Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard - Introducing... We Are Supported By

Episode Date: June 22, 2021

The producers of Armchair Expert present a new 10 episode podcast, We Are Supported By... with hosts Kristen Bell and Monica Padman. In this podcast, Kristen and Monica will talk to a woman each episode who has made a significant crack in the ceiling. They will talk to women in many fields - entrepreneurship, entertainment, sports, politics and activism - and during these conversations, they will talk through their guests' accomplishments, struggles, points of resilience, inspiration and fears. Through these stories, we learn about lifting one another up, how to continue to break the glass, and the importance of keeping the door open for generations to follow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you at all worried that people won't be able to tell who's talking because we sound so similar? Well, Monica, I think you might be right. No, no. See, you can't play a trick on people when they can't see our faces. But, like, you know, I'm asking sincerely because this is my first foray into a podcast. So you are an experienced queen. Expert? Expert?

You're a borderline expert. So should I say, and this is Kristen, and then say my lines, my thoughts? Okay, well, we have a long way to go. Because first of all, there are no lines in a podcast. Right. Does it feel like someone is talking to themselves? That's what I'm worried about. I'm worried.

I'm worried. Well, maybe you don't use your super skill of imitation during this podcast. Okay. Yes, we have been told many times that our voices sound exactly alike. But here's where I will bump up against that. You get paid, shall we say, zillions of dollars to implement your voice skills. So far, I have not been paid zillions of dollars. So I have like the mall version of your voice.

So hopefully people can tell the difference between a lackluster version and a silky, beautiful Kristen Bell version. Well, all I know is it's going to be a great show. We're doing a show together. Finally. Called We Are Supported By. Fun name. It is a nice name. Because we're best friends and we love each other.

And we often talk about the cracks in the ceiling and how we can make more accomplishments and opportunities available, not just to ourselves, but to other women. We often talk about how we're representing ourselves as business women. And then Monica had this ingenious idea. She was like, wait, we have microphones and recording equipment. And access to people. Yeah. Why don't we talk to some women and not just see how they did it, but hear what they think about life and themselves and other women and relationships and mistakes. So me and you just did this little interview recently and somebody emailed me and said, hey, I really love that because it wasn't just like,

rah, rah, go girl. It was a very real conversation. And that's what we are bringing to the table here. We think, we hope. I think we will. I mean, don't get me wrong. There's a lot of go girl, do it queen underneath all of it. But whereas that could lean into no nuance, toxic positivity, we're going to be real about it. You know, just to give a tiny bit of backstory, during the election when Kamala was, what's it called? Up for it. Indicted. Not indicted. Oh, no, no, no.

Inaugurated. Inaugurated. Uh-oh, this podcast is going south quick we don't have any words when she was inaugurated i felt like there was this very special energy in the world on the internet like i mean of course there was a lot of reasons for that but even women who were on the opposite side of the political spectrum, they were like, yeah, this is a good day. This is a good day for us. Yeah, we'd been polarized for so long,

and there was something very uniting about it with the female energy. Her coronation was extra special because no matter what you believed in, you were seeing something new, something different. You were seeing yourself represented there. And I remember crying on the day that happened. And my girl said, I thought you were happy. And I said, I am.

I'm overwhelmed because when I was in school, there were all pictures of old white men on the walls. That will not happen to you. You will see a woman, a woman of color. You will see another human being represented. And you can't undercut what that means to everyone. So we decided to make that a regular thing and try to bring a lot of the people who've put all those little cracks up there to your ears. Bringing them hot and fast. Uh-oh, the man just entered the room here

we go um we're recording do you want to say hi i would love to say hi and i also want to express my deep excitement for this show and for you two two alpha beasts in miniature little bodies running the town running everyone's business. Mainly yours. Keeping everyone in line. No, I'm really thrilled you guys are doing this. Thank you. Me too. Me too.

Full disclosure, we've done a few and it's been a joy. It has really been special. I obviously was a ball of nerves in the beginning and Monica was like, calm down, you're going to be fine. And I'm sure we edited out some of the stupid stuff. No, I left it all in. I'm here to take you down. That's what women do to each other. That's the focus of the podcast. No, I felt very protected by you and very helped and encouraged. And that's actually another example of shattering the glass because I have all these businesses where I'm on camera, where I feel really comfortable. And this was one that I was new to and you

shepherded me and guided me in here. And I'm grateful to you. I tax shepherded you. You did. Well, I was just going to say, Monica, isn't it a joy to be better at Kristen than something? Oh, no, I wasn't. When she said she was nervous and I was like, hon, you can do this in your sleep, it occurred to me, oh gosh, she wants our advice. We're always going to her for like acting advice, voiceover advice, life advice.

Well, we started this by saying, I have the mall version of her voice. No, you don't. Yes, I do. No, you don't. Yes, I sure do. The mall version. I can own it.

Is it too late to augment someone's voice in post it's not too late we'll see can i ask you guys a couple questions why not i have seen you two over the last five years share some moments that i know i can't really participate in. You know, when RBG died, you guys were, you know, heartbroken in a way that was really sweet and powerful and allowed me to recognize like, oh yeah, I can't relate to the journey. And through y'all's eyes, I've been able to see like these really momentous events and how powerful they are for you guys. really momentous events and how powerful they are for you guys. And I'm happy for you guys that so many of these things have happened in the last few years. Watching you, Monica, get to talk to Hillary Clinton and Amy Poehler, I see the power of it.

I see the sincerity of it. I see how much it affects both of your hearts. So it doesn't shock me. You made her cry. Well, that's the goal. First of all, because he's talking about our relationship, which is really't shock me. You made her cry? Well, that's the goal. First of all, because he's talking about our relationship, which is really special to me. And second of all, because I forgot that RBG died and that you mentioned it again.

Sorry, spoiler alert. She still passed. Oh, this is great. This is going to shit so fast. A man walks in and a girl starts crying. Yeah, it is powerful. It is. And so I've just, I think in the last five years,

I've really had a front row seat to how passionate you guys are about it. My curiosity, so I know why you guys did it. It's very obvious and I'm very happy for you both for doing it. What pressure do you feel, either of you, to have some kind of unified female perspective or mission statement or a collective consciousness? Like, knowing that it's a mission-driven kind of exploration, do you feel the weight of that? I would like to say that a lot of the language is what I would like to change. I don't think there needs to be anything unified about a

female perspective. The female perspective simply needs to be represented and on the map and in the conversation, not as a whisper. So like, I'm surely going to disagree with plenty of women out there, but I want to hear from them. I want to make sure they feel like they are heard. I mean, it's a little bit like, you know, Voltaire's saying of, I may not agree with what you say, but I'll fight to the death for your right to say it. I just want to set the scene for women talking and seeing each other, seeing people who have accomplished really great things. But I certainly don't feel pressure.

I just want this on the airwaves. Well, Monica, I completely agree. Oh, no. No, no. Monica's talking. She just did a double trick. I mean, yeah. This is not a mission-driven podcast. It's just a representative podcast. It's bringing all these stories that you don't really get to hear, shining a light on all these people who've done a lot for women. Yeah. It's a little bit like I work with the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund,

and women make up 50% of the people on the globe, and less than 1% of global money goes to women's organizations. But they only make up half the population. Exactly. That's my point. So why would they get more than 1%? More than 1%. So there's just some math problems here.

Well, I guess maybe what I was hinting at is, to me, from the outside, it always looks a little precarious because there are people with definitions of what feminism looks like, and they seem to be quick to call out others who aren't fulfilling their definition of it. I'll see Chelsea Handler. who aren't fulfilling their definition of it. I'll see Chelsea Handler. I can't imagine someone that's more of a pillar in the feminist movement getting shamed for showing her boobs as if she's falling into some masculine desire. And I guess that's what I meant.

We're not thinking that hard. You're not. No, we're not trying to make people believe one thing or not believe one thing. We're just having interesting conversations with even more interesting people. I don't ever like to make it grandiose, but every one of these people that we talk to really has changed the trajectory of professions, of the way we think as a society. And it's so powerful to get to pick those people's brains. And sharing stories is incredibly powerful. It creates some of the best movement in cultures

or societies. And, you know, we all know Kamala's story. There is a woman in the White House now. We know that story. We've been affected by it. We've been inspired by it. We're giving you 10 other women whose stories you will now know. Yeah. You look skeptical. Yeah, what's your point? You want us to talk more about boobs or something? What's the problem?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, I'm curious because I personally never am worried that I'm speaking for a group. I'm not. I'm not either. That's great. So you never like find yourself saying something and thinking like, is that not feminist? You know, like let's say you want something frivolous or you want to look sexy and get attention or you want like.

We talk about this in the show. It comes up a fair amount with people, but like mainly like, yeah. Do you feel like you have to get in line? But we don't feel like that. And I guess the hope is that you can have your own personality and your own thoughts and ideas. And still be this group. Look, there are some people who identify as feminists

who hate makeup and deodorant and great. And then there are other feminists who love high heels and makeup. Great. But they can all be on the same team. Yeah, that's good. I will also say I don't know that it's because we've been doing this podcast or talking so much about this. But, you know, I've been pointing out some differences in your personality over the last six weeks that have 100% been positive. And over the last three weeks, I've really noticed a lot of patriarchal questions coming up in your brain and that you've been talking to me about. Like, you know, I wonder if I thought that just because that's the way society raised me, or if I really think that, or like when we're watching TV, you'll ask a question about a character. And a lot of them, Daxi, have been related to your status as a white male or the

patriarchy versus, you know, women throughout history. And I've been very impressed. And I'm not, I don't want Monica and I to take credit for it. I do. Because obviously you've been doing the work. But it is having an influence in this household. I love that. Well, I'm afraid of both of you.

So, you know, I think that helps. Well, I think specifically it was yesterday we were driving somewhere. And I was thinking, can I ask you, how would you, when you talk about the married couples in our pod, how do you say their names? Like, will you go through them? Oh, this is a great question. Okay, I say Kristen and Dax. Okay.

I say Molly and Eric. I say Ryan and Amy. Me too. Oof. And I say Eric and Charlie. Yeah. Oh, that's the one place we differ. I say Charlie and Amy. Me too. Oof. And I say Eric and Charlie. Yeah. Oh, that's the one place we differ. I say Charlie and Erica.

But I thought about it because I do say Molly and Eric. Laura and Matt. Laura and Matt, Charlie and Erica. But I was thinking syllabically, I say the easiest syllable first. Like Eric is a little bit harder for your tongue. So I say Charlie and Erica or Molly and Eric. So the Eric is at the end, but I do say Ryan and Amy. Yeah. Well, we were driving yesterday and I was going through in my head what I call them. And I say Ryan and Amy, Charlie and Erica, Eric and Molly. And then I was like, am I? I would have assumed I was doing something phonetic.

Like, oh, I must like the sound of it. And then I'm like, well, no, maybe because it's my primary connection to those groups is the guys. Like, that's who I'm first thinking. I'm reaching out to them way more than the women. And then I was like, or is it just like patriarchy? Like Mr. and Mrs. Mike Smith, like on an invite, you know? That's interesting.

Yeah. And it's hard to know. Well, we never even discussed this on the podcast, but this is something that bugs me is that we still have, when you check a box, whether you're ordering something online or on a survey, there's one box for a Mr. And now thankfully there's like, I prefer not to say my gender or I'm non-binary, which is great for anyone who feels that way. But for people who identify as women or cis women, there's miss and misses. And I think there's one more. Sometimes there's M-I-S-S, M-S, M-R-S.

And it's like, you know, in France, they canceled the word mademoiselle. They canceled it because, I don't know what the male counterpart is in France. Monsoeur. Monsoeur. And then they would say madame or mademoiselle to delineate between who was married and who was available. And that's baloney.

You don't need to know who's available. If you want to know if they're available, you can look at their finger or you can ask them. Or you can ask them. Yeah, but the introduction doesn't tell you who's on the plate that you can feast on that night. So that was a way for men to categorize who was available, and they canceled the word mademoiselle. That's cool.

And less and less people are wearing wedding rings. How are the weeklies of the world to know what the reception is? Communication is so hard and scary. I obviously, as a single person, get a tiny bit triggered every time I have to mark MS versus MRS. Just like reminding us that there are two types of women, married women and single women.

It's like, no. Yeah. I mean, also at this point, there's just so many variations. And we're moving into a different era where you can't really ask those types of questions anymore. No, and it's none of your business. Yeah, none-ya. It's a really fun show.

We're so excited. And also, yet again, the theme song. I mean, this is a new level. Fucking Bob. Bob and Sarah Bareilles. And the Detroit Children's Choir. It's something. I don't know how we're

not going to play the entirety because there's a four minute full song. I don't know how we're not going to play the full four minutes of the song each time we're going to want to rock out. Should we play it during the trailer? The actual full length? Oh, of course. This should end on that. So get out of your seats. If you're in your car, pull over.

Take your seatbelt off. Take your bra off. Take your bra off. Put your dancing shoes on, whether they're heeled or flat, whatever you prefer. And listen to this jam and please enjoy We Are Supported By. This will air starting Wednesday, June 23rd. It will air every week, 10 episodes for now. And it'll be under the Armchair Umbrella feed.

So that's where you can find it. You can find it anywhere, anywhere you listen to podcasts. And Rob and I will also do a more condensed mansplaining version of what the show is. If you guys want to listen to it. Where you sum up what we've talked about. Yeah. Well, no, more accurately point out the errors you made. Oh, that's fabulous.

You know what? That's on brand. Yeah. I love you. I love you. And here comes our theme song. We're going to get inside. Going to turn it up.

Going to break it. We're going to feel it all. Ain't going to let you fall gonna make it we're gonna raise our hands gonna raise our voice gonna break it we're gonna lift us up gonna sing out loud gonna stand up tall hop on in we're gonna get you where you're going to and it might look different than you used to you've been hearing it all for such a long time

but i'm gonna make you feel like it's the first time We're gonna get inside Gonna turn it up Gonna break it We're gonna feel it all And gonna let you fall Gonna make it We're gonna raise our hands

Gonna raise our hands Gonna raise our voice Gonna break it We're gonna lift us up Gonna sing out loud Gonna stand up tall Don't play it safe Come on, I need the good stuff I've been watching you

You've got more than enough Hey, hey We ain't gonna push, we ain't gonna shove Just gonna remind you it's you with whom you're in love We're gonna get inside, turn it up Gonna break it We're gonna feel it all Ain't gonna let you fall Ain't gonna make it

We're gonna raise our hands Gonna raise our voice Gonna break it We're gonna lift us up Gonna sing our heart Gonna stand up tall Check it out, we might work from home Or maybe grab a microphone

Might travel to Lansanone Find my throne, never be afraid to choose to be alone Look around, gotta find your zone Fill it in your robber's zone No apology if mine's just blown to throne But I'll never be defined by a cloner's own Malala, Simone, bell hooks, Emma Watson Obama and Oprah, Mary Wollstone Bye. We're going to get inside, going to turn it up, going to break it.

We're gonna get inside, gonna turn it up, gonna break it. We're gonna feel it all, ain't gonna let you fall, gonna make it. We're gonna raise our hand, gonna raise our voice, gonna break it. We're gonna lift us up, gonna sing out loud, gonna stand up, stand up, stand up, stand up. All the world will be shattered, shattered. The rest will be shattered. Stand up, stand up, stand up. All the world will be shattered glass All that left will be shattered Shatter

Gonna lift us up, lift us up, lift us up All that left will be shattered glass Shatter The rest will be shattered glass And break the glass