أفضل بودكاسات karmen (2025)

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Why Is My Skin Still Breaking Out in My 20s? And Other Skincare FAQs with Chief Cosmetic Formulator Eileen Botes 50:40

17d ago50:40

50:40

Today I’m sitting down with Eileen Botes, chief cosmetic formulator for Willa Krause Skin Care and DC Laboratories. Eileen has a background in molecular biology and biotechnology, decades of experience in the industry, and a rare ability to talk about skin with both scientific rigour and deep nuance. We get into: Why your skin barrier is the real n…

1
How to Think for Yourself in an Age of AI & Algorithms 38:45

26d ago38:45

38:45

+ Free episode workbook In a world of hot takes, rage-bait, cancel culture, and instant certainty, thinking slowly has become an act of rebellion. In this episode, we talk about what we lose when we trade nuance for noise, how binary thinking flattens our depth in politics, in love, and even in the way we see ourselves. We’ll talk about how algorit…

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The Biggest Lies We’re Told About Our Twenties 32:27

1M ago32:27

32:27

Your twenties come with a lot of noise. Everyone has an opinion on who you should be, how you should love, how fast you should grow, and what your life should look like by now. But what if most of that advice… was never actually true? In this episode, we get into some of the biggest lies we’re sold about love, identity, success, healing, and what i…

1
The Realities of a Nomadic Life and What It’s Taught Me About Love, Work & Home (A Brutally Honest FAQ Session) 46:38

2M ago46:38

46:38

My first FAQ episode! We’re talking everything: solo travel, love, work-life balance, loneliness, heartbreak, creativity, and what “home” even means when you’re constantly leaving it. This one’s honest and a little chaotic. Kind of like my life. If you’ve ever thought about packing your bags and building a life on your own terms, I think you’ll fin…

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Rage to Reverence: How My Thinking About Feminism & Femininity Has Changed 29:29

3M ago29:29

29:29

From angry teenage feminist, scowling at boys who opened doors for me, to my misandry era, to now. In this episode, I trace how my thinking about feminism, and about being a woman, has changed over the past 12 years. We’ll talk about casual misogyny, bad sex ed, double standards, feminist theory, Anaïs Nin, and why I now believe feminism is about t…

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So I Spent A Month Bartending in a Hostel in Vietnam… Here’s The Real Story 27:10

3M ago27:10

27:10

One little decision “for the plot” landed me behind the bar of a hostel in Hoi An, Vietnam. In this episode, I’m sharing the real story. From five-hour night shifts and crazy pool parties to found-family friendships, I’ll take you inside the chaos, the laughter, and the hidden curriculum of bartending. I’ll also answer some of the questions I get m…

1
Book Club: Cannibalism as Feminism? Digging Into A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers 26:24

3M ago26:24

26:24

What happens when a woman refuses to be likable, palatable, or contained? In this episode of Lost & Found, we sink our teeth into Chelsea G. Summers’s provocative novel A Certain Hunger, a literary thriller about Dorothy Daniels, a glamorous food critic with big appetites: for food, for sex, and for human flesh. Far more than a cannibalistic shocke…

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Why Solo Travel Is the Most Empowering Thing You’ll Ever Do for Yourself 35:17

4M ago35:17

35:17

Why do I solo travel? It’s the question I get in my DMs more than any other. The truth is, it isn’t always easy. Yes, it can be lonely, intimidating, and even a little chaotic at times. But it’s also the most liberating, perspective-shifting, and life-affirming thing I’ve ever done for myself. In this episode, I’m making the case for why everyone s…

1
How to Get Your Spark Back When You Don’t Even Recognize Your Own Life Anymore 42:37

4M ago42:37

42:37

This is the second instalment in our two-part Getting Out of a Rut series. It’s for those moments when you look around at your life and think, How did I end up here? When the spark is gone, the days feel copy–paste, and you’re mourning something you can’t quite name. In this episode, I’m sharing the tools, experiments, and uncomfortable (but freein…

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How to Get Out of a Rut: 9 Practical Shifts to Feel Like Yourself Again 33:53

4M ago33:53

33:53

This is the episode I needed this week, so I made it for both of us. If you’ve been feeling off… low on energy, creatively flat, stuck in a loop of procrastination and you just need something to shake you out of it, this one’s for you. In part one of this two-part reset, I’m sharing 9 powerful, practical shifts to help pull yourself out of a rut an…

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Season Finale: If This is the Last Spiral... 6:33

4M ago6:33

6:33

This is not a farewell—it’s a sacred pause. A moment to honor the spirals we've taken together: through fear and fatigue, freedom and faith, grief and becoming. In this last offering, Karmen reflects on what it means to follow divine instruction when you don't know the next step, to trust rest as sacred, and to live not just by grind, but by grace.…

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Book Club: Desire, Ruin, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves About Love (on Madeleine Lucas’s Thirst for Salt) 43:55

4M ago43:55

43:55

Our first Lost & Found Book Club episode is here and we’re starting tender. In this deep-dive discussion of Thirst for Salt by Madeleine Lucas, we explore the slow ache of a relationship that never quite breaks, but hollows. We talk love and longing, emotional whiplash, age-gap relationships, unequal power dynamics, aestheticized sadness, and the f…

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What 19th-Century Romanticism Can Teach Us About Navigating Our 20s and Feeling Alive Again 39:01

4M ago39:01

39:01

What if beauty wasn’t something soft and sweet… but something vast, dangerous, and soul-shaking? In this episode, we dive deep into the Romantic movement - not dating apps or romcoms, but the 19th-century revolution of artists and poets who believed that awe, longing, terror, and wonder were not distractions from life but the very point of it. This…

1
Forward, Fear, and Fatigue 8:31

4M ago8:31

8:31

This week on Overthinking with Karmen, we’re not spiraling into “what’s next” — we’re asking why. As summer winds down and the weight of grief, fatigue, and global uncertainty settles in, we’re pausing to acknowledge a hard truth: it’s not just about rest or resetting. It’s about deciding to continue. And that decision — to move forward, to evolve,…

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Story Time: Reading You "The Fifth Lover" (Think Sultry Nights, Doomed Prophecies & Ghosts in Silk) 34:41

4M ago34:41

34:41

A bottle of whisky, a palm reader, a prophecy. And a night that unfolded like silk around the hips. Slow, hot, dangerous. In this episode, I'm reading you my latest short story, "The Fifth Lover." From rooftops in Northern India to the dark dancefloors where we lose ourselves, this is a story about what we remember and what we rewrite. About possib…

1
8 Powerful Mindset Shifts That Will Rewire How You See Your Life 45:37

5M ago45:37

45:37

In this episode, I’m sharing the mindset shifts I return to when I feel lost, tired, or just trying to ground myself in something deeper than a to-do list. We’ll talk about: The underrated art of trusting detours (and the psychology of hedonic adaptation) What discomfort actually means, and why it’s a good sign How to stop squeezing every moment fo…

1
Beyoncé, Baptism, and Beginning Again 9:49

5M ago9:49

9:49

This week, I’m spiraling into rest. After months of non-stop building — the book, the sermons, the business — I finally paused. A spontaneous trip. A sacred moment in the ocean. A realization that rest isn’t failure, it’s part of the strategy. And then I saw Beyoncé live… and something clicked. We talk hustle. We glamorize grind. But what if your b…

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When Ambition Becomes Identity: On Critical Theory & The Quarter-Life Crisis 36:44

5M ago36:44

36:44

At 21, I walked into a philosophy class on Critical Theory, not because I was particularly curious about Marxism, but because the professor radiated something I couldn’t explain. Calm. Clarity. Joy. I didn’t know that one elective would unravel everything I thought I knew about ambition, success, freedom, and identity. Two years later, I was living…

1
The Truth About Main Character Energy: The Beautiful, the Dangerous & the Delusional 36:24

5M ago36:24

36:24

In this episode, we explore the cultural phenomenon and philosophical roots of main character energy, both its empowering promise and its dark underside. Sparked by a moonlit conversation in Hanoi, this episode unspools into many threads. We talk about: What main character energy really means (and why it matters) How to find joy and agency even in …

1
From Broke and Burnt Out to Full-Time Travel and Writing: The Stories I’ve Never Told Before (and the Unlearning That Changed Everything) 1:19:51

5M ago1:19:51

1:19:51

You know how sometimes all you really need is something that shakes you by the shoulders and gets you so fired up you can’t not do the scary thing? And other times, you’re craving a deep, heart-expanding, soul-softening chat about life and meaning and why any of this matters. And then there are those times when all you want is an unhinged conversat…

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Essence Festival, Economics, and the End of an Era 7:34

5M ago7:34

7:34

ssence Fest felt... off. Fewer crowds. Quiet spending. And a familiar echo: “It’s not the same.” But maybe it’s not just the festival — maybe it’s us. The world is shifting beneath our feet, and some of us are still waiting for a band that isn’t coming. From the economy to culture, the signs are everywhere. And in this episode, I ask: if the world …

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I Travelled Solo Through India for 3 Months — Here’s Everything I Wasn’t Expecting to Learn, Love, and Leave Behind 33:38

5M ago33:38

33:38

You’ve heard the rumours, right? Seen the movies with chaotic streets, overflowing trains, and spiritual awakenings. Heard the warnings: it’s too much, too unsafe, too overwhelming. Well, I heard them too. And I went anyway. This is what three months travelling solo through India as a woman really looks like. It was messy. It was heart-achingly bea…

1
Guidance Counselors, Gen Z, and the Great Drift 7:46

5M ago7:46

7:46

What do you tell students when the future you promised no longer exists? This week, we spiral into the silence — the collective uncertainty around work, purpose, and how to live in a world we didn’t prepare the next generation to inherit. From kids who feel lost, to parents who gave everything but forgot to pass on wisdom, to institutions that no l…

1
Feeling Lonely, Lost, or Disconnected from Yourself? You Need to Hear This. 34:50

5M ago34:50

34:50

Ever felt like you're surrounded by people, but still weirdly alone? Like you're just... not quite you lately? Like something’s missing, but you can’t put your finger on what? This episode is about that feeling. The kind of loneliness and disconnectedness that leaves you feeling depleted and lost. In this one, I get into: The different types of lon…

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Story Time: Reading You My Favourite Short Story I’ve Ever Written (Think Abandoned Manor Houses, Long Train Rides & Dark Forests) 24:19

5M ago24:19

24:19

Recorded during a monsoon evening in Delhi with chai in hand and the world quieting outside my window, I read you one of my favourite short stories - a piece I wrote when I was 22, while riding Greyhounds across the American South with an uncharged phone and a journal in my lap. Where the Women Go is a story about grief, sisterhood, memory, and the…

1
Act II, Authority & Anna Wintour 8:30

5M ago8:30

8:30

Anna Wintour is stepping down… or is she? In this week’s episode, I spiral into what it really means to let go of authority, the illusion of legacy, and why some people can’t release power, even when the moment demands it. From boardrooms to Broadway, faculty lounges to faith communities, we talk about what happens when you become your performance……

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Travel For Free (Yes, I’m Serious): Work-Exchange, Couchsurfing & Other Legal Hustles 30:58

5M ago30:58

30:58

Tonight, I’m recording from a tiny apartment in Delhi, a little dazed after surviving what might’ve been the wildest overnight bus of my life. But also feeling grateful. Because I’m reminded, once again, that travel doesn’t have to be expensive to be extraordinary. In this episode, I’m answering a question I get all the time: How do you actually af…

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5 Unconventional Tips to Stop Abandoning Your Goals And Finish Something 24:47

5M ago24:47

24:47

📚 Some very exciting news: my book Untethered: A Beginner’s Guide to Solo Travel is officially available for pre-order on Kindle! It’s part handbook, part workbook, part travel memoir. Check out the preview on my website or pre-order on Amazon Kindle to be the very first to get the book when it goes live on Sunday, 29 June. ____ Do you feel like yo…

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War, Noah’s Ark, and Disruption 8:20

6M ago8:20

8:20

In this episode, I unpack the global moment we're in through the lens of prophecy, personal disruption, and spiritual survival. From U.S. military conflict to James Baldwin to Noah’s ark, we’re spiraling into what it means to prepare for uncertainty, live in truth, and stop calling fear “faith.” Because make no mistake: the fire is here. But what s…

1
The Politics of Desire: The Sex Education I Got from Philosophers (That I Wish I Got in High School) 41:22

6M ago41:22

41:22

Our desires, our turn-ons, our ideas of sex… where do they come from? And who benefits from them? Because sex isn’t just an act. It’s an archive of cultural conditioning. This episode is a crash course in feminist philosophy, critical theory, and the tangled relationship between sex, power, and culture. From shitty sex ed classes to porn culture, i…

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If You're Asking “Should I Break Up With Them?” You Already Have… And Other Unhinged Truths I'm Learning in My Twenties 25:03

6M ago25:03

25:03

I just came out of one of the most inspiring conversations with a friend and had to hit record. So today, we're talking about the kinds of lessons that shake your worldview and leave you wondering how no one told you this sooner. Some of what we cover: The breakup question that answers itself How bitterness is often just blocked creativity Why your…

1
Walking on Water, The Soft Life, and Hard Things 9:54

6M ago9:54

9:54

This week, the spiral starts with a coaching session… and ends at Juneteenth. From frustration to grace, Karmen unpacks what it really means to want freedom, follow Jesus, and live the “soft life.” Because here’s the truth: disruption is a hard thing. And trust? That might be the hardest thing of all.…

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Solo Travel vs. Group Trips: How to Know Which One’s for You — and How to Make the Most of Both 32:39

6M ago32:39

32:39

What do you need more right now — to remember who you are, or to remember you're not alone? In this episode, we dive into the real differences between solo travel and group trips — not just the logistics, but the soul of the thing. From rooftop dance parties in Udaipur to quiet solo moments that changed me, I explore how each kind of journey offers…

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Rest Without Rot: How to Spend a Weekend That Actually Recharges You 35:54

6M ago35:54

35:54

We’ve forgotten how to rest and it’s costing us more than we think. In this episode, I dive into what it means to actually feel restored after the weekend, not just distracted, numbed, or hungover. Let's redefine what intentional rest looks like (spoiler: it’s not just doing nothing), we talk nervous system repair, dopamine menus, and why scrolling…

1
Plastic on the Sofa, Black Homophobia, and Supremacy and Certainty. 10:12

6M ago10:12

10:12

What if some of our most deeply held beliefs aren’t culture... but control? This week on Overthinking, we spiral into the unspoken scripts we call tradition, the fear that disguises itself as morality, and what freedom might look like if we finally stop performing. Don’t press play unless you’re ready to question everything and possibly lose your B…

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The Truth About Closure And What You Actually Need To Move On 41:40

6M ago41:40

41:40

We think closure is a conversation. A final text. An apology. But more often than not, it’s silence—and confusion. In this deeply personal episode, I talk about the kind of closure I never got, what I learned from it, and why waiting for someone to explain their confusion might be the thing keeping you stuck. From messy endings to aisle-seat breakd…

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7 Things That Don't Belong in a Life You Love 30:16

6M ago30:16

30:16

You can’t build a life that feels truly your own if you’re carrying things that don’t belong to you. In this episode — a part two to How to Build a Life That Feels Like Yours — I explore the emotional clutter we need to let go of: resentment, guilt-tripping, over-explaining, comparison, victimhood, fear of loneliness, and more. This one’s about rad…

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Reimagining Your Twenties: How To Create A Life That Feels Like Your Own 30:00

6M ago30:00

30:00

What if the version of success you’re chasing isn’t actually yours? In this episode, I talk about throwing out the blueprint, redefining your values, and choosing a life that makes you feel lit up, not burned out. I’ll walk you through: Signs you’re living on autopilot How to re-evaluate your values and beliefs My own turning point that made me que…

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Breaking the Algorithm, Colman Domingo, and Fitting In 8:58

6M ago8:58

8:58

Colman Domingo said bring your love, your hope, and your dedication—with no guarantee it’ll ever work. This week, I’m spiraling on what happens when you stop chasing the algorithm and start honoring your truth. Because trying to fit in won’t get you free.بقلم Karmen Michael Smith

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Welcome: Solo Travel, Self-Growth, and Saying Yes Anyway 18:08

6M ago18:08

18:08

It’s 3AM in a tiny Airbnb in Rajasthan, India. I have a full travel day ahead, a 7AM meeting on the books—and yet here I am, recording the first episode of a podcast I’ve been dreaming about for months. Welcome to Lost and Found, a space for anyone navigating the beautiful, confusing mess of their twenties. In this raw, unscripted debut, I talk abo…

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DC Black Pride, Chasing Pleasure, and Freedom Ain't Free 9:14

6M ago9:14

9:14

This week, your Overthinker-in-Chief Karmen Michael Smith spirals into a layered reflection on freedom—not just political, but personal, embodied, and spiritual. From a conversation about emotional well-being, to the joy and tension of DC’s Black Pride, to the cost of sexual liberation in a world that polices Black queer bodies, this episode asks: …

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What Survives the Fire: Kim Burrell, Tamar Braxton, Orlando Brown, and the Performance of Pain 8:22

7M ago8:22

8:22

They make us laugh. They make us cringe. Sometimes they make us mad. But what do Kim Burrell, Tamar Braxton, and Orlando Brown all have in common? They’ve all been crowned “too much.” Too dramatic. Too messy. Too unpredictable. And yet… we can’t look away. In this episode of Overthinking with Karmen, your Overthinker-in-Chief Karmen Michael Smith s…

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Raw Dogging, Barebacking & the Return to Reality 6:20

7M ago6:20

6:20

What do Gen Z’s “barebacking” trend, raw dogging flights, and the future of social media all have in common? Spiral with me as we explore the quiet rebellion against distraction, the power of presence, and why the next revolution won’t be posted—it’ll be lived.بقلم Karmen Michael Smith

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E13: Jobs, Dropouts, and Disappearing in America 8:51

7M ago8:51

8:51

What do being unemployed, your cousin dropping out of high school, and feeling invisible all have in common? Spiral with me as we unpack how capitalism confuses labor with worth, why the system ejects those who can’t conform, and why being pushed out might be the first step toward designing a life that’s actually yours.…

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E12: The Met Gala, Janet Jackson, and Grandma’s House 7:08

7M ago7:08

7:08

What do the Met Gala, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation, and Grandma’s house have in common? Spiral with me as we explore how Black aesthetic has never just been about looking good—it’s been survival, sanctuary, and spiritual resistance in a world that never meant for us to thrive.بقلم Karmen Michael Smith

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E11: Unemployment, Ryan Coogler, and Strange Earthquakes 6:32

7M ago6:32

6:32

What do unemployment, Ryan Coogler, and your strange earthqukes have in common? Spiral with me as we explore why real freedom feels terrifying at first, why unprecedented moves often get mistaken for mistakes, and why stepping into a life with no blueprint might just be the real revolution.بقلم Karmen Michael Smith

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E10: Beyonce, Oxtails, and Generational Wealth 7:52

8M ago7:52

7:52

Why did Beyoncé pull her music off TikTok? Why are oxtails $40 a plate? And why are you giving away your family’s inheritance for free? Spiral with me as we unpack how protecting your legacy—your creativity, your culture, your voice—isn’t gatekeeping. It’s survival. Generational wealth isn’t just about making money; it’s about knowing what’s worth …

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E9: DEI, Yoga, and Learning to Live on Purpose 10:40

8M ago10:40

10:40

What do job loss, noisy windows, Instagram fatigue, and skipping a yoga session with Black Q+ men have in common? Spiral with me as we talk about what it means to design a life you're actually living, not performing, and why the ones who really want to find you… will.بقلم Karmen Michael Smith

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E8: Being Stood Up, Missy Elliott, and Rising Costs 10:22

8M ago10:22

10:22

What do a second date that never happened, Missy Elliott’s Coachella performance, and high costs have in common? Spiral with me as we unpack the premium price we’re all paying for presence—how we spend big to be seen, but rarely show up for what matters. And why being rare isn’t the problem, but the world’s inability to value it just might be.…

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E6: Starbucks, Sugar, and the Death of the Third Place 6:31

8M ago6:31

6:31

What do Starbucks, sugar, and the death of the Third Place have in common? Spiral with me as we explore what we actually need from our spaces—and why good coffee might not be enough to save them.بقلم Karmen Michael Smith

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