Please See Above

This week, Please See Above welcomes special guest host Alexandra Alvarez, also known as @TheStudioCityBarbie, for a deeply honest conversation about what it really means to start over. After losing her brother in 2016, Alexandra moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television while quietly battling dark and self destructive thoughts. When her mother’s cancer resurged, she made the...

This week on Please See Above , Eric reflects on seeing Jennette McCurdy in person during her book tour for Half His Age , and the profound, eye-opening experience of hearing her speak candidly about the writing process behind the novel. Eric shares his deep appreciation for McCurdy’s commitment to nuance — her rejection of black-and-white narratives, her willingness to sit with discomfort, and he...

In this episode, Eric reflects on his past relationship patterns and asks a question he keeps coming back to: why do we, as humans, put ourselves in situations that end up breaking our hearts? Through honest storytelling and uncomfortable self-reflection, he walks through past relationships, repeated cycles, and the in-between moments that shaped how he learned to love — fear of being alone, unmet...

This week, Eric shares an unplanned, mostly unedited episode recorded from a place of emotional heaviness. He reflects on what it feels like to love deeply and not always feel seen in return, and the quiet grief that can come with questioning the reciprocity of that love. He’s here and there—naming the weight of emotional imbalance and the discomfort of finding himself in the middle of things that...

Recorded while sick (and later confirmed COVID), this weeks' episode explores what happens when your body is depleted and your mind goes into overdrive. Eric reflects on how illness lowers emotional defenses, making old insecurities and trauma feel louder and more convincing. From emotional overwhelm to a disappointing onesie moment, this episode connects the dots between physical exhaustion a...

This week, Eric shares one of the most formative — and painful — experiences of his childhood. He reflects on the loneliness, the confusion, and the trauma he endured, and how childhood sexual abuse shaped his insecurities, his body image, and the way he approached intimacy as he grew into adulthood. With vulnerability and clarity, he talks about the little boy who wanted to be chosen, the moment...

This week, Eric dives into Wicked: For Good —the social and political threads woven through Oz, and why the story was never about Dorothy to begin with. He unpacks Elphaba’s radical self-acceptance, Glinda’s beautifully messy unraveling, and the painfully honest portrayal of toxic family dynamics through Nessa Rose. What follows is a reflection on friendship, identity, breaking cycles, setting bou...

This week, Eric opens up about the emotional reality of ending two friendships that once felt meaningful. Through honesty and humor, he shares how mixed signals, emotional distance, poor communication, and one-sided effort slowly drained connections he cared deeply about. Eric reflects on the difference between people who want closeness and people who are actually ready for it, how his ADHD “all-i...

This week, Eric has a full-circle moment that feels straight out of a telenovela. His heartfelt comment about the show Ugly Betty gets read aloud by cast members Mark Indelicato and Ana Ortiz on their rewatch podcast — and naturally, excitement and reflection follow. What starts as pure fangirl moment turns into something deeper: a love letter to the show that helped shape his sense of self. Eric...

This week Eric checks in with himself after a whirlwind weekend selling art at a local bar. The vibes were good—until they weren’t. When his boyfriend gets upset, Eric’s old people-pleasing reflex kicks in full force, leading to a spiral of overthinking that even ADHD can’t keep up with. From misreading texts to questioning himself, he unpacks the emotional chaos, names the catastrophizing, and le...

Eric gets honest about validation and where it began: a father dynamic that trained him to earn love by over-giving. He connects that early script to his adult relationships, noticing how chasing approval from unavailable people keeps the pick-me reflex alive. Clear, uncomfortable, and human, he names the people-pleasing mentality, retires the audition, and chooses relationships that don’t demand...

In this episode, Eric sits down with Alexandra Alvarez—@TheStudioCityBarbie (IG) / @StudioCityBarbie (TikTok)—for the show’s longest episode yet. They talk candidly about ADHD: laundry that never gets done, medication choices, and navigating relationships with brains wired for intensity. It’s blunt, unfiltered, and deeply human—no easy answers, just lived experience and what kinda-sorta helps. Ale...

This week, Eric sits with uncomfortable truths (no cushion, just honesty). He talks openly about having feelings—and sexual attraction—for a close friend, while acknowledging the attraction isn’t reciprocated—a crush course with no extra credit. He also looks at the realities of an open relationship—open hearts, open tabs—noticing his partner receives more attention and how that stirs old core bel...

After two rollercoaster years, Eric is graduating from the therapist's couch. In this raw and surprisingly funny episode, he kicks things off with a private, tearful—and very real—snippet recorded just moments after his final appointment. He shares the initial, slightly vague goals he had walking into therapy versus the massive, game-changing lessons he's actually walking out with. Eric dives into...

This week, Eric’s learning a hard truth: normal doesn’t always mean okay. He gets vulnerable (and kinda really fucking hates it) while talking about the quiet toxicity he inherited from his family—those subtle patterns that sneak into adulthood as people-pleasing, emotional catering, and defensiveness disguised as “I just want to be understood!” Ultimately, this is a messy, honest episode about re...