This episode contains spoilers for Starside by Alex Aster.

Welcome to another episode of The Honest Pause Book Club.

Each week, we read a book and then take a pause—not just to discuss the plot, but to explore the bigger questions a story asks about our own lives. We host our book club on Fable, where readers from all over can read along with us, share their thoughts, and join the conversation. If you love books that spark meaningful discussions, we'd love to have you join us.

This week, we're diving into Starside by Alex Aster.

Instead of a traditional book review, we're asking questions like:

✨ Do you run from conflict or face it head-on?

✨ If you were handed an ancient sword, what would you name it—and why?

✨ How much of your life is shaped by destiny, and how much by your own choices?

✨ What expectations are you carrying that no longer belong to you?

✨ What are you willing to sacrifice for the life you want?

Along the way, we share our favorite moments, surprising twists, character opinions, and the scenes we're still thinking about long after turning the final page.

Whether you've already finished Starside or you're reading along with our book club, we hope this conversation leaves you with a few new questions to reflect on in your own life.

Because at The Honest Pause, we don't just review books.

We pause.

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Every reader has that one book.

The one they can't stop recommending. The one that made them cry, think differently, dream bigger, or feel understood in a way they never had before. The one they still think about years after turning the final page.

In this episode of The Honest Pause, we're talking about the books that change us. From childhood favorites and unforgettable fiction to transformative nonfiction and unexpected reads that arrived at exactly the right moment, we're exploring why certain books stay with us long after we've finished them.

We discuss the power of stories, the characters who feel like friends, the lessons we carry into our own lives, and how books can challenge our perspectives, expand our empathy, and help us understand ourselves a little better.

We'll also share the books that have had the biggest impact on us, the titles we recommend over and over again, and the stories we'd love to experience for the first time all over again.

Whether you're an avid reader or someone looking for their next great book, this episode is a celebration of the stories that shape who we are.

Take a pause with us and reflect on the books that have left their mark on your life.

✨ Follow us on Instagram: @thehonestpause for episode updates, book recommendations, and behind-the-scenes content.

✨ Follow @honestpauseretreats for updates on future retreats where we create space for connection, reflection, and meaningful conversations.

🌿 Need a pause? Join our retreats.

You finally crawl into bed after a long day, exhausted and ready for rest. But instead of drifting off to sleep, your brain decides it's the perfect time to replay every awkward conversation, worry about tomorrow's to-do list, and wonder if you remembered to send that email three days ago.

Sound familiar?

In this episode of The Honest Pause, we're taking a pause to explore why sleep can feel so elusive, even when we're desperately tired. We talk about anxiety, stress, bedtime procrastination, the pressure of modern life, and why our minds often seem busiest when the world gets quiet. We also discuss how our relationship with rest has changed, the impact of technology on sleep, and the habits that might be keeping us awake without us realizing it.

Whether you're someone who falls asleep in five minutes or someone who spends hours staring at the ceiling, this conversation is a reminder that you're not alone—and that sleep struggles are often about much more than simply being tired.

Take a pause with us as we explore what it means to rest in a world that constantly asks us to stay connected, productive, and alert.

✨ Follow us on Instagram for more conversations and behind-the-scenes content: @thehonestpause

✨ Looking for a deeper pause from the busyness of everyday life? Follow @honestpauseretreats for retreat updates and future opportunities to reconnect with yourself and others.

🌿 Need a pause? Join our retreats.

When was the last time you went to the movies—not just watched something at home, but sat in a dark theater and gave your full attention to a story?

In this episode, we're taking a pause to explore why going to the movies still feels so special in a world filled with endless streaming options and constant distractions. We talk about the simple magic of sharing an experience with strangers, the comfort of movie-going rituals, and why a couple of hours without multitasking can feel surprisingly restorative.

We also dive into the nostalgia that movies create, the emotions they help us access, and how the theater may be one of the last places where we're encouraged to simply sit, be present, and let ourselves get lost in a story.

Whether you're a frequent moviegoer or haven't stepped into a theater in years, this conversation is a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful pauses come from the simplest experiences.

So grab your popcorn, settle into your seat, and join us as we celebrate the magic of the movies.

Are birds government drones? Is Finland real? Are cats secretly interdimensional beings? And if we are living in a simulation, would we even want to know?

This week we're putting on our metaphorical tin foil hats and diving into some of the internet's strangest conspiracy theories. From UFOs and Atlantis to giant tree stumps disguised as mountains, we're asking the questions that have fueled late-night conversations, Reddit rabbit holes, and countless YouTube documentaries.

We're not here to prove anything. We're just curious.

This week on The Honest Pause, we’re talking about one of the quietest forms of heartbreak in adulthood:

Realizing your friend stopped inviting you.

No dramatic fight.
 No big confrontation.
 Just:

• fewer texts
• inside jokes you weren’t there for
• plans you found out about later
• and the strange feeling of slowly disappearing from someone’s life in real time

In this episode, we unpack the emotional complexity of friendship shifts and why being excluded can feel so painful — even as adults.

We talk about:

• Adult friendship grief
• Social rejection and belonging
• Growing apart vs being intentionally excluded
• The anxiety spiral of “Did I do something wrong?”
• Group dynamics and changing priorities
• Outgrowing friendships
• Friendship insecurity in adulthood
• Why people often avoid hard conversations
• The loneliness of feeling left behind

This episode is for anyone who has ever:

• seen photos from plans they weren’t invited to
• felt weird asking why
• pretended not to care when it hurt deeply
• or questioned their worth because a friendship changed

Because friendship heartbreak is still heartbreak.
 Even when nobody talks about it like it is.

This week on Pause on the Headlines, we’re talking about the return of disease-focused headlines — from Ebola outbreaks to hantavirus stories — and why health scares seem to hit our nervous systems differently now.

Even when risks are statistically low for most people, the emotional impact of these headlines can feel enormous. Why?

Because many of us are still carrying the psychological imprint of collective stress, uncertainty, and hypervigilance from the past several years.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Why contagious disease headlines spread anxiety so quickly
• The psychological aftermath of living through prolonged global stress
• How social media amplifies fear cycles
• Doomscrolling and nervous system exhaustion
• The difference between awareness and panic
• Why people feel emotionally depleted by “breaking news”
• How chronic uncertainty changes the brain
• The cultural shift toward health anxiety and preparedness

We also talk about how modern media ecosystems keep us emotionally activated:

• constant alerts
• worst-case-scenario framing
• survival-focused content
• and the feeling that catastrophe is always one notification away

This episode isn’t about dismissing real health concerns. It’s about understanding the emotional environment we’re all living in — and why so many people feel overwhelmed, exhausted, or perpetually “bracing” for the next thing.

Because sometimes the real story isn’t just the headline itself.

It’s what years of stress have done to the way we experience headlines at all.

This week on The Honest Pause, we’re talking about one of the most emotionally complicated modern experiences:

What do you do when you hate your job… but realistically can’t leave?

Not everyone can quit dramatically, move across the country, start over, or “follow their passion.” Sometimes people stay because of:

• money
• insurance
• family responsibilities
• burnout
• fear
• the economy
• or simply not knowing what comes next

In this episode, we unpack the emotional reality of feeling trapped at work and why so many people feel disconnected, exhausted, resentful, or numb in their careers right now.

We talk about:

• The fantasy of quitting vs real life constraints
• Burnout and emotional detachment
• The pressure to “love what you do”
• How work impacts identity and self-worth
• The grief of realizing a job isn’t sustainable
• Toxic productivity culture
• Financial survival vs fulfillment
• Why people feel stuck
• The emotional cost of staying somewhere that drains you
• How to survive a difficult season without romanticizing struggle

This episode is for anyone who has ever:

• cried before work
• stared at LinkedIn for hours
• fantasized about disappearing into a cabin in the woods
• or felt guilty for not being grateful enough for a “good job”

Because sometimes the most honest thing you can admit is:
 “I can’t keep doing this forever.”
 Even if you still have to do it tomorrow.

This week on Pause on the Headlines, we’re talking about the rise of hockey romance books, sports TV shows, and why emotionally available fictional athletes suddenly became the internet’s favorite fantasy.

From BookTok favorites like Icebreaker and The Deal to the explosion of sports documentaries and cozy team-centered storytelling, we unpack what this trend might actually be saying about modern loneliness, dating exhaustion, masculinity, and the craving for emotional safety.

Why are audiences gravitating toward stories about loyalty, teamwork, devotion, and people who consistently show up for each other?

And why did hockey — of all sports — become the blueprint for the internet boyfriend?

In this episode:

• The rise of hockey romance on BookTok
• Why sports-centered stories feel comforting right now
• Fictional masculinity vs modern dating culture
• The “emotionally safe man” phenomenon
• Teamwork, belonging, and loneliness in pop culture
• Why people are craving sincerity again
• Sports documentaries as emotional comfort TV
• The real fantasy behind hockey romance

Referenced in this episode:

• Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
• The Deal by Elle Kennedy

Because maybe this trend was never really about hockey at all.

Follow along with The Honest Pause for more conversations about pop culture, emotional trends, identity, and the stories shaping how we live.

When everything feels like too much, even the smallest thing can feel like the breaking point.

In this episode, Maryam and Teryl talk about what overwhelm actually is — and why so many of us are living in a constant state of it. Overwhelm isn’t just having a full calendar or a long to-do list. It’s the feeling that everything is urgent, everything is loud, and your capacity to handle it all has run out.

Together, they explore the difference between being busy and being overloaded, what happens inside your nervous system when it believes there’s “too much,” and why pushing through often makes the feeling worse instead of better.

This conversation focuses on small, practical resets that help bring your system back to steadiness — from shrinking the scope of what you’re focusing on to lowering the invisible standards we place on ourselves.

Because sometimes the goal isn’t to solve everything.

It’s simply to come back to center and remember: you don’t have to carry everything at once.

Stay Connected:

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Connect with Maryam Taheri

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