In this episode of The Honey Pod, I’m joined by former Las Vegas reporter Jeremy Chen for an honest conversation about newsroom burnout, the MMJ grind, and what happens when the job keeps asking for more with fewer resources and less support.

We talk about chaotic newsrooms, managing managers, and the emotional toll that pushes so many journalists to question their future. Jeremy also shares what changed when he moved to a healthier, better-resourced newsroom—and how time and trust can transform the way stories are told.

✨ This is the final episode of Season 1 of The Honey Pod. Season 2 returns in March.

In the meantime, find weekly bonus edits, extended conversations, and never-before-seen episodes on Patreon.

Today’s episode is a full-circle moment.
I’m sitting down with Billy Floyd, the person who helped me start my very first podcast back in Albany — the place I walked away from news for the first time and started rebuilding my life.

We talk about leaving the industry before you even have the words for burnout, starting over in a new city, finding creativity again, and why the first chapter after news is always the messiest and most important.

🍯 ONLY TWO PUBLIC EPISODES LEFT
The Honey Pod is moving fully to Patreon until our return in March.
Join for weekly episodes, extended conversations, mental health tools, legal guidance, and our private community.

👉 patreon.com/honeypod

Two-time Emmy Award–winning producer Cabria Kirby joins me for an intimate conversation about one of the bravest decisions she’s ever made: walking away from the newsroom at 26 to completely rewrite her life.

We talk about recognizing burnout before it breaks you, leaving a career that once defined you, rediscovering purpose in teaching Title I students, the calling that led her toward school counseling, and why the “news family” remains family no matter where life takes you.

This episode is warm, honest, and soul-fueling — a reminder that starting over isn’t failure. Sometimes it’s the doorway into a softer, sweeter, more aligned chapter of your life.

Get exclusive behind-the-scenes content, extended guest conversations, Bee Advised legal chats with Medrala, Bee Well sessions with Nelandra, and stories we don’t share publicly.
Patreon: patreon.com/HoneyPod

Instagram: @honeypodbuzz
YouTube: Honey Pod

• Medrala Law Firm — Legal insight partner
• Nelandra / True Core Wellness — Our “Bee Well” mental-health contributor
• Metamorphosis — Creative staging & design for Honey Pod

🐝 JOIN THE HIVE ON PATREON🍯 FOLLOW US💛 SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Today we sit down with Nelandra Anselmo, licensed therapist and founder of True Core Wellness, for a grounded conversation about identity, healing, and finding your way back to yourself.

Nelandra shares practical tools for reconnecting when life feels loud or heavy, and introduces Bee Well — her monthly mental-health series available exclusively to our Patreon community.

✨ In this episode:
• Rebuilding identity• Returning to your “home frequency”• Grounding practices you can use today• When faith and mental health meet

🍯 Join the Hive on Patreon for Bee Well:
patreon.com/honeypod

📌 Follow True Core Wellness: @truecorewellness📌 Follow The Honey Pod: @honeypodbuzz

✨ Sponsored by Medrala Law Firm & True Core Wellness
New episodes every Thursday. 🐝✨

When a story nearly costs you your life, everything changes.

In this episode of The Honey Pod, Paulina Bucka sits down with longtime CBS reporter Joe Vazquez — mentor, newsroom veteran, and survivor of a violent attack on assignment. After 35+ years in journalism, Joe opens up about the rising danger facing news crews, the collapse of resources in modern newsrooms, and the moment that forced him to walk away from an industry that became his identity.

Together they discuss:

• The day Joe’s security guard was shot during a robbery attempt

• Burnout, overload, and the “fog” that follows years in the field

• MMJs, newsroom cuts, and why the quality of reporting is suffering

• How journalists cope — and why many don’t

• What it takes to rebuild a life after leaving news

• Joe’s evolution from Joe Newsman to Joe Bluesman
  

This conversation is clear, direct, and powerful — a necessary look at the modern reality of journalism and what happens when the hive becomes hazardous.

New episodes every Thursday.

Honeycomb Confessions from a Disruptive News Anchor | Honey Pod with Eric King

How the Hive Broke —  Eric King on Modern News

When the hive goes quiet, crops fail. When the newsroom goes quiet, communities do too. In this episode, Emmy-winning journalist Paulina Bucka sits down with former anchor Eric King to ask the question on everyone’s mind: how did we get here—and how do we rebuild? They trace the parallels between colony collapse and newsroom collapse: speed over substance, volume over value, and what it takes to restore trust, craft, and connection.

Listen & Watch

• Early/extended on Patreon: https://patreon.com/honeypod
  

Guest Eric King — author of Breaking News: Confessions of a Disruptive News Anchor. Book: https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-News-Confessions-Disruptive-Anchor/dp/B0FKBNXLHM

For journalists, creators, and entrepreneurs navigating contracts, burnout, and new beginnings.

Sponsors & Partners

• Medrala Law Firm — Bee Advised: legal education for media pros & creatives. https://medralaw.com
  

• True Core Wellness — mental health support with Nelandra Anselmo, LMFT.
  

• Shades by Shan — beauty with purpose: https://www.shadesbyshan.com
  

• Metamorphosis Santa Fe — design & set collaboration. IG: @metamorphosis_santafe
  

Follow The Honey Pod IG: @honeypodbuzz Patreon: https://patreon.com/honeypod

Disclaimer Educational content only; not legal advice unless you become a client (then attorney–client privileges apply).

Bee Advised with attorney Jakub Medrala—a crisp explainer on NDAs vs. non-competes, who owns your work, contract red flags, simple negotiation lines, and when to call a lawyer.

Sponsors: Medrala Law Firm, True Core Wellness, Metamorphosis Santa Fe. Giveaway partner: Shades by Shan.

Follow @honeypodbuzz • Join Patreon for legal templates & the live Q&A. Educational only; not legal advice.

“If you’re not a little embarrassed by your first launch, you launched too late.”

Shan Clark (“Shanberries”) tells the real story: radio heartbreak, holy redirection, and turning revenge into purpose with Shades By Shan—a beauty brand that now sits in 600+ JCPenney stores and funds single parents through the MamaBerries Foundation. We get into faith, grit, motherhood, and the unglamorous work behind “overnight” wins.

In this episode:

• Garage beginnings → national retail (and why she first said no to a million-unit deal)

• Kindness > clout: how to get hired, rehired, and referred

• Postpartum, the Revival collection, and sharing the messy middle

• Traveling founder life, boundaries, and paying your village

• Practical advice for leaving news/radio and starting your thing

Guest: Shannon Clark aka Shan Berries — Founder/CEO, Shades By Shan; Co-founder, MamaBerries Foundation; Radio host Host: Paulina Bucka — The Honey Pod 🍯

Sponsors Medrala Law Firm — legal insights for creators and founders Metamorphosis — set design & staging True Core Wellness — mental health & aftercare for high performers

Music credit: “Touch of Kindness” — Denis Pavlov (DPmusic) Source: Pixabay Music (royalty-free) Track URL: https://pixabay.com/music/your-track-link-here License: Pixabay Content License — free for commercial and non-commercial use; attribution not required; redistribution of the raw track is not allowed.

Judi Fergason shares her twin sister Jody’s story—how to replace labels with a name, and how reporters can practice trauma-aware journalism with real compassion. We talk public grief, court timelines, victim-advocate resources, and mental health for both families and journalists. A guide to covering hard stories with care.

Sponsors

• Medrala Law Firm — extended legal tips on Patreon

• True Core Wellness — wellness tools on Patreon

• Metamorphosis — set styling featured here

Patreon: patreon.com/honeypod

News Stories:

🐝 https://www.ktnv.com/news/the-psychology-of-stabbing-christoper-martell

🐝 https://www.ktnv.com/the-jody-thompson-devries-story-changing-the-stigma-around-homelessness

A former TV producer shares how a faith jolt led her to leave the newsroom, navigate a contract squeeze, and step into reentry work—supervising teams in prison and in the community. We talk burnout vs. purpose, “policy vs. preference” leadership, and practical advice for anyone considering a pivot. Note: The last 30 minutes—deeper contract strategy, sustainable service, and Vanessa’s “Moses” insight—continues exclusively on Patreon.

Sponsors

• Medrala Law Firm — extended legal tips on Patreon

• True Core Wellness — wellness tools on Patreon

• Metamorphosis — set styling featured here

Patreon: patreon.com/honeypod