On Our Best Behavior

New Year, Kinder You

Kelli Szurek & Maccoy Overlie Season 5 Episode 10

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New year, same heart: we kick off 2026 with a clear promise—less hate, more listening—and a warm, candid check-in from the couch. Think realistic resolutions, honest progress, and the art of hibernation done right. We trade performative perfection for small, steady moves and a little humor about Apple Watch stand-offs, spinach-near-cheese iron counts, and the weather that cancels steps.

Our winter watchlist leans twisty and absorbing. Runaway peels back the glossy family image to reveal buried truths, while His And Hers turns marriage into a high-stakes guessing game where certainty keeps shifting. Evil Influencer examines charm, control, and community gatekeeping with an unsettling look at trust exploited. For movie night, The Rip drops us into a moral pressure cooker—found money, fractured loyalties, and a decision you’ll debate with yourself long after the credits.

Reading brings balance and breath. It Starts With Us offers healing and hope after hurt, What Lies Between Us traps us in a mother-daughter maze of memory and blame, and Dean Koontz’s Life Expectancy blends suspense with wit, proving genre can stretch without snapping. We talk audiobook momentum, book club plans, and how swapping doom-scrolling for chapters reshapes attention. On the music side, we go deep with Taylor Swift’s storytelling and a wave of 2000s nostalgia that anchors mood and memory.

We also pause for a grounded note on Minnesota’s ICE tensions: empathy without naivete, lawful accountability without cruelty, and a focus on safety that resists chaos. The throughline is simple and stubbornly hopeful—slow progress counts, tenderness is strength, and attention is a superpower. If you’re craving smart recs, real talk, and a nudge toward gentler days, this one’s your winter companion. If it resonates, follow, share with a friend, and leave a review so more kind, curious people can find us.

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SPEAKER_00:

Alright, alright, alright. Are we ready for a brand new era? Welcome back to On Our Best Behavior, the podcast where I try my best and sometimes dramatically fail. But this is me trying. It's 2026, folks, a clean slate, a fresh chapter, a full-on new era moment. So whether you're listening in your car, hiding in the pantry from your kids, or just pretending you've got your life together, hi, I'm so glad you're here. Grab your coffee, your emotional support water bottle, and maybe take a deep breath because you need to calm down, and so do I. Now, here's where I slow it down for a second. I ended our very last episode of 2025 saying that all I wanted was for people to be kind, to be decent humans, to stay in their lanes and lead with empathy. And I'll be honest, I'm pretty disappointed in how 2026 has decided to kick things off. What's happening in the world right now, including the ICE related events here in Minnesota, doesn't reflect the message I was hoping we'd carry forward. And I want to be really clear, I'm not here to pick sides or throw fuel on the fire. I'm here to remind everyone that peace matters. We can disagree without destroying each other. We can feel strongly without acting hatefully. If you don't like receiving hate, then maybe don't give it. Being loud doesn't always mean being right. Being kind doesn't always mean being weak. And showing peace, love, and embracement, that's how we prove we're better than this. So as we step up into the new year together, let's try, really try, to come together as humans first. Less hate, more listening, more compassion. Because at the end of the day, love really is a ruthless game unless we choose to play it better. And with that, let's get into today's episode. So plot twist, it's just me today. I'm on my couch, not even in the studio, with my dogs, no one's home. It's quiet. It's a nice vibe. I kind of like it. So, no co-host, no backup, no one to rein me in. Just vibes, a microphone, and intrusive thoughts. So we'll see how this goes. If you love me, tell me. If you hate it, maybe gently tell me, or not at all. Feedback is always welcome, preferably positive, because I'm fragile but thriving and struggle with setbacks. Today I want to talk about New Year's resolutions because it's almost February, which is when resolutions either turn into habits or memories. And listen, no judgment here. This is a safe space mostly. So my resolutions for 2026 were very reasonable, very adult, very I've got my life together energy. Less clutter in my life, which I have sold some things on marketplace. Number two, financial decisions that are better. Still trying to catch up from Christmas, hoping that I get a tax refund to put me back on track or even a little ahead. Uh I had a lot. At least 10,000 steps a day, which I'm pretty sure hasn't happened once. And negative 24 is too cold for a walk outside. And also so cold that I talk myself out of walking inside. I love to make excuses for myself. And my dogs, like, they can't even walk outside. Their paws are cold. I can't take them for a walk. It's too cold. It's just it's too cold for exercise. Uh, another one of my resolutions was to increase my iron intake because apparently my body runs on vibes and fumes, and it's good for my hair and nails. To prepare McCoy high protein meals and snacks, and to just in general be a nicer person. How is that going, you ask? Some slow progress, some no progress, some I thought about it, and that counts progress. The clutter one, I've made piles, which feels like a step. The financial one, I'm more um I'm more aware of my bad decisions while I'm making them. Hashtag growth. 10,000 steps, some days yes, no. Some days my Apple Watch and I are no longer on speaking terms. I really try to not let it bother me. I try to make a good effort, and I decided to be at peace with that. And when the weather's nicer, maybe I'll improve. Iron intake? Well, if spinach counts when it's near cheese, I'm nailing it. Being nicer, honestly, a work in progress. Heavy emphasis on progress. I feel like I've been doing good. I've been trying to not say, I hate this, I hate that. Um, because I feel like we use that term too loose. And I feel like it needs to be thought about and used strategically. And I don't want to hate everything. That's terrible. What I really want you to know is resolutions are hard and they should be. But I want to know where you are with your resolutions. I want to know what resolutions you made. I'm always interested to hear what people's goals are. Because we're far enough into the new year where the motivation is fading, but close enough to where we're still pretending we can turn it around. So tell me, did you stick with yours? Did you completely abandon them? Or did you never make any at all because you're emotionally intelligent? Let me know. I genuinely want to hear. And since it's just me today, I figured we'd keep things cozy and light and talk about some of my favorite things right now, which always is what I've been watching, what I've been reading, and what I've been listening to. Because nothing says personal growth like recommending TV shows while avoiding eye contact with your goals. All right, so let's start with what I'm watching. Because if winter has taught me anything, it's that my favorite winter activity is hibernating, full bear mode. I stay in the house, I avoid the cold, I rotate between sweatpants and avoid bras like the plague. And I get aggressively caught up on TV and reading. That's it. That's the lifestyle. 10 out of 10, highly recommend. So the first the first show that I want to talk about is on Netflix. And honestly, all of these are. That's my primary platform that I like. Uh, this one is called Runaway. It's based on a book by Harlan Coben, which, if you know, you know. His name is attached. You already understand the assignment. Suspense, family secrets, and at least one moment where you're like, oh no, oh no. This plot follows a dad who is trying to rescue his runaway, drug-addicted daughter Paige, after she disappears and ends up mixed up in this really dark, dangerous underworld. And what starts as him just trying to find his kid quickly turns into a full-blown murder investigation, because of course it does. And suddenly all these family secrets start coming out. Can we talk about the cast for a second? Minnie Driver is in this, which I feel like I haven't seen her in anything in a really long time. So she's not a main character, but it was good to see her. What really pulled me in is when the dad catches a glimpse of Paige's daughter, and the whole time you're watching, like you're just like, why? Why doesn't she want to go home? She why does she want to run away? They seem to have a nice life, they have a lot of money, the family seem to be close. Everything looks so good from the outside. So what happened? Why did she run? What does everyone not know? And I feel like that's an Instagram highlight reel. Like, right? We are always quote unquote surprised when we find out something bad has happened to somebody. Um, a relationship isn't going well, because we only, and this has changed some, I'll give that credit, but for the most part, people are sharing their highlight reel with you, right? This is nothing new. No one is telling you all the bad things that are happening. And the people who are, right, like we're a little curious, but at the same time, if it goes on and on and on, we're like, okay, that's enough. Unfriend, unfollow, take a break, whatever you need to do. Because we shouldn't error our dirty laundry on on Facebook. That's that's a cry for help. Probably just need to make an appointment with a therapist. That's kind of funny, kind of witty, but you know, to to each their own. Honestly, I don't even really go on Facebook anymore. I use it for marketplace. And um I really I guess maybe that's one of my not New Year's resolutions, but newer goals, is to just be more present and to not be on my phone as much. I feel like the wor the rest of the world is on their phone enough that they can inform me of what's going on. I don't even have to look myself. So that's fine. It gives it gives me something to listen to that I haven't heard yet. All right, so back to the show Runaway. The theme of the show is you slowly realize that everyone thinks they know what they're what's going on, but nobody actually does. Every episode makes you want to watch just one more, which is dangerous behavior during hibernation season. You don't want to blow through the shows too fast because then you don't have anything else to watch. If you like suspense, family drama, that's not your own, and shows that quietly ruin your evening plans because you can't stop watching, or you don't want to leave your house, so it gives you something to do, Runaway is definitely worth it. All right, sticking with my Netflix hibernation era, the next show I watched is called His and Hers. And yes, it's another book adaptation. Because apparently my personality right now is thrillers only. And the other great thing about book adaptations is if I haven't read the book yet and the show comes out, that's one less book off of my list that I don't have to read. Unless I think the show was so good and the book could be so much better. But uh, that's one way for me to shave my list down. So His and Hers is a six-episode Netflix thriller. It's based on the novel by Alice Feeney. And if you've ever read her stuff, you already know nothing is what it seems, and everyone is lying. Everyone. The story follows a reporter and her estranged husband, who so just happens to be a detective, as they both try to solve a murder in their small hometown, which honestly already sounds messy enough. But then each of them starts suspecting the other might be involved in the crime. So now it's not just a who did it, it's do I know the person I married at all? Very chill, very relaxing winter content. Uh, this is exactly the kind of show I love. It's twisty, it's layered, and constantly making you feel confident and wrong at the same time. You think you figured it out, you feel smug about it, and then the show is like cute theory, try again. I've recommended this one to a handful of people already, and every single one of them has come back and said they loved it, which makes me feel validated, and therefore I trust my own opinions even more. If you're looking for something suspenseful, smart, and bingeable, and you enjoy shows where everyone is suspicious and no one is okay, his and hers is a must-watch, right? Because it always just makes you feel a little bit better about your own life. All right, let's move into one more thing I watched, and this one takes a cozy hard left from thrillers into what does this say about me territory? So the next thing I watched was a documentary on Netflix, of course, called Evil Influencer, the Jody Hildebrand story. And yes, that title alone should have been my first warning. This documentary explores the life of Jody Hildebrandt, a former Utah therapist whose partnership with parenting YouTuber Ruby Frankie eventually led to a really disturbing child abuse scandal. And I'm gonna be honest with you, I knew absolutely nothing about this. Apparently it was huge, apparently everyone else knew, and apparently I live under a rock. But listen, I rely on documentaries to tell me everything I need to know about the world because that's smart, right? Everything you see on TV is true. Netflix would never mislead me. I trust it fully. No notes. What really pulled me into how this um cultish to how cultish this whole thing feels, uh, is deeply tied to religion, which if you know me, you know I really struggle with all different kinds of religions being very cultish. Uh I feel like some of them uh spin more man-made rules than what God and Jesus or whoever you believe in maybe intended. Um so it's deeply tied to religion, specifically the Mormon community in Utah, which is very large. And the way it's portrayed when someone is recommended within that community, it's like a golden ticket. People trust you immediately, no questions, no red flags, just vibes and authority. And this woman absolutely capitalized on that trust. She was making a ton of money. She lived in a$5 million home. She was gaining influence and slowly pulling people deeper and deeper into her belief system. And as the documentary unfolds, you start to see her tactics, how she manipulates, isolates, controls, and honestly, it's wild. Like pause the TV and just stare wild. Now, let's talk about what this says about me, because apparently I like to talk about myself. I like thrillers for families where families hide secrets. I like shows where spouses don't trust each other, and documentaries about cults, manipulation, and psychological control. So that's something for my therapist to unpack later. But if you'd like documentaries that make you say what out loud, leave you unsettled, and make you want to Google everything afterward, this one is absolutely worth the watch. Just maybe don't watch it right before bed, or do because chaos. Okay. So that's enough shows. One movie I watched that I really wanted to mention is The Rip on Netflix. And the reason it immediately caught my attention is because I felt like it checked all the boxes. Like this is something everyone in the family could agree on, which is rare. Very rare. I was there. It was rare. It's an action thriller. It's fast-paced. It stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who, let's be honest, could read a grocery list together and I'd still watch. Their chemistry is always so good. I mean, they're best friends in real life, right? You can feel it. It works. So the gist of the rip is this. It follows Miami DEA. See, I knew eventually, the narcotics team. And after the murder of their captain, the team discovers$20 million hidden in a cartel stash house, which is one of those situations where you're like, hmm, this is not gonna end well. From there, everything spirals. Trust starts breaking down, tensions rise, and the team is forced to make a huge moral decision. Do they report the money like they're supposed to, or do they take it? And if you think everyone agrees on the answer, you would be very wrong. What makes it even more interesting is that the film is partly inspired by a real 2016 Miami-Dade police case where a tactical narcotics team actually found a massive amount of cash and had to face this exact dilemma. So the whole time you're watching, you're thinking, okay, but what would I do? And the answer might make you uncomfortable. The movie is gritty, high tension, very character-driven. It's about greed, loyalty, and moral ambuidity. It's one of those words that I like to use that I can never pronounce. Ambiguity. And it keeps you completely on edge. It's one of those movies where you don't check your phone, you don't get up for snacks, you never have to pee, and suddenly the credits are rolling and you're like, wait, what? That was two hours? It honestly feels like you watched it for 30 minutes, which to me is a sign of a really good movie. So if you're looking for something intense, entertaining, and perfect for a family movie, I mean, maybe not the littles, but my little is 17 years old, so that works for me. Uh the rip is a solid pick. All right, hard reset. That's enough murder, corruption, cults, and moral dilemmas for one human. Let's all take a collective breath, unclench our jaws, and pivot to something a little more emotional. Because up next is what I'm reading. To all the people who actually listen to the show and don't watch TV or read or listen, thank you for still supporting me. So, what I'm reading, I'm currently on book six of 2026, which feels impressive and also deeply unhinged, considering it's still early in the year. My goal this year is just to read as many books as I possibly can every year. Less doom scrolling, more page turning. Meh, you know, I'm really an audiobook listener, which is why I can read so much, because I can read in the car. I can read when I'm cleaning, I can read when I'm doing chores, I can read when I'm walking the dogs, I read all the time. Like if my family is watching something on TV that I really am not super interested in, I'll like put an AirPod in one ear and listen to my book. And that way I can still like be engaged if the conversation should involve me. Um, so that's the dream. So changing it up from crime and chaos, the first book I read in 2026 that I highly recommend is It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover, which is the sequel to It Ends With Us. Now, if you've read It Ends With Us, you know it ends on a really powerful emotional note. That book focuses heavily on Lily, her past, her learning to break generational cycles, even when it's heartbreaking and complicated. It's not a love story in the traditional sense. It's more about choosing yourself even when it hurts. It starts with us, picks right up, picks right up where that story leaves off. But instead of focusing on what Lily walked away from, it shifts to what she finally might be able to move toward. The book centers on Atlas, gives more insight to his perspective, and explores what healing, safety, and a healthy love can actually look like after trauma. It's softer, it's hopeful, it feels like a deep exhale after everything Lily went through in the first book. And honestly, after all the dark stuff I've been watching, it was exactly what I needed. If it ends with us, left you emotionally wrecked, but still rooting for a happier future, it starts with us, feels like a gentle, Continuation that gives readers a little bit of peace. All right. Before we keep it going, I want to set expectations. I'm not reviewing all six books I've read so far in 2026. This is not a syllabus. This is not a book report. I'm only gonna highlight the ones that were worth my emotional investment, in my opinion. So uh I am going to do an honorable mention of book number two that I read. It was a Lisa Jewell book called Invisible Girl. I love Lisa Jewell. I met her in real life. She signed my book. And um, so honorable mention. This book, it was fine. It wasn't bad, it wasn't amazing, it existed. I finished it and I don't regret it, but I also don't feel compelled to tell strangers about it in line at Target. That's where it lands. Now, book number three of 2026 is where things really pick back up. Yeah, it's John Mars. And if you've listened to me before, you know I love his books. He does unsettling, twisty, psychological chaos very, very well. And this one is called What Lies Beneath, What Lies Between Us? And these aren't new books. These are just books that I have read recently. So maybe you have already read it and we can compare notes. Or, you know, there's so many books out there that aren't new releases that are totally worth reading. So, hmm, I need a drink. It's like a Mountain Dew, like just something. My mouth feels dry. All right, this book is, I'm not used to talking the whole time. I usually am listening to Emily. All right, this book is deeply dysfunctional. Um, it's about a mother-daughter relationship, and I mean deeply dysfunctional. This story takes place almost entirely inside a house where the daughter is keeping her mother locked upstairs. And right away, you're like, okay, how did we get here? The book moves back and forth between past and present, slowly revealing events that completely destroyed their relationship. Every time you think you understand who the bad guy is, the story flips, and suddenly you're questioning everything. It's tense, claustrophobic, and emotionally uncomfortable in the best way. Once again, will make you realize that your relationship with your parents maybe isn't that bad. And now, what this says about my emotional state is apparently I'm very in interested in stories about broken families, hmm, complicated parent-child relationships, hmm, and a woman making extremely questionable decisions. Well, that's something that we can reflect back on or not. Maybe we'll circle back. But truly, this book is dark, gripping, impossible to put down. I flew through it, and I was thinking about it long after I finished. If you like psychological thrillers that mess with your head and keep you guessing until the very end, what lies between us is a strong recommend. All right. I'm gonna highlight one more standout book, and then we'll wrap up the reading portion because the rest were fine, but not podcasts fine, if you know what I mean. So, the last book I want to mention is by Dean Koons. It's called Life Expectancy. This book kicks off with a really interesting premise. A fortune teller predicts the exact causes of death for a man and his unborn son years before they happen. The story then follows that son through his life as he grows up, knowing what some of those predictions are and waiting to see which ones comes true. It's suspenseful, it's fast-paced, it keeps unfolding in unexpected ways without giving away too much. There's mystery, there's danger, there's a little bit of what's happening right now, there's a little bit of a love story, but in a way that pulls you instead of pushing you away. One of the things that I really do love about Dean Koontz is that he's an author I shouldn't like based on genre alone. He writes a lot of horror and sci-fi, and those aren't usually my go-to. But here's the thing: I never actually find his books scary to read. Would it be scary if they happen in real life? Absolutely. Reading them, not so scary. What keeps me coming back is his imagination and the humor he weaves into his writing. Even when the story gets dark, there's this underlying wit that keeps it from feeling heavy or overwhelming. And honestly, sometimes at the beginning of his books, I'm like, what am I reading? Why did I choose this? But by halfway through, and definitely by the end, I'm always really glad that I stuck with it. So if you're looking to branch out into something a little different, something suspenseful, but still entertaining and surprisingly funny, life expectancy is a great place to start. And before we move on, quick reading goals for 2026 moment, okay? My goal is simple: read more, read often, read a cut, read across genres. And when I say read, I mean listen. Read things that make me uncomfortable, emotional, or completely forget about my phone for a while. And so far, book six by early in the year feels like a solid start. I also joined a book club, which will help me branch out to new genres and hopefully make some new friends. Uh, first book club meeting is the end of February. So exciting. If you have any book recommendations, thrillers, feel good, weird, emotional, whatever, send them my way. I'm always looking, even though I already have a thousand books in my to-be-read list. All right, let's slide into what I'm listening to. And I'm gonna be honest with you, nothing new has really grabbed my attention. And that's okay. We're allowed to sit in our comfortable music era. I'm still fully obsessed with Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift. Like, not casually listening, emotionally invested. That album cracked something open for me and sent me straight back into her older albums, really listening to the lyrics instead of just having them on in the background. And wow, they're hitting different now. The storytelling, the songwriting, the way she can say one line and somehow explain an entire phase of life. I just really admire her as an artist. And yes, I am one of those people who is completely obsessed with her and her life in the way where I genuinely want her to be happy. Like I want things to be good for her. I want peace. I want joy. Super corny, absolutely, but I'm okay with that. Outside of Taylor, I've been feeling nostalgic lately, uh, like deep in my feelings, nostalgia. So I've been listening to a lot of older stuff like Limp Biscuit, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Nelly, 50 Cent, basically music that immediately transport me back to a very specific time in my life that I really liked and I was really happy in. And I I'm I'm I I really like my life now and I'm happy, but I'm just saying, like, I don't know if it's when you get older that music is just different than it was. But I just feel like I have a I have an appreciation for most music. Um, but I just don't want old music to be forgotten about either. So that's where I'm at. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing brand new, just music that feels familiar and grounding and hits the right emotional notes, and just listening to songs in a different perspective and mindset. And that wraps up my highlights for what I've been watching, reading, and listening to lately. You're welcome. All right, friends, that's a wrap on the first episode of On our Best Behavior in 2026. And uh what a ride it's been. We've talked about hibernating through winter, binge-worthy TV shows, books that wrecked me emotionally, music that makes me nostalgic, and of course, uh a little real talk about kindness in the world around us. If there's one thing I hope you take away from today, it's this. Keep trying, be a little kinder than yesterday, and don't be afraid to hibernate when you need to. Step into the year intentionally, embrace the chaos when it comes, and remember, sometimes the best thing we can do is just show up as a decent human being. And if you're working on your New Year's resolutions, slow progress counts. No progress counts as thinking about it, and cookies always count. Thank you for listening today, for supporting this little corner of the internet where we can be real, messy, thoughtful, and sometimes ridiculous all at the same time. I appreciate you more than I can say. I haven't always been consistent, but I see you every week still listening. And honestly, that keeps me going. Makes me proud of this show. Thank you. Until next time, stay curious, stay kind, and remember, you're doing better than you think. And that's enough for today. See you soon, hopefully with more books, more shows, and maybe even a little less hibernation, but no promises. All right, now, if you want to listen to the political portion of this podcast, keep listening. Otherwise, thank you for listening to another episode of On Our Best Behavior, and I will try to be back sooner than later. All right, friends, as we start to wrap up today's episode, let's take a moment to circle back to some resolutions. We talked earlier about the goals we set for ourselves at the start of the year, trying to be kinder, trying to take better care of ourselves, stepping into new habits, and honestly, progress isn't linear. Some days we do great, some days we stumble, some days we just sit on the couch and eat cookies while pretending we walked 10,000 steps a day, and that's okay. The important thing is to keep trying, to check in with yourself, to remember that even small steps toward being a better human really do matter. That's the thread I want to carry through all of 2026. Patience, humility, kindness, and self-awareness. Now, before we officially close, I want to briefly touch on something happening closer to home here in Minneapolis. I know a lot of people may have heard about it, and if this isn't your thing, like I said, feel free to tune out. But this is my platform and this is my voice, so I get to say whatever I want to. Minnesota is currently experiencing very high political tension due to a federal ICE operation involving 2,000 agents in the twin cities. There have been fatalities, lawsuits, and concerns about federal interference in upcoming elections. The situation is tense and there's been a lot of agitation on all sides. I want to be very clear about my perspective. This is just me sharing my personal opinion, and you don't have to agree. But I believe in peaceful protesting and helping one another and being decent human beings. That means kindness, humility, and respect. At the same time, I don't want to condone criminal behavior. I don't care where someone comes from. If someone is harming others, committing violent crimes, or acting unlawfully, that needs to be addressed. But for the vast majority of people just trying to live their lives, they shouldn't be oh, they should be left alone, my bad. And law-abiding citizens shouldn't live in fear. The way I see it, the focus should be on protecting people, keeping communities safe, and addressing the real threats rather than creating chaos that hurts everyone's mental health. It's sad to see how much fear, anger, and tension this kind of situation can create, even for people it doesn't directly affect. So as we move forward into 2026, my hope is simple. Let's focus on being good to one another, on showing empathy, on respecting each other's humanity, and on trying to make this little better than it was yesterday. That's it for today. Thank you for listening, thank you for being here, and thank you for trying to do your best, even when the world makes it hard. You can find on our best behavior on all platforms. We're on Facebook, we're on Instagram at on our underscore best behavior. You can email us at onarbestbehavior at yahoo.com, we're on TikTok, not very fluently. Um, but yeah, reach out and uh and uh uh uh you know I hate when I do stuff like that. You guys, thank you so much. I love and appreciate you. Peace.

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