In this episode, Angie and Shelly dive into the idea of success and how wildly different it can look depending on where you are in life. They talk about why measuring success only by money misses the point, how goals need to be personal and flexible, and why so many of us set ourselves up to fail by aiming for things that were never realistic in the first place.

This is an honest conversation about redefining success, setting goals that are attainable and sustainable, and giving yourself permission to measure your life by what actually matters to you.

💰 Why Success Is Not Just About Money
How financial stability can reduce stress but does not guarantee happiness or fulfillment

🧠 Success Changes With Seasons of Life
Why what felt like success at thirty may look completely different at fifty

❤️ Time as a Measure of Success
Having time for people you love, rest, travel, and experiences that fill you up

🌍 Experiences Over Things
Why travel, culture, food, and shared memories matter more than stuff

📋 Working Backwards From a Goal
How starting with the end in mind helps you break big dreams into realistic steps

⚖️ Big Goals vs Real Life
Why setting goals that ignore your current reality almost always leads to burnout

🍽️ The Weight Loss Example
How unrealistic expectations and all or nothing thinking sabotage progress

🔁 Micro Adjustments Add Up
Why small consistent changes matter more than dramatic overhauls

🪜 Saying Yes Means Saying No
How every commitment costs time and energy and why that matters

🧘 You Only Have So Many Spoons
Why you cannot do everything every day and how choosing your priorities helps

📝 Counting What You Did Do
Why acknowledging your daily wins changes how you see yourself

💬 People Pleasing and Authenticity
Why not everyone has to like you and why that is actually okay

🌱 Grace and Patience With Yourself
Why change takes longer than we want and why that does not mean you are failing

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In this episode, Angie and Shelly dig into the art (and stress) of preparation. With Shelly’s quartet, Hot Notes, gearing up for competition, the conversation turns to what it means to set goals, push through pressure, and show up for yourself and your team. They swap stories about coaching, constructive criticism, and why sometimes the silliest goals (like wearing a second outfit) end up being the most memorable wins.

🎤 The Hot Notes Journey – Weekly rehearsals, coaching, and competitions that push singers to grow

🏅 Goals That Matter – Why “beating last year’s score” is more motivating than chasing ribbons

📋 SMART Goals in Real Life – From silly outfit goals to career-defining accreditations, how clarity makes all the difference

📸 Photography Competitions – Angie shares how accreditation shaped her career and why feedback stings but makes you better

💬 Constructive Criticism vs. Cheerleading – Why the best mentors deliver truth with love, not empty praise

🤝 Team Goals vs. Solo Goals – How collaboration requires grace, patience, and equal effort from everyone involved

🌟 Effort Equals Results – Why your outcome will always match the intensity and heart you put in

😂 The Outfit Change Story – How the Hot Notes landed as mic testers, still got to wear their sparkly shoes, and learned to be intentional with goals

📢 Follow & Support the Podcast 🎧 Podcast Episodes: https://hotflashchroniclespodcast.podbean.com 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hot-flash-chronicles/id1802239722 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5f8iMNCItgjL79nC1jXA5w 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HotflashChronicles 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotFlashChronicles 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotflashchroniclespodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotflashchronicles 🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hotflashchronicles

💬 What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever prepared for? A performance, a competition, a career milestone? Tell us your “outfit change” story—we’d love to cheer you on.

In this fan-favorite episode, Angie and Shelly gush over their shared love of Schitt’s Creek, the show that got them (and millions of others) through the pandemic. From skeptical first impressions to full-on obsession, they share why the Rose family’s journey from spoiled and entitled to grounded and grateful hit so hard—and why the show is more than just comedy.

😂 The First Six-Episode Hurdle – Why you almost quit, but shouldn’t

🎭 The Rose Family Glow-Up – How watching David, Alexis, Moira, and Johnny transform is TV magic

🎤 Moira’s Wigs, Accents, and One-Liners – From “What does burning smell like?” to “fold in the cheese”

❤️ Love and Representation – Why David and Patrick’s relationship is groundbreaking and heart-melting

👩‍👧 Family Dynamics – Bad parenting, repaired relationships, and unexpected growth in every generation

📺 Comfort TV Phenomenon – Why we binge the same shows in hard times (and why that’s not a bad thing)

🥂 Other Comfort Shows We Love – From Parks and Rec to Ted Lasso to The Good Place

📢 Follow & Support the Podcast 🎧 Podcast Episodes: https://hotflashchroniclespodcast.podbean.com 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hot-flash-chronicles/id1802239722 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5f8iMNCItgjL79nC1jXA5w 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HotflashChronicles 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotFlashChronicles 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotflashchroniclespodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotflashchronicles 🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hotflashchronicles

💬 What’s your ultimate comfort show? Is it Schitt’s Creek, Friends, The Office, or something else? Tell us what you binge when you need a laugh and zero surprises.

In this episode, Angie and Shelly dive into one of Prince’s most famous lines from Let’s Go Crazy and ask the big question: what is the purple banana? Inspired by Shelly’s dream revelation and a whole lot of lyrics, the conversation quickly expands into the pursuit of meaning, the power of pivots, and the role of unexpected detours in shaping our lives.

🎶 Prince and the Purple Banana – What that lyric might really mean (spoiler: not an eggplant emoji)

💭 The Pursuit of Passion – Why the purple banana is about chasing what lights you up—and how it evolves over time

⬆️ Elevators and Detours – How life’s curveballs reroute us and why the floor you didn’t expect might be the best one yet

📷 From Car Lots to Cameras – Angie’s layoff pivot that turned into a thriving photography career

👩‍👧 Marriage, Divorce, and Survival Floors – Shelly’s story of becoming a young mom, navigating safety, and finding strength through education

🥇 Gold Medals and Wedding Days – Why the journey matters more than the destination, and how to savor the moment instead of rushing to the next thing

🎈 Hot Air Balloons and Core Memories – Why being present for the purple bananas in your hand is just as important as chasing the next one

📢 Follow & Support the Podcast 🎧 Podcast Episodes: https://hotflashchroniclespodcast.podbean.com 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hot-flash-chronicles/id1802239722 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5f8iMNCItgjL79nC1jXA5w 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HotflashChronicles 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotFlashChronicles 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotflashchroniclespodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotflashchronicles 🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hotflashchronicles

💬 So… what’s your purple banana right now? And has life ever dropped you off on a floor you didn’t expect? Share your story—we love hearing how you turned detours into new directions.

In this thoughtful (and funny) episode, Angie and Shelly dig into the idea of hard lines—the non-negotiables, the deal breakers, the things that make you say “nope, not for me.” Inspired by a listener suggestion, they dive into music they refuse to sing, clients they’ve turned away, conversations they’ve shut down, and why respect is always the bottom line.

🎶 Songs That Don’t Age Well – From “Wild Irish Rose” to holiday tunes with problematic lyrics, why some classics just don’t hold up

📷 Clients and Photography Boundaries – Guns in the studio? Nope. Explicit boudoir requests? Also nope. Disrespectful spouses? Shown the door

🗣️ Conversation Deal Breakers – Politics, religion, and the questions you don’t need to ask your photographer

🙅 Respect Is Non-Negotiable – Why name-calling, hate speech, and trolling cross the line every single time

💬 Boundaries in Real Life – From saying no to toxic requests, to standing up when someone is being disrespectful, to knowing when to walk away

😂 When Humor Meets Hard Lines – Why Angie quoted $12,000 for a very questionable photo request, and why sometimes humor is the best shield

📢 Follow & Support the Podcast 🎧 Podcast Episodes: https://hotflashchroniclespodcast.podbean.com 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hot-flash-chronicles/id1802239722 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5f8iMNCItgjL79nC1jXA5w 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HotflashChronicles 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotFlashChronicles 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotflashchroniclespodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotflashchronicles 🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hotflashchronicles

💬 What’s a boundary you absolutely won’t cross? A song you refuse to sing, a request you won’t say yes to, or a line that ends the conversation immediately? Tell us your “line in the sand” moment—we’d love to hear it.

In this episode, Angie and Shelly dive into the topic of AI in the most Hot Flash Chronicles way possible. It starts with cookie baking, food talk (obviously), and quickly turns into a very real conversation about how artificial intelligence is already part of our daily lives. From AI phone assistants and social media trends to fears about jobs, body image, creativity, and authenticity, this episode balances humor with thoughtful insight.

They talk about what they would love an AI clone to handle, what they never want it touching, and why intention matters more than the technology itself.

🍪 Cookie Baking and Food Detours Russian tea cakes, German cookies, biscotti, sourdough, and why every episode somehow becomes a food episode

🤖 If We Had an AI Version of Ourselves Cleaning grout, folding laundry, making phone calls, potty training dogs, and doing all the chores we hate

📞 Real Life AI in Business Angie shares how her AI receptionist is booking clients and why transparency matters

🚗 Smart Cars and Coffee Cup Alerts When your rental car thinks you need caffeine and starts judging your life choices

🧠 How AI Is Changing Work From programming to customer service to education and why prompting is becoming a real skill

📸 AI Images and Social Media Holiday trends, filters, viral prompts, and the difference between fun and misrepresentation

💄 Is AI Harmful to Women A real conversation about body image, feminism, filters, makeup, and intention

📷 Why Real Photos Still Matter Why connection, trust, and human presence cannot be replicated by AI

⚖️ Good Bad or Somewhere in the Middle Why most technology lands in the gray area and how humans adapt

🔮 The Future of AI Will AI talk to other AI, replace jobs, create new ones, or just continue to evolve alongside us

😂 Rapid Fire and Food Closes Fig sourdough, New Year intentions, vision boards, and pistachio gelato dreams

📢 Follow and Support the Podcast 🎧 Podcast Episodes: https://hotflashchroniclespodcast.podbean.com 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hot-flash-chronicles/id1802239722 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5f8iMNCItgjL79nC1jXA5w 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HotflashChronicles 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotFlashChronicles 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotflashchroniclespodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotflashchronicles 🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hotflashchronicles

💬 If you had an AI clone, what task would you hand off immediately and what would you never let it touch. Be honest. We want to know.

In this raw and honest conversation, Angie and Shelly dive into the topic of divorce—the stigma, the shame, and the reality of moving forward when a relationship ends. Between them, they’ve walked through six divorces and came out the other side stronger, wiser, and with zero shame. This isn’t a “how-to” guide, it’s a real talk about why relationships end, what healing looks like, and how to let go of judgment—both from yourself and from others.

💔 The Stigma of Divorce – Why people react the way they do when they hear the number, and how that’s changed over the years

🧠 Shame, Therapy, and Growth – How therapy helped reframe divorce from failure to evolution

👩‍👧 Women and Options – Why “staying married forever” in the past often meant women had no choice but to stay

🌱 Lessons from Each Marriage – What we learned from young, impulsive decisions, fixer-upper partners, and growing apart

❤️ The Right Partner Feels Different – Why finding someone who celebrates your “too muchness” is the real game changer

🪞 Self-Reflection Matters – How taking time alone helped us break toxic patterns and recognize our worth

🚫 No More Shame – Why divorce is not a failure—it’s simply the closing of a chapter that no longer served you

📢 Follow & Support the Podcast 🎧 Podcast Episodes: https://hotflashchroniclespodcast.podbean.com 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hot-flash-chronicles/id1802239722 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5f8iMNCItgjL79nC1jXA5w 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HotflashChronicles 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotFlashChronicles 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotflashchroniclespodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotflashchronicles 🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hotflashchronicles

💬 Divorce is hard. It can be heartbreaking, complicated, freeing, or all three at once. But it is not a failure. Have you been through it? Are you going through it? Share your story with us—we promise, no judgment here.

In this episode, Angie and Shelly get cozy at home after their Napa travels and dig into the feel-good things that help them (and maybe you) cope with stress, anxiety, burnout, and just… being a human in 2025. It starts with food (of course), but quickly expands into comfort rituals, pet snuggles, and the power of knowing your sensory language.

🍲 Comfort Food Deep Dive – From casseroles, mashed potatoes, and mom’s potato salad to hot coffee spiced like a hug and sandwiches that slap

🍪 Cookie Therapy is Real – Shoutout to Sweet Tease Bakery for saving lives with strawberry cookies the size of your face

🐶 Petting the Stress Away – How Bunny and Ahsoka know when we need them, and why pet snuggles are emotional CPR

🧠 Dopamine, ADHD, and Food Cravings – The real reason you want mac and cheese when life gets overwhelming

🎨 Diamond Painting & Lego Love – Focus-based therapy using small plastic things and sparkly art you don’t have to hang

📺 TV Is a Chill Tool – Science says your brain is more active while asleep than when watching TV. So yes, binge-watching can be a self-care tool

💤 Power Naps & Hair Brushes – From short resets to people playing with your hair, we break down weirdly effective ways to self-soothe

🎵 Distraction as Medicine – Why music helps with anxiety loops and the value of knowing your go-to calming sense (touch, taste, sound, sight, or scent)

📢 Follow & Support the Podcast 🎧 Podcast Episodes: https://hotflashchroniclespodcast.podbean.com 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hot-flash-chronicles/id1802239722 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5f8iMNCItgjL79nC1jXA5w 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HotflashChronicles 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotFlashChronicles 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotflashchroniclespodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotflashchronicles 🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hotflashchronicles

💬 What’s your go-to comfort food or self-soothing ritual? Are you a casserole queen? A diamond-painting diva? A nap ninja? Let us know—we want to hear what works for you when life starts to rumble.