This podcast discusses addiction and suicidality. Mild spoilers for Nolan’s film The Odyssey. 

Julie Peters is joined by clinical psychologist Jett Stone for a conversation about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and what it reveals about men, vulnerability, and trauma. They connect the film’s myths and set pieces to real therapeutic themes like performance pressure, addiction, belonging, and moral injury.In this episode, Julie and Jett discuss how the story functions as both a literary epic and a psychological map of manhood, especially for boys and men trying to earn and keep their sense of worth.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy and is not meant to replace any mental health treatment.

Notes and references: 

See more and book counseling or Tarot at https://www.juliepeters.ca/ or @juliepeterswellness

Dr. Jett Stone’s website: https://www.jettstonephd.com/

Blog: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/contributors/jett-stone-phd

Men’s Therapy Hub: https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/ 

The course I took with Jett on PESI: https://www.pesicanada.ca/item/mens-mental-health-specialist-training-166925?srsltid=AfmBOoom3GGtAMMNLILQ8BRQYTpclECCY-AEK6HJKcVdkgzOFe_r8xp-

Julie’s book on trauma recovery is called Want

Bell hooks’ book is called The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love 

Many statistics can be found in the book BoyMom by Ruth Whippman and elsewhere 

David Hatfield was featured on the podcast in an episode called F1: The Tragedy 

Jonathan Shay’s books are called Achilles in Vietnam and Odysseus in America

We explore the themes of horror, anxiety, and societal fears through the lens of the series 'Something Very Bad Is Gonna Happen.' This episode delves into the symbolism, character analysis, and social commentary embedded in the show. In this episode, Julie and Mel explore the complex themes of anxiety, gender dynamics, and the symbolism of horror in relationships and motherhood. They discuss how horror films reflect societal fears and personal traumas, offering insights into emotional safety and intergenerational curses.

Mel Zee talks about death and dark pop culture stuff at @sorryibroughtitup. She also helps people with their social media at @wearerahrah (she does mine and I would never let her go).

You can find more about Julie at juliepeters.ca or follow her at @juliepeterswellness.

Material Girls' co-host Marcelle Kosman joins therapist Julie Peters to talk about Emerald Fennell's adaptation, "Wuthering Heights." We talk about adaptation theory, race, attachment, intergenerational trauma, and the weird, wild visual choices made in this film. Did you love it or hate it? Leave us a comment!

Check out the Material Girls episodes on Wuthering Heights and Goblin Mode for more. Witch, Please productions, which has a few other wonderful podcasts, is here: https://www.materialgirlspod.com/

We also reference the book My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem.

Please note there is a bit of commentary from Julie's baby in this episode that I couldn't edit out!

More on Julie, her books, and to book counseling or Tarot at juliepeters.ca. Follow her and the podcast at @juliepeterswellness wherever you get your podcasts.

Don't forget to like and subscribe!

In this special episode, fellow Verbena author and herbal storyteller Amanda Edmiston shares her version of a fairy story known throughout the world, often called something like Six Swans or Wild Swans. At the heart of this story is the humble nettle, and Amanda and Julie discuss the powerful themes and meanings of this folktale and how it resonates for us in terms of loss, grief, motherhood, and more.

Amanda's books are The Time Traveller's Herbal and Collected Curiosities. Her website is here: https://www.botanicafabula.co.uk/ Follow her @botanicafabula

Julie's books include Maiden, Warrior, Mother, Crone; Witch, Healer, Priestess, Outcast and The Full Moon Yearbook. Learn more and book Tarot or counselling here: https://www.juliepeters.ca/ Follow Julie at @juliepeterswellness.

We reference Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, the Tarot of the Divine by Yoshi Yoshitani, the Gospel of Thomas, and the story of Elizabeth Blackwell, who wrote A Curious Herbal in 1735.

In the second half of our conversation about Lindy West's Adult Braces, intimacy coach and educator Tanille Geib joins Julie to discuss abuse dynamics in relationships, codependency and its usefulness (or not) as a way to think about relational trauma, and the layers of colonial and other meanings that come in in this story about polyamory (or polygamy?), love, self discovery, trauma, and more.

Tanille's website: https://www.tanillegeib.ca/

Here is the piece that got me interested in this conversation in the first place:

https://leighstein.substack.com/p/i-escaped-bluebeards-castle-lindy

Learn more about julie and book counseling or Tarot at juliepeters.ca

Follow along at @juliepeterswellness on Substack, Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook

Intimacy coach and educator Tanille Geib joins Julie for a discussion about Lindy West's memoir Adult Braces and all of its connections to polyamory, colonialism, relationship styles, and much more. In this first part of the conversation, we talk a lot about monogamy, polyamory, and different relationship styles and how that is reflected in Lindy's book as well as the larger conversation about this book.

Tanille's website: https://www.tanillegeib.ca/

The Dating Intentionally podcast episode with Claire Perelman is linked to this episode or here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jeWE9C4vZ1Ic0gqiIFTSv?si=03def1c9d1094c3d

There Are No Girls On The Internet episode about Lindy West is also linked here or: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6IhLWLfHV9DC2EHcBCzxvr?si=d0f263318418451b

And the ICYMI Slate podcast where Scaachi Koul talks about Aham's email: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zRqxAuXxEr97q6AvNBunW?si=6879bc7051f745e5

Learn more about Julie or book counseling or Tarot at juliepeters.ca

In this special edition of Popcorn Therapy, herbalist an storyteller (and fellow Verbena author) Amanda Edmiston joins Julie to listen to "Airmed: Goddess of Herbalism" from Julie's book Witch, Healer, Priestess, Outcast. We discuss the magic and secrets of herbalism, the possible real truths behind folktales, and the power of a story. Airmed, also spelled Airmid, is a healer from the great Tuatha de Danann of Irish mythology.

Stay tuned for this series where you'll get to hear a tale and some discussion around it with other writers and storytellers like Julie and Amanda!

More on Amanda at @botanicafabula and https://www.botanicafabula.co.uk/

More on Julie at @juliepeterswellness and juliepeters.ca.

In this episode, Emilee and Julie discuss the fourth season of Bridgerton, featuring the love story between Benedict and Sophie. We talk about the Cinderella narrative and some folktales that may be playing into this telling, the romance genre, the queerness of the season (or lack thereof), and more.

We also discuss the 2025 film The Ugly Stepsister and an episode of the Material Girls podcast on Goblin mode.

Follow the podcast at @juliepeterswellness on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Substack. Book Tarot, counseling, or learn more at juliepeters.ca.

Marcelle Kosman, co-host of Material Girls (a Witch, Please Production) joins Julie in discussing the relationship dynamics, cult hierarchies, and statistical failure of the Love is Blind experiment.

Popcorn Therapy is a place where the stories we love tell us something about who we are. Join Julie Peters, therapist, Tarot reader, and writer, for a deep dive into the TV shows, movies, books, mythologies, folklore, and pop culture we love from a therapist's perspective. Fiction can be therapy, so let's talk about it!

Follow Julie at @juliepeterswellness on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Substack or at juliepeters.ca.

Follow Material Girls wherever you get your podcasts or at https://www.materialgirlspod.com/about-witch-please

Katie Thorpe joins Julie Peters on today's episode on Nightbitch, starring Amy Adams, and If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, starring Rose Byrne. We talk about how we relate to these films as recently postpartum second-time moms in today's society. We talk about postpartum rage, motherhood instincts, gender divides in parenting, and more. Book counseling, Tarot , or find Julie's books at juliepeters.ca Follow at @juliepeterswellness on Tiktok, Instagram, Substack, and Facebook