When does main character energy first take hold? This week, we’re getting dramatic (in the best way) with the queen of D&D therapy, Katie Lear! A theater school dropout turned counselor, Katie uses theater and video games to help kids with anxiety—and she’s here to break down the intersection of anxiety and MCE, from its chaotic adolescent origins to its inevitable evolution into semi-functioning non-playable character status.

Katie’s theater kid energy is contagious, pulling both Gabby and Krista straight back into their own dramatic pasts. We talk video games, social anxiety, and the exact moment adulting kicks us out of baseline juvenile MCE. Oh, and in true MCE fashion, Katie might just have a business idea about a business idea about a business idea (but you have to act now)!

Follow Katie @katielearcounselor, learn more about her work at katielear.com, and check out Young Dragonslayers at youngdragonslayers.com!

It’s time to get shame-less with Psychotherapist, Founder, Speaker, fellow podcaster & Author Kim Honeycutt! Her story is all about turning up your main character energy and living your authentic truth. After years of working in secular facilities, Kim wanted to be more open about her life as a Christ-centered, recovered alcoholic. She shares how she stepped into her main character energy as a member of the queer community within religious spaces and how you can break free from toxic love, people-pleasing, and self-abuse.

No matter where you fall on the religious spectrum, this conversation is an eye-opener. It’s about love over shame, healing over fear, and stepping fully into who you are. Kimmy Kim drops knowledge all episode long and we also debate whether Jack Daniels is kind of a babe (spoiler: definitely hotter than Kevin James).

Follow Kim at @kbhoneycutt, listen to her podcast Flip Your Lid, and grab her book "But Your Mother Loves You: How to Overcome the Cycle of Toxic Love and Live Your Life Without Shame" and discover more about icuTalks and view resources to icuTalks.org.

This episode discusses addiction, physical and emotional abuse, suicide, and other sensitive topics. Please take care while listening.

If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available:

📞 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Dial 988

📞 SAMHSA Helpline (Substance Use & Mental Health): 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

📞 Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

🌐 Find a therapist: PsychologyToday.com

Krista and Gabby debate the merits (and the genre) of High School Musical; Gaby had a curious crush; GUEST: actress/comedian Skylar Schock (She Had It Coming)

Krista's friend Danielle Clark, a licensed mental health professional, discusses Main Character Energy, and being gaslit over a traffic cone.

We’re all the main character in our own story. Our lives are an elegant blend between being the protagonist in our own story, a side character in someone else’s, or even as a part of an ensemble cast. Sometimes we’re even a side character in our own lives! But what if you see yourself as the main character in every aspect? Main character energy is defined as a person that unintentionally lives, breathes, and is like the protagonist in a story or series.