Crazy Together

Marcus & Esme O’Kayvius

If you’re sick and tired of listening to the negative talk track playing in your head, then why not listen to us instead? We are Marcus and Esme O’Kayvius (not our real names), a married, neurodivergent couple with a lot of experience managing our own mental health issues while raising a daughter and navigating the dystopic hellscape that is corporate America. Join us each week as we discuss trending mental health issues and explore how they impact our health and wellness. We’ll also examine the myths and misconceptions associated with mental health and what we can do about them. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com

  1. 1D AGO

    88. How to Handle the ADHD “Tax”

    Marcus and Esme discuss the ADHD “Tax” – a term used to describe the very real financial, emotional, and psychological consequences of living with the condition. Esme identifies some of the many transactions and decisions in which people with ADHD might incur the "tax" and offers a few suggestions for dealing with or avoiding it altogether. Marcus does his best to add value to the conversation, with somewhat limited success.  And yes, the human being who wrote the previous paragraph used an em-dash. Em-dashes do not immediately signify that something has been written by AI! I know many of us are on the lookout for non-human generated content, but please do not rob those of us who think and write tangentially of a much-needed punctuation mark. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com   Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact   Sources for this episode include: Webster, Rick. “ADHD Tax: Seeking Financial Wellness After Money Problems.” ADDitude, updated 8 Feb. 2026, https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-tax-financial-wellness-money-problems/.  Broadbent, Elizabeth. “The ADHD Tax of Late Fees, Fines, Wasted Food & More.” ADDitude, updated 9 May 2025, https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-tax-late-fees-fines-shame/?src=embed_link.  Williams, Geoff. “Managing Your Finances When You Have ADHD.” Reuters, 16 Sept. 2013, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE98F0SK.  Mutti-Driscoll, Catherine. “The ADHD Executive Function Tax: How to Cope.” Hallowell Todaro ADHD & Behavioral Health Center, 16 Nov. 2021, https://hallowelltodaro.com/blog-raw-feed/2021/11/18/the-adhd-executive-function-tax-how-to-cope.  “The ADHD Tax.” Take Control ADHD, https://takecontroladhd.com/blog/the-adhd-tax.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

    53 min
  2. FEB 25

    86. Contradictions, Anger, and Justice

    Marcus and Esme made a mistake. In the span of three weeks they put out two episodes about the evils of dehumanization (and the cruelty that comes along with it), and one episode in which they unironically called Epstein and all of his buddies “monsters.” You might be surprised to learn that this glaring inconsistency went unnoticed by the couple until earlier this week.  So, Marcus and Esme clarify their stance on dehumanization (spoiler alert: they’re against it) and explain how their emotional reaction to the news sparked some cognitive dissonance. They also explain that their impulse to dehumanize was rooted in their desire for justice, and their concerns that these men might not get the justice they deserve . . . unless we all do our part to hold them accountable. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: Mills, Kim. “Speaking of Psychology: The Psychology of Wealth, Empathy, and Entitlement, with Paul Piff, PhD.” American Psychological Association, Episode 338, June 2025, https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/wealth-empathy.  Cunningham, Mary. “Wealth Inequality in America Just Hit Its Widest Gap in More than 3 Decades.” CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-wealth-gap-widest-in-three-decades-federal-reserve.  “Billionaire Wealth Jumps Three Times Faster in 2025 to Highest Peak Ever, Sparking Dangerous Political Inequality.”  Oxfam International, 19 Jan. 2026, https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/billionaire-wealth-jumps-three-times-faster-2025-highest-peak-ever-sparking.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

    45 min
  3. FEB 20

    85. HYPERFOCUS BONUS: Two Pioneering Psychologists and One Spellbinding Singer

    In honor of Black History Month, Marcus and Esme have two fascinating stories to share about people who helped reshape history.  Esme kicks things off with the story of Mamie Phipps Clark and Kenneth Clark, two black psychologists whose famous “doll tests” revealed how segregation shaped the self‑perception of Black children; and later provided the scientific rationale that helped the Supreme Court conclude separate educational facilities are inherently unequal in Brown vs. the Board of Education. Marcus then tells the tale of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the eccentric, dramatic, and brilliant rock and blues singer who inspired the likes of Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and Tom Waits (to name a few). Hawkins' outlandish songwriting and stagecraft were so convincing that audiences and critics alike mistook performance for pathology and labeled him a “mad genius.” Was he actually neurodivergent, or was he simply not granted the same grace his predecessors received for “creative mythmaking?” Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/C0C216B887  Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact   Screamin’ Jay Hawkins resources: Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – “Time After Time.” YouTube, uploaded by UnidiscMusic, n.d., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E12-STwavlI  ScreaminJayVEVO. “Screaming Jay Hawkins – I Put a Spell on You (Official Audio).” YouTube, uploaded by ScreaminJayVEVO, n.d., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82cdnAUvsw8  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

    38 min
  4. FEB 18

    84. Epstein Isn’t the Only Monster

    Epstein was a monster; there’s no doubt about that. But he wasn’t alone.  It’s important to note that no one has been charged with any crimes yet (and with the current administration in place, it might be a while), so it’s still difficult to separate actual evidence of guilt from noise. Nevertheless, the contents of the most recent release(s) of Epstein files paint a picture of a wealthy and interconnected network of monsters who either engaged in horrific crimes or simply turned a blind eye to the crimes being committed.  In this episode, Marcus and Esme call back to a previous episode (#52. The Unwritten Rules of the Elites) in an attempt to explain how a network like this forms, and why it is that seemingly no one in that network ever spoke out or attempted to put a stop to it. The short answer: when you prioritize your agenda above your ethics, morals, or even your sense of purpose, you might just find yourself in the company of monsters.   Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: Crazy Together. “52. The Unwritten Rules of the Elites!” Podbean, 15 Oct. 2025, https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-hfnaq-1994e87.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

    41 min
  5. FEB 13

    83. Cursing the Internet and Ourselves in the Process

    In this week’s Hyperfocus Bonus, Marcus leads the listeners on a journey that is equal parts aquatic and an algorithmic, as he describes how he went from watching placidly peaceful underwater footage from scuba divers, to quick-cut video mash-ups of weekend sea captains submerging their expensive party boats before they can even get out on the open water.  Esme counters with her own hyperfocus detour into the world of mobile strategy games, guild drama, and the existential dread of realizing you’ve accidentally joined a community that expects things from you. Marcus and Esme close by highlighting the story of Seamus Culleton, an Irish immigrant who has been held in ICE detention for five months. If you are moved by Seamus’s story (link in the show notes), Marcus and Esme encourage you to call your members of congress and senators and request that they support efforts to free ALL non-violent detainees in ICE facilities. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/C0C216B887  Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact   Sources for this episode include: Sky News. The Irishman Detained by ICE | Trump100. YouTube, uploaded by Sky News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6fWI2PUn6E.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

    33 min
  6. FEB 11

    82. How Can We Be so Cruel (Part 2)?

    In this follow‑up to last week’s episode on cruelty and dehumanization, Marcus and Esme try to figure out what happens after people buy into systems built on division, fear, and the promise of in‑group protection. Spoiler alert: those systems almost always turn on the very people who empower them. Drawing on historical examples from American slavery, the Confederacy, and Nazi Germany, the episode traces a pattern that repeats across eras and continents: political movements that rely on dehumanization don’t just brutalize their targets, they usually harm their own supporters. Or as Esme puts it, “when you vote for cruelty, don’t be too surprised when they turn that cruelty on you.” Marcus and Esme also lay out a multi-tier strategy for fighting back against dehumanization that relies on collective action, humanizing victims, and pointing out the motivations of the powerful people who seek to divide us.  Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: Smith, David Livingstone. Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others. St. Martin's Press, 2011. Smith, David Livingstone. On Inhumanity: Dehumanization and How to Resist It. Oxford University Press, 2020. Merritt, Keri Leigh. “White Poverty and the Legacy of Slavery in the US South.” Tropics of Meta, 15 May 2017, https://tropicsofmeta.com/2017/05/15/white-poverty-and-the-legacy-of-slavery-in-the-us-south.  Merritt, Keri Leigh. Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South. Cambridge University Press, 2017. Helper, Hinton Rowan. The Impending Crisis of the South: How to Meet It. Burdick Bros., 1857.  Horton, James Oliver. “Confronting Slavery.” The Civil War: 150 Years, National Park Service, 11 Feb. 2011, https://www.nps.gov/features/waso/cw150th/reflections/confronting-slavery/index.html.   Bouie, Jamelle, and Rebecca Onion. “Slavery Myths: Seven Lies, Half-Truths, and Irrelevancies People Trot Out about Slavery—Debunked.” Slate, 29 Sept. 2015, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/09/slavery-myths-seven-lies-half-truths-and-irrelevancies-people-trot-out-about-slavery-debunked.html.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

    57 min
5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

If you’re sick and tired of listening to the negative talk track playing in your head, then why not listen to us instead? We are Marcus and Esme O’Kayvius (not our real names), a married, neurodivergent couple with a lot of experience managing our own mental health issues while raising a daughter and navigating the dystopic hellscape that is corporate America. Join us each week as we discuss trending mental health issues and explore how they impact our health and wellness. We’ll also examine the myths and misconceptions associated with mental health and what we can do about them. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com

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