Short Stuff: Victorian Flower Language
Josh and Chuck discuss floriography, the elaborate language of flowers that was especially popular during the Victorian and Regency eras. They trace its roots to the Ottoman Empire, explain how specific flowers, colors, arrangements, and even how bouquets were held or accepted communicated complex coded messages. The hosts illustrate how this system was used in literature and courtship, highlighting both its nuance and its potential for confusion.
How to unlock your flirting superpowers | Francesca Hogi
Host Elise Hu introduces a TED talk by love coach Francesca Hoagie, who reframes flirting from a manipulative game into a practice of making others feel seen, special, and acknowledged. Drawing on her experience as a matchmaker and dating coach, Hoagie shares how presence, enthusiasm, and three simple flirting styles-attentiveness, compliments, and playfulness-can deepen connection, support dating, and rekindle chemistry in existing relationships. She also addresses common fears about flirting and offers practical guidance on how to flirt in a respectful, responsible way.
INTRODUCING: I Need You Guys with Gabe Liedman, Jenny Slate and Max Silvestri (w/ Sean Hayes)
Sean Hayes joins Jenny Slate, Gabe Liedman, and Max Silvestri for a loose, comedic conversation about their early experiences making jokes, physical comedy bits, and nostalgia for old commercials and landlines. They discuss Jenny's discomfort with the White House using her Parks and Rec character in a political meme, how to handle online nastiness without engaging, and the challenges of keeping long-term friendships strong while turning them into a professional podcast. The group also fields an etiquette question about nose-picking in public, swaps stories about sleep struggles, ADHD, and old-school phone and internet habits, and ends by reflecting on Sean's "Olympic level" comedy on Will & Grace.