Astrid and Mary recount their layoff experiences, sharing what they learned, advice for anyone going through a layoff, and the one thing we should all agree to never post on LinkedIn.

We all know the oft-cited adages about the importance of grit, sticking it out, and NEVER giving up. But what if quitting is the best course of action? Courtney joins us at the dumpster to share the difficult decision she made to wind down her company, offering a rarely heard perspective on the glamorized startup journey. She also reflects on her experiences working in China in her early twenties, and we debate the age-old game of chicken that plays out when when it comes to leaving the office at the end of the workday.

Mary and Astrid discuss navigating friendships as people move through different life stages, friendship breakups, and ponder whether or not they could benefit from friend therapy. 

Our former colleague Susannah joins the pod to share her approach to keeping work at a healthy distance (aka caring less). And does she have thoughts! Susannah shares how her self imposed label as an “underachiever” has influenced her approach to work, signs she looks for during the interview process to determine if a company is a good fit, and her hot take on sending thank you notes after the interview. Plus, stick around till the end for Susannah’s work tea. 

Mary and Astrid delve into their relationship with alcohol. In this episode, we share our first experiences with drinking (Mike's Hard & sneaking handles into basements), discuss how our drinking habits have changed, when we think alcohol adds versus subtracts from a situation, and chat through how our drinking patterns have been influenced by the people we surround ourselves with. 

Astrid's younger brother John joins for a discussion on the evolution of sibling relationships. We discuss how their relationship has shifted at different points of their lives, how birth order has influenced choices they've made, as well as the importance of establishing a sibling relationship outside of the immediate family unit.

Welcome to Season 2 of Meet Me by the Dumpster! For our first episode of the season, we unpack why it's so difficult to celebrate birthdays as an adult. We cover birthday celebrations growing up, how we feel about our birthdays now, and aspirations for how we approach future birthdays. Plus, an interesting goal we've set for season 2... 

Come inside the dumpster for the last episode of season 1 where we share a behind the scenes look at the process of creating this podcast. We dive into the good, the bad, and the messy middle as well as how the pod has impacted our relationship to not only work, but to each other. Stick around till the end to learn about our plans for season 2! 

Mary and Astrid are back at the dumpster to discuss career seasons, whether they try to blend in or stand out at work, and how getting better at parallel parking can be a powerful reminder of our ability to grow. 

Our former colleague Johnny joins us to talk about his recent transition out of tech and into the mental health field. In this episode, Johnny shares the power in reframing career transitions as experiments, the value of ignoring the "discourse", and how he put the pieces together to move from distress to a place of knowing.