The Empty Nest Happy Hour
Podcast Newsletter
Amy and Danielle - December 2018
Where it’s always happy, because the nest is empty.
WELCOME
If you’re here, it means one of two things: you love a good cocktail, or you’re navigating the wild, weird, and sometimes hilarious world of midlife and empty nesting. Either way, you’re our kind of people.
This month, we are sharing extra content that was not shared on the podcast. This includes some of the “things” that shape who we are and what truly stood out to us over the past month. We like to think of ourselves as critical thinkers, but given that we have an entire weekly segment on Bravo winners and losers - think of this content as equal parts smart and shallow. It helps us be more well-rounded!
And as we always try to do, we’re sharing some things to look forward to in the weeks to come!
PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS
January seemed impossibly long this year, but that doesn’t mean you were able to listen to every episode of the podcast. So, if you missed one (or a few), here is a quick recap of what you missed.
In this episode we saw the Nicole Kidman movie Babygirl, honestly, so you don’t have to put yourself through the torture. We give a full movie review and talk midlife women at the Golden Globes.
This episode tackles the loneliness epidemic we keep hearing about, talks about the contradictory messages we get on alcohol, and pose a challenge on how to combat the quietness of empty nesting.
We delve into the need for women in leadership positions, discuss how to get our anti-social spouses out of the house, and rant about the lack of small grocery carts.
Producer Liz makes an appearance with a special poem about Danielle’s one-eyed dog and we talk about our device addictions.
What We’re Reading
We talk a lot about books on the podcast - here is what we read (including audio books) in January.
Amy’s Books
Damn, Danielle reads a lot!!!
Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch
Funny Story by Emily Henry
The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
The Secret History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy
Danielle’s Books
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
Conclave by Robert Harris
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn
Articles that got us Thinking…
Women Over 50 Were the Main Characters of the 2025 Golden Globes by Daisy Jones in Vogue.
Americans Need to Party More by Ellen Cushing in The Atlantic.
I Was Kamala Harris’ Videographer. The Experience Completely Changed Me. by Azza Cohen in Slate.
How Big Tech Mined Our Attention and Broke Our Politics by Jennifer Szalai in The New York Times.
Why Gen X Women Are Having the Best Sex by Mireille Silcoff in The New York Times
We can’t live without…
Amy
Shearling Birkenstock clogs - my office shoes
Nuxe All-in-One Oil - so French
Press On Nails - Aunt Lizzy recommends these
Benetint - re-introduced to this old favorite by my girls
Danielle
Castalie glass water bottle - French hotel water dispenser was a gift for Christmas from Producer Liz
Remote Kindle page turner - my hands are blissfully warm while reading
Chat GPT - move aside google
Ninja Blender - lots of protein packed smoothies this month
COCKTAILS
Valentine’s Day is coming up, so our featured drink this month will help you get in the mood - even if that mood is going to bed!

3 raspberries
5 mint leaves
1 oz. simple syrup
1 ½ oz. citrus vodka
1 oz. lime juice
1 ½ oz sparkling rose champaign, to top
Garnish: raspberry and mint spring
Thank you to Liquor.com for this great recipe!
WHAT’S COMING UP

Be sure to tune into our February 25 episode where we’ll be discussing Catherine Newman’s book, Sandwich: A Novel.
CONTACT US
Want to reach out? We’re all ears!
Whether it’s to share your empty nest stories, ask us a question, or just say hi—we love hearing from you! You can slide into our DMs, comment on our posts, or even better, shoot us an email! Because let’s be real, we actually like email. Hit us up at [email protected] and let's chat!


