“What Even Is This?” with Jane and Jordan

What Even Is This?

"What Even Is This?" is a podcast for women navigating adulthood in real time—working, parenting, believing, doubting, laughing, crying, and spiraling along the way. We’re not here to fix your life. We’re here to name the mess and talk about it honestly. Because: - Life is messy - Chaos is real - None of us have it all figured out …and that’s exactly why we’re here.

  1. 1d ago

    Rejection Still Wrecks Us—So Now What? | Dr. Jessica Rimmer

    Rejection still hurts—even when we're grown. Whether it's the job you didn't get, the promotion that went to someone else, or an opportunity you were sure was meant for you, hearing “no” can make you question more than the decision. It can make you question yourself. So how do we process rejection without letting it define us? In this episode of What Even Is This?, Jane and Jordan sit down with Dr. Jessica Rimmer, CEO of Solomon Strategic Advisors, executive coach, leadership consultant, keynote speaker, and author of The Purpose Formula: Learn to Be Fully Alive, to talk about what rejection reveals, how disappointment can shape our sense of purpose, and why a closed door doesn't have to become a verdict on our worth. Together, they explore how to learn from rejection without internalizing it, resist the pressure to find an immediate silver lining, and decide when it's time to try again, try differently, or let something go. Because resilience doesn't mean rejection never affects us. It means we can let it affect us without letting it define us. In this episode, we discuss: Why rejection still feels so personal, even as adults The difference between disappointment and shame How to learn from rejection without turning it into a judgment of your worth What our disappointments can reveal about our desires and purpose Why your purpose is bigger than your job, title, or next opportunity Whether “rejection is redirection” helps us—or sometimes rushes us past the hurt How to handle rejection well when you're the one delivering the no Why it's okay to try, fail, and let other people see you do it How to know when to try again, try differently, or move on A question to consider this week: What's a rejection you're still carrying? And what story have you attached to it? Instead of stopping at “I didn't get it,” notice what comes next: “I didn't get it, therefore ______.” Is that actually what the rejection said—or is that the story you wrote afterward? A rejection can give you information. It doesn't get to give you your identity.     CONNECT WITH WHAT EVEN IS THIS? Life is messy, chaos is real, and none of us have it all figured out. That's why we're here! Subscribe to What Even Is This? for more honest conversations about the narratives we carry, the questions we wrestle with, and what it looks like to shift the story. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatevenisthispodcast/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587151132405 Email us: thewhatevenisthispodcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewhatevenisthispodcast If this conversation resonated with you, share this episode with a friend who's navigating a disappointment of her own! CONNECT WITH DR. JESSICA RIMMER Website: https://www.jessicarimmer.com/ Solomon Strategic Advisors: https://solomonsa.com/ Book — The Purpose Formula: Learn to Be Fully Alive: https://us.amazon.com/Purpose-Formula-Learn-Fully-Alive-ebook/dp/B0F45ZVW6F LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-rimmer-ph-d-916b4354/     What Even Is This? Podcast Because life is messy, chaos is real, and none of us have it all figured out.

  2. Oct 21

    Episode 5: Ambition Didn’t Die, It Just Got Complicated | Kelley Johnson

    Did your ambition change—or did the rules around it? Before kids, maybe you had a pretty clear picture of what you wanted: a career, a goal, a next step. But then life got fuller. Your priorities shifted, your capacity changed, and the things you once wanted might not feel the same anymore. Does that mean you've lost your ambition? Or are you simply growing into a new definition of success? In this episode of What Even Is This?, Jane Doerman and Jordan Johnstone sit down with Kelley Johnson, a talent and culture executive with more than 20 years of experience helping leaders navigate change. Together, they unpack the complicated relationship between ambition, motherhood, identity, and success—and explore what happens when the goals we once chased no longer fit the lives we're living. In this episode, we discuss: Why ambition can feel different after becoming a mom What happens when achieving your goals leaves you questioning what you really want Whether it's possible to be ambitious without constantly striving for more Why asking “What do I actually want?” can be harder than it sounds How to redefine success for your current season without feeling like you're settling Where to start when you know something needs to change but aren't sure what comes next A question to take with you: What do you actually want right now? Not what you should want, what you wanted ten years ago, or what everyone else seems to be doing—but what you want in this season of life. Maybe it's a bigger career. Maybe it's more time, a different dream, or the freedom to figure it out. You don't have to have the whole plan figured out to give yourself permission to want something different. About Kelley Johnson Kelley Johnson is a talent and culture executive with more than 20 years of experience in leadership and corporate communications. She has worked in Fortune 500 leadership and founded KEIRUS, a leadership and talent advisory firm partnering with organizations across industries and around the world. As a wife and mom, Kelley brings both professional insight and personal perspective to conversations about ambition, identity, and navigating life's transitions. Connect with What Even Is This? We want to hear from you! Find us on social media and let us know what you're wrestling with, laughing about, or figuring out right alongside us. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587151132405 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatevenisthispodcast/ Email: thewhatevenisthispodcast@gmail.com If this episode made you laugh, made you think, or made you realize you might be carrying around a few “shoulds” that aren't actually yours, send it to a friend who needs to hear it, too! Like, subscribe, and follow What Even Is This? wherever you listen to podcasts. Because life is messy, chaos is real, and none of us have it all figured out. What even is this?!

  3. Oct 14

    Episode 4: The Guilt Isn’t Yours — It Was Handed to You

    You know that feeling that you’re failing at everything…even when you’re doing a million things? You should be more present. You should work less. You should work more. You should make dinner. You should exercise. You should call your mom. You should be a better wife, mom, friend, employee…honestly, just be better at being a human. We shouldn’t “should” all over ourselves…but we do. And it is exhausting. In this episode of What Even Is This?, Jane and Jordan are talking about guilt—the kind that can sneak into nearly every part of our lives and leave us wondering if we’re ever doing enough. But what if the guilt isn’t actually yours? What if some of it was handed to you through family expectations, culture, social media, motherhood, work, or the impossible standards you’ve created for yourself? And what if you’ve been carrying it around like it’s your job? Jane and Jordan are asking: Who told you that? Together, they unpack the difference between healthy guilt and false guilt, where our “shoulds” come from, why feeling guilty doesn’t automatically mean we’ve done something wrong, and how we can begin letting go of expectations that were never ours to carry in the first place. In this episode: The difference between healthy guilt and false guilt Where our endless “shoulds” come from Why guilt doesn’t always mean we’ve done something wrong The pressure to balance everything Why rest and doing something for ourselves can trigger guilt The impossible standards we place on ourselves How to recognize expectations we’ve absorbed without realizing it How to decide what guilt we need to address—and what we’re ready to put down The next time you hear that little voice saying, “You should…” Pause and ask: Who told you that? And then ask: Is this actually mine to carry? Because feeling guilty doesn’t automatically mean you’ve done something wrong. Maybe it’s time to resign from the Guilt Olympics. Connect With Us What’s one “should” you’ve been carrying around that you’re ready to question? Find us on social media and let us know! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587151132405 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatevenisthispodcast/ Email: thewhatevenisthispodcast@gmail.com  If this episode made you laugh, made you think, or made you realize you might be carrying around a few “shoulds” that aren't actually yours, send it to a friend who needs to hear it, too. And don’t forget to follow What Even Is This? wherever you listen to podcasts! Life’s a mess. Let’s talk about it.

  4. Oct 13

    Episode 3: Why Do We Make Healthy Habits So Complicated? | Dr. Ioana Popa

    What if your healthy habits aren’t sticking because you lack discipline—but because you’ve been making them way too complicated? Somewhere along the way, we started believing that becoming healthier, more productive, and even more spiritually grounded requires a perfectly optimized life: wake up at 5 a.m., drink the lemon water, work out, journal, read your Bible, meditate, meal prep… and somehow do it all before the kids wake up. But what if healthy habits don’t have to look like that? In Episode 3 of What Even Is This?, Jane Doerman and Jordan Johnstone are joined by Dr. Ioana Popa, a Christian executive, life, and leadership coach, speaker, and trainer who helps high-responsibility professionals and servant leaders prevent burnout, renew their capacity, and lead from their soul. After experiencing two burnouts herself, Dr. Ioana developed the Renewal Blueprint, an approach to daily renewal that brings together the body, mind, heart, and soul while staying rooted in Christ. Together, we talk about why we make healthy habits so complicated, how “healthy” practices can accidentally become another scorecard, and what it looks like to build simple rhythms that actually fit the season of life we're living. In This Episode Why the pressure to have a “perfect” morning routine can actually make healthy habits feel overwhelming Whether you really need to wake up at 5 a.m. to have a productive day Why missing a day—or even a week—doesn't mean you've failed How to recognize burnout before you completely hit the wall Why more habits don't necessarily equal more growth The difference between renewal and simply adding another productivity system How Christian women can accidentally turn healthy habits and spiritual practices into another scorecard Dr. Ioana's Renewal Blueprint and her holistic approach to caring for body, mind, heart, and soul How to create habits that adapt to different seasons of life Why small, sustainable rhythms can be more meaningful than a complete lifestyle overhaul The surprising possibility that sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is less One small rhythm you can start—and one thing you might consider letting go of HABIT OR HYPE? Before bringing Dr. Ioana into the conversation, Jane and Jordan put some of the most common wellness and productivity advice to the test. Do you really need to wake up at 5 a.m.? Does a habit only count if you do it every day? Does rest have to be earned? Do healthy habits need to look the same in every season? And does missing a week mean you've failed? Let's just say… we uncover some habit baggage. The Big Question Are your habits actually helping you live well—or have your habits become another way to measure whether you're doing enough? Maybe our habits are supposed to serve our lives—not the other way around. So here's the question for you: What's one habit or expectation you've been making way more complicated than it needs to be? And what's one thing you might simplify—or even stop doing—in this season of your life? Let us know in the comments! Connect With Us We want to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast. Find What Even Is This? on social media or reach out by email. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587151132405 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatevenisthispodcast/ Email: thewhatevenisthispodcast@gmail.com  Have a question, a topic you want us to tackle, or a “what even is this?” moment of your own? We want to hear it. About Dr. Ioana Popa Dr. Ioana Popa is a Christian executive, life, and leadership coach, speaker, and trainer who helps high-responsibility professionals and servant leaders prevent burnout, renew their capacity, and lead from their soul. After experiencing two burnouts herself, Dr. Ioana became passionate about helping people pursue a more integrated approach to renewal—one that honors the body, mind, heart, and soul while staying rooted in Christ. Connect with Dr. Ioana: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@teamforthesoul About What Even Is This? What Even Is This? is a podcast for working moms navigating the beautiful, complicated, hilarious mess of real life. Hosted by Jane Doerman and Jordan Johnstone, we're asking the questions that come up when the life we thought we'd have collides with the life we're actually living. Because life is messy. Chaos is real. And none of us have it all figured out. What even is this?! #WhatEvenIsThis #HealthyHabits #Burnout #ChristianWomen #Productivity #WorkingMoms #Wellness #FaithAndWork

  5. Sep 30

    Episode 2: Why Are Moms Still the Default Parent—and Do We Actually Have to Keep Doing It This Way?

    Be honest: when something falls through at home, whose name gets called first? The doctor’s appointment. The school email. The missing snack. The birthday gift you forgot to buy. The schedule change nobody mentioned. Somehow, it’s usually Mom. And that can be true even when Mom works full-time, too. In Episode 2 of Season 2 of What Even Is This?, Jane and Jordan are asking a question a lot of moms have probably wondered at some point: Why are moms still the default parent—and do we actually have to keep doing it this way? This isn't a conversation about whether dads are involved. It's about something a little more subtle: the assumption that Mom is the one who will know, remember, plan, notice, anticipate, and handle whatever needs to happen next. Jane and Jordan start with a round of “Whose Job Is It Anyway?” before diving into the mental load, the expectations surrounding motherhood, and what a genuinely shared family responsibility can look like. In this episode: The everyday moments that reveal who the default parent really is A hilarious round of “Whose Job Is It Anyway?” Why moms often become the person everyone assumes will know and handle everything The invisible work of remembering, planning, anticipating, and noticing Whether moms sometimes unintentionally reinforce the default-parent dynamic Why “I’ll just do it myself” can make sharing responsibility harder What an equal partnership actually looks like—and why 50/50 isn't always the goal The expectations about motherhood we may need to stop accepting One simple question to ask when you find yourself automatically taking something on: “Does this actually have to be my job?” Maybe the answer is yes. But maybe it isn't. And maybe changing the default doesn't mean doing less for your family—it means creating a family where responsibility doesn't automatically land on one person. If you're a working mom who has ever thought, “How does everyone know to ask me?”—this conversation is for you. If this episode made you laugh, nod your head, or recognize yourself as the default parent, share it with another mom who needs to hear it. And don't forget to subscribe, follow, and leave us a review! What Even Is This? is hosted by Jane Doerman and Jordan Johnstone. Because life's a mess, let's talk about it! Connect with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatevenisthispodcast/ Email: thewhatevenisthispodcast@gmail.com

  6. Sep 23

    Episode 1: What Happened To The Girl Who Had Dreams?

    Remember when people used to ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answer could have been anything. Then life happened. Marriage. Kids. Careers. School calendars. Grocery lists. Aging parents. A hundred little responsibilities that somehow became yours to carry. And one day, you realize it’s been a really long time since you asked yourself, “What do I want?” In the Season 2 premiere of What Even Is This?, Jane and Jordan are asking a question many women quietly stop asking somewhere along the way: What happened to the girl who had dreams? Not because we don’t love the lives we’ve built—but because sometimes the girl we once were gets buried beneath all the roles we’re trying so hard to do well. In this episode, Jane and Jordan unpack the stories women are often handed about adulthood, success, motherhood, responsibility, and what it means to be a “good woman.” They also dig into why pursuing our own interests and dreams can feel surprisingly uncomfortable—and how to reconnect with the person we are becoming now. In this episode: A five-word summer check-in The Annual Life Audit—five questions designed to help us remember we’re people, too Why “What do I want?” can be such a difficult question to answer The narratives women absorb about putting themselves last Why reconnecting with old dreams can bring up guilt How to tell the difference between a dream you've outgrown and one you've simply buried What it looks like to bring your whole self into the season of life you're living right now Maybe the girl who had dreams isn't gone. Maybe she's just been quiet. And maybe you don't need to become who you used to be—you just need to start asking yourself better questions. This week’s question: What do I want? If this conversation resonates with you, share it with a friend who might need the reminder that she is more than everything she does for everyone else. And don't forget to subscribe, follow, and leave us a review! What Even Is This? is hosted by Jane Doerman and Jordan Johnstone. Because life's a mess, let's talk about it! Connect with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatevenisthispodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1RNCybGcX9/?mibextid=wwXIfr  Email: thewhatevenisthispodcast@gmail.com

  7. Jun 24

    Summer Escapes: What We're Reading, Watching & Loving Right Now | Episode 4

    Fantasy summer self is thriving. She's reading all the books on her TBR, lounging by the pool, watching critically acclaimed television, and somehow becoming a more interesting person every day. Actual summer self? She's reheating coffee, folding laundry, rewatching comfort shows, and trying to remember what day it is. In this episode of What Even Is This?, Jane and Jordan embrace the reality of summer life and share what they're actually reading, watching, and loving right now. From favorite books and comfort shows to entertainment hot takes and listener recommendations, this conversation is a fun and honest look at finding small moments of escape in the middle of motherhood, work, and everyday chaos. You'll also hear from members of our community about what's helping them survive summer, plus Jane's sister Kaley joins the show to share her recommendations for what deserves a spot on your summer watchlist. Whether you're looking for your next beach read, a new comfort show, or simply permission to enjoy the summer you're actually having, this episode is for you. In This Episode: Fantasy summer self vs. reality Books we're reading this summer How to get back into reading The joy of comfort shows and "laundry TV" Summer movie and TV recommendations Listener favorites and entertainment escapes Why your summer reset doesn't have to be impressive to count Connect With Us Instagram: @thewhatevenisthispodcast https://www.instagram.com/thewhatevenisthispodcast/ Email: thewhatevenisthispodcast@gmail.com If You Enjoyed This Episode Please subscribe, rate, and review the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Your support helps us reach more women navigating the beautiful, messy middle of motherhood, work, faith, and life. Thanks for listening to What Even Is This?

  8. Jun 17

    Why Doesn't Summer Feel Like Enough? | Episode 3

    Summer is supposed to be magical... at least that's what we're told. But what happens when your summer feels more ordinary than extraordinary? When everyone else seems to be making memories, taking trips, and creating Pinterest-worthy moments while you're just trying to keep up with work, kids, and everyday life? In this episode, Jane and Jordan explore the pressure to make summer feel meaningful and why so many moms find themselves wondering if they're doing enough. They discuss the comparison trap, working mom guilt, the pressure to create "core memories," and the reality that sometimes the most meaningful moments aren't the ones we planned. You'll also hear from women in our community through our Summer Survival Voices segment as they share when the pressure to make summer magical hits them the hardest. In This Episode: • Why summer can feel emotionally heavier than we expect • The pressure to make every moment count • How social media fuels comparison during the summer months • Working mom guilt and shifting family expectations • Why boredom isn't a parenting failure • Practical ways to lower the bar and enjoy the season you're actually living If you've ever found yourself wondering whether your summer is "special enough," this conversation is for you. Because maybe summer doesn't need to be magical to be meaningful. Connect With Us: Instagram: @thewhatevenisthispodcast https://www.instagram.com/thewhatevenisthispodcast/ Email: thewhatevenisthispodcast@gmail.com If you're enjoying the podcast, we'd love for you to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who might need the reminder that she's already doing enough. Because life is messy, chaos is real, and none of us have it all figured out. And that's exactly why we're here.

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"What Even Is This?" is a podcast for women navigating adulthood in real time—working, parenting, believing, doubting, laughing, crying, and spiraling along the way. We’re not here to fix your life. We’re here to name the mess and talk about it honestly. Because: - Life is messy - Chaos is real - None of us have it all figured out …and that’s exactly why we’re here.

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