Once Upon an Upset

“Once, there was a little girl who wanted to have tea with her mommy. But her mommy was very busy. ‘As soon as I’m done with my grown-up work, I would love to have tea with you!’”
— From 'The Tea Party'

The Tea Party is a story about the creative ideas people come up with to try to connect with each other, when they imagine they’re not enough just the way they already are.

(Suitable for all ages.)

The Tea Party was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, children’s books and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

“I remember being little and carrying the weight of all the stories I was secretly collecting about my own experiences. I wanted so badly to share these experiences with someone who might have had the time to understand and appreciate what I was going through. But I couldn’t find the right person.”

— From "Listening To Our Younger Selves”

Listening To Our Younger Selves is a conversation about the the stories we carry inside us and the important messages they have for us, if we take the time to listen.

(Suitable for tweens, teens and adults.)

Listening To Our Younger Selves was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, children’s books and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

“One afternoon, Little Bird was staring up at the sky, thinking about lunch. At the same time, in the luxury apartment building next to Little Bird’s tree, a human was out on his balcony, talking on his cell phone.”
— From 'The Bird Who Swallowed the Cell Phone'

When Little Bird swallows a cell phone, he inadvertently offends all the other birds in the neighborhood with his new chirp. The Bird Who Swallowed the Cell Phone is a story about the trouble that can happen when people assume they understand the reason for other people’s behavior, instead of asking them questions to find out for sure.

(Suitable for all ages.)

The Bird Who Swallowed the Cell Phone was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, children’s books and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

“If you or someone you know has OCD behavior, please do not refer to this behavior as an OCD monster. Why did anyone come up with the idea that having a monster in your brain would help make anything better?”
— from 'OCD: You Do Not Have a Monster in Your Brain’

OCD: You Do Not Have a Monster in Your Brain, is a conversation about Intrusive thoughts and reassurance-seeking OCD, with some ideas for understanding these types of behaviors, and some ideas for how to shift to more creative, self-affirming behaviors.

(Suitable for teens and adults.)

OCD: You Do Not Have a Monster in Your Brain was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, children’s books and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

“From what I’ve noticed, we communicate-to-be-heard in moments where we feel threatened. Maybe because of a dangerous situation, but more often, I think it happens when we’re triggered by someone who did something that upset us. Or when we’re trying to avoid getting triggered by someone who might do something to upset us.”

-from 'Communicating-To-Be-Understood'

Communicating-To-Be-Understood is a conversation about understanding why we feel triggered by other people’s behavior and why they feel triggered by ours. And how we can still share who we are and create more fulfilling connections with the people in our lives.

(Suitable for tweens, teens and adults.)

Communicating-To-Be-Understood was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, children’s books and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

“Once there was a boy who mostly said ‘no.’ He’d said ‘yes’ before, but then all sorts of things happened that he wasn’t quite ready for. After the word ‘no,’ nothing happened. And for him, nothing was good.”

— from 'The Boy Who Said No'

The Boy Who Said No is a very short story for kids who say ‘no’ a lot to avoid potentially bad experiences, but also for kids who might like some encouragement to be in the world again, in a way that feels healthy and enjoyable.

(Suitable for all ages.)

The Boy Who Said No was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

A Friend Named Bob is a very short story about a little boy in quarantine who builds himself a friend.

(Suitable for all ages.)

New episodes every Wednesday!

A Friend Named Bob was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, children’s books and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

“I smiled and said hi and she stopped what she was doing, but only to glare at me. ‘I will not be responding or smiling to anyone,’ she explained. ‘I am at this retreat for peace.’” —from ‘What I Learned About Anger’

What I Learned About Anger is a conversation about meeting a very angry person at a meditation retreat, and the unexpected way she was treated.

(Suitable for tweens, teens and adults.)

What I Learned About Anger was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

“Once upon a time in a town called Thornling, sass and backtalk were taking over. Kids wouldn’t lift a finger and the moms were going gray from stress…”

— from 'The Shears of Thornling’

The Shears of Thornling is a story about how one town discovers that their old-fashioned ways of solving behavior problems aren’t necessarily the best ways.

(Suitable for all ages.)

The Shears of Thornling was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

“Sometimes I like to think of my mind as an ocean and myself as someone fishing.”

-from ‘The Sea of Associations’.

It’s easy to get bogged down by our reactions to everyday upsets. Whether those upsets are coming at us from the world, or in our homes, or in our own heads. The Sea of Associations is a conversation about what happens to us in these moments of upset, and offers some suggestions for how to reframe our perspective, so our upsets don’t keep us feeling let down, disappointed and unexpressed.

(Suitable for tweens, teens and adults.)

The Sea of Associations was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.