The Unvarnished Edit’s Podcast

In episode 12, the season one finale of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene recap highlights from their first season of sharing personal, public conversations about living an adversity-filled life and discuss the vulnerability and behind-the-scenes work of recording, editing, uploading, and managing clips and metrics. Angie describes how the forgiveness episode reframed the concept for her, wh...

In episode 11 of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss connecting the topics of forgiveness and boundaries, emphasizing that forgiveness without boundaries can be abusive, and define a boundary (via Prentis Hemphill) as “the closest distance at which I can love both you and myself.” They contrast boundaries with controlling requests (e.g., not “don’t text me after 9,” but “I won’t respon...

In episode 10 of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss their recovery journeys with an activation warning for substance use, ideations, and mental health topics. They talk about needing privacy to speak openly, then explore how recovery differs from sobriety and why addiction can include both substance use disorders and process addictions like fasting, exercise, eating, phones, or relati...

In episode nine of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss forgiveness, beginning with parenting stories and the stress of last-minute elementary school events. The conversation shifts to how forgiveness has been weaponized—especially in high-control religion—often demanding “forgive and forget” without accountability or changed behavior, placing the burden on the injured party. They argue...

In episode eight of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss Jaelene’s experience with the criminal justice system and how it changed her, with content warnings for substance abuse and maternal trauma. Jaelene describes how a traumatic maternal trauma contributed to her turning to Xanax, Ambien, and Percocet, escalating into a hidden, high-functioning prescription drug addiction. She explai...

In episode seven of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene talk about finding love and healthier relationships later in life, starting with a humorous exchange about irrational fears and reassurance-seeking in marriage. They explore what “healthy relationship” means, noting it varies by person and still includes conflict, and they read a passage from Atlas of the Heart describing attachment as th...

In episode six of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss what they feel is missing from common conversations about healing, after chatting about weekend downtime and seeing Project Hail Mary. They describe healing broadly—sobriety, trauma work, and changing one’s relationship with self—emphasizing that it’s long, non-linear, and not a destination. They explore unexpected grief, difficulty...

Showing Up When You Don’t Want To: Purpose and Tiny Steps Forward   In episode five of The Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene talk about showing up for life even when you don’t want to. They explore how responsibility, motherhood, and healing require effort, especially learning to show up for yourself after years of caretaking and unsafe self-advocacy. They discuss how changing long-standing patt...

In episode four of The Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss ongoing struggles with stress responses and how their bodies react based on a “safety template” formed from early experiences. They explain that behaviors that look like problems can be protective solutions, and that while the immediate stress response isn’t fully controllable, people can choose what to do afterward by expanding th...

In episode three of The Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss their therapy journeys and how therapy impacts daily life, starting with a light catch-up about Bridgerton and Succession as a segue into family trauma and treatment. One shares a mistrust of therapy stemming from a dismissive male therapist in high school, later negative experiences including marriage counseling, a session with a...

In part two of their introduction on The Unvarnished Edit, Angie and and Jaelene discuss being misunderstood as standoffish, explaining how introversion, social anxiety, analytical thinking, learned “seen not heard” behavior, and safety-assessing after past betrayals shape how they come across. They reflect on caring less about others’ opinions with age, how appearance and liking nice things can r...

In the first episode of The Unvarnished Edit, friends Jaelene and Angie introduce themselves and explain why they’re starting a podcast about living an adversity-filled life with humor and honesty. They discuss parenting identity, accountability, and wanting to amplify voices of people still struggling with fewer resources. They share mottos for hard times and preview a part-two episode.   00:00 E...