BRAINTED with Laura Ekes

Heyyy there! ❓ I know so much about myself… so why am I still not changing? In this episode, I did something a little different. I took my favorite moments from the Dr. K x Steven Bartlett (DOAC) conversation — and combined them with my own reflections, interpretations, and lived experience. This is not the full interview. It’s not meant to replace it. It’s a distilled version for the moments whe...

Heyyy there! ❓ Who are you… when you stop performing for others? A few days ago, someone told me I’m “not authentic.” And instead of brushing it off, it stayed with me — not as a label, but as a question. It made me reflect on something deeper: Who am I, when I stop explaining myself? In this episode, we explore: Why “Who am I?” is one of the oldest human questions How constantly being perceived...

❓ Wie verändert sich unser Stress, wenn wir ihn nicht nur bekämpfen, sondern verstehen? In dieser Folge tauchen wir tief in das Thema  Perspektiven, positives Denken und Stress  ein. Wir sprechen darüber, warum es so schwerfällt, negative Gedanken loszulassen, wie man toxische Positivität erkennt und welche Rituale helfen können, wieder klar und gelassen zu sehen. Außerdem erfährst du: • Wie ein...

Heyyy there! ❓ Have you ever noticed how things can finally go well in your life — and somehow you still feel uncomfortable instead of happy? In this episode I’m talking about a question that felt very confronting to ask myself: Are we sometimes not afraid of happiness… but simply unfamiliar with it? Inspired by the Yes Theory podcast  Break Free From Your Old Ways  and Brianna Wiest’s  The Mount...

Heyyy there! ❓ What if fear speaks up exactly when you’re getting closer to what you want?  In this episode, I revisit a book that quietly found me twice in life:  My Friend Fear  by Meera Lee Patel. Rereading it made me realize how much my relationship with fear has changed — and how differently I understand it today. We explore the idea that fear might not be the enemy we’ve been taught to figh...

Heyyy there! ❓ Ever shared something — online or in a conversation — and only afterwards felt that quiet  “maybe that was too much”  feeling? In this episode, I reflect on the internet term  “Yappers Regret”  and what it reveals about oversharing, vulnerability, and the pressure to be authentic in public spaces. I talk about why sharing can feel deeply connecting — and strangely draining at the s...

❓ Was gibt uns Hoffnung, wenn das Leben unsicher wird – und wie bleibt sie gerade dann lebendig? In dieser besonderen Weihnachtsfolge ist Gästin Laura bei uns zu Gast, mit der mich eine lange gemeinsame Geschichte verbindet. Gemeinsam sprechen wir über Hoffnung – nicht als abstrakten Begriff, sondern als gelebte Erfahrung zwischen Glaube, Liebe und Vertrauen. Wir sprechen darüber, wie Hoffnung du...

Heyyy there! ❓  How did this year actually feel — not how it looked, but how it felt? In this short year-end and new year episode, I reflect on coming back after a longer pause through 2024 and the beginning of 2025. We talk about repetition, and about why  brainted  was never meant to deliver something super new or exciting every single week — but something familiar, grounding, and human. This p...

Heyyy there! ❓ Ever noticed how you finally get sick  after  a stressful phase — even when things felt “good” or exciting? In this episode, I’m recording with a cold and reflecting on why my body needed a pause. Inspired by  The Four Ways of Wellbeing  by Nicola Elliott and an interview with Dr. Deepak Ravindran, I talk about the link between stress, the nervous system, and our immune response —...

Heyyy there! ❓ Ever noticed how money can feel heavy, confusing, or even a little scary sometimes? Or how you know exactly what to do… and then somehow don’t? 💸 In this episode, I’m coming back to a book that changed the way I see money — Jen Sincero’s  You Are a Badass at Making Money . I share what stayed with me, the exercises I once did and stopped, and how revisiting them now feels like a q...

Heyyy there! ❓Have you ever found yourself spiraling the moment your plans fall apart — wondering why even the smallest plot twist can feel like everything inside you is collapsing at once? In this episode, we dive deep into those chaotic moments when life shifts unexpectedly — from cancelled plans to emotional overwhelm — and explore how to stay grounded instead of losing your inner peace. We lo...

❓Warum streiten wir eigentlich so, wie wir streiten – und kann man lernen, Konflikte wirklich zu verstehen statt nur zu gewinnen? In dieser Folge ist Yagmur wieder zu Gast und wir tauchen tief in das Thema Streitkultur ein. Ausgehend von  „Wie man Freunde gewinnt“  von Dale Carnegie sprechen wir darüber, warum es  kein richtiges Streiten gibt – aber viele unbewusste Muster, die uns prägen. Wir er...

Heyyy there! ❓Have you ever had one of those weeks where your body speaks louder than your mind — and no matter how calm you  try to be, the pain just doesn’t listen? That was me, not long ago. Five days. Five full-blown migraine attacks. In this short and mindful  Get Brainted  episode, I talk about migraines — yes, the real kind, not just headaches — and what it means to live with a body that s...

Heyyy there! ❓ Have you ever felt the weight of loss so deeply that it reshaped the way you live — and wondered if grief is just sadness, or a quiet companion teaching you how to love differently? In this episode — one of the hardest for me so far — I allow myself to be truly vulnerable, sharing from a place of pain. I explore the complex world of grief and loss, from early encounters with death...

Heyyy there! ❓ Have you ever expected someone to show up — and they didn’t? Not with a call, not with a personal explanation. Just silence —or just a text message. It hurts, right? But sometimes, what breaks our expectations also opens our hearts in unexpected ways. In this short episode, I quickly dive into how we can handle disappointment, control, and the quiet art of expecting differently. Fr...

❓Wie wächst man an sich selbst – in einer Welt, die ständig Erwartungen stellt? In dieser Folge - 2023  aufgenommen - ist UX-Designerin  Mari  zu Gast. Wir sprechen über  persönliche Entwicklung ,  Selbstbild  und die vielen  Herausforderungen  auf dem Weg zu mehr  Selbstvertrauen  – im Leben, im Beruf und in uns selbst. Mari  erzählt von ihrem Weg vom  Psychologie-Studium  bis hin zum  Design-Jo...

Heyyy there! ❓ Have you ever opened up to an AI — maybe late at night when you couldn’t sleep — and wondered why it actually made you feel better? In this short episode, I explore the curious world of AI therapy — the comfort of talking to something that doesn’t judge, and the limits of being “heard” by something that can’t really feel. Can a machine ever understand human pain, or is it simply ho...

Heyyy there! ❓ Why do people risk everything to stand on top of the world — only to realize that Everest isn’t a mountain to conquer, but a mirror meant to humble us?  🏔️ In this episode, I dive into one of the world’s most fascinating and dangerous places: Mount Everest. A story we all think we know — but do we, really? From the legends of Mallory and Irvine, Messner to the Sherpa heroes and the...

Heyyy there! ❓ Ever noticed your hands go icy cold when anxiety kicks in? Or how your breath gets shallow before you even realize it? 🌬️ In this episode, I dive into dysfunctional breathing. Inspired by Giulia Enders, we’ll explore how to shift from fight-or-flight back into calm in just minutes. What actually happens in your body when stress takes over,and your breath just doesn't work right...

❓Sprichst du heute offen genug über deinen Zyklus – oder ist es immer noch ein Tabuthema? In dieser Folge ist Lilli zu Gast, und wir gehen einer Frage nach, die Millionen Frauen betrifft, aber auch Männer verstehen sollten: Was bedeutet es, im Einklang mit dem eigenen Zyklus zu leben? Wir sprechen über Mythen rund um die Pille, hormonfreies Leben und warum der weibliche Körper wie die Jahreszeite...

Heyyy there! ❓ Ever felt like your mind quietly left the room — while your body kept going through the motions? This episode is all about dissociation — that strange, quiet state of being “there, but not really there.” Together we’ll explore : What dissociation actually is - and why it’s more common than you think! Why endless distractions like scrolling or gaming can feel safer than reality How...

Heyyy there! ❓ Ever felt anger rise so fast it burned hotter than the moment itself? One night, a stranger’s aggression lit a fire in me I didn’t expect. But what started as rage turned into one of the most healing lessons of my life. Here’s what we explore : Why anger feels so overwhelming in the body (but only lasts minutes chemically) How holding onto it poisons  us  more than anyone else What...

Heyyy there! ❓ Ever feel like you’re always “on,” even when you’re not? I wanted to delete social media, but instead, I discovered JOMO — the joy of missing out! So it made me wonder… what does FOMO really do to our minds and our lives? Here’s what we explore : Why talking about FOMO matters for all of us Does FOMO divide society or connect us? Is it about being introverted or extroverted , or so...

❓Schiebst du wichtige Dinge ständig vor dir her – und fragst dich, warum? In dieser Folge ist TobiSlo wieder zu Gast und wir gehen einer Frage nach, die uns alle betrifft: Warum prokrastinieren wir – und wie können wir besser damit umgehen? Wir sprechen darüber, ob man unter Druck wirklich produktiver arbeitet, wie man gesunde Routinen aufbaut und warum kleine Schritte à la  Atomic Habits  den Un...

Heyyy there! ❓ Ever feel like your mind’s stuck on loud—even when the world is quiet? Let’s talk about solitude, digital noise, and the art of mindful content. In this episode, I explore the space between silence and overload: Why your algorithm might need a cleanse, what truly helps when thoughts get noisy, and how to find clarity in a world of constant input. Don't forget to  #staybrainted...