A Therapist Walks Into a Bar

Latest Episodes:

Marsification: A tale of planetary grief May 19, 2024

Show notes

A Therapist Walks Into a Bar isn't quite back but I'm doing a little resurrection in order to share something very special that I think you'll like - Marsification: A tale of planetary grief. Marsification was created and written by sound artist, musician, and psychotherapist Lily Sloane and writer, teacher, bodyworker and facilitator Zara Zimbardo. Lily and Zara live in the San Francisco Bay Area, on unceded Ohlone land. All characters are voiced by Lily and Zara, and Chelsea Kigano, who also made some creative contributions to the story. Audio production, music and sounds by Lily Cover art by Lily With editorial support from Keisha TK Dutes and sound consultation from Adriene Lilly. Definitions used throughout this project are from The Bureau of Linguistical Reality, “a dictionary for the present future.” The exception is "solastalgia," which was coined by Glen Albrecht. Words coined by Ranu Mukherjee, Alicia Escott, Heidi Quante, Anthony Discenza, Paul Hassig, Patrick Reinsborough and Zara Zimbardo. “Whitey On Mars” was written as an homage to American jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron’s 1970 iconic spoken word song, “Whitey on the Moon”, a year after the Apollo moon landing. We would like to thank so many friends and creative colleagues who have listened to us talk endlessly about this project and provided invaluable feedback along the way: Alec MacLeod, Martin Austwick, Charlotte María Sáenz, Ben Ward, Jessa Brie Moreno, Sara Brooke Curtis, Ariel Waldman, Heidi Quante, Patricia Zambrano-Rojas, Patrick Reinsborough, Lisa Denenmark, and Jennifer Benorden. We also want to thank the writers, scientists, thinkers, activists, and creators who helped inspire and educate us and show us what it means to keep returning to Earth while dreaming of the stars. Learn more and explore the planet at www.marsification.com.

Lily Isn't Gonna Ghost (Finále) Oct 31, 2018

Show notes

Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to talk about the end. It’s the end of the third season of this podcast. A season full of stories about what it’s like to be living in these minds and bodies. But it’s also the final episode of this show. I want to quickly add, before you have a chance to react, “at least for now!” I want to imply the show could come back to make this ending feel like not a big deal. But let’s not do that. Let’s just take a moment to let it be. This is the end of the show. Afterall, resurrection fantasies are another defense against loss. As much as I want to just ghost on this ending, I'm not going to. So in this episode, I go back to some of the people who've been on the show before and talk about endings and why acknowledging them is important. And I take this chance to say goodbye to you and to the podcast. Credits: Writer/Producer - Lily Sloane Sound Designer and Composer - Lily Sloane Story Editor - Emily Shaw [emilyshawcreates.com] Thank you Dani Scoville, Molly Merson, Jessica Brown, Kip Williams, Dusty Porn, and Al Anzola for taking part in this funeral...I mean, episode. If you want to stay up to date on my new projects, follow me on Twitter @lilyrosesloane and sign up for the newsletter at atherapistwalksintoabar.com, which I’ll transition away from being about this specific podcast - and don’t worry, emails will still be fairly infrequent. To check out my other work and see if you want to hire me for something, visit lilymakessound.com. You can still hear me talk about therapy stuff every week on Radical Advice which is live on BFF.fm Tuesdays 10am-noon Pacific time. If you can’t listen live, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and tune in whenever. You can submit life questions by visiting radicaladviceshow.com. Episode Image: Original Photo by Jaime Borschuck [jaimeborschuk.photo], adapted to black and white and ghostified by Lily Sloane

An Untakebackable Choice Aug 06, 2018

Show notes

When it comes to making babies, it can often feel like there are only 2 choices and you have to feel 100% happy with your choice once you’ve made it. Oh, and also, no matter what choice you make, people will judge you. While I grapple with my own uncertain future, Nuala has made a decision that doesn't fit neatly into any category. The choice to have children is not quite like other choices in life because it’s pretty untakebackable. But like many other choices, saying yes to one thing and no to another can be full of complicated feelings. - Featured Guest - Nuala Sawyer lives in San Francisco with her partner Bryce, dog Kazu, and cat Suki. She's a reporter for SF Weekly and freelance writer. You can find her at www.nualawrites.com and on Twitter @TheBestNuala. - Credits - Producer: Lily Sloane Story Editor: Emily Shaw Original Music & Sound Design: Lily Sloane Episode Image: Qairin Qusyairi Ooi by Mohd Fazlin Mohd Effendy Ooi (used under creative commons) To learn more visit www.atherapistwalksintoabar.com.

Radical Short: Dave Reads A Poem & Lily Sings A Song Jul 18, 2018

Show notes

In this Radical Short I talk to Dave Nadelberg, co-founder of the stage show, television series, books, movie and more that make up Mortified. In the last episode of A Therapist Walks Into a Bar, "The Presence of Past," I shared some clips from my performance in the stage show in Oakland. But this thing, where people get on stage and read from their adolescent diaries, share poems, songs, plays they wrote - it actually happens in chapters all over the world. Several months ago, on my sister show Radical Advice, I chatted with Dave about how all this got started. Learn more about Mortified at www.getmortified.com Learn more about Radical Advice and submit a life question at www.radicaladviceshow.com and find the archives or tune in live at www.BFF.fm Learn more about this show at www.atherapistwalksintoabar.com Become a patron at www.patreon.com/atherapistwalksintoabar

The Presence of Past Jul 04, 2018

Show notes

There’s this cliche, that all therapists want to do is make you talk about the past. Even though I often reassure new clients that I won’t make them talk about anything they don’t want to, it’s not untrue - a lot of us do want to know about your past. Because the past is never actually in the past and the present and the future are intricately tied to it. But like any historical research, piecing our own pasts together is both vital to self-understanding and fraught. And our understanding of history changes with who we are in the present. / Credits / Producer: Lily Sloane (www.lilymakessound.com) Story Editor: Emily Shaw (www.emilyshawcreates.com) Original Music & Sound Design: Lily Sloane Additional Music: "Colocate" by Poddington Bear and the original theme to The Jedediaries by Marshall York Find The Jedediaries at www.thejedediaries.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thank you Josey Baker, Torrey Paquette, and Ada and Linden for lending your voices to this story and Mat Stevens for helping me interview Jed. Clips from Mortified were recorded at the New Parish in Oakland, California March 10, 2018. I highly recommend the Mortified TV series on Netflix, the podcast, and live shows. www.getmortified.com Become a patron of the show at www.patreon.com/atherapistwalksintoabar.

Radical Shorts: Coping With This Crazy Bullshit May 16, 2018

Show notes

Radical Shorts are a glimpse into some of the incredible conversations I’m having with all kinds of interesting people on my sister show, Radical Advice, a weekly live show on BFF.FM. In this Radical Short, San Francisco and Berkeley based psychotherapist, Larry Lariosa, and I try to answer a listener-submitted question a lot of us are struggling with right now: “I can't handle the news but I can't stop tuning into it. Even if I take like a week off, as soon as I go back it's like a daily terror festival. More like a runaway train and knowing there is no driver and I can't find the brakes. I don't know how to cope through another minute of this crazy bullshit. What can we be doing to make Trump go away? How does someone like him get what he needs to stop tormenting so many of us?” Learn more about Larry at larrylariosapsychotherapy.com. If you'd like your life questions answered, visit radicaladviceshow.com. Tune in to Radical Advice on BFF.FM Tuesdays from 10am-noon PST or subscribe to listen in your podcast feed on your own time. Become a patron of A Therapist Walks Into a Bar by visiting www.patreon.com/atherapistwalksintoabar No new show until July! Until then, also check out this related episode https://www.atherapistwalksintoabar.com/why-the-resistance-needs-therapy.html And to prepare for what's coming in July, subscribe to the Jedediaries where ever you listen or visit www.thejedediaries.com. Thanks for listening!

Be Someone Else May 02, 2018

Show notes

When performing is a normal part of all our lives, on stage or off, what does it mean to be authentic? What is a “true self”? I’m hoping an opera singing drag performing therapist, some strangers in a bar, and a dead psychoanalyst can help me figure it out. This episode features San Francisco drag performing artist, Dusty Porn (aka San Francisco psychotherapist Paul Ziller). To watch Dusty's performance in the Miss California Gold Pageant this year, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTzs5sbZ5nw&feature=youtu.be Credits Producer: Lily Sloane Story Editor: Emily Shaw Music & Sound Design: Lily Sloane Thank you to The Little Shamrock, one of San Francisco's oldest bars, and the strangers there who opened up to me. "Firenze Church Choir" by mmiron used under creative commons. The file length was altered and effects were added. Become a patron of the show and collect some sweet rewards! Visit patreon.com/atherapistwalksintoabar

Radical Shorts: Feelings Sometimes Hurt Apr 18, 2018

Show notes

For this Radical Short, we time travel all the way back to February, when my colleague Lauren Selfridge, host and creator of the podcast This Is Not What I Ordered, joined me in the studio and we answered a listener question about why feeling is important - even if it does hurt sometimes. Produced by Lily Sloane Find This Is Not What I Ordered at www.thisisnotwhatiordered.com and all the podcast listening places. Radical Advice is live Tuesdays from 10am-noon pacific time on www.BFF.fm and you can find past broadcasts archived on the website or by subscribing to radical advice in your favorite podcast listening place. If you want your life questions answered on Radical Advice, please visit radicaladviceshow.com. You can submit your question anonymously right there on the site. Or you can record a voice memo and email it to me at lilysloane@gmail.com. Become a patron of the show by visiting www.patreon.com/atherapistwalksintoabar Find the show on Twitter @atwiabpod; Radical Advice @radical_advice; and Lily @lilyrosesloane

The Unknown Apr 04, 2018

Show notes

In the last episode, we explored defense mechanisms - all the things we do to cope psychologically with various threats in our day to day lives. One of the biggest threats we find ourselves defending against as conscious beings is the unknown in its many forms. So in this episode we’re gonna dig into all of that excitement - like, how we develop narratives and strategies to get through uncertainty. And what happens when life tears through those structures like an F-5 tornado. This episode features an interview with Phoebe Judge of the podcasts Criminal and This is Love. Produced by: Lily Sloane Edited by: Emily Shaw Music & Sound Design by: Lily Sloane Episode Image: "who am i?" by paurian via creative commons. Image is altered to black & white. This episode features a clip from "All the Time in the World", episode 68 of Criminal. Thank you to Arthur Mac's Tap and Snack and strangers at the bar who opened up to me. Thank you Garrett Tiedemann for talking through some philosophy with me for this episode.

Radical Shorts: Imaginary Friend Mar 21, 2018

Show notes

In a new bonus segment of A Therapist Walks Into a Bar, which will release on the third Wednesday of each month, I pull the best moments from my sister show, Radical Advice, which airs live on Tuesdays from 10am-noon PST. You can tune in at BFF.fm. This time, San Francisco psychotherapist, Brian Thompson, and I call his mom, Noreen, a psychiatric nurse, for help answering a listener's question about their childhood imaginary friend. If you want your life questions answered, visit www.radicaladviceshow.com and click submit. This episode was produced, edited, mixed, scored, etc. by me, Lily Sloane.

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