In Part 2 of our holiday series, Kristin and Laura peel back the glitter to talk about the real stress under the tinsel...from sensory overload and grief to the gendered emotional labour that keeps the “magic” going.

We unpack:

• Why the holidays feel more emotionally intense than joyful

• How old family roles resurface and trap us in the past

• The link between perfectionism, people-pleasing, and identity

• The hidden burnout of autistic masking in social settings

• Why "relaxing" actually feels harder than just keeping busy

Drawing on lived experience, feminist psychology, and neurodivergent perspectives, this episode makes space for anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by a season that’s supposed to feel special.

It’s not just you. And no, it doesn’t make you a Grinch.

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

In Part 1 of our holiday series, we deck the halls...and then unpack why it never quite feels the way it used to.

Kristin and Laura get reflective (and slightly existential) about the bittersweet nature of Christmas nostalgia:
Why does the run-up feel more magical than the day itself? Why do we cling to rituals even when they’re imperfect? And why does trying to recreate the past sometimes leave us feeling… worse?

From the psychology of memory to neurodivergent holiday burnout, we unpack:

• Why nostalgia shapes our identity (and why we chase it)
• How memory editing gives us that “golden” Christmas feeling
• The emotional power of rituals, repetition, and stocking routines
• Why Christmas films hit so hard...and sometimes disappoint
• The grief of changing roles and lost traditions
• Gendered labour, family expectations, and “mum is the magic”
• Why childhood joy can feel both comforting and out of reach

This isn’t a Hallmark episode — but it is an honest one. With stories, psychology, and just enough glitter.

Bonus: Secret Santas, spy gadgets, and cream cheese + hot chocolate (trust us).

In Part 3 of our But Why is Politics so Messy? series, we close with the big one: What can we actually do?

After breaking down how people get pulled into harmful political narratives, Kristin and Laura flip the lens to explore how we resist authoritarianism without losing our minds (or ourselves).

Together, we unpack:

• Why people don’t believe things because they’re true, they believe them because it feels safer
• How authoritarianism weaponises shame, fear, and our need to belong
• The psychological tools that keep us stuck (denial, fatalism, moral panic, "I'm not political")
• What makes people actually change (spoiler: it’s not facts)
• Why rest can be resistance — and also a strategy!
• How to speak up without a 2-hour debate
• How to know who’s worth your energy

This is a no-nonsense, deeply reflective, very human conversation about how to keep your clarity, your capacity, and your community in the face of rising extremism.

✨ “If you have control over the narrative, you have power.”
“You can’t reflect your way out of fascism.”

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

In Part 2 of our Messy Politics series, Kristin and Laura are joined by political psychology creator Keegan Tatum to unpack why logic rarely drives political decision-making...and why it’s actually our emotions that vote first.

We explore the myth of the rational voter and ask:

• Why people stay loyal to systems that hurt them

• How disgust, shame, and fear fuel the right

• What motivates the “I don’t do politics” crowd

• The psychology of authoritarianism and denial

• Why women and neurodivergent people are often seen as a threat

• How hierarchy and identity shape our beliefs — and our blindspots

• Whether political empathy is even possible (or useful)

This episode is packed with personal stories, critical theory, and darkly funny tangents, from autism and socialisation to collective narcissism and the illusion of free will.

“People don’t believe things because they’re true. They believe them because it feels safer to.”

If you’ve ever wondered why facts don’t change minds — this one’s for you.

Keegan's Socials:
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keegantatum?igsh=MTl6ZTVxbnUwN2U5Nw==

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keegantatum?_r=1&_t=ZN-91VCw0V8XME

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

Part 1 of our new series: But Why is Politics so Messy?
In a world on fire, why do so many people double down, look away…or stay stuck?

In this episode, Kristin and Laura explore the psychology of political identity and why some people cling to harmful ideologies while others retreat into silence, shock, or denial.
From Terror Management Theory to psychological flexibility, we unpack how identity, fear, and social safety shape what we believe, and why it’s so hard to change.

This episode breaks down:

• The difference between denial, ambivalence, and complicity

• Why some people become radicalised and others stay silent

• The myth of neutrality (spoiler: objectivity is a political position)

• How systems reward disengagement and punish empathy

• The emotional exhaustion of being engaged, and why rest is a privilege

We also introduce our new model of “political stuckness”: a framework to understand how people stay passive, reactive, or comfortable while harm accelerates.

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, angry, burnt out, or just trying to understand how we got here, this series is for you.

Part 3 of our Halloween series: Monsters as Mirrors
If monsters reflect our fears, what does it say that we keep making them?

In this final episode of our Halloween trilogy, Kristin and Laura dig deep into the psychology of monstering, from ancient instincts to modern media. We explore how and why the human brain was built to see monsters...and why we still crave them.

From evolutionary survival mechanisms to existential dread, we unpack:

• How fear comes first and logic comes later

• Why we invent monsters to make sense of chaos

• The role of projection, displacement, and group fear

• Monsters as scapegoats for guilt, anxiety, and social control

• Why we use horror to feel safe, bonded, and in control

• How neurodivergent brains might experience monsters differently

• What our favourite monsters reveal about our politics, culture & inner selves

This episode blends cognitive science, social psychology, existential theory, and lived experience into a final idea: our monsters are more human than we think...and so are we.

️ Part 2 of our Halloween series: Monsters as Mirrors ️
If today’s monsters reflect modern fears…what were we afraid of 500 years ago?

In this time-travelling episode, Kristin and Laura head back to the past to ask: where did our monsters come from, and what were they covering up?

From witch trials to mummies, this episode unpacks:

• Why werewolves symbolised the “untamed man”

• Why vampires became sexualised aristocrats

• How zombies reflect fears of slavery, exploitation, and soulless labor

• Why Frankenstein is really about abandonment, control, and man-made monsters

• How the fear of women’s knowledge shaped the witch hunts

• Why the empire was haunted by the mummy’s curse

With just enough disgust psychology, imperialist critique, and literary nerdery to keep it weird, this episode explores how each monster reveals what power wanted to hide.

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.