Nice to Have a Friend

We hope this episode gets you even slightly more in the Christmas spirit or feeling nostalgic for Christmas' past! Listen in as we list what we consider the most underrated Christmas movies, books, and songs of all time, and as we recount what's changed from Christmas when we were younger until now.

// MENTIONS //
 
- music -
Silent Night Playlist on Apple Podcasts
Christmas Classics Playlist on Spotify

- books -
Loren's Christmas Books Recommendations

Hallmark Movies Explained Popcast Episode

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com

FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookstagram

Listen along as we recap the pop culture moments that altered our brain chemistry! 

Loren's mentions:

• Taylor Swift's SNL monologue 
• Twilight Field Photoshoot
• Dua Lipa's New Rules music video  

Alyson's mentions: 

• Far Far Away Idol
• I need a hero scene - Shrek
• BTS Carpool Karaoke

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookstagram

Alyson's Soup Recipe

Creators We Mentioned 

Loren:

• Alix Earle 
• okcallie
• Emily Mariko
• Wishbone Kitchen
• Claire and Peter ($123 budget)
• Thru Hikers

Alyson:

• Allison Kuch (football player wife) 
• Lena's mom
• Holly Nichols (fashion drawings)
• Steph Grasso Dietician

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookstagram

We're getting older, but never wiser! :')  but really, excited to be back for another Taylor Swift deep dive. This time for her most historic and poptastic albums yet! Listen along and see if you had similar thoughts to us, and make sure to head to Instagram and let us know your thoughts!

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookstagram

Welcome back to another episode of everyone's favorite, Book Club! No, you didn't miss an announcement of a book, we just like to get together every few months and chat about books :)

// MENTIONS //

Loren's Bookstagram 

Loren's Fall Books Recommendations

• Daisy Darker
•  Rock Paper Scissors
•  A Court of Thorns and Roses series (Book #1)
• From Blood and Ash Series (Book #1)
•  The Inheritance Games Series (Book #1) 

Alyson's Fall Book Recommendations  

• The Maidens
• Pride and Prejudice 
• The Guest List 

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookstagram

// MENTIONS //

Follow Courtney - Instagram | Tiktok

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

We're back! After a summer of technical difficulties, travel, and a few mental journeys, we're so excited to be chatting with you guys again twice a month.

In this episode, we're recapping where we've been this summer and what's ahead for the podcast!

// MENTIONS //
Turkey taco bowls 

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Welcome to this sports themed episode of NTHAF! We're talking about all the sports, our experience with sports (as well as what you guys did growing up!), our favorite sports movies and more.

// M E N T I O N S //
 
The '1' of the Week
Alyson: Snail Mail
Loren: Harry Styles and James Corden Music Video

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com

FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Summer 2022 is just around the corner, and we're gearing up for this season we feel just a little differently about. Come along as we attempt to romanticize summer and look forward to the warmer weather and a slower season.

The '1' of the Week
Alyson: Bob's Burgers
Loren: New desk setup

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com

FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Welcome back to Book Club No. 4! And yes, we accidentally said this was the third book club episode, but it's actually the fourth.

We want to keep you all updated on our reading journey once a quarter this year, to to keep the book recommendations fresh.

Follow Loren's Bookstagram!

// All the Books We Discussed //

ALYSON:
21 Truths About Love, Matthew Dicks
The Unsinkable Greta James, Jennifer E. Smith
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel

LOREN:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Winter Garden, Kristin Hannah
A Court of Thorns and Roses (series)
Crescent City (series)
The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood
The Inheritance Games, Jennifer Lynn Barnes (series)
Tokyo Ever After, Emiko Jean (series)

// Previous Book Club Episodes //
Book Club No. 1
Book Club No. 2
Book Club No. 3

// Join Book of the Month for just $5! //

The '1' of the Week
Alyson: BTS Concert
Loren: Ube Pretzels from Trader Joe's + Her New Job!

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com

FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

We're back with our second ever Grammys Recap! In this episode, you're going to hear everything you missed from Music's Biggest Night + What we thought of the overall show, specific performances, fashion and more.

M - E - N - T - I - O - N - S

BTS Performance

The '1' of the Week
Alyson- Business Proposal 
Loren- Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean


FOLLOW THE PODCAST: 

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com

FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Come along as we play the popular TikTok trend "smash or pass" with some controversial people, places and things submitted by listeners!! Things get heated as we debate some of the hills we will die on for these topics.

Also at the beginning of the episode, we're sharing our ~true~ feelings about Tennessee men's basketball March Madness end.


FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com

FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

We felt like we needed a catch up with each other and you guys, so today's episode is just a little hang out session! Listen along as we recap Alyson's birthday and k-pop developments + Loren and Preston's trip to Colorado and Loren's recent interview.

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com

FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

We're all just working 9 to 5, and today Alyson and Loren are recapping all their previous jobs and the trials and tribulations that came with them, as well as going through our's and listener's workplace horror stories, dream jobs, weird interview questions and more!

Listen along as we recap some traumatizing career moves and laugh through the pain.

The '1' of the Week:
Alyson: Her first k-pop concert!
Loren: Streaming Servant and Severance on AppleTV+ and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime. 

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com

FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Welcome back to another episode of discussing all things working at Disney! Alyson, our resident Disney expert and former employee of the mouse, shares what it's like to work in the happiest place on Earth, common misconceptions or myths about Disney World, staggering statistics about the parks and more.  

We're also debating if certain attractions require acting experience, the lore behind even the smallest sections of the park and some trivia questions you may not know! 

// MENTIONS //

Business Insider Article 

The Disney Look

Updating the Disney Look

Governing Disney World

College Program Returns

// OUR PREVIOUS DISNEY EPISODES //

Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration

Working at Disney Pt. 1

Sarai Grace @thesunnysg - Disney Influencing 

The '1' of the Week:
Alyson: Buc-ee's
Loren: The Olympics 

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com

FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Hygge is very near and dear to our hearts, and we're so excited to share all things hygge and how we practice it (especially during the winter). Make sure to listen to the entire episode to hear a few life updates from us at the end of this episode as well.

Happy hygge-ing, friends! We hope you enjoy this episode, learn something new and feel like you're hygge-ing with us. 

MENTIONS

// Little Book of Hygge //

// The Maid by Nita Prose //

The '1' Of the Week
Loren: Halfbaked Harvest Cookbook
Alyson: Wordle 

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Welcome back to another session of Book Club. Before you close out of this episode, we promise you didn't miss an announcement of a monthly book, we're just getting together to talk about all things books, upcoming 2022 releases, upcoming book to screen adaptations, our bookstore routines and more.

// 2022 Book Releases to Get Excited About //

// Pre-order the books we mentioned below //
The Paris Apartment, Lucy Foley
Book Lovers, Emily Henry 
Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead, Ellie Cosimano 
One Italian Summer, Rebecca Serle 
The Diamond Eye, Kate Quinn
One Night on the Island, Josie Silver

// Upcoming Book to Screen Adaptations //

// Loren + Alyson's favorite independent bookstores! //
Chattanooga: https://www.instagram.com/thebookandcover/ 

California Bay Area: https://www.instagram.com/keplersbooks/

// Previous Book Club Episodes //
Book Club No. 1
Book Club No. 2

// Join Book of the Month for just $5! //

// Join NetGalley to Get Access to Advanced Reader Copies //

The '1' of the Week
Alyson: Harry Potter Reunion + Almond 
Loren: Mare of Easttown

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

It was a great year of virtually hanging out with all of you, and we're sharing all our favorites from 2021 to celebrate! Make sure to tune in as we share our favorite books. movies, TV shows, personal and professional highlights and more. We're also dishing what we're looking forward to most in 2022 and some of our aspirations!

MENTIONS

// Our Favorite 2021 Podcast Episodes //
Loren: What's The Deal with Disney + Powerpoint Party With Us!
Alyson: Embarrassing Stories 

// TV Shows //
Loren:
Ghosts on CBS
The Witcher
Only Murders in the Building

Alyson:
Wanda Vision
Squid Game

// Books //
Loren: The Giver of Stars, Jojo Moyes

Alyson:
The Authenticity Project, Claire Pooley
The Maidens, Alex Michaelides

// Movies //
DUNE

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

We've all had at least one (or multiple in our experience) absolutely cringey, embarrassing moment that just immediately comes to mind when you can't fall asleep at 2 a.m. ten years later. This episode is celebrating and laughing over all of our (and your) embarrassing moments!

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Welcome back to Nice to Have a Friend! We are so excited to be back after our much needed, two month long hiatus.

Today we just wanted to get together and chat for one of our first times since Loren moved to California and Alyson started her full time job at UT. We are looking forward to a new season with many fun episodes!


// MENTIONS //


FOLLOW THE PODCAST:

On Instagram, @NiceToHaveAFriendPod
On Twitter, @NicetoHaveAFri1
At Our Website, www.NiceToHaveAFriend.com


FOLLOW ALYSON:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

FOLLOW LOREN:
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads