With our special guest, Todd Lipman, Brooke and Deb get down to the business of planning and making resolutions for 2026. Brooke wants to find a paying job, Deb wants to get her health on track, and Todd just wants to make sure everyone is ok. We are grateful for the many years we have had as a family. It is one of the most important roles we have had in the past 31 years. So here we go… sending well wishes to close out this year to family, friends, listeners, and watchers. We appreciate you all.🧡💜
Nothing says, „I love you“ much better than being present. In this episode we continue the theme of Charles Dickens‘ A Christmas Carol and talk about our own present day thoughts/plans for Christmas 2025. We are a quarter of the way through this century… we are living through parts of history which may not be remembered fondly, but we can do our part to make our own lives and the lives of those we care most about worth remembering. Be kind, be respectful, care for and love those in your circle.
Merry Christmas 🎄🎁
Brooke and Deb are excited to share some of their favorite memories of their Christmas‘ past. We love this time of year and since moving abroad have learned so many different traditions which we will likely incorporate in the future.
Some favorite movies mentioned:
The Nutcracker
The Wizard of Oz (Christmas Eve Eve)
A Christmas Story
TV Shows mentioned:
The animated Christmas classics
Ted Lasso Christmas show
The Brady Bunch
YouTube channels mentioned:
Daniel Thrasher
Books/stories mentioned:
A Christmas Carol
It’s time for Christmas Markets!
The website where we found the dates:
www.myswitzerland.com
This is the Swiss tourism site.
Our most important markets:
Solothurn
Zurich
Basel
Bern
Biel
Olten
Of course our favorite is in Italy! 🇮🇹 Milan! Wonderful memories.
🤶🏻🎄
How do we know we are mature?
A few notes:
Taking responsibility for our actions
Demonstrating emotional stability
Demonstrating self-control
Showing empathy
Showing respect for others
Possessing patience
Being flexible
Self-awareness
Ability to maintain healthy boundaries
Improving communication skills
Being open-minded
Being willing to admit mistakes
Showing resilience in the face of adversity
The list Deb referenced is as follows:
Be specific in your „thank you‘s“
Handwritten notes/letters
Give compliments
Acknowledge actions
Help others
Be kind
Give a small gift
Be a good listener
Celebrate time together
Celebrate them
Show your support
Be respectful
Smile often
We know it often is not intentional to not acknowledge your appreciation for others. However, if you recognize that you may have failed to show your appreciation please remember it is never too late to circle back and be generous with your words and actions so that others see that you appreciate them.
We appreciate all of you!💜
Brooke and Deb chat today about Art. All forms of art are creative expressions from one’s passion (and perspective).
Our family is loaded with Artists…
Todd- creative in word expression and with drawing, painting…
Justin- writer of poetry and lyrics
Mason-writer of stories a d poetry
Emilia- drawing, painting, pottery, photography and written expression
Rinn- drawing, painting, photography and written expression
Brooke- dance and creative movement
All are artists in their own unique way.
We mentioned Rinn‘s Instagram:
@roseboyarts
We encourage everyone to do what you love and express yourself without reservation. You are all beautiful. We appreciate all that everyone brings to the circle. 🩷
In this episode, Brooke and Deb share some of their favorite stuffed animals. 🧸 Brooke has too many to count and has no plans stop collecting any time soon!😁
What often begins as „one“ favorite over decades becomes „too hard to depart with.“ Deb has many „Teddy Bears“ that she cannot imagine living without. We are funny creatures, huh?🤔
We hope that you have something that brings you joy. We appreciate everyone who follows along.
Brooke and Deb are joined by Rinn (Brooke’s brother/ Deb‘s son) to talk about and read ghost stories from their current local areas.
Today Brooke and Deb talk about mistakes… we all make them, but do we fix them in a way to keep our reputations a d relationships strong?
That is the key… Brooke stated that she hopes she is mature enough to reflect on whatever someone feels safe enough to share with her that could be seen as „a mistake.“ I think she is correct about that. We all need to continue to grow… continue to care… continue to respect ourselves and others. And if we make a mistake we should learn from it, apologize if necessary, and grow as we strive to be better versions every day.
In this episode, Brooke and Todd discuss the beginning of the European 2025-26 football season!
Brooke and Deb do not dispute that facts are facts and do not change without proof. However, perspective is different and honesty with others often is clouded by that perspective. One thing we decided in the end is… if your honest observation differs from another’s… choose to leave it rather than try to win an unwinnable argument.
Mentions:
Ted Lasso
Caddyshack
30 Rock
Brooke and Deb share their own definitions and experiences of „the supernatural“ in this episode.
Neither have experiences or fears around the subject, but both have a respect for anything that may or may not be possible.
As mentioned in the show… we hope to at we can all learn to listen to the better angels which lie/live within us… because violence, hurtful words… these things never settle differences. It is always better to walk away than to intentionally cause hurt and pain.
Our guest for September is Julia Dietmar - CEO of Open Wardrobe.
Open wardrobe is an app designed to help one fully organize and plan to utilize their personal wardrobe. From creating new outfits with what currently exists in one‘s closet to help with packing for travel, this app as well as the web version and its extension provides tools and tutorials for helping you digitize your current selection of clothing.
Julia shares her personal desire to help consumers be more sustainable with their wardrobe to hopefully lessen the more than 11.3 million tons of textiles which are thrown out every year. Julia says, „the AI used with Open Wardrobe is not designed for perfection, but rather it is designed to spark creativity in the consumer.“ Julia also says that for an item to be considered „sustainable,“ it should be worn 30 times, but the average item is worn just 7 times by the average consumer. Always think in terms of cost per wear.
There is a lot of useful and entertaining information in this episode. We hope that you enjoy it.
And remember, if you want to take advantage of Julia‘s team‘s expertise you can get 30% off the $49 Premium Membership by entering the code WINE30 when prompted on the app or website.
WINE30
One more interesting quote from Julia, „We should focus on the value of garments rather than newness.“
In this episode, Brooke and Deb talk about HESO… the Solothurn Herbstmesse (much like a county fair in the US).
This year’s HESO runs September 19-29. We look forward to freshly made Berliners … much like a jelly-filled donut. 🍩
We promise to add photos from HESO to our Instagram page.
Documentaries mentioned:
Sunderland ‘Til I Die
Welcome to Wrexham
YouTube Channels mentioned:
Dr. Mike
Legal Eagle
Today Brooke and Deb talk about journaling.
Both Brooke and Deb journal for personal reasons. Deb recently learned that one style of journaling that she does is called « junk journaling » … she is not crazy about the term, but loves to fill her books with momentos such as stickers, brochures, and pictures and that is exactly how she understands junk journaling looks.
Also, Brooke has committed to walking up the mountain to Weissenstein with Deb… stay tuned for that update!😁💜
In this episode, Brooke and Deb reflect on the month of September. For both Brooke and Deb, the start of school is one of their fondest thoughts when reflecting on past Septembers. 📚📙
The two also have a few songs that keep the month of September close to their hearts.
Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day
September by Earth, Wind , & Fire
The many festivals in this part of Switzerland 🇨🇭 are also fun reasons to be talking about this month on a podcast.
However, for Dr. Deb at least, the best reason to talk about September is because she celebrates the birthdays of both Justin and Rinn.
In this episode, Brooke and Dr. Deb spoke about the end of summer. What does the end of summer bring?
- change out your clothes/closet
- change out your shoes
- change your exercise schedule
- change your attitude
We all get into a flow when the weather changes and become comfortable with our schedule, but it is important that we remain aware of how to care for ourselves so that we can care for others. So… with that said… take care, everybody. We appreciate you.
Airlines… the good, the bad, and the ugly! Well… our conversation was all the bad and the ugly with a sprinkle of good. We agree that airlines do not do enough to make the customer experience worth the hassle and the price.
Brooke mentioned that she watched a clip from John Oliver regarding airlines and the safety issue is something that needs to be taken more seriously as it supposedly was in earlier years.
Also mentioned… the board game Monopoly, but not in a fun and assured way. And honestly, if Dr. Deb is talking about it, there is nothing affirming to say. Her experience with that game has never been positive.
Although Brooke had the Faustino Crianza in Switzerland (which is posted on the Wine Together Instagram page), Dr. Deb and Hubby Todd drank a Chianti while recording this episode.
Dr. Deb and Hubby Todd talk about their latest adventures on their trip to the US. They have camped, used Air B&B, stayed with family and are currently at a resort in Virginia Beach, VA. This trip has included hiking 🥾, waterfall seeking, and spending time with their kids… unfortunately, minus Brooke. 😞
Stay strong, People… spread love and kindness.