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BABS
BABS episodes
- Struggling with the word lazy, weight & body issues, and first dates with the same guyAmanda and Sam start off talking about the word lazy and why it triggers them, but it leads them to what they really struggle with: insecurities and unhappiness with their bodies and weight. It's a complicated heavy topic and there's no solving it in an episode or wrapping it up with a nice neat insight. In fact, they struggle with it so much they abandon the topic and segue into talking about going on first dates with the same guy in the same night.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
53 min - Struggling with ominous positivity, anti-heroes, and boob jobs
Amanda and Sam take their first reader submission and discuss the concept of "ominous positivity," which leads them down another path of realizing they don't know what words mean including ominous, meme, and anti-hero.
They go from sounding bitter about men and dating, to sounding literary as they discuss whether Jay Gatsby is an anti-hero. To Sam's horror, they realize that they are in fact just like Gatsby -- unable to let go of the past.
Amanda shares what it was like seeing her ex again, Sam talks about why she wants a boob job, and they both question if they're capable of feeling anything for people anymore.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
58 min - Struggling with our recent fight, being in love with exes, and Asian stereotypesThere's a lot packed in this episode - Sam admits she is still in love with her ex and how hard it is to stop cuddling with him; Amanda talks about Sam being mad at her the weekend before her birthday... even though it was all in Amanda's head, spun up by her own self-loathing thoughts; they finally talk about Asian stereotypes they struggle with and why; and they explain why the podcast is released so inconsistently... because mental health is a rollercoaster, so we're all on it together Brats!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 5 min - Struggling with dating apps (again), self-loathing thoughts, and how to get home
Sam is recovering from both a cold and the harsh reality that getting under somebody new doesn't help you get over someone you loved (sorry to Sam's brother who has to listen to this!). After trying a matchmaker and shuffle dating, she's back to the apps and is immediately appalled at the amount of men who ask her if she's a Dom or Sub.
After ranting about the woeful despair of the dating app experience and questionable "conversations" with men, Amanda and Sam get back into deep topics in the second half of the podcast. Sam said she doesn't feel like she's where she's supposed to be and has felt like this for the last 20 years; she wants to go "home" but doesn't know what that means. Amanda shares the self-loathing thoughts she berates herself with everyday, likely from the recent changes, and how she finally reached out to her ex to address the awkwardness of their new work situation.
Then Amanda and Sam struggle to end the podcast on a positive note, and Amanda's still struggling with mic / laptop / sound issues, so apologies if it's a bit hard to hear her at times!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 10 min - Struggling with reorgs, depressive thoughts, and Marvel tattoos
In true Bay Area brats style, Amanda and Sam talk about getting reorged (as in, their work organization reorganized) and the impact on their mental health. Amanda fell into a depressive episode after her bosses were laid off and she was moved to a team with her ex, but shares what Sam did to help her through some particularly dark thoughts. Just in time to help Sam make some impulsive dating decisions and to get tattoos together. This is how all healthy friendships work, right?
*Trigger warning: This episode does allude to self-harm, so please listen with extreme self-care or avoid if those thoughts are triggering.*
Disclaimer: We are NOT mental or physical health specialists. If you believe you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety, depression, or suicidal ideation, or any other mental health challenges we encourage you to contact your doctor or a medical professional. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, call 911, or go to your local emergency room. For resources on eating disorders, visit https://edrcsv.org/get-help/.
For a great resource to help with understanding depression and anxiety, and advice on how to help and what to say, check out one of our favorites, @realdepressionproject on Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
40 min - Struggling with whether our anxiety is making everyone worse and getting annoyed with ourselvesAmanda and Sam question if the podcast and being so open about their mental health is making everyone more anxious when talking to them. Then they get annoyed with themselves about their overthinking and want to throw their podcast mics across the room. But at the end of the day, talking about mental health and being open about it with your loved ones is always a good thing........ right?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
53 min - Struggling with letting go of the past, or rather the past letting go of usWell shit. Amanda accidentally manifested a major plot twist when she said she wanted an exciting life full of interesting stories in the last episode because now the big love affair and heartbreak she thought was forever in her past will soon be making a reappearance in her life. She is struggling with wanting to act unbothered vs actually being unbothered, and Sam is struggling to understand why it feels like there has to be a winner and a loser when you run into an ex. Sam and Amanda also talk about what it feels like being let go of by someone who promised us eternity in this life--and in the afterlife in Sam's case--but just as they keep approaching peace and insights... the spiral pulls them right back in.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
41 min - Struggling with being judged for being almost 40 & single and thinking love is supposed to be painfulJust as Amanda thinks she's had a breakthrough with her anxious attachment and why she confuses drama and toxic behaviors for love, she asks, "Love isn't supposed to feel painful...... right?" Sam realizes there's a lot more to unpack here, including what words like boring and passion mean, and they end up in a debate about the difference between shady and mean. Is this turning into a podcast of just parsing out words? But in the words of Sam, "duh! That's just life." This podcast also features cameos from the twincesses asking why Mommy is always on the phone with Auntie Sam having breakdowns.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
36 min - Struggling with the consequences of our dating decisions, and figuring out what's in our heads and what's real
Sam and Amanda talk about anxious attachment again, creating scenarios in their heads and assigning meaning to things in their minds that are not necessarily true (aka causing a freakout), which makes it hard for them and others around them to know what they're really feeling and what they need.
Sam gives an update on where she and her ex stand after she confessed her feelings, and Amanda gives an update about her rollercoaster of a weekend with her cross-country fling. Honestly, both girls are struggling to understand what healthy romantic relationships should look like, how to feel strong and secure in one, and one thing is clear after this podcast... they haven't figured it out at all. But at least they're in it together!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 7 min - Struggling with February, letting friends go, and disappointing ex-husbands
Well, Amanda and Sam finally made it to the end of February, and they are not well. They recap their week of being apart where Amanda lost her shit on a boat and Sam was tired in Miami, they both forgot their anti-anxiety meds, and worst of all... they were apart and unable to communicate for a couple days.
Amanda is still dealing with anxious attachment, Sam is still getting texts from "friends" guilt-tripping her for not responding, and Amanda's twincesses turned 7! It's an occasion that comes with a trauma anniversary though, so Amanda grapples with that as well as feeling disappointed in her ex.
Disclaimer: We are NOT mental or physical health specialists. If you believe you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety, depression, or suicidal ideation, or any other mental health challenges we encourage you to contact your doctor or a medical professional. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, call 911, or go to your local emergency room. For resources on eating disorders, visit https://edrcsv.org/get-help/.
For a great resource to help with understanding depression and anxiety, and advice on how to help and what to say, check out one of our favorites, @realdepressionproject on Instagram.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
57 min
About BABS
From the publisher's feed
Just two best friends who just turned 40 talking about their struggles--everything from relationships, to not feeling good enough, to dealing with depression and anxiety--in hopes of…
normalizing things and making people feel less alone.
Welcome to Bay Area Brats Struggling (BABS)! If you find yourself saying, “This is not what I thought my life would look like at this point,” you might be able to relate to this podcast.
Raised as Asian Americans who were promised successful lives if they just studied hard and focused on school, Amanda and Sam found themselves on the cusp of checking all the boxes. Careers. Marriage. Homeowners. Kids.
Amanda got married to her college sweetheart, had twin girls after dealing with infertility, and lived a seemingly perfect life. Sam graduated law school, achieved her aspirations of working at a big law firm, and got engaged to her longtime boyfriend.
But then Amanda asked for a divorce and blew up her life. Sam called off her engagement and got a cat. They had career identity crises. They had to start using dating apps in their 30s. They suffer from anxiety and depression. And while they can recognize their complaints can seem bratty at times, they’re also realizing the common precedent leading up to their meltdowns is that they were struggling in silence for too long.
In trying to live life defined by other people’s standards, they lost themselves—or rather, they realized they never took the time to figure out who they were and what they wanted in the first place. So join them as they struggle through life, and hopefully you’ll realize you don’t have to struggle in silence… even if people call you a brat.
Disclaimer: We are NOT mental or physical health specialists. If you believe you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety, depression, or suicidal ideation, or any other mental health challenges we encourage you to contact your doctor or a medical professional. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, call 911, or go to your local emergency room.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.