Trash Talk: Where Self-Help Cliches Go to Die

Erin Thomas + Erica Breuer
  • 5.0 (3)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS

What if the so-called “truths” about growth and success are actually keeping you playing small? On Trash Talk, hosts Erica Breuer and Erin Thomas unpack empty platitudes and tired cliches that dominate the business and personal development world. These ideas might be popular, but that doesn’t mean they’re useful. Who listens to Trash Talk? Skeptics and Questioners of hollow adviceThose asking why self-help advice failsPeople done with toxic self-help cultureAnyone who wants a place to finally talk openly about all the advice that makes you roll your eyes

  1. DEC 2

    "Clarity is Kind"

    Erin and Erica agree about a lot of things, but this cliche isn’t one of them.  Whether you attribute it to Brené Brown, Melissa Hartwig, or somewhere else in the wellness-industrial complex, “Clarity is kind” is THE cliche where they don’t see eye to eye. Erica gets real about her baggage when it comes to this cliche (spoiler: that baggage has three luscious layers), and Erin does her best to persuade her back into seeing it in a positive light.   Reviews help, but your weird, wild, or painfully familiar cliches are the real gold.  Share them via our hotline:  719-819-2175 Links & Resources Pitchless Networking w/Erica:  https://www.ericabreuer.com/worst-kept-secret/ Multigen Magic YouTube Channel w/Erin  https://www.youtube.com/@multigenmagic Raise Your Voice Community Newsletter  https://www.ericabreuer.com/raise-your-voice/ Follow Erica Breuer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericabreuer/ Follow Erin Thomas:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamerinthomas/ https://www.instagram.com/iamerinthomas/

    25 min

  2. SEASON 2, EPISODE 29 TRAILER

    "Count Your Blessings"

    Yep, Trash Talk is skipping a week.  Thanksgiving, leftovers, existential dread…pick your excuse.  Consider this week a breather for your ears and brain, or a chance to get caught up on those episodes that almost got away. Tell us about the TRASHIEST advice you hear over the holiday… Call the Trash Talk hotline at 719-819-2175 and share your story.  Honestly, your weird, wild, or painfully familiar family cliches are the real feast we’re after. Links & Resources Native Land Digital https://native-land.ca/ Follow Erica Breuer: LinkedIn Follow Erin Thomas: LinkedIn Visit Trash Talk Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2451264

    1 min

  3. NOV 18

    “Your Words Become Your World” Part II

    In this second installment of cliches they love and live by, Erin and Erica reveal the traits that make a cliche worth keeping. The TLDR version: "Done is better than perfect," "Gotta start somewhere," "Your vibe attracts your tribe," "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," "Tell the story only you can tell," "Don’t put all your eggs in one basket," "Pray on your knees, act with your feet," "How you do anything is how you do everything," and "Try anything twice." Whether you’re a perfectionist-in-recovery or just someone tired of surface-level advice, this conversation gives you permission to ditch the advice that doesn’t work and trust what actually moves you forward. Your Turn Tell us the cliche that makes you roll your eye, or secretly nod in agreement.  Call the Trash Talk hotline at 719-819-2175 and share your story.  We might feature it in a future episode. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—reviews help, but your weird, wild, or painfully familiar cliches are the real gold. Links & Resources “Healing is Not my Purpose” by Toni Jones https://open.spotify.com/track/3YjTY55wEzj5PJXexonZPj?si=7689f088bfcd4226 “Just Be Authentic” https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2451264/episodes/16894441-just-be-authentic  Follow Erica Breuer: LinkedIn  Follow Erin Thomas: LinkedIn  Visit Trash Talk Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2451264

    20 min

  4. NOV 11

    “Your Words Become Your World”

    Just because Trash Talk is the podcast where clichés go to die doesn’t mean Erica  and Erin hate all of them.  This is the episode where they examine cliches they actually live by.  From “clear is kind” to “baffle them with b******t,"  Erin and Erica get honest about cliches that stick for them, as well as where they backfire. Don’t forget to leave a review and call the hotline to share your favorite or most cringe-worthy cliches: 719-819-2175 Links & Resources  Follow Erica Breuer: LinkedIn  Follow Erin Thomas: LinkedIn  Visit Trash Talk Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2451264

    33 min

  5. NOV 4

    "Community is Everything" with Dr. Kalpana Sundar

    “Community is everything,” they say. But what if that “everything” is actually a drain on your time, energy, and sanity?  Erica and Erin sit down with Dr. Kalpana Sundar, health and wealth strategist for MedSpa and healthcare entrepreneurs, to untangle the truth behind one of the most overused platitudes in business. Kalpana brings data and a hefty dose of reality on how to build community that lifts you up (without demanding your soul in the process).  Your turn: tell us the cliche that makes you roll your eyes- or secretly nod in agreement. Call the hotline at 719-819-2175 and don’t forget a review!  Show Notes & Links  Dr. Sundar's Website: drkalpanasundar.com Beauty Unbound: Breaking Free and Living Unapologetically on Amazon https://a.co/d/2wSA6Vw The Unbound Broadcast  https://www.youtube.com/@DrKalpana.Unbound Book a Synergy Session w/ Dr. Sundar https://www.drkalpanasundar.com/synergysession/

    30 min

  6. OCT 28

    “You’re Not the Main Character in Other People’s Stories.”

    Erica and Erin dig into the viral #maincharacterenergy phenomenon, weighing its appeal, its dark side, and what it really means to claim agency in your own life. Together, they ask the question that underlies it all: just who decides who gets to be the main character anyway? Reviews help, but your weird, wild, or painfully familiar cliches are the real gold.  Share them via our hotline:  719-819-2175 Links & resources Narcissism and Agency https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617725537 Cornell Study https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.19037 Read Erin's article in Marketing, Media, & Money https://pattyfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/M3-Mag-Q3-2025-AUGUST-Final.pdf Oh and watch Dinner in America https://www.dinnerinamerica.com/

    21 min

  7. OCT 21

    "Your Soul Speaks in Whispers, Not Shouts"

    What does it actually take to hear your inner voice when your brain- and life- doesn’t work like a Zen meditation retreat?  In this episode, Erica and Erin dismantle the quiet-whisper mantra, why stillness isn’t universally accessible, and how this advice quietly reinforces control (and yes, capitalism). Have a story about when someone hit you with “Your soul speaks in whispers, not shouts”? Leave a message on the Trash Talk hotline at (719) 819-2175- we might feature it on a future episode. And don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review ;) Links The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-problem-of-pain-c-s-lewis/7945663?ean=9780060652968&next=t Life First Speaks to You in a Whisper, Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-first-speaks-to-you-in-a-whisper/id1264843400?i=1000485694852 Associative Thinking and Insight Where Do Eureka Moments Come From?: https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/where-do-eureka-moments-come-from?utm_source=chatgpt.com Dopamine in Creativity https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26783754/

    26 min

  8. OCT 14

    "Don't Confuse Effort With Results" with Nick Power

    This week, Erica and Erin take on the cult of productivity with guest Nick Power, marketer, creator, and professional chaos enthusiast.  Nick shares how he first heard the phrase (hint: it didn’t go well), and how it still haunts the way we talk about work and worth. They also get into what counts as success, how “results-only” thinking dulls creativity, and what might actually be worth measuring instead. Don’t forget to leave us a review and call the hotline to share your favorite or most cringe-worthy cliches: 719-819-2175 Links & resources Nick Power on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcpower/ Nick’s Very Cool, Fun Merch https://uncapitalized-goods.printify.me/

    35 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

What if the so-called “truths” about growth and success are actually keeping you playing small? On Trash Talk, hosts Erica Breuer and Erin Thomas unpack empty platitudes and tired cliches that dominate the business and personal development world. These ideas might be popular, but that doesn’t mean they’re useful. Who listens to Trash Talk? Skeptics and Questioners of hollow adviceThose asking why self-help advice failsPeople done with toxic self-help cultureAnyone who wants a place to finally talk openly about all the advice that makes you roll your eyes

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