The Bittersweet Life

Episode 645: Dogs vs. Cats

It's a debate as old as time, and today Katy and Tiffany are tackling it: Which are better: dogs or cats? And perhaps more importantly, which make better pets? Is the

The Bittersweet Past: Why Is the Media Obsessed with Italy? (with Coral Sisk)

Are you tired of watching every one you know go to Italy? Florence-based food blogger and culinary tour guide Coral Sisk was, and she penned a viral complaint about it

Episode 644: Listeners Ask: Do You Journal?

Do you write in a journal? If you don't know, have you ever done so in the past? Have you ever used a journal as a means of self-therapy? These and other similar questi

The Bittersweet Past: I Was Here

On a past Bittersweet Moment, Tiffany remembered accidently smearing a bit of lipstick on the doorframe of one of the buildings she lived in her first months in Rome, and

Episode 643: Defending the City You Love

When a stranger online started badmouthing Rome, Tiffany's reaction was visceral. It was almost as if someone had insulted her mother. On this week's new episode, Tiffa

The Bittersweet Past: Seeking Wonder (with Andrea Scher)

What is wonder? And how does it affect your life? Perhaps most importantly, what can we do to harness it? In this episode from our archives, we are joined by Andrea Sch

Episode 642: Are Tiffany and Katy Grown-ups?

Last week we aired a fascinating and inspiring conversation with Julian Shapiro-Barnum about his new book How to Grow up without Becoming a Grown-up and his strategies fo

The Bittersweet Past: The Sounds You Love

In this episode from our archives, we ask our listeners: What are the sounds you truly love, not for how beautiful they are, but for what they mean? Sounds that, for what

Episode 641: How to Grow Up without Becoming a Grown-Up (w/Julian Shapiro-Barnum)

What can kids teach us about how to live? This is a topic close to the heart of today's guest, Julian Shapiro-Barnum. An actor and comedian, Julian is perhaps most known

The Bittersweet Past: Does Language Shape Your Thinking?

Does the language that we speak influence the way that our thoughts work? An article in the New York Times by Guy Deutcher, Does Your Language Shape How You Think? expl

Episode 640: Planning for the End (with Katy's sisters)

What does it feel like to plan for the end of your life when your only in your mid-50s?  Could you plan your own funeral/celebration of life?  What about going throug

The Bittersweet Past: Answering Listener Questions

We are proud to say that we have some of the most engaged listeners in the entire podcast world! We get lots of mail from our listeners, both comments and questions about

Episode 639: How Constraints Make Us Better (with David Epstein)

Today we sit down with David Epstein, environmental scientist, investigative journalist, and author of the new book, Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better. He jo

The Bittersweet Past: Contronyms—Do They Mean what You Think They Mean?

We all know what synonyms are, and probably antonyms too. But have you ever heard of contronyms? In this episode from our archives, Tiffany and Katy have a little fun p

Episode 638: Reverse Culture Shock: New York Edition

When you've lived abroad for as long as Tiffany has (22 years and counting), every trip back to your country of origins brings with it a hefty dose of reverse culture sho

The Bittersweet Past: The Listening Planet (with Martyn Stewart)

What does it take to capture the sounds of the world's rich and diverse wildlife? On this extraordinary interview from our archives, we are joined by sound and nature rec

Episode 637: A Musical Immigration Story (with Felipe Salles)

As hard as it is to succeed and thrive as a professional jazz musician, how much more challenging is it when the journey leads you to a new country—with new laws, new soc

The Bittersweet Past: The Friend, the Bread, and the Knife

When you're a longtime expat, do your friends back home move on? We discuss on this episode from our archives. Expats often make friends with other expats in their adop

Episode 636: How to Live Abroad Part-time (with Laurel Attanasio)

What happens when you dream of living by the sea in Italy but you are deeply connected to your home town and community? If you are like this week's guest, Laurel Attana

The Bittersweet Past: Resilience, Curisotiy, and a Very Important Pig (with Robert Fulghum)

Robert Fulghum is the author of 21 books and a writer whose career that has spanned multiple decades. On this episode from our archives, we share a deep and intimate conv