We start the episode with Charlotte and Patti's first catchup in a while. Patti tells us about the new role she accidentally volunteered for. Charlotte tells us the lengths she’ll go for free eggnog.
Our follow-up to the grassroots marketing episode begins at 14:30.
We talk about our interview with Alaina Shearer, podcast host, brand strategist, founder of the agency, Good Now, and former Congressional candidate (and that’s not even close to her whole bio!) and what we learned from talking with her.
Then, our homework:
Watch a vision boarding TED talk - we chose Draw Your Future, Patti Dobrowolski - and create a vision/symbol of what we stand for.
We record our process of drawing Can We Interest You In...?'s present state and our desired future state for the podcast. To see what we’ve drawn, check out our posts on Instagram and Blue Sky.

We cover a lot of ground, including:
The gamification of hobbies
Pure enthusiasm! as a vision for the podcast, rather than growth for growth’s sake
Saving democracy
Some solid options for a new name for Instagram
Safety pins versus paper clips as political symbols and/or merch
Should our new mascot be a cooler version of Clippy, ye olde Microsoft “helper”?
Our internal reactions to the visioning process

Did you try drawing your vision too? Let us know how it turned out!

Links from the episode:
Draw Your Future, Patti Dobrowolski, TEDxRainier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zESeeaFDVSw
YouTube birding documentary; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl-wAqplQAo
The Atlantic article on the birding documentary, Listers: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/10/listers-documentary-ebird-hobbies/684620/?gift=pLCL5Im1s3meqYpH0lMpRqeFE5rqMjvIOScqwB7U2Wg&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
The poem, “Lost,” by David Wagoner - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=118&issue=4&page=35
For more info on Jim Hamilton’s “Falling” comic book: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHZVx7tvkXR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video
Bluesky: @CanWeInterestYouIn.bsky.social
Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com
Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

23- Grassroots Marketing... The Follow Up

Brand strategist, podcast host, and former Congressional candidate, Alaina Shearer joins us to talk about her interests - grassroots marketing/branding and messaging with a purpose. She tells us about her passion for helping small and medium sized businesses grow, with the goal of freeing people from their corporate jobs.

She teaches us about DIY branding (which you can do even as an individual to figure out your personal brand), including how to create organic content and choosing a platform. We learn about her early claim to fame, the Miss Single Mama Blog (RIP).

We talk about Alaina’s podcast, ⁠Citizen Rebel,⁠ [https://citizenrebel.transistor.fm/episodes] which focuses on how and why we should speak up as business owners or executives, and how to signal that you or your business is a safe space. How and why should we be making everything political? (Including Murder She Wrote!)

We also cover:

What could big brands be taking a stand on that could make a difference?

What brands does Alaina think are taking a stand and telling their story really well?

What are the benefits of speaking out authentically, and the perils of staying quiet?

Can we make weaponizing privilege for democracy (rather than personal gain) a thing?

And of course, our homework!

Citizen Rebel Podcast: ⁠https://citizenrebel.transistor.fm/episodes⁠ [https://citizenrebel.transistor.fm/episodes]

Find Your Voice 6-Week Group Cohort:⁠https://www.goodisnow.com/classes⁠ [https://www.goodisnow.com/classes]

No Kings Protest Info:⁠https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/⁠ [https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/]

Logo design: Marielle MartinSong: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_videoBlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.socialEmail us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.comWebsite: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

22- Can Alaina Interest You In...Grassroots Marketing?

Our follow up to the Murder She Wrote episode begins with a mystery in the library that we can’t solve, but Jessica Fletcher surely could. Molly Cohn joins us again to debrief about our homework—Patti made herself a MSW bingo board, and Charlotte and Molly played the MSW drinking game. 

We run the gamut of topics in this episode, from Jessica’s sweaters and Angela Lansbury’s delicious pettiness, to existential themes and the way JB Fletcher invites people to join her in the present moment, counteracting the oft weaponized tool of nostalgia. 

We talk about the possibility of a MSW reboot (Hollywood, we’ve got suggestions), and who could possibly fill Angela Lansbury’s shoes. We hear about the creepiest VRBO Charlotte’s ever been to. Then we talk accessibility and what’s it’s like to look back on the show now, in 2025.

There are spoilers for the following episodes of Murder She Wrote:
Death Stalks the Big Top
Snow White, Blood Red
Murder Among Friends
Magnum on Ice

Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video BlueSky: ⁠@canweinterestyouin.bsky.social⁠
Instagram: ⁠@canweinterestyouin⁠
Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com
Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

21- Murder She Wrote...The Follow Up

September’s here, which means it’s time to get cozy! Break out your classiest brooch and join us as Molly Cohn interests us in the ‘80s/‘90s tv show, Murder She Wrote. We talk about the enduring appeal of the show that put cozy murder on the map, and, of course, its writer/detective heroine, Jessica Fletcher, aka JB Fletcher, aka Angela Lansbury, aka BABE.

We learn about:
The high fashion and campiness of MSW.
JB’s embrace of technology (more than just typewriters!).
Angela Lansbury as backdoor humanitarian. Her storied film career. Her diet book. Her photo shoot in a tub. What? Yes, you read that right.
JB Fletcher’s one million nieces and nephews.
All the silly men she encounters.
MSW bingo parties.
Comfort, grandmas, Space Dad.
That there exists an action doll of JB Fletcher and it is en route to Molly’s house.
How Jessica lives in her values, maintains boundaries, and speaks the truth, all while circumnavigating gender roles.
Why she should be taller than all men!
The murder rate of Cabot Cove, Maine, and why Jessica is always putting herself in danger.
And finally, the excellent homework: The Murder She Wrote Drinking Game! (copyright Molly Cohn)

Angela in Virtual Reality:
https://share.google/images/K8mjFoK4BfsOLJAm1

Diet/exercise video of Angela:
https://youtu.be/lE7icznIxLc?si=tXtQjFU5ZPy6etVL

Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video BlueSky: ⁠@canweinterestyouin.bsky.social⁠
Instagram: ⁠@canweinterestyouin⁠
Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com
Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

20- Can Molly Interest You In...Murder She Wrote?

We’re back, wearing new and still fabulous protest shirts, to talk about our protest homework. We talk about the various ways we’ve been protesting and what we’ve seen other people doing.

Patti has been photographing the forms of protest she sees out and about in St. Louis. She’s also signed up with her local Indivisible group and helping out another local org that supports immigrants.

We talk about the scary changes we’re seeing in the United States, and what can be done to address these changes. Such as...nokings.org [https://www.nokings.org/]

Charlotte has been watching an Indivisible series of trainings on nonviolent resistance. She also read Fahrenheit 451 for the first time (how did she make it this far without reading it? Who knows, she might have only pretended to read it when it was assigned in school). She talks about DOGE being the cause of the end of her creative writing summer camp, and how this will fuel her rage for decades to come.

Margot also took it upon herself to do some homework—to bring the hope instead of the boom. Will she be successful? You tell us, after you listen to our newest episode!

Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video
BlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/canweinterestyouin.bsky.social]
Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com
Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

19- Protest...The Follow Up

Let's get into some good trouble!!

Charlotte and her friend Margot Holmes show up to record at the library dressed for the occasion to talk about...Protest. How timely, but when isn't it, really?

After working with a population of "troubled" teens in a residential setting, Margot learned about the systemic racism at play at the policy and organizational level in her grad school experiences. Seeing how these things were so deeply connected led Margot to HAVE to speak out.

Some topics covered include: the importance of tension and joy in protest, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Heather Cox Richardson, different types of protesting based on your time, energy, and skills, TABOR Amendment, Acts of Beauty and Defiance, [https://www.scintillacentre.com/workshops-events] Project 2025, capitalism, boycotting, building community.

And of course- the homework!

 * Charlotte to find a way to protest with her writing
 * Patti to get signed up with Indivisible and find a way to be an buddy/ally

Check out Instagram and Bluesky to see photos of the great t-shirts, Margot's sign, and beautiful guide dog Jennifer.

How are you protesting? Share with us on social, leave a comment. This is an exception to Charlotte's pet peeve, we're not baiting you...I swear!

Logo design: Marielle Martin

Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video
BlueSky: ⁠@canweinterestyouin.bsky.social⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/canweinterestyouin.bsky.social]

Instagram: ⁠@canweinterestyouin⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/canweinterestyouin/#]

Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com

Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

18- Can Margot Interest You In...Protest?

Grab your ironing and turn on this podcast! Ivy Koelliker is back and we dig right into the results of our homework. We are quickly reminded that this personal style thing is a journey.

Charlotte typed the words "fashion clothes" into her browser as a starting point and found that the Instagram Explore section was serving up only dogs.

Both Patti and Charlotte downloaded the Indyx App. Ivy shares a great tip on how to get flattering photos of your clothes on a flat surface.

And some additional topics discussed include: an outfit formula, capsule collections, the personal style quiz, where should we shop, justifying the purchase of a banana clutch, using our personal style words as a framework for new items, keeping clothes for a life you used to have, the very of its time book Color Me Beautiful, is Charlotte an Autumn or Winter? are Ivy and Patti two ends of Spring?, levels of formality, selling clothes, how Internal Family Systems really works with this interest.

Ivy's style words: unexpected, classic, practical
Charlotte's style words: classic, simple, relaxed, comfy, fun, Parisian
Patti's style words: relaxed, androgynous, classic

While we're not willing to follow Steve Jobs and Elizabeth Holmes into the black turtleneck uniform approach yet, we did come to appreciate the importance of ditching the clothes we don't wear to remove emotional and mental barriers to embodying our personal style.

⁠Allison Bornstein 3 Word Method Video [https://youtu.be/9siFWgSE4wY?si=2-8drYe26BNxEEBe]
⁠ [https://youtu.be/9siFWgSE4wY?si=2-8drYe26BNxEEBe]I⁠ndyx blog about some different methods of finding your personal style⁠ [https://www.myindyx.com/blog/four-systems-of-personal-style]

⁠Levels of formality video (Hannah Louise Poston)⁠ [https://youtu.be/arVVrJn7rss?si=Tbbd1ufeCJZJDyiM]
Indyx App: ⁠https://www.myindyx.com/⁠ [https://www.myindyx.com/]

Check out Ivy's wonderful outfits @vineofivy on Instagram  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/vineofivy/⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/vineofivy/]

Share our podcast with a friend, leave us a review, follow us on social, send us a message.
Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video
BlueSky: ⁠@canweinterestyouin.bsky.social⁠ [https://bsky.app/profile/canweinterestyouin.bsky.social]
Instagram: ⁠@canweinterestyouin [https://www.instagram.com/canweinterestyouin/#]
⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/canweinterestyouin/#]Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com
Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

17- Finding Your Personal Style...The Follow Up

Charlotte's childhood friend Ivy Koelliker joins us on this episode to interest us in finding our personal style. All the fun, none of the baggage/shame!

A generational shared love of fashion (Hermes scarves and pirate shirts) and the move to a smaller closet started Ivy on the journey to research more about finding her personal style. She shares with us some tools and resources that have helped her along the way and gives us such a great homework assignment!

This is a process and will take time, which requires a bit of a mind shift and also makes it feel less daunting.

Allison Bornstein 3 Word Method Video [https://youtu.be/9siFWgSE4wY?si=2-8drYe26BNxEEBe]
Indyx blog about some different methods of finding your personal style [https://www.myindyx.com/blog/four-systems-of-personal-style]
Levels of formality video (Hannah Louise Poston) [https://youtu.be/arVVrJn7rss?si=Tbbd1ufeCJZJDyiM]
Indyx App: https://www.myindyx.com/
Poshmark [https://poshmark.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqSBhCUoDJO2A2tyvFqpv1hzEdQtwQXBM5HZ9v2rO8i2fohpNDE]
ThredUp [https://www.thredup.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoofq3nBKOZbvQJOOfsr_PqDgrwc5xS0nuEieE_JkD-deMXDVhzE]

Is this episode a perfect and totally intentional tie in to our Internal Family Systems episodes?

Check out Ivy's wonderful outfits @vineofivy on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/vineofivy/

Share our podcast with a friend, leave us a review, follow us on social, send us a message.
Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video
BlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/canweinterestyouin.bsky.social]
Instagram: @canweinterestyouin [https://www.instagram.com/canweinterestyouin/#]
Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com
Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

16- Can Ivy Interest You In...Finding Your Personal Style?

Erin Boreo is back! Charlotte and Patti report on their Internal Family Systems (IFS) homework--reading and listening to Richard Schwartz's book, No Bad Parts [https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/no-bad-parts-how-the-internal-family-systems-model-changes-everything_richard-schwartz-phd/26988904/item/45661860/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=us_shopping_zombies_hvs_21811042479&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=717524850233&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21811042479&gbraid=0AAAAADwY45gyx8-V16UCNiYIO0iDbbJiD&gclid=CjwKCAjwprjDBhBTEiwA1m1d0htR57tWzJv540VODZ6wMW5XmLoKhu_tZMU7mmXaXPCRdHEQhK7x0hoCT9UQAvD_BwE#idiq=45661860&edition=57624496], and listened to episodes of the podcasts The One Inside: An Internal Family System Podcast [https://theoneinside.libsyn.com/] and Purely IFS [https://open.spotify.com/show/6HMBPVBbwR6BhrAnAGFDTr?si=e8b3d28ea9aa4e41].

We discuss how our parts showed up in different ways in the homework, in our lives, and even our art! How does the popularity and language of IFS bring out our skeptical parts?

[24:00-34:00] And then...Erin guides us (and you) through a meditation from No Bad Parts. We share what comes up for us before moving into a review of the accessibility of IFS.

Interested in trying IFS therapy? Find therapists in your area on Psychology Today [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists], IFS Institute [https://ifs-institute.com/practitioners], TherapyDen [https://www.therapyden.com/] or Open Path [https://openpathcollective.org/find-a-clinician/]. If you're in the Denver area, Erin is on Psychology today and accepting new clients.

Some other ways to engage in IFS on your own are through podcasts, YouTube, and apps, including Insight Timer. [https://insighttimer.com/guided-meditations]

Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video
BlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/canweinterestyouin.bsky.social]
Instagram: @canweinterestyouin [https://www.instagram.com/canweinterestyouin/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet]
Email us your interests! CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com
Website: CanWeInterestYouIn.com

15- Internal Family Systems... The Follow Up

On this week's episode we have Erin Boerio, the therapist with oh so many interests we can't wait to have her back for another topic!

She tells us about Internal Family Systems (IFS), a very cool modality with a not so cool name.

What is it? How did Erin get into it? Can it uncover why we throw tantrums like our 4 year old self?

Side topics touch on include: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), blending (not the makeup kind), the 8 C's of Self, parts, protectors, exiles, Dick Schwartz, unburdening, an IFS cruise.

How will Charlotte and Patti and all of their parts react to the homework? What homework will they choose to do?
Lose sleep? Avoid? Make an indecent proposal? Tune in to our follow-up episode to find out. Subscribe/follow our show to ensure you don't miss an episode!

Logo design: Marielle Martin
Song: Upbeat Drums with Stomps and Claps by music_for_video
BlueSky: @canweinterestyouin.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/canweinterestyouin.bsky.social]
Instagram: https:www.instagram.com/canweinterestyouin/# [http://www.instagram.com/canweinterestyouin/#]
Email us: CanWeInterestYouIn@gmail.com

14- Can Erin Interest You In...Internal Family Systems? 

A podcast where friends Charlotte and Patti invite people to share all about their weird and wild obsessions, or perfectly normal hobbies that have been taken just a little too far. 

We want to dabble in your curious interests!

Plus, a 2025 bonus—we hear indulging your interests is good for democracy!

This is why we should engage in activities that are of interest to us, our friends, our families. Insofar as we take pride in these activities, and come to know others who do so as well, we are creating civil society. – Vaclav Havel, “The Power of the Powerless”

CanWeInterestYouIn...?

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