Getting Old Quickly

In Episode 79, Billy Donnelly stresses the importance of communication, particularly when it comes to our feelings. Coming out of a depressive episode, he felt incredibly awful and, at times, very alone in his struggles. However, he began to feel a bit better after having an honest conversation with his wife where he was able to lay out what he was dealing with, the emotions running through his he...

In Episode 78, Billy Donnelly talks a little bit about where he's at mentally and emotionally as of late, which, to him, is not a particularly great place. He reveals his lack of motivation even to record this episode but expands on why he feels it's important to talk openly and honestly about these struggles as they happen rather than avoiding them or pretending they're not happening. He briefly...

In Episode 77, Billy Donnelly is at a loss, as he tries to make sense of his outbursts of anger and what is behind them. He shares a couple of recent stories that resulted in angry feelings, but explains why he feels the appearance of anger in each was justified. However, of bigger concern to him is the moments that he cannot seem to explain away and why there are times he just feels angry a lot....

In Episode 76, Billy Donnelly decides that this is the point to finally talk about sex - mainly the role it has played over the years for him as a tool to seek validation and to boost his self-esteem. He talks about how not-so-healthy relationships when he was younger really dealt a big hit to his feelings of being wanted and desired as he got a little older. As a result, he developed a not-sustai...

In Episode 75, Billy Donnelly deals with the pressures of parenthood, namely the concern of failing your children. He discusses the hope that our children will have a better life than our own and the expectations we place upon ourselves to try ensuring that happens. However, Billy comes to terms with the fact that while we can exhibit influence over our children to an extent, we do not have contro...

In Episode 74, Billy Donnelly adds onto a previous episode to further discuss our struggles with insecurity and the vulnerable position it leaves us in when we admit the very existence of our own. He talks about the importance of admitting our insecurities are there and the dangers that come from looking for or expecting quick-fix solutions to make them go away. He discusses the idea of others sel...

In Episode 73, Billy Donnelly makes an important breakthrough for himself and his long-standing embrace of a victim identity. Prompted by a reading of Mark Manson's book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Billy begins to question enough about what he knows and believes to wonder if he's trapped himself in victimhood over the years after a number of experiences for a variety of reasons, starting...

In Episode 72, Billy Donnelly is feeling pretty good and once again finds himself struck by inspiration to create. As a result, he talks about the difference he has found between ideas where he has expectations as to where things might lead or how something might be received and those he is doing simply to please himself and satisfy his own excitement. He also discusses how easy it is to back away...

In Episode 71, Billy Donnelly once again ventures into the world of professional wrestling, connecting on a deep level with a video of John Cena making a positive impact on the lives of others without knowing it. He details a video he came across on Twitter telling a story of a boy whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and how a simple act of kindness by John Cena majorly affected them in...

In Episode 70, Billy Donnelly decides to talk a bit about professional wrestling and, more specifically, the return of CM Punk and his introduction into AEW (All Elite Wrestling). He discusses CM Punk's 7-year absence from the squared circle and the circumstances that led to him walking away from his passion. However, from CM Punk's long journey back to this world he loved for quite some time, Bil...

In Episode 69, Billy Donnelly decides to talk a bit about insecurity, namely some of his own which he's struggled with over the years. In addition to his worries about being good enough as a dad - and the pressure of trying not to inflict long-term damage on one's kids - as well as whether he's good enough at any of the things he's passionately done over the years (podcasting, writing, etc.), he a...

In Episode 68, Billy Donnelly explores quite a bit of his anxiety as it relates to the recent upswing in Covid cases and the rapid spread of the Delta variant. He discusses the survival instincts that are baked into our anxiety and how our past experiences and always-increasing base of knowledge informs how we react and respond to the signs for what lies up ahead. He also talks about how normal it...

In Episode 67, Billy Donnelly has feelings of frustration he wants to get out in regards to how too many people negatively reacted to Simone Biles' Olympics withdrawal on account of a mental issue. He discusses the still-very present stigmatization that exists around mental health, even as more people keep talking about their mental health advocacy and its importance. He wonders why physical issue...

In Episode 66, Billy Donnelly decides to talk about anger, and, more specifically, the anger of young white men. Provoked by the idea introduced in the Woodstock '99 documentary that young white men have nothing to be angry about, he attempts to unpack where this very legitimate anger comes from, how society only encourages it to get worse, what we need to do to try to address it and how we grow f...

In Episode 65, Billy Donnelly talks about one of his triggers being activated this week and the struggle he had in trying to work through it. He tells the story related to this trigger's creation and spells out the longstanding anger and resentment that still feels fresh anytime this particular association is recalled. He tries to figure out what we're supposed to do to handle these incidents bett...

In Episode 64, Billy Donnelly has difficulty wrapping his head around some of the struggles his daughter has been having coming out of the pandemic, particularly with heightened anxiety, and the helplessness he feels in trying to help her deal with it. He ponders what role he has had to play in contributing to it, with his own Covid worries and concerns, and he talks a lot about his fears for her...

In Episode 63, Billy Donnelly talks about the creation of our comfort zones, particularly why they exist in the first place, and the limitations they place on how we live our lives. Using a few recent examples of pushing past the boundaries of his own status quo, he attempts to figure out how to press past our anxieties, fears, concerns and worries in order to be able to try new things, meet new p...

In Episode 62, Billy Donnelly keeps riding the wave of feeling good that he's been experiencing the last few weeks. As a result, he talks about some of the breakthroughs he's had lately, in regards to certain fears and anxieties that were only made worse during the pandemic. He discusses the levels of calculated risks he's been taking recently and the degree of comfort he is now starting to feel d...

In Episode 61, Billy Donnelly ventures out into the outside world for the first time since the start of the pandemic for a road trip to see Drew DeFour and Kin Curran headline a set of Dueling Pianos shows at Bobby McKey's and meet a group of internet strangers in real life who were integral in helping him get through the past year of quarantine/lockdown. Throughout the episode, Billy lays the fou...

In Episode 60, Billy Donnelly explores the idea of Has-Beens and Never-Wases and tries to process his reality as one of the latter. He talks about the sadness he feels in constantly trying to measure up and have his moment, only for it to feel like he is constantly making his situation worse. He discusses his understanding of the Has-Been's plight, as they are being forced to leave behind a life t...

In Episode 59, Billy Donnelly tells a recent story of trying to help his son make YouTube videos and the difficulties, resistance and frustrations he encountered along the way. He details some of the lessons and takeaways he was able to grab from the experience, as he tries to come to terms with his inability to assist others who just don't want the help and the whys that surround it.

In Episode 58, coming out of Memorial Day Weekend, Billy Donnelly ponders questions about our legacies and how we want to be remembered. He discusses how these ideas start to become a bit more important to us as we get older and the things that are important to others after we're gone in how they write our posthumous stories and carry on our memories. 

In Episode 57, after struggling with focus throughout the week, Billy Donnelly decides to talk about parenting, and namely the difficulties that arise in trying to do the best job you possibly can for the benefit of your kids. He discusses some recent interactions with his kids that had him feeling a bit down, and the trade-offs that come with that in aiming to raise decent human beings. He talks...

In Episode 56, Billy Donnelly talks about the recent rise in his anxiety levels, as brought on by the CDC's new Covid guidelines and people's rush to get back to "normal." He discusses his concerns over the new honor system approach to mask-wearing, in addition to increased capacity and social distancing everywhere, while discussing his worry for how it affects people who cannot be vaccinated yet,...

In Episode 55, Billy Donnelly tries to answer the question of whether or not he is holding himself back (and by extension, this podcast) due to his fear of failure. He looks at the way he throws himself into chasing success (and the reasons why), in addition to the imbalance often created by this approach. He brings up a past situation that did not turn out well and the lessons he learned from it,...