Episode 597: Think Better, Live More (with Therese Huston)
Release Date: 09/29/2025
Bittersweet Peek: A Promise—Kept or Broken? (You Decide)
The Bittersweet Life
Tiffany made a big promise last month about her video watching habit. Here's an update on what's happened since that episode aired. This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters. Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on ! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some places—you will have access to multiple bonus episodes every single month. You'll hear conversations that would never take place on the main show, you'll be part of our...
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Episode 605: An Update on Katy's Sister Dana
The Bittersweet Life
Today we catch up with Katy's sister Dana to hear the latest on her battle with aggressive brain cancer. If you want to hear more of Dana's story and her fight with brain cancer, check out these recent episodes: Episode 575: Episode 577: Episode 591: ***Katy's sister Dana has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 agressive brain cancer. To help with the staggering medical costs—her specialist is outside her insurance network—as well of the costs of temporarily relocating to San Francsico for her treatments, please consider donating to her . Anything you can contribute will be...
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The Bittersweet Past: The Inevitability of Expat Guilt (with Jessica Scott-Reid)
The Bittersweet Life
Among the plethora of emotions that plague expats, one of them is guilt. What happens when you know you should go home, but don't? Guest Jessica Scott-Reid tackled just this subject for . On this episode from our archives, Jessica joins Katy and Tiffany to discuss this often unpleasant subject. *** podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! In order to help newer listeners discover some of our earlier episodes, every Friday we are now airing an episode from ! Enjoy!*** ------------------------------------- COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman...
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Episode 604: How to Go Deeper when Traveling
The Bittersweet Life
For some travelers, visiting the sites just isn't enough. One of our listeners wrote to express her longing to go deeper when traveling, far beyond the monuments, art, cuisine, and local culture. Into the very life and people of the place she's visiting. But how do you go about that? Today we offer our practical tips. Got a question? Send us an email (or better yet, record a voice message asking the question yourself) and if the questions resonates with us, we might just do a whole episode around it! ------------------------------------- COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life...
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The Bittersweet Past: When Life Is Inspired by Art
The Bittersweet Life
Could watching a movie inspire you to move abroad? Could reading a book launch a lifetime of travel? Movies and books can have a big influence on personal actions. On this episode from our archives, Tiffany and Katy share the cultural works that have shaped their lives. Listen to the end to find out which film was the impetus for Tiffany's move to Italy. Be a part of the conversation: What art has influenced you? We love hearing from our listeners. Send us an or better yet, record a voice memo telling us about it and it to us. If we get enough responses we may record a follow-up...
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Bittersweet Peek: An Armoire for your Smartphone
The Bittersweet Life
Tiffany's son Aurelio will soon be in middle school, and the exact age that Katy and Tiffany were when they first met. And, wow, how things have changed. Tiffany reports on her visit to his potential new school. This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters. Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on ! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some places—you will have access to multiple bonus episodes every single month. You'll hear...
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Episode 603: The Benefits of Missing the Nuance
The Bittersweet Life
When you're visiting a foreign country, you miss a lot. From conversations around you on the street to advertisements on billboards or your favorite podcast that is suddenly playing you ads in the local language. You also miss a lot of cultural context, and while that can sometimes be problematic, it can also lead to overlooking prejudices that might be common with locals. Can missing the nuance be a good thing? We all know the downsides of being on the outside when in a foreign country, but are there also positives? We discuss this topic on today's brand-new episode....
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Bittersweet Past: Armchair Travel (with Nancy Pearl)
The Bittersweet Life
Don't have the cash or the time off to travel right now? Not to worry! Reading can take you anywhere. On this episode from our archives, we recommend books that will transport you. NPR's Nancy Pearl—quite possibly the world's most famous librarian—is known for giving the perfect book recommendation for any situation. She sits down with us to share her selections for the best armchair travel books. Don't know who Nancy Pearl is? She's an American librarian, best-selling author, and iterary critic. Her prolific reading and her knowledge of books and literature first made her locally famous...
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Bittersweet Moment #233: The Collapse of Torre dei Conti
The Bittersweet Life
Last week, a thousand-year-old medieval tower in Rome partially collapsed. This disaster for history and Rome's patrimony—which could have been much worse—serves as a reminder that Rome's monuments are not forever. The Torre dei Conti is far from being the only historic building to collapse—partially or completely—in recent years. And antiquity and the Middle Ages witnessed the loss of more treasures of engineering, art, and architecture than we can probably imagine. We think of Rome as eternal (for good reason), but the truth is, Rome’s cityscape is slowly but perpetually...
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Episode 602: It Doesn't Have to Be this Way
The Bittersweet Life
When you spend a good deal of time in a foreign country, going back home can often be eye-opening. Why do we do it this way? Can be a suddenly common thought. Does it have to be this way? You might ask yourself, when considering how things are done in other countries. As Katy returns to the States after a few weeks in Rome, she finds herself shaking her head at the way some things are done in her home country, as well as wondering why Italy can't get its own act together in certain respects. ------------------------------------- COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman...
info_outlineWe all think we know what wil make your brain sharper, faster, and more agile. But what does the neuroscience actually say on the subject?
There's no one better to answer that question that Therese Huston, cognitive scientist, and author of Sharp: 14 Simple Ways to Improve Your Life with Brain Science. And today we are lucky to sit down with Therese and get into the nitty-gritty of brain science and what actually helps—small changes that in most cases can be accomplished in just 5 minutes a day.
According to Huston, "Your brain has a favorite beverage, a surprising way to add new neurons, and strong opinions about multitasking—and it’s not what you think." In this engagine conversation, Katy and Therese explore, among other things, how to turn a scattered mind into focused energy.
Find Therese Huston at her website or on Instagram.
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