Shame Spiral – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Hi Shame Spiralers! I'm briefly emerging from our mid-season hiatus just to drop this very special bonus episode with comic, writer & actor Jes Tom! (Our Flag Means Death, Less Lonely.)

Jes is one of my favorite comedians and you can and SHOULD drop everything you're doing and go see their one-person comedy show Less Lonely at the Greenwich House Theater in NYC, from now through January 6! 
This hilarious, poignant show is written & performed by Jes, presented by Elliot Page, and has been described as "an exploration of sex in the face of death and gender transition on the brink of oblivion."  Tickets available now, GO GO GO! 
 
It was such a pleasure to spiral out with Jes this week. We talked perfectionism and failure, fear of being sociopaths, the shame of self-promotion, the relationship between judging oneself and others, career angst, what we want in a therapist, fear of getting in trouble , our very deepest, darkest traits and SO MUCH MORE. And not only was this episode a pleasure for me, it was also AN AGONY- as Jes turned the tables on me, reading me to filth and legitimately making me  SQUIRM.  It was horrifying for me, but I'm pretty sure it makes for a damn good episode. 

Follow Jes on IG @ jesthekid and Twitter @jestom, and you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes. 

***SEASON TWO UPDATE*** I'm currently cooking up some exciting mysterious stuff for Season 2, so it isn't dropping quite yet. BUT it will be worth the wait! I'm recording amazing eps in the meantime, and will keep you posted on the launch date as soon as I can. While you wait, please  catch up on old episodes, and email me your own twisted shame game scenarios- if it's sufficiently dark and disturbed you might even get to hear me haunt one of your fave funny people with it.  Can't wait to be back with you all weekly soon, and thank you so much for listening! 

Audio Engineer/Editor:  Theresa Gaffney, IG @theresagaff
Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde
Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

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This week I spiraled out with psychotherapist, OCD specialist, writer & content creator Alegra Kastens! We talked OCD origin stories and the thoughts that broke our brains, the obsessive struggle to discern if you don't like someone because you're not into them or because there's something wrong with you, fear of being cancelled and social media trolls, the idea of "harm," and what it really means to harm someone, obsessing about finding a partner and worrying about your eggs dying,  the dangerous proliferation of unlicensed TikTok mental health "coaches" and the messages they disseminate, the intersection of trauma, shame and OCD, how being a therapist can actually make things MORE difficult for you in dating, love and life, and SO MUCH MORE! 

Plus, Alegra shares a relatable and vulnerable shame story about being in a dark place in her life and ending up hospitalized for one night- and the shameful aftermath that ensued. And I shared with Alegra a little *casual witchcraft* that I employed when I was looking for love....I promised her the full spell and haven't recovered it yet, but when I find it, trust I will share it with all of you potential witches out there! 

Alegra is an incredible, radical force of change on social media, sharing openly  and often hilariously about her own experience with OCD and doing the good work of  shattering the debilitating stigma that comes with mental health struggles. Follow her NOW if you don't already on IG & TikTok @alegrakastens! And stay tuned for news about the upcoming BOOK she's writing!

As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes. 

*** special note! After over a year of weekly episodes, this is the FINAL EPISODE OF THE EXTREMELY BULKY SEASON 1! I'm taking a few weeks between seasons to record new eps and recalibrate, and will be back to launch Season 2 shortly. Thank you so much for listening this year- your support for the pod means everything to me, truly!  Stay tuned for news of official Season 2 drop date, and in the meantime catch up on old episodes, and please review, subscribe, and leave those five shining stars.  

Audio Engineer: Sarah Gabrielli, IG @cruisingpod 
Editor: Theresa Gaffney, IG @theresagaff
Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde
Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

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This week I spiraled out with wonderfully deep, refreshingly honest and truly hilarious writer, actor, comedian, musician AND podcaster Lane Moore! (Tinder Live, You Will Find Your People)  We talked shame and relational trauma, the damage done by unrealistic and grossly prescriptive self-help books, dealing with the incessant self-critical DJ playing the worst songs over and over in your head, making art from pain, the struggle to believe there's nothing wrong with you,  the difficulty of giving yourself the grace & compassion you freely give others, and SO MUCH MORE.

Check out Lane's incredible podcast I Thought It Was Just Me, available exclusively on Patreon ( https://www.patreon.com/lanemoore) and buy her freaking amazing and relatable books: How To Be Alone and You Will Find Your People: How To Make Meaningful Friendships As An Adult.
  You can follow Lane on Twitter, IG and TikTok @hellolanemoore and find all things Lane at lanemoore.org.

And you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes.  AND if you wanna hear me go off on shame LIVE with a bunch of queer comics, come to my monthly queer comedy show Gay Shame (@gayshamecomedy) at Littlefield in Brooklyn, co-hosted with amazing fellow Brooklyn comic Sheria Mattis of @semi_woke_pod!  Next up is 9/12 and it's gonna be SO FUN.  What can I say guys, shame is my brand. 

Audio Engineer/Editor: Sarah Gabrielli @cruisingpod

Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde

Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

New episodes every Tuesday! Don't forget to subscribe, review and please leave those five shining stars!

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This week I spiraled out with hilarious & deeply relatable stand up comic, podcaster (and fellow neurotic Jew) Carly Montag! 
We talked the pervasive fear of making others' feel bad, coming out as queer via an improv class revelation, Jewish guilt and hypervigilance, the shame of feeling stupid, internalized homophobia and the pressure to marry a nice Jewish boy, the rocky learning curve of your first relationships and the regrets that follow and SO MUCH MORE. 

Carly performs stand up in NYC, DC and beyond, and is the co-host of one of my fave podcasts, Alone At Lunch, a pod about feeling like the odd man out! Go binge it immediately if you haven't already, and follow the pod everywhere @aloneatlunchpod and Carly @carlyjmontag on IG & Twitter!

You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes.  AND if you wanna hear me go off on shame LIVE with a bunch of queer comics, come to my monthly queer comedy show Gay Shame (@gayshamecomedy) at Littlefield in Brooklyn, co-hosted with amazing fellow Brooklyn comic Sheria Mattis of @semi_woke_pod!  Next up is 9/12 and it's gonna be SO FUN.  What can I say guys, shame is my brand. 

Audio Engineer/Editor: Sarah Gabrielli @cruisingpod

Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde

Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

New episodes every Tuesday! Don't forget to subscribe, review and please leave those five shining stars!

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This week I spiraled out with incredibly talented comic, writer and actor Joel Kim Booster! (Fire Island, The Other Two, Shrill)
 We talked the impact of growing up extremely religious and queer, fear of going to hell and terrifying fantasies of what hell would be like, caring way too much of what others' think about you, being young and extra thirsty, people pleasing tendencies (except for with the TSA,)  the journey of going from shameful to shameless, a dead Dad orgy, masochistically name searching yourself on Twitter and SO MUCH MORE.

Joel has written for and/or appeared in so many shows you probably already love: Shrill, The Other Two, Big Mouth, Loot, Search Party and Praise Petey, to name a few. You can and SHOULD stream Joel's stand up special Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual on Netflix (IT IS SO FUNNY,) and if you haven't already seen it, go watch the hilarious and moving and iconic film Fire Island RIGHT NOW, which he wrote and stars in, and is an overall absolute delight. And stay glued to his socials @ihatejoelkim for upcoming tour dates!

You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes.  AND if you wanna hear me go off on shame LIVE with a bunch of queer comics, come to my monthly queer comedy show Gay Shame (@gayshamecomedy) at Littlefield in Brooklyn, co-hosted with amazing fellow Brooklyn comic Sheria Mattis of @semi_woke_pod!  Next up is 9/12 and it's gonna be SO FUN.  What can I say guys, shame is my brand. 

Audio Engineer/Editor: Sarah Gabrielli @cruisingpod

Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde

Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

New episodes every Tuesday! Don't forget to subscribe, review and please leave those five shining stars!

twitter.com/podshamespiral
instagram.com/podshamespiral
instagram.com/elykreimendahl
tiktok.com/@elykreimendahl
twitter.com/elykreimendahl

This week I spiraled out with the disarmingly honest, lovely, hilarious & brilliant writer Tara Schuster! (Glow In The F*cking Dark, Comedy Central)
 Talking shame with Tara was hilarious, delightful, and honestly inspiring AF.  We talked shame and trauma, the relief and empowerment that comes from knowing when the past is crash landing into the present, drunk dialing your therapist, self-compassion & forgiveness, the good side of "selfishness," reparenting yourself, existential angst and SO MUCH MORE.

Tara is the author of two incredible mental health/self-help books (with a fabulous dash of memoir.)  Her book Glow In The F*cking Dark came out just a few months ago, and her first book Buy Yourself The F*cking Lilies was a finalist for Goodreads Best Non-Fiction Book of 2020.
Before pivoting to writing, Tara served as Vice President of talent and development at Comedy Central, where she was the exec at the helm of iconic shows like Key & Peele!
Follow Tara on IG, TikTok & Twitter @taraschuster, buy her books and check out her substack: taraschuster.substack.com! 

And you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes.  

Audio Engineer/Editor: Sarah Gabrielli @cruisingpod

Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde

Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

New episodes every Tuesday! Don't forget to subscribe, review and please leave those five shining stars!

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This week I spiraled out with incredibly hilarious, honest and charming comedian,  writer & actor Emma Willmann! (Colbert, Comedy Central, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)  Emma and I talked ADHD, addiction and recovery, accidentally learning things from TikTok, getting in a fight with Chelsea Handler, ungodly shameful moments with exes and discerning when apologizing is for you and not them, and unpacked maybe my MOST BRUTAL hypothetical shame game scenarios yet ( sorry Emma!) 

Follow Emma on Instagram and TikTok @emmawillmann and Twitter @iamemmawillmann to catch her insanely funny clips, and stay in the know on upcoming shows! Emma's out performing stand up constantly and she is SO GOOD, get after it!!!! 

And you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes.  

Audio Engineer/Editor: Sarah Gabrielli @cruisingpod

Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde

Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

New episodes every Tuesday! Don't forget to subscribe, review and please leave those five shining stars!

twitter.com/podshamespiral
instagram.com/podshamespiral
instagram.com/elykreimendahl
tiktok.com/@elykreimendahl
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This week I spiraled out with comedian, writer & actress Nori Reed! (Netflix is a Joke, HBO Max, Comedy Central)  Nori's stand up is iconic, hilarious and brilliant, and she was featured in New York Magazine as one of Vulture's "Comedians You Should Know And Will Know In 2021."  She also recently wrote for seasons five & six of Disney's Raven's Home, creating Disney's first ever live-action trans character, which led to a GLAAD award nomination! Nori and I talked class and financial shame, weirdly going to the same uber-niche Northern California hippy therapy school (!!!!)  in the hopes of having a  transformational experience,  shame as a pesky fly you need to accept rather than keep trying to kill, the lifeline of meeting fellow  queer/trans kids when you are a queer/trans kid, our mutual adoration of Orna from Couple's Therapy, and SO MUCH MORE! 

You can and SHOULD follow Nori on Instagram @norireed and Twitter @therealnorireed, and go see her perform live! If you're in the Seattle area, she has a show coming up on 8/13 and tickets are available on her IG! GET AFTER IT! 

And you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes.  

Audio Engineer/Editor: Sarah Gabrielli @cruisingpod

Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde

Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

New episodes every Tuesday! Don't forget to subscribe, review and please leave those five shining stars!

twitter.com/podshamespiral
instagram.com/podshamespiral
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This week I spiraled out with queer, neurodivergent and gender expansive psychotherapist Jess Sprengle! (@TheCrankyTherapist on IG) Jess is an Eating Disorder Specialist and Educator, and especially passionate about engaging with the intersection of the LGBTQIA+ experience, neurodivergence, and eating disorder recovery.  We talked shame as an adaptive response, the fear of being a bad therapist, explored brutal therapy-themed shame scenarios and the strange and specific experience of being a therapist with a social media presence, "cool girl" archetypes, boundaries, dopamine and social media, owning the reality that therapists are real, messy, and flawed people, and SO MUCH MORE. 

You can and SHOULD follow Jess on Instagram, where they have a massive following- for good reason- at @thecrankytherapist! Jess is so funny, honest, and vulnerable online and in person, which just so happens to be my favorite combination of things. And to learn more about Jess and her work, check out her website: jessprenglelpc.com. 

You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes.  

Audio Engineer/Editor: Sarah Gabrielli @cruisingpod

Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde

Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

New episodes every Tuesday! Don't forget to subscribe, review and please leave those five shining stars!

twitter.com/podshamespiral
instagram.com/podshamespiral
instagram.com/elykreimendahl
tiktok.com/@elykreimendahl
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This week I spiraled out with writer & actor Mara Wilson! (Good Girls Don't, Matilda, Mrs. Doubtfire)  We talked growing up in Hollywood, being a chronic oversharer, the prison of being a "good girl," the drama of young adult relationships, anxiety & OCD,  My So-Called Life, and so much more! 
Plus, Mara shares a multi-layered shame upon shame upon SHAME story about embarrassing herself in front of multiple celebrities....and then sharing the story with a friend and feeling shame yet AGAIN by her response. 

Follow Mara on Instagram and Twitter @marawilson, check out her Substack, and listen to  her new audiobook "Good Girls Don't," available exclusively on Scribd!  It's A LOT about shame and she both wrote and narrates it, and it's amazing so GET AFTER IT! 

You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @elykreimendahl, and the pod on Twitter and Instagram @podshamespiral, where I'm regularly posting fun video clips of especially juicy or hilarious moments from the episodes.  

Audio Engineer/Editor: Sarah Gabrielli @cruisingpod

Original Music: Shadwick Wilde, Instagram and Twitter: @shadwickwilde

Cover Art: Cassidy Kulhanek, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok: @heavenlygrandpa

New episodes every Tuesday! Don't forget to subscribe, review and please leave those five shining stars!

twitter.com/podshamespiral
instagram.com/podshamespiral
instagram.com/elykreimendahl
tiktok.com/@elykreimendahl
twitter.com/elykreimendahl