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. 6d ago

    OCD Book Club: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Spoilers!)

    How are a failed bank robbery, a hostage situation, and a bridge connected? Through OCD and mental health. This week it's OCD Book Club, and Leela and Pri are reading Anxious People by Fredrik Backman — a novel about a group of strangers thrown together by accident who turn out to be hiding extraordinary amounts of pain beneath very ordinary lives. It's funny, it's devastating, it's about the way obsessions, compulsions, anxiety and fear shape every decision we make. But first: Leela and Pri, share the story of how they met. Specifically, the day Pri was born. There was a three year old Leela, innocently watching the classic British children's TV show, Rainbow, eating her tiny ham sandwich, and along came Pri. And then there's the World Cup Final and the half time show. No ghost story this week because there's nothing scarier than human emotion and anxiety. Pour your tea, pick up the book, and maybe call your sister. ☕ 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.

  2. Jul 15

    Relationship OCD: The Romance-Killing Doubt + Is Keanu Reeves Immortal, Reincarnated or a Vampire? & the Woman in the Window at Montauk Manor

    What if you love someone, but OCD won't let you be sure? This week, Leela and Pri dive into Relationship OCD (ROCD) — the subtype that turns one of life's most meaningful experiences into a relentless source of doubt and anxiety. The intrusive thoughts about your partner, the compulsive reassurance-seeking, the exhausting mental checking that never quite settles. If you've ever wondered whether your relationship doubts are normal or something else entirely, this one might explain a lot. And we are completely, unapologetically obsessed with the conspiracy theory that Keanu Reeves is immortal. There is a Civil War-era painting. There are Renaissance portraits. There is a very specific quote he gave on live television that the believers consider a confession. We present the evidence. You decide. And to close: the summertime hauntings at Montauk Manor in Long Island, New York, built in 1927 by Carl Fisher as a luxury resort for the rich and famous. Guests on the fourth floor have reported things that have given us chills. We'll tell you what they saw and the scariest part about this manor. Pour your tea. Question everything. Don't look at the fourth floor. ☕ We're Totally Obsessed... The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Catherine Webbhttps://www.keanuisimmortal.com/The Five Love Languages (Note, this is just for fun. Empirical evidence does not strongly support this book's core claims.) OCD Relationship OCD (ROCD): Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment (NOCD)Relationship OCD Quiz: Do I Have ROCD? (NOCD) Spooky Storytime Montauk ManorOCD 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. Jul 8

    Optimization OCD: When Efficiency Becomes the Obsession + Ghana's World Cup Curse on Harry Kane & the Lost Bagpiper of Edinburgh Castle

    What if trying to manage your life more efficiently is actually the problem? This week, Leela and Pri dive into optimization OCD, the subtype that hides in plain sight because it looks, from the outside, like just being very organized. The relentless need to do everything perfectly and efficiently, the hours lost researching the "best" way to complete an ordinary task, the paralysis when a system breaks down. If productivity has ever felt less like a tool and more like a trap, this one's for you. Plus: a brief check-in on July resolutions. Because why should January get all the credit? And we're completely obsessed with the Ghanaian spiritualist who publicly cursed Harry Kane before England's 2026 World Cup clash with Ghana. Did it work? Is Harry Kane going to be ok? Can England win another match? And what about the other Harrys — Styles, Prince, and more? And to close: beneath the Royal Mile, there are tunnels. Centuries ago, a bagpiper was sent into the darkness playing his bagpipes so those above ground could follow where they led. Somewhere under the city, the music stopped. Pour your tea, optimize nothing, and listen carefully for music in the walls. ☕ OCD Optimization OCD (The Anxiety Resource Center)  Horror TV Recos Widows Bay (Apple TV) The Boroughs (Netflix) I Will Find You (Netflix) 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. Jul 1

    Mental Health Self-Advocacy as a Patient: How to Get the Help You Actually Need + Libraries, Office Romance & the Haunting of Windy Gates

    Do you know how to advocate for yourself as a patient? Most of us were never taught. This week, Leela and Pri get into one of the most underrated skills in managing your mental and physical health: knowing how to advocate for yourself in a medical setting. How do you get doctors to actually listen? What do you say when you feel dismissed? How do you walk into an appointment knowing what you need and leave with more than a shrug? A practical, honest conversation with a mental health angle. But first: libraries. Leela and Pri make the case for why libraries might be the most underrated, most quietly radical institutions we have, and why everyone should be using them more. Then: Office Romance, the new Brett Goldstein and JLo film, gets the full review treatment. Does it deliver? (We have feelings.) And to close: the haunting story of Windy Gates in Martha's Vineyard, a place where the wind apparently isn't the only thing that doesn't want to let you go. So pour your tea, check out a book, and maybe call your doctor. ☕ 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. Jun 24

    Is Accepting OCD the Answer? + Tarot and Mental Health & the Curse of Draga di Lovrana

    Is 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 OCD We're Totally Obsessed with The Sheep Detectives The Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic Dark whimsical tarot deck Rider Waite tarot deck Coraline Devon and Blakely Beware (Winnie the Pooh) OCD 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.

  6. Jun 17

    OCD: Supporting a loved one + Brett Goldstein's Office Romance & the Belcourt Castle haunting

    This 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 STUFF I'm, like, totally obsessed with...Brett Goldstein and all of his works Office Romance (Netflix) Superbob (Amazon, Roku, & Tubi) All of You (Apple TV) Ted Lasso (Apple TV) Shrinking (Apple TV) OCD If 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) DTWM Belcourt Castle 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.

  7. Jun 10

    OCD, Community & True Crime Advocacy: Erika McCoy on the IOCDF, Mental Health & Whether Octopuses Are Bent on World Domination

    The 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. OCD IOCDF IOCDF Special Interest Groups IOCDF - Find a Therapist Not Alone Notes Vase Your Fears Erika McCoy FB: erika.mckenzie.391 IG: @creativitea_plus_mha TT: @creativitea_plus_mha 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. Jun 3

    Religious Scrupulosity OCD & Healing Through Art with IOCDF Advocate Erika McCoy + the Boy Meets World Fallout & a Spooky Soup Story

    OCD doesn't care that you loved Boy Meets World. 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 World OCD IOCDF IOCDF Special Interest Groups IOCDF - Find a Therapist Not Alone Notes Vase Your Fears Erika McCoy FB: erika.mckenzie.391 IG: @creativitea_plus_mha TT: @creativitea_plus_mha 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.

See All (46)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

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.

Information

You Might Also Like