Getting Old Quickly

In Episode 130, Billy Donnelly once again talks about some of the problems that accompany his chronic gastrointestinal condition and how that can create certain limitations for him and feelings periodically that he has lost control over his own body. In these situations, he is meant to slow down and create certain boundaries for himself, knowing that pressing on only makes things worse. However, r...

In Episode 129, Billy Donnelly elaborates on why he takes issue with World Mental Health Day, or even National Mental Health Awareness Week and Month. He explains how he finds these spotlight days to be a bit insulting, with everyone joining a hashtag or some social media trend in its name and then moving on once it's over. He talks about how mental health really needs to be a priority all the tim...

In Episode 128, Billy Donnelly travels back to his high school days (for the first time since Episode 15 - The Horrors of My High School Experience ) to recall the first time he indeed remembers struggling to fit in. He discusses his difficulty in fitting neatly into certain identity boxes and/or labels that may have made it easier for him to be accepted in social circles. However, he talks about...

In Episode 127, Billy Donnelly does his best to embrace being in a good place at the moment. He lays out a number of things that seem to be moving in a positive direction for him as of late: good health, a new job, less time to dwell, etc. From there, he explains how important it is to just ride such a wave for as long and as far as it holds up. And, for once, he aims not to "poop on his own party...

In Episode 126, Billy Donnelly tells the story of a recent explosion of anger that he unleashed upon his kids. He explains the plans they had all set together and how they had come apart when some did not do what was asked of them. He lays out his feelings on the matter and how they got to that point since this incident did not just exist in a vacuum. He also talks about how it is difficult for hi...

In Episode 125, Billy Donnelly discusses a recent challenge that was thrown to him during therapy, asking why he is able to feel so confident going up on stage to perform karaoke (as referenced in Episode 121 - Popular ), even knowing his vocal limitations, when those same carefree feelings seem to be so difficult to drum up in other areas of his life. He examines the reasons as to why that might...

In Episode 124, Billy Donnelly discusses people's recent insistence on turning everything into some sort of side hustle and, as a result, never truly having anything that just belongs to them anymore. He talks about everyone trying to strike it rich with their hobbies and passions or "content," removing all the joy and personal fulfillment that comes with doing things that you like by turning it a...

In Episode 123, Billy Donnelly describes his recent bout with the stomach flu and all the awfulness that entails. He talks about the impact that had on his already existent GI issues, plus the overall uselessness he felt while feeling so horrible. However, he does bring up the sweetness shown by his kids in making sure he was doing okay. However, just when he thought he was out of the woods and hi...

In Episode 122, stemming from his pseudo-popularity on his Alaskan cruise , Billy Donnelly seeks to get a better understanding of where his need for attention comes from. With the help of his therapist, he is able to find some answers in his role as a class clown growing up (some of which was discussed and alluded to in Episode 13 - Send In The Clown ). He talks about his earliest memory of using...

In Episode 121, Billy Donnelly once hops aboard his Alaskan cruise to tell a tale of fleeting popularity. He talks about the experience of becoming almost pseudo-celebrities with his wife on the ship as a result of some karaoke performances and game show participation, and, with that, he discusses the highs of being recognized throughout the trip by a number of others. However, he also brings up h...

In Episode 120, Billy Donnelly returns from his Alaskan cruise vacation to recall the peacefulness of his trip and to vehemently stress the benefits of disconnected from the world from time to time. He talks about the relief that comes from unplugging from our phones, electronics and other constant tethers to the outside world and allowing ourselves to just be in the moment without having to const...

In Episode 119, Billy Donnelly takes a moment to reflect on our progress - where we were, how far we've gone and where we're hoping to go. With that, he poses a number of questions to to ponder and try answering as you measure the movement in your personal journey. 

In Episode 118, Billy Donnelly examines the convenient excuse of "not having enough time" when we're unable to do the things we claim we want to do. However, he sees this more as a problem of giving our time away to others and not claiming it for ourselves. He discusses the importance of setting boundaries and carving out slices of your life for you upon which others are not allowed to infringe or...

In Episode 117, Billy Donnelly examines his tendency to view things through a negative "glass half empty" lens and why he finds it so difficult to pay enough attention to the positives that occur on a regular basis. He discusses possible defense mechanisms in order to mitigate any amount of pain or hurt that may arise as a result of too much of a positive outlook not coming to pass and the resulti...

In Episode 116, Billy Donnelly talks about one of his biggest fears for his kids - them being like him. As a result, he discusses the ways he's tried to influence them to steer them in a different direction, one that doesn't have them making his same mistakes growing up or finding similar regrets, and the expectations for them that have resulted. However, he has come to the realization that he can...

In Episode 115, Billy Donnelly addresses how everything is NOT fine out there in the world currently, and more specifically most things suck. As a result, that can be incredibly deflating, discouraging and overwhelming. Due to that tidal wave of negative feelings, he discusses the importance of disengaging periodically and finding something that can boost your mood and energy in an attempt to reen...

In Episode 114, Billy Donnelly has a lot of anger, rage, frustration and sadness to sort through, concerning the overturning of Roe v. Wade , the latest assaults against the LGBTQIA+ community and the recent attempts to now ban books from his son's middle school library for their "indoctrination." 

In Episode 112, Billy Donnelly discusses the importance of finding your happy place - something that you can go to in order to take a short break from the outside world and bring joy and happiness back into your life. He uses a few examples from his own life, namely hockey, that have helped center him in recent time when things felt really awful and overwhelming. He implores everyone to find that...

In Episode 111, Billy Donnelly talks about the targeting of the LGBTQIA+ community with legislation that seeks to make their lives unnecessarily more difficult and cause irreparable harm for no real reason other than hatred mixed with a lack of respect, understanding and empathy. He discusses the Don't Say Gay laws and the heavy focus on trans individuals, and how it all operates once again throug...

In Episode 110, Billy Donnelly tries to process his emotions stemming from yet another mass shooting - this time at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 kids and 2 teachers dead - and asks what, as a society, are we doing to allow these things to continue happening. 

In Episode 109, Billy Donnelly talks about a recent experience of pushing himself past some limits - in order to go to brunch - and how it didn't end particularly well for him. With a not-great day of ulcerative colitis hitting, he ignored a bunch of the warning signs, in order for his chronic condition to not be the center of attention, to not feel as if he was disappointing others by not going a...

In Episode 108, Billy Donnelly dives into his religious/spiritual journey over the years, starting with his upbringing before turning into some more formative institutional experiences and ultimately settling into his current belief system. He recalls memories with the sacrament of penance and the red-blooded prayerkerchief, his learning from the Jesuits and his exposure to the weaponizing of reli...

In Episode 107, Billy Donnelly talks about COVID finally getting to him after all this time. He details his experience with symptoms and his overall health throughout the week, reveals where he let his guard down to probably contract it and stresses why people should still continue to take precautions as best as possible. From there, he has some things to say about the latest news from the Supreme...

In Episode 106, Billy Donnelly decides to switch up the focus of this week's show after learning some pretty tragic news concerning the death of a family friend. With that, he explains what he initially was planning on talking about and why it shifted due to what's truly important to him suddenly being put into perspective. He also discusses May being Mental Health Awareness Month and what he hope...

In Episode 105, Billy Donnelly really contemplates the idea of a mid-life crisis when it's reframed as grieving the loss of the life one had envisioned. With that, he looks through the five stages of the grieving process - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance - and can easily track his progress over a lengthy stretch of time to know where he's stuck and why it's so difficult for hi...