We Swear We Had a Point Podcast

Casie Shimansky, Amber Walcker

We’re turning our polos into pods! This is the podcast equivalent of getting a voice memo that starts with “Okay, so listen…” If your brain brilliantly skips ideas mid‑sentence, your friendships feel like home no matter the distance, or maybe you just need two new best friends in this wild world—you’ve found your place. Join us weekly! weswearwehadapoint.substack.com

  1. Jun 18

    Ep. 17 - Birds, Roller Coasters, PBS & Pride

    Episode Summary • The great return: post–AI trilogy brain fog, travel updates, and Casie’s first anxiety‑free flight in years (thanks ADHD meds!) • A full spiral into bird‑watching, regional bird lore, and Florida’s state bird. Hint: It’s not the flamingo. • Sesame Street discourse, Pride Month, Knicks/NYC joy, and why PBS remains undefeated across generations (although Elmo better watch it). Travel, ADHD, and the Surprisingly Chill Flight After three straight weeks of AI deep dives, we kick off this episode with a much‑needed palate cleanser: a little bit of everything. Casie shares her first flight in two years — and the shock of realizing her ADHD medication had quietly ‘erased’ most of her usual travel anxiety. From dog‑drop‑off logistics to pretending a plane is “just a train in the sky,” we touch on: • How ADHD meds changed the entire travel experience. • The universal hierarchy of flight discomfort: takeoff, turbulence, landing — and wanting teleportation instead. • Roller coaster bravery, Relief Band nausea bracelets, and the rides they’ll never do again. Our Bird Era Has Arrived A casual mention of a songbird in New Jersey spirals into a full‑blown bird‑watching segment — complete with Merlin app shoutouts, cardinal trivia, and the existential shock of learning some states don’t have cardinals at all. Highlights include: • The Florida Scrub Jay and the decades‑long effort to make it the official state bird. (2025 update, plus - oh hey. The Flamingo actually IS native to Florida and we’re trying to make that a state bird too) • Why two bright‑red cardinals on a greeting card are… two dudes. • The “crossing into a new age bracket” moment when you start buying bird feeders (Amber’s new favorite - she earns commission for each purchase) instead of gadgets and going on bird tours. • Poisonous vs. fabulous wildlife: dart frogs, octopuses, and the Portuguese Man O’ War. Sesame Street, Pride Month, and PBS thanks to Viewers Like Us! The episode closes with a joyful, nostalgia‑soaked celebration of PBS — from Sesame Street to Mr. Rogers to the cooking shows that raised an entire generation. Topics that made the cut: • Elmo’s recent sports‑related controversy (and Cookie Monster’s iconic follow‑up). • The unplanned but uncanny color‑coordination of every episode we’ve recorded. • Dogs who watch TV — especially RuPaul’s Drag Race. • PBS as a lifelong teacher: cooking, kindness, inclusion, and why its programming still hits. • Pride Month reflections and the reminder to support communities, joy, and belonging. Final Takeaways Support your local PBS station (Viewers Like Me t-shirt). Support your LGBTQ+ friends, family, and neighbors. And if you see two red cardinals on a greeting card… just know you’re looking at a very festive gay couple. And we love that love is love. 🏳️‍🌈 🌲 Connect with Amber on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pup @JoJotheKeeshond and Scream Club™. 🌴 Catch Casie on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pups @PawsitivePointers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit weswearwehadapoint.substack.com

  2. Jun 4

    Ep. 16 - Artificial Intelligence, Part 3

    We made it — the final episode in our three‑part AI series! Join us for: • AI Resistance in the Workplace: Why 29% of employees are sabotaging corporate AI rollouts — and what it reveals about trust, culture, and leadership. This says more about your brand than you think! • The Real Stakes of the AI Race: From geopolitical competition to workforce fears, burnout, and the missing “why” behind rapid AI adoption. What are we even doing? • AI for Good: How medical research, genomic sequencing, and life‑saving diagnostics show the actual promise of AI beyond productivity hype. We’d like more of this, please! • We also discuss: Bernie Sanders proposes American public should own 50% stake of all major AI firms | One Recently Laid Off Employee’s Song about AI | Job Creation is at Nearly Zero | We Were Supposed to have 20 Hour Work Weeks By Now AND ALSO: • You are Loved! We’re big believers that EVERY day is a day to celebrate Pride, but we especially hope that this June brings even more love into this world. 🏳️‍🌈🫶🏼🏳️‍⚧️ 🌲 Connect with Amber on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pup @JoJotheKeeshond and Scream Club™. 🌴 Catch Casie on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pups @PawsitivePointers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit weswearwehadapoint.substack.com

  3. May 14

    Ep. 13 - From 80’s Nostalgia to AI

    ✨ Episode Summary • We nostalgia spiraled thanks to Casie’s birthday trip to the Kennedy Space Center which features Fraggle Rock. • A surprisingly emotional deep dive into space exploration, wonder, and why it’s nice to be proud of your country every now and again. (Thanks, NASA!) • A candid, heartfelt conversation about work, layoffs, culture, and why storytelling (and humanity) matter more than ever — especially in the age of AI. This week, we once again had a topic planned — but the universe had other ideas. What starts as a birthday recap turns into a full tour through space history, childhood nostalgia, employer branding, layoffs, culture, and the future of AI…all tied together with tangents only we can provide. (We promise it comes together beautifully.) Outer Outer Space and 80’s Nostalgia - Casie’s Birthday at Kennedy Space Center Casie and Sean finally made their long‑awaited return to the Kennedy Space Center — seven years after their last visit — and became an annual passholder again. 🚀 Highlights include: • The brand‑new Fraggle Rock: A Space-y Adventure stage show, which nearly made Casie cry outta happiness. This was her very first favorite show — first favorite movie? Disney’s Robin Hood — but Fraggle Rock owned her. Her parents still tell stories about how when Fraggle Rock was on…nothing else mattered in the whole world. 40+ years later and…Sean can confirm that still stands. 🤣 Anyway. She met Red Fraggle and pushed 0 kids outta the way claiming “Seniority!” to make it happen, so…pretty successful day. • A powerful, unexpectedly emotional experience inside the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, where the Sonic Booms and shuttle reveal also nearly brought Casie to tears. She is also now fully stocked with fun space geek facts AND spinoff facts that feature tidbits of how studies explored in space have impacted us here on Earth. With Casie and Sean now being KSC annual pass holders again — there’s a 0% chance we’re done talking about space on this podcast. If you’re ever near Florida’s Space Coast (KSC is about a 1 hour and 15 minute drive from Disney World) — definitely check it out! Even more so if you can catch a launch up close. Why Space Still Feels Like Magic The conversation does eventually drift into: • Why space exploration still feels impossible and miraculous • How innovation is built on countless failures • The generational thread from Apollo → Shuttle → Artemis • Why millennials are wired for nostalgia hits that feel like emotional jump‑scares Work, Layoffs, Culture & The Human Side of Business The back half of the episode shifts into a deeply human conversation about: • Layoffs and the emotional toll on both those leaving and those staying (ICYMI: Our Navigating Layoffs episode is here) • Transparency vs. corporate spin • Why storytelling (both internal and external) matters • How culture rots (or thrives) from the top • Why people‑first leadership is non‑negotiable • And why one of our favorite brands is Alaska Airlines. (You can follow Casie’s friend Tash here who has done a few brand partnerships with Alaska) Casie reflects on preparing her team for layoffs at a prior job: Step 1 — We worked on our résumés. Step 2 — We talked about how those left could potentially pick up the pieces and keep moving forward. It truly does impact everyone. Amber adds: “If your people aren’t your biggest cheerleaders… what are you doing?” An Accidental Setup for Next Week’s Topic Even though they never got to the planned topic, the conversation naturally tees up next week’s episode on: • AI • Adoption vs. Resistance • The narratives shaping how people feel about it • And how both hosts have used AI to navigate career transitions So, we’ve planted the flag. Next week we’re diving straight into the thing every company is pushing, plenty of people are nervous about, some are curious about, and most still misunderstand — Artificial Intelligence. See ya then, friends! 👋🏼 🌲 Connect with Amber on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pup @JoJotheKeeshond and Scream Club™. 🌴 Catch Casie on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pups @PawsitivePointers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit weswearwehadapoint.substack.com

  4. May 7

    Ep. 12 - Millennial Motherhood

    Episode Summary This week, Casie and Amber dive into the chaos that unfolded on Threads over “pet moms,” unpack the emotional labor of millennial motherhood, explore the many valid ways people nurture and love, and remind everyone that Mother’s Day is… a made‑up holiday we don’t actually need to fight about. {And it’s totally okay to recognize amazing mom’s every day of the year.} What Happened on Threads This Week? The episode kicks off with spontaneous tangent and topic switch — the viral post that set the internet ablaze — a woman furious that “fake moms” (read: pet parents) get acknowledged on Mother’s Day. Casie noted the tone seemed to be that of “misplaced anger” and noted how quickly the discourse escalated into accusations of “stolen valor”. Are we suspicious that these posts are potentially bot-built rage bait? Absolutely. But, still the topic deserves a deeper dive ahead of Mother’s Day. Pet Parents, Human Parents & Why the Internet Needs to Chill Casie shares her own story about Kimbee’s surgery — specifically the moment her vet shared how Kimbee perked up when she heard “your mom is calling.” These pups recognize her as their mom-person and no one can change that. It’s a grounding reminder: love, care, and responsibility are real, regardless of whether the being you’re caring for has two legs or four. The TLDR of it all? • No one is trying to take Mother’s Day from anyone else. Celebrate how you want — if you want to at all. • Pet parents aren’t campaigning for inclusion — they’re just living their lives. • All these holidays are made‑up anyway. • And most importantly: being kind costs literally nothing. Zero dollars. Such a steal! Millennial Motherhood: The Real Conversation Amber opens up about how her understanding of motherhood evolved from her teens into adulthood, especially as she became aware of: • friends struggling with infertility • people estranged from their mothers • chosen family stepping into nurturing roles • the emotional complexity of parenting in a world with more information, more pressure, and more visibility than ever before Both Casie and Amber reflect on the need to “put your own mask on first” — a shift Millennials seem to be embracing after generations of women have carried the physical, emotional, and mental loads of motherhood, often without support. Then, Amber mentions she’ll share some resources that have helped her be a better mom, and here they are: Baby Center, Good Inside, Age-Appropriate shows and Tablet Apps, and Budget Bytes (meal ideas). Anger vs. Grief: The Feelings Underneath We also explore how misplaced anger often masks grief — grief for: • the version of yourself you were before kids • the life you imagined but didn’t choose or perhaps didn’t get • the pets and people you’ve loved and lost Amber shares how she once mistook grief for anger, especially when she couldn’t do things the way she used to before becoming a mom. Casie adds a new layer that many people grieving the loss of pets experience a unique kind of shock because animals shape our routines so deeply. Generational Shifts & Why Millennials Are Built Different The episode highlights the parallels between raising pets and raising kids — not as equals, but as experiences that teach responsibility, empathy, and care. Casie jokes that dogs also sometimes require trips to grandma’s house and daycare. Amber shares how watching her son gently scratch JoJo’s head fills her with pride as a mom and a pet parent. From IVF to financial instability to the rise of pet parenthood, we also unpack how millennials are redefining family, support systems, and what it means to nurture. So…why are we getting angry with people capable of so much love and caring for another living soul? Seems kinda ridiculous, right? Right. Let’s Love Even Bigger No matter how you celebrate — seriously, no one’s stopping you from grabbing a mimosa this Sunday — we hope those who mother and nurture souls know how valued you all are, every day of the week. Because love is love. Care is care. And the world could use way more of those things. So, knock it off. No one needs to fight about a holiday invented to sell cards (which btw, have you ever seen LovePop cards?! Their so beautiful!). 🌲 Connect with Amber on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pup @JoJotheKeeshond and Scream Club™. 🌴 Catch Casie on Threads, Substack, or LinkedIn — you can also check out her pups @PawsitivePointers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit weswearwehadapoint.substack.com

About

We’re turning our polos into pods! This is the podcast equivalent of getting a voice memo that starts with “Okay, so listen…” If your brain brilliantly skips ideas mid‑sentence, your friendships feel like home no matter the distance, or maybe you just need two new best friends in this wild world—you’ve found your place. Join us weekly! weswearwehadapoint.substack.com