Two Broke Chicks Ep #205: Words Of Wisdom From The Women In Our Lives
From Cher to our mums, these are the women that inspire us this International Women's Day and everyday.
How bloody good are women? To celebrate International Women's Day 2022, Sal and Al trade the life lessons they've picked up from the ladies in their lives. From our mums and sisters to strangers in the girl's bathroom, social activists and leading ladies in our fave TV shows, we owe them a lot. This one's for the girls!
LISTEN TO EP #205
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Alex Hourigan
Hey, I'm Al.
Sally McMullen
And I'm Sal.
Alex Hourigan
And this is Two Broke Chicks, the show sharing life lessons from the gals, for the gals. Today is a really exciting day, it's International Women's Day. So we thought we would share some of our best life lessons from the women in our lives, or that we look up to, and what they mean to us, but what we can all kind of take away from these absolute icons. But before we jump into the episode, Sal, tell me about your life lesson of the week.
Sally McMullen
So I'm going to start by asking you a question. Do you brush your teeth before or after you drink coffee?
Alex Hourigan
Because I brush my teeth before I, like, go about my day and then going about my day. I know this is gonna end bad for me!
Sally McMullen
It doesn't! Ding ding ding!
Alex Hourigan
Am I wrong?
Sally McMullen
So, the life lesson is that you should be brushing your teeth before you have your coffee in the morning and there's two reasons why. The first is that while you're sleeping, your mouth, like, fills up with bacteria because you're not, you know, like swallowing and whatnot, you're sleeping. And that's why you get bad breath in the morning, basically. There's that and then also, coffee is really acidic. And when you are brushing your teeth after you've eaten something or drank something that is really acidic, it weakens your teeth. So it's really bad for the enamel on your teeth to be brushing them right after.
Alex Hourigan
Oh, wow.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, so it's like the double whammy of all the bacteria from the night before.
Alex Hourigan
Then mixing with the acidity of the coffee.
Sally McMullen
Exactly, but a lot of people are like, "Oh no, I'll brush it after because I don't want to stain my teeth. I have coffee breath".
Alex Hourigan
So what do we do about the coffee breath thing?
Sally McMullen
To avoid the coffee breath or staining your teeth, give your mouth, like, a little rinse with some water straight after you finish your coffee and then wait, like, 30 minutes or so before you brush your teeth. Because I have Invisalign, so I do have to brush my teeth after my coffee. Because I can't just, like, chuck them back in because then that will lock in all of that cute bacteria. So there you go.
Alex Hourigan
My little Invisalign nerd. Whenever we finish, like, eating something or drinking something I'll be like, "Alright", like, "Let's go", and Sal's like, "I gotta go put in my Invisalign". I'm like, "Very good. Go on, go put in your braces". But you'll be the one laughing when you don't have a snaggle tooth like I do. So you know what?
Sally McMullen
We both have it right now. All right, well, what's your life lesson?
Alex Hourigan
My life lesson is kind of like on theme for today's episode. I'm, like, getting all giggly about it.
Sally McMullen
Nervous!
Alex Hourigan
Like, a little bit. But it's to call your parents. I know I sound like your parents right now. But honestly, I used to be really bad with this. And the happiness that I know calling my parents just in the morning for five minutes. And like, I would call them and they'd be like, "Oh", like, "is everything okay, what do you need?". I'm like, "No, I'm just calling. Like, what's going on? What's the crack, like?". And they're like, "Oh, wow. Okay!", like, and just having a chat with them and it's so nice and it just completely makes their day and it makes my day as well. Like, it's just so nice, so this is your sign, after this episode, go just give your parents a call or your guardian, you know? And just ask them how their day was, ask them how their week's been, you know? You might end up on a 40 minute call, always have an hour. But I called my nonna the other day, and I'd had a couple of wines, and it ended up being a really good chat. I think she had a couple wines too, she was being a bit cheeky, to be honest.
Sally McMullen
That's where you got it from!
Alex Hourigan
She was being like, "Are you dating any boys at the moment?". I was like, "Oh no, nonna". And she goes, "Why would you? Why would you date the boys right now? You're beautiful. What a waste. Wait until you're old and ugly.". Yeah, so give, like, your family a call because it's so easy to get wrapped up in it. So, it's a life lesson but just like a little reminder for you chicks.
How good are women? We love women. We love that there's a day all about women.
Sally McMullen
Every day is International Women's Day in my bloody book.
Alex Hourigan
Everyday is International Women's Day, 100%. And it's so fun to have a day where we can really just sit down and celebrate them and that's what this episode is about. Because we were kind of thinking whether or not we'd do an International Women's Day episode because we know that it can be a little bit saturated today but then we were like, we want to talk about this. Like this is actually something that we want to talk about. We love loving women, probably a little bit too much if you know what I mean. But, like, it's just a really nice topic to listen to and talk about. So, one person that has inspired me, and I would like to be them when I grow up, is Cher. She has just been an icon throughout her entire life. Sal and I saw her musical when we went to New York and we were basically sobbing the whole time. But the things that this woman has been through in her life and the things that she has overcome is incredible. She created her career in the peak of a man's world. And the fact that she is who she is, unapologetically, is why I say I want to be Cher. I'd love to be able to sing like her too. She has such an incredibly powerful presence, that I think she's such a great role model. And there is this iconic quote from her, "My mum said to me, you know, sweetheart, one day you should settle down and marry a rich man. And I said, mum, I am a rich man". That is just, in one sentence, the energy that we all need to have. Men, women, non-binary people, you are your own rich man. You don't need to rely on anyone else. Put in the hard yards for yourself. You don't need anyone else you don't need no man.
Sally McMullen
Literally.
Alex Hourigan
Also, the fact that she's blocked by Trump should be like, an achievement in itself.
Sally McMullen
Exactly, if she hadn't achieved anything else in her career, but that was her one milestone, I would still be like, "Yes, queen!".
Alex Hourigan
Yeah, she pissed off Trump so much she got blocked. I'm like, that is some hard work right there. Also her social activism, especially as an ally to the LGBTQ community, and HIV AIDS charities over her career. I could spend 40 minutes talking about this woman, and I would really like her to adopt me, mummy, I love you. Sacrifices need to be made doll. Anyway, I'm gonna take a break.
Sally McMullen
She's gonna start crying! No, she is incredible. I've been lucky enough to see her live and her presence in person is just incredible. Like, she's so funny, so talented, and she just has this power about her that I left that show feeling so inspired by her. The next wonderful lady on our list is Grace Tame. So Grace was the Australian of the Year in 2021 but she is also an incredible activist and advocate for sexual assault survivors. She's only 27 years old, which is just incredible. If you haven't listened to it, Shameless actually, did a great interview with her and she's just so articulate and funny, and just so inspiring. I'm like, getting teared up talking about it. Because I think that like in 2022, it can be really disheartening to be a woman and still face the things that we're facing now. And it's easy to lose hope and be like, "Oh, we've come so far", but like, we still have so far to go, it can, you know, just be really easy to get, like, drawn down by, like, the inequality and injustice.
Alex Hourigan
The heaviness.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, that so many women, whether big or small, you know, whatever it is, have to face every day. But the life lesson that I've learned from Grace is just the absolute power that one individual can have, even when they've been through so much hardship. And the speech that she and Brittany Higgin's did, quite recently at the National Press Club, was another example of that. Like they're just opening up these conversations and being so brave and so articulate. And, yeah, I just think it's really important to remember that individuals can impact, like, structural change in our country. And Grace Tame for prime minister, basically.
Alex Hourigan
We're running her campaign now. I think as well being two young women, ourselves. And both of us kind of having experienced things in our life that have been negative purely for the fact that we are women. And seeing someone who is our age demographic, having these conversations and taking on powerful men and winning, you know? Like, it's, it's not the fact that she's just starting the conversation, she's driving it and she's finishing it. Like she's the start, middle and end of that conversation and no one's gonna talk over the top of her. And that's why she is, I'm giving myself goosebumps! But she is just incredible, incredibly powerful and intimidating in the best way. I find myself intimidated in a way that I want to be like that and I think, 'how can I be more like that?'.
Sally McMullen
Exactly.
Alex Hourigan
Our next one is the iconic Samantha Jones from Sex and the City.
Sally McMullen
Yes.
Alex Hourigan
There's no word. Samantha Jones, you cannot put into words. She's played by Kim Cattrall who, again, also I find her iconic.
Sally McMullen
Yeah.
Alex Hourigan
I think she's great. But basically, why I love Samantha Jones is that this show came out in the 90s. Which, similar to Cher, like the shows came out in a time where women don't have as much of a voice as they did now. Women still don't have as much of a voice as they should have now. But back then it was also kind of, there wasn't really like a sex positive character, or a career woman. The characters did not have both of those aspects. Samantha had her career and she was a sex positive character. And like, seeing that in a TV series was incredible, but also an amazing friend, because she was the most unjudgmental human being. When Carrie is dating the bisexual guy, Samantha's there going, "Everyone's bi these days". Like, you know, why not? Try it all, like, have a red hot go. She was out here to work on her career when she was going for a job with Richard, she refused to take the fact that he wasn't going to hire her because she was a woman. And she wanted to cry in that scene, I know this is fictional, but it's the messaging behind it, is that she wanted to cry in that same but she got up and she got to that elevator because she was not going to let them see her down. Like it's just that power and just honestly, she's bloody vibe.
Sally McMullen
I also love that she's the eldest out of all of them. And she's still because, you know, people usually like, "Shame! You're over 30", like, "You have to go into retirement now. You're a woman.".
Alex Hourigan
"Why aren't you married? Why don't you have kids?".
Sally McMullen
Exactly. I feel like she really just bucked that trend and is a huge inspiration to us all. We could all be a little bit more like Samantha Jones, I think. The next woman or women who inspire us in our lives, and we've learned so much, is every girl we've ever met in a nightclub bathroom.
Alex Hourigan
This one's for you, chicks!
Sally McMullen
There is no group of more supportive women than those gals that you run into at the basin or in the queue to a club bathroom. Like, what is it with that? I love it because women are supposed to, we're supposed to be pitted against each other, we're supposed to tear each other down, we're supposed to bitch about each other, all of those tropes. That's not happening in the ladies bathroom
Alex Hourigan
Absolutely not!
Sally McMullen
I've never been gassed up more, hyped up more for every decision I've ever made, my outfit, than in those bathrooms. I just think it's such a gorgeous energy and I think that it's something that we should all take into our lives.
Alex Hourigan
It's like an entry onto a runway when you walk into the bathroom. Because there'll be a group of girls getting ready, or touching up their makeup, or whatever they're doing. And you walk in and it goes like, "Oh my god, girl you fine", like, "You look so good. Where's that skirt from? Your hair looks great.". Like it's just the best energy and no one will crap talk your boyfriend, or your ex, or the person you're dating better than those girls in the bathroom. If you're crying about a boy or girl, or anyone in the bathroom? Your bathroom chicks have you. Like, they've got you sorted.
Sally McMullen
They're your ride or die.
Alex Hourigan
They've got you back out there. I also love that it carries on a little bit after the bathroom.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, you see each other on the dance floor and you're like, "Girl!", we buy each other a drink. Like, yeah.
Alex Hourigan
And we love you. And last but not least, is the most, probably, iconic women in both of our lives, our mummies.
Sally McMullen
Our mama bears.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah, we're both gonna try not cry in this but cuz we're both sooks.
Sally McMullen
Yeah.
Alex Hourigan
If I end up 10% of what my mum's like, I'm doing really well. Because she is just one of the strongest, most empathetic, caring people that I've ever met. She worked as a teacher for majority of her life and has given so much to so many children. And when I was growing up, I was a little bit naughty. And I had a little bit of a rebel side, I swear I've grown out of it, not really.
Sally McMullen
Lies.
Alex Hourigan
We weren't that close growing up, like, we would always kind of, you know.
Sally McMullen
Wow, I never would have thought that.
Alex Hourigan
No, like, we wouldn't really watch TV together or. Or we would, we'd watch, like, movies on, like, a Friday night or something but we didn't really talk like the way we do now. And it really was that kind of, like, mum-daughter relationship, and now it's like, she's my best friend. Like I, if I don't speak to her for a couple days, I'm calling her being like "Don't you love me anymore? Why haven't you called me?". And it's just such a different relationship. So, you know, it also goes to show that as you grow, you will become, like, you can develop different relationships with your parents. But even though I'm, maybe didn't necessarily have the relationship growing up because I was being a little shit, like, that I have with my mum now. It just shows that that whole time though, she was still such an inspiration to me. Like, I still looked up to my mum and respected my mum so much. I respect both my parents and love my parents, but it's not International Dad's Day, Dad. Sorry if you're listening to this, I know I'll get a text from-
Sally McMullen
Love you, Greg!
Alex Hourigan
Yeah! Good ol' Greggy. I know I'll get a text from him being like, "Oh, yeah, you love your mum more than me.". Nah, it's just we're not celebrating you today, doll. I love your mum too. Your mum, your mum's a vibe!
Sally McMullen
Oh, yeah. My mum is, like, loud and lairy and she's just so unapologetically herself. Everything that I've learned about music, fashion, feminism is all from her. Like, she had me listening to Spice Girls as, like, a little kid, like, shouting girl power. Like, I just learnt so much about that from her. And obviously music is really important, she had me listening to so many amazing female artists and, like, rock and roll artists that I feel like have really shaped my identity. And I think that we had more of that relationship that we were almost friends or peers more than like, a mother-daughter relationship. But I also have to give a shout out to my big sister, Meg, who is also, I'm gonna cry!
Alex Hourigan
Meg's gonna cry!
Sally McMullen
Fully. But she is also like, a mum to me, as you know, a lot of big sisters are. And I think from both my mum and my sister, I've learned that there is no one way to be a woman. And as women we're taught to be quiet, we're taught to be meek.
Alex Hourigan
What!!
Sally McMullen
And neither of them are like that. Like my mum is very, she'll just say what's on her mind, like, she is the first and last one on the dance floor. And my sister is so hard working, but also so gentle and kind. Like, I've learned so much about the power of being kind and being a good person from her. Which isn't always my go to, I feel like I'm a little bit more sassy. But yeah, I've just learnt so much about hard work and resilience from both of them, I feel very lucky to have them in my life.
Alex Hourigan
Similar with my sisters, you know, you get, you have fights with your sibling, that's what happens.
Sally McMullen
It's what they're for!
Alex Hourigan
But absolutely no one can mess with me, except for my big sister. Like, Alana and I could be having the biggest fight but as soon as someone hurt my feelings in school, or like, bullied me, or anything, she was there being like, "Who was it? Tell me who it was. Tell me who it was and I'll sort it out.". And I'm like, "No, they're gonna bully me more!". And she's like, "Nah!", she's like, "Who was it?", and like, Alana's stomping into school and I'm like, "She's gonna beat you up". Yeah, I think it's so special being able to have these women in our lives. So I think my mum, my mum's the opposite to me. So, you're quite similar to your mum whereas I'm the opposite. My mum is quite tame. Not I wouldn't say quiet, but reserved, and speaks when she needs to. Whereas, you know, sometimes I don't do that. I don't know. Maybe. And I think she just taught me how much power there is in being compassionate and being empathetic.
Sally McMullen
Go give some love to all of the women in your lives today and every day because God, we bloody deserve it!
Alex Hourigan
Yeah. And I have one more that I didn't put on here. But I'm inspired by you.
Sally McMullen
I'm leaving. I am getting out of this chair. Don't!
Alex Hourigan
Because, I always wanted someone in my life that I could just be my most genuine self with. Sh*t. And I never thought that I would meet that person. You know, sometimes your friends can be your soulmate!
Sally McMullen
And.
That's a wrap!
Happy International Women's Day! Love you, babe. You should be really proud of yourself.
Alex Hourigan
You too! I'm inspired by you every single day. Your patience with me, the way you make me laugh, the way that you literally understand every facet of my personality, warts and all, and love me nonetheless. And all my bad choices in life, and all my life lessons. Just, I feel very lucky and I feel very inspired by you every day. Now we're gonna go makeout, so um.
Sally McMullen
Right back at ya.
Alex Hourigan
Love ya. Anyway, um. That was weird! This gust of wind came, made my eyes water.
Before we wrap up today's episode, it is time for our product recommendations. We kind of tell you guys what we've bought recently, or what we're loving that we've been trying, and you should go buy it. Again, this section is not sponsored, no #ad, no #spon, genuinely just our favourite products. So mine this week is a bit of a bougie purchase, but buy yourself a projector.
Sally McMullen
Oh yeah!
Alex Hourigan
Oh my god. It may or may not have been a bit of a drunk purchase. I will not confirm nor deny.
Sally McMullen
They're the best kind!
Alex Hourigan
Oh my god, it's the best thing. It was like $200, I think it was less than that, maybe 180. Got it off Kogan, sorted. And it is incredible. It just, you know I don't use it every time I'm watching a movie but when I'm having, like, a movie night with my roommate, I, like, set it up on the wall, we get some really nice Uber Eats and it's a viewing experience. Rather than sitting at home, watching TV and getting a burrito. It's like, let's get our favourite dinner, let's watch a movie and it's just so fun. You feel like you're at the movies, and I've just set it up next to my bed. And I put my blind down and I sit in bed and the whole wall.
Sally McMullen
You can see how mind blown I am by all this!
Alex Hourigan
But the whole wall is The Little Mermaid and it's great. I sent Sal a video of it the other night. I'll put it in the Facebook group so everyone can see and I'll share a link. Because when I first posted on my Instagram story, everyone was like,
Sally McMullen
"Whoa, what is that?".
Alex Hourigan
"Where's it from?". And it's really easy. You just connect it to your laptop. You can also connect to your phone.
Sally McMullen
Perfect!
Alex Hourigan
And what's yours?
Sally McMullen
Oh my God.
Okay.
Alex Hourigan
Tell me about it. What should I buy?
Sally McMullen
Mine is a fashion moment. It is a Blanca shirt and short set. So, if you haven't heard of it, it's an Australian brand founded by, I think, sorry if I'm butchering this pronunciation, but Ana Piteira. She is an Australian designer who also founded the jewellery brand Reliquia, which we also love. And you know how those like matching short and shirt sets are really in right now? This is like the most gorgeous quality, it's 97% cotton. So it's super breathable, perfect for summer. And they are a little bit more expensive, so the shirt was $219, the shorts are 129. But I think when you're supporting local designers, it's beautiful quality, made of like really high quality, was gonna say ingredients, fabrics. It's so versatile as well, so I've definitely got my money's worth out of it because you can wear them separately, you can dress it up, you can dress it down. But I just think that investing in local designers and good quality pieces is so important. And for a trend piece like that I was like absolutely willing to spend the money because I just knew I would wear the sh*t out of it. So.
Alex Hourigan
A lot of their pieces are quite timeless as well. So when you're investing that much money, you're going to get your cost per wear out of it. We love a bit of cost per wear!
Sally McMullen
Mhmm.
Alex Hourigan
Well, on that note, on that very emotional note. Bloody hell, we started at Cher and we ended up sobbing.
Sally McMullen
Standard.
Alex Hourigan
Actually that sounds like night out for us.
That is a wrap for this week's episode. We absolutely love being in your ear holes and Happy International Women's Day. You know, like, what an incredible day. Text every woman in your life, even Cher, and tell them you love them and that you find them incredible. You can check out finder.com.au/twobrokechicks for all the details from today's episode, including our show notes. Also, don't forget to check us out on the grammy gram @twobrokechicks and on TikTok.
Sally McMullen
Thank you to our executive producer Pariya Taherzadeh and Bamby Media for editing our audio and video.
Alex Hourigan
As always, thanks for having us in your ear holes. We love to be here and it's just a good old time.
Sally McMullen
Bye chicks and chooks!
Alex Hourigan
Bye chicks and chooks! We love you.
Sally McMullen
Bye bye.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
CREDITS
Hosts: Sally McMullen and Alex Hourigan
Executive Producer: Pariya Taherzadeh
Editor: Bamby Media
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