Good stuff

Hi it’s Elise! I am so sorry I didn’t pay closer attention to the recent reviews because yall pointed out a really important listener experience— that the ads were cannibalizing your listening time. We have adjusted (aka shortened) the length of the host -endorsed reviews to make sure they aren’t unreasonably long so that you aren’t getting a muddled listening experience. And a reminder we also offer an ad-free tier on our Patreon if you don’t want ANY ads at all, at Patreon.com/forever35 Thank you for the honest feedback bc it allows us to adjust to the big themes that emerge! 🫶

How did this show receive feedback about the overwhelming amount of ads and then decide to introduce sponsored segments by Bausch and Lomb, in multiple episodes, each immediately followed by an ad break? In which they run an ad for Bausch and Lomb??? A shame because I like Elise a lot but I fear this show has jumped the shark.

I see that Elise posted a response back in November to people who are sharing the same sentiment that I do that the ratio of content to ads has gotten out of whack. The last mini-episode had 22 minutes of ads and 11:05 minutes of content. This is way out of balance and seems like they are moving to a model that is focused too exclusively on generating ad revenue. Plus, they have a Patreon! Enough. I’m unsubscribing. The content that is there isn’t the same since Kate’s departure and it’s no longer worth my time.

I am a long time listener but I find myself consistently having to turn off episodes because Doree will not stop sniffing constantly into the microphone. So even though I like y’all because I just cannot deal with sniffling when it’s time when I’m supposed to be relaxing. It triggers my misophonia too much and makes me angry. People who have this like myself truly do suffer from this and it would mean a lot if you could just make an actual effort to stop sniffing into microphone. Like turn away from it or something instead of directly sniffling into a loud microphone! Please blow your nose before you record. I’m sorry to sound so rough but it’s honestly really really frustrating. It’s just not that hard to not do it.

Long time fan and fan of the new cohost. That said, the ads - quantity and length- are way too much. Good for you for selling that many I suppose, but it’s a now chore to get to the content.

I am a huge podcast fan, my phone only has podcasts and 1gb of music, so I really rely on podcasts for entertainment. I really like the content of this podcast, but the ad section really took away from the show. I am all about having ads to make money, but the ad section made me forget what the hosts were even talking about. I kept thinking they were going back to the show, but it was another ad. Unfortunately I think it has deterred me from continuing to listen, but I hope they find a solution because I see I am not the only one that has been bothered by it.

Wow, the episode from 10/23/2024 had FIFTEEN MINUTES worth of ads. And it was a Mini-Ep! 🙄 28 minutes of actual podcast content, but 43 minutes total with ads. 🤯 I do think Elise is a huge upgrade from Kate. Earlier review: Pro-tip: You can tell how many minutes of each episode are ad content by looking at the run times both before and after you start playing an episode. For example, it will display “43 minutes” before hitting play, then jumps up to like 56 minutes after it starts playing. Please cut down on ad time by just doing a straight ad read, not adding conversational embellishment to every single ad. I get that they want to be engaging with the ads, it those who don’t want to listen aren’t going to listen to an ad just because it’s conversational. Their conversations are slow enough as it is. Please respect your listeners’ time. Also, I pay for other podcasts, but $10 a month is on the high end! 😬

I’m a long-time listener and have always enjoyed the banter and variety of guests. I miss Kate but it seems like Elise has brightened Doree’s spirits a bit. But mostly just came here to say….NINE FULL MINUTES of ads in the middle of today’s (10/23) episode?! This podcast has always had a lot of ads – and I get that they’re a necessary evil – but 15 minutes (I just counted) of a 43-minute episode is truly unbelievable.

Looking at all the other reviews who mention this, clearly the length of the ads is not just bothering me. Wake up, they are WAY too long. Understand you need to make a living somehow but it’s seriously obscene how much ad time you play. If you want to retain quality listeners, you cannot expect them to listen submissively to 15 minutes of ads for a 45 minute podcast. It’s honestly disrespectful to the listeners and the time we are deliberately spending here each week. If the episodes were well planned out and the discussions less rambling and pointless, then perhaps I wouldn’t mind so much. But the content!! What has happened?! There are so many enormous sighs and heavy pauses and long drawn out words, it’s like Doree is deliberately trying to make up for lost time by talking slowly and counting seconds in the silence. There is just no reason for that. Even Elise’s energy cannot save this pod from the Doree doldrums. The episodes wander and meander and I wonder if they even thought about what they were going to say in advance or if it’s just as poorly planned as it sounds. I wish I could find a point to the episodes: anything, that makes it worth listening to. The most interesting content I’ve heard so far is the write-ins from other listeners, which is relied upon HEAVILY to make up for the other lack of content in the episodes. And Doree, please for the love of God find something that makes you happy because clearly, this is not it. You are such a bummer.