The Depression and Anxiety Episode (podcast)
With my novel (I Only Cry with Emoticons) coming out in just a few weeks, I figured it would be a good time for us to discuss my relationship to depression and anxiety over the years. Turns out that I used to date depression but now I'm hooking up with anxiety. So... yay??? Check out the latest Neurotic Tornado 😫🌪 podcast episode.
Pain Scale from 1 to Fuchsia (podcast)
I suffer from chronic migraines. Every week I have to work through the ups and downs of how I feel. In this Neurotic Tornado podcast episode, my wife and I talk about how we manage our lives alongside my chronic pain.
Spiral of Foreboding (podcast)
The next episode of the Neurotic Tornado 😫🌪 podcast is live! So far, we’re actually pulling off the every-two-weeks schedule!… This episode was a little bit trickier to name. Even when I hear good news (like a positive book review or when a cool radio personality wants to interview me), I’m capable of being filled with dread and a sense of foreboding. So my wife comes up to the attic to help me figure things out. Again. ❤️️❤️️❤️️ We also talk about why my sense of object permanence is only slightly better than a baby's. 🥄🥄🥄 You can listen to the episode right from this blog post with the button below. But even better, instead of listening to the episode here like a digital caveman, you should really just subscribe to the Neurotic Tornado 😫🌪 podcast!
The Rebirth of the Neurotic Tornado Podcast
At the most inconvenient possible time, I’ve decided to restart my Neurotic Tornado podcast! 😫🌪 In this season (#4), my wife comes up to the attic and we discuss some of my mental baggage, especially related to sharing creative stuff with the world (like my forthcoming novel). I’ve been struggling with issues around obsessive thinking, anxiety, dread, insecurity, chronic pain, and more. And so I thought it would be a delightful romp to work through this stuff with microphones in our faces! 😜
On a serious note, I did want to talk about these issues and understand them better as I try to be a happier, healthier human. And my wife has some cool insights in this realm.
If you want to learn more about the podcast series…
S3-38: Very much our space (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we conclude the Beyond Coupled season. We talk through what we learned. And we share an exciting update about Ben...
S3-37: The beautiful messiness (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we dig a little more into the nature of their relationship. Some things we can immediately identify with, and some things we have to talk through...
S3-36: Defining the relationship (podcast)
In this podcast episode, Nikki, Ben, and Stevan start to define their relationship now that everything is out in the open. If you're just tuning in, be sure to go back to episode 31 for the beginning of the season: "It was a good marriage, but..."
S3-35: They go to therapy (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we go with Nikki, Ben, and Stevan to therapy. This is the first therapy session with all of them at the table together. Find out what happens!......
S3-34: An upended fishbowl (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we finally check in with Ben (the husband!) to find out how he learned about his wife's affair, and how he began processing it. Whew. Heavy stuff....
S3-33: Preparing the ground (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we listen to Stevan and Nikki talk about their continuing affair. At this point, the affair is still a secret, but Nikki is preparing to tell her husband. I don't know about you, but I'm already starting to get chest pains...
S3-32: How an affair begins (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we meet Stevan. He is recently divorced when he meets Nikki, a married woman in a not-completely-happy marriage. Find out what happens next....
S3-31: It was a good marriage, but... (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we begin our quest into this season's relationship. Meet Nikki. She was mostly happy in her marriage, but there was one thing missing. Listen to the episode to find out what she was looking for...
Neurotic Tornado Podcast: Season 3 Intro *** (S3-30)
Neurotic Tornado is (almost) back for season 3. In this ShOrT podcast episode, we tell you what's coming... and how we got to know the three people you're going to hear from...
S2-29: Wisdom, Advice, Analysis (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we go back one last time to the four couples we interviewed to hear any wisdom, analysis, or advice they shared. We also rudely interrupt couples trying to eat at the Portland food carts to score any free advice. This is our last official episode of the season, but we may have some bonus episodes soon. And stay tuned for what is to come with season 3...
S2-28: Gender Roles, Attraction, Sexuality (podcast)
In this podcast episode, Jackie and I explore the non-traditional gender roles for two of the couples we interviewed. And we question what the labels mean in the first place. We look at attraction in this light. And I think I confess my attraction for a brooding vampire... If you haven't already done so, check out the previous episodes from this season, which dealt with sex, conflict, and started with introductions. Fun for the whole family! Actually, not the whole family… just the adults.
S2-27: The Sexpisode (podcast)
In this podcast episode (third in the Being Coupled season), we... uhhh... actually... uhhh... try to talk about sex. With the couples we interviewed. And with our partners. But this stuff isn't easy. So we use a New York Times article about sex talk in therapy, along with a few other tools, to help navigate these sometimes-unsexy waters. After you listen to our conversation, check out the links...
S2-26: Communication & Conflict (podcast)
In this podcast episode, we dig into how the four couples we interviewed communicate with each other, and what arguments look like for them. We use research from the Gottman Institute as the basis for some of our ideas about relationships and the different personality types in a relationship. Except we simplify it down to 'avoider' types and 'prodder' types. Stick this episode in your ear for more info! And check out the related links below…No couples were injured during the making of this episode.
S2-25: Meet the Couples (podcast)
In this podcast episode, Jackie and I introduce you to the four couples we interviewed for this season. We share with you how they met and what they consider their "mission" as a couple. We had a great time putting this series together and we're excited to finally get this thing into your... ears. So here we go, the first episode of the series...
Neurotic TornadoPodcast: Season 2 Intro *** (S2-24)
In this podcast episode, we go behind the scenes to explain what is coming in season two. Jackie Shannon Hollis and I interviewed four couples to prepare for this season. You'll hear why I'm doing it, why Jackie is doing it, and what my wife thinks about me podcast-cheating on her...
S2-23: Writing About Loved Ones (podcast)
In this podcast episode, I visit with Jackie and Bill again. We discuss what it is like to write about the people we love, and how it affects them. Jackie is currently working on a (second) memoir and I’ve written lots of autobiographical-sounding fiction (along with a few essays). So apparently we can easily bullshit about this subject for over an hour. (I edited it down to 65 minutes.) It was again great to have Bill's perspective so he could chime in on how it felt to be written ABOUT, even in cases that weren’t necessarily flattering. Give it a listen...