The Awkward Edit (Feb 4, 2025)
(A newsletter about podcasting, creativity, and embracing the awkward.)
You know what’s awkward?
I was stood up for work-ish meetings three times last week. Annoying? Yes. But January was kinda whack for everyone, so I won’t judge. Plus, I scheduled all three meetings at my favorite café which means I got bonus hours to do what I do best:
Eavesdropping.
And here’s what I’ve learned from lurking in the corner at Lone Light Coffee:
Everyone is a freaking mess.
On the one hand, this might be disheartening. But I’ve noticed something—when people listen to each other, their messes start to shift. Maybe they shrink. Maybe they shapeshift. Or maybe they just spiral into full-blown absurdity.
But when life keeps serving up one disaster after another, slowing down over a cup of somethin’ and being witnessed in your mess is somehow enough to make things feel tolerable again.
And that brings me to this week’s podcast recommendation.
This week, my dear friend (and yogi/coach/energy healer) Harmony Slater is talking about acupuncture with Morgan Lee, a nurse/yogi/acupuncturist whose approach to healing blends modern medicine with ancient wisdom. They get into how energy moves through the body, why acupuncture actually works, and the surprising ways our bodies communicate beyond words. (Ever heard of tying a string around your big toe to diagnose an issue? Harmony has a wild story about that in this week’s episode.)
It is a joy to support Harmony’s work through this podcast. To date, we’ve worked together on nearly 65 episodes, and every hour is replete with wisdom, off-the-mat confessions, and scintillating yoga gossip (yo-gossip?), proving that even the most enlightened people have their own delightful brand of chaos.
Catch the full episode HERE.
I love taking a bird’s eye view of a little human chaos.
That’s one of the reasons I love making the Well, That Was Awkward (WTWA) podcast.
Right now, WTWA is on pause as Mendy and I are collecting stories for Season 2. (Send us yours, y’all!) But I’ve missed my regular dose of Mendy’s weekly antics, so I asked if she’d be willing to bring a little of it here.
And, boy, did she deliver!
Here ya go.
Mendy’s Awkward Corner
by Mendy St. Ours
I’m a summer bunny and typically get the blues every winter. I don’t like pants. Or socks. Or feeling like Outside is trying to murder me.
This particular January?
A real multi-layered shit lasagna.
Mrs. Stouffer really outdid herself this time.
In late December, I was heading down to visit my mom (who has dementia and no idea who the hell I am anymore). I’d asked Bree for an audiobook that would fortify me on this difficult pilgrimage. Bree nailed it (as she does), and in the book Mind Magic, the author focused on dispositional optimism—just making optimism the rock-hard faith that everything is gonna be okay.
I thought: I can’t bake myself into this lasagna this year.
I saw myself submerged in it, just two bird-flipping Mendy-hands emerging from the freezer-burned, reheated mozzarella that is the world right now.
“Now what good is that gonna’ do anybody? Including myself?”
So, I made a resolution: Practice dispositional optimism.
Which means I’ve been juicing every single drop of joy out of every single day, no matter what that (GOTDANG!) day flings at me.
I’ve been indulging in Albanese ‘World’s Best’ Gummi Bears. Even though every time I pluck out a yellow one, I am tempted to spiral into despair (why the hell would anyone make a lemon-flavored candy when NO ONE wants to eat a gotdang lemon in real life?!?) No. . .I CHOOSE to savor the deep crimson ones. That taste like some chemical shitstorm called “RED.”
I dread getting dressed in winter because, well–see above. So. . .how not to? How about a full 5-day workweek set of matching arm and legwarmers so whenever I leave the house I FEEL LIKE I’m heading to the roller-disco? BOOM!
I reframe the daily stress. One day, I got an email: “Trevor didn’t take his meds today, so he’s gonna be extra wiggly.” And I thought: How many of my friends who work with grown-ups wish their coworker’s mom would email and forewarn them? “Steve is off his meds. He’s gonna be a handful today. Summon compassion.” That would be nice, wouldn’t it?
And then, of course, there was the cheese-wheel clown nose incident.
The other day I was sitting in traffic, and it was messing with my vibe.
But I am in joy-juicing mode! I had a bag of Baby Belle Cheese wheels in a grocery bag next to me. And I noticed a couple… five… bright red remnants of previously-enjoyed baby cheese-wheels in the console. I was like, “I’ll be danged if those things don’t look like clown-noses.”
So. Duh. I tested one. Squeezed it open. Stuck it on my nose. Checked myself out in the rearview. Giggled.
Looked to my right.
Yep. The driver next door was staring at me. In my clown nose.
What happened next?!?
Well. I slowly turned away. Creeped my hand up to my cheese-wheel clown nose and eased it ever-so-gently from my schnoz.
Light turned green. And I’ll never see that dude again.
This story doesn’t have a massive OMG WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?!?
Awkward moments are often like that. Brief little schisms. The story is in what led me—ME—to that singular ridiculous moment.
That’s why I love hearing your stories, why I treasure every interview, and why I believe these little awkward moments are the heart of your journey—not something to dismiss, but something to celebrate.
We tell these stories because they matter. Because the little awkward, messy, and deeply human moments are the whole point—the things we’ll look back on and say, “That was weird. And kind of wonderful.”
So, send me your awkward moments — I can’t wait to hear them.
Before I sign off this week, tell me: What’s awkward in your life these days?
Reply and share. I promise to write back!
That’s it for this week(ish). Keep the stories coming, keep savoring the ridiculous, and for the love of goddess, send your red gummi bears to Mendy.
Keep it awkward, y’all!
xo Bree
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