Share
Drinking Tea with Monsters
The Halloween Episode: Everybody Scream, Nobody Wants This, and other thoughts from people living with OCD
Ep. 14
•
On this episode of Drinking Tea with Monsters, the podcast about OCD and other, less scary, monsters, we are very lucky to have special guests Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman, two folklorists and BFFs who run The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, a (mostly) online school dedicated to helping people re-enchant their lives through folklore and fairy tales.
Together, we deep dive into the things we're totally obsessed with, from Florence and the Machine's upcoming album, Everybody Scream, to the latest season of the Netflix rom-com starring Adam Brody and Kristin Bell, Nobody Wants This, to the what's new in Hallmark Halloween and Christmas fare, Haul Out the Halloween starring Lacey Chabert and the cast of Halloweentown.
Brittany shares her lived experience of growing up with OCD, what triggered the onset, how she got help, and the tools she uses to manage it day to day. She shares how Sara has supported her and the co-founders talk about working together to highlight their individual skills.
Then we drink tea with fairytale monsters, when Sara and Brittany treat us to a fantastic fairytale, The Boy Who Went Forth To Learn About Fear.
Tune in to be truly terrified this spooky season.
LINKS TO STUFF
I'm, like, totally obsessed with...
Everybody Scream by Florence and the Machine - out October 31, pre-order now!
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Haul Out the Halloween (Hallmark)
OCD
The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
DTWM
The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic
Pre-order Fairylore by Brittany Warman and Sara Cleto
Socials: IG: @carterhaugh.school | Pinterest: @carterhaughschool | YT: @carterhaughschool | FB: @carterhaughschool
Contact Us
EMAIL: drinkingteamwithmosters@gmail.com
OCD Resources
Looking for another cozy listen?
🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.
Contact Us
📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters
📧 EMAIL: drinkingteamwithmosters@gmail.com
More episodes
View all episodes
41. Is Accepting OCD the Answer? + Tarot and Mental Health & the Curse of Draga di Lovrana
58:46||Ep. 41Is accepting OCD the answer? It might be the bravest thing you can do!This week, Leela and Pri get into acceptance. What does it actually mean to accept living with OCD and other mental health conditions? Why is acceptance so often given a negative spin and classified as giving up or "just dealing with it,"? We deep dive into whether genuine acceptance can actually be one of the most powerful tools in the entire recovery toolkit.But first: tarot! Is it spiritual practice, superstition, or something that edges too close to OCD territory? Leela and Pri pull back the curtain on what draws people to tarot, what it can offer, and where the line gets blurry.And to close: a haunting trip to the Croatian coast and Draga di Lovrana, a clifftop hotel above the Bay of Kvarner with a curse baked into its foundation. Built in 1908, burned down in an alleged insurance scheme in 1923, and seemingly cursed ever since, owners who bought the ruins kept dying of sudden illness, one after another, as if the house itself were choosing who got to stay. Some locals say there's an even older, darker history beneath it. We'll let you decide.So, pour your tea, pull your cards, and accept the fate of spending the next hour catching up with us, and of course the monsters!It’s not me, it’s the OCDWe're Totally Obsessed withThe Sheep DetectivesThe Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the FantasticDark whimsical tarot deckRider Waite tarot deckCoralineDevon and BlakelyBeware (Winnie the Pooh)OCD IOCDF40. OCD: Supporting a loved one + Brett Goldstein's Office Romance & the Belcourt Castle haunting
01:21:50||Ep. 40This is a fan favourite episode, back by popular demand. OCD triggers are everywhere, and knowing what they are is half the battle. This week, Pri talks about her experience supporting Leela's OCD journey and some strategies she's learned along the way on how to support a loved one with OCD, how to avoid falling into the reassurance trap, and what you can do to help if someone you love is going through it. Pri is also deep in a Brett Goldstein spiral — Roy Kent, SuperBob, All of You, and his latest with JLo, Office Romance — and we totally get it! We close with the chilling history of Belcourt Castle in Rhode Island, where the ghosts have very strong opinions about the antiques.LINKS TO STUFFI'm, like, totally obsessed with...Brett Goldstein and all of his worksOffice Romance (Netflix)Superbob (Amazon, Roku, & Tubi)All of You (Apple TV)Ted Lasso (Apple TV)Shrinking (Apple TV)OCDIf you are suicidal or in emotional distress, consider using the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.Call or text 988 or start a chat online to connect with a trained crisis counselor. The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.Living with someone with OCD: How to help and support them (NOCD)Living With Someone Who Has OCD. Guidelines for Family Members (IOCDF)Families: “What Can I Do to Help?” (IOCDF)Helping someone with OCD (MindUK)DTWMBelcourt CastleContact UsIG: @drinkingteawithmonsters EMAIL: drinkingteamwithmosters@gmail.com39. OCD, Community & True Crime Advocacy: Erika McCoy on the IOCDF, Mental Health & Whether Octopuses Are Bent on World Domination
36:11||Ep. 39The octopuses are organizing. The IOCDF can help. Coincidence? Probably.This week on Drinking Tea with Monsters, the podcast about OCD and other less scary monsters, we open by diving deep, literally into the ocean to ask the question keeping us up at night: are octopuses plotting world domination? We investigate the evidence. It's not great.Then we're back with Erika McCoy, IOCDF advocate and artist, for part two of a conversation that just keeps giving. This week we go deeper into Erika's work with the International OCD Foundation, what the IOCDF actually does, how it can help you find community aligned to your special interests if you're living with OCD, and how you can get involved no matter where you are in your journey.Then Erika takes us somewhere unexpected: true crime advocacy, and the ways mental health is woven into that world more than most people realize. It's a perspective you won't hear anywhere else.No spooky story this week but fear not, we'll be back next week with more tea and more monsters. We promise.OCDIOCDFIOCDF Special Interest GroupsIOCDF - Find a TherapistNot Alone NotesVase Your FearsErika McCoyFB: erika.mckenzie.391IG: @creativitea_plus_mhaTT: @creativitea_plus_mha38. OCD, Religious Scrupulosity & the Boy Meets World Breakup: Erika McCoy on Faith, Art & Healing
50:16||Ep. 38OCD doesn't care that you loved Boy Meets World. Neither do we.This week on Drinking Tea with Monsters, the podcast about OCD and other less scary monsters, we open with the drama nobody asked for but everyone's talking about: Why did Ben Savage (Cory Matthews himself) ghost Danielle Fishel (Topanga), Rider Strong (Shawn), and Will Friedle (Eric)? We break down the Pod Meets World fallout, what it might mean, and yes, we're making it about mental health.Then we sit down with Erika McCoy, IOCDF advocate and artist, for a conversation that is equal parts raw and hopeful. Erika walks us through her personal OCD journey, including religious scrupulosity, the exhausting loop of reviewing, and how she found her way to healing through art. Whether you're newly diagnosed, years into recovery, or just OCD-curious, Erika is exactly the voice you need to hear.We close out with a deeply strange piece of internet history: a spooky story about soup, stretching from the early days of the web through YouTube and the rise of social media. You'll never look at a bowl of broth the same way.Bonus: We have Panera thoughts. Specifically broccoli cheddar soup thoughts. No notes.I'm totally obsessed with: Pod Meets WorldOCDIOCDFIOCDF Special Interest GroupsIOCDF - Find a TherapistNot Alone NotesVase Your FearsErika McCoy FB: erika.mckenzie.391 IG: @creativitea_plus_mha TT: @creativitea_plus_mha37. OCD, Uncertainty & Intrusive Thoughts: Why Your Brain Won't Let Go (+ Garth Brooks Serial Killer Theory & a Virginia Ghost Story)
01:05:09||Ep. 37This is a fan favourite episode, back by popular demand.OCD and uncertainty are a brutal combination, and this week we get into why. Leela unpacks what it actually feels like when your brain locks onto a thought and won't release it, how uncertainty fuels the OCD cycle, and the real strategies that help break it.Then things get chaotic in the best way. We investigate the viral theory that Garth Brooks might be a serial killer, and how comedian Tom Segura came to be a key witness.And we get into the social media algorithm and why it's making all of us a little more anxious than we need to be.We close with a ghost story: Pri tells the haunting tale of Mrs. Bagsby, the spectral resident of the Ubon Thai Victorian Restaurant and Inn in Staunton, Virginia. Unsettling, atmospheric, and absolutely worth staying for.For fans of true crime, paranormal stories, and honest mental health conversations.36. The Devil Wears Prada 2, dissociation, and a haunted train
40:02||Ep. 36In this episode of Drinking Tea With Monsters, the podcast about OCD and other, less scary monsters, we unpack the genius of Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in the Devil Wears Prada 2. Then we take a page out of Lena Dunham's book, Famesick, and Pri walks us through dissociation. Pri and Leela both share their experiences.Leela takes us home with the haunting story of the Zanetti Train mystery. We're obsessedThe Devil wears Prada 2YesteryearLetstalk.ocd's Post on the Devil Wears Prada and OCDThe CutThe Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the FantasticManifestResident AlienRemarkably Bright CreaturesOCDIOCDFLooking for another cozy listen?🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.Contact Us📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters 📧 EMAIL: drinkingteamwithmosters@gmail.com35. OCD Book Club: Famesick by Lena Dunham
01:13:00||Ep. 35In this episode of Drinking Tea With Monsters, the podcast about OCD and other, less scary monsters, we dive into Famesick by Lena Dunham through the lens of OCD, What happens when ambition, anxiety, self-image, and obsession collide? We unpack the emotional undercurrents of fame culture, perfectionism, intrusive thoughts, the need to be seen, and the complicated relationship between authenticity and attention.This conversation moves beyond celebrity memoir discourse and into something more personal: the lengths we go to for approval, the stories we tell ourselves to stay in control, and the ways OCD can intertwine with creativity, shame, and visibility.Pour a cup of tea and join us for a thoughtful, messy, vulnerable discussion about obsession, art, and what it means to want connection while fearing exposure.Topics include: OCD, intrusive thoughts, fame culture, perfectionism, identity, anxiety, memoir writing, vulnerability, and compulsive behavior.Read...Famesick by Lena DunhamWatch...Tiny Furniture (HBO)Girls (HBO)Too Much (Netflix)OCDIOCDFLooking for another cozy listen?🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.Contact Us📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters 📧 EMAIL: drinkingteamwithmosters@gmail.com34. Big Mistakes, Better Days, and the Summerwind Mansion
01:01:40||Ep. 34From the Kim and Kylie Kardashian, the Ross and Monica Geller, the David and Alexis Rose of OCD podcasting, in this week's Drinking Tea with Monsters, we’re catching up. From Dan Levy's Big Mistakes, to autobiographies we've read to the ones on our TBR. Leela share a surprisingly positive experience navigating OCD while traveling, where uncertainty didn’t win for once. And of course, no episode would be complete without a chilling tale: we’re diving into the eerie history of Summerwind Mansion, a place where reality feels just slightly… off. Pour yourself a cup and settle in, this one moves between fear, reflection, and a few ghosts that refuse to stay quiet.I'm Obsessed...Big Mistakes (Netflix)Deli Boys (Hulu)Mr. Blobby (Our nightmares)AutobiographiesOoh! What a Lovely Pair: Our Story by Ant and Dec Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna KendrickFamesick by Lena DunhamOCDIOCDFLooking for another cozy listen?🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.Contact Us📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters 📧 EMAIL: drinkingteamwithmosters@gmail.com33. Yoga With Snakes, Things I Didn’t Realize Were OCD, and Book Recommendations From a Ghost
51:05||Ep. 33In this episode of Drinking Tea with Monsters, we dive into chaos with snake yoga, because apparently stretching is better when there are snakes involved… but is it actually relaxing? Of course, us being us, we take a few detours into the world of Australian soaps (Neighbors and Home and Away anyone?) and The OC, and the Jungle Book. It all makes sense when you listen, I promise! From there, we explore the subtle, often overlooked ways OCD can show up. The thoughts that slowly evolve so you don't realize they are OCD. What might feel like overthinking, could be something more. From repeating thoughts, feeling just right, to indecision, we talk about how to recognize the thoughts, and the recognizing the differences between regular overthinking and OCD..We wrap things up with a chilling encounter with a ghost in a library, complete with eerie vibes and unexpected book recommendations.If you love weird wellness trends, mental health discussions, and spooky stories, this episode blends humor, curiosity, and the supernatural in true Drinking Tea with Monsters fashion.I'm Obsessed...Neighbors Home and AwayThe OCThe Jungle BookBook ListAnxious People by Fredrik BackmanA man called Ove by Fredrik BackmanBeartown by Fredrik BackmanMy Friends by Fredrik BackmanA Woman is No Man by Etaf RumOCDIOCDFLooking for another cozy listen?🎧 Check out Leela's other podcast, No Dating Till You're Married, an audiobook podcast. Gilmore Girls meets Crazy Rich Asians.Contact Us📱 IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters 📧 EMAIL: drinkingteamwithmosters@gmail.com