Women Around a Table Eating Food (WTF): Unfiltered talk about this curious midlife. And food.

About Women Around a Table Eating Food (WTF): Unfiltered talk about this curious midlife. And food.

At Women Around a Table Eating Food (WTF), we don’t sugarcoat midlife...we plough through it (with snacks). Nicole O’Brien (therapist) & Jennifer Chase-Corwin (journalist) are 30-year best friends and curious as hell about relationships (and pretty much everything else). The tables between us have seen it all: tears, triumphs, laugh-riots, and more cheese boards than we can count (back when cheese didn't f* us up). Now...we invite you, Dear Listener, to join. Expect messy truths, unfiltered stories, some cussin’, experts who challenge and inspire us, and conversations that nourish. Bring food.

Publisher

Nicole O'Brien and Jennifer Chase-Corwin

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

19 Sept 2025

Latest episode

16 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

19 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Jul 2026

   WTF #18: It's Not Mind Control, It's Mind Retrain: Lisa Maximus + Nic on Hypnosis

   What if the thing standing between you and the performance of your life isn't more effort, it's the noise in your own head? In this episode of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Lisa MacDonald—the world-record powerlifter Instagram knows as Lisa Maximus and our dear friend—has never had a work ethic problem. She's coached since she was 19, out-trains pain most of us will never fathom, and squats numbers that could stop a train. But meet after meet, she'd get to the platform and freeze, with a ready body and a mind that hijacked her moment. She'd tried the breathing drills, the sports-psych talk, the mindset hacks. None of it moved the needle. And then, there was Nic. Our very own resident therapist (and Lisa's friend AND coaching client) handed Lisa a recording and said listen to this at night. Barely able to stay awake for it, a handful of sleeps later, she walked up to the bar at her next record-breaking conquest calm, clear, laser-focused…and had the best powerlifting meet of her life. She thought something was wrong with her. But it was Nic’s hypnosis, and it worked. In this episode, Lisa and Nic trade places as the strength coach becomes the student inside Nic's own practice, Tranceform Performance, where they let us watch the reversal up close. Nic explains what hypnosis actually is (a focused, relaxed state where the mind gets open to change) and what it isn't (mind control, swinging pocket watches, clucking like a chicken). They get into why insight isn't a prerequisite for change, the belt cue Lisa didn't know she'd been given, and why Nic told a powerlifter to “channel her feminine.” And because this is WTF, there's a green-drink debate, a steak-marbling metaphor for an MRI, and an impromptu pelvic-tilt clinic for Jen's cranky back. If Nic can move a wall for Lisa Maximus, it's probably worth the rest of us leaning in. Calling all moms, managers, and anyone who's ever gone blank when it counted, you don’t have to be an athlete to add a new coping and healing tool to your toolbox. Come ready to be inspired. Content note: this conversation touches on OCD, anxiety, and exposure therapy, and describes personal experiences with hypnosis. It's one athlete's story, not medical or psychological advice. Zero-Hype Takeaways: • Hypnosis, done well, is closer to being absorbed in a good book than losing control — a focused, relaxed state where the mind is open to change. • You don't need to understand why a pattern started in order to interrupt it. Insight is not a prerequisite for change. • The most disciplined people often hit walls that effort can't fix, because the block is in performance, not preparation. • A tool that feels "too simple" can still be the one that finally works (and skepticism doesn't disqualify you from benefiting). • This isn't just for elite athletes: the same nerve that freezes a lifter freezes a presenter, a parent, a beginner. Follow these phenoms! 💪🏻 FIND Lisa MacDonald ("Lisa Maximus") and her Maximus Strong Training Program at www.lisamaximus.com 💪🏻 FOLLOW her at @lisamaximus 💪🏻 FIND Nic at https://www.tranceform-performance.com

2. 

   4 Jun 2026

   WTF #17: Engineer-Turned OBGYN Dr. Diana Kumar Explains WTF Is Happening

   What happens when a surgeon/former engineer/board-certified OBGYN spends years learning to tell women to "run more and eat less"…and then realizes, Wait: That’s absolutely NOT the answer? She builds an entirely new model of care from scratch. In this episode of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Jen and Nic welcome Dr. Diana Kumar: co-founder of Gliss Wellness, menopause specialist, former industrial engineer, and the kind of doctor who has officially added "please don't put your estrogen patch on your necklines" to her patient intake form. (True story.) Dr. Kumar dreamed up Gliss Wellness with co-founding partner-in-shine Dr. Teresa Walsh on a flight to Paris, and then spent a year burning 100 hours a week to build it. Their mission? Offer evidence-based, personalized menopause care (even for women who live far from their providers) with no waiting rooms, no paper tables, and no seven-minute appointments. (She's also Nic’s and Jen’s actual doctor, which means this convo goes where some pods don't.) We get into… ❗️Why Dr. Kumar’s menopause training in medical school was "near zero” (her words) ❗️How a flawed 2000s study canceled HRT for nearly an entire generation ❗️ The symptoms nobody talks about (burning tongue, neck sensitivity, eczema flares, and ears like the Red Hot on Jen’s gingerbread cookies) ❗️ Why race and ethnicity change everything about how menopause shows up; and ❗️ The "Walmart of menopause" problem quietly taking over telehealth. This one's for errywoman who’s ever walked out of a seven-minute appointment feeling more lost than when she walked in, and every person who loved her and had to deal with her rage. Dr. Kumar is warm, articulate, funny AF, and has wicked strong opinions about burn books, educating men about perimenopause, and the fact that oral sex ONLY gets better in your 40s and 50s. (We confirm!) Food at Dr. K’s table? Matcha…ceremonially prepared, hoarded from a tiny Tokyo subway shop. (Because, tastemaker.) 🌿 Book a free 15-minute consult with Gliss Wellness: www.findgliss.com 🎙️ Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. 📲 Follow us on Instagram: @womenaroundatable (Also...reviews will SO help us grow! If you remotely liked what you heard or think this pod could lift someone up, like us, share us, and let folks know what you thought.) We appreciate you!

3. 

   21 May 2026

   WTF #16: Rage, Rewrites, and Midlife Reinvention with Author Kennerly Clay

   So what happens when a lifelong word wrangler decides she's done pretending that menopause is a graceful transformation? She writes a trilogy about it—sharp, snarky, and wickedfuckting honest—and then she shows up at our virtual table to talk about all of it. 🫶🏻 In this episode of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Jen introduces to Nic her dear friend and author Kennerly Clay: a 25-year veteran of writing and digital strategy, a memoirist, and the kind of woman who, at the height of her midlife unraveling, kicked her son's door off its hinges, told her kids she needed some space, and checked herself into a self-described trashy Pennsylvania hotel room. And they all survived and loved hard through it. Kennerly is the author of Letters from East of Nowhere: Daddy's Words to Live, Drink and Die By, a deeply personal memoir about growing up in the orbit of an absent, addicted father and the letters he left behind. She's also the self-published author of the Menopausal Woman's Guide trilogy: three snackable, profanity-forward books about losing your shit, dealing with your shit, and figuring out who you are on the other side of alla dat shit. Together, Jen, Nic, and Kennerly get into… ✨ writing as catharsis versus craft ✨ what it actually feels like to stop recognizing yourself ✨ the big diff between wanting a solution and needing to complain for a minute, and... ✨ the quiet devastation (and hard-won triumph) of nearly walking away from a marriage and choosing, in the end, to stay. (We also talk codependency, ketamine therapy, the family meeting nobody asked for, and what it means to raise boys who know how to hold mirrors up to themselves…and to you.) This is SO not a wellness ep! It's a convo about what happens when the life you built cracks and you decide—sometimes quite literally kicking and screaming—to rebuild. Pull up a chair. The food of choice this time is a clean bowl of white rice and miso soup. Which, as it turns out, is exactly what this conversation feels like: simple lessons at the core, warming, and deeply nourishing. Links: 📚 Buy Kennerly's books here: https://kennerlyclay.com/

4. 

   30 Apr 2026

   WTF #15: Divorce Isn't Just Legal...It's Emotional AF with Carrie Rosenbloom

   Divorce may happen on paper, but as our dearest of the dear friends Carrie Rosenbloom knows, the real work happens in the family system. The court can divide assets, approve parenting plans and make things official, but it most certainly can’t regulate your nervous system, heal heartbreak, or transform two furious humans into emotionally evolved co-parents by next week. In this episode of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Jen and Nic sit down with Carrie, an attorney, licensed marriage and family therapist, divorce coach and founder of her practice Divorce Beyond Court, to talk about what divorce really asks of people: legal clarity, emotional stamina, co-parenting maturity, deep self-honesty, and the ability to make major decisions while your inner world does jazz hands in a burning building. Carrie started her career as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, Illinois (the narcotics bureau!) before moving into nonprofit work, family mediation, therapy, and divorce coaching. (For the Julianna Margulies fans keeping score at home, that means our real-life Carrie worked inside the actual Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, made famous—fictionally and scandalously!—by The Good Wife’s Peter Florrick.) Today, Carrie brings lawyer brain, therapist heart, and a whip-smart, ready-fire-aim approach to problem-solving when that’s the tactic the moment calls for. Together, we talk co-parenting, kids, anger, grief, identity, boundaries, and why divorce isn't simply the end of a marriage. It's the start of a whole new family OS...which makes it deeply at home in the Messy Midlife, where reinvention rarely arrives with clean edges or a court-approved timeline. (And because this is WTF, we deliver up laughs, lasting friendship when the chips are down, chai-related digestive truth, and Carrie’s proud epiz-ending carbivore confession: bread, butter, salt, Pringles, pasta and, ideally, a lychee martini. ⚖️ Find Carrie: https://www.divorcebeyondcourt.com/

5. 

   16 Apr 2026

   WTF #14: Tracy Hoth on Clutter, Mindset, and the Stuff We Carry

   So, Friends: What do we do with all.our.stuff—and all of our PARENTS’ stuff—and all the weird feelings we have about the stuff we have? On this week's Women Around a Table Eating Food podcast, we invited professional organizer Tracy Hoth (rhymes with “both”) to help us better understand the psychology around clutter, and within minutes it was clear this convo was about way more than junk drawers. For a lot of Messy Midlifers, ”housekeeping” has turned into the management of what we keep, what we’ve inherited, and how hard it can be (especially as adult kids) to help aging parents sort through a lifetime of belongings without sounding like Daughter Dictators. Through her company Simply Squared Away, Tracy teaches that organization ain’t about pretty bins and perfection; it's about creating a space that actually works for you in all your youness. And with humor, compassion, and real-world tools for becoming someone who can find the damn thing when they need it, this episode’s super useful, and just the thing if you’ve ever wandered around your house wondering what the actual org is going on here? (Also on the table? Tuna talk, protein-shake prowess, benevolent eggs, sacred sourdough, and Jen’s truly committed relationship with apple cider vinegar.) Fun Stuff: 👉🏻Find Tracy at her website Simply Squared Away (https://simplysquaredaway.com/) 👉🏻Listen to Tracy's podcast The Organized Coach (https://open.spotify.com/show/5ftAh6fRlkLvB3R78jSNfH?si=f4fc8e6a96444ff3) here. 🎧 Subscribe for more episodes of Women Around a Table Eating Food (WTF) 🍴 Follow us @womenaroundatable on Instagram

6. 

   2 Apr 2026

   WTF#13: Move Better, Hurt Less—PT for Real Life with Bridget Twedt

   Former television sports producer-turned-physical therapist Bridget Twedt, PT, DPT, knows a thing or two about reinvention. In this episode of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Norwalk, Connecticut's High Road PT co-owner dishes with Nic and Jen about her path from covering the Olympics to physical therapy, entrepreneurship, and helping people move through pain with more strength and trust in their bodies. We get into running gait analysis, vertigo, balance training as we age, tendon injuries in midlife women, and why recovery is as mental (and emotional) as it is physical. Bridget also shared listener-friendly insights on why rest alone isn’t always the answer; why appropriate weight-loading matters; and why losing our mobility can feel like a gut punch to our identity. It’s a smart, grounded conversation about healing, movement, and wanting your bod to feel like home again. Also on the table: Nic’s perennial pod-ending question: Bridget’s desert-island “forever food pick” (and the recipe Jen owes everyone)! (Like what you're hearing? Please follow us and consider writing a review. Help us spread the good word about the importance of connecting at ALL stages of life...and eSPECially in the middle of it!) Find Bridget: https://www.highroadpt.com/ Learn From Bridget: @highroad.pt

7. 

   19 Mar 2026

   WTF #12: Symptoms Are Sacred Messengers with Heather Waxman

   What if your symptoms are not signs that something is wrong with you, but signals that something in you needs care? In this episode of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Jen and Nic welcome marriage and family therapist, somatic practitioner, and all-around healing force Heather Waxman, LMFT, (who also happens to be Nic’s wife). Together, we talk about burnout, over-responsibility, nervous system regulation, attachment wounds, and why so many high-functioning, midlife women can look fine on the outside while feeling completely fried on the inside. Heather brings a whole-person lens to healing—one that makes room for the body, the psyche, the relational world, and the truth that insight alone doesn’t always change how we live. (THEN Heather lands the line that basically became the spine of the episode… maybe 2026: Symptoms are sacred messengers.) This one is warm, funny, wise, and wildly validating. It’s about learning to treat your symptoms less like proof that you’re broken and more like signals that something in you needs care, rest, nourishment, or simply a softer way forward. Come for the nervous system wisdom, the chemistry, Heather’s wit, and her desert-island food. Stay for the feeling that maybe healing doesn’t have to be one more impossible thing on your list. (Love what you heard from Heather? Learn more about her here (https://www.heatherwaxman.com) at www.heatherwaxman.com.) Jump To The Goods 00:00 Welcome + introducing Heather Waxman 05:05 Heather’s origin story and “the wisdom inside my wound” 08:21 What talk therapy does beautifully—and where some people want more 12:09 Why insight doesn’t always translate into lived change 17:44 Why so many high-functioning midlife women feel chronically dysregulated 18:44 “Symptoms are sacred messengers” 22:16 What that actually means in real life, especially with burnout 24:49 Why healing should feel more like an invitation than a psychobabble goose chase 26:02 Over-responsibility, caregiving, and the toll on women’s nervous systems 33:13 What nervous system regulation really is—and why it does not mean being calm all the time 40:49 Gentle starting practices: orienting, inner anchors, and slow nervous system support 46:13 How Heather helps people feel safe in their bodies again + where to find her

8. 

   5 Mar 2026

   WTF #11: 50 & Feral—Season 2 Premiere

   Friends! We’re back for Season 2 and we’re easing in the only way we know how: “Hey girl, hey,” a little chaos, and an honest check-in about what midlife is really doing to us. In this Just Us episode, we talk midlife feelings, women’s health, and friendship…starting with the story behind Nic’s surprise basal cell carcinoma and Mohs surgery (which turned into a much bigger facial deal than expected) and what the aftermath felt like physically-emotionally-existentially. From there, we tumble into the tender: why mortality starts whispering louder at this age, the weird dread Jen feels when Parker simply leaves the driveway, and how we’re all just trying to stay present instead of panicked. Then we zoom out: What surprised us most about Season 1, what made us proud, and what we want Season 2 to look like (Spoiler: More women, reality, laughs and lived experience, and more “you’re not broken” energy.) Plus, the dream guest list is revealed. It’s spicy! There's an amazing lineup of guests coming up. Pull up a chair or put us on in the background, grab a sip or a snack, and join us. Fun Timestamps 00:00 Welcome back + “Hey girl, hey” 01:36 Nic’s Mohs surgery + “surprise, it’s more invasive” 05:44 Mortality + the “is this the last kiss goodbye?” dread  09:16 “50 & Feral” + Season 2 kickoff energy  11:03 Season 1 reflections: the best part was…seeing each other weekly  13:50 What made Nic proud: feedback + “it’s like a warm hug” 15:11 Dream/reach guests: Sarah Silverman, Tig Notaro, Brené Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, and morrrrre. 20:45 What we want Season 2 to bring: women’s voices, midlife support, the big questions

9. 

   22 Jan 2026

   WTF#10: Just Us—Where It All Began (Now Let’s Talk About What’s Next)

   One year ago, this podcast was just an idea and a table. Now it’s a season and a ritual, with new people in our lives who feel like friends. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) In this "Just Us" season finale of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Jen and Nic gather with Nic’s wife Heather and Heather’s bestie, Samantha, family to dish on what the past year actually cracked open: sacred rage, creative risk, midlife bods, chosen fam, grief, joy, perimenopause, and the radical act of staying present when everything in you wants to check out. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) This isn’t a neat little wrap-up. It’s a toast…to female friendship that saves you, to projects you don’t overthink into oblivion, and to the next year being just a little more honest, a little more brave, and a lot more delicious. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Pull up a chair. We really did this. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Stuff we love: (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Sam’s fam’s kickass Connecticut-based food empire: https://www.laylasfalafel.com/ (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) All the timestamps! (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 17:00 — “We Birthed a Podcast” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) From “let’s just try this” to realizing they created something real. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 18:45 — “The Year That Dug a Hole… and Found the Sun” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Reflecting on surviving a brutal year and finally seeing light again. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 20:30 — “Friendship That Saves You” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) A raw moment about being picked up at rock bottom—and not forgetting who carried you. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 22:50 — “Your 50th Year Is a Launch, Not a Landing” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Why this next chapter is about catapulting forward, not slowing down. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 25:15 — “Joy Doesn’t Have to Be Loud” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Redefining happiness as presence, not performance. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 27:40 — “Chosen Family Hits Different” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) What it means to have people you’d call at 2 a.m.—no questions asked. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 30:10 — “Content Is Not a Dirty Word” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) A surprisingly deep defense of being satisfied and still striving. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 32:45 — “Being Present Is a Full-Contact Sport” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Phones, work, hormones, grief—and why attention is the real flex. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 35:30 — “The Practice of Being With Yourself” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Why presence with others starts with presence alone. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 38:20 — “Four and a Half Listeners (And We’d Do It Anyway)” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Gratitude, jokes, and the softest possible mic drop. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) 40:00 — “Season One: We Really Did This” (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/) Closing toast, dance party energy, and what’s coming next. (https://www.laylasfalafel.com/)

10. 

    8 Jan 2026

    WTF#9: Just Us—Wait...That’s Happening to You Too?!

    Your body is changing. Ours are too. And honestly? What the actual fuck. In this Just Us episode of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Jen and Nic talk candidly—and hilariously—about the messy realities of midlife bodies. Hot flashes. Achy joints. Softness in new places. And yes, we say the word labia. Out loud. Like grown women who are done pretending this stuff isn’t happening. (And in the middle of it all, like any good WTF ep, we dish on some the best TV we watched in 2025. Links below. 👇🏻) The convo feels like a voice text between best friends that accidentally became medicine for other women. It’s funny, a little bawdy, deeply reassuring, and grounded in the kind of friendship that makes you say, “Ohhh, THAT’S happening to you too?” and mean it with love. So if you’ve ever wondered whether your body is broken (it’s not), or felt alone in the weirdness (you’re not), pull up a chair. This episode is about aging honestly and wants you to laugh first, and then quietly hand a friend a mirror and a hug. The Micro-Chapters 00:00 – Midlife has entered the chat (and did not knock) 02:05 – When your body starts doing… new things 06:00 – The ‘wait, that’s happening to you too?’ moment 12:18 – Hot flashes + temperature chaos 19:04 – Body changes with zero explanation 27:52 – Alcohol and midlife: a breakup story 34:15 – Sleeping hot, cold, and everything in between 41:06 – Styes, CHAZ, and perimenopause surprises 46:02 – Let’s talk labia (yes, really) 50:07 – Commando days vs. underwear reality 54:20 – Vaginal estrogen: things we’re learning late 01:09:50 – Midlife bodies, WTF (the thesis) The Stuff We Love 🌹Mountain Rose Herbs (https://mountainroseherbs.com) 📺 Famous Last Words (https://www.netflix.com/title/82053197) 📺 Mare of Easttown (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10155688/) 📺 The Girlfriend (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32267726/) 🩺 Function Health (https://www.functionhealth.com/) 🩺 Gliss Wellness (https://www.findgliss.com/) 🩺 East West Integrative Health Clinic (https://ewihealth.com) (Dr. Lisa Rosenberger) 🪷CGM - Continuous Glucose Monitor (https://www.stelo.com/?utm_source=google%20&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=stelo_us_br_stelolaunch_google%20_cpc_&utm_content=stelo_dexcom_exact&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21433831114&gbraid=0AAAAADuP2Tu9qJDVxN5S_PopBEUFEE_Sp&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyP3KBhD9ARIsAAJLnnbuXvzShqYtxBpM88f9eHlIZorCb-x3PS_H8c9wSNYOzLwCj3sudsgaAsHKEALw_wcB) ⚡️Vaginal estrogen: costdrugsplus.com (http://costdrugsplus.com) 💪🏻Lisa Maximus: lisamaximus.com (http://lisamaximus.com)

11. 

    1 Jan 2026

    WTF#8: The Chiron Return—Why Midlife Hits Different, with Danielle Beinstein

    Danielle Beinstein’s website says she helps people navigate the human experience—and after listening to her talk midlife, self-trust, and listening to your body, we’re believers. No astrology degree required. Pull up a chair, friends. In this episode of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Jen and Nic sit down with Danielle Beinstein to unpack the Chiron Return—WTF it is, why it tends to show up in midlife for so many women, and why this conversation lands even if astrology makes you roll your eyes. Less “astrological event,” more “midlife pattern,” Ms. Dani helps us understand why this 49-51ish moment can feel so disorienting as old coping strategies stop working, our bods get screamier, and the ways we used to push through suddenly feel…off. Together, Dani, Nic and Jen explore… Why midlife can feel like a reckoning WITHOUT being a breakdown How urgency often disguises itself as intuition What it means to rebuild self-trust after years of proving and performing Why embodiment matters more as we age (even if you’ve never thought about it that way) Perfect listening for kicking off 2026, this episode is for the astro-curious and astro-skeptics, especially midlife women wondering why the actual fuck everything feels different in their bodies, relationships, sense of self. No charts. No jargon. No cosmic homework. Just a grounded, honest conversation about navigating midlife and trusting yourself a little more as you do. Pull up a chair. You’ll recognize yourself here. (And if you find yourself drawn to how Dani thinks about midlife, self-trust, and listening to your body, you can spend more time with her work. She’s built a life out of marrying her innate intuition with deep study spanning philosophy, spiritual psychology, and consciousness, health, and healing…using them to support people through life transitions with clarity, curiosity, and a very grounded sense of self-trust. You can learn more about her writing and work at daniellebeinstein.com.) Timestamps of the good stuff: 00:09:00 — Dani joins the table + instant soul recognition 00:14:30 — What astrology actually is (and isn’t) 00:22:00 — The Chiron Return, explained for non-astrology people 00:31:45 — Why ages 49–51 suddenly feel emotionally louder 00:38:20 — Midlife as energetic recalibration (not a crisis) 00:45:10 — What Dani wishes women trusted more in this season 00:52:40 — Intuition, cycles, and listening to your body 01:00:15 — The cosmic permission slips women actually need 01:06:30 — Food talk + daily rituals that ground Dani 01:10:00 — How to work with / find Dani online Links to good stuff: 🌐 About Danielle: https://www.daniellebeinstein.com 📸 Danielle’s IG goodness: @daniellebeinstein 🫖 Tea Huntress: https://www.teahuntress.com

12. 

    25 Dec 2025

    WTF#7: Just Us—Surviving The Holidays After Loss

    The holidays have a way of cracking things open. In this very vulnerable Just Us Christmas episode of Women Around a Table Eating Food, Jen and Nic pull up a chair and talk honestly about grief, growth, and the moments that changed everything. Through the lens of A Christmas Carol, they reflect on the memories they’d hope the Ghost of Christmas Past would shine a light on—and the ones they’d rather leave untouched. Here comes some grief, growth, ghosts, and gallows humor—and how we survive loss without becoming Ebenezer forever. Nic shares why, after losing her dad and her brother, she wasn’t ready to return to a beloved Christmas tradition last year—and why this year feels possible. “Time heals,” she says, “but it’s also what you do with the time.” Jen and Nic talk about the emotional deaths we don’t always name: marriages ending, versions of ourselves falling away, and the quiet rebirths that follow. “What parts of us have had to die in order for the parts of us now to show up?” Nic asks—and the answer lands softly, and honestly. This episode is about friendship, midlife, food, and telling the truth when it matters most. It’s about laughing when things hurt, crying when you need to, and being grateful for the people who stay. As Jen says at the close, “I’m so grateful that we can bring these parts of ourselves to each other… and to anybody else who decided to pull up a chair today and listen to a little gallows humor about grief and happiness.” Timestamps of the good stuff: 00:00 — Welcome + setting the table for our Christmas episode 03:45 — Why A Christmas Carol matters (and why this episode exists) 07:30 — AI, creativity, and why Jen and Nic use it very differently 12:15 — Holiday rituals, food, and what makes Christmas feel like Christmas 16:45 — Watching A Christmas Carol with Dad 22:40 — When grief is too fresh to revisit traditions 23:45 — “Time heals—but it’s also what you do with the time” 27:10 — Back-to-back loss and emotional exhaustion 31:30 — Gallows humor, “dead daddies,” and surviving the hard parts 36:45 — Emotional deaths, rebirths, and who we’ve become 37:55 — “What parts of us had to die for the parts of us now to show up?” 41:30 — Gratitude, friendship, and why this conversation mattered 1:01:45 — “Pull up a chair” + closing love fest Links to good stuff: ☕️ Bodum (https://www.bodum.com/us/en/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=975286980&gbraid=0AAAAADFdMp8dXiz1vvzIt1cH01aueY6Rh&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjJTKBhCjARIsAIMC44-ihKFc8bdoVeZEqM4YolDvOenMJ1z4SE7USUV7ew6VnEVllYHURZsaAnL8EALw_wcB) double-walled glasses that we both love. 🏠 Joanna Gaines/Magnolia (https://magnolia.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooOmRJtftpwtG2tiF4AaYs35EqEHUrdOXIv3uc2vertcN4w9QI_), which we both love. 🌰Nutpod Pistachio Dairy-Free Creamer (https://www.nutpods.com/products/pistachio?srsltid=AfmBOor6eas6lrzeI5hff-zhqBlh8cbhmM0_1So8XUZR66n-egUeNKLt)

13. 

    11 Dec 2025

    WTF #6: Chasity Melvin's Rebounds, Reinvention & Real Talk

    Pull up a chair for an emotional, decades-in-the-making reunion. Nic and WNBA legend Chasity Melvin hadn’t seen each other since their AAU days…making this ep equal parts catch-up, confession, and two messy midlifers remembering who they were at 17 while Jen watched in awe. From AAU vans, basketball moms, big decisions, and the kind of athletic camaraderie that imprints us hard, the ladies shared laughs along with Chasity’s hall-of-fame-vibe résumé: 2,000+ points and 1,000+ rebounds at NC State A Final Four run 12 seasons in the WNBA More than 4,000 pro points, 2,000 rebounds, and a groundbreaking turn as the first woman hired to an NBA-affiliated G League coaching staff. Part sports radio, part therapy sesh, part giggly old-friend reunion, this one's about confidence, belonging, and pivoting in midlife after you’ve lived several lives on and off the court. Nic’s and Chasity’s teammate energy was so legit it almost made Jen want to run suicides. (Don’t worry: Definitely didn’t happen.) It’s a heart-hitting, funny, beautifully human Women Around a Table Eating Food about friendship, identity, sport, and the courage it takes to build your next chapter…one rebound at a time. 🏀 Visit Chasity's website (https://melvinchasity.wixsite.com/chasitymelvin) 🏀 Check out Chasity's book (At the End of The Day: A Devotional Memoir (https://www.amazon.com/At-End-Day-Devotional-Memoir/dp/1530458501)) women, midlife, friendship, food, Chasity Melvin, WNBA stories, women’s sports, resilience in midlife, basketball friendships, pivoting careers, NC State Wolfpack, women’s podcast, AAU basketball, therapist, journalist, author, commentator

14. 

    27 Nov 2025

    WTF #5: Amy Kule—The Woman Behind the Macy’s Thanksgiving Magic

    Pull up a chair for the Thanksgiving episode Jen’s been giddy about and where Nic once again tolerated her misty-eyed nostalgia…this time, over our guest’s stories from the front line of television memory-making. Today, we’re joined by Amy Kule (https://www.merrywonderer.com/)…former executive producer behind the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks. (And, yes: that parade. The balloons, the Broadway block, Santa’s finale. Basically, she shaped the magic we grew up watching in our PJs.) If you loved TV Guide, lived for Entertainment Tonight, or geeked out over how television gets made, this episode is pure nostalgic gravy. Amy walks us through the chaos, creativity, and childhood wonder tucked behind the scenes of a nationally beloved tradition. And because life is sometimes stranger than fiction, we had to talk about Miracle on 34th Street, the movie whose lead character basically had Amy’s job before Amy did. Beyond the floats and fanfare, we also dig into messy midlife rhythms, evolving traditions, cozy lighting, hormones playing the role of The Most™, and how our holiday memories shape who we become. And we promise: even if your house is filled with bad overhead lighting and chaos, you can sit with us. P.S. We’re still new at this podcasting game…sound included. Thanks for rolling with us as we learn, tweak, evolve, and figure out what all these knobs do. Womp. 🎧 Subscribe for more WTF 🍴 IG: @womenaroundatable Stuff we loved talking about... • Amy Kule's second act (https://www.merrywonderer.com) • Comedic genius (https://www.shengwangtime.com) behind "sad childhood lighting" and "pump-pump-pump" bits • Best-ever turkey hash and chestnut recipe (thanks to Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock) is in this book (https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Southern-Cooking-Revelations-American/dp/0375400354/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=189300833271&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NJsOMxA6i7bcS-nzNlJDo5gg_SG4Ge-rIPCNxfecigHDXEm-CnluRZaCC0sI4f4R6oNUEiOzdyY5TdMK35I4Kn3yW9x441AUZomz4TmFU2hp018Y0u_K5YsOJPBp3tkciwG70WEdcCvJd7baZEExL6DhF3IIQ4gzm2LEBsH5Qq596Dgqp8rf4VZEtL8Wc57d5By-r4o9mf85chv83xsCGHoiUFxJrXu3YRDZiFZsRSpIp7sa_mRTu_fzAhazNWRgIHjkT772D25PkBtLIy0PzVa6m6eJwCrU9ykh45m13MI.f-cQ6j_O9T6xskg9Rmm0ZexSjhRD6rg6MuUv9ARmS18&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779769110314&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9001989&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=15685010587796659764--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15685010587796659764&hvtargid=kwd-317191308436&hydadcr=24630_13611748_8888&keywords=gift+of+southern+cooking&mcid=3cfabe6cee6239e39b24f1ccb9f42cf0&qid=1764102333&sr=8-1). (Page 194 and you're very welcome.) #womenaroundatable #wtfpodcast #midlifewomen #macysparade #amykule #thanksgiving #holidaytraditions #miracleon34thstreet #womeninmedia women around a table, midlife women, macy’s thanksgiving day parade, amy kule interview, holiday traditions, miracle on 34th street, women in media, women in production, nostalgia podcast, merry wonderer, friendship podcast, food and friendship, behind the scenes parade

15. 

    13 Nov 2025

    WTF #4: Just Us—The Work That Found Us (And The Women We Became)

    Pull up a chair: This one goes deep into the trenches of purpose, calling, and the “Oh right: This is who I am” phase of the messy midlife. In this Just Us episode, Nic and Jen ditch the guests and dish on their professional trajectories…from when they were nudged toward therapy and writing, to a fateful fax-machine epiphany, to the gut whispers that grew louder as they hit their 40s. They trace how two best friends, one a clinicalist (yes, we’re coining it) and the other a storyteller-ist (we’re coining that, too), built parallel careers centered on listening, curiosity, and helping people make sense of their lives. Listen in on how they explore power dynamics in therapy, flattening hierarchies, learning how to hold space, interviewing as an art form, and how midlife shifts our sense of competence, confidence, and identity. With laughs, reflection, and a few “remember fax machines?” moments, enjoy the unmistakable comfort of two women who have spent 30 years growing up—and growing into themselves—together, and the permission to evolve in real time. Weck Jars: https://weckjars.com/ Kite Hill Plant-Based Yogurt: https://kite-hill.com/collections/original-yogurt (Come back in two weeks to queue up our VERY special Thanksgiving episode with guest and former Grand Marshall of the Macy's Day Parade, Ms. Amy Kule!) women, midlife, professional growth, career change, therapy, writing, friendship, identity, purpose, calling, Jen Chase-Corwin, Nicole O’Brien, storytelling, personal growth, women’s stories, WTF podcast, Just Us, midlife careers

16. 

    30 Oct 2025

    WTF #3: Just Us—Meals, Feels, and Linguica Reveals. Gram, Daddy, and the 'Who' Behind Our Bites.

    Pull up a chair because this one’s got meals and feels! In Episode 3, Nic traces the crumbs of her culinary origins to Gram’s Italian kitchen and a legacy of Christmas disguised as carbs. Jen takes you to her dad’s “variety is the spice of life” universe where meal prep’s an art and linguica’s a love language. Nic drops her fave Erin Chase lore. And the big reveal? Just how nutritionally questionable Jen’s solo dinners get when Parker travels. It’s all about our WHY for food and the unforgettable WHOs who make every bite matter (which, let’s be honest, is exactly why we started this pod). Warm, funny, and a wee unhinged, this “Just Us” episode proves that family food stories—and the friends who feed us—are the ingredients to surviving midlife with our digestion (mostly) intact.

17. 

    16 Oct 2025

    WTF #2: Lisa Maximus Redefines Strength

    What does “strength” really mean? What does it mean to you, Dear Listener? In this loaded and varied conversation, world record-holding powerlifter and coach Lisa Maximus blows up the old-school rules—about women, weights, and what’s possible—one rep at a time. She gets truthy about the emotional side of fitness, why everyone (especially women) should be training for longevity, not looks, and how our so-called “self-governor” is a bold-faced liar. (Plus, she shares her go-to supplements, her go-to mental-toughness tome, and why she believes lifting heavy benefits everyone…not just the “fitspo” crowd). Come for straight talk; stay for the friendship, food chat, and behind-the-scenes messiness that makes WTF feel like midlife therapy with your besties (with snacks). Lisa’s straight-up advice on getting strong, aging well, and ignoring that little voice that says, “you can’t!” will keep you thinking long after the show’s done. ⚡️Bonus: If Lisa inspires you to prioritize your healthcare a smidge more, here’s where to find her (along with some stuff she mentioned that she loves): 💪🏻 Lisa’s Social Handle (Instagram & YouTube): @lisamaximus 💪🏻 Lisa’s Website: https://www.lisamaximus.com (https://www.lisamaximus.com/) 💪🏻 Lisa’s App (she has an app!): https://my.playbookapp.io/lisa-maximus (https://my.playbookapp.io/lisa-maximus) 🍽️ Lisa’s fave protein powder: https://nitorperformance.com 💰 A discount code for Lisa’s fave protein powder: Lisa20 (20% off five bags) or lisamaximus for 10% off

18. 

    3 Oct 2025

    WTF#1: Nic + Jen—From Swiss Cheese to Soul Sisters (Debut Episode)

    Some Swiss. A Sarah McLachlan surprise. And one determined “capture” that launched a 30-year friendship. (Spoiler: Nic snagged Jen.) In this debut of Women Around a Table Eating Food (WTF), Nicole O'Brien and Jennifer Chase-Corwin unpack how their through-line of food, friendship, and messy midlife moments became the heartbeat of their sisterhood and the backbone of this podcast that neither of them can agree on whose idea it was. It’s just the two of them this time (and be nice...it's the first flippin' episode!), but you just wait ‘til they invite other inspiring women (and their stories!) to the table.

19. 

    19 Sept 2025

    Trailer! Welcome to Women Around a Table Eating Food (WTF)

    At Women Around a Table Eating Food (aka: WTF), we don’t sugarcoat midlife...we snack through it. We’re Nicole O’Brien (therapist) and Jennifer Chase-Corwin (journalist)—30-year best friends and curious as hell about relationships (and pretty much everything else)—and the tables between us have seen it all. Tears. Triumphs. Laugh-riots. More cheese boards than we can count (back when cheese didn't f* us up). Now...we invite you, Dear Listener, to join. Expect messy truths, unfiltered stories, some cussin’, expert guests who challenge and inspire us, and conversations that nourish. Come curious and hungry. Bring snacks!

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings