Shows
T&J: A Roman Empire Love StorySilk and IslamJustinian gets a big break after a certain textile secret gets out, while Belisarius' reputation undergoes a brief restoration. A succession competition heats up and another great love story emerges, as we say goodbye to Procopius and this cast of characters in order to introduce the Middle Ages, and in many respects, Europe as we know it.
2025-10-141h 15
American HysteriaNot Just a Phase: Goths Through History with Christine LaskowskiChristine Laskowski shares her research into how an ancient barbarian people known as the Goths came to represent everything from edgy Hot Topic fashion and the band Joy Division to the Notre Dame cathedral and Flannery O'Connor's writing. Christine is the host of the podcast T&J, a limited series about 6th century Byzantium.
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2025-07-281h 15T&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryOvertureDesigned to be an experimental compliment to the Trailer, as the podcast series nears its finale, I wanted to collect the mnemonic tags, parodies, sound effects, foley and quotes (most but not all) from the proverbial T&J storytelling garden — to show how much it's grown.
2025-07-1704 minT&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryRaised in the ShadeEunuchs were prominent figures in T&J era Byzantium, and the most notable by far was the general, Narses. But for those whose only touchstone for eunuch representation has been the character, Varys, from the HBO hit series 'Game of Thrones,' consider this a masterclass in eunuch culture and physiology.
2025-06-191h 11T&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryThe Plague Pt. 2In a total antique PR disaster, the Justinianic Plague a.k.a. the bubonic plague a.k.a. the world's very first pandemic reduces the Roman Empire's population by about half and reverses some pretty ossified norms — sound familiar? We meet three Johns (and thanks to Theodora, lose one) along with an OG sea monster.
2025-04-101h 09T&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryThe Plague Pt. 1A huge swath of the world goes dim for a year and a half after a mysterious haze covers Eurasia's skies. The abrupt dip in climate creates some pretty ideal conditions for the bubonic plague. Meanwhile, T&J set out to restore the Roman Empire with less-than-desirable results.
2025-03-111h 02T&J: A Roman Empire Love StorySolomon, I Have Outdone TheeThe Nika Riots leave Constantinople a tabula rasa for Justinian's masterpiece cathedral, the Hagia Sophia. Although, not without petty rivalries, starchitects and a shrewd Hebrew king's influence along the way.
2024-12-191h 06T&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryPurple is the Noblest ShroudTo move forward, we must first look back ... to the early days of T&J's being crowned empress and emperor, where a confluence of unfortunate policies — plus, a flawed hanging — cause the couple to come scarily close to losing everything. Thankfully, generally speaking, they have just the crew on-hand to turn things around.
2024-11-281h 03
Women Offshore PodcastWould You Let Your Daughter Join The Maritime Industry? Episode 200We're thrilled to mark our 200th episode milestone at Women Offshore with a special discussion you won't want to miss! Join our Women Offshore team, Ally Cedeno, Cassi Laskowski, and Christine MacMillan, as they dive deep into a question that sparks curiosity and reflection: "Would you let your daughter join the maritime industry?"In this thought-provoking episode, the Women Offshore team shares personal insights, experiences, and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities women face in maritime careers. Discover why this question resonates deeply within our community and gain valuable perspectives on navigating the industry with resilience and...
2024-05-0622 minT&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryTextiles and Jewelry with Betsy WilliamsBonus episode courtesy of my new South African and Articles of Interest fans! What was the Birkin bag of the T&J era? Could someone tell the difference between a Roman and a Persian based on dress alone? Were couches and bedding like what we have today? This episode we go deep into the color purple, marriage belts and baby tunics in a conversation all about sixth century Byzantine bling and threads thanks to the expertise of Dr. Elizabeth Dospěl Williams. Betsy is the Curator of the Byzantine Collection at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C...
2024-04-0947 min
Book BistroMost Anticipated Releases of DecemberThis week, Brooke, Melissa, Stacy, Georgina, Shannon, and Meka are discussing some of their most anticipated December releases. Titles mentioned include:
Katherine Faulkner, The Other Mothers
Tara Laskowski, The Weekend Retreat
Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment #2)
Kate Robb, This Spells Love
Denise Williams, Technically Yours
Seressia Glass, Game On
Helen Cooper, The Couple In the Photo
Darby Kane, The Engagement Party
Rebecca Zanetti, Frostbitten (Deep Ops #6)
Tessa Bailey, Same Time Next Year
Gabrielle Korn, Yours for the Taking
Lana Ferguson, The Fake Mate
Ariel Lawhon, The Frozen River
John Marrs, The Vacation
Evie Dunmore, The Gentleman’s Gambit (Le...
2023-11-2459 minT&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryEnslavementT&J themselves owned enslaved human beings, and they were far from alone. Enslavement in the Roman Empire was the practice of both prostitutes and priests, even rabbis. Justinian hires some VIP jurists to Marie Kondo centuries of Roman law.
2023-11-211h 08T&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryGothic as a ModifierOne thing we can definitively say is that the Goths weren’t dressing in all-black and ornamenting their buildings with gargoyles. So how did the name of a single barbarian people make it to the 21st century and still mean so much?
2023-10-1253 minT&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryBarbarian Makeover Pt. 2Justinian, now emperor, decides he wants to restore the Roman Empire to its full territorial glory. Piece of cake, right? Good thing T&J have their favorite couple on-hand to help make it all happen.
2023-08-251h 01
Emerging FormEpisode 94: Christine Laskowski on Passion ProjectsThis episode is all about passion. What happens when a curiosity takes on a life of its own? How do you juggle a passion project with a full-time job? What are the benefits to working alone? How do you determine a project has chops? We speak with Christine Laskowski, who recently launched an independent passion project, T&J, a podcast devoted to 6th century Byzantium and the greatest recorded love story on earth, between Empress Theodora and her husband, the Emperor Justinian.Laskowski is a Berlin-based, multimedia journalist with 15 years of reporting, music and storytelling e...
2023-08-2432 min
Going West: True CrimeDana Laskowski // 333In August of 2001, a 36-year-old mom of three was found murdered in her own home in Washington. No one could understand who would kill her and why, but as police dug deeper into potential suspects, a journey entry with the desire to “kill someone and get away with it” would ultimately crack the case. This is the story of Dana Laskowski.BONUS EPISODESApple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcastCASE SOURCES 1. Inquisitr: https://www.inquisitr.com/3503818/dana-laskowski-emily-lauenborg-betrayed-puyallup-mom-found-dead-in-home-killed-by-strong-drug-crazed-teen-on-investigation-discovery2...
2023-08-2238 minT&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryBarbarian Makeover Pt. 1We cross over the Danube River to uncover the many dichotomies between the Romans and their scruffier neighbors to the north. Justinian’s Uncle Justin leaves Thrace for Constantinople and sets off a chain of events that will lead T&J onto the throne.
2023-07-2847 minT&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryOne IotaThe smallest of the Greek letters — or what we'd think of as the letter 'i' — blows early Christian doctrine wide open. T&J link up and find themselves on opposite sides of the bitter theological divide.
2023-07-141h 00T&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryBread and CircusesByzantium enjoyed many of the imperial realities of Rome, above all, in 'bread and circuses.' That is, free bread and entertainment. We meet Theodora as a sexy, young star of the Constantinople stage and explore what made entertainment throughout the empire possible — factions.
2023-06-3055 minT&J: A Roman Empire Love StoryTrailerIstanbul was Constantinople and Constantinople was Byzantium. Welcome to T&J! A limited series podcast devoted to sixth century Byzantium and the greatest recorded love story on earth — that between Empress Theodora and her husband, the Emperor Justinian. Join me, your host, Christine Laskowski, on this epic, monthly audio journey through a secret history, which includes (but is not exclusive to): an uprising, a plague, a reacquisition of imperial territory, a year-and-a-half when the sky went dim, an architectural innovation that went unsurpassed for 1,000 years, a codex that would form the bedrock of our modern legal system, stylite mo...
2023-06-1703 min
Two Fit Crazies and a MicrophoneEpisode 294 - Dr. Edward Laskowski, M.D. - Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Former Co-Director: Mayo Clinic Sports MedicineEpisode 294 - Dr. Edward Laskowski, M.D. - Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Former Co-Director: Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine
“Don’t forget the foundation. Movement is medicine.”
“If we had a pill that could emulate the effects of exercise, it would be the best-selling pill in the world.”
It’s time for some action! You heard it right! The Two Fit Crazies are excited to bring you the amazing Dr. Ed Laskowski to speak about one of our favorite topics, “exercise is medicine!” Today’s show will shed some light on the...
2023-03-0700 min
Emerging FormEpisode 8: Collaboration–Are We In This Together? (with guest Christine Laskowski)Working with a partner on creative projects can be incredible! And incredibly frustrating. In this episode, we will discuss whether collaborations need leaders, why listening is an essential skill for working with other creatives, Chinese food, the Jabberwocky, and how spontaneity can enhance a creative collaboration. And then we’ll wrap up our conversation by talking with musician/songwriter/video … Continue reading Episode 8: Collaboration–Are We In This Together? (with guest Christine Laskowski) → This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emergingform.substack.com/subscribe
2019-05-1728 min
Distillations | Science History InstituteEpisode 181: ChemotherapyAncient Greek doctors knew about it, but could do nothing about the scourge we know as cancer. Producer Ed Prosser interviews historian Viviane Quirke about the development of chemotherapy drugs in the 20th century, drugs that for the first time offered hope to cancer patients. Next up producer Christine Laskowski goes on a very personal journey. Last year her father was among the more than 1 million Americans diagnosed with cancer. Along with radiation, his treatment included a drug called cisplatin. Cisplatin has nasty side effects, so why is a drug first used to treat cancer in the 1970s still...
2013-09-0317 min