Stop Hating Yourself

Carl still can't seem to take care of himself. Seriously, go to the doctor. Catfish takes control of at least a portion of his medication regimen with positive results. They discuss sleep, and no one is better off.

Back from a short hiatus, the boys catch up on personal stuff. Then they discuss current events. And get mad. 

Recorded live at the 2020 Tucson Fringe Fest!  Were you there? (The answer is “No,” because I’ve seen the numbers)

This special episode focuses on [getting better at accepting] compliments. The boys finally learn what their friends said they were good at.  An audience is nearby.  And apparently, the recording picked up a local radio station in the background. Sorry!

Carl flies solo on this short ep. See, he's sick and didn't want to get the fish sick. But he isn't so good at boundaries to not record something! Bonus: he used the wrong input so the volume had to be cranked up a lot. 

Carl and Catfish distract themselves from the holidays with a discussion of purpose. On purpose. Porpoise.

The boys talk about experts. No, that's insincere. The boys rant about how prolific supposed experts are on the internet. Remember, Carl and Catfish are NOT EXPERTS and make no claims of expertise in anything. This allows them to rant without being hypocritical. Also, some discussion of people talking about people they knew who killed themselves. Sorry about that.

The boys discuss what they consider to be a good session of therapy after Carl has a pretty good one. Also, affirmations!

This episode almost didn't happen, and what occurred is the only thing they really talk about. Also obligation and mothers and whatnot.

Carl doesn't get the episode up on time, and Catfish forgives him. Wait, that didn't happen in the episode, it happened well after. OK, they actually talk about mucking through the past while looking through old belongings and keepsakes. Much is learned then forgotten. 

It's MOVEMBER! Support men's health (both mental and otherwise) or join the effort as part of the Stop Hating Yourself team at movember.stophatredofcasting.com

The boys speak of forgiveness, and of plumbing, and of figurative worst nightmares. Totally one topic, unified in coherent conversation and worthy of your listening. Also, I've got this sandbox in Florida...

This week marks National Suicide Awareness Week and Tuesday is World Suicide Prevention Day. The boys had an event but they won't be able to make it that evening, but you should go! Details in the episode. Also, after a reasonably silly conversation about their upcoming trip to Portland, the buys dig deeeeeeep into some stuff about suicide. It gets rough. Enjoy!

Carl's back! End of episode description.

What?  I have to keep going? Well, this is bullsh--Catfish was greatly victimized this week, and not only by his fellow podcast host's absence. The story drags on, though Catfish REPEATEDLY asks if he as to keep telling it, as do his [justifiable] complaints about recording alone last week.  And then some fears are mentioned at the end. Episode Topics, who needs 'em?

This week's episode is a totally normal episode.  Nothing out of the ordinary to see here!  No, sir, just the standard hijinks.  There's the opening and a check-in and then some listener questions are answered.  And does this run-of-the-mill episode end with an affirmation?  Probably!  Just par for the course, as we say here in the business.  And by "we," I definitely mean the typical "we."

Carl meanders into an article that not only names the overthinking issues he's always dealt with but proposes to solve them in 5 steps. He practices on Catfish to see if it works before diving in himself. Listen as the boys solve their issues and never have to record again!

In this episode, our podcast personalities discover they have them. Personalities, that is.  Then they discover the concept of difference, and war is born upon this earth.

Or, Catfish reads from work printouts for about 40-50 minutes while Carl drifts in and out of consciousness. Take the True Colors personality test somewhere online if maybe you take the time to search for it and, by happenstance, end up on the same web page we did when we Binged it!  What, [Carl’s] not going to do it for you. 

This week, Catfish asks for some therapist etiquette advice from  Carl. Carl uses this opportunity to avoid helping and start a new  segment. Plus, a new segment!

Catfish has a crucial question for Carl about reaching out to old  friends on social media. Carl takes this opportunity to tell a lot of  irrelevant old stories that stick out in his mind. The thoughtful  listener or podcast recapper will pay attention to these seemingly  non-sequitur breadcrumbs as they may be seeds for future plotlines  should the podcast get renewed for a fifth season. Also, Catfish admits  to having friends. On tape. We got evidence!

*There was a band called jet set music and they had an album called jet  set radio, but they reached an agreement for the xbox game because it  had 'future' in its name. 

The boys, upon request, talk about death again. Carl cries. A lot. Catfish declares that Carl's perspective on death is reminiscent of "The Tale of the Three Brothers" from The Deathly Hallows. Carl points out that despite his love for Harry Potter, it was heavily cribbed from Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea, but while Potter went to trope-y endings, Le Guin pushed boundaries.  Also, Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics beat Rowling to the Death punch. Catfish loses his place in the argument, and it all falls apart. #onbrand

In this week's reminder that the boys still need to work on hating themselves, Catfish shares some articles his phone decided he needed to read. He also complains about the weather. Carl shares his three years too late discovery of "Shitposting" which has brought him back to Facebook. Yay?

 Live from The Sad Pad, it’s an issues-plagued episode of the Stop Hating Yourself podcast!  That would be technical issues which were experienced during recording as opposed to the cuckoo brain issues that are typically present in every episode.

Congratulations to the winner of our name-our-podcast-studio contest!  The winner will be notified via certified fourth-rate mail--please be sure to respond and include money for postage so that we can send you a prize.  In this episode, Catfish pitches some ideas that he thinks will help improve the podcast.  Carl, against his own intuition, listens to the ‘fish.

Carl is very sorry about the audio issues. If you make it all the way through this mess of an episode, you may find a few spots where it seems like the "conversation" jumps ahead about 10 to 15 seconds. Carl says that’s on him. The rest of this episode? That is squarely on the ‘fish. For that, Carl does not apologize.  There is a bit of sincerity at the end. Maybe it will be worth it?

(Probably not)

As the second arbitrary season begins of the Stop Hating Yourself Podcast, Carl and Catfish catch up on all the joy and sorrow of the last month or so. The boys discuss why sleep is better than meditation (it isn't [it is]) and the impact of the presence, absence, and timing of birthday cards. 

Finally, in a hail of gunshot-esque drum rolls, the competition for naming rights to the new studio is settled!

This week Carl deep dives into his anxiety. Catfish tries to convince him that his anxiety is groundless. Also, did you know your pupils dilate when you engage in judgmental behavior? Finally, stick around for lots of plumbing tips and tricks! 

That's us in the spotlight
Losing our sponsorship
With website mattress.pizza
And we don't know if you ever used it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said the code

In this episode, we jump back in to the discussion on Catfish's reaction to the Christchurch shooting and social media. This is the part where Carl tries to contribute, and he freely admits he has nothing helpful to say. He does bring an affirmation to the table with the full intention to make Catfish gag. Wow, still not helpful!

After a rousing discussion of the pluses and minuses of carpeted bathrooms and encounters with opinionated strangers on the street, Catfish shares his feelings around the day of the Christchurch shootings. So yeah, toilet humor then real serious stuff. Enough serious stuff for another two-part episode kids! You know you love it.

In this thrilling continuation of the newest, hottest True Crime podcast since Cereal*, Carl and Catfish dive into the connection between their shame and their mothers. We learn how Catfish was forced to move out of his childhood home. Good thing the 90's are back in, cause that's when all these stories took place (mostly).

The boys talk about talking about the podcast in social situations, then proceed to backdoor pilot an improvised true crime podcast. Eventually they get around to talking about shame, and it gets so involved it ends in a cliffhanger! Part one of the shame episode starts now!

In this episode, Catfish derides the two worst parts of renting a car: picking it up, and dropping it off. Carl shares the secrets of how a telemarketer could reach him successfully. Finally, a listener's Hatemail adds to the discussion from last week's episode in a most welcome way.