This is Part 1 of our special Halloween series: Monsters as Mirrors

What if our monsters say more about us than them?

In this episode, Kristin and Laura explore how monsters are a social mirror...a way for powerful systems to project fear, control bodies, and avoid accountability. From witches to AI, we unpack how "the monster" is used to enforce social boundaries, uphold hierarchies, and distract from systemic rot.

We dive into:

• Why power needs monsters

• The psychology of disgust, projection, and containment

• The “gendered monster” (hello, feminazi, hysteric, witch)

• The monstering of trans people in today’s culture wars

• Immigration panic as moral drama

• Why it’s not AI we should fear, but who’s controlling it

• Monster narratives in Harry Potter, Stranger Things, Beauty & the Beast, and more

This is a funny, furious, psychologically rich dive into how systems displace blame, turn people into problems, and manufacture fear to maintain control.

In the final episode of our alt-right pipeline series, we explore what happens after the soft aesthetics and curated control stop working. Kristin and Laura dig into the messy, often shame-filled reality of trying to leave a system that promised empowerment and control, but in reality, delivers performance, exhaustion, obedience, and even harm.

We unpack:

• Why leaving can feel like an identity collapse

• The shame, grief, and cognitive dissonance that keep people stuck

• How privilege, power, and proximity to safety work in subtle ways

• The psychological withdrawal of leaving a “safe” space

• Why wellness aesthetics, obedience, and beauty are never neutral

• How to rebuild after complicity, and what real empowerment looks like

This episode is about the exit phase and the fear, backlash, and even shame that comes with it. Because leaving is hard, but staying silent costs more.

In Part 2 of our series on the alt-right pipeline for women, we explore how wellness aesthetics and therapeutic language become tools of discipline, not liberation.

Kristin and Laura dissect the soft side of authoritarianism - how empowerment becomes obedience, rest becomes performance, and the internet whispers: “Shh, just be palatable.”

✨ This episode unpacks:

• The rise of the “soft girl era” and why it feels so good

• How language like “divine feminine” & “high value woman” bypasses critical thought

• Performative healing and the pressure to be beautiful, agreeable, and obedient

• Why white femininity is positioned as almost powerful, and how that keeps us compliant

• Capitalism, shame, and the weaponisation of lifestyle content

• Personal reflections on burnout, skincare, and craving control in a chaotic world

We also talk through the Charlie Kirk aftermath and how authoritarian systems use language to consolidate power, reframe critique as violence, and shame us into silence.

It’s not just “tradwives” and Pinterest boards, it’s about who gets to feel safe in the system, and why the algorithm keeps pulling us back in.

In Part 1 of our three-part series, Kristin, Laura, and special guest Jess Britvich explore how women are being pulled into the alt-right — not with overt violence, but with pastel aesthetics, self-help promises, and weaponised femininity.

Together, we explore:
• How tradwife culture makes patriarchy look like wellness
• Why the pipeline starts with fear, loneliness, and control
• The role of aesthetics, algorithms, and “just asking questions”
• What it costs to be palatable, agreeable, and silent
• The link between white feminism, beauty politics & authoritarian 'vibes'

This is about how systems sell us safety by asking us to shrink back into 'acceptable' roles...and how easy it is to disappear down the rabbit hole, one soft pink post at a time.

Jess's Socials: https://linktr.ee/jessbritvich?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

But Why Socials: https://linktr.ee/butwhy.pod

Sometimes it's the spoon scraping the bowl. Or the tag on your shirt. Or the wind in your ears. And suddenly...it's all too much.

In this episode, Kristin and Laura unpack the messy, invisible world of sensory stress and how it shapes daily life for many people (often neurodivergent). From autistic shutdowns to ADHD overstimulation, they explore why modern environments are hostile to our nervous systems, and what it means to live in a world not built for your brain.

They dig into:
• What sensory stress really is, and why it's not “just being sensitive”
• The difference between ADHD and autistic sensory experiences
• Guilt, shame & why masking becomes a survival tool
• Why seemingly small things can lead to big crashes
• How to recognise, respect, and respond to sensory needs in yourself and others

This is a call to stop pathologising sensory needs, start redesigning our environments, and finally ask: what if the world is just too loud and we weren’t meant to tolerate it?

What do silverback gorillas, burnout, and barstool bravado have in common? More than you think.

In this brilliantly bizarre episode, Kristin and Laura are joined by psychologist and burnout researcher Dr. Pete Olusoga to unpack why 100 men vs 1 gorilla became a cultural obsession — and what it reveals about masculinity, performance, and emotional repression.

Together, they unpack:
• The “alpha male” myth and its viral appeal
• Why masculinity feels performative, fragile, and exhausting
• The psychology of burnout and who it’s selling out
• What TikTok fitness bros and Jordan Peterson have in common
• Why being “a real man” might just burn you out

From the manosphere to the therapist’s couch, this is a wild ride through memes, masculinity, and what it really means to be resilient.

Spoiler: You don’t need to fight a gorilla to prove your worth.

Pete's Details:

Insta: @dr_pete_olusoga / @eightypercentmental

TikTok: @dr_pete_olusoga

Web: www.eightypercentmental.com

But Why Socials: https://linktr.ee/butwhy.pod

From sleep scores to step counts, even our joy is being tracked. But who is all this “self-improvement” really for?

In this episode, Kristin and Laura ask what happens when being human stops being the goal and starts being a problem to fix. They unpack the rise of over-optimization, how capitalism convinced us we’re machines, and why even therapy isn’t safe from performance culture. Together, they explore:
• The history of optimization — from factory floors to Fitbits
• Why rest, joy, and creativity feel “unproductive”
• How wellness culture became capitalism in disguise
• Why therapy doesn’t work when it mimics the systems we’re trying to survive
• How to reclaim unoptimized joy, boredom, and being for the sake of being

This is a call to step off the treadmill, turn off the tracker, and return to what makes us human. Even if it’s messy. Especially because it’s messy.

Socials: https://linktr.ee/butwhy.pod

From “not all men” to “I was just joking,” defensiveness is everywhere. But what’s really going on underneath?

In this episode, Kristin and Laura unpack the psychology of defensiveness - how it protects us, how it shows up in everyday interactions, and how it connects to deeper systems of power. With stories about awkward meetings, parenting, and fragile masculinity, they explore:
• Why our brains go into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn
• The difference between guilt and shame (and why it matters)
• How whiteness, masculinity, and identity get tangled in pushback
• Why vulnerability is framed as weakness, and who benefits
• What defensiveness looks like in relationships, work, and culture

This is a compassionate but clear-eyed conversation about why being wrong feels so threatening — and what’s possible when we pause, get curious, and choose accountability instead.

Socials: https://linktr.ee/butwhy.pod