It's Erica's birthday so we're doing something a little different: a full episode dedicated to birthdays, memories and what actually matters as we get older.

We start with our happiest birthday memories before Erica opens up about being bullied at school and how her mum intervened when the school refused to help. We talk about our favourite presents over the years, our relationship with celebrations and recap our 30th birthdays.

There's a detour into teenage birthdays, why birthday songs are universally awkward and our very strong opinions on massages. Megan reflects on her birthday in 2020 during lockdown, and we both share what we're genuinely wishing for this year, not just materially but for ourselves and our lives.

A nostalgic, honest conversation about growing up and what birthdays mean when you're not a kid anymore.

🎙️ Fingers Crossed is a mental health and life podcast hosted by Erica and Megan.

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chapters:

00:00 intro

05:13 happiest birthday memories

09:16 bea interlude

10:01 erica bullied at school

11:46 favourite presents

16:31 on celebrating birthdays

20:21 our 30th birthdays

24:27 teenage birthdays

26:12 birthday songs

29:37 thoughts on massages

33:11 meg’s birthday in 2020

35:48 wishes for this year

43:23 outro

In this episode of Fingers Crossed, Erica shares her decision to step back from traditional talk therapy and explore alternative healing methods, including somatic techniques, Qigong and meditating with the Gateway Tapes, the CIA-declassified audio program that's taken over the internet. We get into what that experience has actually been like and whether it's worth the hype. Also touch on using it for manifestation purposes.

Megan opens up about who she was as a child and reflects on the pivotal decisions, both made for her and by her, that shaped the person she is today. It's a conversation about identity, self-awareness, and how much of who we are was always already written.

We also dive into education systems: Steiner vs public vs private schooling, what Australia does differently, and how systems around the world compare. Plus, Too Good To Go, the app that's changing how we think about food waste, and a chat about Clavicular and some of his very interesting life and health choices.

A wide-ranging, honest episode about healing, growing up, and the paths we didn't know we were on.

🎙️ Fingers Crossed is a mental health and life podcast hosted by Erica and Megan.

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chapters:

00:00 intro

01:06 too good to go

10:40 erica quitting therapy

14:40 gateway tapes 

23:30 qigong 

25:08 meg childhood reflections

28:44 meg’s pivotal life choices and education systems

44:43 meg now

49:50 clavicular discussion

59:33 outro

in this episode, we take a moment to do some honest stocktaking of our lives and our plans for 2026. we also touch on human design and talk about when the wrong people have kids.

to balance out the seriousness, we also revisit some of our funniest and most embarrassing childhood stories, because self-reflection can only go so far before it needs to be interrupted by chaos.

this one is part intention-setting, part emotional reset, and part laughing at the people we used to be.

if you’re thinking about what you want more (or less) of this year, or you just need a lighter episode with a bit of perspective, this one’s for you.

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chapters:

00:00 intro

00:34 reflecting on where we’re at for 2026

20:05 human design

26:13 when the wrong people have kids

36:00 embarrassing childhood stories 

01:03:23 outro

this episode covers heavy and confronting themes.

content warning: this episode discusses sexual assault, grooming, coercion and abuse of power.

in this episode, erica shares two deeply personal experiences involving older men abusing their power, and the lasting impact those experiences have had. meg also opens up about an experience of coercion involving a close female friend, and what it taught her about trust, boundaries and safety.

this is not a societal analysis or a theoretical discussion. it is a personal conversation about lived experience, the confusion that often follows, and the ways harm can be minimised or misunderstood when it comes from people we know.

we talk honestly about how these experiences stay with you, how they change the way you move through the world, and what it means to name harm without dressing it up or explaining it away.

viewer/listener discretion is advised.

📩 if this episode resonates with you and you feel safe to share, our inbox is open:
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chapters:

00:00 intro

00:38 cw

03:54 erica story 1

20:58 erica story 2

41:06 meg story

48:50 outro

episode 28 is a love letter to soft masculinity and male vulnerability, especially when it’s shown well in media.

we start by talking about the tv show heated rivalry and why its portrayal of emotionally open, complex men feels so refreshing. from there, we unpack what soft masculinity actually looks like in practice, why it’s still treated as unusual, and how seeing it represented can genuinely shift our expectations in relationships.

we also took a values test with some genuinely surprising results.

it’s a thoughtful, affirming episode about emotional openness, cultural change, and why vulnerability isn’t weakness - it’s the whole point.

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chapters:

00:00 intro

00:33 meg’s week

02:41 update from erica

09:49 heated rivalry

34:33 values test

48:00 outro

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episode 27 starts with meg saying one thing slightly wrong and somehow spirals into a deep, hour-long conversation about individualism in australia and how it quietly shapes (and strains) friendships.

we unpack how australian culture approaches friendship, flakiness, planning, and emotional distance, and contrast that with growing up in more collectivist cultures, particularly hungary. we talk about unspoken social rules, why being “low maintenance” is often praised, and how that can leave people feeling isolated, unsupported, or disposable.

the conversation also touches on capitalism, neglect of community, neurodivergence, and why being different can feel especially hard in australia. erica shares personal friendship breakdowns, what she’s changed for other people in the past, and where she’s no longer willing to bend.

it’s a raw, thoughtful episode about belonging, cultural mismatch, and what real friendship actually requires.

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chapters:

00:00 intro

01:39 friendship in australia

17:16 how individualism started

18:49 growing up in a collectivist culture

20:46 unspoken social rules in collectivism

28:09 flaky vs planning chart

32:01 country being neglected

35:20 mild rant on capitalism

38:17 being different in australia

39:11 the rat study 

45:03 neurodivergence and individualism

51:37 comparison between australia and hungary

55:05 erica’s friendship breakdown

01:00:38 another traumatic friendship breakdown

01:09:56 changing for other people

01:18:44 final thoughts

01:24:49 outro

episode 26 is our first episode back for the year, and we’re easing in by unpacking the highlights and lowlights of our holiday trips.

meg talks about travelling to coffs harbour with her mum, while erica reflects on a brisbane trip with her dad. we cover the good parts: beautiful towns, road trips, spending time together, and the not-so-good parts including bugs in tropical regions, bed bugs in hotels, awkward family dynamics and the strange things people say when you least expect it.

we also talk about how grounding it can be to see each other after time apart, the joy (and stress) of long drives, and the confronting reality of roadkill on australian roads.

it’s a gentle, honest catch-up episode about travel, family, and returning to yourself after time away.

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chapters:

00:00 intro

02:57 we went away

04:07 meg no. 5 highlight 

07:18 erica no. 5 highlight 

10:11 meg no. 4 highlight 

11:39 erica no. 4 highlight 

12:49 meg no. 3 highlight 

13:50 erica no. 3 highlight 

18:53 meg no. 2 highlight 

20:23 erica no. 2 highlight 

22:52 meg no. 1 highlight 

25:02 erica no. 1 highlight 

31:37 meg no. 5 lowlight 

33:00 erica no. 5 lowlight 

40:45 meg no. 4 lowlight  

42:49 erica no. 4 lowlight  

44:30 meg no. 3 lowlight  

48:55 erica no. 3 lowlight  

50:55 meg no. 2 lowlight  

54:07 erica bonus lowlight  

58:47 meg bonus lowlight 

01:01:19 erica no. 2 lowlight 

01:05:02 meg no. 1 lowlight 

01:08:03 erica no. 1 lowlight 

01:24:49 outro

episode 25 is our first episode of 2026, and it’s a reflective, grounding way to start the year.

the bulk of this episode centres on erica’s recent reading with author, astrologer and intuitive kate forster, and the themes that came up around values-based living, identity, and long-term growth. from there, we unpack how astrology can be used as a reflective tool rather than a rulebook, and what it means to consciously move through the world with intention.

we also talk about the four pillars of re-parenting, how past versions of ourselves would feel about our current selves and what happens when you find readers and practitioners you genuinely mesh with.

it’s an episode about integration - taking insight and turning it into something lived, not just understood.

📩 email us your thoughts or dating experiments:
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chapters:

00:00 intro

01:25 erica’s reading with kate forster

24:32 values based living

29:58 reflecting on parents

32:29 astrology chat

45:32 four pillars of re-parenting

55:07 meshing with readers

01:00:30 reflecting on past selves

01:04:17 outro

please note: sorry there is a section with camera issues.

episode 24 is a reflective one. we look back on our best and worst new year’s eves, unpack what 2025 brought up for us, and talk about how much has shifted through our saturn returns: in our priorities, our boundaries, and our sense of self.

we also touch on demisexuality, emotional connection, and what intimacy has come to mean for us as we move through our 30s. it’s an episode about endings, integration, and noticing how quietly but profoundly you can change over time.

if you’re feeling reflective about the year ahead, your relationships, or the version of yourself you’re growing into, this one will resonate.

📩 email us your thoughts or dating experiments:
[email protected]

Follow us:

@fingerscrossedthepodcast

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chapters:

00:00 intro 

03:53 reflecting on nye 

12:25 reflecting on 2025

26:15 saturn returns

34:43 being demi

38:01 reflecting on 30s  

53:19 outro

episode 23 is our christmas special, recorded over two days thanks to some classic tech chaos.

we start by getting festive - talking about christmas as kids, our favourite holiday movies and songs, and the things that still make the season feel comforting (and chaotic). then erica shares her dating wrapped after making a pact with a friend to download a dating app and commit to one date a month for the year - twelve dates total, no pressure on who or how.

what started as an experiment didn’t go to plan at all. 

somewhere along the way, erica fell in love with one of the men she met (dear old pentacles) and shares that story.

it’s a reflective, warm episode about timing, intention, and how sometimes the thing you’re doing “for the plot” quietly changes you as a person.

📩 email us your thoughts or dating experiments:
[email protected]

Follow us:

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chapters:

00:00 intro

05:50 fave christmas movies

18:40 fave christmas songs

25:35 erica’s dating wrapped 2025 intro

28:59 date 1 actor/model

36:04 date 2 runescape

39:35 date 3 PENTACLES :)

57:50 meg’s funny crush story

01:02:33 date 4 PENTACLES :)

01:22:28 date 5 meditation guy

01:24:55 date 6 poor man’s pentacles

01:26:41 date 7 poor man’s jenny

01:28:00 date 8 guitarist

01:30:11 date 9 jazz guy

01:32:10 date 10 pt

01:35:17 outro