I'm With Them Melissa Barber

A year ago this week, I let the World Wide Web in on a fun, little endeavor I was working on. 10 conversations and 2,000 plays later, and I can't believe it's been a whole year since the launch of the I'm With Them Podcast! Because it's been almost that long since our last episode (whoops, my bad), let's just do what all podcasts and TV shows do and begin a new season! Problem solved. But before we jump into season two, let's play back a few of the highlights from season one—which, as of today, is officially a thing. Thank you to anyone who has ever pressed play and listened to even five minutes of a single episode, but especially to those of you who have taken the time to tell me that you did so. Your engagement with the show has been fuel to my creative fire. Most importantly, thank you to each of my guests. You never once hesitated to engage with my idea or humor me enough to make it a reality, and I still glean from our conversations. I'm looking forward to sharing many more with anyone who will have them and anyone who will listen.

In this episode, I’m with my brother in-law & one of the kindest souls I know, Joel Henderson. We finally address the elephant in the room...his awkward 2007 promposal. Just kidding. Joel has a stutter & was nice enough to talk openly with me about it. He & his wife Stephanie, my twin sister, live in Scottsdale, AZ & have twin boys—my wildly addictive nephews, August & Sawyer. We couldn't have asked for a better addition to our family all those years ago, & I'm beyond grateful for Joel's voice in my life.

Our guest today is an expert in many fields—including puzzles and The Incredibles. I was so fortunate that he took the time to sit down for an interview but, due to his busy and demanding schedule, it was a very brief conversation. I love him, his brother, and his cousins more than anything on this earth, and stick around at the end of the episode to hear me be a hot mess trying to talk about that.

I took the show on the road & chronicled one of my favorite nights of the year: the Panter Christmas Party. Every year since I can remember, the Panter Family has opened their home to anyone who walks through their doors on Christmas Eve. The soup bread bowls & cider cups runeth over. As you'll hear, so do the trays of homemade cinnamon rolls. What keeps us coming back year after year? Food aside, our families are family, so you could call it an annual reunion. But I hit the streets to ask...

I’ve known Jonathan & Rachel since college, where they began dating. Rachel and I stayed close after graduation...when they broke-up. Spoiler alert: They eventually got married and just recently had an adorable baby, Noam. But we cover all of the ground in-between and take a closer look at some of the anxieties we experience in dating. The Hellers have such valuable things to say, and offer such relatable, down-to-earth, and well-spoken perspectives.

In this episode, I'm with one of my best friends, Hannah Cosper. Hannah and I spent such a sweet season together as roommates. We pay homage to that time by highlighting the beauty of living life not in isolation, but in close proximity to one another. Hannah is the Women’s Pastor at Door of Hope Church in Portland, OR, one of the wisest people I know, and the maker of the best bowl of soup I’ve ever had.