Crazy Together

She’s back! Esme and Marcus continue the discussion about the Power of Novelty (episode 122) as they recall some of the lessons they learned on a trip to Paris. Later, Esme shares a recommendation for a book series about a group of witches, vampires, and demons who make a solemn pact to keep their existence hidden from regular people and each other. But can any pact really stop a couple of attract...

Esme-heads: prepare to be disappointed. Or, prepare to be delightfully surprised! Such is the power of novel experiences. Marcus is flying solo this week. And while he realizes the throngs of Esme fans out there might be loath to listen to him meander his way through an episode without the patient guidance of his better half, he has endeavored to keep it (relatively) short and sweet. In this week’...

Just because Marcus and Esme are taking a little bit of time off to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend doesn't mean they have forgotten about you, dear listener. To ensure you get your weekly fix of their unique brand of neurodivergent meandering, they've decided to replay one of their most downloaded HYPERFOCUS BONUS episodes ever: 61. Who’s That Lady (Doing All That Sewing)? Marcus and Esme wi...

What do you get when you cross peer-reviewed, academically rigorous neuroscience with the super-squishy feels-based world of wellness? A lot of FCC compliant (but not FDA approved) devices, a little bit of hope, and, sadly, far too many broken promises.  Marcus and Esme discuss the burgeoning trends of neurotech and neurowellness in this week’s episode and share some “yellow flags” you should cons...

Is there crying in baseball? As it turns out, yes. And Marcus tells the tale of how he learned you absolutely cannot weaponize a legendary player’s emotional farewell against a rival team’s fan base, no matter how much they might deserve it.  Also, Esme reveals the two key lessons at the heart of the Other Bennet Sister: 1) Mary Bennet doesn’t need to be featured in a rapid-fire montage in which s...

“Do you really think you’re tougher than Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt or Lord of Winterfell, Ned Stark?” This is the seemingly nonsensical question Marcus and Esme pose to their male listeners in this week’s episode (Please note: This question will make sense once you listen to the episode). One of the central tenets of traditional masculinity is that men must be protectors and providers for their f...

Is the nighttime truly the right time for boardgame-based family fun? For the average person with ADHD, whose attention span is largely dependent on medications they take during the daytime, the answer might be “no.” That’s the conclusion Marcus and Esme have come to after a recent family game night, wherein the O’Kayvious clan attempted to play a new (and surprisingly complex) boardgame for the v...

What if our assumptions about the inner lives of loved ones who are living with Alzheimer’s and dementia are wrong? What if the people we love are still very much there?  These are the questions raised by today’s guest, Marilyn Raichle. Marilyn is author of Don’t Walk Away: A Care Partner’s Journey, a powerful and uplifting memoir about her experience as her mother’s care partner while she was liv...

Esme battles an old foe en route to restoring the O’Kayvious household’s gardens to their former glory: the sun. Will cosplaying as an ultra-refined Bryn Mawr graduate give her the tactical edge she needs? Also, Marcus courts controversy by revealing the one thing Donald Trump does right – if you’re going to re-watch the 1988 martial arts masterpiece Bloodsport, you really should fast forward thro...

“Can you blame your boyfriend’s mom for making your boyfriend a bad boyfriend?” This is the hypothetical question Marcus poses at the start of the episode. Fortunately, Esme is there to ask questions and figure out what Marcus is talking about.  It turns out that Marcus wants to discuss Attachment Theory, a psychological framework that explores how young children form emotional bonds with their ca...

HYPERBOLIC TITLE WARNING: This episode does not feature stories of ACTUAL betrayal or revenge. However, it does attempt to answer the following questions: Does a former college basketball star have an obligation to his alma mater to ensure his son does not play for that school's hated rival? (Spoiler alert: in this case, yes). Is a minor character from a classic Jane Austen novel deserving of her...

Internet and social media trends come and go, and many of them are pretty stupid. But could it be true that there is one current trend that might actually be somewhat beneficial for our mental health and well being? Join Marcus and Esme as they discuss whimsy, the rare social media trend that doesn’t seem to want to kill us. Marcus and Esme discuss why the trend has taken off, and whether or not t...

Are the narrators of audiobooks the final authority on how to pronounce the names of people and places in sci-fi/fantasy novels? What is the likelihood a noteworthy director of independent cinema has moved to Marcus and Esme’s small town in southeastern Pennsylvania? And what does it mean if Marcus is hearing the voice of an entirely different director in his head when he goes grocery shopping?  V...

Is it possible that the cerebellum plays a much larger role in our mental health than was previously known? And if so, what are the implications for the future of how mental health and neurodivergent conditions are diagnosed and treated going forward? Well, after an exhaustive review of recent breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience, Marcus and Esme are prepared to say, “Wow, those are some tou...

Most great works of art defy simple interpretation. Some pieces are so complex and so deeply rousing that two people (who are otherwise very much alike in temperament and tastes) can walk away from the same composition with very different interpretations. Such is the case with the timeless blue-eyed soul standard Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. Marcus and Esme discuss their specific point...

Do neurodivergent people really struggle with object permanence? Generally speaking, no. Babies and dogs may struggle to understand that something still exists even if they can’t see it anymore (which explains the rush babies get playing peek-a-boo). However, most older children and adults – regardless of neurotype – tend to understand that mommy has not exited this earthly plain just because she...

All Esme wanted to do was pay homage to one of her favorite flowers. Unfortunately, Marcus had to go and ruin it with some inappropriate giggling just because the name of the flower sounds a little bit like a certain defining aspect of the male anatomy. It was childish and disrespectful and Marcus apologized profusely for it . . . every time Esme mentioned the flower’s name. Marcus then took a mom...

Have you ever felt like you’ve changed so much you barely recognize yourself? If so, you might be experiencing an identity crisis. Identity crises are pretty common, but they might be an indicator that you could benefit from some professional medical assistance. In this episode, Marcus and Esme discuss the concept of identity and why having a strong, continuous sense of identity is important to ou...

In honor of Mother’s Day and his dad’s birthday, Marcus shares some fond remembrances of his parents. It’s an important reminder that we all end up talking about the people we love in therapy. It’s only natural, because they’re usually the ones who have made the biggest impacts on our lives. Life is complicated that way. But, if we’re lucky, we also have a lot of uncomplicated memories of those pe...

In this episode, Marcus and Esme ask a very important question: can’t we be optimistic about the future AND do something about the man-eating tiger that’s stalking us? It’s a metaphorical tiger, but it’s an important question, nonetheless. Marcus and Esme continue their exploration of bottom-up thinking (a cognitive style more prevalent among neurodivergent people) and top-down thinking (a cogniti...

Marcus reveals that he used to be a pretty big fan of post-apocalyptic movies. They were a lot more fun in his youth, when he could more easily ignore the many real-world fears and anxieties that were the constant sub-text of the genre (e.g., nuclear holocaust, fossil fuel scarcity, climate change, etc.). The movies were fun, and there was always a glimmer of hope in each one. For example, the Roa...

This is the episode Marcus has been dying to make for a long time now (at least three weeks). Marcus and Esme discuss bottom-up and top-down processing: two different thinking styles that influence how people take in information and make sense of the world around them. Even though most people are capable of both styles, neurodivergent people are more likely to engage in bottom-up processing, while...

As a follow-up to the “Very Special and Horrifying Announcement” released earlier this week Esme provides some much needed perspective. According to her, there’s a slight possibility that Marcus was misrepresenting the immediate danger to Crazy Together studios and the family as a whole. It turns out, the walls of their house might not be teeming with bats. That said, there’s no way to tell exactl...

Something is lurking within the walls of the O'Kayvius household. Neither Marcus or Esme has spotted the beast yet, but they have heard it's frantic scratching. While Esme isn't prepared to hazard a guess as to the genus or species of their wall-dwelling intruder, Marcus is almost certain it's a bat (but he's also not willing to rule out the possibility of an interdimensional traveller with nefari...

As a thank you to their listeners, Marcus and Esme are celebrating the release of the 100th episode of Crazy Together with a free merch giveaway to five lucky winners. Just go to crazytogetherpod.com and complete the 100th Episode Mug Giveaway form (look for the bouncing mugs). The first five listeners to submit an entry will automatically win! Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Support us on...