Best Mistakes

Ep 84 | Time Capsule: Douching is Manifesting (with Mindbath)

In this installment of our time capsule episode series, we interview artist, musician, writer, and true sweetie pie close friend of ours Mindbath while we visit them in Austin, TX during our fall 2022 road trip. We talk about artist ego, the pursuit of fame, Lea Michelle’s literacy, Nika and Anya’s characters in Mindbath’s upcoming novel, and so so much more. We hope you enjoy this hang as much as we did! 

Keep up with Mindbath: 

It's been exactly 1 year since our last episode! Surprise, b*tch, bet you thought you'd seen the last of us... It's been a wild year and we can't wait to catch you up on all of it. Even though we haven't been posting, we have still been recording here and there, and as our big return we present to you our time capsule series. The first episode from the last year we are sharing with you is the episode we recorded from our month on the road in fall of 2022. Recorded in a motel room in Montana.

TRIGGER WARNING: death and grief. We promise not all the time capsules we have for you will be this sad. We have missed you all so much and are so honored to continue to share our lives with you. Thank you for your patience. Rest in peace our dear beloved friend Alex.

Correction from this episode: we say the investigation of the Marshall Fire began in January 2020, but we meant January 2022.

The besties talk romanticizing hypothetical future lives as community theater teachers upstate, in healthy relationships, etc. Nika discusses her current stint of sobriety, Anya talks pulling out of a depressive episode, and the girlies praise Hunter Biden for his iconic f*ck up this past week. The experiment of replacing the Deep Dive segment with a Highlight of The Week segment continues this week, what do you think? Finally, Nika takes us on the journey of Kesha v Dr. Luke and the #freekesha movement.

The girlies are back with another incredible live show at Parkside Lounge in Manhattan. Featuring performances by Honey Pluton, Esther Fallick, and Justin Covington. Thank you to all the besties that came out, we can't wait to see you at the next one!

Tickets to our live show July 28th at Parkside Lounge in NYC: bit.ly/3MC7UM2

The obligatory Roe v Wade episode! Things are bad! We are scared! But we are still funny because you have to laugh through the pain. The besties talk about

Tickets to our live show June 30th at Parkside Lounge in NYC: bit.ly/3MC7UM2

Nika and Anya discuss the importance of straight men redistributing their wealth of knowledge about cars to the queer community. The besties discuss problematic age gaps, the intersection of the queer experience with queer representation in cinema (specifically the new film Fire Island), Nika’s depressive episode coming to an end, and Anya getting robbed in London in 2017. Nika tells us about the leaps and bounds made by the pre-Nazi Germany gay rights movement, the betrayal of the “normal” gays to the greater queer community (go figure), and ultimately the tragic loss of the rich library of 19th century queer research and literature as fascism rose in the early 20th century. Content warning: mentions of suicide and also fisting.

Tickets to our live show June 30th at Parkside Lounge in NYC: bit.ly/3MC7UM2

Welcome to the audio from our very first live show! Featuring performances by Dylan Adler, Dave Ross, Nekia Hampton, Irene Fagan Merrow, and of course the besties themselves Nika and Anya!

Tickets to our live show June 30th at Parkside Lounge in NYC: bit.ly/3MC7UM2

Nika comes out as a depressed contrarian. The besties discuss therapy, medication, mental health & friendship…what else is new? A listener writes in about Burning Man. Nika tells us about her terrible holistic therapist in Rhode Island. Anya picks apart the history and the wording of the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, perhaps the biggest mistake in law.

Tickets to our live show June 30th at Parkside Lounge in NYC: bit.ly/3MC7UM2

DON’T MISS OUR LIVE SHOW IN NYC NEXT WEEK! MAY 26TH AT PARKSIDE LOUNGE!

In this episode Anya expresses remorse for the time they broke a cancer’s heart, which they also believe put a curse on them to pay repentance to cancers for the rest of their days. Nika, like the comrade she is, tells us about The Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest labor uprising in United States history and the largest armed uprising since the American Civil War.

Tickets to our live show May 26th at Parkside Lounge in NYC: https://bit.ly/3MC7UM2

The besties are BACK from their week in the woods! Nika & Anya talk about their Beltane festivities, their highs, their lows, their life lessons, etc! You know, the stuff you came here for. A few trigger warnings: This episode is NOT for tempeh lovers! Beware! On a more serious note, the listener mistake this week is heavy and somewhat controversial, containing subject matter related to sexual assault and suicidal thoughts. Anya reintroduces themself with a new chosen name(!!!), Nika tells us about her days of being a heartbreaker in grade school. After spending a couple weeks in Appalachia, Anya takes us on the literal journey of Geraldine Largay, a retired nurse who tragically got lost and died while hiking the Appalachian Trail.

OKAY WE MESSED UP PLEASE FORGIVE US! We are uploading this a week late but we have a good excuse! Kind of! Anya regales us with the story of her bloody UTI when camping on mushrooms at 19. Nika gives the entire low-down on grifter-influencer / "performance artist" icon Caroline Calloway.

Listen to our patreon episode this week to watch She's the Man with us!

Actual real life best friend of the besties JP Maddock joins Nika and Anya on this very special road trip episode (excuse the audio), to talk Dungeons & Dragons, pansexuality, the subway shooter (brace yourselves), time management, and so much more!

The besties discuss the stress of taxes, savings, and the fickle, uncertain nature that is planning financially for one’s future during what feels like global societal collapse. So live in the present and enjoy life as we know it while we can! Or something! We talk Ezra Miller being the face of problematic they/thems, and how no amount of nail polish can do The Work for you of unlearning toxic masculinity. Nika tells us about the time she accidentally scammed someone out of $40 and regrets it. Anya takes us on the journey of the 1990’s scandal of Heidi Fleiss AKA the Hollywood Madam, and where she is today.

More information on PrEP if you’re interested in HIV prevention: www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/prep/starting-stopping-prep.html

The besties lament on the trials and tribulations of doing laundry– why do we have to keep doing it?! Nika tells us about her panic! on the dancefloor, and the girlies cosplay as intellectuals by discussing French politics briefly. A listener writes in with a truly horrifying tale of forgetting to collect their money from a John and Anya tells us about the time she messed up in her early attempts at non monogamy. Nika gives us the scoop on all that led up to the comedic voice of our generation Amanda Bynes stepping away from show business, and nobody is naming names but let’s just say we aren’t fans of Dan Schneider.

Please NO LAUGHING at the episode number! Have some composure. The besties talk about their favorite cult-run restaurant in Anya's hometown, the importance of taking breaks from both people and substances sometimes, and Anya regrets an iPhone vs Android debate from earlier this week. Nika tells us about the time she accidentally sent a scathing shit-talk text to the person it was about, and chose to dig her heels in. In wake of watching the riveting Hulu show "The Dropout," Anya takes us on the wild ride and ultimate demise of Elizabeth Holmes's fraudulent multi billion dollar company Theranos.

Nika and Anya are back on their bullshit (waxing poetic about their gorgeous gorgeous friends) and Anya is officially in their late 20s (ok fine…mid to late 20’s!). The girlies talk about Anya’s iconic birthday party, community care, and the beauty of saying no to cancel culture within their own chosen family. Anya takes us on a deep dive about the time they accidentally made their work environment uncomfortable in the long run because something felt nice in the moment and Nika takes us on this week's Best Mistake which is about the infamous 2001 shoplifting incident involving Hollywood's favorite weird it girl Winona Ryder.

Get tickets here for DIET ZHUZH this Friday at Parkside Lounge hosted by THEE Anya Volz!: https://posh.vip/e/diet-zhuzh

Nika and Anya discuss Anya's embarrassing encounter with comedian Pete Holmes when they were 18, the recent controversy around trans women in sports, and of course lots of spiraling the queer community politics drain. Nika tells us about her regrets of which high school she chose to go to, for her father's approval, and Anya takes us on the amusing and tragic journey of original formula Four Loko.

The girlies talk about International Women's Day, Women’s History Month, and Nika being a *NASTY WOMAN*. Nika and Anya once again wax poetic about the enduring legacy of Mean Girls and circle the drain once more about the complexities of being queer, trans, non binary and hot! We talk about the infamous New York Times opinion piece making the rounds this week: "I Came to College Eager to Debate. I Found Self-Censorship Instead,"  and we read an essay by comedian and writer Rebecca Rush about the DUI she got while trying not to smoke crack. Nika takes us on a deep dive about the time she also nearly got a DUI. Anya breaks down the whole story of the salacious TikTok drama and controversy surrounding the content creators Modern Warrior (Lance Tsosie) and Chelsea Hart, and the fall out affecting the user witchytwitchytv.

Nika gets back from Mexico and regails us with the highs and lows of her highs…and lows. The besties discuss longevity and sustainability in queer nightlife spaces, and why finding your own moments of joy when the world is so full of tragedy is an important part of showing up for the hard stuff. Anya and Nika interview Brooklyn drag queen and performer Glow Job about making mistakes part of one's brand, taking life's curveballs in stride, and moving through life with an open heart.

Support Glow Job on her road to recovery from her recent injury here: https://gofund.me/7b7c1702

WE'RE SORRY! We lost the audio of the episode we recorded last week and we attempt to go back in time and re-record it for the besties. Nika talks about her whirlwind passport drama before going to Mexico last weekend. The besties answer a listener question about how we sustain ourselves from night through day at queer raves. Anya tells us about a time she snapped at a friend's family member over a political disagreement on the way to a college football game (ew). Nika tells us about the exclusion and later the mythologization of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson in the LGBTQ rights movement.

The girlboss besties discuss the new show about Anna Delvey "Inventing Anna," and breaking glass ceiling of women being horrible people, too. They talk the trials and tribulations of letting people know you want to smash, the Ryan Murphication of Euphoria, the recent abusive antics of Kanye West, and Nika tells us about the time she ended a friendship by ghosting them. Anya tells us about the harsh ups and downs jazz sax legend Frank Morgan experienced in his life, from his talents, his addiction, his incarceration, and his comeback. 

The planets are direct (until April!!) and the girlies are *thriving*. They unpack some interesting dreams they’ve had, revel in feeling desired on the dance floor, and discuss the lost but important art of eye fucking. They mull over their recent entanglements coming to an end and discuss what the aftermath has been like, waxing poetic on leaning into being openly emotional. Head over to the patreon for more in depth details about all of that! Anya takes us on a deep dive about her anxious avoidance blowing up in her face years ago. Nika tells us about the lost history of two Black communities in Providence, Rhode Island called Hard Scrabble and Snow Town that were destroyed by white supremacists in the 19th century.

The girlies attempt to be more relatable by talking in-depth about their theories on AI, the future Mars colony, and discussing body modifications. Anya talks about her bad acid trip this week and Nika tells us about a friend fall-out she had that was based in lies. Anya talks about the history of the mostly forgotten African-American neighborhood in NYC called Seneca Village, which was demolished for the construction of Central Park.

Nika and Anya discuss the showtime show Yellowjackets (mild spoilers abound!) and allude to some salacious interpersonal drama that can be found on the patreon episode. This week Ty Mitchell (@typemitchell) joins the besties to talk about online cancellation, sex work, the nuances of his relationship to sex and sexuality as a porn star, a truly hellish coat check situation which could honestly be a bottle episode of a hit show and he even leaves us with some truly gorgeous home decor life hacks. Get into it!

Nika and Anya talk about their goals to join a queer femme roller derby group of friends in 2022. Nika tells us about mistaking a fun hook up for true love when she was 19 in Brazil. Anya tells us about the myths and mistakes surrounding the "surrender" of the last Aztec emperor Montezuma to the Spaniards in the 1500s.

Donate to those affected by the Bronx fire:

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/fund/initiatives/bronx-apartment-building-fire.page

The girlies are still apart so this weeks intro was recorded on zoom. Nika and Anya catch up and Anya tells us all about her 2 week Mexican sabbatical and takes us on a journey of its paradise filled highs and shit filled lows. Nika fills Anya in on how shes been surviving without her in New York (news flash, she doesn't love it!). Nika and Anya talk about the sometimes tricky reality of being chronic over sharers with a podcast and Nika tells us about some hot dance floor moments and updates us on how her independent woman era is going. Anya takes us on a deep dive about the time she accidentally *kind of* did blackface on Halloween when she was 11. Nika tells us all about the 2003 cancellation of the world famous country music band The Chicks (Wide Open Spaces, Cowboy Take Me Away, Not Ready to Make Nice). 

This end of the year round up episode is for the BESTIES...no seriously this episode is for the people who really just want to hear us dish about our lives. We pre-recorded this before Anya and Nika separated for their New Years celebrations (we don't wanna talk about it okay it's been very painful for us). We reminisce on 2021 and talk about how much we love each other ...BIG SURPRISE. If you're a cop or a future employer, every time we mention doing acid it's a JOKE.

For this very special Christmas episode (jk we mention it exactly one time) Nika and Anya discuss Nika's desire to solo hike the Appalachian trail, Anya's history of banging Appalachian trail hikers, and how much the besties are gonna miss each other as they say their goodbyes for the next two weeks. (DON'T WORRY THERE WILL STILL BE EPISODES EVEN THOUGH WE WILL BE APART!) Nika tells us about a time she left a nasty voice-mail she shouldn't have, and Anya explores the many mistakes and consequences of the infamous 2020 QAnon Wayfair sex trafficking conspiracy theory that resulted in ruined lives and even a death.

Your esteemed hosts discuss Nika's journey getting over a crush by getting under a crush, the perils of self isolating as a reaction to the darkest days of the year, how if have sex with people with pussies you better be eating those pussies, and the state of abortion rights in the US at the moment. Nika tells us about how more than once she's had threesomes that have led to an affair. Anya gives us the run down on the honestly DOZENS of mistakes that led to the horrific tragedy of the Titanic sinking in the Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, killing over 1,500 people.

The besties discuss the trials and tribulations of the kissing-your-friends-on-the-mouth lifestyle and the pros and cons of fricking your friends. Nika is in her bangs era, thank God. Anya recalls the mistakes and keepsakes of a distant New Years Eve, many moons ago, when she got her first tattoo at 14 years old. The girlies discuss financial health, reconnecting with old friends, the Bimbo Summit (Britney, Lindsay and Paris) all getting wifed up, and Nika spills the molasses (insensitive wording?) on the Great Molasses Disaster of 1919.

EPISODE 50! We are truly floored that y'all are still here listening to our little thoughts! In this exciting 50th episode we are back with special guest Chris Gethard (Broad City, The Chris Gethard Show)!!!! Nika, Anya and Chris discuss poorly run comedy shows, MDMA comedown-induced breakups, living with regret, and what a night out on the town just the three of them would look like. What do you think, listeners? Should Chris Gethard come oontz oontz with the besties? See Chris on tour: https://chrisgeth.com/

Thank you soooo much for making it to episode 50 with us! To 50 more! We love you!