Today we are joined by Jonah Spector, who is studying for his Master’s Degree in Social Work and who has done a ton of amazing advocacy work with the trans and gender minority community! Trans mental health is today’s topic, and it’s a super important one because trans people are at a higher risk for a variety of mental health problems. However, having programs in place to provide support for trans people can help to lessen some of the risks associated with being a gender minority.

Our bottom line for today’s episode: the world can be a mean place, but your mind doesn’t have to be. You can take active steps to shut down the inner bully and this will not only help you, it will improve your mental health and self-care so you can be a better friend, family member, parent, fur parent, employee, etc. Self-care doesn’t just benefit us, it benefits the world by making us better, and this is no exception.

When telling our stories, we often experience fear. Just like different tools work for each of us, the appropriate boundaries for talking about YOUR mental health are individual to YOU! Some people may have very few boundaries and share their story openly, while others may want to keep their sharing to those who are very close to them. There’s no right or wrong answer.

This week’s topic is body positivity! We are talking about all the different things that body positivity means to different people. We discovered that it actually means something completely different for Maddie than it does for Leora. For Leora, body positivity is about focusing on health instead of size and letting go of societal expectations about how your body should look. For Maddie, it’s about external inspiration and radical self-acceptance and inclusivity, rather than trying to change anything

It’s episode four of The Oh Shit Kit! We finally get to share the big news that we are now ROOMMATES, in addition to being: PODCAST CO-HOSTS, BUSINESS PARTNERS, AND CO-FUR-BABY-MAMAS! That’s right, Maddie moved into Leora’s basement and brought her two kitties along with her. Now that we are recording twenty feet from Maddie’s room, we also get to talk about Maddie’s FAVORITE TOPIC IN THE WORLD, which is…. You guessed it, therapy! We are discussing how to minimize the chances of having a bad therapy experience, and what to do if you have a bad experience with a therapist.

this episode is about some of our “Oh Shit Moments” and the tools we use. We go into imposter syndrome, which is a fancy term for feeling like you don’t know what the fuck you’re doing. If you feel it, you’re not alone, trust us, we have a citation and everything (see below).

Today we are joined by Jordan Yseth, dietitian & gouda fanatic. Jordan & Leora went to college together, & today we learn “all foods fit”, so maybe those late-night Taco Bell runs weren’t so bad after all!

It’s the very first episode of TOSK, and we’re already inventing our own words! Today we talk about the fact that we could all use a little help coping with life sometimes, and that’s what this podcast is here for. To provide tools, smash stigma, and show you that you’re not alone.