A Drink With a Friend

Latest Episodes:

Why Travel Matters May 06, 2022

Show notes

Particular places in the world matter, whether they're your grandma's childhood home or the Sistene Chapel. Going to them matters, too, and it's a privilege and honor to do so because the journey, the arrival, and the conversations once we're there shape us for the better. Go to them when you can.

Seth: Newsletter | Website

Tsh: Newsletter | Website

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Come to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022!

Our recommended reads

Tornado Trackers podcast

Station Eleven on HBO

Four Seasons in Rome, by Anthony Doerr

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1,000 True Fans Apr 29, 2022

Show notes

You don't need all the people, you just need your people. This is the premise of an idea penned over a decade ago that still serves as a bellwether for Seth and Tsh's work, that they're on the right track. It can be applied in all parts of life, and is especially true when we're tempted to work like someone else.

Seth: Newsletter | Website

Tsh: Newsletter | Website

Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going

Come to Italy with us

Our recommended reads

1,000 True Fans

Tsh's ideal reader, Julia

Stephanie Duncan Smith

Emily P. Freeman

The Science of Storytelling, by Will Storr

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, by V.E. Schwab

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Slower Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

It's been a doozy of a week, so Tsh and Seth weren't able to chat — instead, they're re-sharing with you a chat from spring 2021. Perhaps you haven't yet heard it, or perhaps you're due for a re-listen. ...Either way, enjoy!

Walking is good for us, but it takes a while — it’s not the most efficient mode of transportation. But it’s not about efficiency; that’s not the point. What about the other stuff in our life that can benefit from slowness? Seth and Tsh talk about being slow to reply, slow to respond, and slow to assume, and how we all need to do more of it.

Seth: Newsletter | Website

Tsh: Newsletter | Website

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Come to Italy with us

Our recommended reads

Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth

Mark Sparrow’s tweet

@findinginterestingpeople

Atlas Obscura Podcast

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A 100-Mile Radius: Update Apr 15, 2022

Show notes

Two episodes ago, Seth updated us on how his six-month challenge was faring, halfway through. Now it's Tsh's turn. Her challenge is to live as much as she can within her 100-mile radius — what does that mean, though? How do we live according to our unique values without being legalistic? And how do we gracefully handle the privilege that most of us have?

Seth: Newsletter | Website

Tsh: Newsletter | Website

Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going

Come to Italy with us

Our recommended reads

Create your own Rule of Life

A 100-Mile Life, Tsh's initial challenge explanation

1984, by George Orwell

The Science of Storytelling, by Will Storr

On Writing, by Stephen King

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I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet Apr 08, 2022

Show notes

There's something life-giving in uttering the phrase, "I guess I haven't learned that yet." Seth and Tsh talk with their friend Shauna Niequist about how she's learned to exhale and relearn how her life could be. Through moving to a new city, leaving known familiarity into uncharted territory, and questioning just about everything, Shauna found some much-needed freedom in the sacramentality of a learner's posture.

Shauna's new book, I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet

Shauna on Instagram

Seth: Newsletter | Website

Tsh: Newsletter | Website

Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going

Come to Italy with us

Our recommended reads

The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay

Walking on Water, by Madeleine L'Engle

Ask Me: 100 Essential Poems of William Stafford

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A Social Media Fast: Update Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

It's about halfway through Seth's challenge to stay off social media for the first six months of 2022. How have the first three months been? Will anything change for the next three months? He and Tsh talk some more about big-picture social media: does it work as a public square? When is censorship called for, and when does it violate free speech? And are the positives ultimately worth all the negatives?

Seth: Newsletter | Website

Tsh: Newsletter | Website

Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going

Come to Italy with us

Our recommended reads

How big tech is strangling your freedom on Honestly

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, by Amanda Montell

Around the World in 80 Days on PBS

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Six Good Things Mar 18, 2022

Show notes

When life is busy — like Seth's right now, or when life is slower — like Tsh's, who just started a short teaching break — it's a good time to remember good things. In this episode, they chat about three things each that are currently adding more beauty to their lives: a thing they're listening to, reading, and watching.

Seth: Newsletter | Website

Tsh: Newsletter | Website

Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going

Come to Italy with us!

Wendell Berry's New Collected Poems

The Woman at the Wall of St. Michael's, Seth’s poem for Ukraine

The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis

Half Moon Run + newsletter

Mountain Man

Bari Weiss’ episode on Honestly, Things Worth Fighting For

The Last Kingdom on Netflix

All Creatures Great and Small on PBS

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The 7 Vices & Virtues Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

We’ve all heard of the seven deadly sins, but what good does it do to think about them in our modern, well-intentioned lives? Maybe more to the point — why does contemplating about them bring us hope? It’s because of their corresponding virtues. Seth and Tsh talk about what this looks like in their own lives.

As a reference, here are the seven pairs of vices and virtues:

Pride: A desire for excellence in excess of right reason
- Humility: A rightly-ordered estimation of excellence

Gluttony: A disordered desire for good things
- Temperance: A desire to keep good things in their rightful place

Lust: A disordered desire for pleasure
- Chastity: A rightly-ordered desire for pleasure

Envy: Sorrow for another’s good
- Love: To will the good of the other

Greed: A desire for more than is needed
- Generosity/charity: A desire for enough for all

Anger: A desire for vengeance contrary to reason
- Meekness: Power under control

Sloth: Sorrow for spiritual good; the absence of care
- Diligence: Taking care to do what we value most

Seth: Newsletter | Website

Tsh: Newsletter | Website

Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going

Come to Italy with us!

Bitter & Sweet, Tsh’s book for Lent

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, by Lisa See

Putin Country: A Journey Into the Real Russia, Anne Garrel

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The War in Color Mar 04, 2022

Show notes

When big global events happen — like Russia invading Ukraine — what can we possibly do in our small, ordinary lives to make any difference? Seth and Tsh chat about how they’ve been talking about the news with their kids, how they’ve been processing it for themselves, and what we might learn from the past to forge ahead soberly toward the future.

Seth: Newsletter | Website

Tsh: Newsletter | Website

Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going

Come to Italy with us!

Bitter & Sweet, Tsh’s new book

The Bitter & Sweet playlist

The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis

World War II in Color on Netflix

The War by Ken Burns, on PBS

On the Shortness of Life, by Seneca

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Loving Things Unironically Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

Seth is off doing lawyer-y things this week, so Tsh talks to friend Joy Clarkson about, essentially, Wendell Berry’s beloved quip, “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.” Why is it not only a good idea to pursue happiness — it’s necessary? And perhaps counter-cultural to our doomscroll-obsessed modern ways? Joy and Tsh talk about where real happiness is found, what it means to unironically enjoy what we love, and why doing so even makes us better neighbors.