Brother Sister Whatever
A comedy podcast about siblings, family chaos, emotional spirals, and oversharing gone wild.
Hosted by real-life siblings Lisa and Josh, Brother Sister Whatever is your bi-weekly dose of hilarious banter, hot takes, nostalgic throwbacks, and unfiltered real talk.
Each episode features fan-favorite segments like Weekly What If, the This or That Showdown, and our signature mix of sibling battles and brutally honest conversations.
From childhood memories and awkward adulting moments to regret confessions and love/hate debates—nothing’s off-limits here.
New episodes drop every other Thursday on Spotify and everywhere you listen to podcasts.
Real Talk. Zero Chill.
Brother Sister Whatever
No Chill #3: From Celebrity Siblings to Personal Beliefs
Ever thought about what life would be like if you swapped your sibling for a famous celebrity? That's exactly where we kick things off this week with our "Weekly What If?" segment, as Lisa opts for the charming Drew Barrymore, while Josh takes us back to the '90s with his playful choice of Vanilla Ice. Our banter unfolds into a nostalgic discussion of childhood music memories, like the days of wearing our pants backward in homage to Kris Kross. It's a delightful trip down memory lane that showcases the quirks of our sibling bond before we venture into weightier topics.
But it's not all fun and games; we shift gears to explore our upbringing in a Jehovah Witness household, sharing candid experiences that shaped our views on religion and personal autonomy. Our journey uncovers the complexities of faith and family dynamics, leading to thoughtful reflections on how early religious experiences influence our present beliefs. We also address the labyrinth of Canadian and Quebec politics, voicing frustrations with language laws and systemic issues, while stressing the importance of open dialogue and respecting individual choices. Join us as we navigate these intersections, weaving stories and insights that resonate deeply with our listeners.
Thanks for hanging out with us on Brother Sister Whatever!
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New episodes every other Thursday.
Bring your feelings. We’ll bring ours.
Hey, this is Brother, Sister. Whatever, I'm Josh.
Speaker 2:And I'm Lisa, and this is the podcast where we talk about everything From family drama to the meaning of life and everything in between. So let's start.
Speaker 1:Where are we headed on this show today?
Speaker 2:It's time for one of our favorite parts of the show, josh, the Weekly what If? Where we ask a totally random, silly, mind-boggling question and let our imaginations run wild.
Speaker 1:All right, so I got one. What if you had to trade your sibling for a famous celebrity? Who would you pick?
Speaker 2:Oh man, have I thought of this question over the years, or what? No, just kidding. Because you're a boy, does that mean I need to pick a boy to replace you, or can I just pick any famous celebrity, like, regardless of gender? Like, are we matching genders or are we just picking whatever?
Speaker 1:It's up to you. I mean, I think we could, I don't know. That's a good question. I this one's going to be very hard for me.
Speaker 2:Oh really.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:This one is super easy for me.
Speaker 1:Okay so.
Speaker 2:If I had to trade you for a famous celebrity, I would pick Drew Barrymore.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, it is absolutely hilarious that you say Drew Barrymore.
Speaker 2:Were you going to pick Drew Barrymore? Nope, oh, okay. Why is it hilarious?
Speaker 1:Because you are Drew Barrymore, so the fact that you say that is hilarious. It's the one actress that always reminded me of you.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:Yes, just her personality. So I find it very hilarious that the sibling you would pick is Drew Barrymore.
Speaker 2:Interesting? I didn't know that. Is Drew Barrymore Interesting? I didn't know that. Yeah, no, I love her. I think she's so personable. She's very touchy, feely, huggy, very like talk to me about things and I love that. Okay, so you must've come up with something already.
Speaker 1:No, oh my gosh, I really this one's tough for me. I'm just going to kind of say the first thing that popped into my mind, and I don't know why. There's no you know reason for it, but I'm just going to say the celebrity that popped into my head. Okay, what Vanilla Ice? If I could trade you, I know it would be Vanilla Ice.
Speaker 2:I know why.
Speaker 1:Why.
Speaker 2:Come on, Josh. That was like the first musician that you listened to growing up.
Speaker 1:I'd say, yeah, probably Vanilla Ice and Snow.
Speaker 2:And Snow. Yes, yeah, absolutely the two that were on repeat over and over and over again. Yeah, if I had to listen to Runway one more time Lady with the Red Dress.
Speaker 1:Do you remember Criss Cross?
Speaker 2:Yes, I used to wear my yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I used to wear my pants backwards to school, running away from the cops like that wasn't easy.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Josh.
Speaker 2:I don't know that story oh my gosh. Okay. So listen, that's the end of our weekly what if? Session. We'll have another fun question next week. Don't know what it is, but we'll see. We'll pick out of the hat. But today we're going to dive into something a little bit more heavy Faith politics, religion and family and how that all fits together. Question for you because there's an age gap in terms of timing in our life. I'm curious what you remember about growing up and religion, if you remember anything.
Speaker 1:I remember Jehovah Witnesses.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:I remember that I would always fall asleep at the, at the congregations. I remember the celebrations were limited because being a Jehovah Witness meant certain things. So I think like Christmas, like we would do like a present, but like we wouldn't label it Christmas.
Speaker 2:And we do it in November.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know birthdays. I think we're a little bit like that too. That's kind of like what I remember and what. I'm really happy that for me, my perspective I'm very happy that I went through that because I learned at a very young age that it wasn't for me. My perspective, I'm very happy that I went through that because I learned at a very young age that it wasn't for me. I really don't mean that like in a in a negative way or anything. I just mean it more like um, because I had some really good. You know, something that I actually remember vividly was having little meetings with one of the Jehovah Witness, like I don't know what they're missionaries, whatever they're called.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But I remember I would have little meetings, one-on-ones. My mom would drop me off and we would. Mom would drop me off and I would have, like, these little meetings, these little talks. You know we'd have these talks about God and this and that, you know. And for me I was always questioning. It was always like, well then, why is this happening, or why did that happen? And there was always an answer. Don't get me wrong. No matter what I came up with, there was always an answer. But I was really happy about those events that I had, you know, even though at the time I was very like, oh, I have to go do this again, you know. But now, like, I'm actually very happy I had those. Now, of course, looking back, it was definitely a highlight into whether religion was for me or not.
Speaker 2:Well, I remember my sixth birthday party was the last birthday that we celebrated for quite a few years. So I think we were an infant when mom and dad, like, started going to the kingdom hall. I would say by the time I started high school they were done with it. But I just I have a different perspective because I was a little bit older. I also didn't like it very much and it was definitely.
Speaker 2:It's funny that you bring up that that even those the, the experiences that you remember, like the memories that you have of that time, some of the, some of the things that you, you went through and experienced how it affects your. Look at religion now because I very much agree with that, based on some of the things that I've witnessed and seen and experienced in those few years, really made me kind of have a sour taste in my mouth for organized religion. I was baptized a Mormon when I was 17, 18. That lasted a couple of years and that was a different experience too. We had an aunt and an uncle that were Mormons and we used to stay with them every summer, so we would go to church with them, just by default right.
Speaker 2:Because we were there.
Speaker 1:Again. It's weird, Didn't enjoy it then.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but looking back on it, Enjoy it now.
Speaker 1:Maybe I did enjoy it, you know, I just didn't want to admit it.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of things about religion that are great and there's a lot of like, I think, the sense of community within the church, right, well, yeah, can be amazing. So I think that's a great thing about it. You know, having that like, like mindedness and the things in common that you can like relate to the people around you, that that whole sense of community. But it's like the intricacies that I don't like, the limitations that are set on you, and when you break a rule, as I do, air quotations and then the repercussions of that within that community can be very isolating.
Speaker 2:So it's funny how you can be within a community but then also feel isolated at the same time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of, a lot of. I have a very complicated relationship personally with religion. I'm not for it, I'm not against it. All I know is right now I'm not involved in anything I do like spirituality, feeling connected to something bigger than you, all of that stuff, right.
Speaker 1:I mean, okay, here's a loaded question. Then, since we're on this topic do you believe in God?
Speaker 2:honestly, I don't know okay.
Speaker 2:I feel like I should, because from such a young age I was, I was kind of taught that there's a God, a heaven, a hell.
Speaker 2:His son sacrificed his life for us to be forgiven, and but then, like, if you look at all the different religions, there's the basics, the foundations, which are pretty standard across the board, right, for the most part. Again, I'm not an expert on religions but, having dabbled in a few over my 40 plus years, fundamentals are pretty much there, but then each religion has its own micro, like little things that make it that religion, and so it's those things that I have the issue with. I don't. I also don't believe that religion has the right to tell me what to do with my body. But you know, we're delving into like a whole bunch of other things, which is probably not what we mean to be talking about. Needless to say, I have a complicated relationship with religion and I'm not practicing anything at the moment, and I'm very happy about that. I respect other people's choices. When it comes up at the dinner table, it doesn't not religion anyway.
Speaker 2:Politics is a different story and we'll touch on that in a minute but you know, if it comes up in conversation with friends, with you know extended family. I give grace to people to have their own choices and to have because I would want that for myself. But I do know that there are some people out there that are very forceful with their choices. Moving on to politics a little Politics is a big thing. At the dinner table, specifically with dad. Dad is definitely into the politics.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean when it comes to the politics in general.
Speaker 2:I will be the first to say that I don't know too too much about Canadian politics. I do know that what's going on right now isn't working for a lot of us. The in-depth look at Canadian politics not really. I'm not your gal to be talking about Quebec politics. I know a little bit more about those. It makes me angry and things that make me angry I want to know about.
Speaker 1:Do you mean like the French stuff?
Speaker 2:The language laws are ridiculous. True, the health and education systems in Quebec. We need to get going on this stuff, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, in Quebec we need to get going on this stuff, you know? Yeah, Because I always wondered, you know, like, why is Quebec the way Quebec is? Why is it okay for them to do this? Like, what I didn't know is the reason why they have the rights that they have is because in the war they didn't want to help and the English promised that if they aided, that they could keep their laws, their French, their language, their culture. They could keep everything the way it was.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And so I didn't know this. So it kind of made me say like okay, so like now it's a matter of, in the sense of the heritage, the culture. You know, if I was brought up into that culture and it was like we were promised these things, I can see, maybe, why they want to keep their, their culture intact to a degree absolutely but I think that it's a little over the top.
Speaker 1:When I have a poster, and god forbid that the English letters font size are the same size as the French ones, well, this, this is a big no-no. I'm getting a ticket.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah.
Speaker 1:So these things, I think, are a little over the top, because, especially someone like me who doesn't know a lot about the French culture, it makes me not want to know about the French culture, instead of me saying it's a beautiful language, and it's a beautiful language like I, and and it's a beautiful culture, and this, and that all I get is attacked, or at least I feel attacked, even though they probably feel attacked because my font size is this big compared to the French, and you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I think that, yeah, there's a lot to kind of unravel in that.
Speaker 2:I have to say I will admit that when politics comes up in any conversation, I get quite aggressive, but aggressive in the in terms of shutting it down mm-hmm like. I just don't even want to hear about it. It gets me upset like in what regard?
Speaker 2:Just I think that when I speak to somebody and their view and I know that the point of view that I have is not shared with that person in regards to politics, that I will it's like I don't, I don't want to hear it. Why go there and get annoyed when you could just not talk about it? I'm all about avoidance. I don't know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I've never been that person either. To be to be really like, I don't even get into the conversations about politics.
Speaker 2:Right, but why?
Speaker 1:I don't know, maybe it's a childhood thing.
Speaker 2:What do you mean? It's a childhood thing.
Speaker 1:Maybe because we never talked about it, Maybe because you know, it was never really.
Speaker 2:But we never really Okay. But, josh, we never really talked about anything really. It was not like we had discussions at the table.
Speaker 1:No, I guess not About anything really Right.
Speaker 2:It was like the normal how's's your day, that kind of thing like we were never. It was never like sharing opinions. We didn't grow up in that kind of an environment. So maybe that's why we're both kind of like a step away from that kind of thing, because just to avoid yeah, maybe having conflict maybe I don't think there's any way to avoid it other than shutting it down when it comes up.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that maybe we also have learned that, no matter who is in charge, you know, it's never good, in many ways, you know. I have to say, though, as an adult, probably been never worse than it is lately with Trudeau. Yeah, he's done some great things. The opposition was prime minister didn't even touch it, and vice versa. So there is some positives there. But I think just myself as an entrepreneur and I'd say that I definitely felt the difference, being in business for 20 years and having him come in, you know, for almost a decade there's definitely been a big change.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's where. That's pretty much all I can really say about it.
Speaker 2:Let's go back for a second Growing up.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And not being able to celebrate holidays for that chunk of change. What holiday did you miss the most?
Speaker 1:You know, I don't know what necessarily is wrong with my brain, but I can't remember certain things.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So I have a very I don't know. You know, I've noticed this that there's a lot of blanks. Maybe I need like hypnotism therapy or something to remember stuff. So, like that question, I draw a complete blank. You know, I mean you were six years into your life when those rules changed For me. I was born into it, so for me it was normal. So I don't as of right this second, I can't tell you that I missed anything. This is probably why I don't remember birthdays. This is probably why I don't even remember holidays. That's just me.
Speaker 2:That is so funny Mom has said that actually that she doesn't really put much stock into actual holidays, you know, like her birthday and Christmases and stuff like that. I am the exact opposite. I like every. Like I mean every single holiday, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I clearly feel like I missed out on something and I'm trying to turn back time or like catch up with all of these things, but I mean, if you want to talk about a holiday that I celebrate the most, it's completely random. It's a big day for a lot of people, but it's Thanksgiving, you know, and it was kind of one of those things where I didn't have a highlight holiday. I have to say, though, especially now at this age, with my kids, eight and six, I do find that Christmas is becoming more special, so I definitely will add that in there. But Thanksgiving is kind of like my thing, and so that's the day where you know I cook everything, I brine the turkey, I, you know I hunt the turkey. You know like I everything from scratch. You know it's like that big day. You know where we give thanks.
Speaker 1:I don't know, you know, maybe maybe mom will hear this podcast and be like. You know why you think like that? Because something I don't know or remember. You know what I mean about Thanksgiving or what we did. I find it like a privilege for someone to be at my house at that time, and it's like it's very exclusive, you know, exclusive party.
Speaker 1:It's like squid game, you know, and like exclusive, you know it's like. It's like it's like squid game, you know, and like the, the, you know the higher guys with the with the golden mask there it's like it's like that's like, you know we're not, we're not killing people, but you know it's like that. You know it's like really like, you know, executive kind of thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So that's how it makes me feel, you know, I feel like we're. We're up there, you know, and this is like very special.
Speaker 2:Well listeners, how does your family handle disagreements about religion politics? Let us know your tips and stories and we might share them in a future episode. So that's it for today's episode of Brothers or Whatever. Thanks for hanging out with us.
Speaker 1:We'll catch you next time. Same time, same place.
Speaker 2:Take care Bye.
