This is affectionately referred to as the "grumpy episode," which honestly wasn't going to see the light of day.

Amanda and Sam were being burnt out by the month of February--all good things, but exhausting nonetheless, and they were only halfway through the month at this point!--and they were hella grumpy while recording. Feeling like it was too bratty to post, they were going to shelve it. But after a re-listen, they decided this is the point of the podcast... to be real and share honest conversations about their feelings, especially when they feel uncomfortable and guilty about complaining. It's their realest episode yet.

Also Sam manages to weave in analogies about both Marvel and cat videos. Genius.

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.

Surprise! It's a supersized episode because Amanda met somebody she's finally excited about--but the twist is he lives across the country and now her anxious attachment has reared its ugly head and she's forgotten how to play it cool. Sam assumes the role of the calm, supportive voice of reason... even though they accidentally manifested F boys coming back from the past and she got a "hey you up?" text from a good time guy (with a dirty bathroom), while still waiting for her ex to respond to her declaration of feelings for him.

Whew, we couldn't make this stuff up if we tried. Let's see how this role reversal works out for them.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a week, Brats. Amanda shares how the guy she was dating turned out to be the type who says one thing over text but acts a different way in person. Someone said to her, "The universe will keep sending you lessons until you learn it," and her lesson is around setting and holding boundaries with men who keep violating her safe space. Sam did a brave thing (we think) and told her ex she still has feelings for him, and even though Amanda had no idea about any of this, Sam is following what feels right for her. This one ends on a cliffhanger though!

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. If you suspect that you or someone you know has been violated, please know you can always reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline at rainn.org/resources.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a couple lighter episodes about dating, Amanda and Sam get back to talking about mental health and what depression looks like... because from the outside a person might look completely fine, but you never know what they're struggling with. If there's only one thing you take away from this episode, it's that when someone tells you how they're feeling, believe them. Sam and Amanda also get vulnerable about their struggles with body image and emotional eating.

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.

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/.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amanda and Sam struggle with how to be a good friend/daughter/sister when your mental health makes everything harder, including saying no or committing to plans. Amanda recalls that traumatic time in high school when a guy photoshopped her picture and shared it around school and everyone made it seem like no big deal so she thought it was no big deal, and Sam explains her 2024 "15% cancellation policy" that she's trying to implement to set boundaries.

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.

** FAMILY & COWORKERS OF SAM & AMANDA -- YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO LISTEN TO THIS ONE. ** We talk about dating, sex, and what we affectionally call our Chaos Era.

Amanda shares what it's been like dating for the first time post-divorce and doing all the crazy exploring she should've done in their 20's, Sam shares her experience taking a break from the dating apps and trying a matchmaker. We get right into it - first dates with guys who gave us the ick, why it was more fun when we wanted to make bad decisions (shoutout to Boyband Josh, DJ Chris, and Oregon Bobby), and learning that the beauty of dating is ultimately about getting to know and love ourselves (the boys are just supporting characters).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amanda and Sam struggle with the guilt for having bad days and being grumpy over "small" things, how people respond to mental health and what you should say instead, getting a call from your ex-fiance telling you he's married now and can no longer be your friend, and becoming a shell of yourself in a marriage that's just "fine."

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.

In this first episode, Amanda and Sam test out podcasting and struggle to introduce themselves and what their podcast is about in a short amount of time. Oh, and struggle to understand how to use the mics without an echo (we fix it in Episode 2, we promise!).

They talk about figuring out how to let go of our identities as academic achievers, getting divorced (a big no-no in Asian culture), grappling with anxiety and Sam's recent diagnosis of depression, and the importance of talking about your struggles no matter how privileged you know you are.

We also talk about what we're watching or reading because we can be fun too.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.