Ep. 438: Convergence & The Control Your Algorithm Challenge

Ep. 438: Convergence & The Control Your Algorithm Challenge

Author: The Onward Project October 2, 2025 Duration: 29:22
Liz and Sarah have been pingponging around on various projects for months. Now several of their projects are converging, and it’s controlled chaos! In Take A Hike, they issue the Control Your Algorithm October Challenge. Stop doomscrolling and get more good in your feed! Next, Liz and Sarah introduce their brand new segment — Disproportionate Joy. Sarah’s getting joy from Violet’s new swim meet times and Liz is giddy about certain members of her Survivor Fantasy League. This week’s Hollywood Hack will save you money AND is good for the environment: Shop your favorite brand’s secondhand section. Finally, Liz recommends Lena Dunham’s Substack newsletter, Good Thing Going.  Sign up for Liz & Sarah’s free weekly Substack newsletter at https://happierinhollywoodpod.substack.com. It will come right to your inbox! Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends! LINKS: Legend Planner: https://amzn.to/3KN9q1K   Clare V Le Resale: https://leresaleclarev.com   Patagonia Worn Wear:  https://wornwear.patagonia.com   Apiece Apart Archive: https://archive.apieceapart.com/   Lululemon: https://likenew.lululemon.com/   Eileen Fisher Renew:  https://www.eileenfisherrenew.com/   The North Face Renewed: https://www.thenorthfacerenewed.com   Levi’s Secondhand: https://www.secondhand.levi.com/   Lena Dunham’s Good Thing Going newsletter: https://goodthinggoing.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips   Photo by Lance Grandahl on Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over two decades, television writers Liz Craft and Sarah Fain have navigated the unique pressures of Hollywood as a team, and their Happier in Hollywood podcast pulls back the curtain on that journey. This isn't just industry gossip; it's a candid conversation between two friends who have built a career and a life inside a famously tough town. Each episode feels like grabbing a table at the commissary with them, where they translate their personal and professional hurdles into relatable lessons. You’ll hear how a blend of stubborn optimism and pragmatic Midwestern grit helped them thrive in a male-dominated field, offering tangible advice that goes far beyond writing a script. Their discussions tackle everything from navigating office politics and difficult conversations to the small, daily practices that maintain sanity. This Happier in Hollywood podcast, from The Onward Project, transforms specific Hollywood struggles into universal themes about resilience, partnership, and finding your footing in any high-stakes career. It’s about the unglamorous work behind the glamour-the ass-kicking, the occasional ass-kissing, and yes, even the office yoga-that actually makes a sustainable life possible. Tune in for a surprisingly grounded perspective from two veterans who have learned to carve out happiness on their own terms.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Happier in Hollywood
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 394: Authenticity & The Joy Of Mad Money [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:32
Happy Thanksgiving! Liz and Sarah reflect on the power of authenticity — and how women are often trained out of being authentic in the workplace. In Take A Hike, they discuss a recent revelation that having a bit of Mad…
Ep. 393: Plan Post-Notes Recovery Time [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:29
Liz and Sarah will soon receive notes on their latest pilot script, and they know they’ll need to plan some recovery time before they dive into the rewrite. It’s their job to take criticism, but they need time to process…
Ep. 392: Hollywood Holiday Shut Down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:47
It’s November, which means the annual Hollywood Holiday Shut Down has begun. Liz and Sarah have a pitch ready to sell, but they’ll likely wait until 2025 to take it out to networks. In Hits & Bombs, Sarah gives a Hit to…
Bonus Episode: HIH 2024 Gift Guide! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:07
In this Bonus Episode, Liz and Sarah share their 2024 Gift Guide! They recommend everything from a cute tape measure to personalized pencils to a Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit Game. Need a gift for a dog lover? Choose the…
Ep. 391: Hollywood Present & Future With Carole Kirschner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:40
Liz and Sarah sit down with friend of the pod and Entertainment Career Coach, Carole Kirschner, to discuss the state of Hollywood and what the future might hold. Carole’s advice to struggling writers? Keep working on you…
Ep. 390: Fall 2024 Burning Listener Questions: Part Two [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:08
Liz and Sarah announce their HIH Book Club selection — We Solve Murders by Richard Osman. Then they dive into more listener questions! How do Liz and Sarah maintain their close friendship? What are Sarah’s favorite skinc…
Ep. 389: Fall 2024 Burning Listener Questions: Part One [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:46
Liz and Sarah are answering all of your burning questions! What are their biggest regrets — personally and professionally? Which episode of TV they’ve written are they most proud of? How do they feel about writers using…
Ep. 388: Some Notes Never Go Away [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:38
As Liz and Sarah rewrite their latest pilot script, they’re reminded that some notes never go away. From story area to outline to script, there may be an issue that keeps bumping readers. Eventually, a solution will pres…
Ep. 387: Pilot Progress & Taking A “Sick” Day [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:07
Liz and Sarah are making progress on their pilot script — it’s gone to the producer. In this uncertain time in Hollywood, they’re making a point to celebrate all the small victories on the development path, and this is o…
Ep. 386: The Ease Of One Thing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:13
Right now Liz and Sarah are totally focused on writing their pilot script, and they’re loving that their time isn’t bifurcated or trifurcated (or even quadfurcated). In Take A Hike, Sarah shares how a recent visit from a…