エピソード

  • The Airplane Approach, Ron Popeil & Why You Should Start Writing RIGHT NOW

    The Airplane Approach, Ron Popeil & Why You Should Start Writing RIGHT NOW
    2026/09/30
    This week, Nikki takes a nostalgic trip back to the early 1990s, when late-night television meant infomercials: Ron Popeil was selling everything from food dehydrators to spray-on hair, and people were willing to spend hundreds of dollars on kitchen appliances they might use twice. Shipping and handling was not an issue, and you could still select “cash on delivery!”Then things get even weirder.Nikki shares the absolutely horrifying—and somehow hilarious—story of how her dad’s bestie used his Ronco food dehydrator for …welp, you’ll just have to listen and find out.Nikki has officially launched NikkiSettelmeyer.com and is opening enrollment for her six-week online creative writing class, Write NOW! designed for people who have always wanted to write but keep telling themselves they don’t have the time, consistency, confidence, or accountability to actually do it.And then comes this week’s story:✈️ “The Airplane Approach” by Aparna SangamNikki continues her reading of Aparna Sangam’s hilarious surreal fiction with “The Airplane Approach,” the second installment in the Shitshow Universe Trilogy.If you missed Part One, Everything We Left Behind, Oliver was a corporate employee who got laid off by his boss, Gary Vance, after a soul-crushing day at work. He eventually finds himself in a bizarre alternate universe featuring a purple sky, two moons, and a frog named Dennis wearing a tiny necktie.In Part Two, things get even stranger.Oliver encounters floating fences, talking mailboxes, a soup-and-sandwich counter, and—because apparently this universe has absolutely no respect for the laws of physics—a flying spoon that behaves like an airplane.He also meets Milo, who seems considerably less concerned about the flying silverware than Oliver is.And then Oliver learns about something called the 11½-minute rule.Naturally, Nikki has questions.✍️ The Bigger Story: Why Are You Still Waiting to Write?Beneath all the ridiculousness, this episode comes back to one of Nikki’s favorite subjects: writing.So many aspiring writers say the same thing:I don’t have time.I’m not consistent.I keep putting it off.I don’t know where to start.Nikki’s six-week creative writing class is designed to provide something many writers desperately need: community, accountability, encouragement, and dedicated time to actually write.The class begins October 16, 2026, meets for 90 minutes every Friday on Zoom, and is intentionally limited to 10 participants so writers can build a supportive, meaningful community.Because sometimes you don’t need another book about writing.You just need to sit down and write.🖊️ We’re Writing. When?Write NOW!If you’ve been saying you’re going to write someday, consider this your invitation to stop waiting for someday.Start the story.Write the essay.Begin the memoir.Finish the book.Tell the weird story you’ve been carrying around for 20 years.You never know what’s buried inside you until you start putting words on the page.🎧 LISTEN / WATCHBorn to Ramble is a humorous storytelling podcast about people, places, things, writing, memoir, midlife, motherhood, creativity, work, and all the weird little moments that become stories.New episodes weekly. Daily-ish shorts, because apparently Nikki has things to say.Subscribe, follow, listen, watch—and please tell your friends.✍️ CREATIVE WRITING CLASSNikki’s six-week online creative writing class begins October 16, 2026.* Six weeks* 90-minute Zoom sessions* Every Friday* Small group of 10 writers* Community + accountability* Designed for people who want to actually make time to writeWe’re writing. When? Write NOW!Visit NikkiSettelmeyer.com for class information and registration.📚 ABOUT THE STORY“The Airplane Approach”Part Two of the Shitshow Universe TrilogyWritten by Aparna SangamPublished through Kramm Session / Justin Kramm’s SubstackBe sure to read or listen to Part One, “Everything We Left Behind,” before diving into this installment. Get full access to Born to Ramble at borntoramble.substack.com/subscribe
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    21 分
  • Existential Dread, Sobriety, and the Next Right Thing

    Existential Dread, Sobriety, and the Next Right Thing
    2026/09/23
    Existential Dread, Sobriety, and the Next Right ThingIt’s late September, it’s 100 degrees, my four-year-old is playing T-ball, and my brain has decided this is the perfect time to contemplate death by artificial intelligence, sobriety, money, motherhood, and the meaning of life. All at once. Last week, I went back to Arizona to visit my 82-year-old aunt and some friends. While I was there, I made the brilliant decision to go hiking alone at 1 p.m. in 97-degree heat.My phone overheated and died. I was alone. I was a mile from the road. And suddenly all those warnings I had spent years dismissing started sounding considerably less ridiculous.Then I came home and started reading about the possibility that increasingly powerful AI could pose an existential threat to humanity.But underneath all of that fear was something more familiar: my brain doing what it does when I let it run too far ahead.That’s why I went to a meeting.I’ve been sober for 23 years, and I still go to meetings because sobriety isn't just about not drinking. It’s about learning what to do with your own mind. Sometimes the most important lesson is simply to stop trying to solve the next five years and figure out what the next right thing is.In this episode, I read “Three Years Later” by Brian Smith, a personal essay about waking up in the woods after a devastating period of alcohol addiction, hospitalization, detox, mental-health treatment, outpatient rehab, and the long process of rebuilding a life.Brian's story reminded me that recovery doesn't really have an ending. Just like I talked about last week, we’re all just iterating. You just have to keep moving forward.One day at a time. One week at a time. One story at a time.In this episodeA terrifying solo hike in the Arizona heatWhat happens when your phone dies in the middle of nowhereExistential dread and catastrophic thinkingMotherhood and realizing how much you have to live for23 years of sobrietyWhy I still go to recovery meetingsThe difference between surviving and actually livingBrian Smith's “Three Years Later”Addiction, detox, hospitalization, and outpatient treatmentRebuilding trust after addictionWhy structure can save youWriting as a way to untangle your thoughtsThe power of doing the next right thingWhat recovery looks like at one day, one month, one year, and beyond.About Brian Smith's storyBrian Smith writes Between Detox and Daylight, where he documents his recovery journey and what happens after the crisis is over.His essay “Three Years Later” takes us back to the woods where his story began—and then walks through the hospital, detox, mental-health treatment, rehab, meetings, work, and the first fragile months of rebuilding his life.I’m grateful he shared it.The takeawayYou don't have to solve everything today.You don't have to know what the next three years look like.Sometimes you just need to breathe, count to 500, go to the meeting, hug your kid, write the thing down, and do the next right thing.That's enough.Follow Born to RambleNew episodes, personal essays, stories from Substack writers, writing inspiration, sobriety, motherhood, creativity, and whatever else I can't stop thinking about.Subscribe, follow, and come ramble with me.And if you’re feeling tres generous! Buy me a coffee or check out my creative writing inspiration packs! Get full access to Born to Ramble at borntoramble.substack.com/subscribe
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    35 分
  • I’m not “failing fast,” I’m iterating. And “The World’s First Invisible Battery-Powered Car” by ScaryLarryPants

    I’m not “failing fast,” I’m iterating. And “The World’s First Invisible Battery-Powered Car” by ScaryLarryPants
    2026/09/16

    🎙️ Born to Ramble

    Buy me a coffee!

    I’m just iterating: All the things we call “finding ourselves.”

    Sometimes a life reset isn't a failure. It's just another iteration.

    In this episode of Born to Ramble, Nikki talks about the surprisingly useful concept of iteration—a word borrowed from her years working in software development—and how it applies to real life, career changes, creativity, writing, and figuring out what the hell you're doing next.

    In my period of self-discovery and mid-life pivot, I have tried so many things, but not everything has stuck. I keep hearing people say “fail fast,” but honestly I don’t see them as failures! They can’t all be winners! This leads me to my IDEA of the day: iterations: small versions of a bigger life that is still being built.

    Now, onto this week’s short story:

    “The World's First Invisible Battery-Powered Car” by Substack writer ScaryLarryPants, from The Comedy Corner in the Round Room of Substack. The story involves Burning Man, an invisible electric car, a billionaire inventor, questionable technology, and approximately zero responsible product testing.

    In other words: it's perfect.

    I’m so excited about reading other writers' work on the podcast, building relationships within the Substack writing community, and creating an audience around my own writing.

    The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman.

    In this episode:

    Why “iteration” might be a better way to think about starting over

    What losing a job can teach you about reinvention

    Building a creative career one experiment at a time

    Why not everything you try has to work

    The importance of building an audience before pitching a book

    Reading and supporting other writers on Substack

    “The World's First Invisible Battery-Powered Car”

    Burning Man, invisible technology, and spectacularly bad product launches

    Why Nikki loves weird, funny, believable-but-not-actually-true stories

    A recommendation for The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman

    If you're in the middle of a career change, mid-life reset, creative reinvention, or just wondering why you haven't “figured it out” yet, this one's for you.

    you're not failing! You might just be in your XP era 🙂

    Or maybe you're just on version 7.

    Wanna buy me a coffee? Pretty please?



    Get full access to Born to Ramble at borntoramble.substack.com/subscribe
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    19 分
  • Substack Writing Geniuses & “Everything We Left Behind” by Aparna Sangam

    Substack Writing Geniuses & “Everything We Left Behind” by Aparna Sangam
    2026/09/09
    🐸 EVERYTHING WE LEFT BEHIND: Getting Fired, Finding Frogs & Other Totally Normal ThingsWhat happens when you lose your job, question your sanity, and open your bathroom door to discover a neon-green alternate universe run by a frog in a business tie?Welcome back to Born to Ramble, where this week I’m doing something I absolutely love: reading hilarious stories by writers I discover on Substack.Today’s story is “Everything We Left Behind” by Aparna Sangam, a wonderfully weird, Kafkaesque office satire about Oliver, a perfectly ordinary corporate employee whose perfectly ordinary life gets spectacularly un-ordinary.First, Oliver gets fired.Not dramatically. Not even angrily.His boss basically says, “Hey, we're restructuring, your entire department is being eliminated, here's your severance, please leave your badge.”Then Oliver goes home, questions every decision he's ever made, remembers being a kid with an imagination, discovers that his $80 calendar app subscription has renewed despite the fact that he no longer has a job—and then opens his bathroom door.And there's a frog.In a suit.Who knows what Oliver likes for lunch.Of course there is.🐸 Today's episode includes:The Job Report, but this time we're focusing on the GOOD stuff.My theory that there's only one thing separating self-employment from unemployment: money.An update on my Write NOW! creative writing classes and community.Why I've started reading stories from fellow writers on Substack.The wonderfully chaotic origin story of Shitshow Creative.A little background on comedy writer Justin Kramm.An introduction to writer Aparna Sangam.A reading of “Everything We Left Behind.”Childhood imagination vs. adult misery.✍️ Why I Loved This StoryThere is something hilarious—and painfully true—about watching Oliver go from “I'm just trying to finish this PowerPoint” to “Why is my bathroom opening into a magical dimension where a frog knows my lunch order?”The story takes the absurdity of modern work life and pushes it just far enough into the surreal that you can't help but laugh.And I LOVE that.It's Kafka meets corporate America meets LinkedIn hell.If you've ever stared at a PowerPoint presentation and wondered where your childhood dreams went...If you've ever received an automated LinkedIn notification immediately after losing your job...If you've ever paid for a subscription to something you absolutely no longer need...this one's for you.❤️ The Bigger Thing I Love About This EpisodeI'm becoming increasingly obsessed with the community of writers I've found on Substack.There are so many smart, funny, strange, talented people writing incredible stories who may not have huge audiences yet.And I get to discover them.Then I get to read their stories out loud.And honestly? That makes me ridiculously happy.So if you're a writer on Substack—or you're someone who loves discovering new writers—come ramble with me.And if you're interested in writing yourself, come join one of my creative writing sessions on Skool Write NOW!We're talking character development, dialogue, subtext, plot, storytelling and all the wonderfully weird stuff that makes writing fun.Because maybe you don't need another productivity system.Maybe you need a frog in a tiny business tie.🐸 FIND APARNA SANGAMIf you enjoyed “Everything We Left Behind,” go find Aparna and read more of her work. This story is part of a seriesAnd please check out Justin Kramm and Shitshow Creative, too—especially if you've ever worked in marketing and thought, “Surely we're all just making this up as we go.”🎙️ ABOUT BORN TO RAMBLEBorn to Ramble with Nikki Settelmeyer is a podcast about stories, writing, creativity, career chaos, motherhood, getting older, getting weirder, and whatever else happens when I turn on the microphone.Sometimes I tell my own stories.Sometimes I talk about writing.Sometimes I read stories by other writers.And sometimes a frog becomes my boss.You really can't predict this show.Subscribe, follow, share, leave a comment, and come ramble with me.And if you're a writer with a story you'd like me to consider reading on the podcast, I'd love to hear from you.Join My Creative Writing CommunityWant to write your own stories?Join me in the Write NOW! community on Skool, where I'm building a space for people who want to write, learn, share stories, and reconnect with their creative voice.Join my writing community, Write NOW! On Skool! Get full access to Born to Ramble at borntoramble.substack.com/subscribe
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    23 分
  • Fun isn’t paying these bills… and Any Other Questions? By Buzz Kantwrite

    Fun isn’t paying these bills… and Any Other Questions? By Buzz Kantwrite
    2026/09/02
    Fun isn’t paying these bills… and Any other Questions? By Buzz KantwriteWelcome back to Born to Ramble, where I talk about writing, work, motherhood, creativity, getting older, and whatever else is currently rattling around inside my head.Today, we have nostril waxing, job-search trauma, LinkedIn humiliation, an expiration date on my financial stability, creative employment, and a very funny office comedy story.So… basically, a normal episode.😂 The New Born to Ramble Story ClubI'm doing something new on the podcast: I'm going to start reading other people's stories.There are so many brilliant writers publishing essays, humor, short stories, and deeply weird observations on Substack—often without a traditional publishing deal, literary agent, or giant audience.I love the idea of using Born to Ramble as a place to introduce you to some of these writers.First up: Buzz Kantwrite, a hilarious Substack writer whose newsletter is called The Will to Banter.https://substack.com/@buzzkantwrite?utm_source=global-searchHis description of his work?“Mad Magazine meets Chekhov.”Honestly, how could I NOT read that?💼 The Job Report: I Have a Financial Finish LineBefore we get to Buzz's story, there's a new installment of The Job Report.I'm getting more serious about finding a job because I have a financial deadline: November 1, 2026.But there's a catch.I don't want a job that eats my entire life.I want to work. I want to make money. I want to contribute. But I also want time to write, create, spend time with my son, and actually LIVE.And then—just as I was preparing to write a furious LinkedIn post about how dehumanizing and demoralizing the modern job search can be…My phone rang.“Hi Nikki, were you supposed to be in an interview today?”Well.Apparently I was.😂📖 This Week's Story: “Any Other Questions?”The centerpiece of today's episode is “Any Other Questions?” by Buzz Kantwrite, a short comedy about one man's increasingly ridiculous relationship with workplace rules, catered lunch, coffee, and—most importantly—an apple danish.It's the kind of story that makes you laugh and then makes you realize you've probably worked somewhere exactly like this.And yes, there is a discussion of swooshing coffee around your mouth with a bite of apple danish.You really just have to hear it.📝 About Buzz KantwriteBuzz Kantwrite writes comedy short stories with a philosophical limp at The Will to Banter.His work combines absurd workplace observations, everyday human behavior, and a healthy amount of ridiculousness.I discovered him because his name made me laugh.Then I read his writing.Turns out, following people because they have funny names is sometimes an excellent life strategy.❤️ Coming Next WeekNext week, I'll be reading another Substack writer:“Everything We Left Behind” by Aparna Sangam. https://substack.com/@aparnasangamSo if you love short stories, independent writers, humor, personal essays, and discovering writers before everyone else does, stick around.And if you're a writer on Substack with a story you think would fit Born to Ramble, I want to hear from you.Join My Creative Writing CommunityWant to write your own stories?Join me in the Write NOW! community on Skool, where I'm building a space for people who want to write, learn, share stories, and reconnect with their creative voice.Join my writing community, Write NOW! On Skool! https://www.skool.com/born-to-ramble-2584/about🎧 Listen to Born to RambleBorn to Ramble with Nikki Settelmeyer is a storytelling podcast about work, motherhood, creativity, writing, aging, ambition, absurdity, and all the strange stuff that happens while you're trying to make a life.Because apparently I was born to ramble.And apparently you're still listening.❤️#BornToRamble #NikkiSettelmeyer #SubstackWriters #ShortStories #ComedyWriting #OfficeHumor #JobSearch #JobSearchHell #LinkedIn #WritingCommunity #CreativeLife #Storytelling #FunnyStories #IndependentWriters #TheJobReport Get full access to Born to Ramble at borntoramble.substack.com/subscribe
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    12 分
  • Edgar and My EEG: Nobody Wants Your Stinking Job

    Edgar and My EEG: Nobody Wants Your Stinking Job
    2026/08/26
    In spite of my little tiff with one person on Skool, I AM opening my writing community (all things writing, craft, and practice including me yammering on about Augusten Burroughs, Raymond Carver and the MAN, Charles Bukowski) and you can find it here! Write NOW!Welcome back to Born to Ramble, where I write, talk, laugh, complain, overshare, and occasionally turn a medical appointment into a short story.Today I’m hot, grumpy, unemployed, underdressed, and completely over the rules of the working world. So naturally, we’re talking about creative writing, AI, jobs, legacy, and the time I had an EEG after passing out on an airplane.This episode is Part Two of the story that began with my airplane medical emergency. After passing out on a flight and being evaluated by doctors, I ended up needing an EEG (electroencephalogram) to check my brain activity.Enter Edgar, my EEG technician.Edgar turned out to be much more interesting than I expected.He’s working 12½-hour shifts. He works weekends. He can barely get time off. He’s thinking about retirement. He’s got a diabetic cat. He’s considering simply not showing up for work during Thanksgiving week. He’s also debating whether or not to move to another planet. And, somehow, while he’s attaching hundreds of tiny wires to my head, we end up having one of the funniest and most unexpectedly philosophical conversations I’ve ever had with a stranger.And because I’m a writer and yes, I WAS born to ramble, I was mentally taking notes the entire time.In This Episode* Why I stopped caring about looking “put together” to record my podcast* My ongoing battle with The Job Report* Why I’m trying to move my creative writing classes online* My frustrations with one Skool moderator who triggered my distaste for authority figures* Why I think creative writing matters more in an increasingly AI-driven world* The connection between your hand, heart, mind, and writing* Why keeping physical notebooks and stories may matter more than we realize* How work can slowly separate us from the dreams we had when we were younger* The strange phenomenon of pretending to be “excited” about your job on LinkedIn* The story of my EEG and meeting Edgar* Edgar’s job that looks more like the life of an inmate than gainful employment* Cats, retirement, marriage, money, and hobosexuals* Why I couldn’t wait to get home and write this storyThe Bigger Question: What Happens to Your Story?This episode isn’t really about an EEG.It’s about work, identity, creativity, and the stories we lose when we’re too busy surviving.We’re living through a moment when so much of our lives are becoming digital, automated, searchable, and increasingly AI-generated.But what happens when the internet goes down?What happens when the power goes out?What happens to the things that exist only in a cloud, an app, a hard drive, or somebody else’s server?I have boxes and notebooks full of stories I’ve written by hand. I have letters. Diaries. Christmas letters. Stories. Memories.I have a physical record of a life.And that’s one of the reasons I believe creative writing is important.Writing isn’t just about becoming a professional writer. It’s about remembering who you were before the world told you who you were supposed to become.Maybe you had big dreams when you were little.Maybe you still do.Maybe they’re buried under student loans, mortgages, meetings, LinkedIn announcements, performance reviews, bills, and the general insanity of adulthood.I promise you: writing can help you find them again.About Born to RambleBorn to Ramble with Nikki Settelmeyer is a storytelling podcast about writing, work, creativity, life, ridiculous experiences, and the strange little moments that become stories.I’m a writer, creative writing teacher, and professional rambler. I believe funny stories can contain serious ideas—and that sometimes the best way to understand life is to tell the story of what happened.Join My Creative Writing CommunityWant to write your own stories?Join me in the Born to Ramble community on Skool, where I’m building a space for people who want to write, learn, share stories, and reconnect with their creative voice.Join Born to Ramble on Skool Get full access to Born to Ramble at borntoramble.substack.com/subscribe
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    27 分
  • Job Search Hell, Fake Recruiters & I Passed Out on an Airplane and Ruined Everyone’s Vacation

    Job Search Hell, Fake Recruiters & I Passed Out on an Airplane and Ruined Everyone’s Vacation
    2026/08/21
    Welcome back to Born to Ramble with Nikki Settelmeyer — where the stories are true, the job search is increasingly absurd, and sometimes life decides to throw in an emergency landing just for fun.This week, Nikki has good news and bad news.Let’s start with the bad news.Nikki’s job search has officially entered AI-powered hell.After putting the green “Open to Work” circle on LinkedIn, she quickly discovered that being visibly unemployed can apparently make you a target for fake recruiters, suspicious job offers, and people who may or may not be using AI to impersonate actual humans.And this raises a very 2026 question:Do you need a burner phone just to apply for a job?Nikki also takes one of those increasingly bizarre pre-employment personality assessments — the kind that promises to take 8–10 minutes and somehow turns into half an hour of choosing whether you’re more “irritable,” “cynical,” “combative,” or “hostile.”Spoiler: Nikki is currently all four.But then there’s good news.World of Books is a partner, officially! Use my link and I'll get a cent or two and I'd really appreciate it :-) World of BooksA short story Nikki wrote in 2015, “Worked to Death,” has been accepted by a literary journal and will be published in September. The story, appropriately enough, is about how jobs can quite literally kill you.And then there’s the other story.The Flight That Went Very WrongNikki shares a previously unpublished personal story about traveling to Des Moines, Iowa when she suddenly becomes seriously ill on an airplane.What begins as an ordinary airport morning — Starbucks, people-watching, boarding a flight, and observing strangers with giant hats — quickly turns into an in-flight medical emergency.Nikki wakes up surrounded by passengers and crew, oxygen mask on her face, with the pilot announcing an emergency landing.Suddenly she’s being questioned by EMTs, taken off the plane, transported by ambulance, and eventually admitted to the emergency room.There’s confusion. There’s nausea. There’s an IV. There’s an EKG. There’s an oxygen tank that looks like it came from the 1960s.There’s also the deeply humiliating realization that she may have peed her pants without knowing it.And somehow, Nikki still finds the absurdity in all of it.With Derek — her son’s father and close friend — by her side, Nikki confronts the much scarier reality that something may actually be wrong and that she needs further medical evaluation.It’s frightening, vulnerable, funny, and very much a Born to Ramble story.And yes, somehow the episode still ends with Nikki making jokes.Also in this episode:* The dark side of the modern job search* Fake recruiters and LinkedIn scams* AI-generated recruiting messages* Why job applications now feel like unpaid labor* Personality assessments that seem designed to make you question your entire existence* Starting preschool and the chaos of school drop-off* Nikki’s short story “Worked to Death” getting published* People-watching at the airport* An unexpected medical emergency on an airplane* Emergency landing anxiety* EMTs, oxygen, ambulances, and the ER* The strange questions you’re asked after passing out* Co-parenting and friendship* Motherhood and why becoming a parent changes the way you experience frightening stories* Finding humor in terrifying situations* And, naturally, a puddle of peeContent note: This episode discusses fainting, medical emergencies, emergency-room treatment, possible seizure symptoms, nausea, and urinary incontinence. It also contains strong language and adult humor.📚 Support independent booksellingNikki is excited to partner with World of Books, an online bookstore offering affordable new and used books. If you’re looking for your next read, check out Nikki’s affiliate link in the show notes.📖 Read/Listen to “Worked to Death”Nikki’s short story “Worked to Death” was written in 2015 and is now headed for publication. You can also hear Nikki read the story in an earlier episode of Born to Ramble.About Born to RambleBorn to Ramble with Nikki Settelmeyer is a storytelling podcast about life, work, motherhood, writing, getting older, starting over, embarrassing moments, weird people, pop culture, and all the ridiculous things that happen when you’re paying attention.Sometimes it’s funny.Sometimes it’s uncomfortable.Sometimes it’s both.Subscribe to Born to Ramble on Substack and wherever you listen to podcasts.#BornToRamble #NikkiSettelmeyer #JobSearch #JobSearchHell #FakeRecruiters #LinkedInScams #AIRecruiting #JobHunting #FunnyStories #PersonalStories #StorytellingPodcast #WomenInMidlife #Midlife #Motherhood #WorkingWomen #WritersLife #CreativeWriting #Memoir #PersonalEssay #WorkplaceHumor #LifeAfter40 #StartingOver Get full access to Born to Ramble at borntoramble.substack.com/subscribe
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    32 分
  • My Robot Vacuum Drove Through a Pile of S**t | Storytelling, Job Rejections & Writing Craft

    My Robot Vacuum Drove Through a Pile of S**t | Storytelling, Job Rejections & Writing Craft
    2026/08/14
    Welcome to Born to Ramble with Nikki Settelmeyer, the storytelling podcast where memoir, creative writing, motherhood, job hunting, humor, and the occasional literal shitstorm collide.This week, Nikki has announcements, a new segment called “Adorable Things That My Son Says,” a surprisingly philosophical conversation about storytelling and intellectual property, another installment of The Job Report, and a hilarious—and unexpectedly emotional—excerpt from her upcoming book.💄 Adorable Things That My Son SaysThis week’s wisdom from Nikki’s son:“Why does your lip gloss smell disgusting for a long time?”Honestly, motherhood is a gift.✍️ The Trouble With Reading Other People’s StoriesNikki talks about one of her favorite writers, Augusten Burroughs, and the lesson she learned after recording an episode in which she read his short story “Little Crucifixions” from Possible Side Effects.She loved the story so much that she wanted to share it with listeners—but realized that reading an entire copyrighted story on the podcast wasn’t something she should do without permission.The episode is gone, but clips remain available as Shorts.It’s also a jumping-off point for a larger conversation about storytelling, copyright, creativity, literary influences, and the importance of sharing the work you love without accidentally crossing legal or ethical boundaries.💼 The Job Report: Would a Man Take $55,000?It’s another edition of The Job Report, and Nikki has more job rejections to discuss—including an automated rejection from a company where she had interviewed with four people.And naturally, she has questions.Like:Would a man take $55,000?Nikki explores job hunting, salary expectations, financial stability, employee satisfaction, and the uncomfortable reality of trying to find meaningful work while also refusing to accept compensation that doesn’t reflect your experience.The larger question becomes: Can someone truly do exceptional work while constantly living in financial survival mode?And, perhaps more importantly, why are we expected to pretend we’re thrilled about salaries that don’t allow adults to comfortably support themselves?🤖 The S**t CircleThen we get to today’s story.Nikki reads an excerpt from her upcoming book:“My Robot Vacuum Drove Through a Pile of S**t and I Basically Had to Bury Her Alive.”Yes. That is the actual title.What starts as a ridiculous story about a robot vacuum, a cat, and a horrifying amount of poop becomes something much deeper.Nikki is pregnant, preparing for motherhood, thinking about co-parenting, trying to keep working, and confronting the enormous emotional weight of having to figure everything out on her own.Then the robot vacuum drives through cat s**t.And keeps going.The result is an eight-foot s**t circle smeared across the floor.But beneath the comedy is a story about exhaustion, financial insecurity, independence, motherhood, childhood, loneliness, and the strange ways old wounds resurface when life becomes overwhelming.The story moves between Nikki’s present-day pregnancy and a memory from her twenties, when she was living in a tiny apartment, working, attending writing classes, struggling financially, and wondering what it would feel like for someone—just once—to take care of her.It’s funny.It’s disgusting.It’s sad.It’s deeply human.And yes, there is a robot vacuum involved.✍️ Coming in October: The Craft of WritingIf you’re a writer, storyteller, memoirist, or someone who simply loves understanding how stories work, October is going to be all about the Craft of Writing.Nikki will be talking about things like:Scene vs. settingStory structureMemoir writingCreative nonfictionCharacter developmentDialogueStorytelling techniquesFinding the funny in difficult experiencesTurning real life into compelling storiesSo subscribe and follow Born to Ramble so you don’t miss the October episodes.About Born to RambleBorn to Ramble with Nikki Settelmeyer is a storytelling podcast about memoir, creative nonfiction, writing, motherhood, midlife, work, starting over, and the absurdity of being a human being.Sometimes Nikki talks about writing.Sometimes she reads her own stories.Sometimes she talks about jobs.Sometimes she talks about motherhood.And sometimes a robot vacuum drives through a pile of s**t and somehow becomes a metaphor for her entire life.If you love funny memoirs, personal essays, creative writing, storytelling, literary humor, women’s stories, motherhood, midlife reinvention, and brutally honest conversations about life, you’re in the right place.Subscribe, follow, and come ramble with Nikki. Get full access to Born to Ramble at borntoramble.substack.com/subscribe
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    16 分