Awesome Etiquette

Awesome Etiquette is definitely one of my favorite podcasts and has been for several years. Lizzie and Dan are lovely individuals with two very different but complementary personalities. There are rare moments I find myself disagreeing with a stance they take or advice they dispense—but the moments are so rare that I can count them on one hand in the span of the 300+ episodes I have listened to. Their advice is intelligent, practical, thoughtful, and as timeless as etiquette advice can be. I feel a warmth in each episode, and I truly love hearing their voices. There is a sense of community without things getting too noisy. I have learned so much from their work and content. The basis of respect, consideration, and honesty changed my life, and not in a gimmicky way but in a lasting and meaningful way. I’m a Post fan for life! Edit: I have really loved this show for years, and I greatly admire Lizzie and Dan. But after years, I’m frustrated with Dan’s recent stances on tipping. I’m really uncomfortable with what feels like out-of-touch advice from people who do not work in the service industry and are perpetuating harmful notions of how service workers can be treated. While I wish we lived in a country where everyone was paid properly and there was no need for tipping, that is sadly not our world. Dan often acts like tipping is a favor we do for workers outside of sit-down restaurants. This is harmful to some of the most financially vulnerable people in our communities. You should be tipping a solid 20% for most services in the year 2025, including counter service, delivery, haircuts, car detailing, etc. It’s frankly ridiculous that Dan encourages people to ask for breakdowns of service charges and such; these are fairly inappropriate things to do in service settings. While I want to leave room for growth, right now Dan’s stances on tipping are somewhat outdated and frankly make me embarrassed to recommend a show I love (with hosts I genuinely usually adore) to other folks. (I should also be clear that Lizzie can simply do no wrong in my eyes. Protect her at all costs.)

I really enjoy learning more about manners and seeing how it extends beyond saying please and thank you. It’s interesting to see how the Post family continues the legacy in these modern times.

This podcast is neither wine nor cheese. It has not gotten better with age. In fact, it’s gotten worse. There’s so little content provided that it’s actually ridiculous. I’ve been a listener for years but I’ve gotten to a point where I simply can’t tolerate it anymore. All the cackling, the cartoonish Interludes, the overextended intro, the almost weekly, “I could talk about this forever, Cuz, step in and help me out here!” is the WORST example of good etiquette. The show was professional for several years in the beginning, but as time goes on, it’s become a joke. I get lost in Dan’s mumbo-jumbo. Get to the point, man! I’ve never seen anyone take a simple question — on a professional platform — and take 15 minutes to answer it. At this point, they’re only answering two questions a week whereas in the past, they answered four questions per episode, had a brief intro and a professional tone. It was delightful until they got comfortable. I keep hearing, “Join us over on Substack, we’re loving the conversations over there!” But I’ve supported this podcast and EPI on Substack AND THERE IS LITERALLY NO CONVERSATION GOING ON THERE. now they’re asking if it’s in our heart, to leave five star reviews. When you produce a five star program, you’ll automatically see five star reviews follow. The second grade humor — what I call popsicle stick humor — is a waste of time. The best recent episode was after Lizzie’s cat died (sorry to all the cat lovers out there) because then she wasn’t cackling like a hyena throughout the entire podcast. She was low-key, appropriate for the type of podcast being hosted and used her inside voice. Precious moments. Dan is so politically correct that trying to get his actual opinion is like trying to catch a greased pig. I’ve read at least 50 reviews on this podcast and I have to agree with all of them — tighten up the format and be more professional.

What a joy to see a new generation take on a topic as universally needed as Etiquette and give it not only a fresh appeal but also bring totally practical ways to apply the principles to today’s world. Lizzie and Dan are open, honest, and smart in the way they answer questions and respectfully reshape their great-great-grandmother’s work to a new audience in a radically different world. If you’ve skipped this podcast because you think etiquette is old-fashioned and stodgy, think again. You’re missing an important tool for navigating today’s sometime’s tricky situations.