The Bittersweet Life

Episode 649: How a Place Changes You, Part 1

Can living in a foreign country or even a different city from where you grew up dramatically change your life and even your personality? A letter from a listener sparke

The Bittersweet Past: Have You Ever Heard a Rat Laugh?

It's finally Halloween season, and to assuage the fears of anyone who is afraid of rats (like Tiffany!) Katy shares a fascinating and little-known recording of rat laught

Episode 648: Misperceiving Italy

A cringy AI-generated ad that touts a gimmicky protein pasta as "just like in Italy!" makes us wonder: what are the worst misperceptions around Italian culture, food, and

The Bittersweet Past: The Joy of Anticipating Travel

Some psychologists say that anticipation of a desired event can often bring more happiness than experiencing the event itself. And if that's the case, can we conclude tha

Episode 647: How to Vote from Abroad in US Elections

The US mid-term elections are just around the corner, and it's important to know that Americans living or studying abroad can vote from whereever they happen to be! (And

The Bittersweet Past: A Walk through Trastevere

On this episode from way way back in the early archives of the show, Tiffany and Katy take listeners on a walking tour of their favorite Roman neighborhood, Trastevere.

Episode 646: Celebrating Life while You're Alive (with Katy's sisters)

Today we're joined by Katy's sisters, Dana and Sara, to chat about what's on the horizon for Dana, considering her diagnosis of terminal brain cancer last year.  As alw

The Bittersweet Past: Who Is Rome for?

In cities like Rome, tourists are part of the city's identity, its reality, its way of life. When they go away—and don't come back—the city will inevitably change and ada

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