Drinking Tea with Monsters: OCD, Mental Health, Pop Culture & Ghost Stories

Leela Dua
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

OCD is exhausting, isolating, and wildly misunderstood, so we made a podcast about it. Drinking Tea with Monsters is a weekly mental health podcast hosted by sisters Leela and Pri. Every episode, we get honest about what it actually feels like to live with OCD and anxiety: the intrusive thoughts, the compulsions, the ERP therapy wins, and the really hard days. But because OCD is heavy, we balance it with two other things we love: pop culture obsessions — books, TV binges, viral trends, celebrity deep-dives — and a true ghost story or paranormal tale to close every episode. Because nothing quiets an anxious brain like a good scare. If you have OCD, love someone who does, or you've ever Googled 'is this OCD or am I just anxious?' at 2am, this show is for you. New episodes every Wednesday. Topics we cover: OCD subtypes, intrusive thoughts, ERP therapy, OCPD, dissociation, OCD in children, religious scrupulosity, relationship OCD (ROCD), contamination OCD, harm OCD, magical thinking OCD, postpartum OCD, anxiety management, the gut-brain connection, neurodivergence, ADHD, and how to find the right therapist — plus ghost stories, pop-culture, trends, celeb gossip, conspiracy theories, Broadway, book clubs, and very strong opinions about TV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 5d ago

    OCD Comorbidities: If OCD isn't the whole picture, what else is going on? + The Last Ditch Lesbian Bar Saga, Musical Encores from the Pop Girlies (Taylor Swift, Hilary Duff, Ms. Rachel, Peppa Pig, and Elmo) & the Iron Man of Prague

    What if OCD isn't the only thing your brain is managing? For most people with OCD, it isn't. This week Leela and Pri dive into OCD comorbidities, the conditions that most commonly occur alongside OCD: anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD, MCAS, POTS and more. What does it mean to have multiple diagnoses? How do they interact? And why does understanding them change how you approach treatment? But first: your weekly pop culture roundup! The Last Ditch Bar and Arts Venue, a lesbian bar in Greenfield, Massachusetts, dropped its mask mandate this August. The queer community was divided. We unpack the full story. Then: New music and the stories behind it from Taylor Swift's Encore, to collabs from Hilary Duff and Dashboard Confessional and Peppa Pig and Elmo. And Ms. Rachel's first album. Last but not least, we attend the Lauren Graham and Melissa McCarthy reunion to kick off Gilmore Girls season! And to close: Prague, Platnéřská Street, sometime in the 17th century. Jáchym Berka was engaged to be married when he left to defend his country. He came back to rumours that his beloved had been unfaithful. How did that lead him to spend eternity with his father in law? Pour your tea. Put on some Ms. Rachel and don't believe the rumors. And if you're in Prague in 2109, be kind to the man in iron. ☕ LINKS TO STUFF I'm, like, totally obsessed... Elmo and peppa pig: https://youtu.be/tRMGlo9LXZI?si=2eYCMLX8J1cRsQEWGilmore Girls: Lauren Graham and Melissa McCarthy | Variety Women of PowerMs Rachels new album: https://msrachel.orch.streamTaylor’s EncoreHillary Duff 2027 Tour Dates: https://www.hilaryduff.com/live (supporting act varies by date) OCD Co-morbidities The most common comorbidities with OCD (NOCD)OCD: Related Conditions (Beyond OCD) Spooky Storytime Iron man of PraguePhiladelphia cream cheese commercialOCD Resources IOCDF Psychology Today 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Sep 23

    Derealisation, Depersonalisation & Dissociation: What OCD Does to Your Sense of Reality + The Sallie House: A haunting documented on TV as it was happening

    You know that feeling of being disconnected from your own body? Or being physically present but not actually there? That's not just anxiety. It has a name. This week Leela and Pri explore derealisation, depersonalisation and dissociation. What they are, how they connect to OCD and chronic illness, why they're so frightening when they happen, and why understanding them is the first step to making them less terrifying. And we're completely obsessed with Sam Smith's foodie Instagram. The foodie hot takes, the endearing term for their followers, and not least, the dining recommendations. The unhinged joy of it all. We also take several of our famous detours into Ed Sheeran, The Great British Bake Off, and a broader conversation about celebrity culture and why Leela might be slightly too invested. And to close: the Sallie House, Atchison, Kansas, 1993. A young couple — Tony and Debra Pickman — move in with their newborn son. At first, the house feels almost playful, and the baby is happy with whatever presence is lingering, so no problem right? Wrong! Soon, Tony begins experiencing things that go bump, scratch and light fires in the night. They filmed it. America's most documented poltergeist case, and one of the most unsettling ghost stories we've ever told. Pour your tea. Stay grounded. Don't look in the mirror too long. ☕ I'm, like, totally obsessed with... Sam Smith's Food IG: @samserved OCD Can OCD cause derealization? IOCDF NOCD DTWM Sallie House (Atchison, Kansas) Tangent Stuff The Great British Bakeoff (Netflix) Nigella Lawson says "microwave" (YouTube) That Gilmore Girls reboot ad (YouTube) Contact Us IG: @drinkingteawithmonsters EMAIL: drinkingteamwithmosters@gmail.com OCD Resources IOCDF Psychology Today 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Sep 16

    Shrinking, Grief & OCD: Jason Segel, Harrison Ford & Why Jimmy Laird is the Most Relatable Therapist on TV (Spoilers!)

    Shrinking is the Apple TV+ show about a grieving therapist who stops following the rules, and it might be the most honest portrayal of therapy, grief and anxiety on television right now. In part two of the DTWM OCD AV Club and the Bill Lawarence/Brett Goldstein mental health universe of shows, Leela and Pri turn their attention to Shrinking, the series about Jimmy Laird, a therapist so consumed by his own grief that he starts telling his patients exactly what he thinks. It's funny, it's devastating, and it has more to say about anxiety, avoidance, grief, and the messy reality of getting better than most dedicated mental health content. Leela and Pri unpack what Shrinking gets right about mental health, including OCD, what it gets wrong, and why Jimmy Laird might be the most relatable therapist on television, not because he's good at his job, but because he isn't. Plus: Harrison Ford doing the best work of his career, Michael Urie delivering the monologue of his career, and the return of Emily Gilmore. Two shows. One question answered. And possibly a third recommendation by the end. Spoilers throughout. You've been warned. ☕ Other TV shows we rate/mentioned in this episode: Shrinking (Apple TV)Ted Lasso (Apple TV)Rooster (HBO Max)Scrubs (Disney+, Hulu)Spin CitySaved by the BellHome Improvement (Hulu, Disney+)Only Murders in the Building (Hulu, Disney+)The Americans (Hulu)Ozarks (Netflix)Gilmore Girls (Hulu, Disney+) OCD Resources IOCDF Psychology Today 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Sep 9

    Ted Lasso, Therapy & OCD: What the Show Gets Right About Mental Health — Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham & Roy Kent (Spoilers!)

    Ted Lasso isn't just a feel-good show. It's one of the most thoughtful explorations of mental health, therapy, and OCD-adjacent thinking on television. This week Leela and Pri launch the DTWM OCD AV Club: because sometimes the most important conversations about mental health happen through the media we love. In part one of two, they unpack the therapy and mental health themes running through Ted Lasso: the way the show portrays anxiety, avoidance, the resistance to getting help, and what it actually looks like when someone starts to do the work. Plus the complicated, beautiful mess that is Ted Lasso's own mental health journey, and why Dr. Sharon Fieldstone is one of the best fictional therapist on television. Next week: Shrinking. Two shows, one question, what does good mental health storytelling actually look like? Spoilers throughout. You've been warned. ☕ OCD Resources IOCDF Psychology Today 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Sep 2

    Clinical OCD vs. OCD Tendencies: Does Pri Have OCD? + Leah Remini on RHOBH, My Chemical Romance & Vampires with OCD

    Pri is back and the sisters waste no time getting into the lore behind MCR, whether their South Asian culture has influenced their mental health and Pri's relationship with vampires. Pri returns from trips to England and Florida, and we get the full debrief. Then Leela shares what she's been obsessing over while Pri was away: Leah Remini joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and My Chemical Romance on tour, specifically their extraordinary storytelling and the way they build a world around their music. Then we get into the real business of the week: does Pri have OCD? Leela and Pri investigate Pri's OCD tendencies, dig into the difference between having OCD tendencies and having OCD, and ask the questions that don't get asked enough: What actually causes OCD? Can culture influence OCD? And can the causes exist separately from the condition itself? And to close: Pri tells us about her fear of vampires. Which is ironic. Because in Eastern European folklore, vampires were believed to suffer from arithmomania, a compulsive need to count. Villagers scattered seeds, grains of rice, and poppy seeds at their doors and graves, knowing the vampire would be compelled to stop and count every single one before sunrise. It's the reason Sesame Street's Count von Count exists. And it means that Pri's most feared creature and her potential OCD tendencies have more in common than she'd like to admit. Pour your tea. Count your seeds. Welcome back, Pri. ☕ We're Totally Obsessed... Leah Remini on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills King of Queens (on CBS and Paramount+) Kevin Can Wait (IMDb) Kevin Can F**k Himself (on AMC+, Sling TV, Prime) My Chemical Romance Tour Rooster (HBO Max) Spooky Storytime Count Von Count (Sesame Street)  OCD Resources IOCDF Psychology Today 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. Aug 26

    Death Anxiety & OCD: The Fear Beneath the Fear + Remembering Dolly Parton

    Remembering Dolly Parton. Leela is flying solo this week, and she's holding space for Dolly Parton, the rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the whole world to see. A woman who rose from the Smoky Mountains to become one of the most beloved, generous, and joyful humans who ever lived. We talk about what she meant, what she leaves behind, and why losing her feels personal even if you never met her. Then, because we're talking about death, Leela dives into death anxiety in OCD, one of the most universal and least discussed OCD themes. Sitting with the intrusive thoughts about mortality and how we can process these fears on a topic where certainty doesn't exist. And to close: something lighter this week. Leela reads sinister affirmations for every sign, earth, air, water, and fire. The dark motivations you need to hear! Pour your tea. Put on a Dolly song. You're going to be okay. ☕ OCD Resources IOCDF Psychology Today 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Aug 19

    OCD Check-In: Leela updates us on her journey + Shahid Kapoor's Cocktail 2, Lena Dunham's new musical, Rosie O'Donnell returns and the Ghost Story That Started It All

    Pri is on vacation. Leela is flying solo. What could possibly go wrong? This week it's just Leela, and she's doing what any self-respecting podcast host does when left unsupervised: she's giving us all the juicy details. From classic Americana pumpkin spice coffee to Bollywood's Cocktail 2, Leela's tried them both and she's got thoughts. Then we deep dive into the world of pop-culture, Rosie O'Donnell is back in the conversation in the best possible way, and our old friend Lena Dunham has just announced a Broadway musical of 10 Things I Hate About You with Carly Rae Jepsen writing the music. Then Leela gets honest. A personal OCD check-in: where she is right now, how the journey has been feeling lately, what's shifted, what hasn't, and what it actually looks like to live with OCD in real time. And, of course, Leela being Leela, there are pop-culture tangents, and we get to hear all about My Chemical Romance and how her relationship is with them today. And to close: the first ghost story Leela ever heard at a slumber party in elementary school. Someone turned off the lights and turned up the spookiness. And she has thought about it ever since. Some monsters stay with you. ☕ I'm, like, totally obsessed... Cocktail 2 (Netflix)Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ft. Shah Rukh Khan (Netflix)Dilwale Dulhania Lejayenge ft. Shah Rukh Khan (Netflix)Hilary Duff TourTed Lasso (Apple TV)Lena Dunham musical announcement (Playbill)10 Things I Hate About You (Disney+)Rosie O'Donnell on Good Hang with Amy PoehlerRosie O'Donnell on Jimmy KimmelMy Chemical Romance Tour OCD Resources IOCDF Psychology Today 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. Aug 12

    Emotional Contamination OCD: When Feelings Become the Fear + DTWM's First Anniversary, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Drama, Hilary & Haylie Duff's Feud, the Gilmore Girls Documentary & the Hellfire Club of Ireland

    Happy first anniversary to us, and to everyone who's been drinking tea with us since the beginning. ☕ One year in, and we are celebrating the way we know best: with a pop culture roundup so packed it needs its own episode. Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has just wrapped its four-part finale on Disney Channel, and the behind-the-scenes drama is almost more interesting than the show itself.Then there's Hilary Duff, who is back with new music, a sold-out tour, and songs about her estrangement from sister Haylie, including "We Don't Talk," which she's confirmed is about their rift, calling it, in her own words, an "emotional eviction."And as if this week couldn't get more millennial: an official Gilmore Girls documentary is headed to HBO Max, directed by Bonni Cohen, featuring Amy Sherman-Palladino, Daniel Palladino, and Lauren Graham herself, with never-before-seen outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, and script pages. Stock up on coffee.  Then we get into this week's OCD topic: emotional contamination OCD, the subtype where the fear isn't germs or harm, but feelings. The dread that a person, place, or object carries a negative emotional residue that will transfer to you. The ex's jumper you can't wear anymore. The friend whose bad luck feels contagious. The song that played during the worst moment of your life and can never be listened to again. One of the most personal and least talked-about OCD subtypes, and one of the most relatable. And to close: high up in the Dublin mountains, the ruins of the Hellfire Club sit atop Montpelier Hill, a 5,000-year-old site built over by Ireland's wealthiest man in 1725, who destroyed a prehistoric cairn to do it. Ghost hunters have reported screams, apparitions, and traces of rituals ever since, but the most notable spirit is much darker. Pour your tea. Happy anniversary. Don't go up the mountain after dark. ☕ We're totally obsessed... Wizards of Waverly Place (Disney+)Wizards Beyond Waverly Place (Disney+)Hilary Duff on Tourluck...or something, Hilary DuffLauren Graham on Gilmore Girls doc'Gilmore Girls' Documentary In The Works For HBO Max (Deadline) OCD What is emotional contamination OCD and how is it treated? (NOCD)Emotional Contamination (IOCDF) OCD Resources IOCDF Psychology Today 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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About

OCD is exhausting, isolating, and wildly misunderstood, so we made a podcast about it. Drinking Tea with Monsters is a weekly mental health podcast hosted by sisters Leela and Pri. Every episode, we get honest about what it actually feels like to live with OCD and anxiety: the intrusive thoughts, the compulsions, the ERP therapy wins, and the really hard days. But because OCD is heavy, we balance it with two other things we love: pop culture obsessions — books, TV binges, viral trends, celebrity deep-dives — and a true ghost story or paranormal tale to close every episode. Because nothing quiets an anxious brain like a good scare. If you have OCD, love someone who does, or you've ever Googled 'is this OCD or am I just anxious?' at 2am, this show is for you. New episodes every Wednesday. Topics we cover: OCD subtypes, intrusive thoughts, ERP therapy, OCPD, dissociation, OCD in children, religious scrupulosity, relationship OCD (ROCD), contamination OCD, harm OCD, magical thinking OCD, postpartum OCD, anxiety management, the gut-brain connection, neurodivergence, ADHD, and how to find the right therapist — plus ghost stories, pop-culture, trends, celeb gossip, conspiracy theories, Broadway, book clubs, and very strong opinions about TV. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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