Helping people find their voice, and to be heard.
Dr Michaela James, Owen Pillai
What are we keeping and leaving in 2022?Is AI going to lead to the collapse of humanity?What music was the soundtrack to our lives?Plus a deeper dive into our mental health and plenty of poorly researched waffle...
It's been a minute. I can't remember (no surprises there) anything about this as we recorded it about a month ago but I remember enjoying chatting. To be honest, if you listen to our chats, these notes ain't convincing any new listeners to dip their toes in. Thanks for letting us hang out in your ears as always,TIFAEYLIGTD,owen and Dr. M. James
We chat about how social media, the news and our constant consumption are shortening our capacity to concentrate
Following up on our comprehensive dismantling of Mickey's belief in the afterlife she paid a visit to a medium in the hope of having an paranormal enlightenment…
We give our hot take on IWD, including plenty of unsolicited opinions from Owen, constant triggering of Mickey and the usual poorly researched waffle
We catch up on our epiphanies from the past few weeks and discuss the concept of free will and where God fits in that.Poorly researched waffle about subjects we are not best placed to discuss
We get into resolutions, how our 2020 plans panned out and why people love and hate new year new me...
More pockets chat, reflections and poorly researched waffle...
As we approach the close of the year we take our usual stroll around current events, dinosaurs, sport and music...
Spotify wrapped, the truth of your audio habits, sports corner, dinos, the weekly reminder of our impending demise and the usual poorly researched waffle…
As life polarises people and tension builds, we look at what drives us apart and where it leaves us all
We discover that one of our listeners has aphantasia, ("the inability to voluntarily create a mental picture in your head").We probably talk about politics, dinosaurs, music and sports too...
The uncomfortable feeling when something is painfully true...We talk about the way in which we project our insecurities/frustrations outwards especially when confronted with situations that act as a mirror to these behaviours.Why do things grind your gears? Is it a them problem, or a you problem?We explore the idea of taking things for granted even when you actively are aware of this but can't seem to shake the habit...Sports corner is back in full swing, dinosaur deep dives and the soundtracks to our lives...
Phone anxiety - why does it exist and do you suffer from it? Mickey and Owen are opposite ends of the spectrum with this…There is a fascinating discussion around referencing in academia (no, really there is),we chat about people setting unsustainable habits on social media to garner a following but with no hope of it becoming a long term practice…We once again chat about aligning your actions with your values…Do you send Gifs and emojis? Do you curate them or is it a generic response?Sports corner rears it's deep heat soaked head, Mickey listened to Touche Amore and was let down by Biffy Clyro…
We discuss how to escape the algorithm and it's careful curation of our interactions, and probably loads more but Owen can't remember... (what a surprise!)
Mickey shared a post online about women, the pressure and scrutiny the encounter regarding having children and then we dived into her experience of this before she flipped it over to Owen.Then we spent 7 hours discussing rugby before we salvaged it with dinosaurs and Japanese punk music x
Trigger warning - In today's episode we discuss death, and specifically end of life care and assisted suicide.We kick off by discussing the level of social media fatigue caused by living in a world full of horrible news and a government waging war on the poor.We look at the pressure around being seen on social media and the checklist of woeness. Then we take a tour through death and the idea of assisted suicide as a compassionate notion for us.Palaeontology corner brings some goods to lighten the mood, we dive into our music this month before meandering back into the self care topic…
We actually have 2 episodes that we haven't uploaded, and forgot that this is actually episode 41 even without them. Professional as always.We check in with the big questions, has Mickey solved the pockets on her clothes conundrum, what did we do this summer before getting into it and diving in to remind ourselves once again that TIME IS FINITE AND EVERYONE YOU LOVE IS GOING TO DIE.Then we took a brief amble through the concept of ‘self care' and why it probably isn't buying stuff and having a bath, before we check out what music has been the soundtrack to the past few weeks. Thanks for checking back in with us, we'd love to hear from you so drop us a message on instagram!
We truly believe in the power of conversation as a means to changing the world.We harp on about discussing ideas, concepts and challenging ourselves to listen beyond the confines of our echo chambers.But what about when you are afraid to talk about things because you're afraid of getting it wrong?We spend a considerable part of the conversation this week discussing the topic of transgender athletes in sport.Two, cisgender people discussing a topic that they have no lived experience with. We try our best to navigate the subject and it brings up the idea of holding multiple points of view in your mind that are in conflict with eachother.We won't have got everything right, we believe that having conversations may lead us to learning more or open up conversations with people who can offer deeper insight.We also talk about dinosaurs and ,music and being vegan and stuff.
Should you actively seek discomfort to build a more resilient character? We discuss the idea of seeking out opportunities to face adversity and overcome challenges to help prepare you for the turbulent waters you may face in life.Are pockets on women's clothes a conspiracy? Mickey updates us on her progress to create change in women's fashion whilst Owen dismisses the idea as a non problem, could he be a part of the conspirators?
Episode 38 covers Pride month and we discuss what we've learnt about why it's important and what part we can play in being advcates and allies.Mickey calmly discusses her feelings about the lack of pockets on women's clothes and we dig into our weekly music consumption…
What is the opposite of imposter syndrome? We look at the Dunning Kruger effect, sports corner goes deep and we discuss why we document our days
What do you do when your character dies in Dungeons and Dragons?Can you be reborn as a Tyrannosaurus Rex?If not, why not?Just some of the groundbreaking waffle we tackle this week.We also dig in to where in your life you started to lose your confidence in speaking up, how society can disempower you and why some people are immune to it.We also get into the Weezer playlist, can you pick one song from each album after Pinkerton and end up with something listenable....
“Self-care/life hacks/advice that you've picked up that have infinitely helped your existence.Is the topic Today”We dig into the concept of ‘life hacks' and self care. Is it something you're being sold? Is self care something you want or something you need?We discuss our own experience with life hacks and what has actually made a notable change to our lives.Mickey discusses her future as a parkour athlete and Owen updates us on his struggle with the Weezer playlist…
We dig in to a question from one of our long time listeners...Does music evoke specific memories for you? (spoiler alert, yep)We discuss growing up in pub gardens, Mickey debuts Palaeontology corner, Team sports chat rears it's head as well as current affairs, Woke twat chat and plenty of poorly researched waffle.
With no notes we let the conversation meander through a weird and wonderful array of topics this week.With the local elections taking place it was a prime opportunity to talk smack about politicians in general, Mickey tried to resurrect sport's corner, and we introdcued a brand new segment of the show:Palaeontology picks - all the latest dinosaur developments (spoiler alert...they died).We discuss our weekly listening and now have a playlist for you all of our weekly musical consumption, drop us a line if you want a link!
What role does motivation play in getting life done? Is it a distraction from the main player, the revered 'discipline'?Do they have a symbiotic role?We trample all over these ideas and claw our way back to the path through the undergrowth of poorly researched waffle and current musical jams...
Mickey reveals the secret behind her mum and dad's 30 year marriage and discovers that Owen got married when she was leaving Primary school.Owen brought notes!Are you going to hide the likes on your social media now it's becoming an option?Why does your voice have value even if you're just 'you'?What we've been listening to and plenty of poorly researched waffle!
Mickey read that you become good at podcasting once you hit your 30th episodes - today we set out to be the exception that proves the rule.Woke twat chat, a quote from a listener that sent Mickey into a crisis of research, poorly researched waffle,what we've been listening to and so. much more all wrapped up in our usual slick, no nonsense straight to the point 90 minute rambles...
We let the conversation flow (that's a pun you'll get if you listen) and just followed along this week. We covered a whole host of topics including the latest hype documentary 'Seaspiracy', women's cricket and whether Mickey could land a gig on the team, what to do about litterbugs, fast fashion, the patriarchy, lashings of period chat including a section where we devise empowering, kickass language for menstruation, music and obviously more Spiders vs Snakes chat...
We kick off Episode 28 with one of the big questions in life regarding fighting for your life against snakes and spiders, before delving into some arachnid anecdotes from our past.This segues seamlessly into a fairtrade, fast fashion, classic woke twat examination of society.Mickey poses some questions that lead us to examining the last 12 months living in lockdown.We throw in a fair bit of coffee chat, our weekly roundup of musical consumption and we celebrate another review on apple podcasts, if you'd like to be number 5, it's there for the taking!
Following last week we discuss the situation in London,we look at what action we can take to make a positive impact.We chat about the value of creating conversations for people to discuss challenging topics.What politics means in the modern day and how we've become detached from the process.Our responsibilities in society and how we've eroded our role in maintaining a functioning society.How do we make it ‘cool' to be a progressive, considered member of society? We answer some awesome questions from you!We ask what music we've been listening to ANDOwen admits lists are useful
In the modern age, you attention is the ultimate currency. We discuss media, the monarchy, misogyny and more, with a healthy dose of poorly researched waffle...
Mickey discusses her 'happy bowler' concept - Do you do things just because they are fun? Have you put off trying something because you are worried about being good enough at it?What are your measures of success and are they really serving you?We dig in to a couple of listeners questions and check in on what we've been listening too this week, all wrapped up as always with some poorly researched waffle...
Can a life without purpose be fulfilling? Why can't you talk about sex work? What do you call bobby knocking and Chip shop hacks... In classic Chop Wood Carry Water style we went off a a tangent filled adventure this week...
Disingenuous social media posts, how were are all being driven to pick sides, more online gurus and the dangers of pedestals, creative arts and knowing your worth, Sneaking onto Clubhouse, music discoveries and plenty of poorly researched waffle.
There's a fair bit of ranting this week, but who doesn't like letting off a bit of steam...We wade into the murky waters of online gurus, the fetishisation of American culture, we tackle some listener questions and get lost in weeds a fair few times along the way...
From abandoning siblings in Harrods to pitching a new form of 'violent' cricket, this week picks up where we left off, wandering aimlessly down sidestreets and meandering through conversations like a couple of puppies let loose in a supermarket.We look at how the pandemic has seeded changes in society - both positive and negative and discuss what will make the cut in the future.We talk sport! Well, it's an elevator pitch to introduce full contact into all sports as an improvement, which leads to the question, is it a sport if you don't change your shoes?We look at the power of predictions and musical earworms.
We close out our first 20 episodes by returning to what brought us together for episode 1, music!But this time we dig in to more songs that make us angry, and it turns out there are a lot!We talk a little more on the social dilemma and some of the issues it raises.Mickey tells her infamous 'cassette' story, we chat fast fashion and 'retail therapy', before finding ourselves back at music...
Mickey regales us with a peak awkward conversation story which cements her place as a Lifelong Hufflepuff, we dig back in to social media and it's polarising 'echo chamber' effects, and then we pick out some songs that make us angry, not in the good way.
Would you ban the public from hanging out with some potty mouthed parrots? No, neither would we.Mickey brings some good news stories to the episode in a futile attempt to rebalance the recent podcasts where we have been big old balls of emotion.Owen revisits the idea of finding your vocation and why people's perceptions of what that ‘should' be often put them off from even thinking about what it ‘could' be…
We discuss the supernatural realm, what are ghosts and do we believe in their existence?We dig into this spooky subject with the usual amounts of poorly researched waffle which results in Mickey taking an emotional rollercoaster ride between chatting with her deceased relatives and culminating in Serial killers watching her as she sleeps...There's also our regular segment where Owen has a huge emotional outburst including a prolonged expletive filled rant at the government and our political setup.All wrapped up neatly in some light hearted chat.
After a hectic couple of weeks, we dig in to lockdown reloaded, and the struggle we all have when there is no simple solution to a problem.In an increasingly polarised society it is become more challenging to create opportunities to talk without it escalating.
We tried hard to steer away from anything too intense after a heavy few weeks so we just cracked on with dismantling the system, preachy vegans, fast fashion with the usual dose of poorly researched waffle
We delved into the murky world of social media and the new documentary that exposes the algorithms that manipulate us.Have you watched the Social Dilemma yet?Mickey approaches the conversation with a relentless optimism in stark contrast to Owen who was caught up in a maelstrom of emotions, bringing him to the brink of a breakdown culminating in a direct message to 'higher powers'!All seamlessly blended together with lashings of poorly researched waffle and bong impressions.
Owen dives into his intense and quite frankly bizarre relationship with inherited superstitions, Mickey hosts a discussion on resisting adult life, we ponder whether a work ethic is important or imposed and as always we revisit the fragility of life...
How to make a cup of tea... Mickey is confronted with some news that rocks her on a memetic frame kinda level.We discuss the Racist reaction to Diversity performing on Britain's got talent, and look at what we prioritise versus what we need.
Do your school reports stand the test of time? We look at how accurate the predictions laid out by Mickey's teachers were, before tackling Owen's problem with communication.Do you struggle to stay connected via messages?Overwhelmed and shutting down on people you care about?Owen talks frankly about his ongoing battle with communicating effectively and the impact it has, as well as the regular dose of poorly researched waffle
Finding your purpose.In a permanently connected, global community driven by capitalism, it's pretty easy to feel insignificant.So it's no wonder we feel disillusioned when influencers and Ted talks urge you to seek out your purpose. How can you change the world when you're battling 24/7 just to keep your head above the waves?This week we delve into how tiny changes in your everyday life could lead to a global shift, and along the way we tag in society, homelessness, superpowers and a whole heap more.
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