Bleecker Bombs
Charlie Bleecker
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Charlie and Sam Bleecker speak candidly about all their struggles: marital, parental, financial, and personal.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
4 days ago
Episode 19: A Confession
Charlie hates hates hates hates hates feeling stupid. And she did something REALLY stupid this week.
References:
I Hate Feeling Stupid
Shrinking on Apple TV
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Mar 13, 2023
Episode 18: Randy Garman
Randy is one of Charlie's new online writer friends. They discuss the purpose of their writing, their experience of making friends through Write of Passage, and their mutual hatred of Twitter.
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Mar 5, 2023
Episode 17: Sam Sucks
How do you prepare for something like a normal person? Charlie sure as heck doesn't know.
Eventually, she and Sam talk about ambition. Then Sam gets quite taken aback when Charlie admits that sometimes, when she's REALLY pissed off at him, she thinks he sucks.
References:
Bill Simmons on How I Built This
Life Advice with Ryen Russillo
Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair Review
Nut Milk Maker
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd
Netflix's Trash Truck
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Feb 13, 2023
Episode 16: A Crying Mess
Charlie wants to get vulnerable in 2023. In this episode she expresses her feelings around sending Layla to daycare, an upcoming family reunion, and why podcasting is so hard.
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Dec 19, 2022
Episode 15: A Christmas Special!!!
We've arrived at the most wonderful time of the year! Hear Sam and Charlie's thoughts on Santa Claus, gift-giving, and Christmas movies. And get ready, Charlie sings her own Christmas classic, The Reindeer Rap. You heard it here first!
Merry Christmas, you guys, thanks for listening. :)
References:
Way Of The Warrior Kid by Jocko Willink
Weatherman umbrellas
Beautiful hand-painted ornaments
Glass ball ornaments for all the kids... no longer available!!
Apple TV's Spirited
HBO Max's A Christmas Story Christmas
The Reindeer Rap: OMG I found a video of some random school performing it.
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Nov 27, 2022
Episode 14: Special Guest, Rachel Morris (Our Nanny!)
Rachel Morris (referred to as "Rebecca" in past episodes), joins Charlie and Sam to discuss her sailing adventures, childhood education, talking to kids like they're people, and self-checkout at the grocery store.
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Nov 13, 2022
Episode 13: Hiring a nanny, a Miami trip, and alcohol is poison.
Sam and Charlie hired a nanny and they love her. They share their insights on the hiring process and what they look for. They also skipped town for two nights and went to Miami. It was their first trip away from their babies (it's been almost three years!). While there, Charlie finally met some online friends IRL. They left the dinner invigorated, saying, "We need better friends." And Sam and Charlie's relationship with drinking alcohol continues to change...
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Jul 10, 2022
Episode 12: OMG My Best Friend Is Here!!!
Charlie and Sam are joined by Charlie's best friend of all time, Kylie.
Kylie and and Charlie met in 2nd grade and still remain the closest of friends. They talk about their hometown friendships and why Kylie never left. How does personal growth happen without ever leaving the place where you grew up?
Then they open up about their relationships with alcohol and how it's changed over the years.
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Jun 20, 2022
Episode 11: Should we get a butler?
Our first guests are on the podcast! Charlie's college roommate "Ellie" and her husband "Norm" visit the Bleeckers for a weekend getaway with the kids.
References:
SNL sketch: Father-Son Podcasting Microphone
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May 16, 2022
Episode 10: Happy Mother's Day!
It's Mother's Day. Before the family goes out to dinner at The Melting Pot, Charlie and Sam talk about their successful experiment to not eat sweets for a week. How will they approach desserts with their kids? In other news, Teacher Appreciation Week is dumb, Sam and Charlie discuss a marital argument (Sam is impatient and Charlie is a poor communicator), and the neighbors threw a Kentucky Derby Frat Party.
References:
Matt Tillotson: my friend who recommended dark chocolate M&Ms also happens to be the author of one of my fav newsletters: Matt's Mix Tape.
Intuitive Eating (I must reference this in every episode! It’s clearly had a big impact on my life.)
Hello Fresh (big fans)
The Melting Pot
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May 2, 2022
Episode 9: COVID, addicted to sweets and alcohol, and struggles feeding a toddler.
The Bleeckers got COVID. It sucked, but it could be worse. Charlie and Sam talk about their bad habits with sweets and their relationship with alcohol (not great, but they've come a long way). George has gotten particular with his food preferences which makes mealtime a struggle. They debate whether George is speaking words yet, and Sam calls Charlie selfish for making him sleep in the guest bedroom.
References:
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
15 Months Without Alcohol (The Profile)
The Pomp Podcast #836 Balancing Work & Marriage with Polina, Pomp, Alex, & Matteo
The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
Dave Chang on The Darya Rose Show
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Apr 18, 2022
Episode 8: The ups and downs of sleep training your baby, working towards happiness, and a lullabye.
Charlie and Sam discuss the mindfuck that is sleep training your baby. Then Charlie opens up about her chronic neck pain and anxiety and explores what it means to live a happy life. She ends with a song. You're welcome.
References:
Boyd Varty on The Tim Ferriss Show
Zero-based budgeting
The Disease of More
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Apr 11, 2022
Episode 7: Sleep training your baby, a grandparent visit, money talk, and a movie rec.
Charlie shares her hypothesis about sleep training babies. She and Sam discuss why lowering their expectations resulted in a more enjoyable visit from her parents, even though Charlie blew it when her parents expressed genuine interest in her writing. Sam is stressed out - his fund isn't doing well. And they watched an amazing movie you've probably never heard of.
References:
ChefSteps Sliders
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
SuperMugatu
Bill Simmons
CODA
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Apr 4, 2022
Episode 6: Gearing up for a grandparent visit, news from the pediatrician, fostering sibling love, enabling toxic behavior, and fun with pseudonyms.
Charlie and Sam share something with the listeners they haven't shared with anyone else. Then they discuss ways to encourage a loving, supportive relationship among their kids, even though neither of them are close with their siblings. A story from a listener about an in-law relationship has them stumped. They end with a fun chat about pseudonyms.
References:
The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Netflix show: Atypical
Mark and Jay Duplass on Unlocking Us with Brene Brown
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Mar 24, 2022
Episode 5: Letting the nanny go, Sam loses his shit, a recent investment, and how Charlie and Sam met.
Charlie struggles with her need to be liked and Sam admits a recent parenting fail with the newborn. They excitedly discuss a new purchase: suitcases!! Then Charlie tells the story of how she and Sam met and tries to articulate some thoughts around the idea that "timing is everything."
References:
The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
The Tim Ferriss Show with Boyd Varty
Away Luggage
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Mar 17, 2022
Episode 4: Charlie's identity crisis, daycare for the win, another parenting book, and escalating an argument.
Charlie and Sam are back! With a baby! They talk about Charlie's identity crisis, their toddler's first week at daycare and judgment from the family, the best parenting book ever (according to Sam), and a recent argument that made Charlie feel angry and defensive (shocker). Then Charlie ends with a quick embarrassing story. She's got lots.
References:
Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
The Darya Rose Show with Michaeleen Doucleff
Toddler step stool
1-2-3 Magic by Thomas Phelan, Ph.D.
The Ryen Rusillo Podcast
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Jan 20, 2022
Episode 3: The honeymoon phase is over, finding the perfect nanny, and a rich life.
The podcasting honeymoon phase is over for Charlie and Sam! They got into a massive argument this week and things got ugly before they eventually (finally) resolved it. They talk about their recent parenting struggle: finding the perfect nanny. And end by dreaming about their "rich life."
References:
I Will Teach You To Be Rich with Ramit Sethi (podcast)
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Jan 13, 2022
Episode 2: Cringe moments, an unresolved parenting conflict, brushing a toddler's teeth, money talk, and The Bachelor.
Charlie sticks her foot in her mouth once again and lives to tell the tale. She and Sam finally resolve a conflict that occurred almost two years ago. Then they share their latest parenting struggle: brushing their toddler's teeth. They discuss their mentalities around money and talk about their recent purchase: a nursery chair for the new baby. And to cap it off, they end with their favorite show, The Bachelor. (Or is it??)
References:
Pottery Barn Kids nursery chair
West Elm Mid-Century chair
Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman (replica)
The Best Eames Chair Replica – Buyer’s Guide
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Jan 3, 2022
Episode 1: Charlie and Sam kick things off.
Charlie is joined by her husband Sam to rehash their latest argument (it's not Charlie's best look). Then they discuss what they learned recently about parenting, talk about their 16-month-old son's struggles with swallowing food, and end with goals for 2022.
References:
How To Raise An Adult: Break Free Of The Overparenting Trap And Prepare Your Kid For Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims
The Darya Rose Show with Michaeleen Doucleff
Hunt Gather Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
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