Erika survives five days of work crammed into two 😵‍💫, an office barbecue she refuses to let anyone sulk through 🍔, and Daisy’s post-spay Houdini routine 🦴🪄. Sarah, meanwhile, juggles Army chaos 🎖️, overbooked weekends 📅, and the dawning realization that her “best employee ever” era is… on pause 🙃. The duo also dive into the Halo 3–based study that proves misogyny is, in fact, a skill issue 💅—complete with hostile low-performers, fragile male egos, and the eternal “maybe she’s just better than you, bro” problem 🎯.

Shoutouts to:

• Dillon Wallace, author of The Hunt Initiative 📖—a mild dystopian, present-day thriller with action, suspense, humor, and just enough doom to keep you hooked 💥. If you liked The Hunger Games, 1984, Minority Report, or The Purge, this one’s for you.
• Alexandra Rovirosa of A Place For Us Productions 🎭, creating a collaborative, skill-focused theatre space in Kansas City for actors of all levels—because everyone deserves to grow in their craft 🌟.

Book Club 📚: Rider’s Blood, Moonlit Black by Myka Silber 🌙—forest, mountains, ocean, mystery, and a mercurial cat 🐈‍⬛. You know you want in.

Sponsors: From Moments to FOREVER, Everyday Dose Mushroom Coffee ☕🍄 & Primal Queen 👑

Linktree for chaos & discounts: https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

#AugustVibes #2025Aesthetic #InstaGlowUp #SelfCareSeason #EcoLiving2025 #WeekendWander #MindfulMoments #LinkInBio

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains talk of grief, mental health, family trauma, and the chaotic joy of self-publishing. Basically, if you’re feeling fragile, pour a drink first. Or don’t. We’re not your therapist.

🎙️ Episode 44: Writing Through the Wreckage (ft. Vanessa Kramer)

Just when you thought we couldn’t get any more emotionally unstable — surprise! We invited indie author and all-around powerhouse Vanessa Kramer to pull up a mic and spill all the tea on writing while wounded, family dynamics that aren’t Instagram-worthy, and what happens when your creative outlet becomes your survival strategy. ✍️🧨

Erika's one mic away from an existential spiral, Sarah’s trying to remember what day it is, and Vanessa? She’s out here dropping truth bombs wrapped in wit. (Because nothing says healing like dark humor and a Google Doc.)

💔 Grieving and still functioning?

💡 Turning trauma into a book deal?

📝 Self-publishing without losing your mind (entirely)?

This episode is basically the group chat with your smartest, snarkiest friends — plus some publishing advice and a few emotional sucker punches.

🎧 Buckle up, it’s a ride.

🔥 Are you a fellow creative chaos gremlin trying to stay afloat?

📚 Thinking about writing your own story — the messy, unfiltered version?

😵‍💫 What’s your biggest WTF moment of the week?

Tell us. We need to know we're not alone.

Find Vanessa on all the socials and her website: vanessakramerauthor.com

Sponsors: Forever, Everyday Dose & Primal Queen

Linktree for chaos & discounts: https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

#LivingUnderstaffed #IndieAuthor #WritingThroughIt #PodcastChaos #VanessaKramer #WeCriedALittleNotGonnaLie #Therapyisneeded #chaosgremlins #indiepodcast

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations

🎙️ Episode 043: Crying, Coping & the Control Freak Chronicles

(because this episode is a full-blown feelings spiral with bonus life decisions and zero chill)

Welcome back to Living Understaffed, where the breakdowns are weekly, the coping mechanisms are questionable, and the feelings are... everywhere. 🙃

This week:

• Erika admits her type is “emotionally unavailable,” and Sarah reminds her it’s not a flex. 💔
• Sarah quits her job, cries about it, then books it to Texas like a girlboss on the edge. 🚨✈️
• We spiral through boundaries, burnout, and why “prioritizing yourself” is somehow still a radical act. 💅
• Plus, shoutouts to indie authors from Lit & Libations, our surprise magazine feature (?!), and a gentle reminder that milkshakes are not a valid breakfast. 🥤

Also featuring: vulnerability hangovers, emotional self-sabotage, and Erika's dog stealing handmade blankets like a Disney princess. 🐾👑

Also featured: awkward coping mechanisms, personal breakthroughs disguised as breakdowns, and Erika fully deleting her dating apps because, quote, “I’m the validation now.” 💅💔

Listen now if you love:

💬 Sarcasm with a side of emotional trauma

📣 Real talk about quitting jobs and fixing everyone else’s lives

🧠 Therapy terms misused for comedic relief

💔 Talking about dating without actually talking about dating

-Upcoming: Lit & Libations returns in November—mark your calendars, chaos friends. 🍷📖

-Support us: Follow on socials, comment, scream into the void (we’ll hear you), and visit our linktree for discounts + memories. 💾🎧

Linktree for chaos & discounts: https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

Shoutout to Kareena & Marcus Cloe of Freedom Literature, a mobile bookstore and indie author haven that began with a misbid pallet—and grew into a movement. Find them at Headquarters Winery or at pop-up events across Missouri.

📚 freedomliterature.com

📱 @freedom_literature_books

Blind date with a book? Yes. Falling in love with reading again? Even better.

Shoutout to Yvette Babs Walker, author of Sixty and We Talk to God. Sometimes. She’s the voice behind Positively Joy, a podcast and ministry helping women rediscover their connection to God—through devotional writing and the faith-filled journey of fictional character Linda Radcliffe.

📚 positivelyjoy.com/books

📱 @positivelyjoypodcast

Because faith doesn’t need to be perfect—just personal.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations

🎙️ Episode 42: Attachment Styles, Audacity Levels & Acts of Self-Destruction

(Healing is real, but so is the backslide.)

📢 Audio Note: Apologies in advance—this episode is audio-only because sometimes technology is a petty little bitch. Bertha Mae (Erika’s laptop) did her best, but she’s one buffering circle away from retirement. Sarah's video came in blurry as hell so, apologies in advance for the crappy reels about to hit your algorithm.

This week on Living Understaffed, we dive into the ever-complicated world of attachment styles—you know, that fun psychological framework that explains why we keep falling for emotionally unavailable men like it’s a competitive sport. 🧠💔

Inspired by Scientific American’s “Love and the Brain: How Attached Are We to Attachment Styles?” (link below) we ask the big questions:

• Can your attachment style actually change over time? (Spoiler: Yes. And it usually involves a man named Graygg or Magic Guy™.)
• Are we just chasing familiar trauma with new faces?
• And is anxious attachment basically just "me, but make it romantic"?

Inside this episode:

• 🎧 Daisy the dog has chosen hot dog buns as her maternal legacy
• 🛠️ Sarah finds emotional catharsis in dry erase cling paper and accidentally sells it like an MLM boss babe
• 💔 We talk about how trauma, life transitions, and really bad dating decisions can shift your attachment style faster than a situationship ghosting you
• 📉 Plus, a whole discussion about self-awareness, setting boundaries, and why being “a lot” isn’t the insult you think it is

Also featuring:

• Roommate demotions
• Emotional growth we didn’t ask for
• And sultry office supply reviews that are weirdly soothing

If you’ve ever spiraled over a situationship and impulse-bought a productivity planner, this one’s for you. 💅💭📦

Shoutout to E.C. Garrett, author of The Dragon Queen series—a dark, adult romantasy full of dragon‑slaying Gauntlets, sapphic bonds, rebellion, and grief you’ll feel deep. Book 2 (The Defiant & The Damned) out now.

📚 authorecgarrett.com

📱 @authorecgarrett

Dragons die. Hearts burn. Expect both.

PODCAST INSPIRATION: https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/love-and-the-brain-part-2-how-attached-are-we-to-attachment-styles/

DRY ERASE CONTACT PAPER FROM AMAZON, YOU'RE F*CKING WELCOME: https://a.co/d/3RHxpk4

#LivingUnderstaffed #SarahAndErika #UnderstaffedPodcast #AttachmentStylesUnhinged #PodcastChaos #WomenWhoPodcast #MillennialPodcasters #IndiePodcastLife #AttachmentStyles #AvoidantMen #AnxiousAttachment #SituationshipSurvivor #EmotionalUnavailable #TherapyTalks #RelationshipRealness #ModernLoveMess #RoommateDrama #DryEraseBoardObsession #OfficeSupplyAddict #HotDogBunNesting #GarageGremlins #CancelledAgain #DBCooperDrama #TechFailsAndFeelings #AppliancesThatDeserveBetter #Millenials #Sarah #Erika

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations

What was supposed to be a simple chat about “journal prompts to get unstuck” somehow turned into a full-blown emotional rollercoaster featuring sarcasm, grief, praise-kinks, and biceps. 💅🏽🧠💪

In this episode of Living Understaffed, Sarah and Erika unpack:

• The depression brain fog that makes brushing your teeth feel like an Olympic event 🥇🪥
• Professional impostor syndrome… and still being the most competent bitch in the meeting 💻🙃
• The IT guy who gives bare minimum energy and the office grandpa who deserves all our love 🧓❤️
• Grieving friendships, actual grief, and the emotional booby traps of being the “strong one” 😩🥀
• Why compliments are basically psychological warfare… but we weaponize them anyway 🎯💌
• Green bubbles, dating red flags, and the shirt-tightness to effort ratio all men should memorize 🍏📱👕
• Plus: Metal & Munchies, emotional landmines, and WHY ERIKA FINALLY JOINED THE APPLE FAMILY 🍎🎉

We cry. We threaten each other with love. We plan podcast world domination from bed.

If this isn’t your favorite episode yet, it’s probably because you still have emotional energy. 🤷🏽‍♀️

▶️ Listen now if you've ever:

• Had a mental breakdown in your inbox 📨
• Needed someone to fire you just so you could rest 🛌
• Cried because someone ambushed you with a compliment 🥹

Shoutout to fantasy author Elizabeth Bird, whose Dreamer’s Saga blends epic quests with sarcasm and Star Wars references.

 Final book drops April 2026

 @ElizabethBirdWrites

www.elizabethbirdwrites.com

Shoutout to Evilsangel, author of The Price of Blood—a long-running, unapologetically dark fantasy series about demon royalty, political brutality, and survival in a violent world. Book 1 is the tamest. You’ve been warned.

 evilsangel5000.com

 @evilsangel5000

Blood is the currency. And survival comes at a cost. 

SPONSORED BY:

📸 FOREVER: Protect your chaos in photo form

🍄 Everyday Dose: For when coffee alone won’t cut it

👑 Primal Queen: Our favorite surprise obsession

🚘 And the sheer willpower it took to record this episode instead of rotting in bed.

#LivingUnderstaffed #PodcastTherapy #DepressionButMakeItFunny #InboxSpite #GriefGoblins #TeamBlueBubbles #WeCantClockOutOfThisShit

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations

This week, Sarah’s fighting off Hot Girl Tummy Problems™️ while Erika moves her entire bedroom upstairs out of pure stubbornness and a desperate need for closet space. (Spoiler: the mattress did make it up the stairs…eventually.)

We spiral into anxiety brain, dehydration habits, and the absolute fantasy that is a smooth-brained, worry-free existence. (Teach us your ways.) From stress fogs to depression naps, it’s a mental health rollercoaster—chaotic, real, and mildly caffeinated.

Then we dino-dive into feminist fossil fuel with a quickfire education session led by Erika, who nerds out on the badass women who shaped paleontology—Mary Anning, Tilly Edinger, Mary Leakey, and Sue Hendrickson (yes, that Sue from the Field Museum). It’s women in STEM, petty historical drama, and fossilized poo. You’re welcome.

💀 Also featuring:

• Smooth brains
• Electrolyte water
• Random diving expeditions
• Dinosaurs that lived more stable lives than we do

🎧 Listen now. Laugh through the existential dread. Then hydrate. Probably.

Don't forget to check out our Linktree for From Moments to FOREVER, Primal Queen and Everyday Dose mushroom coffee. We're here. We're under-caffeinated. We're doing our best: https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

Shoutout to horror author Allen Harrow, whose debut Black Devil Vol. 1: Trapped is post-apocalyptic horror meets raw emotional depth. Think Silent Hill, but more personal—and twice as devastating.

📚 allenharrow.com

📱 @allenharrowtheedgelordartist

Author N.E. Butcher brings heat and heartbreak to paranormal romance with The Afterlife Duet, where a Grim Reaper meets her match in one soul-stirring, rule-breaking demon.

📚 nebutcher.com

📱 @nebutcher_author

Romance. Redemption. And the kind of chemistry you’ll feel in your bones.



Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations

Welcome back to the podcast that’s basically just two spiraling women refusing to work on their enormous flaws while loudly calling out societal rot. 🧃💅

This week, Sarah and Erika dive deep into The Lolita Effect, the movie Thirteen, and the literal hellscape that is being a teenage girl under the male gaze. We discuss oversexualization, creepy casting choices, dress code double standards, and why 14-year-olds contour better than we ever will. 🫠👄✨

🔎 Topics we manage to tackle without screaming:

• The myth of the “mature” teenage girl
• How the media sexualizes young women and then blames them for it
• 14-year-olds being paired with 28-year-old actors (and why that's NOT okay)
• Brooke Shields, Britney Spears, and Hollywood’s gross history of “art”
• Foster care statistics that will make you want to throw your phone
• What we wish someone had told us before our own awkward teen years

Also featuring:

🧠 Unmedicated spirals

📚 Accidental trauma dumps

😤 Rants about high school dress codes

🐕 Daisy demanding attention mid-rage

& special author shoutouts to Anya Keeler and Zachariah Chamberlain!

Basically, it's one part feminist reckoning, one part sad girl summer preview, and 100% chaos we can’t clock out of. 🙃

👉 Rate, review, hydrate, and maybe ask your kids how they’re doing today.

Because pretending it’s fine only works until someone brings up 2004.

LINKTREE - https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

Shoutout to KC-based indie author Anya Keeler, whose debut novel The Sound of Storms is queer, chaotic, plot-rich fantasy featuring double enemies-to-lovers, disability rep, and a generous splash of smut.

 anyakeeler.com

 Goodreads: The Sound of Storms

Fantasy should be inclusive, emotional, and a little bit unhinged. Just like this book.

Shoutout to author Zachariah Chamberlin, whose debut We Come Bearing Curses blends cosmic horror, addiction recovery, found family, and cult-driven apocalypse in a haunted Kansas City.

 zachariahchamberlain.com

Haunted men. Eldritch cults. And a Cane Corso named Lizzie Borden.

What more could you ask for?? 

#LivingUnderstaffed #TheLolitaEffect #PodcastTherapy #OversexualizedAndOverIt #DressCodesAndDoubleStandards

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations

🌪️🪦🧠 Saturn Returns, Dead Cats, & 109 Ways to Trigger a Man

This week on Living Understaffed, the understaffed-ness hits a whole new level of unhinged as Sarah, Erika (with a K, obviously), and special guest Emma spiral together in what can only be described as a support group with sarcasm.

💻 Erika's understaffed moment includes playing “Interim Supervisor Who Knows Nothing” while her inbox commits cyber war crimes.

🎂 Sarah emotionally unpacks her birthday, basement anxiety, and the curse of gas station dating.

🧳 Emma is in peak Saturn return energy—sorting through her dad’s stolen divorce loot, mourning her dead cat (with a coffee cart in her honor), and contemplating buying a car held together by trauma and zip ties.

Also featuring:

• Accidental pegging conversations (AGAIN) 😑
• Military men, Boy Scouts, and the phrase “Nice Spanx”
• An entire roast of fragile male egos, courtesy of “109 Ways to Shatter the Male Ego” 🔥
• Gas station meet-cutes no one asked for
• Watercolor, womb energy, and TikTok inbox hell 🌀

PLUS: Author shoutouts, sibling psychic warfare, and the unavoidable truth that being attracted to men is a form of self-harm.

🎧 Listen in as we dodge inboxes, exes, and emotional collapse—because apparently we’re still doing all this without a full-time staff, HR department, or therapy budget.

Shoutout to Dan B. Fierce, a KC-based author with a flair for dark humor, horror, and suspense. With influences like King and Poe, a background in stand-up comedy, and characters born from online wrestling lore, Dan’s stories are sharp, fearless, and deeply original.

 danbfiercebooks.com

 @DanBFierce

Macabre. Hilarious. Unapologetically Fierce.

Shoutout to Tiffany Weyant, librarian and creator of Wey Better Creations—your new favorite shop for clever, cozy, bookish gifts. Think 34 oz. mugs, blind date with a book bundles, bookmarks, and more—handmade in KC with heart and humor.

 weybettercreations.com

 @WeyBetterCreations

Because your reading habit deserves cute merch and a giant cup of tea.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations

🎙️ Episode 37 – “Zheng Yi Sao Said ‘Sink or Be Sunk’”

Badass Women of History: Part 2

This week, Sarah & Erika are back to honor the original girlboss who made corporate chaos look like amateur hour: Zheng Yi Sao, pirate queen of the South China Sea. 🏴‍☠️💅

She went from flower boat sex worker to leading 70,000+ pirates, defeating multiple navies, and retiring with a full pension plan—without a man in sight. Meanwhile, we’re out here fighting for calendar access and dodging passive-aggressive “per my last email” vibes.

💥 In this episode:

• Zheng Yi Sao’s “burn it all and make them pay you anyway” energy
• Men faking leadership skills at retirement parties
• Daisy the Dog’s refusal to poop on command 🐶💩
• Erika sets boundaries (sorta). Sarah takes 3 energy drinks and black-out cleans.
• A totally casual reminder that pirates had stricter HR policies than most of our employers

🎤 Shoutouts this week go to:

📚 Meg Blystone, co-owner of Pulp Fiction Comics & Games in Lee’s Summit—your friendly neighborhood nerd haven for comics, graphic novels, tabletop games, and general fandom joy.

🔗 linktr.ee/pfcomics

Support your local geek hub. Come for the comics, stay for the community. 🎲✨

🌿 Swade Cannabis, a Missouri-born dispensary redefining the cannabis experience with luxe design, community partnerships, and premium products. With locations in St. Louis and Kansas City, they’re the real MVPs of plant-powered chill.

🔗 swadecannabis.com/about

Because some days call for edibles and ignoring your inbox. 🛋️💨

🎧 Hit play if you're here for petty commentary, feminist rage, chaotic giggles, and affiliate links that fund our coffee addictions.

👉 https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

#ZhengYiSao #BadassWomenOfHistory #PirateQueenEnergy #WorkplaceRage #LivingUnderstaffed #PodcastForTheOverworked #FeministHistory #HRCouldNever #SupportLocalShops #WomenWhoLead #BurnoutChronicles #PettyAndProud #PiratesDidItBetter

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations

🎙️ Episode 36 – Red Flags, Rants & Rizz That Should Be Revoked 🚩💅

Fresh off our Lit & Libations high (where our egos were shamelessly inflated — thank you, Vanessa), we’re back to reality... and reality is full of migraines, mediocre men, and unhinged Tinder bios we didn’t ask for. 🙃💀

✨ In this episode:

• 🛑 Red flags so blinding you’ll need shades (including one man’s bio that casually included “Feminists are dumb.” 😵)
• 🍄 Our Everyday Dose debut — because mushroom coffee is the only thing keeping us from full collapse
• 👑 Hormone balance via Primal Queen — for when your PMS is louder than your boss
• 📸 Memory-saving magic via FOREVER — 2GB free storage + $20 to preserve your digital dignity
• 🥪 Erika forces Sarah to eat and hydrate like a feral toddler mid-meltdown
• 🐰 Meet Side-Eyed Jack: our new mascot with judgment stronger than your situationship
• 🔥 Unhinged Tinder bios, unsolicited DMs, and the audacity of men (per usual)

🎤 Plus 📚 Author Spotlights:

Andrea H. Rome brings cozy fantasy to life in The Standard Book of Anything — and the adventure continues in The Lost Ring of Destiny (arriving May 28-TODAY)! Follow magical handywoman Em Strider as she saves her town one magical fix at a time.

👉 AndreaHRome.com | @AndreaHRome

Whimsy. Magic. And a hero with a hammer.

Christina Mitchell delivers fierce Italian energy and femme-powered mafia suspense in The Italian Rose, where family legacy turns bloody and women rise to the top. Her upcoming release on chronic pain is raw, real, and absolutely unforgettable.

👉 TheItalianRose.com

Sweet on the outside. Deadly on paper. 💋🩸

🎧 Hit play if you're here for petty commentary, feminist rage, chaotic giggles, and affiliate links that fund our coffee addictions.

LINK: https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

#LivingUnderstaffed #PodcastChaos #RedFlagsEverywhere #FOREVERAffiliate #PrimalQueenPartner #EverydayDose #TinderFails #GregWithThreeGs #LitAndLibations #SideEyedJack #MafiaMamas #CozyFantasyFixes #SupportIndieAuthors #UnderpaidAndOverIt

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/living-understaffed/donations