Try-Hard Valley

Yoda told us all a lie.
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Our podcast and welcome to it. carriegilbert3.substack.com

  1. 6 days ago

    Episode 15: Faith Alpher, Perfectly Imperfect Poet Laureate

    Welcome to a new episode of Try-Hard Valley! This week, we’re hanging out with the fabulous Faith Alpher, poet, author, performer, speaker, radio personality, and Livermore’s first female Poet Laureate of Color. Faith has spent decades finding her voice, and today she’s trying hard to put herself even more out into the world… while also remembering not to overwhelm herself in the process. We talk about the challenges of being a working artist, her spontaneous MLK Day walk that drew TENS of people, including Livermore’s mayor, and her Try-Hard for Life: uplifting people right where they are. Plus, Faith reads two pieces from her spoken-word collection, The Voice You Forgot You Had. Faith is a fiercely fabulous follow! All of “Carrie’s 16 cats” highly recommend Faith’s spoken word collection! Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

  2. 27 Aug

    Episode 14: Graham Gilbert, Renaissance Nephew

    Graham Gilbert has already been a TV star, an interior-design wunderkind, a Make-A-Wish playhouse designer, an actor, an improv performer, and the almost-star of a potential HGTV show that was derailed by COVID. Now he’s heading to the Land of Lincoln to start the next chapter. We talk theater, college, figuring out what you want from life, and why keeping lots of doors open is a good plan. Also, I added a bell 🔔 to the episode to signal transitions between topics. I loved this conversation, and I think you’ll love Graham. Graham at his high school graduation Out to lunch with his mom and girlfriend Mads Mads’ Rico-reminiscent cat Wicket Hanging with the Property Brothers With interior design icon David Phoenix With Melissa McCarthy on Little Big Shots In his school’s production of Metamorphoses Taking in Chicago one architectural masterpiece at a time Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

  3. 19 Aug

    Episode 13: Hysterectomy Hallucination Homework

    After a brief hiatus, Try-Hard Valley is back! Carrie and Yael sit down for a proper catch-up. Carrie talks about what happened after her hysterectomy, including the bizarre anesthesia-induced hallucination that somehow turned into an entire puppet show starring a robotic Ross Perot. (Yes, really.) Meanwhile, Yael has been traveling in the August heat, schvitzing her way through Fresno and Las Vegas. We’re back, baby! Hopefully with fewer assignments from deceased presidential candidates. the cast relaxes before their big performance Yalie and Shir-zee in Vegas, Baby! Carrie doing her homework at Livermore’s Shanti Winery the star of the show proof Carrie did not hallucinate “Fresno” the mini-series Carrie’s CONTENT ADVISORY proof Fresno’s underground gardens also actually exist the Ross Perobot has a word with the crowd Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

  4. 29 Jul

    Episode 12: Courts, Contracts, and Coaching

    After a quick health update from Carrie, Yael welcomes one of the most quietly impressive people we’ve met: Chad Kawahara. Chad’s résumé is almost comically stacked. He grew up playing junior tennis alongside Pete Sampras and Lindsay Davenport, won NCAA championships at USC, attended Harvard Law School, helped rewrite part of NAFTA while working at FedEx, and somehow found his way back to the sport he loves as a coach and Head Tennis representative. More importantly, he’s a genuinely humble, thoughtful guy who believes in working hard without making a big fuss about it, which is pretty much the definition of a try-hard. In this episode: 🎾 Growing up in Southern California’s legendary junior tennis scene 🎾 Playing alongside future world Number Ones 🎾 Why he chose USC over Harvard as an undergraduate 🎾 Life at Harvard Law School 🎾 Working on international trade and NAFTA 🎾 Why he left law to return to tennis 🎾 The rise of pickleball (and why tennis isn’t going anywhere) 🎾 What he’s trying hard to accomplish today Plus:🍝 Yael says “pasta” in the most Canadian way imaginable. 🎓 She casually drops the H-bomb (Harvard). 📜 Chad casually mentions rewriting part of NAFTA like it’s no bigger deal than returning a library book. As always, thanks for listening, subscribing, sharing the show, and cheering us on. Every download makes our little try-hard hearts happy. 🎧 Happy listening! Chad, Roxie Hart*, Yael Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is Awesome! Carrie’s next gig *Possibly not the dog’s real name. Carrie just guessed. Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

  5. 7 Jul

    Episode 11: Feelin' Stronger Every Day (with Andrew Hamel)

    This week on Try-Hard Valley:🤖 Carrie prepares for a robotic hysterectomy… and a uterus retirement party.🥒 Yael gets jalapeño hands.💪 We meet Andrew Hamel, owner of Pleasanton’s Prodigy Fitness, who reminds us that everyone can get stronger. “People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.” That philosophy has shaped the culture Andrew Hamel has built at Pleasanton’s Prodigy Fitness. Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

  6. 28 Jun

    Yaley & Shirzeeze with Shiera Stuart

    In this episode, Yael sits down with her sister, Shiera: government affairs specialist, tennis ace, and the person most likely to lovingly call Yael out on absolutely everything. They chat about: * Growing up together and staying close despite living in different countries * Cooking catastrophes (including fire alarms and garlic powder gone wrong) * Competitive tennis, the Maccabiah Games (aka “the Jew Olympics”), and why playing doubles with your sibling isn’t always a great idea * Pickleball rivalries * Anxiety, perfectionism, and the challenge of letting things go * What Shiera is trying hard to do these days… and why stepping outside your comfort zone matters It’s occasionally chaotic and it ends with a medley of sister songs. How could it not? Yaley, Shirzeeze, and Mama Stuart in Whistler, BC Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

  7. 14 Jun

    The Intersection of FOMO and JOMO with Brian Maggi

    It’s the halfway point of the year, so Yael and Carrie are taking stock of the podcast and revisiting the reasons they started Try-Hard Valley in the first place. Along the way, they discuss Adriatic cruise ports, the male loneliness epidemic, aging out of tech, aging into senior living, parasocial relationships, podcast success, and Carrie’s ongoing campaign to get Randy Johnson to return her Instagram messages. Livermore Comedy Kingmaker. Side-Eye Specialist. Heckler Vanquisher. Brian Maggi. Then Carrie sits down with comedian and producer Brian Maggi, who shares how a former tech worker with a Craigslist sound system built a thriving network of comedy shows throughout the Tri-Valley. They also swap stories about memorable shows, one unforgettable heckler, and the business of making people laugh. Plus: Yael’s sales tip of the week, Milo the internet-famous Shih Tzu, and the surprisingly complicated challenge of existing at the intersection of FOMO and JOMO. Milo. Former royal guard dog of Imperial China.Currently: a deposed monarch with excellent grooming and zero military responsibilities. Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

  8. 4 Jun

    Packing, Unpacking, Repeating with Tania Sanchez

    This week on Try-Hard Valley, Yael prepares for her Adriatic adventures and Carrie wonders if her running career has one more chapter left. Then Carrie sits down with one of her favorite writers and longest-running intellectual crushes, author and perfume critic Tania Sanchez. Tania. Sacramento. Extended Stay America. Canned vodka mule. The glamour is subtle. Tania shares the unlikely story of how a finance writer from New York became one of the world’s best-known perfume critics, fell in love with fellow perfume writer Luca Turin, and spent the next two decades packing and unpacking. Along the way, the conversation wanders through:• The challenges of caring for aging parents• Life as an American living in England• Perimenopause and the indignities of middle age• The enduring weirdness of high school• Why the British keep asking, "Are you all right?"• The mysterious power of scent As always, the episode is ultimately about what we're all trying hard to do right now, and why that's often more interesting than what we've already accomplished.Subscribe to Tania’s Substack! And to her husband Luca Turin’s Substack as well! That’s the brilliant and hilarious perfume guide Tania wrote with her husband Luca Turin.Is it available on Amazon? You ask. Why, yes, it is. I answer.Buy it here! The Devil wears Guerlain's Samsara. Perfume legends Tania Sanchez and Luca Turin discuss the alchemy of great scent in Vogue. Two try-hards. One hotel room selfie. Several teeth. This great book, The Emperor of Scent, is about Tania’s husband Luca Turin.Tania has been married to Luca for 19 years. Ergo, she is The Empress of Scent in our book! Tania’s many fans and theRedditors of r/fragrance agree wholeheartedly! Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

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About

Our podcast and welcome to it. carriegilbert3.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Yoda told us all a lie.
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Carrie Gilbert
  • Show Website
    Try-Hard Valley

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