Being a Contribution
You know what fuels patriarchy and capitalism? The “what’s in it for me” mindset. You know what nourishes our souls and creates a sense of community, connection, and care (especially during difficult times)? Shifting into the mindset of being a contribution. Whether we call it being of service, sharing our gifts, or leaving things better […]
Getting Through the Messy Middle
Any time we’re making changes in our lives, any time we’re learning something new, any time the universe throws us a curve ball – there’s usually a big chunk of mess we have to wade through to get to the other side. This episode goes out to anyone who’s feeling stuck in that muck. Sometimes […]
Opting Out of Hustle Culture with Matthew Smith of Wimp Decaf
It ain’t easy to step off the beaten path or to swim ashore from the river of what everyone else is doing. But consciously choosing to opt out of hustle culture and the grind of unrealistic expectations isn’t impossible! It’s hard, for sure. It’s also hella worth it. In this conversation with Matthew Smith, founder […]
If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes
While it’s a pithy and seemingly obvious statement, the fact remains that: if nothing changes, nothing changes. In other words, if we want things to be different, we have to start doing things differently. This counts for dating, career change, healthy habits, sobriety – any time we want things to be better, easier, or more […]
Embodying Stewardship and Radical Presence with Karma Maymi of Clary Sage Herbarium
When was the last time you deeply felt your relationship to the world around you? To the land, to the plants, to the ways in which everything is interconnected? In this philosophical and exploratory conversation with Karma Maymi the steward of Clary Sage Herbarium in Portland, Oregon, we discuss the concept of stewardship and what […]
Embracing Imperfection and the Nonlinear Path with Carrie Andersen, PhD
For recovering perfectionists, type-A planners, and those of us who really just want to get an A at life, it can be extra hard to try new things. It can also be super hard when life throws us curve balls and those meticulous plans have to change. But it doesn’t have to be quite so […]
Honoring Our Limitations
Rather than treating our limitations as problems to be solved or burdens to be borne, what might shift if we treated them with respect and appreciation? Finding our limits means finding our boundaries, and we have the option to view them as useful tools for self-care and safety (instead of cages we’re trying to break […]
Reflecting on Fifteen Years of Continuous Sobriety
July 2nd, 2025 marked fifteen years of continuous sobriety for me. And since I wrote about it two years ago and then recorded an episode about it last year, it seems like marking my time on this platform has become a tradition. But I don’t feel good this week! (I’m kinda sick). So, I sat […]
Healing Trauma through Expressive Writing with Dr. Stacey Hettes
No matter how much we cognitively “know” about how trauma works, none of us are immune from the grip it can have on our capacity to deal with life. Thankfully, there are ways out, and writing is one of them. Dr. Stacey Hettes knows this firsthand. In spite of her PhD in neuroscience and decades […]
If You’re Freaking Out Right Now…
Consider this your “In Case of Emergency” episode, my dear. It’s ready for you the next time you’re in an anxiety spiral, a weepy meltdown, or any other overwhelming set of feelings that you might call a freak out. If you can’t (or don’t want to) call somebody, you can press play and listen to […]
Leaning Into What You’re Already Good At with Lee Peterson
How often are you getting to do the things that you are already good at? Do you wake up each day knowing that you’re going to get to show up in the world in the ways that you naturally shine? If not, then it’s time to change that, darlin. In this conversation with strengths coach […]
Rest *and Play* Are Requirements, Not Rewards
We all know that sleep is good for us, but it turns out that play is super good for us, too! Both are vital for healthy brain functioning – though, obviously, sleep is most important in that category. But we need both rest and play in order to live vibrant, fulfilled, and joyful lives. And […]
Saying “Yes, And” to Life
I’m back from break and kicking off season three with some encouragement to embrace ambiguity and accept what life is throwing as us (even amidst the shit show) by saying “yes, and” to what’s on offer. We usually don’t like to look at it this way, but the truth is that we’re all just making […]
If You’re Feeling Like a F*ck Up…
Interrupting my season break with a spontaneous love note to anyone struggling with self-doubt, self-criticism, or the shitty fucking stories that like to get their grips on us. In particular, this is for my NeuroSpicy folks, my friends in recovery, and anyone who just feels like it’s impossible to fit into the box of what […]
What Mercury Retrograde Means (for You) with Fi Russell
It’s that time again – Mercury is going retrograde and things are going to get wacky. But if you want to have a better sense of what that actually means and how it might impact your life in particular, we are here for you! In this conversation with astrologer and energy worker Fi Russell, they […]
Cultivating Joy Amidst the Shit Show
The world is bananas right now. A lot of us are angry, afraid, and struggling to stay out of the pit of despair. And that makes sense! It’s totally understandable. AND… my offering to you in this episode is the idea that centering ourselves in joy is what will fuel our ability to keep showing […]
Reflective Practices and Living Intentionally with Dr. John Miles, PhD
Why do we do the things we do? And, more importantly, why do we keep doing them? Taking the time to reflect – to slow down, look back, and ask ourselves whether the path we’ve been on is the one we want to stay on – helps us be the person we truly want to […]
Practical Mysticism and Trusting the Divine with Julie Day
What would it be like to live in a world filled with unconditional love? A world where we fully trusted in ourselves, where we felt utterly supported in showing up for the lessons the universe has laid out for us? It’s aspirational, for sure. But maybe it’s not quite so out of reach as we […]
Exploring Spirituality through the Body with Linnea Solvieg
Spirituality, presence, mindfulness, enlightenment… whatever you want to call it, we don’t just get there through thinking about it all the time. Or even through not thinking about it, if we’re trying the meditation route. Instead, connecting with our sense of being in the world (joyful or uncomfortable as that may be in any given […]
Normalizing the Struggle
Are you on the struggle bus, my friend? If so, you are not alone – even if it super duper feels like it a lot of the time. And, as much as it sucks, the struggle is just a normal part of being human. What there is to do is persist and remember to connect […]
Intuition & The Reclamation of Feminine Wisdom with Andrea Leda
What if your intuition could be your secret weapon for changing the world? Seriously! What would shift if you thought about listening to your inner wisdom as a downright revolutionary act on both the personal and collective stage? In this lovely conversation with depth coach Andrea Leda, we unpack the magic and power of feminine […]
Bringing Boundaries and Self-Compassion to the Holidays with Jenny Tryansky
Setting boundaries and practicing self-care are hard things to do – especially during the holiday season. But finding a clear sense of our actual capacity and remembering to check in with our body’s needs are important skills the whole year round. In this great conversation with personal development coach Jenny Tryansky, we explore the necessity […]
In Praise of Gentle Consistency
I don’t know about y’all, but I am exhausted with the everything-ness of the world right now. It’s all just so much! Nevertheless, we persist. And I hope we are all persisting in whatever way we are able with a degree of gentleness. We all know that consistency is key to getting where we want […]
Choosing Love & Connection Over Fear & Despair
As with 70 million or so other Americans, I’m grieving the outcome of the 2024 election. It’s heavy on my heart and on my communities. And I don’t want to pretend otherwise. I normally release episodes on Wednesdays and send the email update on Thursdays, and I knew I couldn’t plan ahead for this week. […]
Embracing Everyday Magic with Tarot Reader & Witch Julie Miller
Whether we call it magic, prayer, intention, or simply mindfulness, there is power in how we show up in our lives. It’s often just a matter of how much we’re actually paying attention. In this delightful and seasonally appropriate conversation with tarot reader and witch Julie Miller, we talk about what it means to embrace […]
Befriending Your Nervous System Part 2 with Body Wisdom Coach Marjorie Schreurs
How do our bodies store trauma and what does that even mean? Why does getting triggered hijack our capacity to think straight? And what the heck can we do to heal from our past and nurture a well-regulated nervous system so we’re not freaking out all the time?! Well, listen in my love! In the […]
Befriending Your Nervous System Part 1 with Body Wisdom Coach Marjorie Schreurs
How well do you hear the signals your body is sending, my love? Most of us either don’t hear so well or too often choose not to listen… and the consequences can look like burnout, meltdowns, freak outs, and tantrums, or chronic fatigue, self-criticism, and general cranky-pants-ness. So! Got a body? This episode is for […]
The Difference between Settling and Acceptance
When life is doing shit that we don’t like, acceptance is the jumping off point, y’all. Settling is the crash landing. Or maybe it’s the getting stuck on a sandbar landing. Settling is definitely muddy and gross, and I do not wish it upon any of you beautiful souls! Acceptance, on the other hand, is […]
A Pep Talk for Patience!
Oh my goodness, thank you for your patience! Settling Is Bullshit is back! Season two of the podcast is officially here, and we have a glorious new logo to celebrate. I couldn’t be more delighted. I also was definitely on the struggle bus for a while – waiting to get this train rolling again. I […]
Season Break! (+ The Necessity of Rest)
We all need to take a break sometimes, and this episode is both a reminder and announcement! I’ll be taking the next few weeks off for a much-needed season break, and this episode is a lovely little pep talk for you to take some time off, too. Listen anywhere you listen to podcasts! Transcript: Hello, […]
Making Brave Choices
We all have shit going on in our lives that scares us, even if we don’t necessarily think of it as fear. And that means we all have to make brave choices sometimes, even if we don’t necessarily think of it as bravery. But facing our shit – whether it’s the big, heavy stuff, or the […]
Honoring Anniversaries of Sobriety and Other Milestones
Yesterday marked my 14th anniversary of getting sober – which is a big deal! And also tends to stir up a lot of weird emotions: ambiguous grief, an intense combination of gratitude and longing, lots of hope and heaviness at the same time… So this episode is very much about my recovery specifically, but also […]
Sharing Our Tenderness and Navigating Vulnerability Hangovers
Sharing vulnerability is the foundation of meaningful relationships and wholehearted living. It’s also really fucking hard – by definition. To be vulnerable means to share our tenderness and open ourselves up to the possibility of getting hurt. But it’s super worth it, and it’s the only way to cultivate the kind of connection that most […]
Be the Weirdo Who Dares to Enjoy
If I could bottle up and sell a single magic elixir to the world, it would be a potion of self-acceptance. Because the truth is, as the LP song goes, we are all strange. And I think the world would be a kinder, more joyful, more vibrant place if we could all celebrate that instead […]
Recharging Your Batteries
While it’s easy to intellectually know that we need rest in order to get on with the business of adulting, it isn’t always that easy to know what kind of rest we actually need. Pausing to recharge is hard enough on its own, but unless we get clear on what kind of energy we’re trying […]
Guilt-free Pleasures and Chasing Your Dreams with Romance Novelist Alyssa Jarrett
Let’s talk about sex, baby! Or, talk about how reading and writing about sex is a guilt-free, shame-free political act. That’s right, in this conversation with the fabulous debut romance novelist Alyssa Jarrett we go on a wild ride about feminism, authenticity, identity, privilege, pursuing our creativity in the face of nay-sayers, and… werewolf erotica. […]
Giving Yourself Permission
Adulting is fucking hard, y’all. It’s exhausting. It’s annoying. It’s expensive. And the only way to navigate it and stay sane (and hygenic) is by instituting rules to keep ourselves in check. We all have our own internalized set of policies and procedures we follow in order to stay afloat in our lives. We have […]
Embracing the Messy Sides of Self-love with Dawn Church
Having a big ol’ snotty cry isn’t a sign that there’s something wrong with us or that we’re somehow broken. It’s actually a radical act of self-love. Meltdowns are just the less fun, less shiny, vastly more unpleasant side of self-love, the side that most of us would prefer to avoid. Turns out, though, that […]
The Joy and Discomfort of Trying New Things
For a lot of us, trying new things (aka learning) can be deeply, wrenchingly uncomfortable. It can also be super duper awesome, especially on the other side. There is joy to be found in our expansion, in our stepping out or into the world of possibility and weathering the discomfort that comes from growth. We […]
Using Movement to Shift Perspective with Dr. Sarah Roth
Fun fact: our connective tissue has more neurons and neuroreceptors than any other organ in the body! Which means any physical movement we make can have a substantial impact on our mental outlook – a handy concept we can leverage when trying to implement changes in our lives. In other words: move your butt to […]