🎙️ Episode 35 – Sleep-Deprived Smut, Refried Bean Trauma, & the Grand Canyon of Daddy Issues 🐇🧠

Welcome to Living Understaffed, where the sarcasm flows like boxed wine at a book fair and the emotional trauma is only slightly overshadowed by our love of spicy indie romance. In this live-from-Kansas-City episode, Sarah and Erika roll into Lit & Libations with 2 hours of sleep, a questionable bunny painting, and absolutely no plan—because why start now?

✨ Indie author shoutouts:

Meet Angel Edenburn, Owner of Lost Aardvarks Press and author of gritty paranormal romance set right in Kansas and Missouri. Her latest, Second Time Around, brings curvy, kickass heroines, fast cars, and dangerous magic to life.

• 📚 LostAardvarksPress.com
• 🔗 linktr.ee/angeledenburn
• 📱 Facebook
• 💋 Not your typical vampires. Not your typical romance.

KC-based author and high school English teacher Matthew Reed Williams makes his debut with Somewhere—a quiet, compelling supernatural thriller about memory, grief, and the spaces between.

• 📚 MatthewReedWilliams.com
• 📱 @MatthewReedWilliams
• 💀 What haunts us isn’t always from the outside.

✨ Biz shoutouts:

• Primal Queen – the only skincare Sarah trusts on her “my face is tired but we’re in public” days. Use code UNDERSTAFFED for a sweet discount on all things luxe, clean, and badass. 👑✨
• Everyday Dose – coffee, but make it functional. (Because Lord knows we don’t have the bandwidth for jitters and trauma.) Get your daily dopamine with adaptogens + collagen. Use code UNDERSTAFFED for 15% off your order. ☕🧠

Also in this episode:

• Sarah and Erika realize they may have accidentally started a small business empire (oops).
• The Old Guard makes everyone cry because love should be like a Hozier song and/or an immortal Italian boyfriend who would kill for you.
• We confess to eating cold hot dogs, canned beans, and other crimes against food. Sorry not sorry. 🫘
• Erika explains why you must now compete with Sarah to be the best boyfriend she’s ever had (good luck).
• And yes, we are still not on Discord when we say we’ll be. It's called ✨consistency✨.

Oh, and if you’re wondering: no, we still don’t have our shit together. But we do have boundary-setting, nap trauma, and thighs like harbor seals. 🐚💪

🚨 BONUS: Catch us live from the only podcast table at Lit & Libations, surrounded by hot authors and even hotter takes on love, loss, and lunchables.

📌 Don’t forget to support your favorite chaos goblins:

👉 FREE 2GB + $20 coupon with FOREVER

👉 15% off Everyday Dose mushroom coffee!

👉 Primal Queen 25% discount! Join us in the journey and glow like the emotionally unavailable man you just blocked 💅

https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

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

Dating while healing? Yeah, it’s a minefield. 🧨 In this episode, Erika and Sarah open up about the exhausting balance between protecting your peace and staying open to intimacy. From non-negotiables like buying the damn flowers 💐 to the emotional weight of spaghetti 🍝 (yes, really), they dive into the deep end of post-divorce reflection, attachment trauma, and learning how to not settle for breadcrumbs.

Expect hot takes on:

✨ Why “I can buy my own flowers” isn’t just a flex—it’s a filter

💔 Situationships, slow-burn intimacy, and the curse of dating apps

🔄 Navigating your own needs without turning love into a transaction

📬 What real effort actually looks like (spoiler: it’s not that hard)

🤷🏽‍♀️ And the eternal question: If your partner can’t remember your favorite food after 12 years… do they even go here?

This one’s raw, funny, a little ragey, and 100% real. 😤❤️ Because healing doesn’t mean you stop wanting connection—it means you stop accepting less than you deserve.

🎧 Tune in. Unpack. Repeat.

#LivingUnderstaffed #HighStandardsClub #DatingWhileHealing #BuyTheFlowers 🌺

👑 Also featuring: A Primal Queen moment with a salamander army 🦎, why “I’m out of your price range” applies to energy too ⚡, and the very real struggle of emotionally surviving spaghetti. 🍽️

📸 And if you love supporting small businesses, join us on FOREVER for free 2GB storage and a $20 coupon to use on any product — because memories (and discounts) matter!

🔗 https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

#PromotionPending #USAJobsIsTrash #LivingUnderstaffed #PodcastChaos #FOREVERFamily #PrimalQueenEnergy

☕ New Affiliate Alert! We're now proud partners with Everyday Dose — the mushroom-powered coffee alternative that delivers calm energy, focus, and gut support without the jitters or crash. With 80% less caffeine than traditional coffee and ingredients like Lion’s Mane, Chaga, L-Theanine, and collagen, it's our new go-to for starting the day right. Try it for yourself and support the pod by shopping through our link: https://www.everydaydose.com/LIVINGUNDERSTAFFED

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

🎙 Episode 33 – Saints, Spite & Side Quests We Didn’t Ask For

We’re back with more chaos, caffeine, and unsolicited life detours.

This week, we kick off our new series Badass Women in History with none other than Saint Olga of Kyiv—a woman who turned grief into full-scale vengeance and basically redefined “petty but make it legendary.” Fire? Birds? Entire villages wiped out? Yeah, she understood the assignment. 🔥👑

Also in this episode:

• A digital decluttering PSA from Sarah, who’s here to make sure your memories don’t disappear with your dead laptop 💀💾 (shoutout to FOREVER for the save).
• Erika vs. bureaucracy, Part 742.
• Podcasting as therapy (but cheaper, and with more screaming).
• The art of not spiraling… or at least pretending you're not.
• 
  

⚠️ And don’t forget: Lit & Libations is THIS SATURDAY at the Co-op at Shoal Creek. Come hang with us IRL—there will be drinks, vibes, and probably more ranting. 🥂✨

🎧 Listen now before someone burns your village down with carrier pigeons.

🛍️ Partnership Alert!

We’re officially partnered with Primal Queen — womens' supplements made with real ingredients for when you deserve better than your life choices. 🌿✨ Use our exclusive code for 25% off your Primal Queen order! Because if your skin is glowing, maybe people won’t notice the existential crisis in your eyes. 💅🔥

💾 Get your free 2GB FOREVER storage + $20 coupon because yes, memories matter (and no, you're not too emotionally damaged to scrapbook).

👉 Get all the links you need — episodes, FOREVER freebies, Lit & Libations info — right here:

https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

Books mentioned in this episode:

- The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless

#LivingUnderstaffed #SaintOlga #PodcastRants #BadassWomenInHistory #FOREVERmemories #UnderpaidAndOverIt #PromotionPending #InboxRage #LitAndLibations

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

🎙️ Guess who’s back from the dead? Sarah—barely. After getting bodied by walking pneumonia, an ear infection, and just a casual full-system life meltdown, she’s somehow upright and podcasting again. (Please clap 👏.)

Meanwhile, Erika’s been busy doing her therapist-assigned homework (aka emotional waterboarding) and is now being forced to say nice things about herself. Disgusting. 🚫

Together, we unpack grief, guilt, hyper-productivity, Greyhound rage, and why asking for help still feels like a moral failure (even when you're dying inside). Spoiler alert: We’re still bad at self-care, but great at spiraling. 🌀

This week, we're talking about grief, Greyhound buses (rage level: unlocked 🔥), hyper-productivity as a trauma response, and why we both still think we’re secretly terrible at everything—even when people literally tell us otherwise. 🙃

Listen now—because if we’re falling apart, we’re doing it with style. 🎧🔥

💀 Also, don't forget: 10-May is the Lit & Libations show in Kansas City! Come drink with us, cry-laugh with us, and witness this chaos in person. 🍷📚✨ You deserve it. We deserve it. Everybody deserves it.

🛍️ Partnership Alert!

We’re officially partnered with Primal Queen — womens' supplements made with real ingredients for when you deserve better than your life choices. 🌿✨ Use our exclusive code for 25% off your Primal Queen order! Because if your skin is glowing, maybe people won’t notice the existential crisis in your eyes. 💅🔥

💾 Get your free 2GB FOREVER storage + $20 coupon because yes, memories matter (and no, you're not too emotionally damaged to scrapbook).

👉 Get all the links you need — episodes, FOREVER freebies, Lit & Libations info — right here:

https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

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

Truest Era Unlocked 🔓 (We’re Hot, We’re Healing, and We’ve Had It)

In this week’s chaos therapy session—ahem, we mean episode—Sarah and Erika arrive in their Truest Eras: black chokers, emo prom hangovers, and allergic reactions to both nickel and nonsense. 🖤✨

We’re talking flatback earrings, unsolicited pegging requests (yes, again), and the ✨delusion✨ of men who say they “want a strong woman” but can’t handle her being busier, funnier, hotter, and generally more evolved than them. 😌💅

Plus:

🧠 ADHD meets Avoidance meets... Emotional Triage.

📉 Sex drive? Tanked—by grown men acting like third children.

🚩 Dating App Clown Parade: now featuring men who lie about both height and handlebar mustaches.

Somewhere in all this? A love letter to self-awareness, evolution, and only crying off-camera. Maybe.

So grab your protein coffee, slap on your eyeliner, and press play—because this one’s cathartic, chaotic, and hella cute. 💋

📅 Lit & Libations in KC on May 10th — mark your calendar, bring a friend, and come vibe with us!

🎁 Grab 2GB free FOREVER storage + $20 coupon for gifts & memory books: https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

Go Follow Dr. Jessica Taylor!

Substack - What Would Jess Say? [https://substack.com/@whatwouldjesssay]

Article: https://whatwouldjesssay.substack.com/p/dear-men-so-you-think-you-want-a

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

🎙️ Episode 30: Budgeting, Burnout, and the Big 3-0

In this episode of Living Understaffed, Erika & Sarah try (and fail?) to have a serious chat about budgets without spiraling into financial chaos, emotional check-ins, and a mini roast of overpriced oat milk. 💸🥲

They dive into:

• Mental health and money triggers 💰🧠
• How “self-care” somehow ends up costing $300
• Why turning 30 isn’t a crisis—it’s a rebrand
• And the real reason we avoid checking our bank accounts (hint: denial is free)

As always, there’s a little chaos, a lot of real talk, and the ongoing battle between “treat yourself” and “don’t go broke.” 🙃

🎧 Listen now before we regret our life choices on-air.

#LivingUnderstaffed #DatingFails #MovingMadness #UnderpaidAndOverIt

📅 Lit & Libations in KC on May 10th — mark your calendar, bring a friend, and come vibe with us!

🎁 Grab 2GB free FOREVER storage + $20 coupon for gifts & memory books: https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

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

We're So Sorry, Again – A Bye Week Update

Hey everyone, we hate to do this to you again, but unfortunately, this is another bye week for Living Understaffed. Life has a way of throwing unexpected challenges, and right now, Sarah is at home grieving with her family after the passing of her mother. We appreciate your patience, your kindness, and the space you've given us during this time.

We know you tune in for laughs, relatable chaos, and maybe a little validation that you're not alone in navigating life’s messiness. And trust us—we miss being here, too.

If you missed one of our favorite episodes, here are some standout moments you’ll want to revisit from Ep5 - What Do You Bring to the Table:

It’s all about expectations—what we think we’re bringing to the table versus what actually shows up. Spoiler: Sometimes it’s a five-course meal, and other times, it’s just emotional damage and bad decisions. 🍽️🔥

We’re breaking down work nonsense, dating delusions, and the moments that made us stop and ask, Wait… am I the problem? (Probably not, but let’s unpack that anyway.)

Also featuring:

💰 The real cost of being “the responsible one” in every situation.

🥂 A toast to friends who know when to hype you up and when to humble you.

🛑 A reminder that “potential” doesn’t pay the bills (or fix red flags).

So grab your drink of choice, settle in, and let’s get into it—because we know you’ve got your own table talk to add to the mix. 🎧 We’ll be back soon, hopefully with some much-needed lightheartedness, but for now, hold your loved ones close. And if you want to send Sarah some love, feel free to drop a message in our DMs.

Want to support the show while we’re out? Consider preserving your own family memories with FOREVER—because moments like these remind us just how precious they are. Start for free with 2GB of storage and grab a $20 coupon toward any product. 💜

[Join here → https://www.forever.com/ambassador/sarah-greene]

Take care, and we’ll talk soon.

#LivingUnderstaffed #GriefIsMessy #SeeYouSoon #PodcastPause

This now reflects actual moments from the episode while keeping it heartfelt. Let me know if you want any tweaks! 💜

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

Episode 29 – Dating Apps Are Trash, Feminism is RAGE, and Living Understaffed coming to KCMO in May! 🎭

Another week, another round of Why Are Men Like This? Erika dives into the disaster that is Hinge, where one man’s idea of a “weird fact” is just another reason to delete the app. Meanwhile, Sarah’s week has been a masterclass in government anxiety and car trouble because, of course, nothing can just work the way it’s supposed to. 😩

🔥 In this episode, we cover:

• A deep dive into the four waves of feminism (yes, rage was involved).
• Why men feel entitled to comment on women’s appearances (spoiler: they shouldn’t).
• Erika’s ongoing saga of mom drama and emotional exhaustion.
• Sarah’s car deciding it doesn’t want to be a car anymore. 🚗💀
• The real cost of childcare and why the system is stacked against parents.
• A little government existential crisis—because layoffs are fun. 🙃

🎧 Also featuring: the audacity of mediocre men, nostalgia for Roe v. Wade (RIP), and a moment of silence for Sarah’s turbo engine.

PSA: KC listeners, don’t forget about the Lit & Libations event on May 10th! It’s gonna be a LIT time. 🍸📖

And if you’re into supporting small businesses (or just love free stuff), FOREVER is offering 2GB of free storage + a $20 coupon! Because memories (and discounts) matter.

🔗 Link: https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

#DatingAppsAreTrash #FeministRage #MomDramaChronicles #LivingUnderstaffed #Podcast #IndiePod

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

🎙️ Episode 28 – Emotional Energy, Editing Nightmares & Expired Dating Standards 🎙️

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📸✨ Shoutout time! ✨📸

Huge thanks to @freckle_face_photography for capturing the absolute chaos of our latest Living Understaffed episode! 🎙️ From tech disasters to life meltdowns (and a surprise dog fart attack 🐶💨), this episode is peak unhinged energy—and somehow, she made us look like we actually have our lives together. 😂👏

Go check out her work for stunning, storytelling photography that thankfully doesn’t include our existential crises. 🙃💖

______________________________________________

Sarah and Erika are back in the same space for this absolute masterpiece of an episode (aka, an excuse to spiral on-air). Did we plan? Absolutely not. Did we accidentally have a professional photographer capture our nonsense? You bet. 📸✨

Some highlights of our unhinged recording session:

🔹 The great laptop debate of 2025—aka, why we’re still using decade-old computers like it’s an Olympic sport.

🔹 Sarah’s tragic $600 Chinese food spill (that she has no memory of). 🥡💸

🔹 The absolute dissociation of switching to weekly episodes (WHO thought this was a good idea? Oh, right. Us.)

🔹 Daisy the dog making sure we all suffer through next-level toxic farts. 💀🐶

🔹 Erika’s realization that she never learned how to take care of herself (but hey, she did make sure her siblings got to piano lessons on time).

🔹 Sarah manifesting her new job in Georgia while simultaneously questioning her entire dating history. 🤡

🔹 Why the bar for men is still in hell, but we are no longer participating in that nonsense. 🚫🔥

If you love chaos, friendship, and two women holding their lives together with duct tape and sarcasm, this episode is for you. 🎧💖

Also featuring: Daisy the dog demanding attention, debates on whether 130 lbs is a realistic weight standard (it's not), and Erika trying very hard not to overbook her life (again).

Listen now before we regret our life choices on-air. 🚨🎧

Plus, mark your calendars for the Lit & Libations event in KC on May 10th! And if you love supporting small businesses, join us on FOREVER for free 2GB storage and a $20 coupon to use on any product—because memories (and discounts) matter!

🔗 Link: https://linktr.ee/understaffedpod

#EffortExpended #EnergyDepleted #PodcastingChaos #DatingStandards #TechFails #LivingUnderstaffed #ManifestingSuccess #CanineCatastrophe #FreckleFacePhotography #FreckleFace

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

Hey, understaffed crew! We hate to leave you hanging, but this week, Sarah is taking a much-needed break to spend time at home with her family. We fully intended to drop an episode about our amazing trip to North Carolina to visit Erika, but life (and a little bit of chaos) had other plans. We promise it’s worth the wait!

In the meantime, we’ve picked out a little treat for you—our second most downloaded episode—so you can relive the chaos while we take a breather. Catch up, join us in Discord, and stay tuned for all the usual laughs, overthinking, and unfiltered takes when we’re back next week!

----------------------------

Welcome to Lucky Episode 013 of the Living Understaffed podcast, where Sarah and Erika hilariously unravel another week of chaos and coping (mostly). Did we mention our “luck” in that we recording this episode 3 different times before it actually took?

From being baffled by mysterious laptop liquid ("The repair shop told me it smelled like Chinese food, but I haven’t even had Chinese food!" 🍜) to avoiding those 15-minute tasks that somehow get put off for weeks, the duo keeps it real, raw, and relatable.

This time, we're diving into our favorite toxic traits and trying (unsuccessfully) to accept compliments without imploding. Sarah and Erika are “experts” at juggling work, podcasting, and laundry piles—just don’t ask them to do it on time! 🤷‍♀️

And now for those very exciting announcements: Starting today, we’re going weekly! 🎉 We’re also launching our very own Discord server—join us to chat all things understaffed, overwhelmed, and overtired. And because we clearly don’t have enough on our plates, we’re kicking off a monthly Understaffed Book Club. Who doesn’t need one more thing to juggle, right? 📚✨

Featured Promo is with our newest friend, Sarah Wilson, host of Everything’s Messy Podcast. Check out her website for more info!

everythingsmessywellness.com

Buckle up for some understaffed laughs and join the chaos! #Relatable #ADHDlife #ToxicButFunny #JoinOurDiscord #LivingUnderstaffed #LivingUnderstaffedPodcast #Understaffed #Podcast #IndiePodcast

Join our discord! https://discord.gg/8ABRayCYrt

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