Try-Hard Valley

Yoda told us all a lie.
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Daily

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

  1. 1d ago

    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

  2. Jul 29

    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

  3. Jul 7

    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

  4. Jun 28

    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

  5. Jun 14

    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

  6. Jun 4

    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

  7. May 13

    Mommy, Listen with the Director and Cast of TEAM Theatre's Mean Girls

    This week on Try-Hard Valley: * There’s something growing in Carrie’s uterus (NOT the Messiah) * Yael explains her two names situation (again… for your/Carrie’s edification) * Airplane turbulence coping mechanisms * Carrie invents a new “Melan-Choli-Day™” and realizes the podcast is an attempt to communicate with her dead mom * Audio that intermittently sounds like a hostage tape recorded inside an air fryer * The wildly talented cast and director of TEAM Theater’s production of Mean Girls Featuring:🎭 Amanda Boyan🎭 Abhishek Natraj🎭 Jake Perry🎭 Ollie Mironov🎭 Kaelyn Cruz If you’ve ever: * missed your mom * fought with a creative partner * overthought literally everything …welcome to the liminal space we call home. Also:Please support your local try-hard theater teens. They are out there memorizing lines, surviving algebra tests, AND learning tap dance choreo. Not too shabby! Get tickets to Mean Girls before they sell out! Starring Ollie Mironov as Damian and Kaelyn Cruz as Janice Director Extraordinaire Amanda Boyan Abhishek Natraj (Aaron) Jake Perry (also Damian, there are two casts) Producer/TEAM Theatre Founder Salim Razawi TEAM Theatre Choreographer Vivaan Rairecently won a Sara Bareilles award. That’s a big deal! Learn more here! Mommy, look! And listen! This song Intermittently gets stuck in Carrie’s head. Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

  8. May 1

    Not Dying in Livermore with Sheri Ann Dante

    Aloha from Maui! This week’s episode comes to you from Wailuku, Hawaii, specifically from the home of my delightful friend Sherri Ann Dante, and even more specifically from the sweet spot just after happy hour. We also debut brand-new theme intro and outro music by my friend Beanpole, whose album All My Kin deserves your ears immediately. Then things get complicated. Our first-ever remote interview with my beloved cohost Yael Stuart was technically successful but sonically catastrophic. Rather than cut her from the episode, I made a bold artistic decision: I re-voiced her as a brand-new character. Please welcome The Artful Yael — part Yael Stuart, part Artful Dodger. Also, part pickleball, park pickpocket. Also in this episode: * Why Sheri Ann left Livermore for Maui * Outrigger canoeing at dawn in choppy water * Hawaiian paddling commands Carrie did not understand * An escape room where we were gently guided through our “escape” * Volunteering with sea turtles and whales * The downsides of paradise (bulldozers) * The upside of paradise (everything else) * A brief mention of plutonium hand warmers * A stern warning from Charles Dickens regarding improv ticket sales Come for the travel tales. Stay for the tequila-fueled chaos. Also, check out these pics, notes, and Ram Dass quotes! Sheri Ann finding a four-leaf clover at Maui’s lovely Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm.Go there! It’s beautiful. (And VERY clover-y!) We got lucky indeed. Beanpole recorded our catchy new intro and outro. Check out this Rolling Stone review of Beanpole’s fabulous All My Kin. Buy the digital album for ten measly dollars on Bandcamp.Also available on Amazon Music for $9.49.But if you’re a vinyl junkie who is made of money, you can buy it on eBay for $124.99. New mashup alert!That’s Yael Stuart, one half of The Artful Yael. That’s the other half of The Artful Yael.CONSIDER YOURSELF warned! Buy tix now, lest ye anger vengeful Dickensian ghosts! That’s my pal Sheri Ann standing next to Maui Mayor Richard T. Bissen, Junior.A Volunteer of the Year, she is! Sheri’s house is decked out with many gorgeous pics by Livermore photographer extraordinaire Kim Grandfield! Please be a guest on the podcast, Kim! Doing jazz hands of relief after we narrowly escaped Maui Mystery Escape Room. Get full access to Try-Hard Valley at carriegilbert3.substack.com/subscribe

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5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Yoda told us all a lie.
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Carrie Gilbert
  • Show Website
    Try-Hard Valley