The Angsty Pod

Hope you all enjoy this special episode where I tell the story of our three weddings <3 (Spoiler Alert: One of them was a disaster) "I spent years making other people’s weddings beautiful while believing I didn’t need, or maybe didn’t deserve, the same kind of care myself." For more info on my work as a writing coach or to sign up for workshops, head to www.doulaofwords.com Follow on...

It's 2007 - the summer before I leave for college. Life is a party and I am dying inside. Also, I still don't know what happened with Dave. >_< My entire life is devoted to house parties, bar hopping, and nursing my hangxiety. My heart is with my boyfriend Corey, but the rest of me... she's all over the place.  My life is bursting at the seams with drama, drama, drama.  I&apos...

What goes up and down more than a yo-yo? My feelings towards my high school boyfriend!!! Things are getting even MORE unhinged over here.  It's 2007 and I've just gotten accepted into college. I've taken a year off to save for college and am working two jobs. The only thing standing in the way of my ambition is the fact that I am getting blackout drunk almost every single night. Oh,...

This is a special/different episode where I expand on last week's episode and read the poem that inspired it all. <3 This is one of my favourite poems I've ever written and it was published in Gulf Stream last year.  I talk a little about how cohesive my creative life is right now - this podcast often informs and bleeds into my Substack , which often bleeds into my 52 Essays Project,...

Content Note:  This episode explicitly mentions sexual assault. Please take gentle care when listening.  If you're struggling with Sexual Assault or Abuse, text the word HOPE to 64673. They'll help, I promise. <3 --------------------------------------   Ooof, this one is a tough one <3 Everything was going fine - you know, just the regular stuff: sex, drugs, strip clubs, and bong r...

Content Note:  This episode mentions suicidal ideation, suicide, drug abuse, a car accident, and mental health in a way that might be hard for some listeners. Please take gentle care. If you're in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 from anywhere in Canada or the U.S., anytime. --- In this episode, I dive headfirst into something I was avoiding during my last episode.  In the summer of 2016, on the cu...

Content Notes: This episode centers around postpartum anxiety and depression. It might be a tender one for some listeners. --- Kristina Percy (she/ her) is an actuary by training who has somehow found herself the author of a book of poems, almost none of which are about math.  In 2019, she started writing e-mails to herself and her kids to work through what would later be diagnosed as postpartum a...

In this special edition BIRTHDAY episode, Yoda answers a few listener questions including: - Why  Doula of Words? - How has sobriety impacted your writing practice? - Are you ever worried someone will read your diaries? Yoda also goes deep into her poetry archives and reads several deep, dark poems, which we really hope you enjoy! <3 Thank you so much for listening! We couldn't do this wit...

We're back in 2006 and I am struggling to balance being madly in love with my boyfriend and my new girl crush, along with working full-time, finishing high school, and planning for prom. Oh, and also, I go to a strip club and stuff gets crazy. Yes. I am 17.  Every time I enter a room, I am filled with near-crippling anxiety, believing everyone hates me and thinks I'm a liar. I want to op...

In this episode, I get the fuck out nof Brisbane (no shade!) and start a whole new life in Perth, WA. There's ups, there's downs. There's sex, drugs, and soooo much alcohol.  In Western Oz, I get a job and make juuuust enough money to blow it all on an EPIC roadtrip across the south coast of Australia. I make two of the best friends a girl can ask for, get two back-to-back bouts of...

It's 2010 and I've been in Australia for about a month and am finally settling into things. I'm still dying of homesickness but am eager to find a job and am already thinking of extending my stay in Oz. My friend Ian tells me I need to relax and come live with him in his van, and I consider it, but ditch him quickly for a local named Alan. Alan and I dive into a very passionate flin...

I'm skipping ahead a bit here and taking you to 2009. Brokenhearted from my messy break up with Corey, I let myself fall into the arms of the friend of my best friend's boyfriend. Him and I try desperately (and unsuccessfully!) to fit a whole relationship into a few months because surprise! I'm flying to Australia and no one can stop me. Australia is the furthest I've ever trav...

The long-awaited episode is here!! I finally had the chance to sit down and interview my Dad, Ron, for The Angsty Pod!  "Let's call it a journal , not a diary!" lol Dads... ammiright?!?! We sat down in my Dad's living room, mic between us, Dad sipping wine, me sipping Gingerale, and we talked for about four hours. We covered all kinds of topics, including the way his mother sme...

Join me as I chat with my pal and client, Sarah Hanson! Sarah (she/her) is a poet from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is a truth teller, trauma survivor, and constant reinventor. Sarah's writing practice is "in bloom" and her first poetry collection will be out April 28th! In this episode, we talk about poetry, trusting yourself, and the importance of friendship. We exchange hilarious,...

Content Note:  This episode mentions self-harm and suicidal ideation. In this week's episode, I am falling in love and terrified of saying it out loud. I'm so terrified, I start inflicting physical and spiritual harm to myself and others. There's some tough stuff in this one but it was kindof cool to read back on how in love I truly was. There are so many elements of this journal th...

Part way through this episode, I decide to split this journal into two episodes because just SO much is happening! It's winter 2005 and I am coked out of my mind. I go on a bender in Quebec City and am slowly falling madly in love with my very kind, albeit slightly troubled boyfriend. There's a love triangle. There's a party bus. There's a formal dance.  There's sex and dr...

CONTENT WARNING:  This episode mentions suicide. Please take gentle care when listening. Kid's Help Phone:  You can reach a professional counsellor at Kids Help Phone in English or French 24/7 by calling 1-800-668-6868 9-8-8:  Call or text from anywhere in Canada or the U.S., anytime CMHA: Call Reach Out at 1-866-933-2023 to receive mental health and/or addictions support ------ On October 1s...

This episode starts with me getting kicked out of my house and ends with me rolling around in bed with someone from my past. Oh, by the way, I'm 17.  Things at home are the worst they've ever been, but my parents are almost completely absent from this one. I'm left to my own devices and surprise, surprise, chaos ensues. Join me as I reminisce about my first "grown-up" date...

Content notes: This episode mentions suicidal ideation multiple times. Take good care!!  -- After a lil break, I'm back with another episode and this one SHOOK me. I turn 17 and get completely black out drunk and basically decide to RUIN my life. I am bursting at the seams with jealousy and when my anger causes a big friendship rupture, I turn to... you guessed it... cocaine! to soothe my hea...

In this episode, I share my first experience using hard drugs and what it was like to have my boyfriend call me a "dirty dirty e-head" in front of all my friends. I am self-conscious about my clothes, worried that what I wear will start a fight. I am drinking everything in sight and things at home are getting really, really bad. I can't concentrate at school, but for the first time,...

I'm taking a pause from my regular scheduled programming to bring you a special episode about the life and death of my dog, Gnowee.  In this episode, I share tons of memories from the day I adopted Gnowee right up until her death. I share a little bit about what she taught me and how I've been handling the grief of her passing. Gnowee died on May 5th, 2025 and will forever be remembered...

It's summer 2004 and I am learning everything I can about how to be a anxious/avoidant-attached-codependent... and I'm ACING IT. I miss my friends terribly and start telling my diary about my fantasies of being on my own and then SPOILER ALERT: my boyfriend reads my diary!  This episode has ALL the drama, betrayal, love, friendship, and loneliness. I'm accused of cheating and I&apos...

Content Notes: This episode contains mentions of suicide, drug use, disordered eating, death, and other potentially triggering topics. Please take gentle care while listening. <3 In this episode, I have a long chat with my pal jp! We met in April 2024 when we both stumbled into the same writing workshop. Our connection was immediate, and shortly after, jp hired me to help edit their book of poe...

Content Notes:  This episode mentions self-harm, drug/alcohol abuse, and sexual assault. Please take gentle care while listening. <3 It's summer 2004 and I'm working my afterschool job as an egg picker at a local farm. When I'm not at work or school, I am spending every waking moment getting high and drunk. Oh, and did I mention, I aM sO LiKe iN LoVe?!?!  A lot of things came to...

It's 2018 and I'm on the very tail end of my five-week adventure in Thailand. I've been teasing it for a few weeks and today is the day I finally share the full story of my best love story (and, as a special treat, I read a rough draft of my Modern Love essay!)  In this episode, I spontaneously decide to read from page 97/98 of my memoir, Salt and Sour, because there is an important...