The Conversation You Didn't See Coming

We acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land we're recording on today.

Can you not argue with me when you haven't watched the show and I did.

You're so annoying somehow. I was like my hairdresser told me that that's what happened.

Hello, and welcome back to eat, Sleep, shit Repeat.

I'm in your ap edition. I'm Key Resells. I'm Kelly McCarron.

And while Key gallaghavants overseas, I'll just mope around in Sydneys. That don't mind me gallivant, sweetie. Oh, I like to say gallagavan.

Moving on. You knew exactly what I meant. Therefore it is a okay word to you. You are that mean? That's like I'm too old to care about making typos and messages. Deal with it.

Yeah.

I have been making a lot of typos in my messages early, so it's going on with my phone and I just don't care. I am an elderly gentleman.

You are. I'm no longer a middle aged white man. I'm now an.

Elderly Watch out, she's a boomer. I'm gonna stuck getting real ranky. This is the first episode in our Unhinged Keys on Holiday series is so welcome. Like, I don't know what this episode's actually called yet, I've simply called it conversations.

It's just a long form interview, like you tell me more? Are we the ABC all of a sudden, Isn't that what? That's very unbrand.

For me because I've been collecting great questions that I've just thought of or seen on the Internet as really good conversation starters, and I thought we would briefly touch on them today next minute. It's like three hours long, and I want you to join in on the conversation in our Facebook group or on Instagram. Well, of that tell me about someone who had a significant influence on you in your life, but they wouldn't know or realize that or even maybe remember you.

I do think about this quite a lot.

Realcause, well, yeah, I think there are a lot of people that were like really integral to who I've ended up being from like my really formative youe in primary.

School in New Zealand.

Oh that like I don't really have any contact now, but like I think.

It was just the.

Friends that I made in that primary school and their parents. It was like I went to this inner City Primary school and it was very artsy. Like from a young age, I was allowed to walk from school to my mum's work with another girl because I worked together. I just remember this whole time in my life, being really independent as a kid, but being exposed to like really different things, Like some of the parents are super arty. One was

So like I just hate to Jovah's Witness.

Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't a good mix, but like that timing was really quite pivotal in I.

Guess my exposure to like different people.

And I would say that my best friend growing up, her name was Ivy, and her.

Mum Billy was just so cool.

So her mum Billy worked at the school, and I was obviously always an after schoolcare and her mum ran the after school care, but I always stayed at the house, and like, I don't know, she was just so cool, like because she was a fashion designer. She'd let us like cut the Barbie doll's hair and like do the clothing. She also like let us watch the coolest movie so I feel like I have Like cry Baby was like one of my favorite movies growing up.

He's not just antisocial Jedi.

He was born to be bad, not having I believe with Johnny Depp.

Grab it's a Johnny Depp film, and it's just like, basically, this is back when he was hot.

I remember I saw like top of him back in the day, and he was hot, very very good looking.

But I feel like I was really exposed to a lot of cool art, different things than I ever would have been.

Like she was just a.

Really cool person and really cared a lot about me, and even she was a single mom to Ivy, like she'd always have me over and I always think about that. And I think I found Ivy on Instagram really weirdly, like when I was pregnant, I went back and tried to find all the people that I went to primary school with. It's so weird, it's so weird, but I found them all, and I found Ivy and started following

She's dedicated her life to.

Kids, like she still works with special needs kids now, and she's just like a really cool motherly figure in my life. Like I think, on reflection, a lot of the time, I realized that I did have these particularly women that really took an interest in me, because I think that they could see that you needed that, that I need that, and like if I wanted to come over or have a sleepover, like I was always just their second kid. It wasn't like a big thing to

That is so nice.

Yeah, yeah, you should reach out to Billy and let her know. You could send her an email.

I know I should, shouldn't I I just couldn't know, But think about it, if you were Billy, would you not want to know that?

Yes? So true.

I do follow her on Insta, Oh Billy is yeah. Yeah, And she was like I should, I should, and she was like, oh my god, you haven't changed. It's still the same as you were when you were a little girl, and I was just like, there's not many people who've known me since I was a little girl, you know, so it was like quite comforting.

I don't know, it was just really nice. And I think that, you know.

That was probably for four or five years of my life that they were in my life, and to think of them so much now at this age fondly, like it means it made a big impression on like who I am.

I love that, thanks so much, but random, but yeah, that's the truth. Okay, tell me about a person that's made a really big impact on your life that they might not.

Well, it's funny because as you were just talking about that, I did. I started thinking about all these different teachers that I had that were really impactful. But I'm going to stick to the person that first popped into my mind when I read that, because he would not remember me, I don't think. Yeah, this guy was the CEO of a company I worked for my first year out of UNI. This is a weird story, Like you're going to be like, how did this guy positively impact you?

I don't understand.

And I was terrible at my job. Yeah, but they just always encouraged me so much with my other things, Like they taught me how to do websites, and then they bought me my first domain and like set me up with a blog so that I could do it in my spare time.

That's encouraged it.

Anyway. I sucked so bad at my actual job though, that they ended up having to fire me because I really wasn't good and I made some quite bad mistakes.

I'm just thinking of free on below. Dam Bri. I'm sorry. Your lack of experience shows in you not being aware how a both works.

So they had to fire me. And in this firing you're like, why is this impacting you in a good way?

Being fired? Marcelo said to me.

Firstly, they wrote it off as a redundancy, so they a gave me a redundancy payout I didn't deserve or they didn't need to give me. I'd been their lesson.

A year out of will that they literally, out of the.

Goodness of their heart, they gave me a redundancy package and they passed off as a redundancy so I'd find it easier to get another job rather than having to say I'd been fired. And he sat me down, and he was like, I want to help you. And I was too stubborn and young and upset and embarrassed to take him up on it. But he was like, you are so passionate that when you figure out what you want to do, you're going to be so good at it.

Yeah. Yeah, I know you're.

Going to be successful with what you decide that you want to do. It's not this, yeah, but I just want you to know that, like, you're just so passionate that you just need to figure it out. And it's just really stayed with me because he was so right, and I it wasn't the first job that I had that I wasn't very good at, but I just think that having people like that, and also as a manager, you need to think about the person. I don't know what I'm trying to say, it's just that made an

No, you're right, because it's probably the first time that someone ever said to you you're capable, but you're shit at this at this, but when you find what you're really good at, you're going to be And it was.

Just really good advice. As well, that just because you're not good at this doesn't mean you're not going to be good at something else. And having belief in someone that much as well, someone that's not good at what you hired them to do, Well, that's the thing.

Saying like we're fine ring you and then actually taking the time to give you some feedback.

That's very rare.

Just cost some money. They were like, when you come back next week to like pick up your shit, we'd love to like sit down with you. Who are our contacts, who can we help you meet? Set up coffees with. That's what they wanted to do for me. They were the best people my solo on Malcolm Great, great chaps, Eminem, Yeah, Eminem, listen. They're definitely not shitters as they are middle aged white men. So maybe it was from them I got my confidence of a middle aged white man.

So true.

All right, I'm up, and I'm just gonna get this question out of the way. I feel like I need some control over it, because when you sent this roll, I was like, oh.

You could have just said that you didn't want to answer it.

No, I think I think it's good to answer. I think I can work through something here. And figure out what it might be.

What do you think people would say about you behind your back?

Oh?

My god, yeah, you're like, oh blah blah like you.

I couldn't kill it me.

I'm like rocking back and what would they say?

I love this question. They actually ask this question on The Imperfect. Oh. I love that podcast, and that's what made me want to put it in here. I just I love this question so much. I think that people would say she's wildly unhinged.

Yeah, but you say that anyway, Yeah, I do tell me something.

It was so funny because we were talking with some of my girlfriends. We found out, like this other girlfriend she loves to have a bitch every now and then she bitches about everyone. And we were just laughing because we were like, oh, what's worse to say about us? And I'm like, oh, I know what everyone would say about me. And then my girlfriend Belle was like that you're a cranky bitch, and I'm like, obviously.

Yeah, I'm so moody.

So people just bitch about how moody I am. I know how annoying it is. But it's also funny because I'm so aware of it, and I know that everyone around me is so aware. So I know that if I go on a girl's weekend, some of the girls will bitch about me for being a moody bitch. That's okay.

I deserve to be bitched about for being a moody bitch. Yeah.

People would say that I'm very obnoxious and annoying, which I am. I don't know if you hadn't, if you don't know me, I'm obnoxious.

I thought you're loud. I'm not saying that this is true.

However, I am. I am very cranky. I can sometimes be a bit ob nonxious and annoying.

Everyone can. Ye, Yeah, I'll give it to you. I'll give it to you, and that's pretty much it.

I'm pretty much afect otherwise, doesne I do things?

Oh? Actually, I do think some people probably think I'm stupid and might say that I'm stupid. Oh okay, But once again, I just think that's funny. Yeah, because you're not, because I know that I'm not, and I'm a little bit arrogant. I actually I am very arrogant.

I was like, that's a good one.

But I don't think people would say that about me because they don't. Is it arrogant or is it confidence not arrogant? With like my intelligence, I think I'm probably a little bit arrogant. It's only in my favor totally, because I will walk into a situation and know that people are probably like, oh, this chick is blonde with a big fake titties. Oh, but I think, well, I know that I'm smarter than a lot of those people.

Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. It's arrogance, that's arrogance. Yeah, but that's confidence slash arrogance.

Yeah.

Yeah, you tell me what you think people would say about you. Maybe I'll think of some more things.

Cut at the moment, I'm like, I can't imagine people would have that much bad things to say about me.

I remember the specific day that I realized that people would be bitching about.

Me, Like I know, I know, like obviously it gets bitched about all the time, obviously, but all the time.

But I had never considered it.

So I was like with a friend and we're having a little bit about someone, and then I just went in my head people about me?

What would they say? And I was just like, oh, no, never think about that again. Put that out of the head.

So were so funny when the question kept was like oh no, what's going You're like, now I've got to think about it, and now.

I'm going to think about it. I think people would say that I'm like hot and cold.

I think people would say that you overthink everything.

Yeah, well that's no do I overthink everything?

But I think hot and cold is one because I feel like, isn't that the same as moody or a slow burn?

Oh definitely, Like I see, definitely, I'll tell you what people say by I'll tell you what I said behind your back.

Well, I'm just like I don't open up easily to people. I like to put them through a few hurdles.

Not necessarily me making them do things like but watching them feeling like I can trust them or let them into like my inner circle or yeah, you know that kind of thing. So I think slow burn may be a bit hot and cold.

Definitely bitching though that's just a personality trait, okay, which is just that's also just like common, Like I say all the time when someone's like, oh my god, he was so funny on that episode, I'm like, fuck people, if you're not a regular listener or you don't know key that, well, you don't know how funny she is, I wouldn't be friends with I wouldn't work with her if she wasn't hilarious.

Obviously.

Obviously, I think people would say that I'm a little bit negative, so negative every time I leave Lucy Friend of the Pods after we've done a record, I'll just be like, I'm gonna do better next time.

I promise not to be so negative. I'm just like a negative Nancy. I am a little bit n negg. I'm on the nag train too.

Do you really care? Though, I'd be like, well, it's truth, and also, you know what, Lucy will give you seven years to your our age and then maybe you'll join us in our has a mystic.

Yeah, a real deep dark sadness.

I think people would say that maybe they might feel like a friendship is one sided or I don't make an effort, And it's not because I don't want to. It's because I when things are hard in my life, I tend to be very internal, kind of like close, and so that's one thing I'm always really conscious of as like, oh fuck, Like they probably.

Just actually get you're so shit at keeping like on top of your comms and stuff. Oh my god, I'm not supposed to be validating you, whether positive or negative.

You want to be neutral. You are shit. Actually, yes, yes, that's what you give me. You are arrogant. You are shit.

But I think that's what people would think, or I would worry that they would say, oh, she thinks her time's more important. Oh, she never gets back to me, when really it's like, oh, I'm just so overwhelmed by life in general that for me, I just have to be like I need to focus on getting up.

And moving in the morning. I can't think about anything else.

You don't have capacity for anything else, yeah, like mental capacity. But I do feel bad because then like every two months, I'm like on the blow.

Oh she's back, she's alive. Yeah, a little miss mooie.

What legacy or impact would you like to leave behind in the world. How would you like to be remembered by others?

I think just showing that.

Like you can overcome things and that you really are kind of the master of your own destiny.

Like I think, fuck you, you're so mean to me all the time, the master of your own destiny. Or I'm sorry, and I'll say it in a different way. To go get some crystals and will place them on you.

I just mean that like I was not given anything on a platter. No, you know, like everything that's happened is because I made it happen. And it's something that someone pointed out to me recently, like you've made all these things happen.

Like oh, yeah, you should be so proud. You did not have anyone legging you up in anything, and.

Not even just like in an encouragement capacity, Like I think that I just through Like how I'd want her to remember me was that Mum really did that, Like everything that she laid, she did it like she made things happen, and like I can do that too, And that's what I think, like with the pod that we do, like we talk about all of the things that we go through as mums.

But we get such nice messages when I said this morning, both cried about this feedback message this morning, so nice.

And I think that's a legacy. Is like I gave it a crack and.

I did my absolute best and sometimes it's amazing and sometimes it's just what I can do because there are people out there that just don't have the resources and things deduction, yeah to do things. So I think that I would want to be a role model for someone that maybe doesn't have that really big support system, like to be like okay, well you know, because that's how I feel about like makeup artists and entrepreneur Hillary Homes. She was like the first person I ever heard publicly

She's like a really successful makeup artist. She has her own makeup brand.

Shout out to Hillary, we need to pop the link in the show notes because every single product of hers is incredible, so good.

And I just think that like me, And all I did was got her Blush launch and heard her talk right, and I was like wow. And then I followed her and I was like, oh my god, she's a mum. She's got a couple of kids, hubby, Like, she's flying around the world developing new products. Like still this really dwn to earth person. I was like, okay, wow, Like it gives you a bit more ammunition to keep going.

And being like yeah, I can do this.

You want to do that for other people?

Definitely? What about you? What's your legacy? What do you want people to remember you by?

This sounds really shallow. Go on, I want to be remembered from my good TETs. It's like your face just sad. You're like, oh God, what's this idiot going to say? Now? I want to be remembered as being really fun.

Oh that's lovely.

I know that that's silly, but like, I like being someone that other people can be around for. The funny thing is that I am quite a grumpy, negative but.

You like to have fun.

A lot of love to have fun, and I do it with a smile most of the time.

Yeah.

So whether it's like this morning when I dropped lenof, I then went into the toddler room to like a different room to say hello to my niece, and all of the kids like raced over. I don't like kids that much, like, but they all like Evelyn's aunt Evelyn's aren't. And I'm like, hello, Harlow, Hello, blah blah blah, like sang hello to them all.

Yeah yeah, And then.

They're all telling me their stories and I'm like oh, and then I stand up and I'm like, those are all very boring stories children.

Unfortunately I have to leave so I can't listen to them anymore.

And then I just like walked down and one of the teachers just pissing herself laughing, and she's like, you're the only person that like all the kids run to when you come in. It's because I'm fun, Yeah, and I know that I am, so I'll be like, if one of them's got some fake food, I'll always pretend to eat it. And this is the thing, even though I don't particularly like children that much, and I always will try to be fun and have fun and bring vibes,

Basically, No, but I think like you're fun to be around, so people always want you in the mix.

Like, isn't that I get get into.

Things even when I'm not that close to people because I'm fine.

So he should be less fun and clean my schedule.

But like also then sometimes when I'm really not feeling that.

I'm like, oh, like they're expecting a lot and I'm.

Not bringing it expecting a lot and I can barely manage you to at this point. But yeah, I just think if I die and people talk about, oh, she was really fun, like I mean, they're certainly not going to be like, she was so nice, she was so happy.

She had really stable mood.

She was such a stable, well rounded human. They're not going to say that, are they. So yeah, fun makes people happy.

So I have a sneaking suspicion that we're going to have the same answer for this. What's a dream or goal you've always had but haven't pursued it yet? And what's holding you back?

Three two one common up comedy?

Oh yeah, same, that needs to be our twenty twenty five goal. Are it was this year's goal?

Oh? We were supposed to your classes together. Let's look at into it springs. Yeah yeah, okay, you wait what months August got fight? But we look at like spring class. We actually need to look at that.

Yeah, do like a little workshop. Okay, we're doing it.

This is great, but what is holding us back? Well, for me, it's none will show up or that I'm not funny enough to like hold it my own.

Do you think all the people that enroll in this class are actually funny? Oh no, But it's the dream is actually to be doing stand up. Anyone can do stand up? Have you seen how many comedians there are?

Yeah? I don't want to be shit though, but it doesn't matter.

You're up.

Well, people boom me, people don't boo, They just don't laugh. I don't know what's working. I don't know what's worth. I feel like a boo. You can then make a joke about the boom. Yeah, I don't know. Do you know what though?

Did you also watch Baby Reindeer? No? Okay, well he was a comedian. Neither his could be as bad as him. He was awful. Hello, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the com day.

I'm gonna go be under the wall there and change and when I shout out, you all got madam, welcome you to the stage.

How does that sound?

Oh?

Great one person?

Yeah, I think that's why he wrote about how awful. I'm kind of like he realized the premise. That is not the premise.

But he did fall in love with her, didn't he?

Yes? He did? No, he didn't. He did.

He had a dream about having sex with her.

He didn't. Actually, can you not.

Argue with me when you haven't watched the show and I did?

You're so annoying somehow, I was like, my hairdresser told me that that's what happened.

They had a dream about having sex with her.

Oh okay, understood, Dear lord.

I think it's the same reason why I haven't launched a comedy podcast yet, because I'm like, what if no one listens to it, at least with a person.

Like when I do something with you? For foulses on both of us.

It's not just on me.

Are the comedy duos? Yeah, like Haimer shen Andy.

Yeah, but this is like the Tales of Maladies and Misfortune needs to start with like season one in my mind, yeah, called Unhinged. I've already written all of the episodes.

What why don't you just do with that?

I haven't written the content, I've written the title.

And the probably just start with one episode and get it done, I know, and then I'll let you down easy.

You can't commit to one podcast episode? Well, I think just record one.

And see how see what the flow is. It's like a manuscript.

Okay, maybe while you're gone it'll be my little project. You go.

Oh you are gone at the moment, that's right. Oh yeah, you're in Europe.

What was your first experience with Louve?

With Louve, I honestly think and you're gonna be am.

I going to go get the crystals and throw them at you again. If you say, Charlie, well that's.

What I'm gonna say, because Kelly, it was the first time that my love had been fully reciprocated, like he loved everything about me, and before it was like I don't even count those stupid other ones.

But like, you know, had you been in the ten relationships before, we just won for like ten years and you don't think he loved you?

Not enough, okay, not enough to like commit in any way, and you were together for ten years. Yeah, because I was like I didn't want to commit anyway.

Who wants to commit?

And then I was like in the time that you were also moving overseas.

Yeah, so we like dated long distance.

Okay, So there was like a period where we didn't date for the one year that I was overseas a last year, but we dated like long distance for like three years.

I think I was in a lot of.

Lust before, but with Charlie, it was like a love because he was like he never judged me for anything. He never thought my dreams were too silly or like what I wanted to do was too silly. He gassed me up on everything. I remember when I got. I think I was with him when I got my job at show poor.

You were we just started dating, yeah, and he was like he was so cute, Like he sent me this like meme and it was like Drake singing a song.

Like that's so, it's so yeah, you like Charlie.

That's like a puzzle caddy sort of thing to do.

He is a puzzle caddy guy for sure.

Oh my god, Mum brought me a puzzle caddy for my birthday and I'm like, Mum, I already got one. You don't need to Honestly, you really don't need to puzzle cad to say.

One too many, Honestly, that's it.

I know that that's like so silly, but I nearly the thing is he is the person I have told the truth to about everything in my life. There's not one thing I've ever been like, oh, I don't want to tell him that without fear. I knew that I could tell him things that I had done or that had happened, and he would listen to them without judgment. And I think that is the first time I've been properly ever loved. I even said that in my wedding vowels.

Yeah, you did drug kidding.

I was. I'm just joking.

I mean I had a shot of tequila before I good for nerves. Well, the car had just caught on fire.

Everyone was out. What about you, I would say, I definitely don't count any You know when you have boyfriends in hoard school and I love you.

No, you don't know. You don't. Oh you don't.

I lost you because at least hormones stopped masturbating and humping everything.

But I do not love you.

I would say it was with my first boyfriend, like proper actual relationship. I was eighteen, had just moved to Sydney, moved on campus. Yeah, and it was just we're there for five or six years. I just don't think because we were both so young, we'd never been in love before, we'd never been in relationships before, both virgins.

Oh wow, And I just can't relate. That's what I didn't mean to say, like cart relate.

I was a lot younger, you old bet, but you're eighteen. This sounds really like I shouldn't probably even say this out loud, But I don't think that I will. I haven't or will never loved the way that I loved him and I will never love. I mean, we're at UNI. We didn't have many cares in the world, did we totally?

And which you're both first love like all of those.

I mean, yeah, that's discovering sex, discovering living with someone, discovering UNI, discovering living out of home, all.

Of that was together, discovering ghosts.

Yeah, yes, that is him that I'm referring to. So Luke and I met. He'd been jilted, I'd been jilted. We were older, we both had several relationships. It's not the same, it's so different. Yeah and yeah, So I just think that that would have definitely been my first experience and God to be like eighteen and in love. We used to share He was tall, like same as Luke. I'm tall. We shared a tiny single bed in a dorm.

That is actually really sweet.

It's just like how yeah that innocence.

Yeah, that's beautiful name. Wow, what do you wish you would have prioritized or focused on earlier?

Oh my goodness, that's so easy. What travel? Oh yeah, I've always been such a little and I mean I don't see the point in regretting different things, because it's like that's what you needed and wanted. I was, I've spoken about this before, very sheltered and very young.

Yeah.

So I just moved from home to living on campus, to living with a boyfriend, to living with another boyfriend, yeah, to living overseas with a boyfriend, and then I was single for not long. But I've always lived in sharehouses and I've always been very safe, and I've gone on holidays of course. Yeah, but I really.

Wish that I'd just spent a lot more time traveling.

And I've just always prioritized having fun and partying probably a little bit too much, and like looked forward to things on the weekend or things rather than being like, no, no, you're gonna knuckle down and save a lot of money and then go on a big epic trip or whatever. Yeah.

Yeah.

And then I've just to always had jobs that you can't really take and I've worried too much about that when it's like it's just a job.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

So that's why I always like, obviously Lenny will do whatever he wants, but the money that I'm putting aside for him now, for anything that he is involved with in terms of content, which isn't often, but if he is, I don't want him to spend it on a house or a car or UNI. I want to spend on travel.

Yeah, definitely.

I want him to go and really live. You know what I'd love him to do. I'd love him to go work on a yacht. I know him to be on a stewardos.

I didn't know that existed. I would have one hundred percent done it. My girlfriend did it. I'm so jealous. Why didn't people tell us how that existed?

Well, when I met her, it was like long before blowdeck was a thing, And when she would tell me about these adventures.

I was like, how did you even know that that was a job.

I think she knew someone that had done it. And then it's like a six week course that you've got to do with proper like simulation and yeah, yeah, yeah it's quite cool. And then yeah she got to travel the world.

That's wild.

Yeah so cool. Idea, what about you? Because you did it all you did career, did travel?

Yeah, I know, And I just I wouldn't have been able to like finish my degree as well do you know what I mean, Like, I just don't know if I would have had enough time to.

Prioritize anything else, maybe my friendships a little bit more. I feel like when I went.

Overseas, I kind of just dipped, like I really focused on being overseas and meeting new people and like kind of thing.

But maybe I that hasn't impacted them long term, so I know it hasn't. So nothing.

Oh, probably saving like I've been in a better financial position now, but it would have come at the cost of something else.

So the thing, it's like, it's at the cost of relationships but not ones that I'd still have now, and jobs, like none of them were important the same.

I always do you think about like when I was moving home from New York, I almost moved to London.

Ooh, think about that sliding doors known obviously I'm so happy with the way like everything turned out.

Oh my god, you well you knew Charlie, Yeah, Charlie, you got the job at Showpeo, you met.

Me, yeah, exactly, Hello, got married at baby another one on the way on the one. But I always think about, like what would have happened had I done that, because it's very strange like I always think about it's very strange that I now live in Australia and I have a pretty normal, like very regular, regular old Joe life.

Stro my life.

Yeah, there's so much um follow the path less traveled, blah blah blah, and you sound it's funny because you'll be like, oh, you've just got like a really normal life. But there's actually nothing wrong with that, and with that comes a lot of comfort, yeah, and feelings of instrinsic joy. Well.

I always said, oh god, I just wish I would have been happy to like stay in one place, like the bliss of of having enough, you know, like you have that now.

I have that now exactly. So I think that that's a really nice thing about it is you get.

That perspective and you realize like that world still exists out there and you can dip in and dip out, but you've got your.

Little community is such a big thing. Yeah, people, all of that stuff. So yeah, I guess nothing. I love that.

It's nice to hear you be positive about something. A life well lived.

My dear, thank you so much.

What is the most memorable book you've ever read and what impact did it have on you?

Oh, it's recent. I think I've spoken about this. Oh, if it's a.

Lame parenting one, I'm going to throw It's.

Not, it's not. I can't remember the name of this book.

What's it about? And I'll tell you what book it was.

No, I don't think you'd know it was written by a black author.

Oh is it such a fun age?

Your name's Riley Hiley?

Read? Yeah, Riley highly read and also loll as if you would know it, Kelly, are you silly old woman? Oh? Well, first one, I guessed, And this is why it was so eye opening for me. Can you talk to me about this book? Because I only got a few chapters in and then I got bored, which then I was like uncomfortable with being bored because I was like, am I being racist by being bored? Well?

No, I think that what it is is having the awareness, right, Because there's another influencer who reviews books from time to time, and she put this book up and was like, yeah, I didn't really enjoy it.

It has like really basic language, and I was like, that was the point. It's not written for you, But that was the she wrote it from that perspective.

Exactly, and I just did someone seriously not get that. It wasn't so much about the book.

It was about the fact that I realized I was reading from a perspective that's similar to my own. So how this character walked out of her front door and now life as a black woman. The talk about hair, about skin color, about how people perceived you, these little things that happen all the time in my daily life had never been articulated before in a book written on paper.

Be, which is crazy to me. And she wrote back and she said, I had it back to you.

Yeah, she said I had the exact same experience, and that's like, yeah, partly why I became a writer. And then she's like, you need to read these books, which is amazing. Yeah, through three of them, I've got two left. I'm going to take one overseas with me.

I wonder if I could tell you what some of them are that she do.

We're not doing this again, okay, anyway, she's a supportive sister queen over there.

It's only because well, also, you're such a book buff that I'm such a book buff, and I do try to behind the scenes do when the Black Lives Matter movement happens. This is off topic, but a few years ago and everyone was posting those fucking squares and I was like, oh, for goodness sake, what I did was I spent a couple of days researching into important books and essays and podcasts that people could listen to if

And that was just why I think this book was so significant to me, because I thought that I was pretty switched on with me and exploring my connection to culture and all of those different things. And then I just opened a book one day and I went, oh, my god, there's a hole.

You can be switched on though, but you've still never read an actual novel through the lens of your own experience exactly.

And it was just so I don't know, there was just.

Something so easy about it, Like I can imagine myself and her shoes, like so often when I'm reading a book, I'm just like, you know, and they're describing the person what they look like, and I'm like, oh, that's just not me. Not that you need to be the character, but I just think it was just a really life changing moment for me.

I've got somewhere over in my bookshelf. Maybe I need to hunt it out and give it another.

Go and try to read it.

I never thought to read it through the eyes of how I would feel as a black woman living life. Like I just started reading it and I'm like, oh, this is just a book. I'm not really getting into the plot. Yeah, but maybe I need to give it another go. Now, Yeah, give it a go, but then you'll have to give my one to go.

All right, what is it? I actually don't know if I can between the top two.

Can I do it quickly? Can I do it quickly?

Okay, We're not going to make you bick.

Okay, hold on, I just have to go get one of them because I want you to see how many times it's been read. Oh my God, talk me through it.

Is it a romance novel? No, it just looks like it from the outside.

Okay. Despite her fairy tale childhood of extravagant wealth and royal privilege, Amia accepts that she will be sold into marriage and that she will never be able to step outside her house without being swathed in black veils. But she's not prepared for the savagery of her husband she first meets on her wedding night, or the increasingly abusive

Yet Amia must always live with a.

Terrifying threat of her past and her ruthless husband catching up with her. It is a powerful story of love and revenge and a moving tribute to the strength and endurance of women who defy the yoke of male dominance.

Wow.

So I first read this when I was early teen, I'd say, like maybe eleven or twelve. Yeah, And I've just read it clearly that many times since. And I'd say that the reason this book impacted me so much is because it, I guess, opened my eyes to the inequalities around the world, that not everyone was as lucky as me. So it's based in a Muslim country, so and very like there's stoning and shit in this book. Like I don't know what language to use about this properly.

Maybe I'll read it. Got it on my kindle.

I'm not giving you my copy in case anything happened to it. It's called Mirage by I can't even pronounce the name. So I'm so apologetic. H So, how kassogi it's really hard to find?

Oh really?

Yeah, So that's why I'm like, you know, not heavy wight. No, I wouldn't have a take I will try to find a link. The other book, A lot more people would have heard of this or recommend it. It's called The Five People You Meet in Heaven. It's by someone called Mitch ah Grief One. This book. I never read it, even though I saw it on lists of people's favorite books or impactful books or whatever, because I was like, Eh, I don't want to read a god book. It's not

Is it sad? No, it's happy sad?

Well, neither, it's very sad, but it's written through positive I don't know, I don't really know how to describe it. It's beautiful.

Yeah, no, that makes sense. And now I want to read both of these books.

You're not having this one. I'll try to find you the copy the other one. Oh, thank you, all right, last one, no, last one. What is something that you are passionate about and how did you discover that passion? Okay, well this just inspired me. Oh we just were talking about books books reading.

Yeah.

I have always, always, always been a really good reader. My parents encouraged it from such a young age. My part apparently he passed when I was five, so four or five. He apparently would read to me all the time. He loved to read, and I would go and get books and it was just my favorite thing to do when I was really little.

It's really cute.

And then I was just a really good reader. Like It's something I picked up very quickly, probably because I've enjoyed it so much. And so I was reading like short the Little Sister Big Sister books before I even got to school because Mum would be ordering them. And yeah, like I was just a very very good reader. And I used to read.

Fifteen books a week.

And I know that because we went to the library every single week one afternoon after school and I was allowed twelve books on my own membership card. And then Mum and em would generally let me have a few, so that's where I would get my fifteen. Oh, and I would read all of them in that week. That is wild, Listen, I didn't have many other things to do. I didn't have many friends. This was in private school. I was bullied, didn't have friends. Still, Like, how wonderful that you could just lose.

Yourself in books.

Oh, I've always just loved them. And I've always because I'm a very good reader. I've always been a very fast reader, which is good in some ways. And I think it comes down to, like I'll hyper fixate on something and I actually won't be able to put it down. So I would be walking to school reading my book, a little loser with my really thing, and that is cute. Thank god audible books exist now so I can walk without my head in a book.

Yeah, and laser and laser without the thick glasses.

No, there's anything wrong with thick glasses.

I mean the moment.

It's annoying though, because it's quite an expensive habit. Really, I really smashed through the books quite quickly because I'm fast.

Yeah, quick, like Luke. Sometimes.

We've been on holidays before quite a long time ago, and He'll be like.

I mean, who's standing between you and a holidays?

I think you not just start that book a few hours ago and I'll have been like finishing it. So I'm just very quick, which allows me to absorb a lot more. And if I'm listening to a book, which thank God for audio books, I know, and.

To audio books, I just don't know if I'd enjoy them as much.

It's a specific type of book though. There are some that I will only read, and there are some if it's an easy like thriller, I don't need to read that. It's like listening to your podcast or just listen to it really enjoy the story. I like long form content like that because I don't know. I don't want to just listen to something it goes for an hour. I want to listen to long form content. And I listened to things at one point five speed, which makes things fast as well.

That is just wild.

I consume things quickly. I often wish that TV could be quicker. I think that's why I don't watch a bunch of TV because it's not fast enough. Well.

Also a lot of the suspense and the thrillers in the pauses, so you're like quick, we don't need these posts. I don't care. You could have shaved several seconds off here.

So yes, that's what I would say. I am very passional passionate. It's a very strong word.

A strong word, yeah, but it's a great word.

And i'd say, like I've read like most people's top fifty list or whatever, I would have read a lot so I can have I saw this challenge on TikTok and it's like eight z books of the year, like how many books have you read this year? From the alphabet? And I could fill it up already.

I'm so jealous. I'm so jealous.

Why are you jealous?

I just do not have the time.

Yeah, but I think that there's a level of snobbery in people's assumption about reading. What do you mean, like you think, oh, it's so good that you're reading, it's such a good habit to have or.

Why so why?

I don't know.

I just don't think they're well read.

It's that's inherent snobbiness.

Though. It is a little bit, but it's a stop to get around I know. But it's not classes. Though.

It's not classes because for people who don't have access to all of the tech and all of that. They can go to a local library and get books or books from a cafe or whatever, like, yeah, it actually isn't I think it is actually very inclusive.

Okay, I do think so.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just careful with it because I never want to be like braggy, like I always have to caveat that with like because I just feel.

Like it's something that people it's become this weird flex with like book talking. It is a flex. Get it like, it is a flex.

But I think it's one that I'm willing to get around because I do think reading does have a big impact on you.

Can I show you. I'm willing to admit this. I'm a bit of a hypocrite, so I'm like, oh, I just don't really like book snobs when people. When people are like, oh, yeah, I'm such an avid reader. I've read all of the Colleen Hooper books, I'm like, oh, for Christ's sake, that does not count.

The books are terrible. You are a true book I actually am.

Sometimes Yeah it's okay, but I love that you don't want anyone to feel excluded or like that someone since.

They don't read. I'm like I don't care. Yeah, I think it's fine. I just really enjoy reading and I just don't do it.

I'm like, God, to be fair, I'd probably get a lot more done if I didn't read.

So I know, I just just like and I love getting recommendations from people.

I'm part of, like a lot of little Facebook groups that we discuss the recommendation stop.

Did you think of one that you're passionate about?

Puzzling is another?

You have a lot of hobbies, I do. I am a hobby queen. I don't have that many hobbies. I guess they're like, this is going to be lame. Cooking. I think I got really into it, maybe just a couple of years ago, like it's a recent thing.

Are you a good cook? Yes, I've eaten a sandwich of yours before that was yummy, and I know you've been doing dinnerly, but that's like hard to I'm a good cook, Okay, It's just sometimes you cook things and they don't look very Are you joking? Those weird healthy muffins that you made the kids And Lenny just looked.

At it and was like, absolutely not.

Look, I don't make a lot of yummy stuff for the kids in the house. It's all bland with no fucking sugar, is very healthy shit. And then they come to me for the trek and they're like, girl, no, I think that cooking brings me a lot of joy because honestly, it like makes me really relax.

Yeah.

Like Charlie's like, do you want to do bed and bath tonight? And I'll cook and I'm like, no, no, no, no, you do that.

I've got this.

It's all right, I'll do it. I'll do it.

But then in my mind, I'm like, it's so relaxing. Like I put one of my records on I'm doing my cooking. There's just something about it that I find really relaxing. And then right at the end, I'm just like, oh my god, this is amazing. And you love eating, so I love, love love food. I also really love baking. That's something that I don't do as much.

I need to try something of yours that is do you my.

Orange and almond cake? And it is so moist. Oh yeah, it's really good.

Oh yeah without gluten you're just using armameal dults. It's like the most perfect cake for that. But I just really am passionate about it. And that's why I think I've been really liking Dinnerly because it's making me like I wouldn't have dentrists, yeah, because I wouldn't have time during the week to like think of a recipe, make sure I've got all the ingredients, blah blah blah blah.

Also, people can't afford and they don't want the food waste of going, Oh, I really want to try these Caribbean tacos, Like I've got to go buy sixty million different exactly for that, and then they'd all go to waste because you only need a little bit of everything.

Yeah, And I liked it, and I said, this is one of the store as that I put up. Was like it's making me more confident and adventurous in the kitchen, Like I love sitting down with the recipe book and looking through recipes. Like I always take those free magazines from like Coals or Waies or Harris Farm.

To look at like you know, oh, I like to do that. Yeah, And like I always will dogg.

Ear them for Christmas and I'll make one of those recipes for Christmas or something.

So like I don't know, I just really enjoy it. I feel like it's really calming for me.

I love that. I think that's a great passion. Yeah, because it's useful.

It's reading usul. Reading's great, reading's good sorts of conversation. You can make friends. You can't make friends with salad.

I love people that cook, cook and that enjoy cooking because you know it's not a chore for them to do it. Yeah, people want me to cook for them. They know that I'm doing it gritting my teeth because I don't enjoy like I do it.

Why don't you enjoy it? I just I don't care. Do you prep all of the ingredients before you start cooking?

What do you mean? Like?

Do you cut up everything before you start cooking? That annoys me even having to do that, But that is what changed cooking for me. It's because if you prep all of the ingredients first, you're just going like this. I find you're just really stirring at it. It is fine, its stressful.

I like it when it's something like dinnerly because I'm not having to think, and then I can listen to or a podcast while I'm doing I just don't care. And I generally have to make a version for all three of this.

Oh yeah, see, Charlie just eats vegetarian.

Luke would, but I have to make meat for land anyway, so I make both of them meat fair. I do enjoy the end of product, of course.

Oh it's delicious, yum me.

That was a little bit of a different episode. It was. I really enjoyed it.

I feel like I got to know you a little bit more.

What surprised you the most about that conversation? Was it my well read mirage?

Honestly, I really want to read that book now. I don't know if it's just always nice to have like a deeper conversation with friends.

This is what I would. Someone say something like that to me, then ask me what I've been doing lately. I know any day of the week I cringe away from I just I don't know how to even talk.

Yeah. No, I really love these conversation starters. I think they're really great. I always would be like conversation Carns, But now I'm.

Kind of like, actually, you've made my brain think in a different way, and for that I'm very happy.

That's what I aim to do.

Well, that's all I've got time for today, folks. He's gonna go back to a holidays. I've got to go back to uh where am I right now?

The Netherlands, I don't know, somewhere, So we know she's off having a gallaghervanting, having a wonderful time, probably pushing a stroller going yeah. Probably.

But if you like today's episode, if you like just Us in general the show, make sure you rate and review us. It really helps other people find our show and join our lovely community.

Of shit, is it? Sure does.

This episode was produced by myself, he Resells, and Kelly mccharen, with audio production by the lovely Madeline Joanna.

I've given up to talking, That's why I just made you do that, Barbie.

Are you not going to say anything?

M hm