Prickly and Blooming

Prickly and Blooming

By Jessie BrowningSociety & CulturePersonal Journals
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Prickly and Blooming episodes

  • Adjusting to Life After Treatment | Maylee Willson

    In the second episode of this two-part series, Maylee Willson continues her honest conversation about alcoholism with Prickly and Blooming host Jessie Browning. She talks about the events leading up to February 27, 2018 when she checked into a treatment center to detox. Maylee has been sober since February 28, 2018.

    Listen to how she adjusted to life after treatment. She shares her experience attending her first AA meeting and how those meetings saved her life.

    Episode Timeline:

     

      • [00:03] Intro
  • [02:24] Something’s gotta change
  • [06 35] The last selfie before getting sober
  • [07:38] Word of the year: commitment
  • [09:05] February 27, 2018
  • [12:25] Going into treatment
  • [14:23] Her first AA meeting
  • [17:16] Brene Brown Book Club
  • [18:15] “Rehab is gonna suck”
  • [24:40] Family Day
  • [26:16]Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  • [29:19] Finding her sponsor
  • [34:12] Adjusting to life after treatment
  • [38:08] Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
  • [44:43] Word of 2020: community
  • [46:47] Jessie’s rapid fire questions
  • [50:19] Contacting Maylee Willson
    • [51:34] Outro

     

    Resources Mentioned:
    • Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
  • I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't): Making the Journey from "What Will People Think?" to "I Am Enough" by  Brené Brown
  • Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  • Serenity House
    • Standout Quotes:
    • “I think the more that we share our honest, real stories about what alcoholism looks like and who it affects, the more we can reach other people who are suffering and maybe affect them to step out of the storyline they’ve been living and try a new one.” -Jessie Browning [01:23]
  • “That was the first AA meeting that I’ve ever gone to and that was the first time that I ever said out loud ‘I am an alcoholic’ and that was the first time in my life that I met people who knew what I felt like.” -Maylee Willson [14:36]
  • “Treatment got me sober. It gave me a safe space to get clean and it taught me a lot, but then AA has kept me that way. AA is really what has saved my life.” -Maylee Willson [35:03]
    • Connect:

     

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

     

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

     

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

     

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

     

    Lajoie Society Website 

    Learn more about Maylee Willson:

    LillyCakes Quilting on Facebook

     

    Maylee Willson on Facebook

     

    Email Maylee Willson

    56 min
  • Adjusting to Life After Treatment | Maylee Willson

    In the second episode of this two-part series, Maylee Willson continues her honest conversation about alcoholism with Prickly and Blooming host Jessie Browning. She talks about the events leading up to February 27, 2018 when she checked into a treatment center to detox. Maylee has been sober since February 28, 2018.

    Listen to how she adjusted to life after treatment. She shares her experience attending her first AA meeting and how those meetings saved her life.

    Episode Timeline:

      • [00:03] Intro
  • [02:24] Something's gotta change
  • [06 35] The last selfie before getting sober
  • [07:38] Word of the year: commitment
  • [09:05] February 27, 2018
  • [12:25] Going into treatment
  • [14:23] Her first AA meeting
  • [17:16] Brene Brown Book Club
  • [18:15] "Rehab is gonna suck"
  • [24:40] Family Day
  • [26:16]Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  • [29:19] Finding her sponsor
  • [34:12] Adjusting to life after treatment
  • [38:08] Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
  • [44:43] Word of 2020: community
  • [46:47] Jessie's rapid fire questions
  • [50:19] Contacting Maylee Willson
    • [51:34] Outro

    Resources Mentioned:
    • Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
  • I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't): Making the Journey from "What Will People Think?" to "I Am Enough" by Brené Brown
  • Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  • Serenity House
    • Standout Quotes:
    • "I think the more that we share our honest, real stories about what alcoholism looks like and who it affects, the more we can reach other people who are suffering and maybe affect them to step out of the storyline they've been living and try a new one." -Jessie Browning [01:23]
  • "That was the first AA meeting that I've ever gone to and that was the first time that I ever said out loud ‘I am an alcoholic' and that was the first time in my life that I met people who knew what I felt like." -Maylee Willson [14:36]
  • "Treatment got me sober. It gave me a safe space to get clean and it taught me a lot, but then AA has kept me that way. AA is really what has saved my life." -Maylee Willson [35:03]
    • Connect:

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

    Lajoie Society Website

    Learn more about Maylee Willson:

    LillyCakes...

    56 min
  • How did I get here? | Maylee Willson

    Maylee Willson remembers the day she woke up in a bed at a detox center in Abilene, TX. It was February 28, 2018. She asked herself how did she get there? It became the start of a very honest conversation with herself that she never had before.

    In the first episode of a two-part series, Maylee talks with Prickly and Blooming host Jessie Browning about the origins of her alcoholism and how it started to affect her family with a young child.

    Episode Timeline:

     

    • [00:03] Intro
  • [03:44] The moment that changed Maylee Willson
  • [05 30] What got here there?
  • [09:02] The progression from her first drink
  • [14:53] Hangxiety
  • [17:10] Drinking starts affecting her life
  • [23:51] An intervention
  • [26:20] Moving back to Abilene
  • [29:55] Going through recovery during pregnancy
  • [36:01] Back to work
  • [39:34] Mommy wine culture
  • [42:41] Feeling empty
    • Resources Mentioned:
    • Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
  • Hangxiety
    • Standout Quotes:
    • “There’s this cycle that I was in and that I know that has happened to lots of other alcoholics is that you drink to ease this anxiety, but then the anxiety comes from the alcohol, so you’re just constantly trying to find relief from something.” -Maylee Willson [16:19]
  • “Looking back on it, it’s like I know that the action that I’m taking that is giving me this result, but I just couldn’t realize you have to take that action out of your life.” -Maylee Willson [21:06]
  • “The number one reason that I want to do this and have this conversation with you is I just cannot live with myself knowing that there are other women out there who are going through what I had been through. I cannot let them do that without saying there is a way out of this. Whether you want to do it or not, there’s hope and there are options.” -Maylee Willson [42:01]
    • Connect:

     

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

     

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

     

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

     

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

     

    Lajoie Society Website 

    Learn more about Maylee Willson:

    LillyCakes Quilting on Facebook

    51 min
  • How did I get here? | Maylee Willson

    Maylee Willson remembers the day she woke up in a bed at a detox center in Abilene, TX. It was February 28, 2018. She asked herself how did she get there? It became the start of a very honest conversation with herself that she never had before.

    In the first episode of a two-part series, Maylee talks with Prickly and Blooming host Jessie Browning about the origins of her alcoholism and how it started to affect her family with a young child.

    Episode Timeline:

    • [00:03] Intro
  • [03:44] The moment that changed Maylee Willson
  • [05 30] What got here there?
  • [09:02] The progression from her first drink
  • [14:53] Hangxiety
  • [17:10] Drinking starts affecting her life
  • [23:51] An intervention
  • [26:20] Moving back to Abilene
  • [29:55] Going through recovery during pregnancy
  • [36:01] Back to work
  • [39:34] Mommy wine culture
  • [42:41] Feeling empty
    • Resources Mentioned:
    • Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
  • Hangxiety
    • Standout Quotes:
    • "There's this cycle that I was in and that I know that has happened to lots of other alcoholics is that you drink to ease this anxiety, but then the anxiety comes from the alcohol, so you're just constantly trying to find relief from something." -Maylee Willson [16:19]
  • "Looking back on it, it's like I know that the action that I'm taking that is giving me this result, but I just couldn't realize you have to take that action out of your life." -Maylee Willson [21:06]
  • "The number one reason that I want to do this and have this conversation with you is I just cannot live with myself knowing that there are other women out there who are going through what I had been through. I cannot let them do that without saying there is a way out of this. Whether you want to do it or not, there's hope and there are options." -Maylee Willson [42:01]
    • Connect:

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

    Lajoie Society Website

    Learn more about Maylee Willson:

    LillyCakes Quilting on Facebook

    51 min
  • So many do-over buttons | Julie Schechter

    Julie Schechter, a Harvard graduate, was sitting in her office in a New York high-rise tower when she realized she didn't like what she was doing or feel that she was making any kind of contribution. She felt lost, an overwhelming sense of misalignment and decided to change her career path.

    In this episode of Prickly and Blooming, Julie talks with host Jessie Browning about how she navigated that career shift and founded her business, Small Packages, that work to end the loneliness epidemic across the US. She also talks about how her business idea became a timely project during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Episode Timeline:
    • [00:03] Intro
  • [00:25] Meet Julie Schechter
  • [02 :14] An overwhelming sense of misalignment
  • [04:56] Julie's law school journey
  • [10:23] Making the decision to quit
  • [12:08] Starting her first business
  • [13:00] Finding her community
  • [16:34] Building a product-based business
  • [20:42] Feeling that shift
  • [24:26] The launch of Small Packages
  • [29:08] Working as an entrepreneur vs as a lawyer
  • [30:03] How COVID-19 affected Small Packages
  • [31:59] How Small Packages works and where the idea came from
  • [35:05] A summation of Julie's experience
  • [37:39] Jessie's rapid fire questions
  • [40:49] Contacting Julie Schechter
  • [42:15] Outro
    • Resources Mentioned:
    • IFundWomen
    Standout Quotes:
    • "As an entrepreneur, it's a lonely road unless you decide you are determined for it not to be." -Julie Schechter [14:06]
  • "Being able to visualize the end product pretty clearly, I think, is always the physical sign that something is showing that you are on the right path." -Julie Schechter [21:12]
  • "Just not be afraid of the fact that there's so much more fluidity to life and we're initially led to believe and that's not a scary thing. That's the way life is." -Julie Schechter [36:19]
    • Connect:

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

    Lajoie Society Website

    Learn more about Julie Schechter:

    Small Packages Website

    Small Packages on Instagram

    Small Packages on Facebook

    Small Packages on Twitter

    Small Packages on Pinterest

    47 min
  • Five mile radius | Daniel Browning

    In this episode of Prickly and Blooming, host Jessie Browning takes a break from her deep dive conversations and reminisces with her husband, Daniel Browning, on how they met. They travel back to 2004 before everyone had access to a smartphone and Facebook.

    Jessie through she was #done with dating guys in Austin until she received a private message on MySpace. Enjoy as you listen to the couple, who’s been married for almost 15 years, describe how they took their relationship from online to offline.

    Episode Timeline:
    • [00:46] Intro
  • [03:25] PB&J with Daniel Browning
  • [05:14] Why is Daniel here?
  • [06:51] Going back to 2004
  • [13:00] The MySpace message
  • [22:05] Taking it offline
  • [26:55] Daniel explains himself
  • [29:03] Going back to the MySpace conversation
  • [29:57] “I see how it is.”
  • [31:13] Hanging out again
  • [33:08] Jessie almost moved to LA
  • [35:39] Accessing Jessie’s vulnerability
  • [37:41] Outro 

    •  

    Standout Quotes:
    • “I swear ghosting came into being because of the City of Austin.” -Jessie Browning [28:57]
  • “Fucking MySpace though, man.” -Jessie Browning [33:34]
  • “We always talk about this story in the context of my wrongs from dropping my phone in the lake and the person that I was for not calling you back, but we never discussed it from the fact that you only went out with me to get away from something.” -Daniel Browning [33:45]
    • Connect:

     

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

     

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

     

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

     

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

     

    Lajoie Society Website 

    43 min
  • Five mile radius | Daniel Browning

    In this episode of Prickly and Blooming, host Jessie Browning takes a break from her deep dive conversations and reminisces with her husband, Daniel Browning, on how they met. They travel back to 2004 before everyone had access to a smartphone and Facebook.

    Jessie through she was #done with dating guys in Austin until she received a private message on MySpace. Enjoy as you listen to the couple, who's been married for almost 15 years, describe how they took their relationship from online to offline.

    Episode Timeline:
    • [00:46] Intro
  • [03:25] PB&J with Daniel Browning
  • [05:14] Why is Daniel here?
  • [06:51] Going back to 2004
  • [13:00] The MySpace message
  • [22:05] Taking it offline
  • [26:55] Daniel explains himself
  • [29:03] Going back to the MySpace conversation
  • [29:57] "I see how it is."
  • [31:13] Hanging out again
  • [33:08] Jessie almost moved to LA
  • [35:39] Accessing Jessie's vulnerability
  • [37:41] Outro

    • Standout Quotes:
    • "I swear ghosting came into being because of the City of Austin." -Jessie Browning [28:57]
  • "Fucking MySpace though, man." -Jessie Browning [33:34]
  • "We always talk about this story in the context of my wrongs from dropping my phone in the lake and the person that I was for not calling you back, but we never discussed it from the fact that you only went out with me to get away from something." -Daniel Browning [33:45]
    • Connect:

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

    Lajoie Society Website

    43 min
  • Peeling the Onion Layer | Ali Holder

    After a bad reaction to her medication, Austin musician Ali Holder decided to stop drinking after a gig. It wasn't fun for her anymore, but it also made her realize how much she was numbing herself to all the pain and emotion she felt with alcohol.

    In this episode of Prickly and Blooming, Ali talks with host Jessie Browning about her journey with chronic pain. She shares what tools and techniques she uses to overhaul her body and mind to help her be aware of her thoughts and be with the pain. She also discusses how she’s figuring out who she is in this new world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Episode Timeline:

     

    • [00:03] Intro
  • [02:08] Meet Ali Holder
  • [05:40] The moment that changed Ali’s life
  • [12:11] How COVID-19 changed routines and perspectives
  • [15:36] Peeling an onion layer
  • [17:00] Living with chronic pain
  • [25:12] Liberation through communication
  • [27:30] Taking back your story
  • [30:32] Ali’s eating disorder
  • [38:10] The tools Ali used to move forward
  • [44:34] What’s in the future for Ali?
  • [46:30] Contacting Ali Holder
  • [47:27] Jessie’s rapid fire questions
  • [54:03] Outro 

    •  

    Resources Mentioned:
    • Unfuck Your Brain
  • Curable
  • Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole
  • Food Psych
  • The Cure for Chronic Pain by Nicole Sachs
  • Headspace
  • SIMS Foundation
  • My HAAM
    • Standout Quotes:
    • “It’s crazy what I’ve been learning about chronic pain. One of the main tricks to trick your central nervous system is when the pain’s there to be like alright. Let’s observe this and let’s just welcome it. The more that we don’t fear it, the more it goes away. The more that we rewire.” -Ali Holder [16:37]
  • “I wish that I would have been raised off of Girls and not Sex in the City. I would have a completely different paradigm with empowerment.” -Ali Holder [19:11]
  • “There’s power in this sort of connection… It’s not promoting something else. It’s purely for the sake of connection.” -Jessie Browning [29:20]
    • Connect:

     

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

     

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

     

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

     

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

     

    Lajoie Society Website 

    Learn more about Ali Holder:

    Ali Holder’s Website

     

    Ali Holder on Instagram

     

    Ali Holder on Facebook

     

    Ali Holder on Twitter

    58 min
  • Peeling the Onion Layer | Ali Holder

    After a bad reaction to her medication, Austin musician Ali Holder decided to stop drinking after a gig. It wasn't fun for her anymore, but it also made her realize how much she was numbing herself to all the pain and emotion she felt with alcohol.

    In this episode of Prickly and Blooming, Ali talks with host Jessie Browning about her journey with chronic pain. She shares what tools and techniques she uses to overhaul her body and mind to help her be aware of her thoughts and be with the pain. She also discusses how she's figuring out who she is in this new world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Episode Timeline:

    • [00:03] Intro
  • [02:08] Meet Ali Holder
  • [05:40] The moment that changed Ali's life
  • [12:11] How COVID-19 changed routines and perspectives
  • [15:36] Peeling an onion layer
  • [17:00] Living with chronic pain
  • [25:12] Liberation through communication
  • [27:30] Taking back your story
  • [30:32] Ali's eating disorder
  • [38:10] The tools Ali used to move forward
  • [44:34] What's in the future for Ali?
  • [46:30] Contacting Ali Holder
  • [47:27] Jessie's rapid fire questions
  • [54:03] Outro

    • Resources Mentioned:
    • Unfuck Your Brain
  • Curable
  • Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole
  • Food Psych
  • The Cure for Chronic Pain by Nicole Sachs
  • Headspace
  • SIMS Foundation
  • My HAAM
    • Standout Quotes:
    • "It's crazy what I've been learning about chronic pain. One of the main tricks to trick your central nervous system is when the pain's there to be like alright. Let's observe this and let's just welcome it. The more that we don't fear it, the more it goes away. The more that we rewire." -Ali Holder [16:37]
  • "I wish that I would have been raised off of Girls and not Sex in the City. I would have a completely different paradigm with empowerment." -Ali Holder [19:11]
  • "There's power in this sort of connection… It's not promoting something else. It's purely for the sake of connection." -Jessie Browning [29:20]
    • Connect:

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

    Lajoie Society Website

    Learn more about Ali Holder:

    Ali Holder's...

    58 min
  • The only way out is through | Lorna Hermosura

    Lorna Hermosura found herself close to the finish line towards her dream of earning a PhD until she found herself stuck. The idea of her professors reading her thoughts on paper made her freeze up and question her worthiness.

    In this episode of Prickly and Blooming, Lorna talks with host Jessie Browning about how she found the confidence to develop her voice with the help of a dance class and other chance encounters. She previously talked about her work in cultural proficiency training where she breaks down social construction of race and how we got here in a two-part special for Prickly and Blooming last month.

     

    Episode Timeline:
    • [00:03] Intro
  • [02:28] Meet Lorna Hermosura
  • [03:38] The moment Lorna realized she was stuck
  • [11:09] “I defined my life by pain”
  • [14:16] Situational cultural identity
  • [17:33] Getting unstuck
  • [24:50] Finding validation at the library
  • [33:33] Lorna’s dissertation on the school to prison pipeline
  • [37:27] Restorative practice and restorative justice
  • [43:34] Cultural proficiency training
  • [45:03] Lorna’s tools to stay in mindful spot
  • [51:08] Jessie’s rapid fire questions
  • [58:21] Outro 
    • Resources Mentioned:
    • Dr. Gabor Maté
  • Kundalini Yoga
  • Prickly and Blooming’s special episodes with Lorna Hermosura - Part 1, Part 2

    •  

    Standout Quotes:
    • “When we process those (difficult emotions), when we look at those truths and feel the feelings, then we can move past it. The only way out is through.” -Lorna Hermosura [30:15]
  • “In the world of education, there’s so many new approaches and innovations and things, but not very often are those approaches informed by the actual kids who are living those experiences.” -Lorna Hermosura [36:35]
  • “Challenging our habits of thought and taking ownership of our thoughts that to me is what mindfulness really is getting at, and when we’re no longer living from our pain, and when we’re no longer living from these automatic messages that society gives us, that’s when we can truly be rooted in our foundation and rooted in who we are, and live our authentic live.” -Lorna Hermosura [42:18]
    • Connect:

    Connect with Lajoie Society:

    Lajoie Society is Prickly & Blooming; please rate, review, and subscribe.

    Lajoie Society on Instagram

    Lajoie Society on Facebook

    Lajoie Society on Twitter

    Lajoie Society Website 

    1 hr 3 min

About Prickly and Blooming

From the publisher's feed

Jessie has lived in Texas for 20 years now (half her life) and still ponders "what makes a Texan?" Prickly and Blooming is a weekly conversational podcast hosted by Jessie Browning *now focused* on…