BYOB: Bring Your Own Baggage

alert the press, BYOB is back! today I'm catching up with Mary Isaac to talk about the importance of female friendships and how to cultivate community. we discuss how to make friends after you've moved to a new city (again) and anxiety around putting yourself out there... enjoy!!ps: this episode was recorded like a month ago and I got scared to post it because of #socialanxiety (ironic, I know), so if things sound slightly outdated that's why

hi duffels!! I'm back with another episode, and today we are talking about failure. Join me as I discuss where I've been the last few months and how I'm re-defining "failure," and also share some stories about times people have "failed"... enjoy!

hi duffels and welcome back! Today I am joined by three Clinical Psychology PhD students in Harvard's BEST (Biopsychosocial Effects of Stigma) Lab. We discuss how they became interested in researching the effects of stigma on mental health, the work that the BEST Lab is doing, how structural stigma contributes to health inequities, and more... enjoy!

hello duffels!! We're back for one last episode of 2023!! Today, I am joined by Kristine Lee and Anamika Dutta to answer all of the questions you submitted for therapists. We discuss favorite coping skills, whether therapists have therapists, what happens if they don't mesh well with a client, and more... enjoy!!

happy Friday duffels! In this episode I talk all things friendship breakups - from my personal experience , to what I've learned, to talking about boundaries with friends - this episode has it all. Enjoy! 

heyyy duffels! honestly the title says it all... in this (very unplanned and unscripted) episode I give a life update, talk about loneliness, and answer some self-reflection questions! I laugh, I cry, I have an existential crisis - this episode has it all...enjoy!! 

happy pride duffels!!! Today I am joined by Taylor Holton to discuss bisexuality. We talk about our coming out stories, how we knew we were bisexual, feeling valid in our sexual identity, and more...enjoy!!

heyyy duffels we're back with another episode!! Today I'm joined by a fellow UVA -> Boston transplant, Naeha Ganesan, to talk about long distance relationships. In this episode we discuss pros/cons of LDRs, communication in LDRs, how to have quality time when apart, and more... enjoy!!

hello duffels! Today I am joined by Kara Johansen to talk about confidence. We discuss  her journey with self-confidence, what confidence looks like in post-grad life, tips for creating confidence, and more...enjoy!

hi again, duffels! It's been a while, but I'm back! In this episode, I discuss where I'm at in my life right now (spoiler alert: I'm feeling stuck) and give an update about making friends in a new city/dealing with body image issues. I also go through some tips for getting out of a slump if you're also feeling stuck at the point of life you're in... enjoy!

hello duffels! Today I am joined by Alyssa Harper to discuss mental health as an influencer. We discuss comparison among creators online, gaining the confidence to be your most authentic self, finding purpose through your career, dealing with hate, and more... enjoy!Listen to Alyssa's podcast, "She Said What?", on all streaming platforms, and find her on Tik Tok @alyssataylorharper

Hi duffels! Welcome back to another episode! Today I'm joined by Marley Freygang to discuss perfectionism. We discuss the pressure to be perfect, how comparison manifests in post grad life, motivating yourself vs. burning out, and more… enjoy!

welcome back and Happy New Year, duffels! Today I am joined by Ariana Rivens to discuss everything you need to know about starting therapy (AKA therapy 101!). We talk about what qualities to look for in a therapist, overcoming the "awkwardness" of the first session, how to advocate for yourself in therapy, and more... enjoy!Note: BYOB will now be released on Wednesdays:) 

hello duffels! Today I am joined by Hope Murney to discuss self-objectification. We discuss what self-objectification is, body image, how it connects to social attraction/popularity, and whether or not popularity exists in post-grad environments. If you (like me) have been struggling with insecurity around being "cool"/accepted, this is the episode for you... enjoy!

GoFundMe for Lavel Davis Jr. : https://www.gofundme.com/f/lavel-tyler-davis GoFundMe for D'Sean Perry: https://www.gofundme.com/f/paying-tribute-to-dsean GoFundMe for Devin Chandler: https://www.gofundme.com/f/g3hfhj-devin-chandlerMental health resources for UVA students: - https://www.studenthealth.virginia.edu/CAPS- https://www.uvastudco.com/mental-health-resources- https://www.studenthealth.virginia.edu/timelycarehello duffels! Today I am joined by Taylor Hawthorne to talk about all things related to burnout. We discuss hustle culture, academic validation, tips for managing burnout, and more... enjoy!Check out Taylor's mental health blog here: https://thornesandroses.org/blog and find it on Instagram @thornessandroses

hello duffels! If you are in need of a confidence boost, this is the episode for you. Today I am joined by Sadie Sutton, host of the "She Persisted" podcast to discuss dealing with comparison and building confidence. Sadie and I discuss how we've dealt with comparison, how comparison affects personal relationships and confidence, tips for building confidence, and more! If you're a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, give it a 5 star rating wherever you listen to your podcasts, and share it with a friend... Enjoy!  Are you interested in coming on the podcast? Send an email to bringyourownbaggagepodcast@gmail.com or DM @bringyourownbaggage on Instagram.

Happy Monday duffels! Today I am joined by Kristine Lee to discuss figuring out the next step in your career path. We talk about feelings of confusion/stress/dread when thinking about the future, the pressure to quickly figure out "what's next??", her experience applying to PhD programs and how she bounced back after being rejected from all of the programs she applied to, and more! Stay tuned until the end of the episode to get some grad school application tips if you are thinking of pursing a PhD in clinical psych:) enjoy!

hey duffels! Today I am joined by Britta Egeland to give some tips for how to make friends. We talk about: the importance of friendship, how we became friends through Instagram, Bumble BFF, and more! Stay tuned until the end of the episode for a solo conversation about loneliness (and how I've been struggling with it recently). Enjoy!Are you interested in coming on the podcast? Send an email to bringyourownbaggagepodcast@gmail.com! 

heyyy duffels! Today I have a solo pod for you where I talk about my struggles with body image. I discuss my honest thoughts about Orangetheory, my journey with disordered eating, the skills I've picked up to create a more positive relationships with exercise/eating, and more. If you're a fan of the podcast, please subscribe, give it a 5 star rating on Spotify/Apple Podcasts, and share it with a friend... enjoy!!

happy Monday, duffels! Today I am joined by Emily Carchia to discuss tips for maintaining long distance friendships. We discuss: ideas for FT dates, scheduling time to talk vs. spontaneous calls, conflict in friendships, and more! We also have quite a long intro where we discuss not being able to watch Disney channel, friend groups (yay no nay?), my crazy taxi story, and American Girl Dolls... enjoy!!To skip right to our tips for making long distance friendships work go to 37:49

we're back, duffels!!! I am SO excited to be recording again, and I can't wait for you all to join me as I navigate post-grad life. In this episode, I talk about adjusting to change, loneliness, comparison, what I've learned about this stage of my life (so far), and more! New episodes every Monday!!

Thank you guys for listening

hi duffels! this episode is a little late due to the fact that I graduated on Saturday, but better late than never right?? If you also graduated recently, congrats (!!) and this is the episode for you because I am joined by Dr. Alison Nagel to discuss how to make friends post-college. We discuss tips for creating deeper friendships with new people, how to make friends outside of work, how to make the transition out of college easier, and more... enjoy!  

duffels!! Today I am joined with one of my favorite professors ever, Dr. Jessica Stern, to discuss attachment and relationships. We cover what attachment is and why it matters, the styles of attachment, how to change your attachment style, conflict and communication differences, and sooo much more... enjoy!

happy Tuesday, duffels! Today I am joined by Marina Albuquerque to discuss the effects of social media on mental health. We cover how social media affects body image, social comparison on Instagram, how to create a healthier relationship with social media, and more... enjoy!

hi duffels, this is a topic that I hold very close to my heart, so buckle up! Today I am joined by Paul Andrews to talk about his carry-on story of coming out to his religious parents. We discuss religion and sexuality, our experiences coming out to our parents, finding support after coming out, and more... enjoy!Resources:The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/#sm.000014nmnpimqxfrowdtyark7qajfTrans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/Queer Grace (an online encyclopedia for LGBTQ+ individuals and Christian life): http://queergrace.com/ 

happy Monday, duffels!! If you have been looking for a sign to start your fitness journey, consider this it. Today I am joined by Anna Michaud to talk about her careers in the fitness industry as a SPENGA instructor and Athletic Training Student, how she creates boundaries between fitness for work vs. enjoyment, finding motivation to teach on hard days, and more... enjoy!

duffels, this is one of my favorite episodes to date because I am joined by my absolute role model, Meghan Costello. We discuss how taking a semester off in undergrad changed the course of her career (she's almost done getting her PhD in clinical psych now!!), her research regarding emotional support, how to be a better friend and more... enjoy! 

I've got another 2 for 1 episode for you today, duffels! In this episode, I am joined by Lucy Coulson & Logan Jones-Wilkins to discuss how they've carried on as friends after dating for ~3 years. We discuss how they developed a healthy friendship post-breakup, jealousy, boundaries in their friendship, and more... enjoy!PS: do you guys think honey or maple syrup is better??? Serious debate

hi duffels! Today I am joined by the one and only Deric Childress Jr. to discuss a time where he's carried on. We discuss how he navigated being a first gen student at UVA, his experience as a Black man at a PWI, the mental health struggles he's faced associated with feeling misunderstood and being hesitant to open up, and plug UVA TimelyCare... enjoy!PS: who else thinks Deric needs to start recording ASMR videos I mean talk about a soothing voice 

happy Monday, duffels!! Today I am joined by Julia Paraiso (someone I've had a friend crush on since literally first year so past Justine would be proud) to discuss her work with UVA Body Positive. We talk about the mission of UVA Body Positive, the importance of having an org dedicated to educating students on developing healthy body image, Julia's journey with body image, body positivity vs. body neutrality, and more... enjoy!Follow UVA Body Positive on Instagram @uvabodypositive

happy monday, duffels! Today I am joined by the Green Bandana Project @ UVA (GBP) President, Tyler Kimble, to discuss how GBP has helped him carry on! We talk about GBP's mission, destigmatizing mental illness at UVA, how students can facilitate healthy dialogue surrounding mental health on college campuses, and more.. enjoy!

hi duffels! Today I am joined by the very lovely May Gong to discuss how she's carried on as an international student! We cover what it was like adjusting to life in the US, finding her identity, friendship advice, and more... enjoy!Link to May's podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YdctmMDJEj1lhkeoqLnm8?si=AVGuDMnjSt6JPBdTn1wuUg

*TW: eating disorder*Happy New Year, duffels! We are back and better than ever today with an episode featuring "If You're Reading This" (IYRT) president, Betsy Macdonnell. We discuss IYRT's mission, Betsy's journey with an eating disorder, how hard it is to be a 4th-year (spoiler: very), not belonging at UVA, and so much more... enjoy!IYRT website: http://www.ifyourereadingthis.org/uvaIYRT Instagram: @ifyourereadingthisorg

duffels! This is an episode that has been in the works for quite some time, and I am so excited to share it with you all. Today I am joined by professional athlete/philanthropist/just a role model in general, Eddie Opoku, to discuss how he's carried on. We talk about his journey to the US from Ghana to play soccer, the downsides of being a public figure/how social media is fake, finding family in your community, resiliency through hardship, and much more... enjoy!Link to Eddie's speech at the Nike HQ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wZ5lBMR7igBeHappy website: https://behappyorders1.wixsite.com/behappy  

long time no see, duffels!! Today I am back and better than ever with everyone's fitspiration, Georgia Daniels. Over the past year and a half, Georgia has amassed over 30k followers on Instagram and over 90k on Tik Tok posting pictures and videos of her fitness journey as a bikini competitor. We talk about how she got into bikini competitions, what it's like being a social media influencer AND college student, how she maintains a healthy relationship with eating and exercising, crazy gym stories and more... enjoy!

duffels, I have been WAITING for this one!!! Today I am joined by ACC Offensive Player of the Year (and general soccer superstar), Diana Ordoñez, to discuss how she's carried on as a student athlete. We cover sneakers, the pressure of being in the spotlight, burnout, her favorite memory with her team and much more... enjoy!ESPN article mentioned: https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/27752586/freshman-diana-ordonez-finds-comfort-back-net-virginia-soccer 

*TW: sexual and domestic violence*hello duffels!! Today I am joined by a true ray of sunshine... the one and only... Natalie Abbey, to discuss how she's carried on. We recap her 22nd birthday party, talk about building confidence, explore how to empower survivors of sexual and domestic violence, highlight the importance of being trauma-informed and more... enjoy! National Sexual Assault hotline: 1-800-656-4673National Domestic Violence hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE

reporting live from the UVA Board of Visitors office, this episode is a trip!! Today I am joined by the hilarious (and insanely accomplished) Sarita Mehta to discuss how she's carried on. We talk about her role as the student member of the BOV, how she's dealt with navigating identity in Greek life, building confidence, and more... enjoy!

Welcome back, duffels! I have formally ditched the previous "carry-on" style of episode and we are now winging it. Hence this episode being much longer than 30 min. And chaotic. Life's all about being flexible, right?? Anyways, today I am joined by the man, the myth, the absolute legend, Malcolm Stewart to discuss how he carried on during his time at UVA. We cover a lot in this episode, from his experience as class president and SR of the Lawn on August 11th and 12th to what the SABLE society is and does to dog ASMR (and a special caller...), this episode has it all! Enjoy! 

it's Tuesday, I know, I'm sorry! I promise today's episode is worth the wait though! Today I am joined by the wonderful Ned Flanagan to learn about how he's carried on as a gap year student and the leader of a million UVA orgs. We discuss the work he did with the Kino Border Initiative (ex: preventing PTSD in migrant populations, building trust with vulnerable groups, the toll this work had on his mental health, etc.), time management, which member of the Harry Potter cast he's related to, and more... enjoy!Check out KBI here: https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/PS: happy 10th "carry-on" episode:)

hello duffels!! Today I am joined by soccer superstar, Cabrel Happi, to discuss how he's carried on as a student athlete at UVA. We discuss comparison among teammates, the student athlete image, how he performs under pressure and more... enjoy!PS: everyone wish Cabrel happy birthday on Wednesday PPS: Kenton, if you're seeing this please bake Cabrel a special dessert for his birthday

ummm happy ~Tuesday~ duffels! I will be blaming the delay in this episode on the fact that Instagram was down yesterday... no further questions please. Anyways, today I am joined by the insanely talented, Elie Bashkow, to talk about the effect that music has on his life. We discuss his performance mindset, how to avoid comparison in the music industry, the next greatest mashup of all time, tips and tricks for killing cockroaches and more... enjoy!

HELLO DUFFELS! BIG DAY TODAY! It is BYOB's first birthday, and I wanted to thank all of you for your support over this past year. I am so grateful for the love that BYOB has received and that my little passion project has turned into a legit podcast (???). Special shoutout to all of the guests who have come on BYOB - I literally wouldn't be here without you

hey duffels! Today I am joined by a psych ICON, Jake Greenberg, to discuss a time where they have carried on. We cover a lot of things in this episode - from PsyD 101 (why Jake chose psych, what their crazy busy day to day looks like, managing burnout, etc.) to their journey with gender and sexual identity (how they identify, negative responses to them coming out, what being queer means to them, etc.), this episode has it all... enjoy!PS: stay tuned for a special bonus episode coming out tomorrow:) 

hellooooo duffels! Today I am joined with one of the sweetest humans alive, Emma Keller, to hear her carry-on story. We talk about an article she wrote on emotionally adjusting to living on the Lawn and the importance of physical spaces, what it's like to live in the most visible place on Grounds, the deal with the bathrooms (highly requested), and LOTS more... enjoy!

*TW: anorexia*happy Monday, duffels! Today I am joined with the wonderful, Carter Leach, to hear about a time where he has carried on. Carter discusses his struggle with anorexia, and we talk about setting healthy fitness goals, how he's developing a healthy relationship with eating, how the lack of acknowledgement in the media that men struggle with eating disorders too affected him, and more... enjoy!

duffels, you guys won't believe this one. Today I am joined by a true power couple, Caroline Biondo and Tory Key (just embracing my role as a third wheel). Caroline and Tory discuss what it's like to be in an interracial relationship, in particular, conversations about race between them, judgment regarding their relationship, what they've learned from each other, and more! This episode was so fun to record, so if you and your partner want to come on for a joint BYOB episode just let me know... enjoy!!Jubilee video mentioned: https://youtu.be/f0PE0WyTjC8Tory's IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm11103253/

*TW: suicide*welcome back, duffels! Today we are carrying on with one of my favorite people in the entire world, Mary Isaac Cargill. Mary Isaac discusses her journey with grief after losing a loved one to suicide. We discuss what it's like to grieve, resilience, and the lessons this loved one taught her... enjoy the wisdom Mary Isaac (our soon to be therapist) has to offer:)

Duffels!! Welcome back! Today we are carrying on with the insanely talented, Ella Bllue Tomko. Ella discusses her journey navigating meds, numbness related to antidepressants, side effects of different meds, what happens when you quit cold turkey (spoiler: DON'T), and more... enjoy! *DISCLAIMER: all opinions about meds are our own, we are obviously not medical professionals and everyone is different so please don't be scared of taking any of the meds mentioned from our individual experiences.*

duffels! Welcome to the "Carry-On" series! These are 30 min episodes where each guest shares a story from their mental health journey; these are unstructured interviews (basically just a conversation), and the emphasis is on storytelling. These stories can be as serious or lighthearted as you want them to be - the main goal is to share a story of how you've carried on in life since someone listening will definitely be able to learn from or relate to your story. In this week's episode, I am joined by the lovely, Bri Johnston. We discuss panic attacks, pressures related to school, meds + therapy, redefining success, and so much more... Enjoy!