Shame Spiral

This week I spiraled out with novelist, essayist, and gorgeous person Leslie Jamison ( Make It Scream, Make It Burn; The Empathy Exams .)  We talked the terror of harming others, the complicated notion of art as therapeutic, and shame personified as a highly critical -and generously tattooed- male graduate student.  Plus, Leslie shares a brutal adolescent shame story about seeing her worst fears a...

This week I spiraled out with playwright, novelist and television writer Jen Silverman ( We Play Ourselves, The Roommate, Collective Rage: A Play In 5 Betties .)  We talked the protected joy in watching others rather than being watched, dared to investigate the world of trigger & content warnings, and even processed some shame-filled moments in our first meeting as the ex-partner and current p...

This week I spiraled out with television writer, producer and photographer Amos Mac ( Y :The Last Man, Gossip Girl .)  We talked beating yourself up when you fail to be a hero, navigating connection when you'd kinda rather escape to an isolated cabin in the woods,  and even processed some juicy former roommate drama between us, involving a nosy landlord, a couch hacked into pieces with an AX...

This week I spiraled out with actor, television writer, author and huge-hearted gem Brandon Kyle Goodman ( Big Mouth, You Gotta Be You .)  We talked perfectionism, the arrested development that often comes with queerness, the struggle and value of learning to be soft, and so much more. Plus, Brandon shares a story they'd previously ONLY SHARED WITH THEIR HUSBAND (!!!!) about choices they made...

This week I spiraled out with television writer and lovely soul Katherine Kearns (Hacks, Yellowjackets.)  We talked regrets, binging bad TV in the early pandemic,  growing up Black with a cool, queer & very white Dad, the brutal honesty of children, and so much more. Plus, Katherine shares her seminal shame story about being a small child and inadvertently heisting a bag of delicious candy fro...

This week I spiraled out with novelist, memoirist, Tarot reader & literary arts organizer Michelle Tea (Knocking Myself Up, Against Memoir.)  We talked about how we'd rather be overwhelming than boring, explored the shame inherent to parenting,  confessed moments in our friendship that once made us spiral, and so much more. Plus, Michelle shares a ridiculously hilarious and deeply humilia...

This week I spiraled out with actor, writer, comedian and true gem Sydney Battle (Stapleview, Swan Boy.) We dug deep into what went wrong in Sydney's very fresh therapy break-up, agreed we'd rather be caught doing the dirty by a huge group of strangers than a single family member, discussed how people in NY vs LA respond to a public panic attack, and so much more. Plus, Sydney shares a s...

This week I spiraled out with brilliant and criminally funny comedian & writer Anna Drezen (SNL, Girls5eva, Praise Petey.) We compared the "niceness" of our Moms,  bonded over how uncomfortable it is to feel cared for, and wondered which is more vulnerable: inconveniencing an entire train full of strangers, or somebody you have a crush on.  Plus, Anna shares a shame story about plann...

This week I spiraled out with the ridiculously funny, insightful AND delightful comedian Dylan Adler! We talked being baby queers, the horrors of your Mom witnessing your super vulnerable ( and sometimes Freudian) jokes, and turning trauma and shame into comedy.  Plus, Dylan shares a story of having a (in my biased and outraged opinion, as a licensed psychotherapist) HORRIFYINGLY BAD therapist who...

This week I spiraled out with super funny stand-up comedian Samantha Ruddy. We talked growing up in the Catholic Church, being OCD and Zoloft twinsies, queerness, the relentless desire to be a "good hang," the agony and ecstasy of reading mean youtube comments, and so much more. Plus, Samantha shares a story about the shame spiral evoked by her first televised  stand up set on The Late S...

This week I spiraled out with hilarious stand-up comedian and writer Ginny Hogan. We talked sobriety and making some horribly shameful amends, the inherent shamefulness of social media and building a following, peeing in public, the fear of leaked nude photos vs leaked diary pages, and so much more.  Plus, Ginny tells us a story about finding herself running the college student government campaign...

Welcome to the first episode of Shame Spiral! I was so lucky to launch our season with a woman who needs no introduction: actor, producer and all-around glorious human being Amanda Seyfried. In this episode, we discuss living with anxiety and OCD and their impact on shame, motherhood, some horrible things we did in childhood and the difficulty of letting those moments go, the impulse to take care...

A sneak peak into what you can expect from the world of Shame Spiral. First full episode coming soon!  twitter.com/podshamespiral instagram.com/podshamespiral instagram.com/elykreimendahl tiktok.com/@elykreimendahl twitter.com/elykreimendahl