Oceanside couple finds the fun in marriage, pop culture and podcasting | Herald Community Newspapers | www.liherald.com
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Digital Editions
Oceanside couple finds the fun in marriage, pop culture and podcasting
Posted
Friday,August 14, 202611:02 am
Oceanside residents Lisa and Jim Dolan record their weekly podcast, “Life According to Lisa (and Jim too!),” at the Oceanside Library, sparking conversations about books, storytelling, creativity, cooking, spirituality and everything in between.
Courtesy Lisa Dolan
For Lisa and Jim Dolan, some of their best conversations begin over a morning cup of coffee.
Now, those everyday discussions have become the foundation of “Life According to Lisa (and Jim too!),” a weekly podcast recorded at the Oceanside Library’s podcast studio that blends storytelling, books, television, pop culture and slices of everyday life into lively conversations that feel more like catching up with old friends than listening to a traditional show.
The Oceanside couple launched the podcast as a way to share the conversations they have naturally had throughout their 24 years of marriage. While the show’s earliest episodes focused primarily on Lisa Dolan’s novel, The Brooklyn Witch, the pair quickly realized they wanted to broaden the discussion.
“We have great conversations,” Lisa said. “We just talk about everything. When it came to the podcast, we wanted to bring that into the podcast.”
Today, each episode explores a different topic, from iconic television characters and memorable series finales to pizza, friendships, restaurants, spirituality and reality television. Many conversations begin unexpectedly.
“We’ll be having coffee, and I’ll say, ‘Stop talking about this — this is a great podcast,'” Lisa said. “We’ll take notes and build an episode around it.”
The chemistry between the co-hosts comes naturally, they said. Before launching the podcast, they worked side by side operating a business and also hosted a television program together.
“We balance each other out,” Lisa said. “The chemistry people hear is our real-life relationship.”
The podcast is now in its second season and has released new episodes every week since April. The couple records one episode ahead to maintain a consistent schedule while Jim handles much of the editing, audio production and uploading process.
Their current setup is a far cry from the show’s beginnings. Early episodes were recorded with simple phone microphones in cars or at home, where background noise often competed with the conversation. Moving into the Oceanside Library’s professionally equipped podcast studio dramatically improved the audio quality, they said, and gave the show a permanent home.
While many episodes revisit classic television shows, books and cultural moments, the Dolans say the podcast is about more than simply reminiscing.
“We always try to bring a different angle,” Lisa said. “It’s not just nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. We’re fascinated by the ‘why.’ Why does a television character become iconic and another doesn’t? Why do certain stories stay with us?”
Those conversations often spark lively debates for the couple.
“It wouldn’t be fun if we agreed on everything,” he said. “The fun is hearing two people who’ve been married for years argue about whether a TV ending was brilliant or terrible.”
Above all, the Dolans hope listeners feel like they create a welcoming, relatable environment.
“We want people to feel like they just spent an hour with friends,” Lisa said. “We want them to laugh, maybe remember something they loved, or discover something new and just smile while they’re listening.”
Jim echoed that sentiment, describing the podcast as a “good hang.”
“It’s so much fun,” he said. “Hopefully, people finish an episode and say, ‘I can’t wait for the next one.’”
The podcast, “Life According to Lisa (and Jim too!),” is available on Spotify and YouTube.
