiming your relatives too much (or maybe exactly enough).
Also:
- Refusing to close the bathroom door
- Moon rituals
- Capacity
- George W. Bush
- American people skills
- Danish people skills
- Cassava
- Cold plunges
- Orgasm birth
Mostly, though, this is an episode about care.
If you think it, and it's kind, do it.
Hugs, kisses
Rala and Baby
4 Jun 2026
Episode 1: Heart Propped Open
Welcome to the first episode of Rala & Baby: The Big Idea.
This episode is mostly us trying to explain what this podcast is, but also, so much more!
We talk about some pretty BIG things, like a weekend where we made up our own reality, all the games we invented, what it feels like when people are genuinely trying to understand each other, and why asking a stranger a weird question is almost always more interesting than Googling it.
Also:
- Yoda on the Radio
- A grandmother's carrot cake
- Honesty Week
- Another World Is Possible
- Can I yell at you for a minute?
- Disco-ball Hobbit costumes
- Ovaries (we were doing our best)
- Generous London geezers
- Italian gelato wizard
- Leaving your heart propped open a little bit
And you'll hear why we keep making things together, and what happens when you let yourself follow an idea all the way to the end. We're happy you're here.
Hugs, kisses
Rala and Baby
4 Jun 2026
Episode 2: Clicking In
Welcome back to another episode of Rala & Baby: The Big Idea.
In this episode, we get into friendship, spirituality, strangers on trains, the feeling of "clicking in," and do we actually know what's good for us? Find out!
Also:
- Quaker meetings
- A man who couldn't sleep
- Rats in the wall
- Being at each other's disposal
- Ribena
- Escorting two lost gym-goers to safety
- Elevator games
- The difference between looking and seeing
And almost everything in between! Thanks for sticking around.
Hugs, kisses
Rala and Baby
2 Jun 2026
Rala & Baby: The Big Idea (Trailer)
Rala and Baby: The Big Idea is going live!
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