Everything Sucks, Now What? A Merriment Method for a Messy World.

Why do good things feel so terrifying sometimes? Why does joy make us hold our breath instead of exhaling? In this episode, we’re talking about the quiet, sneaky ways we brace for the end before the ending ever comes.

Let's talk about how betrayal, scarcity, control, and anticipatory grief all trace back to fear and lack of trust, and how pre-grieving doesn’t actually protect us.

Using the famous “regrets of the dying” as guideposts, we’ll look at what people wish they’d done more of (being present, taking chances, trusting love) and how you can start doing those things now while you’re still very much alive.

I share a personal story about love, trust, and waiting for the other shoe to drop, plus practical, weird, Merriment-Making ways to start living the “middle” instead of fearing the end.

This episode is a soft rebellion against living half-alive.

For more absurd ways to feel more alive, join us in Everything Sucks, Now What?

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Everything Sucks, Now What? - Uncustomary.org/EverythingSucks

It's that time of year! An unedited honest ramble of what's been going on in my life and my take on the new Taylor Swift album.

Peppercorns of Pleasure is a quick-hit tasting menu of 33 delight bites. 

Strange, sweet, and ridiculous moments that made me smile for no reason at all. Think bald heads in party hats, bears admiring the view, or the cozy click of adjusting your leggings just right. These aren’t grand gestures of happiness, they’re micro-merriments, proof that joy hides in the smallest corners of our days. Listen in, laugh with me, and maybe notice your own peppercorns of pleasure along the way.

Check out 111 FM for more positive audio!
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Part pep talk, part rebellion, very practical.

If the world feels loud and gross and you can’t make yourself care, this one’s for you. We talk about practical optimism (realistic, not “everything’s fine”), how to move from disenchanted → enchanted in small steps, and what to try on days when feeling good feels out of reach.

You’ll get nervous-system first aid, micro “caught beauty” practices, art-in-live-time experiments, and ways to create safe pockets of meaning for yourself and your people. This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about finding workable levers again.

I’m also inviting you to catch the world being beautiful this week—photo, sentence, voice not, and send it in so we can feature a few next episode.

If this resonates, my new self-paced program Everything Sucks, Now What? is open on pre-sale inside Positive Pulse. It starts Oct 5. Pre-sale is $88 (or $44×2) until September 21st, then it’s $111. If your heart perked up, grab the lower rate.

 

Links:
↳ Submit your “caught beauty”: Uncustomary.org/11K
↳ Join Everything Sucks, Now What? (pre-sale): Uncustomary.org/EverythingSucks
↳ Join Positive Pulse (free community): Uncustomary.org/PP

This episode is creative/philosophical support, not medical advice.

Happiness wasn’t handed to me.

I built it on top of addiction, silence, and skeletons that still rattle when I celebrate.

In this solo confessional, I name the cost: seven years of ketamine and dissociation, bloody letters on windshields when I didn’t know how to speak, recurring dreams (the tiger in the pit, the cords, the flat clock) that wired me for hyper-vigilance and perfectionism.

I talk about waking up shoeless in fields, choosing CBT, crying after sessions, and finding mischief that heals: guerrilla art, yarnbombs, tiny public interruptions that get us off autopilot.

There wasn’t one turning point. There were a hundred.

I talk about how I:

- ended up finding myself through guerrilla art
- was called boring by my boyfriend
- was inspired by David Goggins in a surprising way
- don’t believe in ”one arc” or turning point
- my deconstructed my 3 childhood recurring dreams and how they gave me insight into my childhood trauma
- am not my best student
- JUST realized why I’m drawn to my two biggest hobbies (live on air)
... I cry in this one

Feeling good isn’t natural for me; it’s chosen, again and again, with mortality in the room.

If everything feels unbearable right now, I built something for that: Everything Sucks, What Now? My practical toolkit inside the Positive Pulse, starting October 5.

Play is my protest. Wonder is my work.

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I’m sharing the wild plan to complete 11,111 acts of kindness in under a year — and how you can be part of it from wherever you are.

We’ll talk about joy as a movement, the surprising ripple effect of one small act, and I’ll even do a live act during this class.

🎁 Bonuses waiting in the Positive Pulse (free to join):

• 50 Places To Leave Guerrilla Art / Random Acts of Kindness
  
  
• 50 Notes To Leave For Strangers
  
  
• 25 Unique Compliments To Give Someone
  
  
• 111 Ideas for Acts of Joy PDF
  
  

👉 Join Positive Pulse free for instant access to the bonuses: Uncustomary.org/Positive-Pulse

See more about the 11K Acts Of Merriment Project at Uncustomary.org/11K

Ever asked yourself, "Why be a good person… when none of it seems to make a difference?”

Let's talk about it.

 

When life feels chaotic, unfair, or deeply disappointing, it’s easy to wonder if anything actually matters. In this episode, Mary offers a sacred pep talk through the lens of existentialism—acknowledging the void, the absurdity, and the overwhelming nature of modern life… and then gently guiding you back to the power of choosing your own meaning.

Whether you’re spiritual, skeptical, burned out, or somewhere in between, this is your permission slip to make hope your daily rebellion and meaning your own handmade masterpiece.

📍 At the end, you’ll be invited to reflect on: What meaning are you choosing to create this season?

🎁 Inside Positive Pulse, grab the free bonus pack that includes:

• A Journal Prompt Pack for exploring meaning in the midst of chaos
  
  
• 10 Micro-Meaning Practices to try today
  
  
• Affirmations for when you feel like nothing matters
  
  
• A printable Meaning Map to guide your day with tiny intentions
  
  
• A DIY Personal Philosophy Builder to anchor your outlook
  
  

🧭 Join the conversation + get your bonus resources inside Positive Pulse: Uncustomary.org/Positive-Pulse

Do you ever feel pulled in opposite directions?
Like you want to be held and be free? Crave stability and change?
You’re not a mess—you’re a multitude.

In this episode, we explore 6 core human paradoxes—based in psychology, astrology, and real life—and how they show up in your identity, creativity, relationships, and self-worth. Through stories, examples, and reflection, you'll learn how to hold space for your contradictions instead of trying to fix them.

You’ll also get practical ways to embody both sides of yourself—from soft to wild, structured to chaotic, independent to deeply connected.

💛 Because the goal isn’t to choose—it’s to contain.

—

Want more support? Inside Positive Pulse, you’ll get a downloadable replay of this episode with:

– 10 creative challenges to embrace your multitudes
– A list of iconic people who lived their contradictions
– A journaling prompt
– A mirror mantra affirmation
– And more bonuses for self-exploration

Join the free community at: uncustomary.org/positive-pulse

You have to feel good to do good. 💛

What if “feeling good” didn’t mean chasing happiness — but simply feeling at all?

In this episode, we’re redefining what it means to feel good by making space for the full emotional spectrum — including grief, seasonal depression, numbness, anger, and those quiet in-between states we don’t always know how to name. Mary unpacks how toxic positivity, people pleasing, and emotional performance disconnect us from our truth — and how to gently return to presence, even when things don’t feel sparkly.

You’ll hear:

• Why presence matters more than pleasure

• How grief and joy can coexist

• The Sandwich Metaphor (aka why faking joy backfires)

• How to stop sorting your feelings into “good” and “bad”

• The F.E.E.L. Process — a simple framework to help you navigate your emotions with honesty and care

 

Positive Pulse (free resources) - https://Uncustomary.org/Positive-Pulse

Merriment Vault (self-love library) - https://Uncustomary.org/Merriment-Makers

Let’s debunk the myth that your zip code is the problem. This episode explores the real psychology behind why we blame our environments for lack of joy, connection, or progress—and how fear, projection, and resistance keep us from actually going after what we say we want.

We’ll talk:

• Why “boring” is often code for “I’m scared”
• How to identify the deeper fear under your avoidance
• Reflection prompts to get radically honest with yourself
• Super specific tools and websites for finding events, friends, and support—even in tiny towns
• Tips for navigating chronic illness, transportation challenges, and social anxiety
• How to re-enchant your own block if that’s all you’ve got
• A rebellious challenge to try this week in your own town

🎁 Want all the links, tools, and prompts from this episode in one place?
Join Positive Pulse, my free community of 550+ joy-seekers, and unlock:

→ Tools for finding events in your zip code
→ Apps and websites for making new friends
→ Public transit + rideshare solutions
→ Travel tips for chronic illness + low energy
→ Search tricks to uncover hidden gems
→ Reflection prompts to name your resistance
→ Creative ways to make your block joyful
→ This week’s Rebellious Joy Challenge

🆓 Join Positive Pulse now at uncustomary.org/PP and get instant access to 170+ free resources (and meet new friends)!