Why are we so afraid of getting older? Is it really about wrinkles... or are we actually afraid of losing our purpose, our identity, and the people we love? This week, Amanda is joined by oncologist, bioethicist, and Eat Your Ice Cream author Dr. Ezekiel "Zeke" Emanuel (@drezekielemanuel) to unpack our culture's obsession with staying young. Together, they explore why the wellness industry's promises of longevity miss the point, why curiosity matters more than looking 25 forever, and why some of the happiest, most meaningful years of life may still be ahead of us. They answer listener thought spirals about Botox, becoming "invisible," feeling behind in adulthood, retirement, and whether getting older has to mean becoming less yourself. A hopeful spiral about time, purpose, and learning to fear aging a little less... and living a little more.

Further Reading: Eat Your Ice Cream by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD

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Why does failure feel so much bigger than it actually is? This week, Amanda is joined by entrepreneur, author, and leadership coach Jane Marie Chen (@janemarie.chen) to spiral about failure: why we're so terrified of it, why we avoid it at all costs, and why it often hurts so much more than the thing that actually happened. Together, they explore perfectionism, rejection, burnout, imposter syndrome, and the childhood experiences that shape our relationship to failure long before we ever encounter it. And what if failure isn't evidence that we're unworthy? What if it's simply the price of catching bigger waves? A reflective spiral about risk, resilience, and learning to love yourself even when things don't go according to plan.

Further Reading: Like a Wave We Break by Jane Marie Chen

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No matter how old we get, there’s a decent chance a small part of us is still trying to impress, understand, forgive, rebel against, or be comforted by our mothers. This week, Amanda is joined by writer and editor Ashley Oerman (@ashleyoerman), author of Motherf*cked, to spiral about one of the most loaded relationships in the human experience: the one between mothers and their children. Together, they unpack the impossible expectations placed on mothers, the ways our earliest relationships shape our adult identities, and why “mommy issues” have become both a punchline and a profound psychological reality. A tender spiral about the stories we spend a lifetime trying to rewrite.

Further Reading: Motherf*cked: How to Stop Your Mothers Toxic Drama from Ruining Your Life by Ashley Oerman

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When we first aired this episode in 2024, burnout felt like the defining emotional state of modern life. Two years later… honestly, not much has improved. If anything, burnout has shape-shifted. The girlboss hustle era may be less aspirational than it once was, but it’s been replaced by new flavors of exhaustion: constant digital overwhelm, economic anxiety, doomscrolling, and the strange pressure to be “healing” productively at all times. So this week, we’re revisiting Amanda’s conversation with the brilliant Amelia Nagoski (@burnoutbookgroup), co-author of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, for a much-needed refresher on what burnout actually is. Together, they unpack what happens when our bodies get stuck in an incomplete stress response cycle, why modern life keeps us there, and what it actually takes to start feeling better. If you’re emotionally fried, physically depleted, or somehow both overstimulated and numb, this one’s for you. We’ll be back in two weeks with a brand new episode.

Further Reading: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA

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What does “thinking critically” actually mean and why is everyone so convinced they’re already good at it? This week, Amanda is joined by psychologist and author of Radical Thinking, Peter Lamont to explore how all of our beliefs are shaped by a limited slice of what we notice and how we interpret it, which means disagreement is inevitable. Peter reframes critical thinking as something quieter and more uncomfortable: recognizing the limits of your own perspective and being willing to engage with people who see the world differently. From the role of the internet and social media to why curiosity might matter more than certainty, this episode is a grounded spiral about attention, interpretation, and learning to question your own thinking before anyone else’s.

Further Reading: Radical Thinking: How to See the Bigger Picture by Peter Lamont

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What does a healthy relationship actually look like, and who gets to decide? This week, Amanda is joined by relationship expert Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh (@dr.saranasserzadeh) to overthink “healthy” relationships. Together, they unpack why “healthy” can feel impossible to define, and why a more useful question might be: Does this relationship leave you feeling fulfilled? They explore how many people waste energy trying to fix the wrong things, and Sara breaks down the six ingredients she believes help relationships thrive. From situationships that feel surprisingly safe to whether healthy couples are “boring,” this episode is a grounded spiral about connection, boundaries, and giving yourself permission to believe you deserve the kind of love that feels steady.

Further Reading: Love by Design: 6 ingredients to build a lifetime of love by Dr. Sara

Further Viewing: The 6 Essential Ingredients of Loving Relationships

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Overthinkers!

Have you gotten your tickets to Sounds Like A Cult, LIVE!! yet?

Amanda, Reese, Chelsea and Iman are hitting the stage at The Bell House in Brooklyn on Tuesday, April 21st discussing the cult of Heated Rivalry! There will also be burlesque, drag, standup, culty concoctions, books, and so much more. Join us for a delightful live podcast recording/variety show/all around good time.

Doors are at 7PM

Show starts at 8PM

Grab your tickets before they sell out at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/3000643C10DACFDE.

GET TICKETS!!

Plus! I had the opportunity to give a TedTalk last fall and the talk is finally online available to view on YouTube! Give it a watch ;)

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What if the antidote to insecurity isn’t looking inward, but reaching outward? This week, Amanda is joined by psychiatrist and attachment expert Dr. Amir Levine to overthink insecurity; where it comes from, why it can feel so consuming, and how it shapes the way we love. Together, they explore how healing happens in connection and how leaning on your support system and surrounding yourself with secure people can help reshape those patterns over time. From overanalyzing texts to fearing abandonment or pulling away entirely, this episode is a thoughtful spiral about connection, self-trust, and learning how to feel safe in community.

Further Reading: Secure: The Revolutionary Guide to Creating a Secure Life by Dr. Amir Levine

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“Do your own research.” It sounds empowering… so why does it so often lead us straight into confusion, conspiracy, or complete information overload? This week, Amanda is joined by pharmacist and science communicator Dr. Harini Bhat (@tilscience) to overthink what it really means to “do your own research” in the age of the internet. They unpack how a phrase rooted in curiosity became a cultural catchphrase for skepticism, distrust, and DIY fact finding. Why do we feel so confident after reading a few threads or watching a couple of videos? How do algorithms, bias, and the illusion of understanding shape what we think we “know”? And where’s the line between healthy questioning and going down the rabbit hole? A brain bending spiral about knowledge, misinformation, and why thinking critically might be harder (and more necessary) than ever.

Further Viewing: Today I Learned Science by Dr. Harini Bhat

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Episode Description: Why does flirting feel so natural for some people and completely impossible for the rest of us? This week, Amanda is joined by dating coach and relationship expert Francesca Hogi (@dearfranny) to overthink the art and anxiety of flirting. Together they unpack why flirting often gets misunderstood as manipulation or performance, how modern dating apps have scrambled our instincts, and why genuine curiosity might be the most underrated flirting skill of all. From the fear of coming on too strong to the panic of missing signals entirely, they explore the psychology behind attraction and the subtle ways we communicate interest. A playful spiral about eye contact, mixed signals, and why flirting might actually be less about being charming and more about being present.

Further Reading: How To Find True Love by Francesca Hogi

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This week, host Amanda Montell takes the mic solo to overthink the creeping sense of doom that seems to hum beneath modern life. Drawing from her Esquire essay on “doomslang,” she unpacks the language we use to joke about collapse, catastrophe, and existential dread... and what those jokes might be revealing about how we’re actually coping. From ironic nihilism to memeified despair, Amanda explores why we’ve turned apocalypse into punchline, how constant crisis reshapes our nervous systems, and whether calling everything “doomed” is a defense mechanism… or a warning. A short spiral about dread, dark humor, and the strange comfort of saying the quiet part out loud.

Further Reading: Is “Doomslang” Making Us All Numb? by Amanda Montell

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This week, Amanda is joined by psychologist and bestselling author Guy Winch (@guywinch) to overthink workaholism. Why being “busy” feels virtuous, why burnout can masquerade as success, and how overworking often hides deeper emotional needs. Together, they unpack the psychology behind overwork and the quiet ways it can become a socially acceptable addiction. The conversation offers a new lens on why so many of our attempts at “work/life balance” leave us feeling even more depleted and what it might actually take to build a life that feels sustainable instead of performative. A reflective spiral about rest, self-worth, and learning that you are more than what you produce.

Further Reading: Mind Over Grind by Guy Winch

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Hello, dear overthinkers. We come bearing news that is objectively exciting and only mildly destabilizing.

First things first: Sounds Like A Cult is going LIVE.

On April 21st, we’ll be taking the pod on the road to The Bell House in Brooklyn, with all the trappings you’ve come to expect from us: a brand-new culty topic uncovered live on stage, questionable conclusions, and vibes that are… spirited. There will also be draglesque, a book signing, a meet-and-greet, and a handful of surprises we are legally and spiritually forbidden from explaining in advance. If you’ve ever listened to an episode and thought, this would be better with drinks and a room full of people, this is that.

Tickets go on sale Friday, February 6, but you can grab them early right now with code CULT at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/3000643C10DACFDE.

GET TICKETS!!

Now, for the second piece of news, which has been a long time coming and which we are thrilled to finally share: Iman Hariri-Kia is officially joining Sounds Like A Cult as our fourth co-host. 🎉

Iman brings a sharp cultural lens, a novelist’s brain, and an ability to articulate what everyone else is thinking but hasn’t quite figured out how to say yet. She’s been in the SLAC orbit for a while now, and making this official just felt… inevitable.

Her first episode as co-host drops February 10, and the topic could not be more perfect: The Cult of Romance Novels. Come for the smut discourse, stay for the existential questions about desire, fantasy, and why we all keep reading the same emotional arc over and over again.

So to recap: Live show! New co-host! Romance novels!
It’s a big season for cults, and an even bigger one for overthinking about them.

See you on February 10 in your earbuds and April 21st at The Bell House, where we will be culty together, in public, with witnesses. 💖

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When did canceling plans become a personality trait... and at what cost? This week, Amanda is joined by writer and internet culture expert Kate Lindsay (@kathrynfiona) to overthink being a flake... not as a quirky coping mechanism, but as a habit that can quietly shrink our lives. Together, they explore how chronic flakiness can lead to isolation, weaken our relationships, and negatively impact mental health, especially in the burnout aftermath of the pre-COVID girlboss era that taught us to overextend and then retreat. The conversation traces how exhaustion, overwork, and digital culture have reshaped our tolerance for social effort, and when “protecting your peace” starts to look like opting out entirely. A sobering but compassionate spiral about burnout, loneliness, and the hard work of choosing connection again.

Further Reading: Embedded by Kate Lindsay

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Why does speaking up feel so terrifying even when we know we’re right? This week, host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) is joined by happiness researcher and psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky (@sonjalyubomirsky) to overthink confrontation: why we avoid it, why we rehearse it endlessly in our heads, and why it so often feels riskier than staying silent. Together, they explore what confrontation does to our nervous systems, how fear of conflict gets tangled up with people pleasing and self worth, and when avoiding hard conversations actually costs us more in the long run. A gentle spiral about courage, communication, and learning to trust yourself enough to say the thing out loud.

Further Reading: How To Feel Loved by Sonja Lyubomirsky

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Greetings, my overthinky parasocial friends,

At long last, the paperback edition of The Age of Magical Overthinking is coming out January 6th! I’m running a pre-order campaign with my favorite local indie bookstore Skylight Books, where, if you order through the link below, your paperback copy will come signed and custom inscribed with a doodle and/or note that can be personalized, sentimental, unhinged, depraved, or whatever you so request!

Get your signed, personalized copy :)

Additionally, to celebrate, I’m hosting a FREE one-night-only launch event at Skylight Books in Los Angeles on Monday, January 12 at 7pm.

Co-hosting with me is the stupendous Traci Thomas of The Stacks bookstagram and podcast. I’ll be reading, riffing, signing, answering Qs about why our brains are so delightfully ridiculous, and serving libations and treats. Please come!!!

RSVP

RSVPs are recommended but not required. Entry and seating are first come, first served, and an RSVP doesn’t guarantee entry if the room fills up, so arrive early if you can.

Come say hi and bring your thought spirals to discuss over wine and cookies.

1818 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles — 7pm, Jan 12.

See you there?

xoxo

Amanda

Why does looking back feel so sweet, so painful, and so irresistible this time of year? In this special short episode, Amanda takes a moment to reflect on the year of Magical Overthinkers from the fan favorite episodes to the conversations that changed us. Then she reads her Los Angeles Times essay on nostalgia, exploring why we cling to the past, how memory both comforts and distorts us, and what it means to long for a version of life that never quite existed the way we remember it. A gentle closing spiral for the year, filled with gratitude, bittersweetness, and a little hint of what’s coming next season.

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Episode Description: Why does it feel like every time we open our phones, something is begging us to get angry? This week, just in time for Thanksgiving, host Amanda is joined by theologian, ethics professor, and No Small Endeavor host Lee C. Camp (@leeccamp) to overthink about ragebait; the outrage optimized content designed to divide us, drain us, and keep us doomscrolling. Together, they explore how polarization has turned irritation into entertainment, why we’re so easily pulled into cycles of collective fury, and the surprising antidotes. A reflective spiral about anger, attention, and the radical act of meeting each other beyond the algorithm.

Further Listening: No Small Endeavor podcast

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Why do we cry and why do we feel so embarrassed when we do? This week, Amanda is joined by wellness educator and founder of The Being Method MJ Renshaw (@beingmethodbreathwork) to gently spiral about crying: the science, the stigma, and the quiet relief that comes after the tears.
Together, they explore what happens in our brains and bodies when we cry, why so many of us fight it, and how allowing ourselves to break open might actually make us stronger. Along the way, they answer listener thought spirals about crying during conflict and what it means to finally stop holding it all in. A soft spiral about release, vulnerability, and the messy, miraculous ways we let ourselves feel.

Further Reading: How To Cry by MJ Renshaw

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If the algorithm knows what we want before we do… who’s really in charge? This week, host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) is joined by linguist, creator, and internet culture observer Adam Aleksic (@etymologynerd) to spiral deep into the invisible yet all powerful force shaping our attention, creativity, politics, and identities: The Algorithm. Why do we talk about it like it’s a god, a ghost, or an ex? Why does it shove us into hyper specific digital rabbit holes no matter how much we resist? And what happens when our digital realities start to diverge so wildly, we can’t agree on the same version of truth?

Further Reading: Algospeak by Adam Aleksic

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