Pickles and Vodka: a Mental Health Podcast

This might just be the most chaotic episode of Pickles and Vodka to date. Christina begins by sharing from the bullet journal she kept as an alcoholic, then launches into a FOMO-inspired rant. We dive into the world of mental health-inspired vanity plates before the show is interrupted by an unprecedented phone call. What follows is a chain of events that perfectly illustrate the everyday chaos in...

Is being in control overrated? Will sober dancing at a wedding ever NOT be awkward? What do Pickles and Vodka listeners consider cheaper than therapy? Is Christina ever going to quit writing the description and publish this?? Find the answers in this short but sweet solo episode! Follow Pickles and Vodka for updates, guest inquiries, or to say hi: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pic...

After last week’s anxiety extravaganza, Christina is back…and it’s a full house! The episode starts off by reminiscing about the early days of Pickles and Vodka, victory in bulimia recovery, recognizing mental health advocates on the podcast scene, and a story about missing a family member’s wedding. Then the second half of the episode features past guests Caroline and Ginger Lou Jumper, who have...

Welcome to a very special, very chaotic episode of Pickles and Vodka! Christina attempts to be entertaining and instead kills the mood by getting vulnerable about existentialism, performance anxiety, and TikTok. She also answers questions from listeners, reveals a secret past life, and introduces the concept of a mental health charging station. If anyone is listening, we hope you enjoy the mess an...

Christina reflects on 1 year of recovery by once again baring her soul to the internet in the form of audio journals. Topics include: Second chance to start my life again (10:49) Scared that nothing matters (11:38) I’m not weak if I don’t do anything (13:58) Reality, overthinking, and my journey (15:49) It all comes down to me being high (17:43) It’s getting harder to be OK (20:02) Ruining relatio...

This not-quite-solo episode sees the return of Christina’s sister Caroline and introduces listeners to some very questionable habits. The sisters chat about getting your period again in eating disorder recovery, crying while brushing your hair, financial insecurities, soft girls, fear of your first death, and grammatically inappropriate flirting on Marketplace. Christina reads another journal entr...

WE’RE FEELING NOSTALGIC, Y’ALL. Joining Pickles and Vodka today are Steph and Lex, two cousins and cohosts of Chasing Childhood, a podcast where they watch favorite childhood movies and determine whether they hold up or not. Unfortunately, childhood for Steph and Lex was not without its trauma, which we talk about in this interview. Topics include sweeping mental illness under the rug, getting sto...

It’s another short, sleep-deprived solo episode! Christina reveals new and old fears and insecurities, talks about addiction (as usual), reads TWO journal entries from 2012, and gets a little poetic. Follow Pickles and Vodka for updates, guest inquiries, or to say hi: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka Podcast Twitter:  @PicklesVodka Email:  picklesandvodkapodcast@gma...

Eileen Winn is a queer, neurodivergent, agender writer and poet from Ohio. They also happen to be getting their master's in Florida while going through a divorce after coming out as a lesbian to their husband of 10 years. And that's just the beginning! Listen for a gleeful descent into the world of gender, parentification, Tumblr, cats, societal conformity, and making meaning out of being miserabl...

This week's solo episode is short but sweet! Christina reads a journal entry from 2012 and addresses why we feel guilty for having good things, trauma comparisons, assigning meaning to "failure", and whether or not you deserve to get help and feel happy. (Spoiler: you do.) Don't forget to rate and subscribe wherever you're listening from! For 15% off Sex Worriers: A Mindfully Queer Guide for Men’s...

We’re starting off 2022 with a bang! This episode features David Khallili, a licensed marriage & family therapist who specializes in sex anxiety, queer multi-ethnic issues, polyamory & kink, and so much more. (Seriously, it’s ridiculous how versatile he is!) Listen to hear him talk about growing up as a first generation American, his years of working at a sex shop and what it taught him, h...

It's that time of year again! (If you said "time to voice our strong opinions on New Year's resolutions", you're only partly accurate.) That's right, we've arrived at the 3rd annual Hot & Spicy Pickle Awards, where Christina recognizes 2021 guests of the podcast and reflects on all the lessons they’ve taught us. Sparkly attire optional.   WATCH ON YOUTUBE  Follow Pickles and Vodka for updates,...

Join Christina as she attempts to summarize the utterly insane rollercoaster ride through mental health that was the year 2021! She covers what it was like to ask for help and go to treatment for bulimia, leaving a secure job and moving across the country to be closer to family, misadventures in unemployment, the importance of having a ho phase, sobriety and harm reduction, showing gratitude to he...

Grab a tissue box and put on your fuzziest socks, because this episode packs a punch to the feels. Eli returns to finish the story of falling in love with her soulmate from across the pond, then being forced to make an unimaginable decision when he drops some devastatingly unexpected news. We talk about the difference between the NHS and American healthcare, the awkwardness of death, the importanc...

Eli is an elementary school teacher who lives, works, and dates in Brooklyn. Her secret? She got engaged to a man she met online, then flew overseas to help when he revealed he had a terminal illness. The events that ensued not only changed Eli as a person, but changed the way she felt about human connection in general. Part 1 today covers Eli’s early exposures to death, how her grief led to a num...

It's another solo episode! This week, Christina reveals why she went off the grid and what's been helping her ease back into sanity. Topics include getting blindsided, staying hopeful in a sea of disappointment, getting stuck in the shame cycle, and the joys of crying in your car. As is the new podcast tradition, she revisits another journal entry from 2009 and comes face to face with some uncomfo...

Today's episode is a tale that spans 3 continents and provides an unflinching look into one couple's dreams, tragedies, and recovery. Jérémie André recounts growing up as an emotional late bloomer, how gratitude training helped him express affection to his parents for the first time at 31, meeting the love of his life in Australia, and the heartbreaking journey they were forced to endure in their...

Christina reveals some exciting changes to the podcast before diving into the dusty pages of a 12 year-old journal. Tangents this week include beach mishaps, TikTok, dystopian sci-fi, and when you should let yourself be extra. Content warning for mentions of self-harm. Follow Pickles and Vodka for more updates: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka Podcast Twitter:  @Pic...

Mary returns to finish telling the story of her abortion and the impact it had on her physical and mental health. Follow Pickles and Vodka for more updates: Instagram:  @picklesandvodkapodcast Facebook:  Pickles and Vodka Podcast Twitter:  @PicklesVodka Email  picklesandvodkapodcast@gmail.com  for inquiries about guest appearances or just to say hi! Get full access to Pickles and Vodka at picklesa...

This week, Christina's friend Mary opens up about her recent abortion as well as the path her life took to lead up to it. She describes growing up as an only child in a religious household, guilt around food from an early age, bipolar disorder, changing views on sex following an assault, substance use, messy relationships, and more. As you can tell, this episode covers especially sensitive topics...

For the first time in the history of Pickles and Vodka, we've got a dynamic guest duo for your enjoyment! Kyle Wise and Luke Colson met each other in addiction recovery and together created their hit podcast, Well That F*cked Me Up! In this episode, they spill all the behind-the-scenes secrets as conversations revolve around brutal childhood trauma, using substances to cope, why we self-sabotage,...

When Leticia Francis recalls healing from a toxic relationship with her groomer, she means figuratively AND literally! Listen to this episode to hear the unbelievable true story of how Leticia coped with childhood abandonment and rejection, how it almost destroyed her life, and how she uses her experiences to help women gain clarity and confidence in their careers. Content warning for grooming, su...

Hold on to your hats, because this week features a riveting interview with Adam "Lutch" Lutchman, host of I Didn't Read Your Book, recovering Catholic, and recreational philosopher. We talk about unlikely friendships, the psychology behind the judgements we make, being an influencer vs being someone of influence, and how to accept your authentic self when your authentic self is always changing. Co...

This one goes out to all you creatives out there! In today's episode, Nadya Goest of Expression Quest podcast gets real about her chronic perfectionism and what she went through before taking herself seriously as an artist. Topics include her immigrant background, what it means to be punk, the importance of keeping your work and art separate, why it's ok to half-ass something, and some lessons she...

What are the real costs of eating disorders that nobody talks about? Join Christina and her sister Caroline as they discuss aspects of their illness  they wish they'd known from the beginning, including dental disasters, going into debt, losing all your friends, and room-clearing farts. (Yes, they went there.) There's a surprise appearance from another past guest, then Christina reads a sobering l...