Pessimistic at Best - podcast cover

Pessimistic at Best

Welcome to Pessimistic at Best, a podcast for those with a penchant for frequent frustrations, personal gripes, unpopular opinions, honest observations, and the like. Hosted by Sam, your resident Pessimistic Patty, this weekly show dares to ask the question—have we tried listening to women?

Each week, Sam sits down with a guest to explore the good, the bad, and the ugly. A surprisingly good country album by your favorite pop artist, a bad bang trim you gave yourself during a manic episode, a military homecoming video on the internet that made you ugly cry. The list is endless, and therein lies the beauty. Come on in, we saved you a seat!

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Episodes

So, We’re Thinking About Getting a Roomba

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) So, we have news, we’re thinking about getting a Roomba. I know, this is a big step, but I assure you—we’ve thought long and hard about this. You see, after conducting an extensive amount of research, we’ve come to the conclusion that simply can’t carry on living this miserable, Roomba-less life any longer. We’re adults, and adults have Roombas. It’s as simple as that. Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @pessimisticatbest...

Nov 02, 202142 min

Two Rotisserie Chickens, Please

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Note to self, if you’re purchasing a rotisserie chicken (or two), don’t use the self-checkout. Happy almost November! Here we are, in the throes of cold and flu season—I’m sick, you’re sick and we’re all just sipping our tea, slurping our soup, and hoping for the fucking best. But on the bright side, the Holidays are just around the corner and we don’t know about you, but we’re excited! So, grab a drumstick and join us as we tease our Halloween ...

Oct 26, 202141 min

Nothing like a Little Hangxiety on a Sunday

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Truly nothing like a persistent 24-hour hangover to set the tone for some extremely terrifying Sunday scaries—am I right, ladies? James and I went out for the Badger game last weekend and I managed to drink a little too much on a relatively empty stomach and well, you know what they say, you reap what you sow. Anyway, come and work through your mid-week depression with us as we prepare to do it all over again next weekend, hooray! Get silly with...

Oct 19, 202137 min

Was It Life-Changing?

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) If you're wondering whose podcast this even is at this point, you're not alone! My friend Joe takes the reins on this week's episode per absolutely no one's request, but hey, at least he's interesting. We chat about his time in China, the grudge he's been holding since we previously roasted him on the pod for his poor travel planning tendencies, and his weird obsession with my dad. P.S. If you listen all the way to the end you’ll find out which ...

Oct 12, 20211 hr 23 min

Early Bird Gets the Worm, or Whatever

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Davis’ first alarm goes off at 4:45 every morning but he doesn’t drink coffee—like, comment, and subscribe if you think that seems sus! On this week’s epi, Davis and I discuss our morning routines, argue over bottled water rankings, and share in our absolute love for movin’ and groovin’ on the dance floor. Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @pessimisticatbest Website: pessimisticatbest.com FOLLOW SAMANTHA Instagram: @samg...

Oct 05, 20211 hr 13 min

Flannel for Fall? Groundbreaking

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) James and I just got back from the Apostle Islands where the only coffee shop in town was closed, everyone was wearing flannel, and all of the restaurants were closed by 7pm. Don’t get me wrong, we had a sweet little time, but we also wound up leaving ~early~ because we literally ran out of activities. What can I say, I’m a city girl at heart—sue me! Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @pessimisticatbest Website: pessimist...

Sep 28, 202145 min

Phone, Keys, Wallet

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Are you a responsible adult or do you lose at least one of your most important belongings every time to leave the house? If you’re anything like me, you’re so used to things going missing that you assume they’re lost before you even look. And you know what? Most of the time, you’re fucking right! But every once in a while you cancel a debit card and order a new one, only to find that you just put it back in the wrong pocket of your wallet. C'est...

Sep 14, 202136 min

Just the Two of Us

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) So, here’s the thing, Adam and I are running out of friends. We’ve both lived in Madison for basically our entire lives, we both grew up on the west side, we both graduated from UW, and slowly but surely all of our mutual friends have up and moved away, leaving us in the fucking dust. Are we bitter? Obviously not, but like our new “608” group chat is just our two-person text thread, so do with that information what you will. Anyway, we’re on a m...

Sep 07, 202151 min

Taking Pics at the Apple Store

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Would you guys believe me if I told you Josie paid a visit to the KK post-pandemic before me? Honestly me neither—but it’s true folks—just her and one hundred and twenty of her nearest and dearest! So glad I wasn’t waiting in that line and, more importantly, so glad I got to see my mountain girl! In this episode, we bitch about living in outdoorsy cities in the summertime, reminisce on middle school mems and our countless Facebook albums filled ...

Aug 31, 20211 hr 1 min

Venice, Vegas, or the Wisconsin Dells?

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) You know what they say—what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas —and for good reason. Have you made the trip out to Sin City? Well, let me spare you because it’s honestly just an expensive version of the Wisconsin Dells. Everything’s neon, everyone’s sunburnt and walking around in flip flops and, for some reason, Bruno Mars can be heard everywhere you go. Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @pessimisticatbest Website: pessimi...

Aug 23, 202144 min

She's BIG Busy

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Why do we glamorize being busy? Like seriously, when did we decide being busy was cute? Today on the podcast Sophia and I chat about how much we loathe (but also kind of love?) being busy. Here we are, so desperately wishing to be those girls who wake up with enough time for a cup of coffee (or two!) before our morning workout class that we somehow manage to squeeze in before starting our day. We want to have packed schedules and full social cal...

Aug 17, 202155 min

We’ve Got the Runs

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) We’re runners, but do we actually enjoy running? That’s a loaded question. And yet here we are, signing our lives away to Hal Higdon himself with plans to run 26.2 for the second time this November. So, in honor of signing up for our next race, this week on the podcast Kayla and I chat about one of our favorite (and somehow simultaneously least favorite) pass-times. We swap horror stories, bitch about our current training program, and fawn over ...

Aug 10, 202141 min

Did you miss me? Be Honest!

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Even if you didn’t miss *me*, you did miss out on watching the Bucks win in overtime at Silk Exotic, dinner at SUR without a single Lisa Vanderpump sighting, turning twenty-five on the Tipsy Cow dance floor, and spending lots of time with the a-dults—let's recap shall we? Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @pessimisticatbest Website: pessimisticatbest.com FOLLOW SAMANTHA Instagram: @samgeorgson Twitter: @samgeorgson Websi...

Aug 03, 202130 min

Sayonara, Suckers!

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) It’s almost July and you know what that means—it’s time to check in on our 2021 intentions! I have to be honest, this epi was a little bit of a gut check because I quite literally haven’t been living up to, well, ANY of my intentions. But you know what? That’s why we check in halfway through the year—to feel sorry for ourselves and then to get serious with it, okay? So here goes! Oh, and P.S. This is also the end of season one! Are you sad? I’m ...

Jun 22, 202137 min

No Flights, Lots of Feelings

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Did we recently record an episode on the many downsides to traveling? Yes! Are we going to take it one step further and record another all about the absolute worst place on earth—the airport? You bet your ass we are! As you may have guessed, I just got back from an incredibly sweet little vacay and let me just tell you, everything that could’ve possibly gone wrong with my flights, did! How sweet is that? Give this epi a listen and you just might...

Jun 15, 20211 hr 5 min

Booked and Busy

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Thirty episodes in and we’re feelin’ fine! This week on the podcast James and I recap his v special birthday weekend, bitch about being too busy all of the damn time and brag about our cutie pie apartment to anyone who will listen, join in! Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @pessimisticatbest Website: pessimisticatbest.com FOLLOW SAMANTHA Instagram: @samgeorgson Twitter: @samgeorgson Website: samanthageorgson.com FOLLOW ...

Jun 08, 202137 min

H.A.G.S.

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Summer is overrated. It was cool when we were kids because it meant three months of absolute freedom, but now? Now summer just means feeling way worse about not being able to spend time outdoors because you’re stuck inside for eight (plus!) hours a day doing something tacky like answering emails. Don’t get me wrong, I like summer just fine, but imo, people give this hot, sweaty, sticky, bug-ridden time of year way too much credit. That being sai...

Jun 01, 202138 min

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) When applied to the act of traveling, the phrase, ‘it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,’ is actually so stupid. Traveling sucks. The entire process is a great big fat pain in the ass from start to finish and nothing, I mean NOTHING ever goes according to plan. Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @pessimisticatbest Website: pessimisticatbest.com FOLLOW SAMANTHA Instagram: @samgeorgson Twitter: @samgeorgso...

May 25, 202151 min

Quarter Life Crisis Coming in Hot

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Guess who’s turning 25 next week? My best friend Zoe is! That’s right folks, go and wish my sweet, sweet bug a happy mother fucking 25th birthday, or else! Rumor has it turning 25 is hard. I wouldn’t know, but I will in exactly two months from now, luckily for me, Zoe’s going first. The thing is, we’re already in the midst of our quarter life crises, and on top of what is already a challenging time in our lives, we’re living through a fucking pa...

May 18, 20211 hr 1 min

Ok, But Like Why Do Bugs Exist

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) I really don’t like bugs. I’m terrified of spiders, I hate mosquitos, I’m afraid of bees, and above all else, I’m absolutely REPULSED by ticks. I literally can’t think of anything worse—and boy do I have a story for you. Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @pessimisticatbest Website: pessimisticatbest.com FOLLOW SAMANTHA Instagram: @samgeorgson Twitter: @samgeorgson Website: samanthageorgson.com FOLLOW JAMES Instagram: @da...

May 11, 202156 min

When Life Gives You Lemons, Apply For Grad School

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Last time we recorded, Elisia was still trying to figure out her next move after Miss Rona cut her Peace Corps experience short, but my girl is turning lemons into lemonade and moving down to Austin, Texas for grad school and let me tell you, I can’t wait to establish a semi-permanent residence down south with all of my Texas girlies—yeehaw! Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @pessimisticatbest Website: pessimisticatbest....

May 04, 202154 min

Til Death Do Us Part

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) If the pandemic was good for anything, it was encouraging, nay, enforcing a pause. Today I have my amazing friend Victoria on the podcast to chat about the non-stop grind that is life in the service industry and even crazier reality of working in a salon in the midst of a pandemic. When you work with people, especially when you work behind the chair, you can’t exactly afford to have a bad attitude while on the clock. Instead, you develop a sort ...

Apr 27, 202152 min

Are We Adults Yet?

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Ok, we get it, we're almost twenty-five and we still don't know how to do our taxes or get our oil changed, so what? Adulting is actually super messed up when you really think about it, and we prefer to believe that the fact that we don't know how to balance a checkbook or schedule our own appointments is really just a testament to our youth. We're working on it ok? We have big girl jobs, we've been flossing more, and honestly? We're just doing ...

Apr 20, 20211 hr 6 min

Jill of All Trades

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Why is it that when you work in a creative field, you’re so often expected to do it all? Ashley and I can certainly attest to this, as we’ve both taken turns playing the role of social media manager, graphic designer, marketing director, copywriter—you name it, we’ve done it—and we probably weren’t paid fairly for it either. Oh, and don’t even get us started on freelancing. In this episode, we bitch about the tricky business of being a “creative...

Apr 13, 202155 min

Paralysis by Analysis

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Do you know what the School of Human Ecology is? How about ‘Human Development and Family Studies’ or ‘Retail and Consumer Behavior?’ No? That’s ok, because honestly, we don’t either! Josie and I weren’t entirely sure what we wanted to do when we got to college, hence the abstract majors, and frankly, we’re still not sure where we’re going to end up, so don’t you dare ask! We’re just a couple of over-thinkers trying our absolute best, ok? Get sil...

Apr 06, 202150 min

They Hate to See a Girlboss Winning

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) It’s true, they really do hate to see a girlboss winning, but you know what they say, nevertheless she persisted! When we were twelve, we’d stay up all night long at sleepovers fantasizing about being married with kids at the age of twenty-five. Then, a few years later we watched the Carrie Bradshaws and the Sophia Amorusos, I mean, Marlowes of the world build their empires and take their cities by storm, all with impressive ease and impeccable ...

Mar 30, 20211 hr 6 min

Sam’s Cookin’

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Was ‘learning to cook’ one of my 2021 intentions? Yes, yes it was! Is it working out? Absolutely not! But you know what they say, shoot for the moon and you’ll land amongst the stars—or at the very least you’ll become good pals with the delivery driver at your favorite bagel shop! I’m no chef, and frankly neither is James, though he does whip up some mean scrambled eggs. Cooking just doesn’t come naturally to me, and when something doesn’t come ...

Mar 23, 202142 min

You Got Eczema?

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) If you don’t know what Eucerin is, then you don’t *really* know me. I have the driest of dry skin. We’re talking eczema, keratosis pilaris—the works. I don’t even really have skin, I have scales. My dry skin condition is genetic (thanks a lot, mom!) and I’ve been suffering from and complaining about dry, dehydrated skin for, well, my entire twenty-four years of existence and counting! Get silly with us on social: FOLLOW THE PODCAST Instagram: @p...

Mar 16, 202140 min

We Just Really Love the Internet

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) Liz and I fucking love the internet. Liz is a fellow podcaster and we met on Facebook after I volunteered myself to be a guest on her show. Our mutual love for the internet is just one of the many things we have in common. Liz and I both got into podcasting after seeking out creative outlets during quarantine. We were both furloughed last April, we both launched our podcasts in November and we both just accepted new jobs, go us! We’re also both ...

Mar 09, 20211 hr 20 min

The Death of Our Egos

Send us a love letter (or hate mail, your choice!) You would think Lauren and I would have relatively small egos considering we were both banished to the B-team during volleyball our freshman year of high school, but sometimes you have to bond over being mediocre and well, cheers to that, am I right ladies? Now we’re here recording a podcast about the struggle to establish career goals whilst escaping the chaos of a statewide power outage (Hey, Texas) and the irony of being hit with an ice chunk...

Mar 02, 20211 hr 1 min
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