The Unreliable Narrator

I was feeling anxious, uninspired, and stuck in a scroll loop, until I learned that my own creativity could become practical magic for breaking my addiction to my phone.

This episode unpacks how screen burnout affects your creativity, mental clarity, and peace — and how to finally reset, so you can stop consuming and start creating.

If your phone has become your go-to escape but somehow makes you feel worse, you're not imagining it. I dig into the loneliness that was hiding beneath my bad habits, the guilt that sometimes comes with stillness, and why doing nothing might actually be the key to doing everything. It’s not about productivity hacks — it’s about reclaiming your attention, your energy, and the quiet magic of your own creativity.

Read the full essay on Substack: Practical Magic for the Chronically Online
Follow @alliemarieevans on IG and TikTok for more.

You can’t make this stuff up… and yet, it really happened.
I received an actual exorcism — from my ex.

Upon reflection, this may have been a very necessary side quest, because nothing else seemed to break the chokehold he had over my heart, mind, and maybe even my spirit. If you’ve ever dated someone who made you feel like your soul was slipping out through your eyeballs… this one’s for you.

From gaslighting to demons, in this episode of The Unreliable Narrator, I unpack all the wild, subtle, and terrifying ways we convince ourselves we're crazy — because it's incredible what you can justify (or even believe) when you’re not thinking clearly.

We talk about:

• Subtle signs your partner might be draining your life force

• My literal late-night exorcism

• How stress and toxic relationships impact our physical health

• The blurred lines between emotional trauma and spiritual misalignment

• And how to finally call your energy back

Think of this episode as your personal sage stick — but with sarcasm, soul, and maybe a little screaming.

Share this episode with someone who needs to be saged, and drop a comment below telling me:

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever gone along with… for a man?

Follow Me For More:

Instagram: @AllieMarieEvans
TikTok: @AllieMarieEvans
Read more essays: SubStack
Watch on: YouTube

This week, we’re peeling back the layers of friendship — the slow fades, the silent resentments, and the moments we realize we’re playing a part we no longer want. Why do we stay in friendships long after they stop fitting? Why do we feel like the bad guy for, realizing that someone else is a shitty friend? And when is it time to stop faking it altogether?

Spoiler: it’s messier, sadder, and somehow more beautiful than you might think.

In This Episode:

• The Mythical Unicorn: Realistic Expectations vs. Impossible Standards in Friendship

• The Ghost in the Group Chat: When to Speak Your Piece and When to Leave Quietly

• The Hierarchy of Heart Space: Why Not Everyone Deserves an All-Access Pass to Your Life

• Letting Go With Grace: How to Release Friendships Without Resentment or Drama

  
  

A Quick Note on the Rebrand:
Hi everyone — it’s Allie. I wanted to let you know that Always Anxious is officially: The Unreliable Narrator.
I love a good rebrand almost as much as I love overthinking everything — but truly, this shift feels right. As I grow into my voice as a writer and storyteller, I wanted a name that better captures what this space has always been about: sharing life the way it’s actually felt, not perfectly remembered. Thank you for growing with me and I'm excited to be able to focus on sharing what really matters to me here.

This Podcast was always meant to simply be a way to make my essays more accessible to you, so if you enjoyed listening check out my Substack for more essays like this.

Find Me Here:

If you’re in your feels after reading — or just need something to soundtrack your quiet exits, here’s a playlist inspired by FAKING IT WITH FRIENDS. 

Do you feel like you're behind in life? Struggling to hit milestones by a certain age? You're not alone. 

In this episode of Always Anxious, I break down the unrealistic expectations placed on women — and why so many of us feel like we're running out of time.

From being “too young to take seriously” to suddenly “too old to matter,” women are constantly navigating a cultural timeline that never feels like the right fit. Whether you're 25 and panicking or 30 and questioning everything, this episode dives deep into the pressure to have it all figured out — career, relationships, identity — by an arbitrary deadline.

We’ll cover:

• Why women feel behind in their 20s and 30s

• The myth of the perfect life timeline

• Age anxiety, comparison culture, and burnout

• Why society punishes women for being “too much”

• How these pressures hit women of color even harder

• Pop culture’s role in shaping these expectations

• How to stop measuring your life by someone else’s standards

If you’ve ever thought “I should be further along by now,” this episode will help you reframe the narrative and reclaim your pace.

🎧 Share this episode with someone needs a reminder that they’re right on time.

Let's connect:
Follow me on Instagram: @AllieMarieEvans
Read my essays on Substack
Follow me on YouTube for future video episodes
For podcast updates follow @Always Anxious

Submit to Anxious Anonymous to be featured on future episodes of Always Anxious.

What happens when girlhood ends before you're ready — and womanhood begins on someone else’s terms?

In this deeply personal episode of Always Anxious, I unpack the invisible pressures women face to grow up at the “right” time, in the “right” way, with the “right” outcome — and how almost none of us ever do.

While writing my essay The Quiet Collapse of Girlhood, I sat down with two of my close friends — Tallulah Willis and Sara Coates — for honest conversations about growing up, body image, public scrutiny, identity, and the quiet grief that often comes with leaving girlhood behind. From generational trauma to societal timelines to the aching nostalgia of innocence lost, this episode dives deep into the pain, the power, and the personal reclamation of becoming a woman on your own terms.

This one is tender, emotional, and full of moments I hope remind you that you're not alone.

💌 Let’s stay connected:
→ Follow me on Instagram
→ Read the full essay on Substack
→ Submit your letter to Anxious Anonymous

I’d love to hear your thoughts after listening. What part resonated most? What is your internal age? Drop a comment, DM me, or share your favorite quote — your input means more than you know.

If this episode speaks to you, please consider following the show, sharing it, or leaving a quick review. We grow better when we grow together. 

What happens when your journal knows the truth before you do?

In this unfiltered debrief of my first personal essay, “The Unreliable Narrator: How Lying to My Journal Saved My Life and Ended My Relationship,”  I open up about what it really means to be in a toxic relationship — and how to get out of one. I’m sharing the red flags I missed, the mental gymnastics I performed to justify bad behavior, and the clarity that came from rewriting my own story.

Whether you're in the thick of it, still healing, or just need a gut check, this episode is your permission slip to trust your instincts, take your power back, and redefine love on your terms.

 Inside this episode:

• How to recognize the signs of emotional manipulation and abusive toxicity

• What finally pushed me to walk away — and what life looks like on the other side

• Practical healing tools and reflective exercises that helped me rebuild my life

• Honest, heartfelt advice for your stories, submitted through Anxious Anonymous

• This week’s journal prompt to help you tap into your own creative truth telling

  
  

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts — and don’t forget, all video episodes will now exclusively be on Substack. If you want to watch more videos like this and see the conversation unfold, subscribe and join the community.

I want to hear your voice, too:

• Submit to Anxious Anonymous to be featured in the next episode

• Follow me on Substack for video versions, behind-the-scenes notes & more

• Share your journal prompt response with me there, or DM me on socials @alliemarieevans

I titled this article Becoming the Unreliable Narrator: How Lying to My Journal Saved My Life and Ended My Relationship because both are true. Finding the clarity and courage to leave a toxic relationship gave me a second chance at life. Who I was born to be, who I know myself to be, and who I have yet to become all hung in the balance of the decision to walk away and never look back. Read the full article and view the referenced images on Substack

Welcome to the Always anxious podcast with Allie Evans!

Always Anxious was a state of being I use to operate from. It was me, it controlled me until — through a lot of therapy and self development, I discovered that anxiety was actually a gift that could be channeled and used as lighting in a bottle for my most creative endeavors. When you come face to face with anxiety you are typically struggling with the unseen, the hidden, the invisible, the make believe. You have the gift of a truly robust imagination that has turned the unknown into fear. When we are given the tools to move through the fear we are able to bear witness to the magic that comes along with anxiety and the things we can create because of it.

I  want to get cozy at this virtual slumber party with you and talk about Messy love, big feelings, and figuring it all out (or at least trying to). Step into my mind  through personal essays, deep dives and debriefs, interviews, advice - through the "Anxious Anonymous" episodes, and enjoy the kind of stories that stick with you.

Think self-discovery with a side of creative chaos. More than anything I want to use this space as an opportunity to connect with YOU! To share my stories and learn yours because we all deserve to feel like the main character.

Subscribe for episodes that feel like a late-night talk with your most unhinged, brutally honest friend!!

Follow @AllieMarrieEvans & @AlwaysAnxious on socials.

Check out more articles, essays, and interviews on Substack