This week, Kate starts by talking about water table culture, Le Creuset mystery boxes, and attempting to reclaim her adult hobbies, then she’s joined by Katie Gatti Tassin (Money with Katie, Diabolical Lies) to talk about her book Rich Girl Nation, which analyzes the unique experiences women have with money and discusses a variety of fascinating cultural, economic, social and financial intersections related to navigating capitalism as a woman. They talk about the co-opting of investment terminol...
Jul 06, 2025•51 min
This week, Kate reviews America's Sweethearts season 2 on Netflix and tells the tale of how last year's Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders episode became one of BTI5's biggest hits— and biggest headaches. When current DCC members flooded her TikTok comments defending themselves against former teammate Victoria's mild birthday party observations, Kate found herself thunderstruck by cheerleader drama she never saw coming, and she'll never be the same. A year later, Kate returns to process what really wen...
Jun 27, 2025•1 hr
This week, Kate is joined by Nora Princiotti (host of Every Single Album, author of Hit Girls) to talk about the women who built pop's shiniest decade, like Taylor, Britney, Avril, Ashlee, Beyonce, and beyond. First, they tackle the news that Taylor Swift now owns her masters, then discuss some thoughts about Reputation TV and TS12 clownery, and it doesn't take long for Kate to interject and defend her Be There in Five Holes in a Fence era. Then, Nora shares what inspired her new book Hit Girls ...
Jun 22, 2025•55 min
This week, Kate tries a tri-deep dive connecting Addison Rae's evolution, Y2K's one-hit wonders, and the overlap of both TRL and Tiktok's pop generations. Through Addison's candid interviews about stepping away from constant content creation, Kate explores how the machine that once discarded the forgotten pop girls of the early 2000s is long gone... or is it? Kate argues that while social media promised to democratize fame, it's actually created a more insidious system where creators internalize...
Jun 08, 2025•1 hr 53 min
Join Kate on all eight of her days trying to Eat Pray Love. Back to reg programming next episode. Enjoy! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here ! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HEY-BETH! Check out loveamika.com/bethereinfive for my favorites. And for May they are giving my listeners a one-time use code for 15% off your first order through the end of May. Just go to loveamika.com/bethereinfive and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout....
Jun 01, 2025•50 min
This week, Kate is joined by her sister Kelly for a classic nostalgic crowdsourced ep with big yearbook staff energy. Listeners submitted their tales related to graduation, senior week, prom, senior pranks, local traditions gone awry, and so much more. Enjoy! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HEY-BETH! Did you know all of your favorite podcasts, including Be There in Five are on Amazon Music ? All you have to say is ‘Alexa, play the podcast Be There In Five on Amazon Music.’ Or if you’re...
May 25, 2025•52 min
Kate's having a rough week, so she called in reinforcements (Nora McInerny) to help her discuss the new season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, but not before they discuss other pressing pop culture topics like the new pope. Enjoy! For May Amika is giving my listeners a one-time use code for 15% off your first order through the end of May. Just go to loveamika.com/bethereinfive and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout. Go to helixsleep.com/bethereinfive for the Memorial Day Sale, which is 27% ...
May 18, 2025•47 min
This week, Kate unpacks the art, science, and history of gossip with Kelsey McKinney (from the beloved podcast Normal Gossip and author of NYT bestselling book You Didn't Hear This From Me). They explore a variety of angles for this topic, such as how dismissing gossip as "women's talk" has historically been a tool of patriarchal control, religious institutions, or corporations, etc., and how gossip networks have actually served as feminist resistance channels throughout history. They also exami...
Apr 27, 2025•1 hr 40 min
This week, Kate delves into Katy Perry's career decline, but not before being wrongly accused of a crime she didn’t commit, and the exchange unfolds in real time for listeners. She also reviews how space is, like, shockingly close, and how Blue Origin girl bossed too close to the moon and may have landed on earth, but the faux feminist PR machine didn’t land with the gen pop. She also snorkels through her accidental Isabella brunette moment this week that led to some introspection about maintain...
Apr 20, 2025•1 hr 42 min
This week, Kate and (esteemed author/podcaster/friend) Nora McInerny answer a few Katelilah voicemails in between meandering conversations about spatial awareness, nostalgia, White Lotus, childhood friendships, Jersey Mikes, modern teenagers, the experience of trying on shoes in a store, and so much more! Enjoy! Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here ! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HEY-BETH! For April, Amika is giving the Beths a one-time use code for 15% off you...
Apr 13, 2025•1 hr 34 min
This week, Sami Sage is back on the podcast (friend and co-founder of Betches Media), and she and Kate meander through a variety of topics, like searching for purpose in your 20s, Hermes/Birkin appointment culture, the democracy debacle, their fav designer/mid-range handbags, and Sami's go-to leather influencer. After Sami gives some hot takes about The Row, toward the end, they recap the #1 show on Netflix right now called Adolescence, and they chat about how online radicalization affects young...
Mar 30, 2025•1 hr 54 min
This week, we're deep diving PepsiCo's $1.95 billion acquisition of the prebiotic soda brand Poppi, discussing the shift towards health-conscious beverages and their potentially misleading claims, and digging into influencer-adjacent beverage drama like cheater brands, "vending machine gate" and rumors about if the investments of Alex Cooper and Alix Earle in beverage companies have something to do with their public falling out (and Alix being "dropped" from the Unwell network). This deep dive t...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 58 min
This week, Kate reviews Meghan Markle (Sussex?)'s new show: With Love, Meghan. Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here ! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HEY-BETH! Because Amika loves Be There in Five listeners as much as we love them, they’re giving you a one-time use code for 20% off your first order through the end of March. Just go to loveamika.com/bethereinfive and use code BETHEREINFIVE at checkout....
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 45 min
This week, Kate is joined by the Pop Apologists, sisters Lauren Atkinson and Chandler Bledsoe to discuss a variety of pop culture-adjacent topics, e.g., their fascination with Mormonism in media, the Lisa Barlow paradox, the rise of Salt Lake City as a cultural moment, and how growing up in a conservative environment shaped their reality TV obsession. After that, the trio unpacks the Meghan Markle discourse, the internet's obsession with Kate Middleton’s whereabouts in 2024, and what really went...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 35 min
This week, Kate welcomes Chelsea Anderson, the creator behind viral Instagram and TikTok accounts (@chelsea_explains and @chelseaexplainsitall, respectively). Chelsea shares some of the tips that contributed to her meteoric rise, like clever hacks and insights for parents and babysitters alike—and how this is actually not all that related to her day job. They delve into her unique ability to remember childhood thoughts and feelings, which helps her create engaging content for kids. She shares so...
Feb 23, 2025•1 hr 40 min
This week (in honor of Galentine's Day), Kate reflects on the sentimental and chaotic rituals of getting ready with girlfriends before going out (or out-out). She explores the excitement and economics of the going-out top/designer denim combo, the deeper connections forged at pregames, the cultural pressures and beauty standards of the mid-2000s, and shares memories of bonding over makeup, clothes, and shared anticipation. In the second half, listeners sent in their going out anecdotes, revealin...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 49 min
This week, Kate and her sister give One in a Millennial one last hurrah in honor of its paperback release by sharing some more behind-the-scenes nostalgia and adding context from their two millennial lives that shaped how the book came to be. Kelly asks Kate questions relating to lots of never-before-shared details, e.g. the metaphorical significance of opening the book inside a shopping mall, examples of cut chapters and concepts, honoring their mutual experiences being routinely friend-zoned, ...
Feb 02, 2025•1 hr 37 min
This week, Kate’s sisters-in-law are back on the pod for a lighthearted convo about a variety of topics in the second half of the episode, like following up on some One Hit Mumbler news, discussing golf course misogyny, what we’d choose as our grift of choice if we lean into the swindler’s economy, the dark side of chocolate, trend fatigue, 90s chain letters, etc. Kate opens by touching on a topic that they discuss later in the ep, in terms of struggling to navigate parenting and self-care in th...
Jan 27, 2025•2 hr 10 min
This week, Kate reviews the PR “smear campaign” half of the complex legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, delving into the concept of astroturfing, its relevance to Amber Heard and Meghan Markle, and details the “he said/she said” of the PR warfare detailed in the lawsuits. Then, Kate interviews attorney/former litigator Alex Mack for some legal insights/clarifications about the case to ensure she’s not entirely off base when reading through so much legal paperwork. Tune in to th...
Jan 12, 2025•2 hr 22 min
This week, we kick off 2025 with a classic BTI5 deep dive, investigating the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni controversy surrounding the film It Ends with Us. Kate unravels layers of legal filings, allegations of workplace harassment, and claims of PR warfare, and examines the charges from both sides. She also delves into the intricacies of their respective lawsuits, the timeline, and the broader issues at stake with media manipulation and astroturfing. Come back for part 2 when she dives more i...
Jan 06, 2025•2 hr 19 min
This week, Kate recaps some of 2024’s least notable micro-trends, goes through her embarrassing purchases from the Tiktok shop, admits some of her shameful habits in the spirit of the “we listen and we don’t judge” trend, contemplates the vibe of Taylor Swift being thrown a Taylor Swift-themed party, discusses her concern for when lyrics about someone being blue border on a HIPAA violation, then reviews Pinterest Predicts for 2025’s forecasted trends, but not before taking United Airlines and Na...
Dec 22, 2024•1 hr 47 min
In this episode, Kate provides personal reflections about the past 21 months of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour fanfare, online and IRL, then reads listener-submitted stories about major moments and memories associated with the tour. Sweet, sentimental, and sometimes sad, but a beautiful reminder of how pop culture and fangirls are so much *more* than meets the cat-eye. Enjoy! SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here ! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HE...
Dec 16, 2024•2 hr 10 min
This week, Kate begins by recapping her experience seeing Wicked twice and shares her favorite Easter eggs, then answers listener voicemails that are a combination of nostalgic pop culture, millennial travel icons, and a witchy women’s studies lesson. In this episode, Kate reassures listeners that when America decides, it’s not always on our side, as evidenced by many years of questionable voting behavior from the majority that brought us the Soul Patrol on American Idol. Then she pilots somethi...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 33 min
An episode full of fun, fandom, and frisson where Kate and her guest, Caroline Moss, discuss their hot takes about Broadway musicals, but pepper in plenty of tangents from Babysitter’s Club to The Beets (from Doug) and beyond. The majority of this episode is in honor of this weekend’s long-awaited premiere of Wicked, and they talk through some Wicked lore, detail their favorite Elphabas, and walk through brain-scratching clips of different pre-approved riffs Elphie can use for her final “battle ...
Nov 21, 2024•2 hr 6 min
**Original air date 11/10. Sorry if this is duplicated elsewhere, had to upload another version because some pod catchers are missing the episode** This week, Kate is joined by “America’s Government Teacher” Sharon McMahon of @sharonsaysso and NYT bestselling author of The Small and the Mighty. The first half of the episode contains some of Kate’s off the cuff thoughts / existential spirals following the election results and the second half of the episode is a nonpartisan discussion (FYI recorde...
Nov 14, 2024
In this bonus episode, Kate discusses the impact of reproductive rights on millennial women ahead of the 2024 election, and uses experts and real-life stories to showcase how prioritizing a highly interconnected system of rights and freedoms impacting half the population is the farthest thing from a “single issue.” This episode has three parts: 00:00 Kate’s intro about the multi-faceted nature of reproductive freedom and millennials’ unique position re: being child-bearing age when the U.S. Supr...
Nov 01, 2024•2 hr 19 min
It's All Hallows Eve, and Kate has crowd-sourced listener ghost stories to hear about your interactions with the other side. First, she details her fascination with ghost fashions, witchy rituals at sleepovers, and millennials' collective obsession with fall; then, she dives into your paranormal-core sightings—episode 1 of 2 this week. Enjoy! Order Kate's NYT Bestselling book, One in a Millennial here ! Text or leave a voicemail for Kate at 775-HEY-BETH! Thank you to AllModern for furnishing Kat...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 45 min
This week, Kate is joined by her sister Kelly, live from their attempt to do an incredibly hard viral dance move that the internet gaslit them into believing would be easy. In this episode, they mostly revisit The Tortured Poets Department for the first time on-air since they recorded their reaction video in April and update listeners on their favorite spins, skips, and sentimental lyrics that helped them reminisce, rage, or ruminate from their headphones in different ways. From TikTok dances an...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 54 min
Kate’s under the weather but over the moon to do some nostalgic reminiscing about staying home sick as a kid with a bed pillow on the couch, knowing exaggerating symptoms may be wrong but at least she got to watch The Price is Right. Then, she crowdsources wellness related Old Wives Tales/urban legends, and fact checks them live on-air, like if wet hair in the cold makes you sick, you shouldn’t swim after you eat, or if cracking your knuckles makes them bigger. News you can use! Sick! SUPPORT OU...
Oct 13, 2024•1 hr 23 min
In this episode, we're joined by Ashley Spencer, author of Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire. She shares her four-year journey researching Disney becoming the choice tween TV channel, and shares details from her interviews with former executives and cast/crew members, like the infamous Hilary Duff and LaLaine fallout or how the Zac/Vanessa High School Musical romance came to be IRL. We explore Disney's internal culture and show development, the r...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 39 min
