Podcasts about Dread

Casual Trek's still in recovery mode from life and the festive period and we've wanted to fix the "Gamers" episode which was cursed with bad attempts to compress the file.Now, you can listen to the splendour of gaming in Star Trek!In Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Game", everyone gets addicted to Candy Crush except for Wesley Crusher, the big nerd!Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's incredible "Move Along Home" puts the cast in a board game escape room.Star Trek: Lower Decks' "Least Dangerous Game" shows where TTRPGs are in the future, also Boimler gets hunted, which is kind of a game!Talking points include: Experiencing BiJ, Rock Band, Portal 2, The Gamers, Sean's Zelda II playthrough, Fire Emblem Engage, Oath, Battlestar Galactica/Unfathomable, Reaganomics, video game addiction, Wesley Crusher-themed emo band names, an easy 2 Unlimited dunk, Metal Gear Solid, the cube from the film The Cube, Dread, Cluedon't, the Norwegian LARP scene, The Mountain Goats, I Only Listen To The Mountain Goats, Charlie Goes Off On One About OneD&D, Fucking Drizzt. Oh, and occasionally Star Trek.Casual Trek is by Charlie Etheridge-Nunn and Miles Reid-LobattoMusic by Alfred Etheridge-NunnCasual Trek is a part of the Nerd & Tie Networkhttps://ko-fi.com/casualtrekMiles' blog: http://www.mareidlobatto.wordpress.com Charlie's blog: http://www.fakedtales.com 

Ah, there you are. Unknown Broadcast returns with old-time radio horror stories, classic OTR, and radio suspense for those who like the dark close and the volume low, my dear. Tonight the valves warm and the quiet learns to talk:

Hello! Andrew is joined by Luke, a Crystal Palace fan and content creator from the YouTube channel Luke Talks Palace! The pair discuss - Newcastle and Crystal Palace's similar seasons, and recent form - The impact Brennan Johnson could have - regardless if he plays - Why Bruno, Barnes and Woltemade bring the fear factor - And why Palace HATE travelling to St James' Park! --- --- You can get up to 60% off your FPRO football skills mat by using our discount code EIBW20 at ⁠⁠https://fpro.com⁠⁠ Or go to ⁠⁠https://FPRO.COM/EIBW20⁠⁠ *** You can also get an exclusive discount on your NORD VPN by clicking here: ⁠⁠https://nordvpn.com/toon⁠⁠⁠ There's no risk a 30-day money back guarantee #nufc #nufcfans #newcastleunited Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wondered what beer chemistry, emo vampires, and broom mechanics have in common? Neither did we—until this episode of the RPGBOT.Podcast! We're diving deep into RPG madness, from the grimy charm of Shadow Dark to the chaos of Warhammer's magic (spoiler: it's messy). Then, we tackle Symbaroum, where sweeping is serious business, and Vison, the perfect game for overachieving detectives. Horror fans, brace yourselves! It's eldritch chills with Call of Cthulhu, slapstick terror with Pulp Cthulhu, and Appalachian nightmares with Old Gods of Appalachia. Oh, and don't forget Vampire: The Masquerade, where brooding has never been so stylish. Summary Join the RPGBOT hosts as they embark on a tabletop odyssey filled with epic quests, fermented wisdom, and dice-fueled shenanigans! In this episode, they sip on the heady brew of beer chemistry before stumbling into the Old-School Renaissance of Shadow Dark—where dungeons are grim, and death is always just a dice roll away. The adventure takes a quirky turn with Symbaroum, a game where sweeping mechanics finally get their moment in the spotlight, and spirals into the arcane depths of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay's magic systems (spoiler: it's like herding chaotic cats). Mystery lovers, rejoice! They dissect Vison, an RPG that dares players to think—and maybe overthink—its clever puzzles. For horror fans, it's a double feature: Call of Cthulhu's sanity-shattering frights meet Pulp Cthulhu's lighthearted antics (think Indiana Jones with an eldritch twist). The hosts then dive fang-first into Vampire: The Masquerade and the brooding drama of World of Darkness, where players face the ultimate challenge: emo roleplay. To cap it off, the crew gets their candles snuffed out in Ten Candles and pulled into the spine-tingling Appalachian horrors of Old Gods of Appalachia. Whether you're rolling a nat 20 or a nat 1, this episode celebrates RPGs in all their weird, wonderful glory. Links Almost everything below is an affiliate link and Tyler doesn't want to copy+paste this a zillion times Achtung Cthulhu Adventures in Rokugan Alien RPG ALIEN RPG - A review ALIEN RPG: Cinematic Scenario Cycle Review ALIEN RPG - RPGBOT.News S2E34 All Flesh Must Be Eaten Apocalypse World Battletech Bladerunner Call of Cthulhu Candela Obscura Colostle CY_BORG Cyberpunk Red Cypher Core Rulebook Death in Space Death in Space – A review Delta Green Doctor Who RPG Doctors and Daleks FFG Star Wars Fallout RPG Forbidden Lands Genesys Core Rulebook Imperium Maledictum Warhammer 40000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum - A Review Legend of the Five Rings Lord of the Rings Roleplay 5e Marvel Multiverse RPG Masks Mork Borg Mörk Borg - A Review Mörk Borg Cult: Heretic - A Zine Review Mörk Borg Cult: Heretic - RPGBOT.News S2E32 Numenera Old Gods of Appalachia Pirate Borg Pulp Cthulhu Ruins of Symbaroum Ruins of Symbaroum - A Review Ruins of Symbaroum - RPGBOT.News S2E46 Shadowdark RPGBOT.Podcast - ShadowDark RPG Adventure Designer Kelsey Dionne Shadowrun Symbaroum The One Ring 2e The One Ring 2nd Edition - A Review The Walking Dead RPG Vaesen Vaesen & the Mythic Britain and Ireland Expansion - A Review RPGBOT.Podcast - Zoe Franznick Reviews Free League's Vaesen Vampire: The Masquerade How to Play Vampire: The Masquerade Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Werewolf: The Apocalypse SPOOKTOBER - HOW TO PLAY WEREWOLF Episode Takeaways Game Mechanics & Themes Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay features a risky, intricate magic system and expansive character creation options. OSR games bring simplicity and nostalgia reminiscent of early D&D. SimBroom introduces corruption mechanics that shape gameplay. High-risk, high-reward gameplay boosts player engagement. RPGs offer unique themes and mechanics, expanding gameplay possibilities. Dragonbane lets players embody whimsical characters, like ducks. Shadow Dark thrives on time pressure and quick decision-making. Vison focuses on solving mysteries over combat, creating unique narratives. World of Darkness emphasizes personal horror and the burden of being a monster. Call of Cthulhu delivers cosmic horror with sanity mechanics, while Pulp Cthulhu adds action-oriented flair. Horror RPGs, like Old Gods of Appalachia and Ten Candles, use innovative mechanics to amplify tension. Dread, with its Jenga tower, brings suspense into the physical realm. Character Creation & Player Experience Brewing beer involves mastering sugar and fermentation processes. Transitioning from dungeon fantasy to darker themes in RPGs can challenge players. Vampire RPGs often introduce disempowerment and moral dilemmas, such as the dangerous Diablerie mechanic. Character survival in horror RPGs often hinges on player choices and narrative decisions. Game Selection & Exploration Selecting games often involves collaboration and even dice rolls. Exploring lesser-known RPGs enriches the gaming experience and storytelling. The RPG landscape is vast, with many innovative games to explore. Exploring different RPGs can enhance storytelling and player engagement. Resources & Community Engagement The chapter on mysteries in Vison's rulebook is a valuable resource for any TTRPG. Rubrics can help evaluate RPG mechanics and themes effectively. Community ratings and reviews play a key role in podcast growth. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. It's a quick, free way to support the podcast, and helps us reach new listeners. If you love the show, consider joining us on Patreon, where backers at the $5 and above tiers get ad free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT.Podcast, can chat directly to members of the RPGBOT team and community on the RPGBOT.Discord, and can join us for live-streamed recordings. Support us on Amazon.com when you purchase products recommended in the show at the following link: https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra Twitter: @RPGBOTDOTNET Facebook: rpgbotbotdotnet Bluesky:rpgbot.bsky.social Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games Twitter: @GravenAshes YouTube@ashravenmedia Randall James @JackAmateur Amateurjack.com Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

Ever wondered what beer chemistry, emo vampires, and broom mechanics have in common? Neither did we—until this episode of the RPGBOT.Podcast! We're diving deep into RPG madness, from the grimy charm of Shadow Dark to the chaos of Warhammer's magic (spoiler: it's messy). Then, we tackle Symbaroum, where sweeping is serious business, and Vison, the perfect game for overachieving detectives. Horror fans, brace yourselves! It's eldritch chills with Call of Cthulhu, slapstick terror with Pulp Cthulhu, and Appalachian nightmares with Old Gods of Appalachia. Oh, and don't forget Vampire: The Masquerade, where brooding has never been so stylish. Summary Join the RPGBOT hosts as they embark on a tabletop odyssey filled with epic quests, fermented wisdom, and dice-fueled shenanigans! In this episode, they sip on the heady brew of beer chemistry before stumbling into the Old-School Renaissance of Shadow Dark—where dungeons are grim, and death is always just a dice roll away. The adventure takes a quirky turn with Symbaroum, a game where sweeping mechanics finally get their moment in the spotlight, and spirals into the arcane depths of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay's magic systems (spoiler: it's like herding chaotic cats). Mystery lovers, rejoice! They dissect Vison, an RPG that dares players to think—and maybe overthink—its clever puzzles. For horror fans, it's a double feature: Call of Cthulhu's sanity-shattering frights meet Pulp Cthulhu's lighthearted antics (think Indiana Jones with an eldritch twist). The hosts then dive fang-first into Vampire: The Masquerade and the brooding drama of World of Darkness, where players face the ultimate challenge: emo roleplay. To cap it off, the crew gets their candles snuffed out in Ten Candles and pulled into the spine-tingling Appalachian horrors of Old Gods of Appalachia. Whether you're rolling a nat 20 or a nat 1, this episode celebrates RPGs in all their weird, wonderful glory. Links Almost everything below is an affiliate link and Tyler doesn't want to copy+paste this a zillion times Achtung Cthulhu Adventures in Rokugan Alien RPG ALIEN RPG - A review ALIEN RPG: Cinematic Scenario Cycle Review ALIEN RPG - RPGBOT.News S2E34 All Flesh Must Be Eaten Apocalypse World Battletech Bladerunner Call of Cthulhu Candela Obscura Colostle CY_BORG Cyberpunk Red Cypher Core Rulebook Death in Space Death in Space – A review Delta Green Doctor Who RPG Doctors and Daleks FFG Star Wars Fallout RPG Forbidden Lands Genesys Core Rulebook Imperium Maledictum Warhammer 40000 Roleplay: Imperium Maledictum - A Review Legend of the Five Rings Lord of the Rings Roleplay 5e Marvel Multiverse RPG Masks Mork Borg Mörk Borg - A Review Mörk Borg Cult: Heretic - A Zine Review Mörk Borg Cult: Heretic - RPGBOT.News S2E32 Numenera Old Gods of Appalachia Pirate Borg Pulp Cthulhu Ruins of Symbaroum Ruins of Symbaroum - A Review Ruins of Symbaroum - RPGBOT.News S2E46 Shadowdark RPGBOT.Podcast - ShadowDark RPG Adventure Designer Kelsey Dionne Shadowrun Symbaroum The One Ring 2e The One Ring 2nd Edition - A Review The Walking Dead RPG Vaesen Vaesen & the Mythic Britain and Ireland Expansion - A Review RPGBOT.Podcast - Zoe Franznick Reviews Free League's Vaesen Vampire: The Masquerade How to Play Vampire: The Masquerade Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Werewolf: The Apocalypse SPOOKTOBER - HOW TO PLAY WEREWOLF Episode Takeaways Game Mechanics & Themes Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay features a risky, intricate magic system and expansive character creation options. OSR games bring simplicity and nostalgia reminiscent of early D&D. SimBroom introduces corruption mechanics that shape gameplay. High-risk, high-reward gameplay boosts player engagement. RPGs offer unique themes and mechanics, expanding gameplay possibilities. Dragonbane lets players embody whimsical characters, like ducks. Shadow Dark thrives on time pressure and quick decision-making. Vison focuses on solving mysteries over combat, creating unique narratives. World of Darkness emphasizes personal horror and the burden of being a monster. Call of Cthulhu delivers cosmic horror with sanity mechanics, while Pulp Cthulhu adds action-oriented flair. Horror RPGs, like Old Gods of Appalachia and Ten Candles, use innovative mechanics to amplify tension. Dread, with its Jenga tower, brings suspense into the physical realm. Character Creation & Player Experience Brewing beer involves mastering sugar and fermentation processes. Transitioning from dungeon fantasy to darker themes in RPGs can challenge players. Vampire RPGs often introduce disempowerment and moral dilemmas, such as the dangerous Diablerie mechanic. Character survival in horror RPGs often hinges on player choices and narrative decisions. Game Selection & Exploration Selecting games often involves collaboration and even dice rolls. Exploring lesser-known RPGs enriches the gaming experience and storytelling. The RPG landscape is vast, with many innovative games to explore. Exploring different RPGs can enhance storytelling and player engagement. Resources & Community Engagement The chapter on mysteries in Vison's rulebook is a valuable resource for any TTRPG. Rubrics can help evaluate RPG mechanics and themes effectively. Community ratings and reviews play a key role in podcast growth. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. It's a quick, free way to support the podcast, and helps us reach new listeners. If you love the show, consider joining us on Patreon, where backers at the $5 and above tiers get ad free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT.Podcast, can chat directly to members of the RPGBOT team and community on the RPGBOT.Discord, and can join us for live-streamed recordings. Support us on Amazon.com when you purchase products recommended in the show at the following link: https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra Twitter: @RPGBOTDOTNET Facebook: rpgbotbotdotnet Bluesky:rpgbot.bsky.social Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games Twitter: @GravenAshes YouTube@ashravenmedia Randall James @JackAmateur Amateurjack.com Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

Kenneth didn't believe the house was haunted—at least not at first. The place was temporary, under renovation, and far from ideal, but he was caught up in the excitement of a new relationship. Still, the moment he stepped inside, something felt wrong. The air felt heavier. The mood shifted. Late one night, as the house fell silent, the ceiling fan began to move on its own—slowly, unnaturally—despite being turned off. It stopped… then started spinning the opposite direction. By morning, the unease hadn't faded. Over the next few days, the house escalated. Violent bangs shook the walls. Doors slammed without explanation. Locked spaces showed signs of movement that couldn't be traced. Electronics shrieked with static and distortion. Cold air appeared in one exact spot, like something unseen was standing there. This wasn't a typical haunting. Nothing announced itself. It watched. It reacted. And it didn't want them there. #RealGhostStories #TrueHaunting #HauntedHouse #ParanormalEncounter #Unexplained #TrueScaryStories #GhostActivity #DemonicWhispers #HauntingExperience #ParanormalPodcast #CreepyEncounters Love real ghost stories? Don't just listen—join us on YouTube and be part of the largest community of real paranormal encounters anywhere. Subscribe now and never miss a chilling new story:

Épisode du 2025-12-30

After the feasting has ended, the audit begins!  Join Rick and Ody as they deep dive into the goblinverse!

Dubshack Show with Slin and Dread on Sub FM 27th December 2025 - https://www.sub.fm

One on One Video Call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_US1.

Chris is back in this episode of Daniel is Wrong! We dive into the pre-production copy of Bagged and Boarded, followed by a fun round of Play, Shelf, Trade featuring Origin Story, Freedom Five, and Age of Comics. After that, John Kelly and Chris team up to tell Daniel that his takes on board games are just plain wrong! To wrap things up, we share our biggest crowdfunding mistakes and the projects we regret supporting.Join us Around the Board for all the laughs and board game insights!E-Mail us at Mail@Aroundtheboard.netJoin our Facebook Page at:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1374236329514579Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/aroundtheboard_atb/ @octoraffegames   @ArcaneWonders   @jameystegmaier   @liriusgames  #Boardgames #boardgamedebate #originstory #freedomfive #Ageofcomics #baggedandboarded #PanAm #RowdyPartners0:00 40K Chris is Back4:41 Stranger Things Eggo7:51 Bagged and Boarded8:45 Overview12:48 Daniel's Take16:44 John's Take21:22 Kell's Take25:47 Chris' Take33:19 Origin Story|Freedom Five|Age of Comics35:19 John's PST37:55 Kelly's PST41:27 Chris' PST44:43 Daniel's PST49:00 Secret Herod49:55 Hansa53:22 Daniel's Wrong54:09 Pan Am1:00:55 Rowdy Partners1:08:18 Board Game Geek Ratings1:15:34 Pledge of Dread1:15:52 Wonderlands War1:18:38 My Fathers Work1:26:04 Gotham City Cornicles1:30:36 The Original Sherlock Holmes1:35:37 Daniel Rants1:37:31 Birthdays

Windy City Nihilism is an Urban Horror Podcast Series. We do not shy away from touchy topics and the politics of horror, mental health, games, and life as a person of targeted identities. It is summer in Chicago and once again protests have taken over the city as the people demand more care and community and less state violence and austerity cuts to public programs. Romero is an experienced activist who is struggling with the constant cycles of organizing, marching and fighting with little noticeable change. Our crew makes a new plan and a new attempt at a seal.Content Warnings: Series wide content warnings include, Violence, Manipulation, State Surveillance,  Police, Player Conflict, Gentrification, Racism, Unwanted Romantic Gestures, Anti-Blackness, Sexism, Tension, Body Paralysis, Trauma, Monstrous forms, Complicated Relationships, Sex, Toxic Work Environments, Death, Hopelessness, Blood, Eldrich Horror, Colonization, and Existential Crisis and Dread.CAST:Synxiec as Romero Marcus the Targetedhttps://bsky.app/profile/synxiec.bsky.socialEmrys as Genissa Wallace the Human Street Medichttps://linktr.ee/dragonemrysBluu as Ruin the Social Media Vampire Demonhttps://kyngvee.carrd.co/https://beacons.ai/baddiebardsAndCassie as the Storytellerhttps://bio.link/mentalwokeEpisodes Edited by:Marissa Ewing-Moody of Hemlock Creek Productionshttps://www.hemlockcreekprod.com/NOTE: While some cast members are mental health professionals, nothing in this episode or series is medical advice. We speak to our lived experiences. If you have concerns please contact someone in your community of care and/or seek out an appropriate professional. No podcast can or should be used as a substitute for a relationship with a doctor, therapist or other trained professional.Background music and sound from Epidemic Sound : https://www.epidemicsound.com

Wicked, Travis, Fae, and Dread discuss 1979's iconic Alien.The No Clip Show. Alien Rankings. Dread's Special Little Job. Leave Danny Glover Alone. Alien Cubed Notes. We've Been Final Chaptered. Where is the Sex Planet? Charlize Theron Needs to Learn to Run Sideways. Michael Windsock. Alien Review: Not Enough Cats. Alien Huggies. Sexy Dean Stanton. It Actually was a Planetoid, Fae Was Right. Fourth Airlock Break. Final Girls, Scream Queens, and the Women Who Love Them. Ripley, I Hardly Knew Her. Dr. Stan Harold “Harry” Winston. No Word of Warning. The Lost Hundredth Episode. Had planned to make a 100th episode mashup but the intro took so much time and energy. Hopefully it'll happen for the 200th! Enjoy the episode!Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/GORE13Check out our website created by Baumbie GOREpodcast.comFollow the show on Bluesky @GOREpodcast.bsky.social Email the show at GOREpodcast13@gmail.com

Some festive favourite moments from the show

The Family Tradition***Written by: JT Johnson and Narrated by: Jimmy Ferrer***Nothing to Dread***Written by: Michael King and Narrated by: JV Hampton-VanSant***They're Not Shadows podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Rj6kA3eJKFHRXZ7aq3gyV***Support the show at patreon.com/creepypod***Sound design by: Pacific Obadiah***Title music by: Alex Aldea Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week! Jasper, Candace, and Jeremy are joined by the producer of all producers, Jess Jewell. The Halflings dive into PAX Unplugged, with Jess sharing her first US convention experience and her amazement at how much was packed into the event. Jasper talks about visiting PAX with Jess and the overwhelming scale of the convention, especially when compared to UK venues. Jess explains why she was in Philadelphia as 12 Sided Studios were commissioned to create The Winged Bull Tavern in collaboration with The Philadelphia LARP Society, an experience that was busy and very 'PAXed'. The conversation briefly turns to Quentin Tarantino's well-known opinions before teasing the infamous Shoegate story, available as a Patreon bonus. Jasper recounts his unfortunate food poisoning at PAX, including Chad revealing the cause while looking equally unwell. Candace then shares their highlights from the weekend, from running Dread and visiting The Winged Bull Tavern to finally meeting Jess and Jasper in person. The episode wraps up with a thoughtful discussion on post-con blues and the importance of community at conventions. Sign up to Patreon here to hear the full Shoegate story. Also - did you miss out on our first

A bead of sweat careered down the dome of his forehead like a wet cockroach.  Slapping his head and rubbing frenziedly, he squeezed his eyes tight shut and groaned quietly.  What to do? What to do?  When he re-opened his bleary eyes, his heart lurched.  In wiping the sweat from his brow, he must have caught the curtains, and they had parted more widely.  A good six or seven inches.  Blinking his vision back into focus, he saw the dark invaders stop dead where they were; a tableau from some obscene pantomime.Hello and welcome, dear listeners, to Haunted UK Fiction – a sister podcast to The Haunted UK which features original flash fiction, short stories, and novellas with paranormal themes. All stories you will hear were written by a collection of talented writers, authors, and storytellers, both independent and professional.In today's episode we'll be reading a true Christmas horror story called The Retribution of Parson Beelzebub Brown which was sent in to us by Jed Vesper. Jed Vesper is a horror writer with a taste for the macabre and strange.  His home county of Yorkshire, UK is steeped in atmosphere and inspiration for the ghoulish and ghostly, so he fits right in.  His debut anthologies:  Tales of Dread and Dismay, Volumes 1 and 2, are available in e-book format from Amazon worldwide.  Jed has also appeared in the BHF Books of Horror Stories, in Book Ate-th (special cannibal edition), and Book 11 (a folk horror special). Jed's stories have also been published on the Planet Raconteur podcast as well Nocturnal Transmissions podcast.  Jed is usually most active around the witching hour.  That's when the company is best. He sincerely hopes you are disturbed by his stories.We truly hope you enjoy this terrifying tale. If you would like to hear more from Jed Vesper, you can all details of Jed's past, present, and future writing projects on his Facebook page: Jed Vesper Ghost Story and Horror Writer – and he can occasionally be found haunting X @jedvesperIf you have an original story that would send a chill down our spines, and you would like to submit it for review, simply send it in to hauntedukfiction@hotmail.comUntil next time, stay safe, and take care.   Episode Credits:Story by Jed VesperNarrated by Steven HollowayScript prepared by Melissa WestProduced by Pink Flamingo Home StudioBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/haunted-uk-podcast--6759967/support.

Mike, Kait, and Nick take a journey through a smattering of Winter Holiday and Christmas themed comic books all the way from “classic” super hero fair, an anthology book with a mixed reception, and even a book that is a little more somber and sad but keeps it local.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Start/Last Week in Comics00:01:38 - The Quarry00:10:44 - Hellboy: A Christmas Underground00:22:44 - Dread the Halls00:34:35 - Discord Picks00:35:00 - American Caper #200:47:07 - All-Star Superman00:51:14 - Batman / Deadpool00:54:19 - WrapMusic provided by Infinity Shred. Find them on Bandcamp.IRCB Avatars by @ICELEVELIRCB Logo by Kyle RoseProducer: Mike RapinProoflistener: Danny MartinezEditor: Zander Riggs Support us on Patreon to get access to our Patreon-only series: IRCB Movie Club, Saga of Saga, Giant Days of Our Lives, A Better Batmobile, and more! patreon.com/ircbpodcastBuy a copy of our anniversary zine Totally Not A Cult: https://ircbpodcast.com/shop/p/totally-not-a-cult-zine-1Email: ircbpodcast@gmail.comTwitter: @ircbpodcastInstagram: @ircbpodcastDiscord: discordapp.com/invite/E8JUB9sReddit: ireadcomicbooks.reddit.comIRCB GoodreadsMerch: ircbpodcast.com/shop

Before insomnia entered Abbie's life, sleep was effortless. She'd never had to think about it. She fell asleep quickly, stayed asleep, and moved through her days without giving sleep much attention at all. It was simply there — reliable and unremarkable. That changed in the fall of 2021 after a short illness. One sleepless night turned into another, and before long, sleep became the center of everything. What started as confusion quickly grew into anxiety and pressure. Each night felt like a test. Each morning felt heavier. As the nights passed, fear took over — fear of being awake, fear of not functioning, fear that something was permanently wrong. Like many people facing insomnia, Abbie did what made sense. She tried to fix it. She went to bed earlier and earlier. She canceled plans. She followed strict routines. She tried supplements. She searched for answers. And each attempt came with hope — followed by disappointment when sleep didn't show up. Over time, life began to shrink around sleep, and the struggle only intensified. Days became just as difficult as nights. Her mind stayed locked on one question: Am I going to sleep tonight? Anxiety filled the hours. Dread set in as evening approached. Even when she was exhausted, her heart raced and her thoughts refused to slow down. What began to shift things wasn't a new fix — it was a change in how she responded. Abbie started noticing that withdrawing from life wasn't helping. Staying in bed wasn't restoring her energy. And fighting her thoughts wasn't bringing relief. Slowly, she began doing something different: showing up to her life even when sleep felt uncertain. She experimented with staying up later instead of trying to force sleep. She returned to the gym. She made plans. She studied. She lived — without waiting for sleep to cooperate. And over time, something important changed. Sleep became less of a battleground. Her thoughts lost their grip. And trust — in herself and in her body — started to rebuild. In this conversation, Abbie shares what it was like to move through insomnia, how her relationship with sleep changed, and why easing the struggle — not fixing sleep — made all the difference. Click here for a full transcript of this episode. Transcript Martin: Welcome to the Insomnia Coach Podcast. My name is Martin Reed. I believe that by changing how we respond to insomnia and all the difficult thoughts and feelings that come with it, we can move away from struggling with insomnia and toward living the life we want to live. Martin: The content of this podcast is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. The statements and opinions expressed by guests are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by Insomnia Coach LLC. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied. Martin: Okay. Abbie, thank you so much for taking the time out for your day to come onto the podcast. Abbie: Yeah, thanks for having me. Great to be here. Martin: Let’s start right at the very beginning. When did your issues with sleep first begin and what do you feel caused those issues with sleep? Abbie: Yeah. It was fall 2021, so like almost four years ago, which is crazy because it feels so vivid in my memories. Abbie: But I had gotten sick, I think it was like the cold or a flu or something, just like a normal sick, and I wasn’t able to sleep which was really jarring for me at the time because prior to this sort of period of insomnia, I had been a really great sleeper. Like I, had my whole life I had basically like. Abbie: I never really thought much about sleep. I fell asleep immediately. I stayed asleep. Yeah I had gotten sick, I wasn’t able to sleep. And then I remember the next night I was like, okay, tonight’s the night like, I have to sleep. So I was already, like putting that pressure on sleep it has to be tonight. Abbie: And so that kind of started, I would say like the feedback loop of okay, I am stressed about sleep. The more I stress about sleep, the less I’m gonna sleep. Yeah, I think I was also dealing with just like a period of more heightened anxiety in my life at the time too. I was applying to graduate school and taking, the admissions tests for that and so maybe it was just like, kinda like the perfect storm. Abbie: I was like, okay, if I’m gonna get better, I need to sleep. I think it was also like, this was the first time in my life I had experienced a sleepless night. And so it was just like, that was really uncomfortable, like laying there awake all night. The longer you’re awake, the more stressed you’re getting, your heart’s kind of beating fast. Abbie: Like the whole thing was just uncomfortable and new for me. So I was like I don’t want that to happen again. I better sleep tonight. Abbie: I feel like each night I wasn’t sleeping, I was just getting more and more anxious about sleeping. I think I was like a week in at that point and I had probably slept two hours each night and I was like, what is going on? Abbie: Am I ever gonna sleep again? And yeah, I mean it was, I would fall asleep around four or 5:00 AM and then be back up again at 6:00 AM for work. And yeah it was just super uncomfortable and yeah, anyone who’s. Insomnia knows how stressful it is. Abbie: It was like, every hour that passes, I’m like, okay, I gotta get up in what, in three hours, two hours, one hour. And then, just this intense desire to stay in bed in the mornings. I think to see if you’re tired and you haven’t slept, and you’re like, all I wanna do is stay in bed. Abbie: I do think, like looking back, I think having my work routine and schedule was like really hard at the time, but really beneficial in some ways because I couldn’t just sit in bed and all day and try to go back to bed and I had to get up and get out and go to work. And that was also ended up being, I think, a good distraction. Abbie: At least for like the eight hours a day I was working. I wasn’t thinking about sleep. I think that was positive. Martin: What about that day, those days when you didn’t have any work obligations? Were things different then? Abbie: Yeah, I would definitely I think early on I would definitely, stay in bed all morning, like trying to quote unquote rest or see if maybe I could eventually fall asleep. Abbie: And just like really dreading the day because I had slept it all and I was like, Ugh, another day I’m gonna be really tired all day. It’s gonna be so bad. Like kind of those typical anxious, catastrophic thoughts of I just, I don’t wanna do the day. Like I didn’t get any sleep. So if there was, if I didn’t have work and nothing was like forcing me outta bed, I think it was, it would’ve been hard. Martin: So at this point. Things are really difficult as you’ve just described. And when we face difficulties in life or problems in life, we look to solve them. Martin: So what was your next step? What other things were you trying to do to get your sleep back on track and get yourself back to where you used to be? Abbie: Yeah, I think I was trying everything. One of the things I started doing early on was like, canceling all my plans and I would get off work and, as soon as I was done with work like the dread and the anxiety about sleeping that night would kick in. Abbie: And so I would be like, okay, I gotta go home. I gotta make dinner and I gotta get in bed. So I was like, my bedtime was becoming earlier and earlier even though I just, I wasn’t tired. And I think I was also pretty much trying every sleep supplement out there that there is like about a month in, I think I’d seen my doctor and she had prescribed me I think it was like Ambien or something, and I never ended up taking it, but I did try every over the counter supplement, magnesium, melatonin, all the things. Abbie: And I would get like really excited like, okay, this is gonna be the thing, like this is gonna work for me. And then every time it didn’t, it was like a letdown of okay, it was like more evidence in my mind that, my sleep is broken and there’s nothing out there that’s gonna fix it. Martin: I think a lot of people are gonna identify with that. Martin: And all the things you shared are completely logical to try, right? If we want more sleep to happen it’s almost ground into us that we go to bed earlier, that it’s important to go to bed early get more sleep, give sleep that opportunity to show up. And there can be, it can be, it’s almost like we can become really enthusiastic or we can just try so hard that it backfires on us to the point where we do less with our lives and sleep then grows in importance. Martin: It becomes more of a focus. So it’s almost like we’re up in the stakes. It becomes even more important for us to perform sleep and then when it doesn’t happen as we want it to. You did a great job of just describing what that’s like yourself. We can just, it feels, it can feel like a personal failure and it can reinforce perhaps this belief that there is something uniquely wrong, that maybe our sleep system is somehow broken. Martin: But the truth of the matter is, it’s. Perhaps it’s all the ongoing efforts and the trying, which now exists when it never existed before, when we slept fine, that might be the true source of the problem. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. And I think yeah, along the lines of just like trying everything to control sleep, I was like doing all the sleep hygiene, things like that were recommended. Abbie: Like I was no screens before bed. Like I just, I had this whole routine of I got a no caffeine, no alcohol, blah, blah, blah. That was just like adding more and more things when, like you just said in the past I had no sleep routine. Like I was, I would pass out on the couch watching TV and go to bed. Abbie: So yeah, I think that’s exactly right. Martin: Often as we’re engaged in this pursuit of sleep, we end up removing things from our lives that, either give us meaning or are enjoyable. And that could be something like we, we might give up coffee altogether, for example, even though that’s something we really enjoy. Martin: We remove that from our lives. We remove TV from our lives. We remove going out with friends late at night from our lives. And so our sleep generally stays the same because sleep doesn’t really care about any of that stuff. But at the same time, our situation has gotten worse because we’re taking all of that stuff away in order to serve sleep. Martin: And it just makes us, it can make us just feel trapped in this just endless spiral of more difficulty and a less joy from life. More withdrawal and more struggle. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah. I definitely think that was my experience. The more I. I stopped my usual routine. The worse, I think the worse that it got, for sure. Abbie: Which is counterintuitive at the time I was like, I can’t be out until 10 o’clock, like I gotta be in bed. And that ended up being one of the things that I, that down the road really helped me was actually staying out late and doing things late at night and doing all these things despite not being able to sleep. Martin: I’m curious, you mentioned earlier that you went to the doctor and they gave you a prescription for the Ambien, but you didn’t end up taking end. Curious to know why that was? Abbie: Yeah. I was really nervous about taking it, but I think what I was really nervous about is that I, that it would work and that I wouldn’t rely on it to sleep and. Abbie: That was like my worst nightmare. It was like, okay, I can suffer and try to sleep and all these things, and if I took this medication and it worked is that gonna be the rest of my life? Am I never gonna be able to sleep again without this medication? So I definitely was like, I think I was really tempted and really close to probably taking it after a month of not sleeping, but I was like yeah, I just wa I didn’t wanna rip the bandaid off, I guess you could say and go down this like spiral of that I felt like I, I couldn’t get back from. Martin: And I think that’s a good illustration of how any effort or anything that we do to try and make sleep happen can so easily backfire. Because if we try something and it feels like it works. We can feel that reinforces this belief or this idea that we need something to generate sleep, that we’re incapable of generating it by ourselves. Martin: And on the other hand, if we try something and it doesn’t work, then we reinforce this belief that we need. We still need to keep looking, that we can’t generate sleep by ourselves, that we failed at that thing or that we failed at sleep. So we’ve got this potential that regardless of the outcome, every time we try, we might be reinforcing this idea or this belief that there’s something wrong with our sleep system, that there’s something wrong with our situation, that something is broken when that’s never the case, as we’ll explore a little bit later in our conversation. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. I think the reliance, like you said on these external things was really big for me early on and that didn’t end up being the solution. Martin: You also made a good point too, that if we do feel like we’re reliant on something, there might be a point in the future where we don’t wanna be reliant on that thing anymore. Martin: So if we haven’t addressed what the real root cause of this issue might be then we are gonna be having to revisit that at some point in the future. So it never really goes away. It’s always gonna be with us. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah. It definitely felt like a short term solution and I was like, I gotta try, I gotta try something else. Martin: People that aren’t too familiar with insomnia will usually only think of insomnia as like a nighttime problem, but when we’ve been struggling with it or we’ve got that experience of struggling with it, we know that it really is a 24 hour problem, right? It affects our nights and it affects our days. Martin: Maybe it affects our days even more than it affects our nights. I’m curious to hear from you. How was this affecting your days? Not only in terms of like you touched upon your, those kind of withdrawal from the activities and doing things that are important to you, but the way your mind was responding. What was that experience like for you? Abbie: Yeah, I would say it was like really intense anxiety. Pretty much from the moment I got outta bed of just these thoughts of am I gonna sleep tonight? And like I had said going to work was a good distraction, but of course I was like exhausted at work and I was like, I don’t know how many more days and nights of this like I can do. Abbie: And you’re just spiraling. Is this permanent? Is this forever? And I think I also developed a lot of health anxiety around it, like I had all these concerns is this gonna have long-term sort of negative consequences on my health? I think, rightfully there’s so much out there about the number one thing you could do for your health and your longevity is sleep. Abbie: And you Google sleep and there’s 15 articles about the negative consequences of not sleeping. And not to say that the science isn’t true. I just think that was like really unhelpful for me at the time of okay, not only is the consequence, like I’m tired and anxious and I, I physically feel bad, but there’s, if this keeps going this is gonna be bad for my health in the long term. Abbie: So I don’t know. All these thoughts were like spiraling all day long. And then as soon as it. I got dark out, like as soon as the sun started to go down I would get this like intense feeling of dread. And yeah. So it was definitely, like you said, an all day thing, not just like a nighttime thing. Abbie: I think at night it was definitely more I’m sitting in bed and my heart is racing and my thoughts are racing and the more you’re trying to sleep, the more your heart is racing. And so it’s like a lot of physical symptoms. And then during the day it was just like a lot of my mind is consumed with, am I gonna sleep tonight? Martin: The messaging around sleep out there is very focused on sleep is very important and I would agree with that. Sleep is very important, just like breathing is very important and we’re still waiting for a study to come out that shows that insomnia causes any health problem or increases risk of mortality. But boy, when you read some of that stuff that’s online, it really does sound like a life or death situation. And when you are already putting so much importance on sleep, it can just make things so much more difficult. Martin: Because it, again, it ups the stakes, right? And you’re gonna put more pressure on yourself to perform sleep. So yeah, I just wanted to emphasize that yes, sleep is important, but the body can generate it by itself just like it generates breathing by itself. And I think a lot of people here listening to this will really identify with how you described what your mind was doing at the time, it was problem solving for you. It was trying to fix this problem. It was brainstorming, and as it was doing that, it was generating lots of difficult feelings, difficult thoughts. It was generating anxiety to ensure that you were giving it attention. Martin: And there’s also that fatigue, right? That sense of exhaustion. And it can just be when you combine that with your mind is just being focused on sleep and generating all these predictions or these stories it can be really hard to focus and to concentrate on doing stuff that matters. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah. Abbie: That, that was definitely my experience. I think, the anxiety is like enough to deal with and then you’re exhausted, and so that’s only feeding it. And you, I just remember feeling okay, if I don’t like. Die from lack of sleep I’m gonna lose my mind. Yeah, it was just a big spiral. Martin: How did you respond to what your mind was doing at the time? Abbie: At the time I had family and friends and a partner who were really supportive and I could confide in and that was great. But I also think unless you’ve experienced insomnia, I still just felt like very alone, in the experience. Abbie: And finding Insomnia Coach was like huge in realizing that I wasn’t alone and that these aren’t unique thoughts and experiences in, in a good way. So yeah, I was trying to cope I think, as best as I could. I was distracting myself. Trying to distract myself at work and yeah, as soon as I realized that the withdrawing from day-to-day activities was making it worse I think that was a really good kind of switch for me in okay, if I can’t sleep, I can’t control the sleep, but I can control my response and I can control what I’m doing. Abbie: So instead of going to bed at 8:00 PM like I’m gonna go and go to the gym. And I, with no expectation that the gym was gonna make me tired, just like I like to go to the gym and I’m gonna, if I’m up anyway, like I’m gonna study for the GRE and do my grad school application. Abbie: So I think, yeah, as soon as I had that mindset shift from withdrawing to. Going back to my normal routine. If anything it, it was a good distraction. Martin: It sounds like you noticed this conflict between some of the thoughts or the stories that your mind was your problem solving brain was telling you as it was trying to fix this problem for you, like you need to withdraw, you can’t do those things. Martin: You need to do less. You need to say, no, you need to go home. All of these things. And compared to your experience, your experience was telling you well, actually withdrawing isn’t making things any better. It’s not making me feel less fatigued or more rested. It’s certainly not making my life any better. Martin: And once you notice that conflict, maybe there was this kinda light bulb moment there that I can hear all these thoughts. I can listen to all these thoughts and stories. I don’t necessarily need to fight them. I just need to respond in a way that’s of my choosing. I get to decide how to respond to these thoughts. Martin: I don’t have to battle with them, struggle with them. I don’t have to let them control me ultimately. I still have the power here. Abbie: Yeah. I do think that was like the first sort of light bulb going off of okay, all of my thoughts and beliefs about anything but about sleep are not necessarily reality. Abbie: I don’t have to believe that, I have this thought, I’m never gonna sleep again. That doesn’t make it true. Or you have this thought like, I need to go home and cancel all my plans and otherwise we’re gonna be exhausted. I was exhausted anyway yeah I do think the realization that I didn’t have to, I guess believe my. Abbie: My thoughts was also like a really big switch for me. Martin: What did it feel like to realize that what your brain might be telling you or what your brain might be saying might not actually be true? Abbie: Yeah, honestly, it felt like a big relief. I and I also think I realize the worse I feel and the more negative the thoughts, the less true my thinking is and the less serious I need to take my thinking. Abbie: So yeah, I think this big relief of there’s a whole reality that exists out in the world and I can always come back to that and whatever my thoughts, my brain are telling me, it doesn’t always match up with what the reality is. And so as soon as I gave myself like, permission to not believe my thoughts, and I still practice this today. Abbie: Like it’s not easy, but you have an anxious thought or something and you’re like, okay, or here’s the alternative and this isn’t true. So yeah, as soon as I gave myself that permission to, to not one take my thinking so seriously and to two not trust it, especially like when I’m feeling down or bad I think yeah, that, that was a huge sort of flip for me and in my kind of journey with insomnia, but also just like my overall mental health journey. Martin: I think it might be human nature to resist what’s difficult or uncomfortable. So for many of us. We will resist anxiety, for example, or try really hard to fight it when it shows up or avoid it from showing up in the first place. As you develop this insight or this light bulb moment that maybe the thoughts aren’t always true, did that change how you were able to respond to them? Abbie: I think the big thing was just like not taking it so seriously like not taking every thought so seriously. And that in turn helped me take some of the pressure off of sleep because if, if I am, my brain is telling me that, if I don’t sleep tonight there’s gonna be all these consequences and blah, blah, blah, then, but if I don’t have to believe that, then it’s not so much pressure that I sleep tonight or the next night or whenever. Abbie: I do think like getting some distance from my own thoughts was also good. Like I, you’re just, I was so in my own head and every thought that came up, I had to follow that train of thought and act on it. When I realized that I didn’t I think I had a lot more freedom to, to actually do the things that felt Right. Martin: So when you found Insomnia Coach, at this point, you’d already been trying lots of different things. What made you think there might be something here rather than it just being yet another one of these things that you’ll probably try and not get much from? What made it feel different? Abbie: Yeah, I think the main thing was there, this sort of like notion that there’s actually nothing to do, I think a lot of other content, like I had mentioned was like, do this, and this before better or don’t do this and this. And when I found Insomnia Coach, I just really, it was the first time I had seen the messaging like, the more we try, the less sleep will come. Abbie: And so I think when I first found it, I was like, it’s like when some, when you’re stressed and someone tells you to calm down, you’re like, yeah, okay. Stop trying. Sure. That I think at the time seemed like pretty much impossible. But yeah, I think the, there was a lot of content in the emails that you sent that was like one, like I mentioned, making me feel like I’m not alone in this and this isn’t unique to me. Abbie: And two. Maybe I can just let go a little bit, like maybe I can stop trying so hard. And there were some other like specific sort of techniques and things that, that you had mentioned that ended up being really helpful for me, which I am happy to talk about. But yeah, I think it was just the permission to stop trying so hard. Martin: If we are able to remember a time when sleep wasn’t an issue or a concern, what were we doing to make sleep happen so well back then? And maybe our own experience can reveal the most valuable insight, which is that sleep was effortless. It required no effort, there were no rules, there were no rituals. It just happened by itself, and that’s really where we want to get back to. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah. I think that sort of idea you’re mentioning about some of the most valuable information being like my own experience. I think that came up again and again it later in my journey with insomnia. Like when I would have like bumps along the road, I would go back to okay, I’ve had insomnia before. Abbie: I pretty much didn’t sleep for like months on end. And I survived, and I. I went to work and I functioned and all these things like that is evidence for me in my mind that I can do it again. And I think what made this like first like intense bout so hard was that I, this was the first time it had happened. Abbie: Like I didn’t have evidence that I could go back to my baseline, but as soon as I had that, like first night of like normal sleep, I think that was really powerful for me to be like, okay here’s your own experience and evidence that it’s possible to sleep. Again. Martin: It really is a learning experience, I think. Martin: And there’s that classic phrase that we don’t know what we don’t know but if we can approach things with some kindness that we aren’t these all encompassing, all seeing individual geniuses, that there are gonna be things that we don’t know. And we can be kind to it to ourselves about that and be curious and be willing to learn or experiment. Martin: There is so much value there because I think that really is what gives us the opportunity to make change happen. Abbie: Yeah, I definitely wish I had been easier on myself when things were at their peak. I think I, yeah, just like the self-talk and like the things you’re telling yourself why can’t I do this? Abbie: My sleep must be broken. It’s all just negative reinforcement instead of positive sort of affirmations for yourself. I think that can be really hard in the moment. But yeah, looking back, I, I think that would’ve been really useful. Martin: It’s amazing how hard we can be on ourselves when things, when we’re experiencing difficulty and struggle, because I like to believe that there’s good in all of us, and I think that most of us, if we were sitting down with a loved one and they were describing exactly what we were going through themselves, we would talk to them in a completely different way to how we talk to ourselves when we are experiencing that exact same thing. Abbie: Yeah. That is so true. I think that’s something I, I’m still working on, like in every situation what would I tell my loved one, or my friend or my family like I would, if the roles were reversed and a friend had come to me with this insomnia problem, like I would’ve been really like concerned and worried for them. Abbie: But of course I wouldn’t have been like. And I would be like, you’re gonna sleep again. Of course you’re gonna sleep again. And I couldn’t tell myself that at the time. Martin: And if nothing else, again, if we pull on our own experience, we can ask ourselves, how does talking to myself in this way? Or how does acting toward myself in this way help? Martin: Is it improving the situation? Is it making me feel better? Is it helping me emerge from the struggle? Or is it making things more difficult? And I’m a big, I’m a huge proponent of us using our own experience as our best guide, because every person is the expert on themselves. I’m not the expert of anyone other than myself. Martin: But what I can do is encourage people to look within themselves and reflect on their own experience. When it comes to so many struggles in life maybe all of them, the answers that we need are already within us. It’s just a case of. Looking for them. And sometimes we need some kind of external influence or source to tease them out, but all the answers are already within us. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah, that’s a great point. Martin: Let’s get into the changes that you made, that you found most helpful. What ones would you like to share with us? Abbie: Yeah, the most like tangible thing I did was give myself this sort of like wake window in which I couldn’t go to bed. I think I started with three or 4:00 AM or something, and I was like, I’m not even gonna attempt to sleep. Abbie: I have to stay up until 3:00 AM and then I can get in bed and whatever happens, but like until 3:00 AM I am watching tv, I’m doing something, whatever. And I think this like definitely tricked my brain from I have to sleep, I have to sleep, I have to sleep to, I can’t sleep until this time. Abbie: I think that was like really powerful for me. And, it wasn’t like a cure all, like all of a sudden I was sleeping, but it took probably a month when I was like slowly pushing back this sleep sort of window earlier and eventually I would, it would be like 2:00 AM and I would be like passing out to sleep on the couch. Abbie: And I was like, okay, we’ll push it back to 1:00 AM and midnight. And that was really helpful for me. And something that I used, even once my sleep improved, if I had, a bad night or a bad week, I’d be like, okay we’re going back to this like wake window and tonight I’m up until three and we’ll see what happens. Abbie: So yeah it was totally just a mental thing of telling yourself you need to sleep versus telling yourself you have to stay awake. Which is such a simple thing when you, when I look back, but that was like really transformative. Yeah. And the other thing, like I talked about, I think was just like really returning to my routine. Abbie: So like I, I would hang out with friends after work. I would go to the gym, take, my roommate at the time was like a night shift nurse, so she was up anyway, so I’d be like, let’s go do something. And, I’d be out, it’d be like midnight and I’d be like, okay. That was all time in which I was distracted and not thinking about sleep. Abbie: And then I come home and I found sleek to just be a lot easier as soon as I, yeah, sleep to be a lot easier. When I wasn’t laying in bed at 8:00 PM every night waiting for it to happen. Martin: I think what you’ve shared is a great example of there’s no unique way of doing this that is gonna work or be appropriate for everyone. Martin: It’s about finding what’s helpful for you with the intent, as long as the intention is workable, as long as you’re not trying to control what can’t be controlled. So for you, your intent was to move away from trying to make sleep happen. And as a way of helping you reach that goal, you decided I’m gonna make myself stay awake till 3:00 AM instead of trying to fall asleep, I’m gonna try to stay awake. Martin: And that could be such a powerful mindset shift, right? Because then when we’re trying to stay awake. What might happen differently? What was your experience? How did things change when you went from trying to sleep to trying to stay awake? Abbie: Yeah, I just felt like the, I had a new goal, like my brain had a new problem to solve, and the problem was like, we gotta stay up till 3:00 AM and I gotta find stuff to do until 3:00 AM. Abbie: So that was helpful. And just yeah, taking the pressure off from and getting outta my own thoughts of okay, it’s another hour and I’m outta sleep. It’s another hour and I’m not asleep. And into just a more calm and peaceful state of mind. And then of course once that happens, like I would just, I would fall asleep. Abbie: And even on those nights, like when I. I was trying to make to 3:00 AM and I would like doze off at two or something. I would, the next day I would be like, okay, like what did I do? Like how did I do it? And every night it was like I didn’t do anything, like my body just fell asleep and there was enough sleep drive to, to put me to sleep. Abbie: And then, yeah, as soon as I had, like even I, like I mentioned I was really sleeping like very little. So even when I had three or four hours of sleep a night, that was again, more evidence in my mind that my sleep is not broken and it is possible. So it was that positive feedback cycle, whereas before it had been this negative feedback cycle. Martin: When you weren’t trying to make sleep happen, you were now all of a sudden trying to stay awake. That urge to sleep just became stronger because you’re no longer putting that pressure on or putting the effort in. And that came too with the bonus of, it’s a powerful reminder that your sleep system is still there, it’s still intact, it’s not broken. Martin: You are feeling that sense of sleepiness and a sense of sleepiness isn’t always required for sleep to happen, but it can be a nice reassuring reminder when you feel that sleepiness and the difficulty staying awake. And even if someone is listening to this and they don’t really wanna stay awake until 3:00 AM again, that’s not a requirement. Martin: A lot of people just look to stay awake later than they have been. If they feel like they go into bed earlier and it’s not really doing much for them, then how about we just move it a little bit later? Martin: It’s just a tool that’s there for you to practice if and when you as the expert on yourself, feel is gonna be useful. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. We’re trying to get away from here’s the one thing that’s gonna fix everything and that’s not the case. But I do think anything that can flipped the script in your brain from sleep whether it’s distraction or whether it’s staying up later or whatever, I think can be really useful. Martin: Yeah. And sometimes staying up later can be more appealing than going to bed earlier. If we find that when we go to bed earlier is a lot of tossing and turning and struggling and battling, it can be somewhat of a relief to give ourselves permission to stay out of bed and not go to bed until later. Martin: Whereas on the other hand, someone else listening to this might find that time in bed quite pleasant. In which case, why not go to bed at the time you’ve been going? It really does, again, come down to the individual, but there is that potential opportunity, bonus opportunity there of being able to do something else earlier in the night rather than struggling. Martin: The other helpful change that you’ve said that you made was reengaging in life and doing stuff for example, going to the gym which maybe you were doing less of in response to the difficulties with sleep. And I think maybe a lot of people listening to this can recognize that. Yeah I would love to do all these things that matter to me. Martin: But it just feels so difficult to do that. It maybe, it even feels impossible to do that. I’m curious to know if you had those kind of thoughts, and if so, how did you stay committed or how were you willing to experiment with this idea of still doing some of this stuff, re-engaging in this stuff that matters? Abbie: Yeah, I, I think early on, like fighting the urge to just go home and do nothing was so hard. Like the last thing it did, it felt impossible to think I’m gonna go do something with friends after work, or I’m gonna go to the gym or whatever. And I did kind of shy away from everything for a long time because it was so hard. But I think even like that first time that I made plans after work or went to the gym and realized like, okay, nothing bad happened I’m still just as tired as I was before. It wasn’t, I think also at this point, like my body was in such like fight or flight mode that like nothing, like I just was exhausted and nothing was making it better or worse honestly. Abbie: And so when I realized okay, I can either. Go home and toss and turn in bed all night and feel horrible. Or I can go to the movies after work and then come home and feel horrible. I’m gonna pick the thing that at least gives me a little bit of joy for the time that I’m doing it. And yeah not to say doing any of that, like somehow cured my sleep or anything. Abbie: But I started slowly to like care a little bit less and less that I wasn’t sleeping because it, one of the things I had been telling myself is okay, why is it so bad that I can’t sleep? It’s so bad because I’m not gonna be able to live my life. Abbie: I’m not gonna be able to go to work. I’m gonna get fired. All these things. And when you realize that, okay, these things are not conditional on sleep, like I can still do these things. Despite whether or not I sleep, I think there was a lot of freedom in that. Martin: What did progress for you look like? How did you measure progress? Abbie: I definitely think early on it was still all about sleep and the quality of my sleep. And every night was like either a success or a failure. Like I either slept or I didn’t, and things were very black and white. And I think slowly over time I was able to realize, okay, maybe there’s a little bit less anxiety and a little bit less dread before bedtime because I’m excited to go out with my roommate or to go to yoga or whatever. Abbie: Like eventually I got to the point where success, I think I, I always was gonna like care about sleep, but I definitely got to the point where success was a lot more like. What is my mental state about sleep? Am I wrapped up in this like anxious bald spiral or am I thinking and doing other things with my day? Abbie: So yeah, I think measuring progress definitely changed. Does as time went on. And I do think measuring progress in did I sleep or did I not sleep is, was not useful for me personally. Martin: It makes sense why we would want to measure progress based on how we’re sleeping from night to night because that’s the main problem that we are looking to solve. Martin: And yet it can set us up for struggle ’cause our own experience probably tells us that sleep is out of our control. So I think it can be useful to dig a little bit deeper and ask ourselves. What makes sleep important to me? Why do I want to get rid of insomnia? Martin: And on the surface it can sound obvious, but if you do a little bit of digging, we can often find that it reveals bigger insights that are often more related to, we see this as an obstacle to us living the kind of life we want to live. We don’t have freedom over our lives or power over our lives anymore, and we want that back. Martin: And so when you uncover something along those lines, if that’s something that you do uncover. It can help you redirect your attention towards action. And maybe then your markers of progress become more related to action. And that can be so helpful because action is within your control. So if insomnia is an obstacle to you doing things that matter, or if you’ve started to do some things that matter, maybe then that’s the true progress. Martin: ’cause it’s actually moving you closer to where you want to be, rather than trying to eliminate something which you might not be able to direct your control. Abbie: Definitely true for me that one of the worries with insomnia was like, like I said I’m not gonna be able to go to work, I’m not gonna be able to be successful in a career or maintain my relationships, giving myself evidence that’s not true in the form of well, I’m gonna do these things anyway, was so powerful. Martin: It’s connected to that power and influence all these thoughts and these feelings that show up alongside insomnia have over your life. So you are able to reflect on the fact that they were almost certainly still showing up maybe less over time as you’re less tangled up in them. Martin: But I’m sure they would still show up because they’re natural, normal human feelings and thoughts, but they’re not consuming all of your energy and all of your attention. They’re more like water off of a duck’s back rather than some, rather than this huge pair of stadium speakers right in front of your face just blaring heavy metal music. Martin: They’re just starting to lose some of that power and influence. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. And it’s so interesting to reflect now when I have a period of sleeplessness or something like. Just how now it’s like an annoyance. I’m like that was annoying. I might be tired today. When before it was like, the world is ending, so I think the seriousness at which I view not sleeping has, is definitely definitely lessened, which is good Martin: When it shows up it’s more like a mosquito rather than a huge black bear frothing at the mouth. Abbie: Yeah. Martin: As you were making these changes, was it just a case that things just got progressively better? Martin: Or did you find there were periods when things went well and then there were like these road bumps or setbacks? Was there any kind of patterns you were noticing, or was it all over the place? What did that look like for you? What did that journey look like for you? Abbie: Yeah, definitely was not linear. Abbie: I think about maybe after about six months, I felt like I was sleeping okay, maybe six hours a night in my own bed. But I think sleeping elsewhere or having my partner stay over, traveling, all that stuff was like still really hard for me. And like on one pattern I noticed was like on Sunday nights I really had trouble sleeping because I was like, again, putting pressure, like this is my last night before I have an entire work week to get through. If I don’t sleep tonight, I’m gonna be tired all week. And then by the time like Thursday came, I think sleep was like a lot easier ’cause it just was like, okay, I’m at the end of the week. I’m tired. Abbie: But yeah, I would say it was probably about like a year until I felt like I could really sleep elsewhere, like travel or stay at my parents’ house or anything, and sleep. Abbie: There were definitely bumps along the road and about a year in I ended up going to grad school and that was just like a big change in my life and a period of kind of stress and some of the sleep issues came back and I just went right back to the things that I had worked last time. Abbie: Like I went back to my wake windows and I think it was just so much easier when it did come back because instead of thinking like I, I mean there were some thoughts of oh no, like it’s happening again. But more so there were thoughts of I did this before, I can do it again. And I have better tools now. Abbie: So I think looking back, it was like each bump along the road made things better in a way. ’cause it was like, again, more evidence that these things are gonna ebb and flow, but I’m always gonna return to baseline. Martin: You can’t have those bumps in the road unless you’re moving forward on your journey. Martin: And that’s something we can easily lose sight of. We focus on what hasn’t gone right or we focus on the setback but that wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t within that context of some kind of progress. Abbie: Yeah, I definitely had a lot more gratitude, like going from sleeping one or two hours a night, like every next hour that I was able to sleep. Abbie: Like I was just grateful for. And even now if I consistently will get eight hours of sleep and every once in a while I’ll be like, I need to remember to be thankful for that because there was a period in which like four hours of sleep was like the ultimate goal. So yeah, definitely a good exercise in practicing gratitude too. Martin: I think when the difficult nights show up or when the nights when we get less sleep than usual or what we were hoping for, it’s a reminder that as human beings there are gonna be nights when we have less sleep than we want. Just there will be thoughts that show up and some of those thoughts will feel good, some won’t, some will be helpful, some won’t. Martin: And it really is just a case, like you said, of the ongoing practice. You’ve got that experience at that point of what has helped you. It’s just a case of going back to them or refocusing on them. Because every time you practice, you also get better at them. You gain more skill In all these things that we talked about, you develop more resiliency, you become better at it. Martin: But that doesn’t mean you can reach this ultimate peak of enlightenment when none of this stuff affects you and never shows up ever again. Life doesn’t work that way. There’s like this magnet force trying to draw us back into a struggle. But it’s a case of you’ve got that awareness now of when that’s happening, you know an alternative way to respond. Martin: And you can focus on those action based responses to continue moving forward. As you reflect on the journey that you’ve been on, how has it changed your life? What have you learned from this whole experience? Abbie: When it was happening I remember, like I said, just having these really negative thoughts of this is gonna change my life for the worst. Abbie: I’m gonna have long-term, health or otherwise consequences from this. And not only has that not been the case but also I feel like it, it really has had a positive impact in that. I just feel like a lot more equipped to handle. The ebbs and the flows. There was a point in my life where, you know, thinking about having kids and traveling and all these things that were gonna disrupt my sleep, like really stressed me out. Abbie: And those things are a little bit quieter now that I have this like trust that, that I can handle these things. And I think that extends not just to like insomnia, but other areas in my life like these thought patterns and this mentality like can be applied to any sort of like area of anxiety or just any sort of thoughts that I’m having. Abbie: Yeah, I’ve definitely found it just like mentality shift to be useful in other areas of my life as well. Martin: You’re not the first person to say that, and I completely agree with you. A lot of this stuff that we talk about can really powerfully impact our lives in a positive way. It’s not just a way to respond to insomnia. Martin: The experience can be a real growth opportunity, which sounds crazy when you’re still in the struggle with it, but once you’re able to reflect back on it, what you learn from the experience can be a huge asset. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. I think it, like you said, at the time I would’ve just like totally rolled my eyes that this is gonna be a positive thing in the long run. Okay, sure. But yeah it really has been. Given me a lot of coping skills I think that I can take into the future and into other areas of my life. Martin: Abbie, I’m really grateful for the time you’ve taken out your day to come on. If someone with chronic insomnia is listening they feel as though they’ve tried everything. They’re beyond help. They’ll never be able to stop struggling with insomnia. What would you say to them? Abbie: I think first I would say you are not alone. And in the nicest way possible, like your anxiety and your insomnia is not special. I remember feeling like that’s great that all these people have found these solutions, but somehow my insomnia is worse and mine is different. Abbie: And these things like peace and returning to this baseline is not possible for me. And the funny thing is that’s what we’re all thinking. That our insomnia, our anxiety is somehow different and special. And yeah, just to say that, me overcoming this also isn’t special. Abbie: That is possible for everybody. And yeah the path might not be linear, but I think it’s possible for everybody and we can’t control sleep, like we’ve been saying. But you can control how you respond and I think that’s the best way forward. Martin: Thanks again for taking the time to come onto the podcast and to share your journey, your experience, all the insights you’ve picked up on the way. Abbie: Yeah. Thanks so much. It was great to talk. Martin: Thanks for listening to the Insomnia Coach Podcast. If you're ready to get your life back from insomnia, I would love to help. You can learn more about the sleep coaching programs I offer at Insomnia Coach — and, if you have any questions, you can email me. Martin: I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Insomnia Coach Podcast. I'm Martin Reed, and as always, I'd like to leave you with this important reminder — you are not alone and you can sleep. I want you to be the next insomnia success story I share! If you're ready to stop struggling with sleep and get your life back from insomnia, you can start my insomnia coaching course at insomniacoach.com. Please share this episode!

2025 has come to an end, so that means it's time to break down our standout reads of the year. I am joined by my friend, fellow podcaster and reviewer, Anna Dupre of the Anna Rose Reads Podcast. This was a year full of cannibalism, sweeping historicals, and weird little horny books, so a great year! Books Mentioned: Short Story Collections/ Anthologies Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper Mystery Lights by Lena Valencia You Glow in the Dark by Liliana Colanzi (translated by Chris Andrews) The Poorly Made and Other Things by Sam Rebelein Oddbody by Rose Keating PUNK goes HORROR: A Mixtape Anthology edited by William Sterling It's the End of the World As We Know It: New Tales from Stephen King's Stand edited by Brian Keene and Christopher Golden Graphic Novels A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll Saint Catherine by Anna Meyer Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Hogarth Young Adult Horror Showstopper by Lily Anderson Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins The Overnight (#3) by RL Stine Middle Grade Horror Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson  Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave by Ally Russell Another by Paul Tremblay Broken Dolls by Ally Malinenko Non-Fiction Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread by Layla Taylor There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib Scream With Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism by Eleanor Johnson The Midcentury Kitchen: America's Favorite Room, from Workspace to Dreamscape, 1940s-1970s by Sarah Archer Non-Horror Blob : A Love Story by Maggies Su The Favorites by Layne Fargo The Wedding People by Allison Espach Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan Horror Novella Spread Me by Sarah Gailley The Film You Are About to See by Hailey Newlin Horror Debut Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker The Lamb by Lucy Rose  House of Beth by Kerry Cullen  Good Boy by Neil McRobert    Horror Novel Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen Immaculate Conception by LIng Ling Huang When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle Play Nice by Rachel Harrison  Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Of Flesh and Blood: The Untold Story of the Cajun Cannibal by NL Lavin and Hunter Burke Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi Demeester What Hunger by Catherine Dang Itch! By Gemma Amor The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson King Sorrow by Joe Hill Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Support Books in the Freezer on Patreon to get access to the series, The House at the End of Fear Street, early episodes, polls and more

Check out Jared's EXCELLENT Appalachian YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaredKingTVBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

Send us a textEnd anxiety and dread around milestones like New Year's or birthdays with a daily ritual and mindful pause.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:- The difference between goal-chasing and focusing on manifesting a _felt state of being_ (and how this helps you attract much higher-quality relationships)- Why resolutions fail—and what to do instead- A daily ritual that replaces anxiety with trust and potential- A powerful end-of-year reflection exercise rooted in the Ars Amorata philosophyTIMESTAMPS:00:00 Highlights56:40 Why alignment—not confidence or answers—dissolves New Year's anxiety59:10 Pausing, daily ritual, and the Amorati approach to reflection01:00:00 How this is different from a resolution, plan, or to-do list01:03:40 What actually matters01:12:35 Zan's most enlightened quote01:21:05 Jordan's end-of-year exercise and reflection promptsUp for a challenge? Participate fully in Jordan's end-of-year reflection exercise. See the pinned comment.ABOUT THIS VIDEO:If you're reading in the northern hemisphere, tonight is the longest night of the year. The ‘sun', so to speak, has gone down, way down, and he will not rise again for three days.In my younger days, this was one of the best times. Our pagan roots would pour through—parties, drinking, hook-ups that in any other season wouldn't dare happen. At the coldest time of year, people became unseasonably warm.These days, I tend to down tools in early December, travel somewhere a few days, watch the year's best movies, and plot out what's to come. By the time Jan rolls around, I've actioned my new year's intention, and find myself in a whole new place. _Mentally, geographically, all the rest of it._I didn't plan this end-of-year rhythm: it's just arisen as a natural cycle. Many things have to shift when you grow beyond party culture.The older I get, the more I see how _shaped_ we are by seasons and rituals. I sense it's wise to move with them.*How intentional is your end of year? And how do you welcome the next one?*This is what we explore on the podcast today.In fact, I grill Zan on what I've always felt to be his most enlightened comment—*‘Morning is a Promise. Everything you desire is contained within this day.'*Take a moment to let that sink in. _Morning is a promise.__Everything you desire is contained within this day._~ Jordan#zanperrion #fearofintimacy #dating #mendating #flirting #datingadviceformen #flirttips #relationship #jealousy ____________________________________________________Read The Full Amorati Guild Invitation → https://arsamorata.com/guild/____________________________________Need a gunslinger? Someone who rides into town, completely solves your problem, then rides off into the sunset. Contact Zan Perrion personally to inquire about his incredibly effective one-on-one Laser Coaching. Find him here: https://arsamorata.com/gunslinger/____________________________________Get a gifted copy of The Alabaster Girl, personally signed by Zan Perrion. Go to https://alabastergirl.com____________________________________Get instant access to our 4 part mini-course with Zan Perrion

Romanticizing aging might be the most powerful longevity tool you have and it costs absolutely nothing. In this episode, Chalene Johnson breaks down the science behind why your attitude about aging can literally add years to your life and explains how society quietly trains women to fear getting older. Drawing from research, real life examples, and her own mindset shift, Chalene reframes aging as a season of freedom, confidence, and increased happiness. This conversation is a wake up call for women who feel invisible, worn down, or stuck believing their best years are behind them. Watch this episode on YouTube this Sunday!! https://www.youtube.com/@chalenejohnson/videos  

Seasons greetings and welcome to Mystery Quest in the scenario 'Jingle Dread: Reckoning' recorded live for jingle jam 2025. If you've seen it already do not fear, it is a busy time but we will be back to our regular programming shortly; for all those who haven't, tuck in and get cosy, it's going to be a wild ride! Podcast: https://www.pickaxe.uk/mystery-quest Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/MysteryQuest You can check out more from Laurie & Sullivan on their own channels https://www.youtube.com/@NoRollsBarredhttps://twitter.com/ChaoticNRB Follow the Cast: Tom: https://www.youtube.com/angorytom Laurie: https://twitter.com/ElFakidor Sullivan: https://twitter.com/sullivanbeau Ben: https://www.youtube.com/@GamesNight Lydia: https://www.twitch.tv/squidgame Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey Ya'll, 2025 is almost over and we are here with Artimus Wolz for our Holiday/End Of Year Episode. We will be discussing his first live show, the re-release of the holiday album now titled Dread and Green, working with CJ and Brooks of York, songwriting/co-writing, Brooks of York's new album, and the story behind Bitch Ass Santa. These artists are long-time supporters of Sound Pollution, so if you do not follow them PLEASE click those links below to remedy that. You won't regret it. Happy whatever-you-celebrate. Let's all be ready to work to make 2026 better than 2025. Make Some NOISE. Artimus Wolz : https://linktr.ee/artimuswolz Brooks of York : https://linktr.ee/brooksofyork Sound Pollution : https://linktr.ee/soundpollutionpodcast Store: https://sound-pollution-store.printify.me/products

SuspenseCBS Radio Mystery Theatre

Send us a textWhat if the loudest voice in your head isn't the truest one? We open with a hard look at leadership and loyalty, then move into a deeply personal story that redefines success, courage, and faith. Bonnie shares how early loss, caregiving, and four miscarriages shaped her life, and how a breaking-point prayer led to a lasting peace she didn't think was possible. She explains how lies of worthlessness were exposed as spiritual attacks, how she learned to take thoughts captive, and why that daily choice changed her mind, her body, and her future.We walk through a chain of grace-filled moments: a family prayer for Disney on Ice tickets answered at just the right time, a lyric about cancer disappearing that coincided with a powerful inner assurance, and a follow-up oncology visit with no cancerous cells detected. Alongside the miracles, we talk about the steady disciplines that hold when circumstances shake—prayer, Scripture, and the science-backed practice of rewiring thought patterns. The foster story running through it all is striking: after four miscarriages, four foster children enter their home, and their growing faith becomes a living picture of redemption and purpose.We also break down fear versus peace from a gospel lens. Perfect love casts out fear because, in Christ, punishment is off the table. That truth makes room for a sound mind, bold choices, and a future anchored in grace. Whether you're battling anxiety, feeling stuck, or trying to lead with integrity, this conversation offers practical steps and honest hope: speak life, take thoughts captive, and choose the peace Jesus has already offered. If you're ready to trade dread for purpose, your next step might be as close as a prayer.Share this with a friend who needs courage today, subscribe for more real stories and real hope, and leave a review to help others find the show.Support the showThank you for listening! Please help us by sharing this podcast with your friends and telling someone about what Jesus has done for you. If you would like to share your story, visit our website https://thepromoter.org/

Hey babes! This one is JUICY. Nicole and I are bringing you a full holiday intervention—Coco & Lala style. If you're already feeling the pressure of “doing the holidays right,” this episode is your warm hug, your reality check, and your permission slip to STOP performing and start actually enjoying yourself.

As the days grow darker and the nights stretch longer, sleep stops feeling like rest and starts feeling like a threat. Close your eyes, and dread can slip in fast. Each night, the line between dreams and reality blurs, and the monsters lurking in your psyche grow bolder. After all, how can you fight what hunts you when you're dead asleep? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Gonzalez joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his debut novel rekt.He talks about the dark web's role in shaping grief and obsession.Gonzalez shares his experience with early 2000s gore sites.The conversation explores how algorithms exploit emotional vulnerabilities.He examines the difference between the dark web and surface internet horror.Gonzalez considers whether the internet is a mirror or a predator.The episode covers the psychological effects of online shock content.He reflects on the reality of being trapped by data-harvesting tech.Gonzalez discusses his own online habits and digital anxieties.The discussion touches on the evolution of horror in the digital age.He shares insights from teaching horror workshops.Gonzalez reveals how regional geography influenced his writing.The episode addresses toxic masculinity and online community.He talks about the process of turning trauma into fiction.Gonzalez considers the future of horror storytelling.The conversation ends with his thoughts on catharsis and confrontation in horror.This episode offers a deep dive into tech horror, online culture, and the dark corners of the human psyche.Here are the links for Alex Gonzalez and his work:Official Website & SocialsWebsite: alex-gonzalez.mealex-gonzalez​Instagram: @nahitsjustalexinstagram​Where to Buy rektAmazon: Buy on Amazon (Search Link)Barnes & Noble: Buy on Barnes & Noblebarnesandnoble​Bookshop.org: Buy on Bookshop.orgbookshop​Penguin Random House: Buy on PRHpenguinrandomhouse​Audible (Audiobook): Get the Audiobookaudible​

If you're curious as to whether you have any stored emotions or trauma that might be causing your illness, preventing you from achieving your goals, or even just showing up as the best, authentic version of yourself, I invite you to take my free Stored Emotions and Trauma QuizThe holidays can feel like a beautiful mess of magic and misery.Why does this season brings up so many big feelings, from excitement to dread? I've lived on both ends of that spectrum. I've been the person who hated Christmas for years and the mom who soaks up the magic with her kids, and both of those versions of me are sitting at this table in this episode. We're going to strip things back to what actually matters so this time of year doesn't steamroll you.Holiday burnout shows up fast when you overbook yourself, overcomplicate everything, and forget that you're allowed to say no. Simple, deliberate choices around your time, your energy, and your expectations can turn this from a season of dread into something softer and more grounded.You'll Learn:[00:00] Introduction[02:41] Why holiday emotions feel so intense when excitement and dread collide[06:58] How past experiences shape the way you move through this season now[11:36] What happens when simplicity becomes your strongest antidote to burnout[15:22] The reason saying no creates more peace than overfilling your calendar[18:47] How tiny moments of stillness can reset your nervous system fast[21:33] Why gratitude shifts your biochemistry and softens the emotional load[24:59] What changes when random acts of kindness anchor you back into connection[28:14] How choosing presence over perfection transforms the entire holiday experienceFind More From Dr. Stephanie Davis:20 min Free Call | BookDr. Stephanie Davis | WebsiteQuantum Rx | InstagramQuantum Rx | Skool

Appalachian DREAD with Steve Stockton and Jared King - Appalachian DREAD with Steve Stockton and Jared King. Check out Jared's EXCELLENT Appalachian YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JaredKingTVBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

Jan Ravens, the acclaimed impressionist at the heart of Dead Ringers, grew up learning to change the mood of a room long before she ever changed her voice on stage. In this conversation with James O Brien, she reflects on a childhood shaped by humour, instability and her father's illness, and how those early pressures sharpened the instincts that later defined her career.She traces the journey from school impressions to Cambridge Footlights, becoming the first woman to direct its revue, and the leap from Carrott's Lib to Spitting Image and beyond. Jan talks candidly about ambition, class, resilience and the unexpected power of comedy to steady you when life feels uncertain. It is an honest, warm and often very funny look at how she found her place in British satire.Find out more about Dead Ringers 25th Anniversary tour here

Nightmare Alley Black and White (2021) - The 31 Days of Dread 2025 EXTENDEAD

A grieving couple's desperate wish brings something to their door in W.W. Jacobs' 1902 classic, 'The Monkey's Paw.' Then, H.P. Lovecraft reveals the disturbing truth behind one artist's unnervingly lifelike paintings in 'Pickman's Model.IN THIS EPISODE: "The Monkey's Paw" was first published in England in 1902.  Without giving any spoilers, in the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with an enormous price for interfering with fate. It has been adapted to film and stage numerous times… and, of course, now, as a podcast episode. *** Famed horror author H.P. Lovecraft brings us his tale, “Pickman's Model”. H.P. Lovecraft released the story in 1927, so you might want to consider that for context and perspective while listening. A classic in both the horror genre and science fiction!CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Show Open00:01:46.958 = About “The Monkey's Paw” Author, W.W. Jacobs00:06:14.224 = *** The Monkey's Paw00:30:38.490 = *** Pickman's Model01:06:10.602 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakSOURCES and RESOURCES:“The Monkey's Paw” by W.W. Jacobs: https://tinyurl.com/y9tdekwb“Pickman's Model” by H.P. Lovecraft: http://bit.ly/2YKb4EA=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: October 28, 2023 and November 02, 2023EPISODE PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/MonkeysPawPickmansModelABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.#WeirdDarkness #TheMonkeysPaw #PickmansModel #HPLovecraft #ClassicHorror #HorrorStories #ScaryStories #GothicHorror #CreepyStories #HorrorPodcast

The Tennessee 7th District special election is no ordinary off-calendar contest. It is a rare moment when a deeply red seat, long considered immovable, has become a stress test for the political environment itself. Before the results are spun beyond recognition, here is how I see the race and why its outcome — whatever it is — matters far more than who wins.Tennessee's 7th District is not supposed to be competitive. For years it has behaved like a Republican fortress: John McCain won it by 28 points, Mitt Romney by 24, and Donald Trump by anywhere from 21 to 34. Former Representative Mark Green consistently won with more than two-thirds of the vote. But those numbers mask reality. Trump has bled suburban support with each cycle, and while the district remains red, it has trended steadily closer to the center. That shift matters more in a special election, where turnout is low and national money is targeted at one race instead of dozens. In that kind of environment, even a heavily favored side can wobble.That brings us to the candidates. Republican Matt Van Epps is the type of standard-issue conservative you'd expect to see in a district like this: a veteran, a conventional platform, and a campaign that's been competent but unremarkable. He has not run toward Trump the way many Republicans in similarly structured districts once would have, an omission that speaks volumes about the nervousness inside the party. Democrats, meanwhile, are running Aftyn Behn, whose message is strong — focused on affordability and frustration with tariffs — but whose opposition research file is… extensive. Past tweets cheering the destruction of a police station and musing about abolishing the Nashville Police Department have given Republicans plenty of material. Not exactly what you want in Tennessee.Politics Politics Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I keep coming back to the same three scenarios. The first is the earthquake: Aftyn Behn flips the seat. If that happens, the panic inside the Republican conference becomes immediate and existential. This majority is already strained by retirements, factional fights, and Trump's declining approval ratings. Losing Tennessee 7 would signal that no district is safe, and it would meaningfully raise the odds that Republicans lose the House outright — potentially even before the midterms if more members resign.The second scenario is the reset: Matt Van Epps wins comfortably, by 10 to 15 points. Republicans would exhale. Leadership would declare this a reaffirmation that the party's base remains intact. They would argue that a focused Democratic effort still couldn't move the needle enough to threaten a core GOP district. It would be evidence that the sky is not falling — at least not everywhere, and not yet.The third scenario is the most interesting: a narrow Van Epps win. A single-digit margin would function as a Democratic moral victory and a Republican warning klaxon. It would confirm that the party's suburban erosion is accelerating, that Trump's drift downward is shifting the map, and that a generic Republican — even in Tennessee — is not insulated from national sentiment. A Politico report suggested the GOP conference would become “unhinged” if the race lands here. Having watched the last month of Republican caucus behavior, I'm not inclined to disagree.This isn't just a regional contest. It's a snapshot of a party that has been running on fumes — caught between a base powered by Trump and a national electorate increasingly uneasy about his second-term performance. It's also a test for Democrats, who are experimenting with insurgent messaging in places they normally ignore. Aftyn Behn is trying to run as an outsider in a district where the outsider lane belongs to Republicans. Whether that gamble pays off will tell us something about how Democrats might approach similar red districts next year.No matter which path emerges, the Tennessee special election is less about two candidates and more about the political weather. And for the first time in a while, Republicans can't be sure the forecast is on their side.Chapters00:00 - Intro03:11 - Tennessee Special Election Explainer18:54 - Update19:25 - Pete Hegseth22:16 - Travel Ban27:03 - Paul Finebaum30:17 - Andrew Heaton on Congressional Dread52:50 - Wrap-up This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe

New data out today shows almost a third of kiwi workers often dread going to work, rising to 40% among Gen Z workers.SEEK Country Manager, Rob Clark spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

For our extremely special December episode, Mandy is joined once again by Andrew Milne, who has assigned her the horror-scifi-absurdist-quasi-Dante-epic Despiser (2003), a movie that is so very many things all at once that it trying to describe it can leave one flailing and floundering like a starving artist who just woke up in purgatory.  Fortunately, Mandy and Andrew have brought another guest along on this wild ride through the digital effects of the late 1990s, and he is probably the most qualified man in the world to talk about Despiser, because he's Philip J. Cook, the writer/director/producer of Despiser. Join Mandy, Andrew, and Phil as they discuss Phil's roller coaster of a filmmaking career, the relative merits of different approaches to special effects, why Phil has a vendetta against troll dolls, and what kinds of magic can happen when filmmakers refuse to be hindered by little inconveniences like having no money. You can back Phil's new project, Echoes of Dread, here. You can snag a copy of Andrew's novel White Scar Across the Firmament here. Mandy Letterboxd - Andrew Letterboxd

You've just been handed a rectangular-shaped gift with the telltale heft and size of a book. Who knows what worlds might be contained in that one little object? This holiday season, you can give that same gift of possibility by shopping at an independent bookstore—and Nick and Celeste Polsinelli, the owners of Little Professor Book Center in Athens, Ohio, have plenty of ideas to get you started. In this episode, Nick offers a range of recommendations, from picture books to epistolary novels to talking cats and beyond, to cover every book lover on your list no matter how eclectic their tastes.   Recommended books: How to Be a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Rebecca Green The Christmas Sweater by Jan Brett Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. by Abby White The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill A Time of Dread by John Gwynne (Of Blood and Bone series) The Millfield Mine Disaster by Ron W. Luce Enchanted Ground: The Spirit Room of Jonathan Koons by Sharon Hatfield A Place So Deep Inside America It Can't Be Seen by Kari Gunter-Seymour The Bear by Andrew Krivak Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and an edited transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

What life decisions do YOU dread the most? HR 1 full 2317 Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:01:59 +0000 KoUVELIXCZTuYrKHF3DicKVssRw8LdY4 news MIDDAY with JAYME & WIER news What life decisions do YOU dread the most? HR 1 From local news & politics, to what's trending, sports & personal stories...MIDDAY with JAYME & WIER will get you through the middle of your day! © 2025 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-l

If you've watched any legal drama on TV, you know that criminal defendants are entitled to a jury of peers. But does our court system fulfill that promise? Filmmaker Abby Ginzberg's short documentary “Judging Juries” exposes how discriminatory dismissals, and a lack of financial support, keep people of color off of juries, and how that exclusion impacts our entire justice system. We'll talk with Ginzberg, two public defenders, and a San Francisco official working to address this problem – in San Francisco, at least. The city launched a pilot program that offers $100 per day to low-income jurors for their service. We'll explore the impact of that program, and other efforts to remove barriers to jury service. Have you ever served on a jury? Tell us about your experience. Guests: Manohar Raju, public defender, City of San Francisco Anne Stuhldreher, senior advisor, San Francisco Treasurer's Office Abby Ginzberg, documentary filmmaker, "Judging Juries" Brendon Woods, public defender for Alameda County, Alameda County Defenders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And with one final unexpected guest speaker, our tour of this archaeological wonder in the Ashen Wastes - and indeed this portion of our excursion - comes to an end. We trust you have enjoyed your journey, and please feel free to tip your guide on the way out... Please join us as we discover the Doom that Came to Sanctaris! Cast: Adam can be found as @maddambeltaine.bsky.social on Bluesky Ed can be found as @edfortune.bsky.social on Bluesky Lou can be found as @magpiehound.bsky.social on Bluesky Mikey can be found as @weaselpunk.bsky.social on Bluesky Ross can be found as @narrativium.bsky.social on Bluesky Follow us on social media! Bluesky: @forcemajeurepod.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForceMajeurePod Instagram: forcemajeurepod Online: www.forcemajeurepod.com Email: forcemajeurepod@gmail.com We have a Discord! Come and join us: https://discord.gg/DHbResPp6n We also have merch!  https://teespring.com/stores/forcemajeurepod https://www.teepublic.com/user/forcemajeurepod If you like what we do and have some spare money, we have both a Patreon and a Ko-Fi account. We are extremely grateful for your support. https://www.patreon.com/forcemajeurepod ko-fi.com/forcemajeurepod Intro Music: Composed by Sly Fox Audio - check out more of her stuff on soundcloud.com/slyfoxaudio Additional Music: "Identity Crisis" - Myuu (The Dark Piano) "Age of Mythology" - David Robson (Fesliyan Studios) Some SFX provided by Pixabay.com All used with gratitude under the Creative Commons licence. For full credit and links please see the Credits page of our website.

Dubshack Show with Slin and Dread on Sub FM 29th November 2025 - https://www.sub.fm

we travel into the dark and terrifying woods, stalked by a creature unknown in our play-through of the Jenga-Based Horror RPG Dread! Get yourself a set of our new Oh No the Consequences Dice & OX Mystery Box! https://store.outsidexbox.com/⁠ Get tickets to Oxventure's Tales From the Guild 2026 live tour at ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/OXGuild⁠⁠ 01:09 Actual play begins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------------------ Join the OX Supporters Club and official Discord server: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/oxclub⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out the official store for sweet merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠store.outsidexbox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To watch all the original Oxventure videos, visit us on YouTube at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/oxventure⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1987, ten-year-old Amy Rachel Schulz vanished from the quiet town of Kell, Illinois. By morning, her body was found in a rural oilfield — brutally murdered. The investigation that followed tore through southern Illinois, led to a death sentence, and decades later unraveled into one of the most controversial cases in the state's history. This is the story of innocence lost, forensic failure, and the haunting legacy Amy left behind.  Our Sponsors:* Check out CBDfx and use my code HAUNTINGS for a great deal: https://cbdfx.com* Check out Uncommon Goods: https://uncommongoods.com/HAUNTINGSSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/american-hauntings-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

(0:00) Beetle and Paul Perillo talk about some of the nerves Patriots fans are feeling due to several injuries suffered against the Bengals.(12:19) What would qualify as a disappointing season finish for the Patriots?(24:50) More discussion on who would be the toughest playoff opponent for the Patriots. Also, should teams worry about playing the Patriots in the postseason?(32:14) Should AFC teams worry about seeing the Patriots in the playoffs?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We sat down with NateyNay to talk all things Metroid. Metroid Dread was the first Metroid game he ever beat and Metroid Prime Remastered was the first Prime he took all the way through. He loved parts of it, struggled with others, and now he is a little on the fence about Metroid Prime 4.We break down what worked for him in Dread, what surprised him in Prime Remastered, and what he hopes Retro Studios gets right in Prime 4. If you enjoy Metroid discussions, deep dives, and honest first time perspectives, this one is for you.New Metroid fans and longtime players are welcome here on the Nintendo PowerCast.

HOUR 2: Decisions that you dread. full 2087 Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:00:00 +0000 ayJIxYlvJhfz4NXxawFr621tDRzvznen news The Dana & Parks Podcast news HOUR 2: Decisions that you dread. You wanted it... Now here it is! Listen to each hour of the Dana & Parks Show whenever and wherever you want! © 2025 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2

Hey Lifers! Welcome back to ask uncut where we unpack your deep and burning questions. First up, an Aussie celeb has said that he loves dogs so much, he had two of them that passed away taxidermied. They live in his current house alongside his dog that is still alive. Would you ever taxidermy your pet? What’re your thoughts about Scotty’s stuffed pets?Vibes for the week:Keeshia - @Emilydbaker Britt - Chilli and Charli PJs Then we jump into your questions! SOMEONE TOLD MY DAUGHTER THEY’RE HER HALF SISTER - HELPOk strap in for this one. A little background I have a daughter, she’s 12 and in highschool. Her dad unfortunately was murdered and passed away 8 years ago, big trauma for both of us etc.. So fast forward to this week, my daughter has a friend at school. She's known her since primary school but they’ve gotten quite close this year. My daughter came home Wednesday and told me her friend told her a big secret and not to tell me or anyone else. This friend proceeds to tell my daughter that she’s her half sister because her mum used to be with my daughters dad’s best friend and when they were trying to get pregnant he couldn’t so my daughters dad “donated sperm”. Now while this sounds insane and like an episode of home and away, there were some key facts that were too correct to ignore, for one they knew the name of my daughters dad’s best friend so at a minimum they knew each other. After doing some digging I found out that this best friend had a kid with a woman who my daughter’s dad was friends with, and it was a girl and would be around the same age as my daughter. My question is WTAF do I do? I’ve given the school my details and asked them to pass it on to the mother because they won’t give me her details. Do I ignore this and move on? But I can’t, my daughter goes to school with this child. Also if it is true me and him would have been together at the time, either pregnant with our daughter or planning it when he “donated sperm” to someone and didn’t tell me. This has severely rocked my kid (she’s in therapy) but still. Help!! UNDERWHELMING PROPOSALMy partner recently proposed, and I wasn’t expecting anything big or over the top, just something thoughtful and meaningful. But the moment felt rushed, unplanned and unromantic, and now I feel disheartened and oddly disconnected. I dread when people ask the proposal story and I find myself embellishing it. I feel shallow for feeling this way, but I can’t shake it. Am I horrible? Should I tell him how I’m feeling, or is that unfair? I would really appreciate some guidance, because I feel guilty, confused and alone sitting with this. NORMAL TO THINK ABOUT EX?I am 32 and have been with my current partner for 5 years. We have always had a solid stable relationship and have a one year old baby boy together. I love my partner - he is very kind, loyal, and reliable. I feel safe and secure with him. He is a great dad and very committed to our family. However, our relationships lack intimacy/physical connection (has since before the baby) and it often feels like we are more friends and co parents. We rarely have sex and minimal kissing/cuddling. My ex and I were together for 6 years from 19-25 (so we broke up 8 years ago). I was deeply in love with him. We had a really strong connection and were absolutely crazy about each other. We had an amicable breakup because he had to move for work and we decided to go our separate ways. As hard as I’ve tried to move on, I still think about him often after 8 years (I’m so sick of it lol)! I find myself looking back on our relationship and longing for that connection we had. As much as I love my partner and our life together, I have this niggling feeling that my ex was the one/the loml /penguin etc and it makes me sad that I’m never going to feel that way again with my partner. Is this a common feeling to have? How do I finally get over my ex? You can watch us on Youtube Find us on Instagram Join us on tiktok Or join the Facebook Discussion Group Hosted by Britt Hockley & Keeshia Pettit Produced by Keeshia Pettit Video Produced by Vanessa Beckford Recorded on Cammeraygal Land Tell your mum, tell your dad, tell your dog, tell your friend and share the love because WE LOVE LOVE! XxSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wesley Morris doesn't go for cheap jump scares or gratuitous gore. Instead, his favorite horror movies fill him with a sense of dread. This Halloween, he invites film curator Eric Hynes to rewatch scenes from some of the scariest movies they've ever seen — some you'll find in the horror section and some you won't. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher.