Question from the audience!
"How can you be yourself without hurting someone you love?" Let's talk about disappointing people when you choose yourself!
Did something happen in your life you want our take on?
Send us your questions and we will give you a piece of our mind, but obviously, NO advice :)
The episode where Nadia and Vienda speak to their fatigue at 'having to do it all' as the singular individualistic culture we live in prescribes us to in order to keep consuming at the highest levels possible and what the antidote for that might be, plus how we both are slowly opting out of this narrative of the world and life.
The one where we discuss if we should consume art made by problematic people? And how exactly do you define 'problematic', isn't that all of us? We often hear "it's about the art not the artist", but is it really that simple?
The one where we unpack the trendy concept of manifesting and challenge it with some questions like “Did you really manifest it or were you just in a privileged position?” “Did you maybe get lucky?” “What is the chain of events that lead you to get what you want?” We explore ho we re-define it to something closer to the reality we live in. If you are as tired of it as we are, this is a conversation you don't want to miss! We would love to hear your thoughts on it below!
The episode where we discuss moving through life from our minds vs our bodies. Many people pride themselves on the knowledge they’ve accumulated or on being intellectually bright. Amassing information is interesting but often neglects a deeper dimension of our being—our somatic and emotional intelligence. Buddhist psychology offers the view that becoming an awake human being is largely a matter of emptying and letting go rather than accumulating more and more—more knowledge, power, information, or assets. For example, emptying ourselves of our negative, core beliefs about ourselves enables us to live with greater self-worth and dignity. Suspending our pre-conceived opinions about others and our attempts to change them enables us to be present with people in a more connected, empathic way. Prioritizing information over transformation can rob us of a satisfying life. Our lived experience of life is irreducible and must be accounted for.
The one where we discuss all the beauty and skincare trends we have bought into and tested - maybe you recognise some of them :) We also speak about what the armour of beauty means to us, how we use it and the motivation behind running after trends. Enjoy! Leave us a comment, a question or an email: actuallythisisnotadvice@gmail.com
The one where we give you advice - irony! We get into questions you have sent in and tell you what we think based on our personal experiences and observations on each topic. They include:
Do we feel old? Are we scared of aging? What are the lovely sides of getting older? We answer these questions honestly and rant about the (under)-representation of older women in society and media, crooked eyeliner, saggy boobs and the joys and wisdom of getting older.
The one where we attempt to broach the broad and nuanced topic of beauty, social beauty standards and how they have impacted our lives, experiences of the world and our place in it. This conversation is just a beginning of something longer that needs to be unpacked.
The one where we chat about what we're currently watching on Netflix and our periods now vs. in our twenties. Bust mostly, this is a conversation about if we feel at home anywhere at this point in our life. We both have moved a lot and don't identify strongly with one culture or nationality. So the question of home and belonging can be a tricky one. The answers might surprise you!
A little bit of an interview: Vienda asks Nadia about her religious upbringing, how it shaped her and why she is an atheist today. We talk new-age spirituality based on our own experiences and how growing up Vienda connected with the spiritual world and what it means to her today. We explore if extreme devotion to either ends of the spectrum tends to be from a place of desperation and trauma rather than a healthy desire to seek deeper understanding. Strap yourselves in, it's intense.