New York Recap: Red-Eye Chaos, Tiny Tattoos, The Morgan Library & Harry Styles at MSG

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Books, Dating & Everything: House Hunting, Spicy Reads, and the “Life Coach Dom” Idea

Rachel and Jessica introduce their podcast BDE, sharing their love of spicy books, chaotic dating stories, and deep conversations. They catch up on real life—Jessica is exhausted from staying up reading, and Rachel shares the excitement and stress of buying her first house and moving after 10 years, including decluttering while juggling work, workouts, and basic routines. They discuss motivation, ADHD/neurodivergence, and jokingly brainstorm a “life coach dom/workout dom” concept inspired by romance tropes and Fundamentals of Being a Good Girl by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone. They review the book’s themes—age-gap professor romance, domination/submission dynamics, body image, healing after a degrading relationship, healthy co-parenting, and feeling safe in love—plus talk about older romance novels like The Windflower. They mention a possible summer podcast break and planning in-person events.

00:00 Welcome to BDE

00:44 Sleepy Bookish Banter

01:36 Buying a First Home

03:04 Moving Chaos and Decluttering

04:24 Offline Life and Social Media Breaks

06:26 Busy Days and Basic Needs

08:24 The Life Coach Dom Idea

15:04 Soft Dom Preferences

16:21 Book Talk Wreck Me

17:13 Body Image and Representation

18:52 Plot Setup Age Gap Nanny

20:26 Dom POV and Healing Themes

24:26 Toxic Trauma Bonds

25:25 Death by Sarcasm

27:18 Healing Through Love

28:42 Power in Submission

29:38 Letting Him In

34:29 Safe Space Breakdown

38:00 Books That Heal

40:13 Roleplay and Neurodivergence

41:44 Secret Romance Era

44:01 Mom's Spicy Classic

47:43 Mafia Enemies Tease

48:11 Summer Break Plans

48:36 Reviews and Goodbye

But first let’s be friends:

But first let’s be friends!

Rachel and Jessica introduce BDE, a podcast about books, dating, and life, then dive into “things that are embarrassing for no reason,” including small talk, paying with cash, nail salon chair massages, bowling walk-backs, parallel parking, checking mail with someone behind you, being ID’d, ordering under pressure, and awkward doctor-gown moments (plus a debate about what to put on first after a massage). They play a pet-name yes/no game (favorites include “good girl” and “baby,” while “baby girl” is a strong no) before discussing dark romance: how they started with Feather So Vicious/Shadow So Cruel, their reactions to Haunting/Hunting Adeline, and why Lights Out works as a funny gateway. They also mention Hitched, Dance with My Demon, God of Malice, and Under Your Scars, and explain dark romance as a controlled space to explore taboo desire, safety, power, and transformation. They end by requesting anonymous “Messy Mondays” dating stories via DM and asking for reviews and follows.

00:00 Welcome to BDE

00:44 Fake Spring Banter

01:42 Today’s Agenda

02:58 Embarrassed by Everything

04:22 Cash and Germs

05:49 Nail Salon Awkwardness

08:35 Bowling and Parking Panic

12:48 Doctor Gown Dilemmas

14:10 Massage Naked Debate

19:40 Pet Names in Romance

23:26 Yes No Pet Name Game

27:31 Cringey Pet Names

29:19 Dark Romance Confessions

31:20 Feathers and Shadows Deep Dive

35:43 Haunting Adeline Reactions

39:28 Lights Out Gateway Pick

40:55 Hitched and Other Recs

43:27 Why Dark Romance Works

52:57 No Shame Reading Tastes

55:38 Messy Mondays and Wrap

Follow us on our socials

Rachel and Jessica introduce their BDE podcast about books, dating, and real-life relationship talk, then share a chaotic story about Rachel’s first chiropractor visit in 15 years at Jessica’s office, where she arrives sweaty in a sweatsuit with no underwear, gets unexpectedly intense adjustments, and is stunned by the attractive “Dr. Thick Thighs,” but leaves feeling better with improved neck movement and fewer headaches. They pivot to Harry Styles, discussing why he feels like a “walking green flag,” including his confidence, kindness, boundaries, respect for women, and authentic self-expression, then react to his new album, compare how they listen to albums, name favorite tracks, and announce they’re traveling to New York to see him at Madison Square Garden in late September while asking for NYC recommendations.

00:00 Welcome to BDE

00:59 Today’s Topic Tease

02:32 Chiropractor Storytime Begins

03:06 Sweatsuit and Spicy Lunch

07:19 Meet Dr Thick Thighs

11:45 The Adjustment Chaos

22:06 Aftermath and Shoutouts

22:38 Harry Styles Green Flag Era

24:32 ChatGPT Breaks Down Harry

26:06 Mysterious Yet Safe

26:58 Humble Fan Connection

28:54 Masculinity and Expression

31:31 Respecting Women in Action

34:31 Album Art Shock

35:20 Dingleberry Definition Detour

37:25 How We Listen to Albums

39:40 Favorite Tracks Breakdown

41:54 Pop Lyrics Explained

43:42 NYC Concert Plans

47:03 Joyful Fangirl Energy

48:50 New York Tips and Wrap Up

49:47 Final Thanks and Reviews

Panic Ordering Pizza, The Grapes Debate, and Our Unfiltered “Weathering Heights” Review (Spoilers!)

Rachel and Jessica introduce their BDE podcast, then Rachel shares a night out with coworkers at psychic comedian Peter Antonio’s show, including her panic-ordering and a disastrous sticky chicken-slab pizza that made her realize she “builds” perfect bites and is picky about textures (sparking a debate about saving the best last bite and squeezing grapes before eating them). They then give a spoiler-filled, unfiltered discussion of the new “Weathering Heights” film starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, praising the acting, cinematography, music, and unsettling sexual tone while calling it a dark, tragic, toxic love story with disturbing scenes, miscommunication, and an unhappy ending. They close by chatting about current reads, including the smut-heavy “For the Fans,” the fantasy “Dawn of the North,” and the nonfiction “Journey of Souls,” and ask listeners to review and follow.

00:00 Welcome to BDE

00:47 Today’s agenda

01:40 Psychic comedian night

04:34 Panic ordering chaos

07:42 The pizza disaster

12:34 Ideal bite debate

16:05 Thanksgiving fry trauma

20:33 Grape texture showdown

24:29 Weathering Heights setup

26:18 Saltburn detour

27:56 Cinematography and vibes

28:42 That opening scene

31:06 Shocking Opening Scene

31:54 Meet Catherine and Heathcliff

36:13 Barn Voyeurism Awakens Desire

38:43 Rock Encounter and Obsession

40:32 Gothic Aesthetics and Costumes

41:46 Marriage Money and Betrayal

47:59 Heathcliff Returns and Chaos

48:59 Dirty Passion and Jealousy

53:44 Tragic Ending and Aftermath

55:18 Was It Love or Toxicity

59:38 Dark Romance Book Talk

01:05:20 Wrap Up and Farewell

But first! Let’s be friends!

Rachel and Jessica return to their podcast BDE (books, dating, and everything in between) after a break and announce they’ll be releasing episodes every other week to make the schedule more sustainable. They share a parenting story where Rachel, overstimulated during a school-night routine, argues with her 10-year-old son Brooks, who laughs, gets startled, and calls her a profane name. Rachel describes choosing a gentle-parenting approach: taking a moment to regulate, apologizing for not listening, setting a clear boundary about name-calling, discussing what an apology includes, and following through with a consequence by not allowing him to use her phone that night despite his apology. They discuss the distinction between gentle parenting (high warmth, high boundaries), permissive parenting (low boundaries), and authoritarian parenting (high boundaries, low warmth), and connect emotional regulation and connection to broader issues like the male loneliness epidemic. They also discuss another example of connection-based consequences: Jessica describes having her son help make dinner for a month after he lied about secretly emailing a girl, referencing a podcast idea that “the opposite of addiction is connection.” In reading updates, Rachel talks about loving Sarah Cate’s Good Brothers series and wanting to do a deeper dive later, while Jessica shares being in a fantasy phase, including Carissa Broadbent’s vampire series (starting with The Serpent and the Wings of Night) and another fantasy release, Roots of Darkness. Jessica also recounts a two-hour intuitive/Akashic records reading at a bookshop in El Dorado Hills where the reader, without knowing her background, mentioned a future grandchild soul contract and said “fortune favors the bold,” which matches Jessica’s Irish Quinn family crest. The episode closes with them setting intentions for the Chinese New Year (Year of the Horse) and reflecting on fear and bravery during life transitions.

00:00 Welcome to BDE: Books, Dating & Chaos Energy

00:48 Quick Life Update: Switching to Every-Other-Week Episodes

02:14 Story Time Begins: Parenting, Overstimulation & Bedtime Pressure

08:02 The Blow-Up Moment: ‘You’re Being a…’ (and What Happened Next)

12:38 Repair & Regulation: The Calm Talk, Apology, and Boundaries

17:24 Gentle vs Permissive Parenting (and Why Boundaries Matter)

21:41 Lessons Learned + A Hilarious Age Mix-Up in the Salon

23:46 Noah’s ‘Kindle Email’ Lie: Consequences vs Connection

25:15 Turning Consequences Into Connection: Cooking Together

26:01 Raising an Independent Kid (and Reframing “Disrespect”)

28:29 Repair After Rupture: Unconditional Love in Action

29:01 What We’ve Been Reading: The Good Brothers Series Obsession

31:42 Fantasy Kick: Sexy Vampires, Brutal Gods & 5-Star Worlds

35:18 Intuitive & Medium Readings: From Skepticism to Curiosity

41:25 Akashic Records Session: Soul Contracts, Grandma Energy & a Family Crest Sign

43:25 Fortune Favors the Bold: Using the Reading for Direction

48:16 Year of the Horse Intentions + Choosing Bravery Anyway

50:42 Wrap-Up, Love Yous, and How to Support the Podcast