Category: Essays
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The “Yes, And” Rule: In Defense of Nuance
A few years back, I attended my friend Nick Gray’s blowout 40th birthday party. As part of the celebration, he hired an improv comic, and we all had to participate…
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Mental Health: My Experience with Therapy
For most of my young life, I thought therapy was ONLY for people who were “broken.” I saw asking for help as a sign of weakness. In my early 20s,…
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How to Ask For Help
For a long time, I took a lot of pride in never needing to rely on other people. I am a conflict-avoidant people-pleaser, so I would often pride myself on…
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The Comparison Game: Don’t be like me
I recently had a post on Threads that created a bit of a (mini) viral moment. My post got 9500+ likes, was shared by prominent podcasters, creators, and even reshared…
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Ulysses Pacts: Give Up On Yourself to Win
Last week, I downloaded a new video game to play. And 30 minutes later, I uninstalled the game. Not because I didn’t like the game, but specifically because I liked…
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How to Have Hope
Nick Cave has taken over my life. Mr. Cave has been putting out music since the mid 1980s with his band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He’s also a…
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Boundaries Prevent Burnout: How to Establish Them
It’s been a while since I’ve felt this uncomfortable. I had an empty afternoon last week and saw Speak No Evil (trailer here), a horror/suspense film about a family who…
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Surviving as an Anxious Creator: Bo Burnham’s Burrito Ballad
I woke up today and decided, “Damnit Steve, it’s time to finally write that article about burritos and existential crises.” If that first sentence is making you go, “Steve has…
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First Time, Last Time
I recently finished Anne Patchett’s Tom Lake. It tells the story of Laura Kineson, a mom of three who has lived a Forrest Gump-esque life: in interesting situations, doing interesting things, and…
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Knowledge Doesn’t Reset
In 2012 Alex Beachum had an idea about dying. Repeatedly. In really funny ways: “What if you’re an astronaut exploring a mini-solar system, but the sun explodes after 22 minutes?”…