In this playful episode, we take turns pulling fun conversation prompts from a bowl and answering them on the spot. From the time we accidentally camped by the side of the highway, to Tara’s sushi struggles, to David’s unapologetic love of pickle and bologna sandwiches—this episode is full of lighthearted stories and laughter. Whether you’re looking for a way to move past routine topics on date night, make family dinners more fun, or add some joy to a road trip, we hope this episode gives you great ideas for questions that lead to connection.

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This topic and the conversation questions were inspired by a list from https://ordinaryandhappy.com/

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Questions in today’s episode:

• Words you mispronounced for years

• Text message sent to the wrong person

• Food you have tried to like but just cannot

• Most useless item you own but can’t get rid of

• Sport you wish you were good at

• Family road trip where you got lost

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Produced by Zach Van Dyke

Some dates live on in our bodies, minds, and hearts. Whether it’s recognizing a birth, a loss, a wedding, or a tragedy, anniversaries can be time-stamped reminders of who we are, where we’re headed, what we’ve learned, and what we’ve lost. In this episode we talk about how grief can echo across generations, and how rituals and reflection can help us navigate the emotional terrain of significant dates.

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We’d love to hear about your anniversary practices, celebrations, and rituals. Email us at withupodcast@gmail.com.

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Produced by Zach Van Dyke

What if emotions aren’t just something we feel on our own, but something we do—together? In this episode, we sit down with Batja Mesquita, author of Between Us: How Cultures Create Emotions, to explore the idea of emotions as not just internal experiences, but relational ones. Drawing from cross-cultural research and personal stories, Batja challenges the Western idea that emotions live solely inside us, waiting to be expressed. Instead, she paints a richer, more connected picture—one where emotions are shaped between people, and deeply influenced by the cultural worlds we live in.

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Batja Mesquita is a social psychologist, an affective scientist, and a pioneer of cultural psychology. She is a professor of psychology at the University of Leuven, Belgium, and director of the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology at the University of Leuven. Mesquita is one of the world’s leading authorities on the psychological study of cultural differences in emotions. Her most recent research focuses on the role of emotions in multicultural societies. She studies how emotions affect the belonging of minoritized youth in middle schools, and the social and economic integration of “newcomers” (i.e. newly arrived immigrants). Mesquita has been a consultant for UNICEF and the WHO, and most recently, she was a member of the core group of scientific advisors for the Happiness and Well-being (SEH) Project, and initiative of the Vatican in partnership with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

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Discover more about Batja Mesquita and her work on her website: BatjaMesquita.com

Find the book Batja mentions about the story of her mother’s time of hiding from the Nazis during World War II — The Cut Out Girl: A Story of War and Family, Lost and Found by Bart van Es

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Produced by Zach Van Dyke