Love You To The Core

Finally, some optimism! Online dating is dying! Flex culture is just faking it! Butter yellow is still in style! We don’t have to move again for a long fucking time! Also, we ask a question at the end that we’d genuinely love to know: what are 3 things you can talk about for 3 hours with no prep? Send Xanthe a DM at @xanthe.appleyard once you have your answer!

Except, no we don’t! Today’s episode goes deep into:• The implications of government censorship in the U.S. as Jimmy Kimmel gets taken off air• Trump’s new TikTok project and what an insular MAGA-led social platform could mean• How to keep our private spaces safe from hateful viewpoints• Why it can be valuable to follow people who don’t share your politics• Impacting positive political change by taking your head out of the sand• We also share a little update around our move to Barcelona as we get setup and settled!LINKS:The NutshellSocial Life

This week's episode gets into ↓• Why Xanthe’s had a violent change of heart about re-entering TikTok• Another super creepy initiative from Meta’s AI department• How social media is informing the way books are written and promoted• “Performative intellectualism” and Taylor Swift’s role in it• The new Sabrina Carpenter album and its influence on the youth of today• Alo Yoga’s alarming foray into luxury handbags• The ghosts of the cottage trying to keep us from leavingAnnnnd, Social Life is launching to the waitlist right now and so you can save major money! Hop on it here.

Just a full-on LIFE UPDATE EPISODE detailing the BTS of securing our long-term lease in Barcelona, a status report on the cottage Airbnb launch, and everything we’re focusing on for the week before we officially relocate to Europe! ENJOYYYY.

XANTHE’S MOM IS ON THE PODCAST!!! We cover:• Her career journey from pregnant college student to CEO of a major healthcare organization• How she balanced being a present single parent, healing herself, and making ends meet• Living below the poverty line and resourcing community as “her village”• Our family dynamic of loving roasts, self-awareness, and intellectual intimacy• Her experience as an artist whose relationship to creativity has evolved over decades• Being the parent of an entrepreneur and how she really feels about all the risks we takeAnd so, so SO much more.Sue Phipps is the CEO of Hamilton’s Canadian Mental Health Association. You can learn more about their work here.

UMMM WTF — THIS IS OUR 50TH EPISODE!! We didn’t do anything special for it but you will be graced with a chat that goes in every possible direction which honestly feels like the BEST way to celebrate. We cover:• Frank’s birthday weekend recap! Ft. pregnancy smut fetishes• Being ~perceived~ in a tiny town and the rumours we’re hearing about… ourselves• How we’re managing coming up $75K short on our pre-move money goal• Being in our “no goals” era and letting our Spain chapter surprise us• How to find your way in a new city by following what feels good without expectation• The collective decline in BOOK READING (for which we blame TikTok, obviously)PS. The Social Life content creation membership is launching again this month! Make sure you’re on the waitlist here to get first dibs + lowest pricing!

The banter is on POINT this week if we do say so ourselves!! Including:• Money check-in one year since we did our “Spending Diet” and started actually budgeting!• DEEEEP analysis on the entire Taylor and Travis Internet-breaking situationPlus lots of life/cottage updates because there may not be much to do around here but let me tell you, WE ARE DOING THINGS.LOTP IS $800 OFF ‘TIL THURSDAY ↓Jump in right here.FRANK’S BDAY SALE ↓Get 38% off the Leisure Ethic template with code HBDFRANK this weekend only, starting Friday, August 22!Get it here.

TRUCK GIRL SUMMER IS NOT CANCELLED! On this week’s episode, we force you through a 20-minute tale recapping our obscene vehicular drama of the last several weeks. BUT THEN, we get to the realllll good stuff, like:• The sex recession and how current culture has shaped our intimacy habits• The dying art of hanging out (and why our social lives can feel like such a strain as adults)• Becoming the vibe you see for yourself and what it actually takes to “be aesthetic”We reference several links in this episode, including:How Social Media Is Fuelling Gen Z's Sex RecessionThe Dying Art Of Hanging OutHow To Become More Of The Vibe You See For YourselfAlso, LIFE OF THE PARTY IS $800 OFF!! Grab your spot here.

Three is not a crowd when it comes to running this business smoothly, and Sam is the glue holding Frank and I together 99.99% of the time (this interview, included). Today, we have the pleasure of sharing her strategic brilliance with the whole class, sharing a behind the scenes look at our own operations as well as the structures, mindsets, and even data (ew!), that have allowed us to run our business like a business, and catalyzed the success we’ve seen as a result. We cover:• The intersection of intuition and information, and why making business moves based on vibes alone could be holding you back from your bigger vision• Sam’s experience starting from scratch on Instagram and why she’s thriving with fewer followers• The real reason why most creatives are so data-avoidant, what it’s costing us, and how to move through it to face the facts that will get your further• The controversial “Charisma Factor” when it comes to finding success as an online leader• How to set milestones you’ll actually reach, so you can finally stop scootching the same goals into the next month, every month• Sam’s experience rebuilding her business during mat-leave and forgiving herself for having different priorities as she grew her family• Simple structures and ideas for managing your marketing and working in your business without sacrificing family time, mental health, or restThis episode is inspiration for the visionary who can’t seem to get their goals off the to-do list, packed with tons of practical tips and a sprinkling of tough-love… which TBH, we needed too.CONNECT WITH SAM ↓Instagram FIXR Workshop Series (use the code FIX20 for 20% off 6-month passes!)Reach out directly here

WE MADE IT TO CANADA, BARELY. We’re reliving the rollercoaster 72 hours from leaving LA all the way to landing at the cottage, covering harrowing tales such as:• The Mattress Pickup Gone Wrong• The Serendipitous Pizza• The Poorly Timed Bathroom Flood• The Seat Assignment Snafu• The Checked Bag Scam• The Fountain Pop Shortage• The Double Bathroom Debate• The Most Thoughtful Gift• The Impromptu Birkenstock Jog• The Driveway Pregnancy Test• The Emotional Support Breakfast Sandwich…AND SO MUCH MORE!PS: Life of the Party is launching to the waitlist at $1000 off ‘til Thursday, July 31st, at 9AM EST. Get the discount here!

Warning: if you are a Labubu or a Tradwife, you may feel personally victimized by this episode. In another book review episode, we explore two main threads of Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilbert: Voyeurism in the online space, and weaponized wifehood as a tactic to quell women’s liberation. We cover:• “Specular media” and how exposing our lives is a mechanism to feel less lonely• The phenomenon of marketing through “real” personalities (and why it works so well)• Voyeuristic content as a means of controlling the narrative in a world stacked against us• Universalizing the personal as a creative act (especially for women)• The harmful origins of the tradwife trend and the concerning obsession with wifehood• What the Labubu craze is telling us about modern adulthood and consumerism• Patriarchal structures disguised as “feminine leisure”Launching next: Life of the Party. Hop on the waitlist here for $1000 OFF!

It's a real mixed bag episode! We cover:• Move updates (car sale, packing plans, wardrobe drama, bucket list restaurants, etc.)• Xanthe’s first (and last) time flying in Frank’s tiny plane• Two highly essential summer drink hacks that will change your life forever!• The Reels strategy that has Xanthe starting to see Instagram growth again• “Carrot Content” and how to reach new eyes while nurturing long-term community• The Great Egg Heist of 2025• Meat x Fruit collabs• A brief — but premonitive — rant about Labubu maniaAlso, Social Life is enrolling ‘til Friday only! Hop in here.

IT’S ALL HAPPENING! We’re leaving LA in less than three weeks, the plot has thickened on our truck scam, and in the chaotic format you’ve come to love, we cover:• Why Instagram Stories are the weakest link in the social media ecosystem• How to live a richer, more enjoyable life by releasing the “good vs bad” binary• A STEAMYYY brand partnership opportunity• The Social Network Part II announcement and Meta’s ongoing f*ckeryPlus an open call to buy our car, rent our apartment, adopt all our furniture, or just come hang out and drink wine (DM me @xanthe.appleyard if you want in on any of the above).Here’s the link to get the Social Life early bird discount (expires Thursday!)Here’s the link to buy our Range Rover. Yes, for real.

If you’ve invested time and money into your marketing but still aren’t creating content that actually sounds like YOU, Ylani helps turn your inner voice into an outer presence. In today’s episode, you’ll learn visualization and journalling practices to guide your social media strategy towards an expression of your TRUE self. We cover:• How to stop over-analyzing your thoughts so you can actually start sharing them• Tapping into your inner knowing to make decisions about content creation and feed aesthetic• The dangerous ways that ChatGPT is helping you hide in plain sight• Ways you’re covering up your own POV by copying the leaders you’ve learned from• Why trusting your voice is the secret to better engagement and a more invested community• Exploring new mediums as a tool for more creative confidence on every platformConnect with Ylani ↓InstagramSubstackPodcastWebsite

The average American home holds over 300,000 items, so... just sit with that. This is a super silly life update episode stacked takes about maximalist homes, foodie culture, celebrity hot spots, being a socially awkward adult, manifesting fig cookies, and whatever the fuck else comes to mind. It’s random, it’s inconsequential, and it’s just what the doctor ordered.Also, Social Life is launching to the waitlist right now, so hop on it to get access to 40% off at this link.

It's a book review episode! We’re discuss the whistleblowing Meta memoir Careless People, and how the disturbing insights found within it will shape the way we do business on social media forever.We cover:+ Whether or not the algorithm actually is out to get us+ The role social media plays in elections + politics+ The (lack of) morality in the targeted ads worldPlus lots of other tidbits from this high-key terrifying (but also essential) read. Oh, we also gently roast Gen Z for an annoying but actually kind of smart partying habit, reminisce about Vodka bars, and confess our new exploration into the world of designer replicas.MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST ↓ The Marketing Shift is happening this week, and it’s free! Get instant access to the workshop, community, and co-working sessions this week right here.

LOIS IS BACK! We’re talking on 2x speed about all things messaging and sales, going in on topics like:• Sales psychology, buyer types, and how to align your approach with the people you ACTUALLY want to attract• What exactly a “marketing language bank” is and why you need one to build more confidence showing up and saying what you mean• The antithesis to creative stagnancy and how to break free from feeling trapped in your own brand• “Positioning” as a verb, reading the room and adapting your message for the current cultural climate• Why the traditional “copy/paste” messaging strategies aren’t working anymore (and never really did)• How to create messaging that can evolve with you as your opinions and perspectives shift• The comparison trap that is THREADS! And the secret to letting negativity roll off• How to actually engage in a healthy discourse online even when you disagree• Why the trust of our community is so critical right now, and how to adapt our content in response to that (hint: it’s not just slapping a story into a sales email and calling it a day)• Making the shift from competition → collaboration and the role strong messaging plays in being able to confidently share your community with others• How we co-created the Uncategory method and what an aligned collaboration actually looks and feels like behind the scenesWe mention Uncategory 9834082 times so here’s the link to hop in, if you’re curious. It's currently $100 off until June 10!(Here’s a link to Lois’ original episode from the last retreat if you want to binge our chaotic collaborative energy for another 60 minutes).

This week’s episode is packed with discussions around:• The problem with the “propaganda” trend and how it got so popular• How to navigate posting something you change your mind about or learn from• Whether getting “distracted” from your goals is inherently badSome moving updates including:• That time Frank stole from a poor innocent college girl• A “wrinkle” in the pursuit of our white pickup truck dreamsAnd marketing strategies like:• A campaign idea if you want to call in more local community to your online platforms• How to pivot your content when your capacity to write captions feels limitedMENTIONED:• The Uncategory waitlist (you’ll get the free workbook we mentioned as soon as you sign up!)• This podcast episode with Lois (one of our most popular eps!!)

It's a deep dive on all the steps we’re taking to dismantle our life in LA, spend the summer in Canada, and then move to Barcelona in September! We cover:• Which Spanish Visa we’re applying for and the steps we’re taking to get it• Tax implications we’ll navigate as Canadians in Spain• What we’re packing, selling, and sending to make the move• The health insurance situation while bopping through multiple countries• What we’re doing about vehicles and drivers' licenses• Our plans for landing in Spain and finding a place to live• Xanthe’s new equestrian pursuitsThis episode can serve as a resource if you plan to move to Europe — or just a rundown on what we’ll be up to over the next 17 weeks, if you’re nosy like that.LISTEN WHERE YOU GET YOUR PODS! ♡

There’s no LOL in the constitution! Today we unpack two recent studies around how using abbreviations in your marketing might be rly hurting ur biz and why “safety” is the hottest marketing tactic for the younger generation.We cover:• The difference between communicating casually vs. carelessly•  An important debate about coffee cup lids• How we feel about the new Spotify announcement around visible data• An uptick in offers that promise “safety in the body”• The partier to entrepreneur pipeline and how raging in our 20s helped us build more resilient relationships with our businesses• Move abroad logistics like business operations and bankingAnd with six months of podcasting under our belt, we’re seeking feedback on what you’ve loved and want to see more of on the pod. Leave a comment below or shoot Xanthe a DM on Instagram!SPONSORS:It’s Launch Your Own Way season! This program had a massive impact on the success of our business over the last three years, and Kelsey is offering 10% off to our listeners with code LYTTC here.