This week Alyssa and Nadia are joined by Lucy Shepherd, a close friend of Nadia's from their Dialogue of Civilizations program in Spain, to talk about growing up in different countries, finding a career path, and figuring out what comes next after graduation.

Lucy shares how she spent her childhood moving fromMaryland to Ecuador, then Peru and eventually seven years in Johannesburg, before landing in Boston for college. Along the way, that constant relocation shaped how she thinks about identity, belonging, and what it even means to call somewhere home.

At Northeastern, Lucy started out undeclared, trying on economics, environmental science, and communications before finding her way to English and discovering she loved editing. She talks about what drew her to the field, how living abroad shaped her interest in stories that don't usually get told, and why she sees an editor's job as protecting a writer's voice rather than smoothing it away.

The conversation feels timely for Nadia, who is heading into her own post grad questions soon. They talk about the job search, staying open instead of locking into one plan, and the side gigs and small steps that can carry someone through an uncertain stretch.

They also get into what it's like not really having one fixed home base anymore, since her parents are in Istanbul now and her sister is out in California. And they talk about the places that have actually stuck with her, Peru especially.

It's a grounded conversation about identity, ambition, and learning to trust that things will come together even when the path isn't clear yet.

Takeaways

• Growing up abroad complicated Lucy's sense of what it means to be American, and honestly, it's still not fully resolved
• Being undeclared wasn't a setback, it gave her the room to actually find the right path
• A good editor protects a writer's voice instead of replacing it
• Living in so many different countries shaped her interest in stories that usually don't get told
• Post-grad uncertainty gets a lot easier to sit with when you stay open instead of forcing a decision
• Once her family scattered across different countries, home stopped being one fixed place
• Peru is so much more than Machu Picchu
• Careers tend to start with curiosity, not certainty

Chapters

• 0:11 – 1:43 Meet Lucy and how she and Nadia met on their Dialogue of Civilizations trip in Spain
• 1:43 – 5:51 Lucy's childhood in Maryland, Ecuador, Peru and seven years in Johannesburg
• 5:51 – 8:54 Why Northeastern, choosing Boston over Santa Cruz and a co-op program she didn't even understand yet
• 8:54 – 11:46 Does Lucy feel American? Identity and belonging after growing up outside the US
• 11:46 – 16:00 From undeclared to English major, how Lucy found editing
• 16:00 – 19:21 What an editor actually does and why that matters in the age of AI
• 19:21 – 21:03 Amplifying voices that don't get heard, AAPI Month and using privilege well
• 21:03 – 24:22 Life after graduation, job hunting, side gigs and staying open
• 24:22 – 27:21 Where even is home now, parents in Istanbul, sister in Berkeley, lease ending in August
• 27:21 – 29:46 Lucy's favorite place she's lived, the case for Peru
• 29:46 – 30:50 Dream publications and wrapping up the interview

650.701.7686 (o)

650.332.2739 (f)

510.673.8712 (m)

Sports & Dance Rehab | Pilates | Group Classes

On the Move Physical Therapy

501-D Old County Rd.

Belmont, CA 94002

web - http://www.onthemovephysio.com

email - alyssa@onthemovephysio.com

IG - https://www.instagram.com/onthemovephysio

This week, Alyssa and Nadia finally get into the topic Alyssa has been trying to crack open for months, Nadia's love life. What started as a casual mention, "don't make a big deal out of this, but I'm going on a third date," has since turned into something real, and this episode is basically the full update.

Alyssa starts by breaking down the modern dating vocabulary she had to learn in real time. Where her generation had “going steady,” Nadia’s world has a whole ladder of stages, talking, dating, exclusive, official. From the outside it can feel confusing or noncommittal, but Nadia explains why those steps actually make sense and how things naturally shift as feelings change.

From there they get into how it all started. A Hinge match in February, a first date, and a third date that felt different enough that Nadia had to say something. Nadia talks about what made her nervous, not safety stuff, just the vulnerability of getting to know someone after a long stretch of being comfortable on her own.

The episode gets warmer and more reflective when Alyssa asks what made this particular person easy to talk to. Nadia points to compatible personalities and a shared Bay Area background, something she didn't realize mattered until it did. Alyssa connects it to her own relationship with Nadia's dad and how small points of connection quietly build something bigger over time.

The practical side gets addressed too. He graduated and moved back to the Bay Area while Nadia is still in Boston for co-op, studying for the MCATs, and figuring out her next semester. Long distance isn't the plan, it's just the current situation. But since home is the same place for both of them, it doesn't really feel like an ending, more like a pause.

The episode wraps up with Alyssa floating the idea of DMing him or his mom for a coffee date, Nadia drawing a very firm line, and a rare public shoutout to Sean, who apparently gave his blessing for all of this.

Takeaways

• The modern dating timeline has more stages than previous generations had words for and that's not confusion, it's just how things work now

• Going in with no expectations can actually be a healthy way to approach dating, especially when feelings genuinely evolve over time

• The fear of vulnerability after a long period of being single is just as real as any other kind of dating anxiety

• Having people in your corner, roommates, friends, even a very invested mom, can make the difference between giving up and giving it a shot

• Shared background and cultural touchstones create an ease that's hard to explain but impossible to ignore

• A situationship is only frustrating when nothing comes out of it. When something does, it just becomes the beginning

• Long distance is more manageable when home is the same place for both people

• There's a real difference between a parent being involved because they're pushy and a parent being involved because they genuinely want to share in the good stuff

• Sometimes the reason you never talked about your dating life on the podcast is simply that there was nothing worth saying until there was

Chapters

0:10 – 1:24 — Catching Up and Setting the Stage

1:24 – 4:15 — Third Date Energy, How This All Started

4:15 – 7:00 — Dating Vocab Then vs. Now

7:00 – 9:35 — Being the Last Single One in the Apartment

9:35 – 12:00 — What Was Actually Scary About It

12:00 – 15:20 — Why He Was Easy to Talk To

15:20 – 18:10 — What Shared Background Actually Does for a Relationship

18:10 – 21:00 — Long Distance (Sort Of)

21:00 – 23:55 — Situationships, Labels, and Why Nadia Doesn't Love That Word

23:55 – 27:47 — The Official Shoutout, the Coffee Date Offer, and Signing Off

650.701.7686 (o)

650.332.2739 (f)

510.673.8712 (m)

Sports & Dance Rehab | Pilates | Group Classes

On the Move Physical Therapy

501-D Old County Rd.

Belmont, CA 94002

web - http://www.onthemovephysio.com

email - alyssa@onthemovephysio.com

IG - https://www.instagram.com/onthemovephysio

This week, Alyssa and Nadia record in mid-May as the heat, allergies, airplane noise, ambulances, and barking dogs set the scene. After a quick detour into neighborhood complaints, Alyssa brings the conversation to the real topic: money, and how Nadia is thinking about it as she nears the end of college.

Nadia has one semester left, a co-op that pays slightly above Boston’s minimum wage, and parental support that has always had a clear end date. Alyssa asks what it feels like to stand at the edge of that transition.

Nadia shares that she isn’t panicking, but she also doesn’t feel fully at ease. Boston is expensive, her co-op pay only stretches so far, and she’s aware that next semester may require working two jobs to make everything work. She reflects on past choices, like spending on her summer abroad in Greece, and the growing reality that she’s getting closer to true financial independence.

The conversation expands to the job market for Nadia’s peers. Many seniors are still searching for offers, moving home, or taking whatever work they can find. Even in healthcare, where Nadia is headed, jobs may be available but often don’t pay enough to live alone in Boston.

Alyssa compares this to her own post-college experience during the dot-com boom, when jobs were easier to find but the pressure to choose something “worthy” still felt heavy. Looking back, she sees how much unnecessary pressure she placed on her younger self.

The episode lands on the uncertainty of being in your 20s, when plans around housing, jobs, cities, and school can shift quickly. Alyssa mentions Charvi’s changing physical therapy school plans as an example of how much life can rearrange in just a few months.

Takeaways

• Money stress can be the constant awareness that support is ending and the gap between income and expenses is shrinking.
• A safety net is a privilege because it means someone could catch you if something big went wrong.
• Boston and other major cities are often too expensive for college-level wages to cover fully.
• A clear end date on parental support can be uncomfortable, but it pushes independence earlier.
• The post-grad job market is tough, even for students with strong internship or co-op experience.
• Café and retail jobs carry less outside judgment now, but the internal pressure can still feel heavy.
• Healthcare jobs may be available, but they often don’t pay enough for expensive cities.
• Your 20s are unstable because so many opportunities and decisions are still in motion.
• Big plans can shift quickly, and the real skill is learning how to adapt.
• Millennials often put too much pressure on landing an impressive first job.
• Knowing the challenges ahead can feel grounding because the unknowns become more defined.

Chapters

• 0:10–3:00 — Heat, Airplanes, Barking Dogs, and the Nextdoor Complaints
• 3:00–5:55 — Setting Up the Topic: The End of the Allowance and What That Actually Means
• 5:55–10:30 — Nadia's Honest Read on Money in College: Never Quite Comfortable, Even With Support
• 10:30–13:50 — The Privilege of Having a Backup: What Stability Actually Looks Like
• 13:50–16:30 — Two Jobs Next Semester and the Math That Isn't Going to Work Otherwise
• 16:30–20:30 — The Job Market for Nadia's Peers: Co-Ops Don't Guarantee Anything
• 20:30–22:30 — Cafe Jobs, Retail Jobs, and the Generational Shift in What's Acceptable Post-Grad
• 22:30–26:30 — Why Your 20s Are Unstable On Purpose: Leases, Opportunities, and Rolling With the Punches
• 26:30–28:50 — The Long Road of Medical School and Closing Thoughts on Knowing the Challenges Ahead

650.701.7686 (o)

650.332.2739 (f)

510.673.8712 (m)

Sports & Dance Rehab | Pilates | Group Classes

On the Move Physical Therapy

501-D Old County Rd.

Belmont, CA 94002

web - http://www.onthemovephysio.com

email - alyssa@onthemovephysio.com

IG - https://www.instagram.com/onthemovephysio

After scrapping a first recording that didn't feel right, Alyssa and Nadia land on a topic that's been sitting in the background: what it actually means to be Filipino-American when you're a generation removed from the immigration story. Nadia is 100% Filipino by heritage — but both her parents were born in the US, and that one fact changes almost everything.

The conversation gets specific fast. Nadia recalls arriving at Northeastern's Filipino club and learning there was a taho night — a dessert she'd never heard of. She looked Filipino, but didn't always know the script. A visit to the Philippines brought the same dissonance: people addressed her in Tagalog expecting fluency, only to find she couldn't follow along. Alyssa notes that neither parent spoke Tagalog at home, so there was never a natural path to absorb it — though Nadia still holds herself accountable for not seeking it out.

They also get into what it's like to be Asian in mostly non-Asian spaces — something Nadia encounters more in Boston than she ever did in the Bay Area. Outside the community, all Asian identities tend to get collapsed into one. It's frustrating, but Nadia also finds unexpected comfort in her Asian friend group: there's something grounding about being around people who look like you, even when the specific cultural backgrounds differ. The episode closes with both of them acknowledging there's a whole other conversation waiting — including whether the Philippines even belongs in the "Asian" part of AAPI.

Takeaways

• Being fully Filipino by ancestry doesn't guarantee fluency in Filipino culture — especially when your parents were also raised in the US
• Language is one of the clearest markers of cultural connection, and its absence tends to surface guilt even when it wasn't really a choic
• Arriving somewhere you're "supposed" to belong and realizing the connection isn't automatic is its own specific kind of dissonance
• People outside a community tend to collapse all Asian identities into one — frustrating, but not always malicious
• There's real comfort in being around people who look like you, even without shared cultural specifics
• Growing up in a diverse environment like the Bay Area creates assumptions about normalcy that other places quickly disrupt
• Navigating multiple cultural contexts builds something useful: the ability to hold different worldviews without defaulting to one as the obvious baseline
• Cultural identity isn't a fixed destination — for most people, it's an ongoing negotiation between origin, upbringing, and what you decide to learn now

Chapters

• 0:10–0:52 — Do-Over: Why the First Recording Didn't Make the Cut
• 0:52–2:14 — AAPI Heritage Month and the Filipino Moment on TikTok

• 2:14–5:08 — Growing Up Filipino Without the Philippines

• 5:08–7:43 — The Taho Moment: When You Look the Part But Don't Know the Script

• 7:43–10:19 — Why Tagalog Wasn't in the House — and Whether That's Anyone's Fault

• 10:19–12:19 — Being Lumped In: How Non-Asians Read Asian Identity

• 12:19–14:29 — The Quiet Comfort of Your Own Community — and What Boston Made Visible

650.701.7686 (o)

650.332.2739 (f)

510.673.8712 (m)

Sports & Dance Rehab | Pilates | Group Classes

On the Move Physical Therapy

501-D Old County Rd.

Belmont, CA 94002

web - http://www.onthemovephysio.com

email - alyssa@onthemovephysio.com

IG - https://www.instagram.com/onthemovephysio

This week, Alyssa and Nadia record on a Sunday morning, a podcast first, and quickly abandon their planned topic for a more organic conversation about Gen Z: whether they’re really more serious, homebodied, and less “fun” than previous generations.

Alyssa shares what she’s been hearing from parents: Gen Z drives less, goes out less, drinks less, and spends more time indoors. Nadia pushes back thoughtfully, arguing that the behavior may not be as different as people think. What has changed is what gets posted. Her generation is highly aware of being watched online, managing a persona, and the permanence of digital life. Just because something isn’t visible doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

The conversation becomes more personal when Nadia describes herself as a perfectionist. For her, perfectionism isn’t about flawless work. It’s about waiting for the “right” conditions until nothing gets started. It’s also about disruption, perception, and rarely going against the grain. Alyssa contrasts this with her own motivation: she’s more afraid of missing the window than getting it perfect, so she tends to jump in before she feels ready.

From there, they explore social media, public identity, and the pressure of growing up with everything documented. College acceptances, LinkedIn wins, and life milestones are not just experienced, they’re performed. Alyssa reflects on seeing a colleague post a keynote credit and wondering whether her own silence online had cost her opportunities. Nadia explains that for her, not posting certain things isn’t dishonest; it’s simply a way of navigating who gets to see what.

The episode closes with recommendations. Alyssa shares Yesteryear, a novel about a tradwife influencer whose online identity clashes with her inner life. Nadia adds a guilty pleasure mention of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, then half-retracts it almost immediately.

Takeaways

• Gen Z may not be less social or less fun, but more selective about what they post online.
• Social media has changed the visibility of behavior, making outside perceptions feel distorted.
• Perfectionism often shows up as waiting for the “right” conditions, which can delay action
• Some people are more motivated by the fear of missing an opportunity than by doing something perfectly.
• Growing up online turns milestones like college acceptances and job wins into public performances.
• Being constantly watched shapes what people share, hide, and curate.
• Influencer culture is a legitimate modern job, but it comes with pressure to stay consistent in public.
• The most effective online personas often feel authentic, not overly constructed.
• Post-COVID isolation shaped how Gen Z socializes, matures, and handles pressure.
• Authenticity is harder to maintain when platforms reward polished, consistent identities.

Chapters
0:11–1:24 — Sunday Morning Recording: Why Today Feels Different

1:24–4:15 — The Gen Z Debate: Do They Actually Go Out Lessor Just Post Less?

4:15–7:50 — A Man at a Donut Shop, a Woman Behind theCounter, and What Growing Up Fast Used to Look Like

7:50–10:45 — Pressure to Fix the World and the PerceptionThat Gen Z Is Lazy

10:45–14:40 — The Perfectionism Conversation: What NadiaActually Means When She Says It

14:40–16:20 — Waiting for the Right Time vs. Jumping BeforeYou're Ready

16:20–20:00 — Everything Is Online: College Acceptances,LinkedIn Posts, and the Pressure to Perform Every Milestone

20:00–22:05 — Alyssa's LinkedIn Wake-Up Call and What SheHasn't Posted

22:05–26:30 — Is Being an Influencer a Legitimate Career?The Full Conversation

26:30–30:25 — Book and Show Recommendations: Yesteryear, Tradwives, and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

650.701.7686 (o)

650.332.2739 (f)

510.673.8712 (m)

Sports & Dance Rehab | Pilates | Group Classes

On the Move Physical Therapy

501-D Old County Rd.

Belmont, CA 94002

web - http://www.onthemovephysio.com

email - alyssa@onthemovephysio.com

IG - https://www.instagram.com/onthemovephysio

This week, Alyssa and Nadia skip having a guest and instead share a personal life update. There’s no set topic — just an honest check-in on how they’re doing. It turns into one of their most open and candid episodes.

Alyssa revisits her Hume Scale results by getting a DEXA scan, the gold standard for body composition. The scan showed slightly better results, suggesting the scale is fairly accurate. More than the data, she reflects on how her mindset has changed — getting the same “B” result as in 2018, but this time feeling more motivated to improve.

Her results showed weight gain since 2018, but mostly from muscle, not fat. Bone density dropped slightly and visceral fat increased a bit, but the muscle gain surprised her. It highlights how our perception of our bodies doesn’t always match reality.

Nadia shares her update, balancing co-op work, gymnastics, and trying to eat healthier. She tested her nutrition with a carotenoid scan and scored average, but wants to improve. Alyssa also reveals they hired a private chef, leading to a funny but practical discussion about cost, food waste, and meal prep.

The conversation shifts as Nadia talks about her MCAT dilemma. She’s behind on studying and deciding whether to take it. Alyssa emphasizes that whatever she chooses, she needs to stay intentional with her prep.

Beyond the MCAT, Nadia is also navigating big life decisions — career plans, where to live, and friendships changing after graduation. Alyssa reassures her that this uncertainty is normal and that this stage of life, though messy, often becomes one of the most meaningful.

Takeaways

• Our perception of our own health and fitness doesn't always match the data — and that gap is worth paying attention to
• The same result can land completely differently depending on where you are in life and what you've been told to care about
• Social media has meaningfully shifted how women think about their bodies, health, and fitness — especially for women in their forties
• Muscle gain can happen without dedicated weight training, and sometimes the body surprises you
• Practical barriers to eating vegetables are real — variety, prep time, and portion size all get in the way for small households
• The private chef math is more defensible than it sounds when you factor in food waste, time, and the cost of eating out
• Postponing a high-stakes test isn't just a scheduling question — it changes your entire relationship to studying for it
• Medical school applications mean every MCAT score is visible, so the decision of when to sit for it carries real weight
• The 22 to 27 window is one of the most uncertain periods of adult life — and almost everybody gets through it
• Having friends scatter after college is a real emotional transition, not just a logistical one
• A carotenoid meter is apparently a thing that exists and your workplace might have one

Chapters

• 0:11–1:24 — No Agenda, Just Life: What This Episode Is and Why
• 1:24–4:28 — The DEXA Scan Follow-Up: How Accurate Was the Hume Scale?
• 4:28–7:05 — The Same Grade, Eight Years Apart: What Changed and What Didn't
• 7:05–11:15 — The Discourse Around Women's Health: Jane Fonda, Dr. Stacy Sims, and What's Different Now
• 11:15–12:05 — Nadia on Exercise Post-Gymnastics: The Gym That Never Quite Happens
• 12:05–15:50 — The Private Chef Reveal: Nadia's Reaction and the Actual Math
• 15:50–19:30 — Vegetables, Carotenoid Meters, and Eating Like an Adult
• 19:30–24:00 — Senior Season: Nationals, Senior Night, Grad Photos, and the Transition Feeling
• 24:00–29:05 — The MCAT Decision: July, September, or January — and What's Really Holding It Back
• 29:05–31:33 — Jobs, Leases, Moving, and What 22 to 27 Feels Like from the Other Side

650.701.7686 (o)

650.332.2739 (f)

510.673.8712 (m)

Sports & Dance Rehab | Pilates | Group Classes

On the Move Physical Therapy

501-D Old County Rd.

Belmont, CA 94002

web - http://www.onthemovephysio.com

email - alyssa@onthemovephysio.com

IG - https://www.instagram.com/onthemovephysio

In this week’s episode, Alyssa and Nadia open with the reason Nadia barely has a voice: nationals in Alabama, a weekend of yelling, and a concert the night before.

The main story follows Alyssa’s latest Instagram-ad purchase: a Hume body pod, a smart scale that measures things like body fat, visceral fat, muscle mass, and bone mass. Curious about her health as she approaches 50 — and noticing more women on GLP-1 medications losing weight but also showing up with injuries — she wanted a better way to understand where weight loss was actually coming from.

Instead, the scan gave her worse results than expected and sent her into a mini spiral. Within 48 hours, she had asked AI for a meal plan, bought groceries, started weight training, and even contacted a private chef. Nadia reacts with a mix of disbelief and amusement, but the conversation also touches on something deeper: Alyssa’s history of anxiety around health tracking. She shares how monitoring her blood pressure once triggered a panic cycle, and Nadia adds that a teammate had a similar experience after obsessively watching her Garmin heart rate.

Things get even more interesting when Alyssa finds out her husband had already bought a different body composition scale and hidden it while Nadia and Lucy were home. When the two scales showed different results, it raised a bigger question about how accurate any of these devices really are. Alyssa decides the best next step is a DEXA scan to get a baseline and figure out whether either scale is worth keeping.

The episode ends on a lighter note with Alyssa’s other ad-fueled regret: three “perfect” t-shirts that turned out to be neither perfect nor refundable. Nadia gives her verdict, and they wrap up with voice recovery tips like ginger turmeric tea with honey, Flonase, and the reminder that raspiness is better than whispering.

Takeaways

• Health tracking tools can be genuinely useful, but knowing your own psychological relationship with numbers before you buy is just as important as the data itself
• Monitoring a metric you're anxious about can make that metric worse — the feedback loop between anxiety and physiology is real
• Body composition scales vary significantly in accuracy, and comparing two against a gold standard like a DEXA scan is a smarter starting point than trusting either one blindly
• GLP-1 medications are changing the bodies of a lot of people, and the question of what's being lost alongside the weight is worth paying attention to
• AI-generated meal plans and workout routines aren't inherently bad starting points — but they work better when you bring some of your own knowledge to the table
• Resistance training matters more as you age, especially for women approaching 50, even if it's not your favorite kind of movement
• Hiding body composition tools from teenagers in the house is a form of care — some information isn't neutral for everyone

Chapters

• 0:10–1:04 — Where Did Nadia's Voice Go? Alabama Nationals, Concerts, and Allergies
• 1:04–3:24 — Alyssa Gets Targeted: What the Hume Body Pod Promises and Why She Caved
• 3:24–5:29 — When Tracking Backfires: The Blood Pressure Panic Spiral and a Teammate's Garmin Story
• 5:29–7:00 — What the Scale Actually Said and the Spiral That Followed
• 7:00–10:00 — The AI Meal Plan, the Grocery List, and Nadia's Escalating Disbelief
• 10:00–12:00 — The Husband's Hidden Scale, the Data Discrepancy, and an Accuracy Problem
• 12:00–14:16 — Why Alyssa Actually Bought It: GLP-1 Clients, Muscle Loss, and a Clinic Motivation
• 14:16–15:34 — The DEXA Plan, the Return Maybe, and a Reality Check on Resources
• 15:34–16:09 — Instagram Ads, Three Non-Returnable T-Shirts, and Closing Thoughts

650.701.7686 (o)

650.332.2739 (f)

510.673.8712 (m)

Sports & Dance Rehab | Pilates | Group Classes

On the Move Physical Therapy

501-D Old County Rd.

Belmont, CA 94002

web - http://www.onthemovephysio.com

email - alyssa@onthemovephysio.com

IG - https://www.instagram.com/onthemovephysio