The Trouble with Life is...

Have you ever realized you're a slightly different version of yourself depending on who you're around? In this episode, Hayes and AK explore the different versions of ourselves that emerge in different relationships. From the professional version and the family version to the completely unfiltered person only a select few get to experience, they unpack why certain people make us feel safe, guarded...

At some point, your body apparently stops consulting you before making changes. Suddenly sleeping wrong is an injury, getting off the floor requires a strategy, random hairs appear where nobody invited them, and staying up late comes with consequences that can last several business days. In this episode, Hayes and AK laugh their way through the completely normal—and completely rude—realities of ge...

Most of us would never speak to another person the way we speak to ourselves. In this episode, Hayes and AK explore the inner critic that quietly shapes our confidence, relationships, and daily lives. Together they discuss self-judgment, perfectionism, comparison, shame, self-compassion, and why learning to speak kindly to ourselves might be one of the hardest—and most important—things we ever do.

We all want to be accepted for who we truly are—but being fully seen requires vulnerability, and vulnerability can feel incredibly risky. In this episode, Hayes and AK explore why we hide parts of ourselves, the masks we wear to fit in, and the fear of rejection that often keeps us from being completely honest about who we are. Together they discuss authenticity, people-pleasing, perfectionism, em...

In Season 3 of The Trouble with Life Is…, Hayes and AK explore the conversations most of us have in our own heads but seldom say out loud. From invisible battles and adult friendships to loneliness, boundaries, self-worth, the mental load, and the pressure to have it all together, each episode dives into the experiences that quietly connect us all. Through honest conversation, personal stories, an...

In Season 3 of The Trouble with Life Is…, Hayes and AK explore the conversations most of us have in our own heads but seldom say out loud. From invisible battles and adult friendships to loneliness, boundaries, self-worth, the mental load, and the pressure to have it all together, each episode dives into the experiences that quietly connect us all. Through honest conversation, personal stories, an...

After a season of conversations about mental health, relationships, trauma, healing, grief, and growth, Hayes and AK reflect on what comes next. Rather than asking, "Who am I now?" they ask a different question: "Who am I choosing to become?" This season finale is about intentionally building a life rooted in peace, authenticity, trust, purpose, and love. It's not about arriving at a final destina...

After loss, heartbreak, trauma, and major life changes, the world doesn't stop turning. In Episode 15, Hayes and AK explore what it means to continue living after life changes forever. Together, they discuss the guilt of moving forward, learning to laugh again, creating new traditions, rebuilding routines, and finding purpose after life looks completely different than you imagined. This episode is...

Grief has a way of changing how we see the world, ourselves, and the people we love. In this episode, Hayes and AK explore grief in all its forms—not only after death, but after divorce, broken dreams, changing identities, lost relationships, and the quiet endings that reshape our lives. Together, they reflect on how grief changes us, how it changes love, and why learning to carry grief may be one...

In Episode 13, Hayes and AK reflect on how growth, healing, loss, relationships, and life transitions changed the way they think about time. They talk about realizing how quickly life moves, how much time was spent surviving instead of living, and how differently they value their energy, peace, relationships, and experiences now. This episode explores intentional living, slowing down, being presen...

In Episode 12, Hayes and AK talk about the difficult reality of growth changing relationships, expectations, and the way people respond to you. They reflect on what happens when you stop people-pleasing, stop shrinking yourself, and begin living more honestly — and how not everyone grows with you. This episode explores the discomfort of evolving, the guilt that can come with changing boundaries an...

In Episode 11, Hayes and AK have one of their deepest conversations yet as they reflect on what healing has actually required of them emotionally, mentally, and personally. They talk about confronting old wounds, recognizing unhealthy patterns, taking accountability for the ways they responded to pain, and realizing that healing isn’t about putting yourself back together the same way. This episode...

In Episode 10, Hayes and AK reflect on what they’re intentionally building now after years of growth, change, endings, and rebuilding. They talk about authenticity, boundaries, relationships, friendships, and the shift from surviving life to creating one that actually feels aligned. This episode explores what it looks like to stop abandoning yourself to keep others comfortable, how smaller but mor...

In Episode 9, Hayes and AK reflect on the moments in life where everything seemed to fall apart — relationships ending, identity shifts, emotional exhaustion, and major life changes — and how those experiences ultimately led to rebuilding in a healthier and more intentional way. This episode explores what it feels like to watch your old life unravel, the fear that comes with uncertainty, and the r...

In Episode 8, Hayes and AK reflect on the beliefs they grew up with surrounding marriage, divorce, stability, and commitment — and how those beliefs changed through lived experience. They talk about the assumptions they once had, the judgment surrounding divorce, and the difficult process of realizing that ending something doesn’t always mean failure. This episode explores identity, rebuilding, an...

The Trouble with Life Is… You Have to Unlearn Things Before You Can Live Differently In Episode 7, Hayes and AK shift from understanding what shaped them to talking about what they’re actively unlearning. They explore the habits, reactions, and thought patterns that once made sense—but no longer fit the life they’re building now. This episode focuses on what it looks like to choose differently in...

🎙️ EPISODE 6 SUMMARY The Trouble with Life Is… You Don’t Always Realize What Shaped You In Episode 6, Hayes and AK take a deeper look at how early experiences can shape the way we think, react, and move through relationships—often without us realizing it at the time. They reflect on what felt “normal” growing up, what they now see differently, and how those early patterns carried into adulthood. T...

The Trouble with Life Is… Not Everyone Understands What It Feels Like in Your Mind In Episode 5, Hayes and AK talk about mental health from the inside out. AK shares her experience with ADHD, while both explore how anxiety and depression show up in ways that aren’t always visible. They unpack the gap between how things look on the outside and what they actually feel like internally—overthinking, m...

The Trouble with Life Is… You Don’t Know Your Boundaries Until You Need Them In Episode 4, Hayes and AK take a deeper look at how boundaries are often discovered through experience, not defined ahead of time. They reflect on how they used to move through situations without questioning what felt off, and how being “easygoing” sometimes meant ignoring their own needs. This conversation goes further...

he Trouble with Life Is… You Don’t Always Realize What You’re Carrying Into Things In Episode 3, Hayes and AK take a deeper look at the patterns we bring into situations without realizing it. Building off their conversation about communication, they explore how past experiences, assumptions, and emotional habits can quietly shape how we react in the present. They talk through what this has looked...

he Trouble with Life Is… You Don’t Communicate the Same Way Anymore In Episode 2, Hayes and AK get specific about how their communication has changed over time — especially in relationships. They talk about the shift from avoiding difficult conversations to addressing things earlier, and how letting things build in the past impacted how they showed up. This episode dives into what it looks like to...

  Season 2 opens in the present — not looking back, but sitting in what life looks like now. Hayes and AK talk about what it feels like to be in a completely different phase of life, where the routines, relationships, and ways of thinking don’t look the same as they used to. This episode explores the reality of unlearning old habits, navigating change in real time, and figuring out how to move thr...

Season 2 shifts the conversation — less explaining, more honesty. This season dives into the thoughts we have but don’t say out loud: the decisions we avoid, the patterns we repeat, and the moments where we already know what we need to do… but don’t act on it. These aren’t conversations about other people — they’re about us. The choices we make, the stories we tell ourselves, and the truths we don...

You’re not behind your life — you’re in it. Episode 15 closes out the season with a conversation about the pressure to always be improving, fixing, or figuring things out… and what it looks like to stop chasing a moving finish line. Not everything has to be resolved for you to be present in your life right now. Sometimes things are unfinished, unclear, or still in progress — and you’re still allow...

In Episode 14 of The Trouble with Life Is…, Hayes and AK explore what happens when growth moves from internal awareness to external action. Once you see something clearly — a dynamic, a pattern, a misalignment — you can’t unsee it. And that knowing quietly changes how you show up in your relationships, work, and daily life. This episode dives into the social cost of clarity, the awkwardness of act...