Two Peas on a Pod

What if the most underrated career move you could make was... making a friend?  In this Office Ours episode, Dr. Miriam sits down with Fahd Alhattab, startup workplace expert, leadership strategist, and founder of Unicorn Labs, for a conversation about why connection at work isn't a distraction from the job. It is the job. From Halloween culture shock on his first night in Canada to nearly getting impeached as student president, Fahd brings the stories, the science-adjacent takes, and a genuinely infectious enthusiasm for what great team culture can look like. Together, he and Dr. Miriam unpack workplace friendship boundaries, the myth that closeness undermines accountability, and why "hidden toxicity is just artificial harmony." Plus, the rapid-fire questioning trick that might change how you start every Monday morning. So, pull up a chair. Turns out, friendship is the job. -- Follow your new friend:@fahdalhattab Your friendship questions deserve answers. Reach out at [email protected], on social media or, pick up the phone and call or text with your friendship story or questions at 615-PODLINE (That's 615-763-5463). Stay in touch with us:@[email protected] -- Two Peas on a Pod is hosted by Dr. Miriam Kirmayer. Executive produced by Zoe Travis, Matthew Hoffman, Katya Kaminsky, and Dr. Miriam Kirmayer. Produced and edited by Podcast Nation (Producers: Madison Brit and Alesha Pannier, Audio Engineer: Miles Carter). Original music by Sarah Walk. Created by Zoe Travis and Matthew Hoffman. Two Peas on a Pod is recorded in Montreal and Los Angeles. Cover photo by Katya Kaminsky  Today's show contains information that is for educational and entertainment purposes only. This program is not a substitute for psychological or medical advice. Please seek out your own support and research as needed. Take care, friends. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The real love story from Bachelor in Paradise? Ashley I and Naz.   This week on Two Peas on a Pod, Dr. Miriam sits down with longtime best friends Ashley Iaconetti and Naz Perez to unpack the friendship that began behind the scenes of Bachelor in Paradise and lasted long after the cameras stopped rolling.  From bonding over MAC’s Ruby Woo lipstick and navigating heartbreak together, to surviving career pivots, long distance, marriage, motherhood, and life in completely different seasons, Ashley and Naz reflect on the moments that turned a producer/cast relationship into something that feels more like family. They also get into Ashley’s newest chapter joining the cast of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, what it’s been like stepping into a whole new reality TV world, and why Naz might be the perfect Housewives producer. The conversation dives into manifestation, emotional safety, radical acceptance, and the kind of friendship that roots for you without jealousy, competition, or keeping score. Naz opens up about the hardest year of her life, Ashley explains why tough love has never worked for her, and together they unpack why the best friendships are the ones where you can fully be yourself. Plus, they expose the one thing that could maybe test their friendship: Joe Jonas. Pull up a chair and grab your popcorn, this one is entertaining!  -- Follow your new friends:@ashley_iaconetti@nazperez Your friendship questions deserve answers. Reach out at [email protected], on social media or, pick up the phone and call or text with your friendship story or questions at 615-PODLINE (That's 615-763-5463). Stay in touch with us:@[email protected] -- Two Peas on a Pod is hosted by Dr. Miriam Kirmayer. Executive produced by Zoe Travis, Matthew Hoffman, Katya Kaminsky, and Dr. Miriam Kirmayer. Produced and edited by Podcast Nation (Producers: Madison Brit and Alesha Pannier, Audio Engineer: Miles Carter). Original music by Sarah Walk. Created by Zoe Travis and Matthew Hoffman. Two Peas on a Pod is recorded in Montreal and Los Angeles. Cover photo by Katya Kaminsky  Today's show contains information that is for educational and entertainment purposes only. This program is not a substitute for psychological or medical advice. Please seek out your own support and research as needed. Take care, friends. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if stepping back was actually your next big step forward? Neha Ruch is an author, researcher, and the founder of The Power Pause, a movement that is quietly dismantling one of the most outdated stories we tell about ambition: that if you slow down, you're falling behind.  On this episode of Office Ours, Dr. Miriam sits down with Neha to unpack what it really means to take a pause and to discuss why one in three women feel forced into one, why our networks don't have to dry up when we do, and what our friendships have to do with all of it. They get into the myths we've inherited about worth and work, the complicated identity shifts that can come with motherhood, the judgment that shows up (even from the people who love us most), and the quiet power of asking "what are you up to today?" instead of "what do you do?" Neha shares what it took to separate her self-belief from everyone else's opinions, why the friendships that survive a power pause are built on one thing above all else, and her honest take on the messy, beautiful friendships she's lost and repaired along the way. This one is for anyone who's ever felt like rest was something to apologize for. Pull up a chair. Office hours are in session.  -- Follow your new friend:@neha_ruch Your friendship questions deserve answers.  Reach out at [email protected], on social media or, pick up the phone and call or text with your friendship story or questions at 615-PODLINE (That's 615-763-5463). Stay in touch with us:@[email protected] -- Two Peas on a Pod is hosted by Dr. Miriam Kirmayer. Executive produced by Zoe Travis, Matthew Hoffman, Katya Kaminsky, and Dr. Miriam Kirmayer. Produced and edited by Podcast Nation (Producers: Madison Brit and Alesha Pannier, Audio Engineer: Miles Carter). Original music by Sarah Walk. Created by Zoe Travis and Matthew Hoffman. Two Peas on a Pod is recorded in Montreal and Los Angeles. Cover photo by Katya Kaminsky  Today's show contains information that is for educational and entertainment purposes only. This program is not a substitute for psychological or medical advice. Please seek out your own support and research as needed. Take care, friends. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Miriam sits down with two people who have built something rare: a chosen family. Tabitha and Nic talk about the micro-rituals that hold them together, why laughter isn't just their glue, it's genuinely healing, and how a "yes and" relationship makes room for hard conversations without letting things fester.

Dr. Miriam Kirmayer is a clinical psychologist and one of the world's leading experts on adult friendship. She's spent two decades trying to understand why friendship is our most valuable and most overlooked relationship. In this very first episode, she's making her opening argument.