Drinking Tea with Monsters: OCD, Mental Health, Pop Culture & Ghost Stories

Uncertainty is OCD's fuel. So how do you stop feeding it?

This week, Leela unpacks uncertainty and discomfort, two of OCD's most powerful tools, and shares how she experiences and navigates them day to day. Enter: the Phoebe Buffay theory of OCD.

But first: does Garth Brooks have a secret? Leela and Pri investigate the viral theory (and discover what comedian Tom Segura has to do with it). Plus: the social media algorithm is doing something to all of us, and we have thoughts.

Congratulations to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce on their engagement! 💍

And to close: Pri tells the story of the haunting Mrs. Bagsby of the Ubon Thai Victorian Restaurant and Inn in Staunton, Virginia, atmospheric, unsettling, and completely worth staying for.

Here's hoping your tea is hot and your monsters are chill. ☕

LINKS TO STUFF

I'm, like, totally obsessed with...

Chris Gaines on YouTube

Tom Segura's Podcast, Your Mom's House

Monk Episode referencing Garth Brooks: Season 3 Episode 6: Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf (via IMDB)

OCD

To learn more about OCD and the various common subtypes, visit the International OCD Foundation: https://iocdf.org/

Drinking Tea with Monsters

Ubon Thai Victorian Restaurant and Inn

Tangent Stuff

New Heights, the Taylor Swift episode

Pre-order The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift, out October 3

The Taylor Swift engagement announcement (on Instagram)

Prince Harry's Spare (via Amazon)

The Powers Twins (via the AP)

Contact Us

INSTAGRAM: @drinkingteawithmonsters

EMAIL: [email protected]

Music

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/fernweh-goldfish/crooked-old-shrew

https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/fairytales

OCD Resources

IOCDF

Psychology Today

Looking for another cozy listen?

🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.

Contact Us

📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters

📧 EMAIL: [email protected]

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

OCD isn't one thing. There are themes and knowing yours changes everything.

This week, Leela walks through the major OCD subtypes, from contamination and germs to harm and responsibility to false memory, sharing her own thematic experiences and what it actually feels like to live inside each one.

Plus: Pri is obsessed with the upcoming Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan starrer The Thursday Murder Club, based on Richard Osman's beloved book series, coming to Netflix August 28th. A conversation about cozy mysteries, aging millennials, and a Brett Goldstein podcast tangent that was absolutely unavoidable.

And to close: Leela tells the story of the hauntings at The Comedy Store in Hollywood, California, a building with a genuinely dark history behind its famous laughs.

Here's hoping your tea is hot and your monsters are chill. ☕

LINKS TO STUFF

I'm, like, totally obsessed with...

The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix, available August 28th.

The Thursday Murder Club Book series.

OCD

To learn more about OCD and the various common subtypes, visit the International OCD Foundation: https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/#obsessions.

Drinking Tea with Monsters

The Comedy Store, LA

Hollywood Haunted by Laurie Jacobson

Tangent Stuff

Listen to Films to be Buried With with Brett Goldstein wherever you get your podcasts

Pre-order The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift, out October 3

Contact Us

INSTAGRAM: @drinkingteawithmonsters

EMAIL: [email protected]

Music

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/fernweh-goldfish/crooked-old-shrew

https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/fairytales

OCD Resources

IOCDF

Psychology Today

Looking for another cozy listen?

🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.

Contact Us

📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters

📧 EMAIL: [email protected]

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

The healing journey with OCD is non-linear, and often harder than anyone tells you it will be.

This week Leela and Pri dig into the OCD healing journey: why recovery doesn't follow a straight line, what to actually expect, and how to keep going when the path keeps changing.

Plus: the millennial era reboot is fully upon us. The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, Joey and Pacey from Dawson's Creek, Freakier Friday. Leela and Pri run through every comeback they're excited about. (And, look, we know Taylor Swift and New Heights dropped today. We're excited about that too. We'll still be here tomorrow.)

And to close: Pri shares the haunting, true tale of June and Jennifer Gibbons, the Silent Twins, whose story is stranger than any haunting.

Here's hoping your tea is hot and your monsters are chill. ☕

LINKS TO STUFF

General Stuff

• Watch Shrinking on Apple TV+
• Find the Mercury Gatorade Rainbow here on the DTWM Instagram (@drinkingteawithmonsters on Instagram)
• Dr. Karan Rajan, Gastroenterologist (@drkaranrajan Instagram)

I'm, like, totally obsessed with...

Millennial nostalgia and the return of:

• Freakier Friday starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, in theater August 8
• The Devil Wears Prada 2 - in production, expected 2026
• The Princess Diaries 3 - in production, expected 2026
• Happy Hours, written and directed by Katie Holmes, starring Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson
• The Backstreet Boys residency in Las Vegas
• Watch Too Much on Netflix

OCD

To learn more about OCD, visit the International OCD Foundation: https://iocdf.org/.

Drinking Tea with Monsters

The Silent Twins movie (2022) available on Amazon Prime, Peacock, and Fandango.

Contact Us

INSTAGRAM: @drinkingteawithmonsters

EMAIL: [email protected]

Music

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/fernweh-goldfish/crooked-old-shrew

https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/fairytales

OCD Resources

IOCDF

Psychology Today

Looking for another cozy listen?

🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.

Contact Us

📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters

📧 EMAIL: [email protected]

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

Obsessions. Compulsions. Ruminations. Let's actually talk about what those words mean.

This week, Leela and Pri break down OCD with help from mental health expert Omar Bazza. What exactly is OCD? How do obsessions work? What's a compulsion, and what's rumination? Leela shares her lived experience navigating all three.

But first: the cosy, calming corner of TikTok and Instagram. The influencers making social media feel less like a doom scroll and more like a warm hug, Leela and Pri share who they follow and how to curate your own peaceful feed.

And to close: Leela once visited the most haunted pub in the most haunted town in England. You'll want to hear what happened.

Here's hoping your tea is hot and your monsters are chill. ☕

LINKS TO STUFF

I'm like totally obsessed with...

You can find the influencers and works mentioned in today's episode at the following handles and links:

@kelsewhatelse on Instagram

@thechutneylife on Instagram

@whatgreatgrandmaate on Instagram

@mealssheeats on Instagram

@blakespopnook on TikTok

@thecontouredlibrarian on TikTok

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

OCD

To learn more about OCD, visit the International OCD Foundation: https://iocdf.org/.

To get in touch with Omar Bazza find him on Twitter @bazzapower or email him at [email protected].

Drinking Tea with Monsters

Visit The Black Horse in Pluckley, Kent (if they let you).

Music

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/fernweh-goldfish/crooked-old-shrew

https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/fairytales

OCD Resources

IOCDF

Psychology Today

Looking for another cozy listen?

🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.

Contact Us

📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters

📧 EMAIL: [email protected]

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

What's it like to live with OCD for years before actually finding out it's OCD?

Welcome to Drinking Tea with Monsters! In our very first episode, Leela shares her journey with anxious OCD, the early signs, what it feels like inside her brain, and the strategies that have helped her manage it. If you've ever wondered what OCD is really like beyond the stereotypes, this is the place to start.

Plus: the Gilmore Girls revival! When it's coming back, who's returning, who's coming to Friday Night Dinner, and the question everyone needs answered: who is the father of Rory's baby?

And to close: Pri shares a terrifying tale about the time she almost went camping, and the ghosts she met along the way.

Get cosy, grab a blanket and a hot drink. Here's hoping your tea is hot and your monsters are chill. ☕

LINKS TO STUFF

I'm like totally obsessed with...

You can watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, or the Hallmark Channel.

OCD

To learn more about OCD, visit the International OCD Foundation: https://iocdf.org/

Drinking Tea with Monsters

To book a stay or learn more about the haunted cottage, follow the links below.

Airbnb: https://abnb.me/WMYWWETm7xb

Cottage Tour: https://youtu.be/ysyQ0hAyEPE

Music

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/fernweh-goldfish/crooked-old-shrew

https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/fairytales

OCD Resources

IOCDF

Psychology Today

Looking for another cozy listen?

🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.

Contact Us

📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters

📧 EMAIL: [email protected]

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

What if your anxiety support podcast also had ghost stories and pop culture? Welcome to Drinking Tea with Monsters.

Each week, Leela and Pri unpack living with OCD and anxiety, the obsessions, the compulsions, the bits nobody talks about.

But OCD is heavy, so they talk about some fun stuff too: every episode starts with something they're completely obsessed with, from pop culture to trends to whatever they're reading, watching, or listening to. Then they unpack one facet of OCD. And they close every episode by Drinking Tea with Monsters, by telling a spooky story about a supernatural occurrence, because nothing gets us out of our anxious brains quite like a good haunting.

So, to recap: pop culture, OCD, ghosts.

Cosy, candid, and occasionally chilling. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Grab a blanket and a hot drink. We've been expecting you.

OCD Resources

IOCDF

Psychology Today

Looking for another cozy listen?

🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.

Contact Us

📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters

📧 EMAIL: [email protected]

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