The Balanced Blend

Risa Xu
  • 5.0 (1)
  • RELATIONSHIPS
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

Grab your favorite caffeinated beverage and sit down with Risa and Nick to chat about marriage, parenting, work and everything in between. We'll end each episode with an "Extra Shot."

Episodes

  1. 10/25/2024

    Now That's What I Call Music!

    We're back! After a hiatus of... let's not count the months... we're back with an episode where we ramble about all our music tastes. From hip hop to country, to electronic and Taylor Swift, we cover probably almost every genre but also how those genres ended up on our "Liked" lists. -- Episode Links "Heartless Hunter" Morgan Riddle Instagram Sarah Lynn Instagram

    54 min

  2. 05/24/2024

    The Most Magical Place on Earth

    We all saw this episode coming, right? In this episode, we're talking all things Walt Disney World and how our trips have changed - specifically what's different from being childless millennial Annual Passholders to parents of a toddler that pay for entry each time? -- Episode Links: The Imagineering Story The Ride of a Lifetime Walt Disney: An American Original Founders Podcast Queens of Animation Creativity, Inc.

    1 hr

  3. 04/12/2024

    It's not a bag. It's a Birkin.

    Quota bags. The Holy Trinity. Pre-spend. What does this all mean? Last month, two people in California filed a lawsuit against Hermes about their practices for getting a Birkin (or Kelly or Constance.) We dive into our POV on luxury goods, including how we define luxury goods, what our guilty pleasures are, and what we really think about this lawsuit. -- Episode Links: Hermes Antitrust Lawsuit Acquired: Hermes Business Breakdown Hodinkee Love Between Fairy and Devil The Three Body Problem

    54 min

  4. 02/23/2024

    Should We Get the Wingleader?

    Spoiler Alerts 0:00-28:45: Fourth Wing and Iron Flame Spoilers 28:45-38:51: Throne of Glass and Crescent City Spoilers We hinted at this a couple times but we figured we should get our two cents in while this book series is still relevant ;) We're talking about dragons, quadrants, and the ramblings of Violet (or Violence?) Sorrengail. Be sure to pay attention to the spoiler alerts at the top of this episode description! -- Episode Links "Fourth Wing" Eternal Muse Heatless Curls [Risa's Post] "Heavenly Bodies" King Cake Coffee Spotify Playlist 1 Spotify Playlist 2

    49 min

  5. 01/01/2024

    The Not-So-Secret Reflection of Our Year

    SURPRISE! We're ending the year with an extra-ish episode reflecting on 2023. There's not really a formal train of thought so, in true 'The Balanced Blend' fashion, grab your favorite beverage and join us for a casual chat about our year. -- Episode Links: Weekly Dose of Optimism Dandelion Chocolate "Fall of Ruin and Wrath"

    43 min

  6. 12/04/2023

    TPS Reports

    It’s year end, and you know what that means…that’s right! No, not egg nog and holiday parties. Not yet, at least.  Performance reviews, compensation, planning, reflection, and a bunch of documentation that goes along with that (for anyone living corporate life).  In this episode we’re covering tips, tricks, and perspectives on how to make this more manageable and far less painful. Spoiler alert: it’s not only a year-end thing!  - Episode Links: Lululemon ABC 5 Pocket Pant Netflix's The Fall of the House of Usher

    52 min

  7. 10/27/2023

    You've Got Books!

    Oops - life got a little hectic and we missed an episode. So we're a little off cycle but we appreciate your patience and coming back to listen to us chat. In today's episode, we're covering books! Specifically, our top 5 reads the last year (and a bit), books we're looking forward to reading, and our favorite bookstores. If you thought you could be sneaky and get all our book picks in the episode notes as links, Risa is way ahead of you ;) -- Episode Links & Details: Strand Bookstore McNally Jackson Yu and Me Books Harvard Coop Coffee, the World's Favorite Stimulant Once Upon a Studio

    51 min

  8. 10/06/2023

    This Episode of The Balanced Blend is Called...

    Bluey! See what we did there? This is probably the first of many episodes about Bluey because we ran out of time! We talk about how Bluey has helped us be better parents, why we love this kids' show about a family of Blue Heelers from Brisbane, and our parenting philosophy that ties perfectly into the show's episodes. As always, we have our extra shot at the end where we share what we're obsessed with. BTW, did you know coconuts have water in them? -- Notes & Extra Shot Links: DadChats on TikTok Range by David Epstein Nescafe Classic Instant Greek Coffee Handheld Blender for Frappe Olympians Use Imagery as Mental Training How to make Greek Frappe Smart Brevity by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz Laid Back Magic (Affiliate Link)

    56 min

  9. 09/22/2023

    Coffee Contemplation

    WHO WANTS COFFEE?! While we can't serve you an actual cup (and also, we record these at night) we can probably guarantee this episode will have you craving your favorite cup of coffee. Nick & Risa discuss their coffee journeys, any controversial takes, and share their favorite coffee spots in NYC. -- Episode Notes & Extra Shot Links: How to Make the Best Coffee at Home by James Hoffman Cafe La Tranquilidad Aritzia The Effortless Pant Legacy: What The All Blacks Can Teach Us About The Business Of Life by James Kerr Founders Podcast Dermaflash Dermapore+

    51 min

  10. 09/08/2023

    Nick & Risa's Parenting Adventure

    We're back! And we're talking about something a little more serious and just a taaaaaad more personal. Our daughter is almost two (WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?!) and we're taking a look back at our parenting adventure, including where the similarities are to (gasp!) dog parenting. We talk about the hardest parts for us (so far) and our favorites. And of course, can't forget that extra shot - cue that coffee grinder sound! -- Episode Notes & Extra Shot Links: "Good Souls, Bad Souls and Assholes" by Tina Thomson "Creative Selection" by Ken Kocienda 玫瑰少年 Womxnly by Jolin Tsai (蔡依林)

    51 min

  11. 08/25/2023

    A Court of Marriage and Romantasy Books

    Well, here's our first episode. Not only did I completely fumble the recording so we had to record the intro a second time, I still haven't mastered the art of the mic setups. So please bear with us! SPOILER ALERT: If you are reading ACOTAR and are still really into Tamlin, you should not listen to this episode and come back later. We figured for our first episode, we'd dive into something fun and less serious so why not the book you've probably seen all over your social feeds (or stacked on your partner's bedside table.) We're talking High Fae, men and relationships (in Prythian but also IRL??), and how we both got bamboozled into reading not just 4.5 books but also the two additional series in the SJM universe. So grab your favorite beverage and join us at our (smol) kitchen table for the first episode of The Balanced Blend. -- Episode Notes & Links: A Court of Thorns and Roses [Physical | Kindle] Crowns of Nyaxia The coffee we currently have on rotation from Trade Lux Capital's Securities Podcast: Simulating Evolution: Playing God or the Next Frontier? Lenia: A class of continuous cellular automata Cover Art by Candace Gabel

    34 min
  • 11 Episodes

About

Grab your favorite caffeinated beverage and sit down with Risa and Nick to chat about marriage, parenting, work and everything in between. We'll end each episode with an "Extra Shot."

Information

  • Creator
    Risa Xu
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Risa Xu
  • Show Website
    The Balanced Blend