We’re All Doing Better Than We Think
life’s wobbles & the big truths baked inside
written & recorded by Autumn Withers
April 17, 2023 // 6 minute read, 9 minute listen
From self-help junkie to the steady aliveness of washing bowls, this audio essay explores the intersection of advertising and the $10 billion per year enterprise of “self-help.” A Meryl Streep quote makes an appearance and a collective dirty secret is spilled. The bad news: no one is coming to rescue you. The good news: no one is coming to rescue you. The best news: deodorant is optional. Afterwards, please forget everything you heard. You won’t need it. And you’ll know why.
You Don’t Have to Wear Deodorant to Have a Good Life
written & recorded by Autumn Withers
March 21, 2023 // 6 minute read, 8 minute listen
The shrill decibels of the MRI echoed through my skull as I lay on a cold table with my head strapped in a harness. All I could recall was the late 80s PSA with an egg frying in a skillet: “This is Your Brain on Drugs.” In 2023, I couldn’t help but wonder, Is This My Brain on Social Media? This essay explores what is sacrificed in an algorithmized culture suffering from documentarrhea. Is it true that the more we exhibit and promote ourselves online, the less knowable we become to ourselves? A bushy squirrel, a neurologist, a battle with FOMO, and a musical guest lead to five IRL truths.