Young Adulting

Whenever either one of us do a Q&A we get asked about working with an interior designer, so today we wanted to invite our friends (and interior designers!) Erin Gates & Emma Beryl to chat. Emma and Erin demystify the entire process of working with a designer (yes, even pricing!). They also share their experiences working with us, their favorite places to find great deals on decor items, and their thoughts on where to splurge and where to save. We also talk about ways to decorate a rental without breaking your budget. Best of all, they share their personal pet peeves when it comes to decorating.   More Emma + Erin: Emmaberyl.com @emmaberyl Eringatesdesign.com elementsofstyleblog.com @elelmentstyle Obsessions: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter The Gweneth Chair What We’re Reading: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton Anna K Away by Jenny Lee The Guncle by Steven Rowley May Book: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave Sponsor: Rent The Runway: You can take 40% off

Last week we reflected back on quarantine and the positive things that came from it. Now that we are both fully vaccinated we thought it would be fun to look forward. This week, we are looking toward the future and thinking about life post-pandemic. We (unsurprisingly) are excited about travel and actually getting dressed again. Although we have very different ideas of what getting dressed looks like these days, we are still both excited to refresh our wardrobes and share our favorite purchases so far. We are also itching for some vacations, beaches, and most of all - getting Becca to Charleston to see Grace!   Join us in the Facebook group to let us know how you find hotel deals!   Link to Boutique hotels Instagram: @hayderz Obsessions: Boomerang plug-in for email Amazon shoe risers What We’re Reading: Most Likely by Sarah Watson The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand May Book: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave Sponsor: Harper Wilde: Go to ha

Today’s episode is a real grab bag! We start out with a topic close to Grace’s heart: snacks. We compare our snacking habits, our favorite snacks, and more. We also touch on our favorite chores (and our least favorites too!). You have probably never met two people who feel so strongly about doing laundry. And as we get closer to the end of quarantine and life going back to (almost?) normal, we also reflect on some bright sides of quarantine and what we are looking forward to now that we’ll both be fully vaccinated.   Join us in the Facebook group to chat about all things snacks and more!   Instagram: @cuatro_cuatros Obsessions: Cook this Book by Molly Baz Aerie Swimwear Ephemera Swim Madewell Cut offs What We’re Reading: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (out 5/25) Most Likely by Sarah Watson The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton May Book (comes out May 4th): The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave Sponsor: Night: Go to discovernight.com and get 20% off with code BOPNIGHT at chec

Today is Book Club, and this month we read Delicious! By Ruth Reichl. The book tells the story of Billie Breslin, who learns at a young age she has an impeccable palate. Years later she drops out of college and moves from California to NYC to work for Delicious!, the country’s most prominent food magazine. Her life changes drastically as she forms new relationships with colleagues at the magazine, chefs, and shop owners. When Delicious! is unexpectedly shut down, Billie is kept on board to honor the Delicious! Guarantee, which is how she discovers a cache of letters from 12-year-old Lulu Swan to the famous chef James Beard from WWII. From there, Billie embarks on a culinary scavenger hunt through the library and ultimately to Akron, OH to find the adult Lulu Swan. We really enjoyed this book and we hope you did too! Join us in the Facebook group to discuss!   Products Mentioned: Hill House Home Nap Dress Instagram: @faiccosnyc  @zorymory  @curio_practice Obsessions: The Sieve Bra - Negative Underwear R

In today’s episode we are joined by Francesco Clark, the founder of the clean beauty brand Clark’s Botanicals. Francesco shares the origin story of Clark’s Botanicals: When he suffered a devastating spinal cord injury, he found himself paralyzed. One unexpected side effect of his paralysis was that his body could no longer sweat… and as a result, his skin changed dramatically. Together with his father (a doctor trained in homeopathy), they created Clark’s Botanicals. Francesco explains the chemistry behind their active ingredient the Jasmine Catalyst Complex and chats about favorite products. He also also shares how he started the company, sold it, and bought it back. Francesco and his brand are pretty much the definition of resilience in our eyes, we hope you enjoy hearing from him as much as we did!   More Francesco Clark: Clarksbotanicals.com (use code BOP20 at checkout for 20% off) @mrfrancescoclark Christopher Reeve Foundation   Products Mentioned: Smoothing Marine Cream Jasmine Vital Oil Deep Mois

Grace has made it safe and sound to Charleston and we were due for catch up! We put a call out in the Facebook group for questions, and we tackle them all in today’s episode. We share our favorite book podcasts, how we choose what to read next, how we manage our day, and give advice to a listener on a big life decision. We also answer questions about if job hunting is all who you know, how to make friends in a pandemic (or in a new city), managing zoom fatigue, and the age-old question: is NYC worth the money?   We had so much fun answering your questions! Let us know if you would like to hear more Q&A episodes in the Facebook group!   Book Podcast Recs: The Stacks Sarah’s Bookshelves First Draft with Sarah Enni (Track Changes Series) Product Mentioned: The Etsy Calendar Obsessions: Ginny & Georgia on Netflix What We’re Reading: Delicious!  by Ruth Reichl The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton Anna K Away by Jenny Lee (out 4/27) April Book: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl Sponsor:

Today’s episode was the last one we recorded together while Grace was living in Brooklyn! As we embark on a new (remote) era of the podcast we thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane and talk about all of our childhood favorite things. As two weird kids (and now, weird adults), there were a lot of fun and silly memories to share. We share the things that we collected, the foods we coveted (and our strange bagged lunches), our love for the mall and our favorite childhood books. Be sure to join us in the  Facebook group to share your favorite gems from the past!   Instagram: @zillowgonewildcelebrityhomes @prettybookplaces Obsessions: Pomodoro Technique  What We’re Reading: Delicious!  by Ruth Reichl Breathless by Jennifer Niven April Book: Delicious!  by Ruth Reichl Sponsor: Night: Go to discovernight.com and get 20% off with code BOPNIGHT at checkout. Prose:  Go to prose.com/BOP for your free in-depth hair quiz and 15% off your order. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255   Our March Book Club pick is The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The book follows 35-year-old Nora Seed, who is full of regrets over how she lived her life. In between life and death she is given the chance to explore how alternate lives would have played out had she made different choices thanks to the magic of The Midnight Library. We also share our own regrets and wrong turns that ultimately led us to where we are today. We absolutely loved this book and hope you did too! Join us in the Facebook group to discuss!   Instagram: @colleenmherman @aliciamlund Obsessions: Happier in Hollywood Podcast Maiden Home What We’re Reading: Delicious!  by Ruth Reichl Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi Somewhere Only we Know by Maurene Goo March Book  The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Sponsor: Betterhelp: Get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/badonpaper. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Like and subscr

Between Grace’s upcoming move to Charleston and Becca’s immersion in RomComPods Season 3 production, we realized we haven’t had much time to catch up! So this week is a little off the rails grab-bag episode where we embrace all of our most unpopular opinions on popular things, and the other way around. It’s always fun to unearth more things that we don’t know about each other. This includes but is definitely not limited to our trash people tendencies, lowbrow loves, overrated beauty products... and to be honest - a lot of thoughts on cheese.   Instagram: @thecatchmeifyoucan Produces Discussed: Amazon Mellanni Sheets Amazon Sports Bra (tie dye version) Obsessions: Happier in Hollywood Podcast Superstore (Hulu) Dusen Dusen Beach towels What We’re Reading: A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris Delicious!  by Ruth Reichel Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi March Book  The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Sponsor: Night: Go to discovernight.com and get 20% off wi

Home chef and New York Times bestselling author Julia Turshen joins us to talk about her journey to writing cookbooks, her relationship with her body, and her personal, new cookbook Simply Julia. We also hear the adorable story of how she met her wife, Grace (a true Internet meet-cute!) and discuss her inclusive food database, Equity at the Table.    More Julia: Simply Julia - Cookbook juliaturshen.com @turshen on instagram Equity at the Table Julia Rec: Maintenance Phase Podcast Instagram: @opalvadhan on instagram Obsessions: Abby Alley What We’re Reading: A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris March Book  The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Sponsor: Betterhelp: Get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/badonpaper. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace’s blog, The Stripe. New posts daily! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaper

It has been a year in pandemic purgatory and if you are like us (which we assume you are, because you’re here!) then you might be running out of ways to entertain yourself at home. We have both been recently watching and listening to a lot of great content and thought we would share a roundup of our favorite movies, tv shows, podcasts and more. Consider this your to-watch list!   Join us in the Facebook group and give us your recs! Movie Recs: Minari Promising Young Woman Nomadland  Fake Famous  The Map of Tiny Perfect Things Always and Forever Laura Jean Moxie Rabbit Holes: Framing Britney Spears Documentary Britney’s Gram podcast Eat Pray Britney Podcast Anna Delvey My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams TV Recs: Firefly Lane Bling Empire Flack Mr Mayor Bonding Superstore Lady in the Dale Behind Her Eyes Tell Me Your Secrets Lupin Podcasts: Sorry Charlie Miller Podcast Morning Meeting Podcast Well Suited Podcast Leave Your Mark  - Donald Robertson episode @Drawbertson Under the Influence w

Today we spoke with Frances Cha, the author of our February book club pick -  If I Had Your Face. Frances is a NYC-based author who splits her time between the US and Seoul. She shares her experiences researching plastic surgery, room salons, and mental health for the book. We discuss the way she developed her characters to each embody a different theme of Korean culture, the journey to finally releasing the book during the pandemic, and what she’s working on now!   More Frances Cha: @franceschawrites on instagram Frances’s Asian Author Book Recs: David Tung Can’t Have a Girlfriend Until He Gets Into an Ivy League College by Ed Lin The Magical Language of Others by E.J Koh Join our FB group for amazing book recs & more! Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace’s blog, The Stripe. New posts daily! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

For this month’s book club we read If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha. Just 30 pages into this book, we both knew it had to be our book club pick. Neither of us haven read anything like it before and there is so much to talk about. The story revolves around 4 women who all live in the same apartment building in contemporary Seoul, South Korea. The book explores impossible beauty standards and strict social hierarchies, fangirling over K-POP bands, jealousy, relationships, sex work and room salons. We discuss plastic surgery, the fast-paced Korean Beauty market, the feelings around family and marriage in Korea, and more.  Join us in the  Facebook group and let us know your thoughts on this month’s pick!   Instagram: @theannadelvey Contemporary books about life in other countries: Yolk by Mary H K Choi Anna K by Jenny Lee White Ivy by Susie Yang What We’re Reading: Untamed by Glennon Doyle Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Too Good to be True by Carola L

One of the things we get asked about most is how to read more. So we tackle that during the first fifteen minutes of this episode. (Spoiler alert: being single and childfree during a pandemic helps!) When we read, the advantages of audiobooks, and how to find books you truly love reading, and more! For the rest of the episode, we dive into our favorite hidden gem books. We each brought our five favorite hidden gem books to the table, peppering them in with recommendations from YOU! So this episode is packed with hidden gems to read. 10 from us, 14 from you… get ready for some amazing recommendations!   Join in the FB group to add your favorites to the conversation!   Becca and Grace’s Recs: The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood Peach Tree Bluff Series Kristy Woodson Harvey Kitchens of The Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman Who’s That Girl & You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane American Predator by Maur

Today we are joined by Caroline Owusu-Ansah, the founder of Luv Scrub! If you have been listening for a while you know that Grace is obsessed with her Luv Scrub—and rightfully so. This exfoliating cloth was awarded Allure’s Best of Beauty Award, leaves your skin baby soft, and replaces your old loofah or pouf - for good! Caroline shares the journey to build her business and her lessons learned, from ways to avoid burnout to finding a mentor to taking care of your mental health.    More Caroline: www.theluvscrub.com @luvscrub    Instagram: @emilyhenrywrites @samsonthedood Obsessions: Giant Wall Calendar: PlanTheThingsco The Birthdate Book Birthdate Candle  Neom candle What We’re Reading: Untamed by Glennon Doyle The Lynching by Laurence Leamur Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon All Girls by Emily Layden The Therapist by B.A. Paris (out in July) The Lost Apothecary  by Sarah Penner February Book  If I Had Your Face by France

With almost a full year of quarantine life under our belts, we’re checking in with each other on how we’re feeling, what’s giving us hope, and how we are staying motivated to do anything more than watching Netflix. Grace shares more about her season of self-improvement and Becca talks about how big projects are giving her quarantine a sense of purpose. We’re also talking about the activities that are keeping us busy (puzzles!) and what we’ve been watching during our nights in.   We want to hear about your quarantine feels (and distractions) in the Facebook group!   TV and Movie Recs:   Bridgerton The Bold Type The Flight Attendant Ted lasso Schitt’s Creek Saved By the Bell reboot Pretend It’s A City (Fran Leibowitz docuseries) The Undoing Lupin Money Heist Ready Player One Crazy Rich Asians   Read in a Day Book recs:   Thrillers: Anything by Megan Miranda, Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen, or Liv Constantine 28 Summers and The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand The Mall by Megan McCafferty Snowfall of

Today we are joined by Elizabeth Gilbert the New York Times best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love, City of Girls, and (of course!) our January Book Club pick Big Magic. We talk about her decision to write Big Magic and the writing process behind it. She shares her unique perspectives on creativity and how every person can find and grow in that space. She talks about staying actively (and not-so actively) creative during the pandemic, ditching social media for the greater good, and learning how to be kind to yourself. If you have been needing some motivation this is the 2021 pep talk you have been waiting for! More Elizabeth Gilbert: Join the Onward Book Club! Elizabeth Gilbert on Youtube Elizabethgilbert.com February Book    If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha   Sponsor: HBO Max: Use our link (http://hbom.ax/badonpaper) for HBO Max's promo offer where new and returning subscribers can sign up for a limited-time "Prepay and Save Offer" to save 20% when prepaying the first 6 months of an HBO Max subscriptio

We found it fitting that Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert was our first book club of 2021. Becca reads this book every January to jumpstart her year, and we wanted to include you on her tradition. Reading this book is the creativity pep talk we all need so badly right now. Elizabeth approaches creativity with lightness and joy. Even if you don’t consider yourself a creative person, you will take so much away from this book. We touch on each chapter and our biggest takeaways and share our own journeys with creativity. We love this book (can you tell?) and we hope you did too! Tell us your thoughts in the FB group and join us tomorrow for a bonus episode with the author!   If you liked Big Magic:   Daring Greatly by Brenè Brown Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit by Steven Pressfeld Like Brothers by Mark and Jay Duplass Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott   Instagram: @ninetypesco @Jazmynjw Obsessions: Thirteen Lune What We’re Reading: Heavy by Kiese Laymon On Writing by Stephen King If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

In today’s episode we are joined by Azora Zoe Paknad, the founder of Goldune. Before starting Goldune in the middle of the pandemic (in the short span of 5 months!), Azora Zoe worked for Food52 and before that, she was Grace’s social media intern at BaubleBar! She has worked in the ecommerce and content space for years and when quarantine started she got to work and started her own e-commerce site, selling the best sustainable homewares. Azora Zoe shares the intense process of building a company and her personal journey to this point. We talk about reusable straws, food storage tips, product swaps and shocking recycling facts. Do you know what a soapberry is? Neither did we! We got a crash course in sustainability and we hope this helps you find little ways you can make changes in your everyday life that will work towards a healthier planet.     More Zoe: @goldune.co instagram Goldune.com  Use code BOP for $10 off your first order   Zoe’s Recs:   Kosas Big Clean Mascara Nature First Laundry Pods @pattygo

It’s the time of year where we reflect on past resolutions and create new ones for the new year ahead. As we look back on the insanity of 2020 and the way that it affected our goals and ability to achieve them, we found some silver linings! Although we are definitely cautious as we set our 2021 goals, we’re also optimistic. We talk about our personal, business, and mental and physical health resolutions and the steps we are taking to get there. Whether you like to make resolutions or you just like to wing it, we support it! If we learned anything in 2020, it’s that this year needs to be about being good to yourself.   11 Goal Setting Apps - help keep you on track!   Instagram: @galisonpuzzles @zillowgonewild Obsessions: Ouidad Leave-in Conditioner Bimble - CBD Seltzer code GRACE for 20% off What We’re Reading: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Perfect on Paper  by Sophie Gonzales (out in April) The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (out in May) Musical Chairs by Amy Poepple Joyful by Ingrid F