Single (not spiraling)

If you’re a single woman heading into the new year and feeling burned out by goals, pressure, and “fix yourself” energy — this episode is for you. In this episode, I talk about how to want more without turning your life into a constant self-improvement project. We unpack why joyless goals lead to burnout, how to choose direction without pressure, and what it looks like to build a life that actuall...

If you’re a single woman feeling pressure to have everything figured out at the start of the year, this episode is for you. In this episode of Single, Not Spiraling, Lauren de-influences New Year and January pressure, unpacks hustle culture and wellness overload, and explores how single women can slow down, think critically, and lead their lives with intention. This conversation is about decenteri...

In this episode, we’re getting real about the kind of holiday hurt no one talks about — the moment you’re surrounded by family and still feel invisible. When traditions change without you, everyone else is coupling up or having kids, and you’re left navigating a season that doesn’t feel like yours anymore. And in the middle of all that tenderness, the urge to text your ex creeps in… not because yo...

Listen… if you’ve been feeling off this holiday season and can’t really explain why? You’re not alone. This episode is for my single girls navigating weird family dynamics, annoying party invites, pressure to buy gifts no one wants, and the ache that shows up when you’re not anyone’s plus one. We're talking about the bullshit of couple culture, capitalist nonsense, and how to make it through this...

So apparently, “decentering men” is tired now. A trend. A phase. Except… we’re still watching women shape-shift to be chosen by men who can’t name their emotions or wash their legs. This episode is for the woman who's done orbiting her life around being picked. We’re talking about what decentering men actually means, why it’s not about bitterness, and how this shift might be the exact thing your h...

If you’ve ever wondered, “Did I heal too much? Is that why dating feels so hard now?”—this episode is for you. We’re getting into what it really means to outgrow chaos, stop chasing the high of anxious attachment, and hold out for the kind of love that actually feels safe. It’s not that you’re too much—it’s that you’ve raised your standards and learned how to trust yourself. This episode is your r...

What if the sadness you’re feeling isn’t just about being single... but about grieving the life you thought you’d have by now? In this episode of Single, Not Spiraling, we’re talking about disenfranchised grief—the kind that doesn’t get talked about because there’s no funeral, no breakup, no obvious loss. Just you, quietly mourning the version of adulthood you imagined: the partner, the house, the...

This one’s personal. It’s a love letter, a pep talk, and a little bit of a call-out. After being single for a long time (hi, 7 years), I’ve learned that confidence doesn’t come from someone choosing you—it comes from building a life that turns you on without waiting for them to show up. In this episode, I’m walking you through 10 things every single woman needs—not to get the guy, but to feel aliv...

Money isn’t just math — it’s emotional, messy, and wrapped in way more shame than most of us want to admit. In this episode of Single, Not Spiraling, I’m getting brutally honest about what it means to navigate debt, guilt, and survival-mode spending as a single woman. We’re talking about why being financially “behind” doesn’t make you broken, why the system actually is rigged, and what it looks li...

Still waiting for someone to pick you? This episode is your wake-up call. Lauren Samantha is calling out the toxic dating patterns that keep women performing, shrinking, and settling—just to be liked. In this raw, no-BS episode, we unpack how to stop dating from fear, define your real non-negotiables, and finally build love from power—not panic. You’ll learn: The difference between preferences and...

You're out here saying you want a partner who’s emotionally available, who prioritizes your needs, who makes you feel sexy, seen, and safe… but are you doing any of that for yourself? In this episode, Lauren Samantha rips the bow off self-love and gets real about what it actually means to be devoted to you. No bubble baths. No beige journals. Just daily rituals, deep needs, and the bold-ass act of...

You say you want someone emotionally available… but are you emotionally available to yourself? In this raw and reflective first episode of the Would You Date You? series, Lauren Samantha cracks open what it really means to become the kind of partner you’re out here looking for. No fluff. No Pinterest-perfect self-care tips. Just honest talk about how we ghost our own needs, abandon our boundaries,...

Ever cried in the Trader Joe’s parking lot because your ex moved on and you’re still wondering if love is even in the cards for you? Same. In this first episode of Single Not Spiraling, Lauren Samantha kicks things off with a brutally honest conversation about what it really means to be single right now—and why this podcast exists in the first place. If you've ever felt like your life is “on hold”...

After 82 episodes, today marks the end of an era—and the beginning of something I didn’t see coming. In this final episode of Pleasure Pathways, I’m looking back at how it all started (yes, mushrooms were involved), what this show cracked open in me, and why I know it’s time to pivot. But don’t panic—this isn’t the end of me in your ears. Something new is coming. Something more aligned with where...

In this episode, we trace the history of pleasure—from Ancient Greece and goddess worship, to the Puritans, patriarchy, and purity culture. You’ll hear how joy became shame, how desire got pathologized, and how women’s sensuality was stripped down to silence. We talk about how women have fought to stay connected to their bodies, their joy, and their truth. And what it really takes to heal that rel...

Ever had someone say something about your body that stuck with you for way too long? Same. This week on Pleasure Pathways, I’m sharing two real moments: → When my parents made comments about my swimsuit → And the surprising comments I got from women at girls’ boat day This episode is about how body shame gets passed around—and how to stop carrying it. If you’ve ever been told to shrink, cover up,...

Why are so many women screaming through IUD insertions... and being told it’s normal? In this episode of Pleasure Pathways, I’m sharing my own experience navigating the medical system to get an IUD—and asking the bigger question: If this pain is so common, why isn’t anyone doing more about it? We’ll dig into the lack of pain management, the privilege gap in reproductive healthcare, and why men are...

In a world that feels like it’s falling apart where every headline is heavy and everyone seems to be struggling it can feel wrong to enjoy anything. In this episode, we unpack the guilt that comes with feeling good during hard times and explore why your pleasure isn’t selfish. We’ll talk about the systems (hi, patriarchy and capitalism) that taught us to equate suffering with worth, why healing is...

You’ve journaled. You’ve therapied. You’ve healed your inner child and raised your damn vibration. So why does love still feel like it’s MIA? In this episode, I’m burning down the illusion that effort always equals outcome — especially in dating. We’re talking about why the “just do the work” advice can actually make you feel worse, how patriarchal bullshit is still running the dating world, and w...

Fairy smut has us in a chokehold right now, and it’s not just because the sex is good (though it is). It’s because these books are finally giving women the one thing we rarely get in real life: to be fully seen, centered, and chosen—without having to shrink or beg for it. In this episode, I’m unpacking why we’re obsessed, what it says about the state of modern intimacy, and how you can stop settli...

I hesitated about making this episode.  But I also know it’s important to share. This episode is for the women who know in their bones they don’t want kids and for the women who feel unsure, who feel that tug in their gut that says, “maybe that’s not for me either.” Because it’s all valid. I talk about how I stopped bending myself to fit a script, how I live with the possibility of change, and how...

Recording this from the river tonight, in the dark, just me and my cats and the water. No big plan, no fancy outline—just slowing the f*ck down and seeing what’s already here. Because the real intimacy isn’t always about other people—it’s about how well you can sit with yourself, and the world around you, without trying to fix or rush it. I’m talking about the art of doing nothing—how that’s where...

Ever said, “This might be TMI, but…” before sharing something completely normal—like the way your period actually feels, or that you got turned on out of nowhere, or that you cried after self pleasure? In this episode, we’re breaking down what “TMI” really means—and why women have been conditioned to feel gross, dramatic, or inappropriate for simply being human. We talk about how shame gets passed...

You were taught to stay quiet. To be the keeper of secrets. To protect the image, the family, the relationship—everyone but yourself. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the kind of silence that doesn’t keep us safe—it keeps us small. We’ll talk about why secrecy is a form of control, how it gets passed down through generations, and why so many women are still carrying shame that does...

You’re doing the journaling. Drinking the tea. Buying the serums. Lighting the candles. But if you’re still burnt out, disconnected, or just straight-up over it—this episode is for you. Today we’re talking about how self-care got hijacked by capitalism and turned into yet another performance—and why self-worship is the reclamation you’ve been craving. We’ll dig into the difference between routines...