This week, we're talking about those people.

The stressed stranger in Target. The family member who thinks your emotional bandwidth is an unlimited data plan. The studio parent who forgot to read the email (again). Basically, anyone who might make you consider a brief but meaningful stay in orange.

Patti and Meghan dig into why everyone is one candy cane away from a full meltdown in December, how not to absorb other people's emotional tornadoes, and simple one-liners you can use to pivot away from awkward conversations or unsolicited life feedback.

This episode is warm, funny, and very real. Grab your coffee… or your tequila.

• Why December turns fully functional adults into overtired toddlers

• How lack of sleep, sugar, overloaded schedules, and unrealistic expectations break our brains

• Scripts for dealing with boundary-bypassers at family gatherings

• How to emotionally "unsubscribe" from other people's meltdowns

• The moment when throwing a slice of cheese at someone becomes tempting

• Studio parents who unload everything but their child's dance bag

• The four difficult-person archetypes and how to handle each one

• Simple phrases to hold your peace with kindness and confidence

If this episode made you laugh or breathe easier, share it with a friend who needs a holiday sanity check.

This week, Patti and Meghan get a little cozy, a little nostalgic, and - surprise - a little emotional as they explore the gift hiding in our ordinary days. From laundry rooms and lost baby photos to toddlers with questionable attitudes and teenagers who only call on WiFi, this conversation is a gentle nudge to slow down and savor the stuff we rush through.

We're talking car rides, cereal spills, tuck-ins, dance-studio drives, and all the tiny moments that somehow become the ones we miss the most. It's a big-sister reminder that "someday" is a scam, the chaos won't last forever, and the ordinary is actually where life happens.

In this episode:

• Why "someday" thinking steals our joy

• The baby-book guilt we all carry

• What kids remember most (and it's probably not what you think)

• Letting ourselves rest and resisting busy culture

• Rediscovering connection with older teens

• Slowing down enough to actually enjoy December

• How both studios are teaching gratitude in meaningful ways

• The line that might become your new life mantra:
  "Ordinary days are the chapters that write our legacy."

Need a moment of stillness? Pop your earbuds in, grab your coffee (or your tequila), and listen in. This one feels like a hug.

December is twinkly and magical… until it isn't. Between studio shows, exams, shopping, sick kids, forgotten batteries, and the 900 events we somehow get roped into, the holidays can feel less "Merry & Bright" and more "Holding On By a Glitter-Covered Thread."

In this hilarious AND heartfelt episode, Patti and Meghan unpack the real-life chaos of Christmas as mums, dance studio owners, and women who juggle all the plates while simmering in equal parts cocoa, love, resentment, and nostalgia.

They share their own stories (including candlestick disappointments, 2am bun-making, sibling sarcasm, and the curse of the elf), plus practical shifts you can make to have a calmer, more intentional, semi-retired-from-your-life holiday season.

It's honest, funny, and exactly what you need before the December madness hits.

What we talk about:
• Why moms experience Christmas like a full production launch
• The emotional breakdown point that bun-making can cause
• Gifts that missed the mark… and the ones we secretly still want
• The seven-tree Christmas situation at Meghan's house
• Letting go of perfection and actually enjoying your kids
• Studio traditions that make the season magical
• What holiday "success" really looks like
• The ONE thing you can let go of this year without guilt

YOUR job:
• Tag your fellow hot-mess Christmas warrior
• Pour your drink of choice (coffee… tequila… we don't judge)
• Follow us on Instagram @nobrasrequiredpod