It's the Season One Finale of The Normal Mess, and Ashley and Cayce saved the best for last. And by that we mean: we talked to an actual, human, real-life neuroscientist (instead of Google!) about all our messiest questions from the past nine episodes!

That's right: joining the pod for our first interview and the final episode of the season is... DR. EMILY CROSS! Cognitive neuroscientist, mom of two, all-around brilliant human, and self-proclaimed MESSY BESTIE (oh, did we not mention we finally have a name for you beautiful listeners?!), Dr. Cross is here to dole out neuroscience wisdom, a series of much-needed permission slips, and a swear word or two (we knew we loved her).

We talk busy traps, FOPO, full chalance, and more, and we confirm our suspicions that moms do, in fact, have an evolutionary edge. (We're basically the equivalent of the first human to walk on two feet. You heard it here first.)

Then, Ashley and Cayce reflect on the experience of bringing The Normal Mess to life, and we talk about what comes next. Hint: Netflix renewed us for a Season Two. JK. Netflix doesn't know we exist. But we are coming back! Follow our socials to keep up with us on our short break, and stay tuned for our Season Two Premiere!

And in the mean time, go hug your girlfriends. And consider yourselves hugged by us. We appreciate and love you, Messy Besties! See you soon!

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

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Cayce has a groundbreaking, life-changing announcement, and she agonized over it for a YEAR. As the resident Leslie Knope on our show, that makes Ashley's brain fall out. Are you an agonizer or a gut-decider?! Ashley and Cayce love each other deeply, but we could not relate LESS to each other when it comes to decision-making. Speaking of which, can you please help us decide what TNM listeners are called?! No matter what we are, we're messy, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

...but, would other people?! We are dissecting our experience with OPOs: other people's opinions. Do you have FOPO, and are women more likely to consider other people's opinions than men? And, why do we give fewer Fs as we age?! We have a message for our inner voices, and for yours.

If you've ever felt judged, this one's for you! We laugh a lot, cry a little, and then we debate who would survive a Zombie apocalypse. Spoiler alert: Cayce thinks Ashley has hollow bones.

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes, it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess

thenormalmess@gmail.com

Settle in, you poetic and noble land mermaids, it’s Galentine’s Day! Ashley and Cayce toast to the magic of gal pals, and you are cordially invited to join us for a day of ladies celebrating ladies, plus breakfast foods. Who’s the Ann and who’s the Leslie, and will we ever stop talking about Amy Poehler?!

Then, come with us on a brilliant and hilarious journey wherein we imagine what the world would look like if “power moves” were not so… gross. Ashley found an article that truly sucks, and we have a laundry list of new power moves we’re busting out. Forget the nunchucks and swole muscles, Cayce’s going to pull a real power move in her next high-stakes meeting: she’s going to cry.

Finally, Ashley’s daughter provides our final segment: Zero Friends. Why do people insist on taking their phone calls in public restrooms, and if anyone knows Cayce’s Amazon delivery driver, can you tell them to please stop chucking her packages on the grass and leaving them there to get rained on?! We laugh so hard we cry in this one, and that honestly might be the power move we needed all along.

It’s real and it’s funny, and sometimes, it’s real funny. But also, it’s no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We’d love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess
thenormalmess@gmail.com

Ashley and Cayce are Poehleroids, and we send our congrats to our BFF-who-doesn't-know-she's-our-BFF, Amy, on her Golden Globe win. Speaking of which, what's our official listener nickname? Someone please tell us: if we were getting married, what's our hashtag? Next, we're really on TikTok, guys. We consulted some youths, but we still have some questions. Is it a reel? Are there DMs? Unclear. But we are doing a TikTok Challenge for February, and you are cordially invited to do it, too. It does not involve ice, water, or anything dangerous, and it WILL result in us immediately liking and resharing your post.

Cayce is well-hydrated, we love to laugh, and what does Instagram have to do with penguins?! As we dissect the power of laughter, we self-analyze our senses of humor, we talk bumper stickers, and Ashley urges everyone to turnip the beet.

We close it out with a rapid-fire round of "Unfortunately I Do Love." Spoiler alert: none of these things are unfortunate. So, tell us: are we Full Chalancers? Are we Normal Messians? Are we Mess Makers?! Oh, and if you have any knock-knock jokes to add to a 4-year-old's repertoire, please tell us. We can't handle any more "bananas."

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Rate, review, comment, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok:

@thenormalmess

thenormalmess@gmail.com

Ashley and Cayce are mind mouthing. Mind melding? Whatever, our brains are talking to each other. And they're trash talking opponents on game night. Speaking of games, Ashley loves them, Hasbro might want to sponsor us after this, and we have a new rallying cry for Normal Messians (Full Chalancers? Messers? TBD.) everywhere: IT'S SALAD TIME.

Then, we talk about balls. The glass and rubber kind, what were you thinking?! We need not carry it all, and we were never meant to. What's rubber, what's glass, and is it cement or CEment? We're taking inventory and dropping balls every which way. And honestly? No regrets. Finally, we wrap with a round of Flamingo Cards, and it's pretty clear who should never go on Survivor.

Oh, and we forgot to mention that we consulted some youths and decided to join the Tok after all. Please tell us if we're too old to be doing this, and add us (is that what one does on TikTok?): @thenormalmess

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Like, rate, review, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

Instagram & TikTok: @thenormalmess

thenormalmess@gmail.com

It's the first day of 2026, and it's our VERY FIRST VIDEO EPISODE! Will our faces help or hurt our subscriber count? Only time (and your ability to follow Ashley's fiery instructions) will tell!

It's 2026, and we are coming in HOT. The reason for the explicit rating becomes abundantly clear right off the bat, and Cayce has a follow-up question for Ashley. How do you say "thank you" to a toddler who is screaming about red cups? Hint: we don't just embrace the full chalance. We embrace the full a**holery. Then, we are fully in the "dislike" camp when it comes to New Year's Resolutions, until a certain Pentagon-advising, TIME-magazine-writing neuroscientist converts us. Do you have a Word of the Year? And, perhaps more importantly, do you have tips to help us keep our resolution (ugh) to be healthy in 2026? Do we just need to bathe in hand sanitizer?!

Finally, Ashley's cooking and Cayce's anticipating miracles. 2026, we're here for you! Now, go share this episode with your 1,000 friends and amplify the sh*t out of us! Thanks, love you, bye!

Ashley and Cayce are feeling festive! We talk holiday traditions, and we are weirdly in synch when it comes to... tree skirts?! Then, we dive into one of Ashley's favorite rabbit holes: OPTIMISM. Where does it come from? Is it a tree? How do you cultivate it? And, what does it possibly have to do with the California Bar Exam?! We were optimistic to think we'd get through all our big feelings on this topic in a single episode. Stay tuned for part 2! In the meantime, we have our top seven (or eight, because Cayce is not a rule follower when it comes to favorites) holiday movies. The Normal Mess is not affiliated with Nicholas Cage or Sandra Bullock, but you wouldn't know it from this episode. It's... episode four of The Normal Mess! Come for the optimism, stay for the movie recs. Oh, and see you next year!

Rabbit Hole Research brought to you by:

Professor Michael Milona, Philosophy, Ryerson University

Applied Positive Psychology, "Exploring the Different Types of Optimism," available at Psychology.Town

It's real and it's funny, and sometimes it's real funny. But also, it's no joke! Subscribe, rate, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We'd love to hear from you:

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thenormalmess@gmail.com

Grab your sauv blanc and settle in: we are back with more of The Normal Mess! Ashley and Cayce are watching good shows, and for once, Ashley’s is still on the air! Brenè Brown is a genius and Amy Poehler is a goddess. Cayce knows a thing or two about green grass, and adult friendships can be HARD. Are you a big circle person or a deep circle person? Cayce can’t do bluegrass music, Ashley wishes she liked olives, and (unsurprisingly), we discuss cheese.

It’s real and it’s funny, and sometimes it’s real funny. But also, it’s no joke! Subscribe, rate, and follow us as we bring The Normal Mess to the masses! We’d love to hear from you:

Instagram: @thenormalmess

thenormalmess@gmail.com