The Unvarnished Edit’s Podcast

theunvarnishededit
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Two friends talk about what it's actually like to live an adversity filled life.

  1. 1d ago

    Season 2 Episode 3: Parenting is a Cult (Parenting 1 of 4)

    In season two, episode three of The Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene begin a parenting arc by comparing summer break realities in modified year-round school schedules, including 50/50 custody, teens using one home as a “reset,” and the shift from an “ingredient household” to a “food household.” They reflect on their long friendship built around candid, nonjudgmental conversations about the hard parts of parenting, including parenting young adults. Angie describes parenting through the lens of raising future adults, allowing age-appropriate mistakes, and tailoring parenting to each child’s needs, while Jaelene discusses how her approach has evolved, her critique of homework, and reclaiming balance. They explore nature vs. nurture, cycle-breaking, the challenges of co-parenting with different household rules, and parenting changing across multiple “rounds” of children.   00:00 Welcome and Parenting Arc 08:49 Why Parenting Needs Honesty 14:54 Different Kids Different Needs 16:22 Second Time Parenting and Healing 24:54 Nature Versus Nurture 26:26 Co Parenting Boundaries 31:40 Letting Kids Make Mistakes 38:45 No Control Over Their Paths 40:48 Whats Next and Superfan Shoutout

  2. Aug 13

    Season 2 Episode 2: The Spiritual Path: Beyond Religion (Spirituality 1 of 4)

    In season two, episode two of The Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene begin their spirituality arc by sharing what spirituality means to them and how it differs from religion. They open with Jaelene’s excitement and anxiety about taking her youngest daughter to New York City to see Hamilton (with family joining), including worries about navigating the city and needing supportive shoes due to a knee issue. The conversation then shifts to spirituality as a personal “true north,” community, and connection to a life force (God/source/universe), often expressed through energy work, nature, breathwork, meditation, yoga, and presence. Jaelene describes leaving Mormonism, keeping spirituality private, and developing practices in prison through Buddhism-leaning teachings. They discuss spirituality’s role in resilience and self-regulation, current practices (frequency tracks, breathing, meditation, journaling, nature), grief after Jaelene’s mother’s death, and upcoming episodes on religious trauma, shadow work, and maintaining spirituality when life goes wrong.   00:30 NYC Trip Plans 08:16 Aging And Comfort 09:34 Spirituality Arc Begins 20:09 Prison And Buddhism 22:22 Spirituality Beyond Religion 29:58 Practices That Ground You 33:50 Grief as Spiritual Practice 36:27 Spirituality Is Personal 37:56 Woo-Woo and Joy Link 40:14 Next Episodes Preview 42:22 Closing and Subscribe

  3. Aug 6

    Season 2 Episode 1: Joy is the Matriarch (Joy 1 of 4)

    In season two, episode one of The Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene return to introduce a “joy arc,” exploring what joy means to them and why it can be hard to access after a history of adversity. They open with light banter about competitive Scrabble, loving dictionaries, and finding joy in learning, then shift to how joy and pre-excitement can feel unsafe because happiness can be taken away or dismissed. Angie shares realizing this during a Sesame Street special, while both discuss living on alert, defaulting to negative feelings as “safer,” and needing intentional practice to experience joy. They talk about “The Artist’s Way,” artist dates, permission, made-up rules that block joy, distinguishing happiness from joy, and the idea that joy requires allowing all emotions. They preview season arcs on joy, spirituality, and parenting.   00:00 Season Two Kickoff 06:20 Joy Arc Begins 11:56 Practicing Joy Intentionally 18:41 Too Good To Be True 25:57 Happiness vs Joy 34:24 Tiny Joy Moments 38:19 Safety and Avoidance 39:59 Season Arcs Preview 42:35 Closing and Next Week

  4. May 21

    Episode 12: Season 1 Recap & What’s Next

    In episode 12, the season one finale of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene recap highlights from their first season of sharing personal, public conversations about living an adversity-filled life and discuss the vulnerability and behind-the-scenes work of recording, editing, uploading, and managing clips and metrics. Angie describes how the forgiveness episode reframed the concept for her, while Jaelene reflects on learning new skills, easing perfectionism through an Eastern philosophy “becoming” perspective, and feeling proud about sharing her prison story. They talk about maintaining boundaries by not discussing current hardships, share funny moments (including a spouse listening unexpectedly), note viewer/listener platform curiosity, and announce season two’s structure: three topic arcs—joy and happiness, spirituality, and parenting—plus guests, 12 episodes, and a recap, launching Thursday, August 6th.   00:52 Personal Public Sharing 03:05 Lessons From Forgiveness 04:05 Learning New Skills 07:40 Becoming Philosophy Shift 12:58 Listener Feedback Joy 19:09 Bloopers And Behind Scenes 23:14 Recalling Past Episodes 24:29 Season Two Format Reveal 32:21 Thanks And Season Two Date

  5. May 14

    Episode 11: Boundaries are Kindness

    In episode 11 of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss connecting the topics of forgiveness and boundaries, emphasizing that forgiveness without boundaries can be abusive, and define a boundary (via Prentis Hemphill) as “the closest distance at which I can love both you and myself.” They contrast boundaries with controlling requests (e.g., not “don’t text me after 9,” but “I won’t respond after 9”), discuss how boundaries shift by context, and describe codependency as protecting others from consequences. They share sensory boundaries for CPTSD, using guardrails with kids, practicing boundaries with safe people, and using therapy to craft responses instead of reacting, ending with interest in exploring hyper-independence and interdependence.   00:00 Sleepover Text Panic 03:00 Kids And Boundaries 05:55 What Boundaries Really Are 13:06 Guardrails And Self Care 23:54 Sensory Overload Signals 25:28 From Shame to Self Care 27:03 Practicing Boundaries in Real Life 36:25 Boundaries Love and Closing Thoughts

  6. May 7

    Episode 10: Are We Smoking Again or Do We Just Need More Skills

    In episode 10 of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss their recovery journeys with an activation warning for substance use, ideations, and mental health topics. They talk about needing privacy to speak openly, then explore how recovery differs from sobriety and why addiction can include both substance use disorders and process addictions like fasting, exercise, eating, phones, or relationships. Angie describes long-term exposure to addiction in her family, her alcohol and opioid use disorders, a crisis point involving thoughts of leaving her family with her, and later opioid addiction after being prescribed pain medication. Jaelene shares how a strict, sober religious upbringing left her without guardrails, how she recognizes emotional triggers for drinking, and how dissociation affects her relationship with alcohol. They emphasize that recovery is individualized, requires accountability and coping skills, and that shame-free support matters.   00:00 Welcome and Content Warning 00:44 Library Recording Nerves 03:51 Angie Recovery Story 15:45 Sobriety vs Recovery Nuance 22:58 Finding the Alcohol Line 25:06 Control and Dissociation 29:05 Recovery Beyond Substances 34:18 Lifelong Coping and Compassion

  7. Apr 30

    Episode 9: Sorry means you’ve changed

    In episode nine of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss forgiveness, beginning with parenting stories and the stress of last-minute elementary school events. The conversation shifts to how forgiveness has been weaponized—especially in high-control religion—often demanding “forgive and forget” without accountability or changed behavior, placing the burden on the injured party. They argue some actions are unforgivable, and define forgiveness as “giving up the hope of having a better past,” describing it as an internal process distinct from relationship repair. They emphasize that forgiveness without boundaries and accountability is abuse, that actions matter more than words, and that repaired relationships require active repair, responsibility, and behavioral change.   00:00 Welcome and Setup 02:12 Calm in a Crisis 07:19 Parent Guilt Spiral 08:20 Why Forgiveness Is Hard 11:45 Unforgivable Things 12:29 A New Definition 13:55 Boundaries and Accountability 15:49 Repair vs Forgiveness 19:37 Forgiveness Is Not A Pass 20:50 Letting Go Without Forgiving 23:09 When Forgiveness Is Weaponized 28:36 What Forgiveness Looks Like 30:32 Boundaries And Repeated Harm 34:35 Episode Takeaways And Closing

  8. Apr 23

    Episode 8: From the Playground to the Prison Yard

    In episode eight of the Unvarnished Edit, Angie and Jaelene discuss Jaelene’s experience with the criminal justice system and how it changed her, with content warnings for substance abuse and maternal trauma. Jaelene describes how a traumatic maternal trauma contributed to her turning to Xanax, Ambien, and Percocet, escalating into a hidden, high-functioning prescription drug addiction. She explains how this escalated to criminal charges and eventually took a plea for 2.5 years, serving 22 months in prison during COVID with no in-person visits. She reflects on anxiety, survival, personal growth, and the ongoing stigma as a felon.   00:00 Episode 8 - From the Playground to the Prison Yard 00:21 Introduction 04:26 Why this story is important to tell 07:13 Maternal Trauma and the Start of Substance Abuse 16:37 Getting Clean and Coming Clean 23:26 The Police, The Plea and Prison 33:27 Prison Lockdown and COVID Lockdown 39:32 Friendship Through This Process 45:05 Privilege and Criminal Justice 51:06 Post Prison and The Stigma

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Two friends talk about what it's actually like to live an adversity filled life.

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