Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

We’re Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg, and together we host How To Be Fine, a show about feeling better, not perfect. All this season, we’re tackling the sometimes thorny subject of friendship – from how to make friends and how to maintain long-distance friendships, to how to deal with conflict and even how to break up with BFFs. On some episodes we talk with experts. And in alternate episodes we serve as the show’s friendship guinea pigs, trying out the advice of our experts while recording ourselves.

What’s the first podcast you ever listened to?

It was probably This American Life for both of us!

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

Jolenta is a comedian who wanted to make her own content and tell her own stories so podcasting seemed like a natural fit. Meanwhile, Kristen got thrust into it 15+ years ago. She was working as culture producer at a public radio show and was asked to start hosting a podcast. A few years later, when they were each between podcasts, Jolenta invited Kristen to start hosting a show with her, and they’ve been doing it ever since.

Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

We love any podcasts where the hosts have smart takes on what otherwise may seem like dumb subjects – reality TV, tabloid news, celebrity memoirs, and so on. We believe that those “dumb subjects” tell us a lot about what we value as a society. They’re also fun!

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

Definitely Dolly Parton. We adore everything about her! Her creativity, her entrepreneurial spirit, her altruism, her joy, her vulnerability, and her work ethic. She truly makes the world a better place.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

We don’t have to be perfect. In fact, our listeners tend to like us best when we’re being vulnerable, stumbling, and learning along with them.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

The first episode of our series on the Loneliness Epidemic is a great place to start.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

You can follow us on Instagram at @howtobefinepod. You can also listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your favourite shows.

Listen to How To Be Fine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other popular podcast apps >>

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Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

We are Evie and Claudia and our podcast is about bowel and bladder conditions! We want to break the stigma around discussing these issues, so we always use humour as the backbone to our chats and interviews (we hope!)

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

Evie: The first podcast I ever listened to was My Favourite Murder with Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff! I still listen every week.

Claudia: Mine was My Dad Wrote a Porno. I was gutted when it ended, it was always my weekly pick me up.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

Evie: I wanted someone to talk to about my various toilet mishaps and I couldn’t believe it when Claudia mentioned off-hand one day she’d been struggling with IBS and had had to sit in the toilet at the theatre for the whole show. I had no idea one of my closest friends and I had never shared our experiences with each other and wondered how many other people could benefit from these types of conversations. So, naturally, I asked Claudia if she’d like to broadcast our issues worldwide.

Claudia: I’ll be honest, when Evie came to me with the idea of creating a comedy podcast on bowel and bladder issues I was so nervous that I had to go to the bathroom. The irony was not lost on me. But once we put our first episode out there it was not only cathartic, it was heartwarming to see how many other people were going through similar issues. It felt like a no-brainer to keep creating more episodes.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

Evie: I love Kathy Burke’s When There’s a Will, There’s a Wake. The format of the show enables the guests to be funny, whilst also often covering personal and human issues, which is something Claudia and I would like to emulate. I’ve also loved Elis James and John Robins’ How Do You Cope? and have taken great inspiration in managing difficult conversations and how to ask the most interesting questions.

Claudia: I became obsessed with Dolly Alderton’s podcast Love Stories because it quite literally felt like receiving a hug. That’s what I wanted to put out into the world. If we were going to create a podcast I wanted our listeners to feel comfort from our humour and the stories we shared. What has been the most rewarding thing about this process has been receiving messages from listeners who have resonated with The Poodcast in that very way.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

Evie: Sadly, it was Deborah James. Her strength, resilience and humour during her illness was nothing short of astounding and we tried so hard to speak to her before she died.

Claudia: I would love to get Jameela Jamil on the podcast. Not only because I love her podcast I Weigh and think she manages to tackle really sensitive issues with such heart and ferocity but also because I hear she has some of the funniest poop stories in the biz.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

Evie: It’s hard to say, but I think the conversation with Lauren Mahon about bowel cancer was a really enlightening one. At the risk of sounding like a narcissist, starting with a ‘Just the Poo of Us’ special is also good, to see if you can stand our voices as we feature in every episode!

Claudia: I agree a ‘Just the Poo of Us’ is a good place to start or I still have a particular fondness for our episode with Billie Anderson (S1 Ep 13), it’s a good mix of total silliness and a very real delve into the life of somebody with a bowel condition.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

We have an Instagram page which is @the_poodcast and we are both discoverable on social media @eviekillip and @claudiacam. Please join our Poo Crew, we’d love to have you!

Listen to The Poodcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify andother popular podcast apps >>

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