Behind the Facade

This is a short and sweet story about the magic of a weekend getaway. As always, thank you for listening!

My husband called me out recently. He told me I talk a lot about burnout, but it's typically in terms of work... what about life burnout? Between my day job, promoting my first book, writing a memoir, starting a newsletter, recording a podcast, trying to build an online persona, managing my autoimmune diseases (including eliminating dairy and caffeine, which is harder than I imagined it would be!), meal prepping, gardening and my multitude of other hobbies, on top of being a wife and dog mom... it's a lot. Matt's right: I'm on the verge of life burnout.

I made a few big decisions this week, primarily about the book and social media, in the name of mental health. I go into all of them in the episode, and I have to say, I'm proud of myself for practicing what you preach. Saying no to things on behalf of mental health is harder than you think, and there's no better day than today, World Mental Health Day, to celebrate that!

If you want to sign up for the email series I mentioned, head to https://laurenbartleson.com/slow-saturdays. Feel free to follow me on Instagram as well (https://www.instagram.com/laurenbartleson_/), where you'll find captions with real talk behind every photo.

As always, thank you for listening. I appreciate it more than you know.

If you've listened to previous episodes, you might know that I'm currently writing my second book. Unlike my first, Insomnia, which I wrote and published on my own, I'm writing "Behind the Facade" ('22) through a 20-week writing program called #BookCreators. In this episode, I'm sharing all the details about the programs and my thoughts so far. If you have any questions about the book writing process, please don't hesitate to reach out. You can find me on Insta at @laurenbartleson_ - I would love to connect. Happy weekend!

Today’s podcast is a super vulnerable one where I talk about how social media pulled me into a loop of anxiety, depression, and overall a very negative place for nearly four years.

I spent the last few days watching The D’Amelio Show on Hulu and I have to say: I am kind of in awe about how real they got in terms of mental health. I can’t imagine going through what Charli or Dixie are going through, and I respect them and their parents so much for navigating the wild world of social media.

I experienced what they’re going through on a small level when I had an Instagram account with about 13k followers. Every day, no joke, I would receive at least one negative comment ranging from “your eyebrows are too bushy” to “you look like a mess in all your photos” to “you should kill yourself.”

I pulled out my phone to talk about all of that and how I’m feeling now that I’m getting back on social again and ended up talking for more than an hour 😂🤷‍♀️

Happy listening ☀️

Happy weekend! We're having another unplanned, unfiltered coffee chat - this time I'm chatting about two totally different emotional events: September 11th and turning 30. In the episode, I share a bit about how this birthday differs from others, what my theme for the next year is, and even a bit about my past love life. Rambling at its finest 😬🙈

If you want to say hi, find me on Instagram (@laurenbartleson_). I would genuinely love to connect.

Take care of yourself 🤍

In this week’s coffee date, we’re diving into some super heavy topics. If you’re triggered by discussion about suicide and rape, please take extra care while listening.

If you are considering suicide, please reach out to a loved one, professional, and/or the suicide hotline. I know that you might feel really alone right now, but please know you are not. I feel you. I see you. I’m here with you. If you need a friend, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

You can find me on Instagram @laurenbartleson_ and at laurenbartleson.com. As always, thank you for listening 🤍

Feel free to grab a cup of coffee or tea and settle in for our weekly coffee date. Today, I’m chatting with you from my hometown of Carmel, CA and talking about something that has been weighing on me for a while: religion. I talk about what it was like going to temple for the first time in 12 years last night and read an article I wrote on finding my way back to the community (sort of). As always, thank you so much for listening 🤍

If you want to say hi on Instagram, I would love that. You can find me @laurenbartleson_ (instagram.com/laurenbartleson_).

To read highlights from this and other episodes, visit laurenbartleson.com.

See you next Saturday for another coffee date!

Introducing a new weekly series where we connect over a cozy drink on Saturday mornings (or whenever you listen). Feel free to grab a cup of coffee or tea and join me as we share the highs and lows of our weeks.

If you want to say hi on Instagram, I would absolutely love that. You can find me @laurenbartleson_.

To read highlights from this and other episodes or to learn about my book, Insomnia, visit laurenbartleson.com.

Thank you for listening 💛 See you next Saturday!

Doing something a little different today. If you feel inspired, grab a tea or coffee and settle in as we catch up over our monthly coffee date.

Last night I had an anxiety attack. Chest pains, heart racing, hands shaking, legs restless, breathing hard, blinking fast—all because of a social media post.

I wrote this post in real-time to get me through. I’m still not sure how I feel about sharing my articles online, but we can weather that together. One step at a time. • TW: anxiety