We have officially rebranded and are leaning right into the Pop Therapy of it all! The Curious Life Podcast has been a our home for the last 7 years, but we are rounding out the year with the new name that really captures it all. Welcome officially to POP THERAPY!

This week, I sit down with recap queen Kate Riccio to debrief the glittered chaos of BravoCon - the thrills, the crowd crush, the parasocial tightrope and the Bravolebs who handled it… and those who very much did not. We dive into Salt Lake City’s current cultural chokehold, Emmy Sharrett's Southern Hospitality Panel, and why she gets such a hard time from the fans.

Southern Charm and Summer House get the Pop Therapy treatment as we unpack friendship fractures, fame fatigue and why the audience now feels as emotionally invested as the cast.

Kate has some genius ideas for Bravo 2.0 and a candidacy we can all get behind!

Make sure you're following Kate for all things reality TV at:

TikTok:@katericcio

Insta: @ricciorecaps and @therealityofreality

Follow the show on IG at @jana.firestone

Get in touch via the website at: www.janafirestone.com

Watch full videos on YouTube at: The Curious Life Podcast

Thank you to our brilliant audio engineer, Sam Talbot! You can work with him too at www.samtalbot.com.au

Heidi Anderson takes the mic and pulls me into a full BravoCon debrief, and nothing is off the table. Think of this as a backstage pass meets a therapy session for Bravo obsessives.

We get into the frenzy, the fandom, the unspoken rules of the Bravoverse, and what actually happens when you drop a therapist into the middle of thousands of people who’ve also memorised every feud since 2006.

Heidi gets me talking about the moments that made me laugh, the ones that made me pause, and the ones that reminded me why Bravo isn’t just entertainment - it’s a living case study in human behaviour. From the Bravolebs who surprised me to the crowd dynamics that said more than any panel ever could, we unpack why reality TV hooks us, holds us and sometimes even helps us understand ourselves.

It’s fast, fun, a little unhinged, and very Pop Therapy.

Find me on Instagram at @jana.firestone and at www.janafirestone.com.

Follow Heidi Anderson to set your dreams into PR action at @_heidianderson

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE @thecuriouslifepodcast

Thank you to our audio engineer extraordinaire, Sam Talbot. You can work with him too! Head to www.samtalbot.com.au

In the first BRAVOCON episode since my return, Cat (@worm_with_a_mustache) and I dive into the absolute whirlwind that was BravoCon. We unpack the intensity of the weekend, the standout moments from CreatorCon (hosted by The Bravo Docket and Podcast Nation) and our own shifting feelings about the Housewives universe.

We cover the ethics of sharing personal stories and children on reality TV, the justice system’s inconsistent treatment of reality stars, and what the future of Bravo might look like as more controversies surface.

If you love reality TV but also enjoy the psychology, the power plays, and the human cost behind it all, this episode is it.

Follow Cat for all things Bravo and politics at @worm_with_a_mustache.Connect with me on Instagram at @jana.firestone, watch episodes in full on YouTube @thecuriouslifepodcast and find out more at www.janafirestone.com.

Thank you to the brilliant Sam Talbot, our audio engineering wizard who whipped this together in a matter of hours! Work with him directly at www.samtalbot.com.au

In this week’s episode of Pop Therapy, I’m joined bymy friend Dana Regan, a.k.a. The Bravo Investigator, for afull-blown Housewives debrief. We dive into the brand-new Real Housewives of London from the accents, alliances and the early villains emerging from the fog.

Then we head to the icy slopes of Salt Lake City, unpacking the Todd and Muzzie of it all and what’s really going on beneath that chaos. Over in Miami, we ask the big question - is Julia even remotely redeemable after this season’s revelations? And because we can’t help ourselves, there’s a cheeky sprinkle of 90 Day Fiancé drama to round things out.

Follow Dana on Instagram at @thebravoinvestigator,listen to her podcast The Bravo Investigator, and support her on Patreon for even deeper dives into the Bravosphere.

You can find me at @jana.firestone, or visit www.janafirestone.com for all things Plot Twist, Pop Therapy,and beyond.

Thanks as always to the award-winning Sam Talbot for audio engineering. Check out his work at www.samtalbot.com.au

This week on Pop Therapy, I’m joined again by my brilliant friend Heidi Anderson - author, speaker, and all-round powerhouse, to unpack The Muzzy of it all from The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

What started as a juicy Bravo debrief turned into a raw and emotional conversation about mothers, boundaries, and the people who hurt us the most. We talk about Bronwyn’s pain, how she can possibly heal from this, and the complex web of love, loyalty and loss that sits underneath it all.

Heidi shares an incredibly moving story about her own mum - one that will stay with you long after you listen - and together we explore the mother wound, narcissism, and the very specific cultural pressures of Mormonism that shape some of the stories we are seeing unfold on RHOSLC.

If you’ve ever had a complicated relationship with a parent, a toxic friend, or someone who just can’t meet you where you are, this one’s for you. It’s honest, messy, emotional and full of those “oh my god, me too” moments.

We also touch on the seemingly endless stream of Bravo Con - as in, convicted felons and why this seems to be an ongoing trend!

Listen in for therapy-meets-pop-culture realness, and a conversation that might just help you see your own story a little differently.

Follow Heidi at @_heidianderson
Follow me at @jana.firestone | janafirestone.com | YouTube: THE CURIOUS LIFE PODCAST
Audio production by wonderful Sam Talbot | samtalbot.com.au

This week I’m joined by my friend, mentor and fellow Bravo enthusiast, Heidi Anderson - author, PR coach and confidence queen - for a wild Pop Therapy session diving deep into the latest chaos from the Real Housewives universe.

We unpack the RHOM bombshell Julia dropped (what is going on in that twisted mind?!), how it could impact her marriage to tennis legend Martina Navratilova, their newly adopted sons and the whispers about Julia’s shady past. We also explore Guerdy and Adriana’s painful experiences of exclusion and the heat that only Miami can bring.

Plus, we get into RHOSLC and RHOC - what’s working, what’s not, and which cast shake-ups we’d love to see next.

This one’s juicy, funny, and full of therapy-level insight with a Bravo twist.

Listen out for a CODE WORD in the second half — the first 5 people to DM us will win copies of Drunk on Confidence and Plot Twist!

Connect with Heidi:
Instagram: @_heidianderson

Connect with me:
Instagram: @jana.firestone
YouTube: The Curious Life Podcast
Website: www.janafirestone.com

Audio engineering by the wonderful Sam Talbot – work with him at www.samtalbot.com.au

It’s a solo ep!

First up, Rihanna’s baby girl announcement, and the internet’s relief that her family is now “complete.” It speaks to the deep cultural obsession with gender balance and the right we think we have to comment. Gender disappointment is real, and so are the constant judgements about whether our families are “enough.” I share my own experience as a mum of three boys, and why envy and expectation around gender tell us more about society’s scripts than our own worth.

Then we shift to Bravo, where fractured friendships aredominating every franchise. RHOM ends with bonds in tatters, RHOSLC opens with explosions, and RHOC is still stuck in cycles of betrayal. Why do friendship breakups cut so deep, and how do we process that grief when the people wethought we’d have forever suddenly aren’t there?

Two conversations that ask: whose script are we living by,and what happens when those scripts fall apart?

Thank you to our wonderful audio engineer/producer, Sam Talbot, as always.

Connect with the show:

Instagram: @jana.firestone
Website: janafirestone.com
YouTube: Jana Firestone on YouTube

POP THERAPY: With Ryan Bailey

We are back with a refresh! New artwork, new website and a whole new take on pop culture.

We are joined by the king of Bravo deep dives himself - Ryan Bailey from So Bad It’s Good, with Ryan Bailey. Ryan’s here to get me BravoCon-ready as we unpack all the buzz: meeting Bravolebs, the new season of Vanderpump Rules, RHOM, how leaks are rewriting the rules of reality TV, the future of Below Deck, and the brand-new Summer House spin-off. Plus, we dig into the evolution of Countess Luann - from Housewives royalty to full-blown cabaret queen - and what her journey says about growth, fame, and the chaos of living your life on TV.

It’s juicy, it’s fun, and it’s the perfect warm-up for BravoCon.

🔗 Connect with Ryan Bailey:
• Listen to So Bad It’s Good: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
• Support on Patreon: patreon.com/sobaditsgood
• Watch on YouTube: So Bad It’s Good with Ryan Bailey
• Follow on Instagram: @sobaditsgoodwithryanbailey

🔗 Connect with me, Jana Firestone:
• Website: janafirestone.com
• Instagram: @jana.firestone
• Watch episodes on YouTube: The Curious Life Podcast

Work directly with our expert audio engineer, Sam Talbot at www.samtalbot.com.au