Once Upon an Upset

Latest Episodes:

Farmer John and the Wicked Witch of the Central Region May 04, 2022

Show notes

“This is a story about the wickedest witch in all of the land. They didn’t even make a movie about her, that’s how wicked she was. She had so many people in her dungeon, she had to hire a big company to make her a second dungeon. That’s how wicked she was.”

— from 'Farmer John and the Wicked Witch of the Central Region'

A wicked witch falls from the sky due to a broom malfunction. After landing in a cornfield, she meets a farmer and they wind up helping each other in surprising ways.

(Suitable for all ages.)

Farmer John and the Wicked Witch of the Central Region was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

Top Floor and Ground Floor Perspectives Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

“I’ve noticed that a lot of times, people get triggered by each other because they’re coming from different perspectives, but don’t realize it.

When a person sees circumstances from a top floor perspective, life can be understood metaphorically or conceptually or theoretically.

When a person sees circumstances from the ground floor, they’re in survival mode.

And in these moments on the ground floor, a person’s life depends on being able to navigate what’s going on down there and being available to respond. And for good reason. They very well may be fighting for their survival—whether the battle is within or from being traumatized or persecuted by another. Or perhaps their jobs on the ground floor are about saving other people’s lives.”

—From ‘Top Floor and Ground Floor Perspectives'

(Suitable for tweens, teens and adults.)

Top Floor and Ground Floor Perspectives was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.

New episodes every Wednesday!

For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

The Heavy Pinky Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

“Once there was a tiny boy. Well, everything about him was tiny except for the pinky finger on his left hand. By the time this little boy was 4 years old, his pinky finger was the size of his dad.”

— From 'The Heavy Pinky’

A little boy has an extra long pinky and his parents worry it’ll never fit into the world. An allegory for people who may not feel like they fit into society, but how really, there’s plenty space for everyone to be just as they are.
(Suitable for all ages.)
The Heavy Pinky was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.
New episodes every Wednesday!
For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

Messages From Our Younger Selves Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

“When unpleasant things happened to me when I was younger, my younger self diligently recorded the details of the event so that if I ever found myself in a situation even remotely similar, she could warn me that something toxic was near.”
— from 'Messages From Our Younger Selves'
(Suitable for teens and adults.)
Messages From Our Younger Selves was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.
New episodes every Wednesday!
For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

The Boy With The Heavy Suitcase Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

A story about the burden of carrying around your upsets.

(Suitable for all ages.)

The Boy With The Heavy Suitcase was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.
New episodes every Wednesday!
For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

My Elevator Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

“Here’s a secret: I have an elevator in my body. Yup. And it takes me wherever I want to go.”

— from 'My Elevator'

(Suitable for all ages.)

My Elevator was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.
New episodes every Wednesday!
For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

What To Do With An Intrusive Thought Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

“To me, an intrusive thought is any thought that interrupts what you want to be doing with reasons why you shouldn’t be doing it, reasons that make you feel bad about yourself. Throughout my life, I’ve dealt with a lot of intrusive thoughts, but because of this, I’ve been able to come up with some techniques to reframe them, diffuse their intensity, understand them in new ways, and even turn them into insights. So though I don’t expect what worked for me will work for everyone, I thought I’d share, just in case it’s useful.”

— from 'What To Do With An Intrusive Thought'

A piece about intrusive thoughts and some ideas for how to reframe them, diffuse their intensity, understand them in new ways, and even turn them into insights.

(Suitable for tweens, teens and adults.)
What To Do With An Intrusive Thought was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.
New episodes every Wednesday!
For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

There's No Time To Count To Infinity Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

“Once there was a little girl who loved to count.
“Mama,” she said one morning. “I’m going to count to infinity!”
“But darling,” her mother replied. “There’s no time to count to infinity!”
But the little girl was precocious and wanted to find out for herself.”

— from ‘There's No Time To Count To Infinity’

The story of a little girl determined to count to infinity.
(Suitable for all ages.)
There's No Time To Count To Infinity was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.
New episodes every Wednesday!
For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

How To Get Along With Other People By Seeing Them Through A Different Perspective Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

“To me, one of the hardest things about being a person is figuring out how to get along with other people. It seems like there’s always some problem, some conflict, some battle. It makes sense, though—we’re all walking around at the very same time with our private thoughts and our private wants and needs, our private circumstances and private memories of past circumstances.”

— From 'How To Get Along With Other People By Seeing Them Through A Different Perspective'

A conversation about shifting one’s perspective so that when other people behave in ways that are toxic to us, we don’t have to internalize the toxicity and have our days be ruined. Instead we can see the situation differently, and through doing so, find empathy for ourselves and maybe even for those most difficult people in our lives.

(Suitable for tweens, teens and adults.)

How To Get Along With Other People By Seeing Them Through A Different Perspective was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.
New episodes every Wednesday!
For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

What To Do When People Upset You Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

“Do you ever notice how you feel when someone gives you a zing?
A zing is what I call the feeling I get when someone does something that upsets me. Maybe it’s a harsh tone, maybe someone hasn’t responded to me the way I wished they would have. Or maybe someone’s being plain old-fashioned mean or rude for reasons I can’t understand.”

— From 'What To Do When People Upset You'

A conversation about why it’s so easy to get upset by other people, and how we can create more peace in our minds and in our lives by understanding the situation a bit differently.

(Suitable for tweens, teens and adults.)

What To Do When People Upset You was written by Jessica Laurel Kane; music by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.
New episodes every Wednesday!
For illustrations, episode transcripts, merchandise and more, visit www.onceuponanupset.com.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Once Upon an Upset

Related Podcasts

1

2

3

4

5

6