The Anxiety Encyclopedia

Lorien Megill and Katharine McNally
  • 5.0 (17)
  • Comedy
  • Updated Weekly

Co-hosts Lorien and Katharine talk about what's making them anxious, from bears to Botox and everything in between.

  1. 10h ago

    156. T is for Technology-Facilitated Stalking

    A tale of three (?) AirTags Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/25/tracking-device-domestic-violence-offenders-stalking-apple-find-my-friendshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_addresshttps://9to5mac.com/2025/09/29/tile-security-flaws-can-let-both-the-company-and-stalkers-track-your-location/https://www.wired.com/story/tile-tracking-tags-can-be-exploited-by-tech-savvy-stalkers-researchers-say/https://9to5mac.com/2025/09/29/tile-security-flaws-can-let-both-the-company-and-stalkers-track-your-location/https://www.womenslaw.org/about-abuse/abuse-using-technology/ways-survivors-use-and-abusers-misuse-technology/gps-monitoring-0https://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SPARC_StalkngFactSheet_2018_FINAL.pdfhttps://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SPARC-Stalking-Techology-Fact-Sheet.pdfhttps://www.stalkingawareness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Identifying-Stalking-as-SLII-Strategies.pdfhttps://cyber.nyu.edu/2025/10/20/kicking-hitchhiking-stalkers-off-gps/https://uwpd.wisc.edu/apple-airtags-and-your-safety/https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/phantom-airtag-alerts-send-iphone-users-on-wild-goose-chases-11651799060https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/14/the-biggest-security-pros-and-cons-of-using-bluetooth-gps-trackers.htmlhttps://cooler.bike/en-us/products/silent-smart-tag-ios-security-tracker?srsltid=AfmBOoo6FyxNeuKk0S9VpXNssASNj-FNf3INY43yKVkCMSJU0dLspGt4https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/stalkerware-what-knowhttps://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-09-15/colton-underwood-restraining-order-cassie-randolphhttps://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/colton-underwood-stalking-cassie-restraining-order-details/

  2. Jul 7

    155. W Is for Whitewater Rafting

    Katharine takes Lorien along for the ride, coming for another fun summer activity. Sources: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafting - https://www.whitewaterrafting.com/rafting-info/history - https://www.whitewatervoyages.com/intro-to-whitewater-rafting - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sixth-grader-dies-annual-school-rafting-trip-poconos-rcna347380 - https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/water-activities/professional-raft-guide-career/?scope=initial - https://sageoutdooradventures.com/blog/is-white-water-rafting-dangerous/ - https://mild2wildrafting.com/rafting-blog/extreme-whitewater-rafting-in-us - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jul/18/white-water-rafting-near-death-experience - https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-06-vw-1596-story.html - https://parks.wa.gov/about/rules-and-safety/boater-education-safety/cold-water-safety - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley_Powell

  3. Jun 23

    154. C is for Canada Geese

    Diseases, aggression, and bird strike, oh my! Sources: https://www.ncwildlife.gov/species/canada-goosehttps://www.audubon.org/magazine/10-fun-facts-about-canada-goosehttps://www.audubon.org/news/learn-tell-cackling-goose-canada-goosehttps://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/waterfowl/canada-geese/https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-minnesota-towns-love-hate-relationship-with-giant-geesehttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/goose-attack-leaves-ottawa-cyclist-shaken-and-scarred-1.2686751https://aviancontrolinc.com/blog/federal-regulations-need-know-getting-rid-canadian-geesehttps://bird-x.com/blog/goose-attack/https://wildlifehelp.org/solution/district-columbia/canada-goose/how-deal-aggressive-geese/94https://www.popsci.com/diy/avoid-getting-attacked-by-a-goose/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/05/rochester-canada-geese-management/629916/https://www.goosemasters.com/blog-post/what-diseases-are-associated-with-geesehttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16638-e-coli-infectionhttps://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/canada-goose'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_strikehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeju_Air_Flight_2216https://www.britannica.com/topic/US-Airways-Flight-1549-incidenthttps://www.cnn.com/2024/01/07/travel/miracle-on-the-hudsonhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/why-china-is-using-guard-geese-to-uphold-its-zero-covid-policy

  4. Jun 9

    153. H is for Hippos

    Katharine tells Lorien about those big, dangerous, goofy, majestic (?) river horse. Sources: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/general-animals/ten-hippo-facts/https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/hippohttps://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/hippopotamus https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7416829/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c869jj5dy4qo https://thewildsource.com/should-you-fear-hippos-on-safari-debunking-the-deadly-hippo-myth/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/south-african-killed-by-pet-hippo/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/14/pet-hippo-humphrey-kills-owner https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/19/niger-hippo-attack-deaths https://www.britannica.com/animal/hippopotamus-mammal-species/Pygmy-hippopotamus https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/hippo-attack-avoid-survive-paul-templer

  5. May 26

    152. H is for Hantavirus

    Lorien learned a lot of rodent-related facts she doesn't like. She shares them with Katharine. Sources: Sources https://www.instagram.com/p/DYPeDuARj29/https://www.instagram.com/laurel__bristow/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthohantavirushttps://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/symptoms-diagnosishttps://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/treatmenthttps://www.nmhealth.org/publication/view/general/5072/https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/data-research/cases/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/surveillance/index.htmlhttps://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/media/pdfs/2025/01/HantavirusBrochure-508.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_virushttps://thepreamble.com/p/the-daily-brief-may-15-2026https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/andesvirus.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/health/hantavirus-outbreak-quarantine.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/cdc-no-us-hantavirus-cases-people-monitored.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-where-is-it-what-to-know.html

  6. May 12

    151. M is for the Manosphere

    A Katharine classic! Sources: -       https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/manosphere -    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manosphere#:~:text=The%20manosphere%20is%20a%20varied%20collection%20of,that%20feminists%20promote%20misandry%20(hatred%20of%20men).  -       https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2026/03/world/expose-rape-assault-online-vis-intl/index.html -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate -       https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64125045 -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Tate -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Enlightenment -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Going_Their_Own_Way -       https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/26/men-going-their-own-way-the-toxic-male-separatist-movement-that-is-now-mainstream -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_artist -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_rights_movement -       Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, 2026, Netflix.

  7. Apr 28

    150. M is for Mushrooms

    Lorien tells Katharine about mystery mushrooms, magic mushrooms, and mushroom foraging (and reveals that the hunter/gatherer gene skipped her). Sources https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a70698051/mushroom-bizarre-hallucination/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-peoplehttps://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Psilocybin-2020.pdfhttps://calpoison.org/about-magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-safetyhttps://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308850#summaryhttps://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/psychoactive-psilocybins-evolution-in-magic-mushrooms/https://www.beckleyretreats.com/blog/types-of-psychedelic-mushroomshttps://food52.com/story/6306-eugenia-bone-on-mushrooms-myths-and-foraginghttps://food52.com/story/20860-an-illustrated-guide-to-mushroom-foraging-10-earthy-savory-recipeshttps://food52.com/story/20860-an-illustrated-guide-to-mushroom-foraging-10-earthy-savory-recipeshttps://barebonesliving.com/blogs/gardening-foraging/foraging-for-mushrooms-a-complete-guide?srsltid=AfmBOoojEexVoJOsvnKbJRLZO04G53F-0SldhYROYYivS88zdLBz3qVQhttps://melissaknorris.com/podcast/5rulesforforagingwildedibles/?srsltid=AfmBOood16NZQUcHRepd1lL60a10Pk1P8mc3Cm2j0wkz7qpHMTW6x4Mkhttps://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-hunt-mushrooms/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/deadly-mushroom-arrives-canada/581602/https://www.npr.org/2025/12/10/nx-s1-5639775/death-cap-mushrooms-californiahttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/four-dead-and-three-receive-liver-transplants-after-eating-death-cap-mushrooms-in-californiahttps://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/nx-s1-5451735/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-sentence

  8. Apr 14

    149. A is for Asteroids

    Like much of the country of late, Katharine has space on the brain. Sources: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-an-asteroid-caused-extinction-of-dinosaurs.htmlhttps://today.ucsd.edu/story/an-asteroid-doesnt-have-to-hit-earth-to-cause-catastrophe https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/the-powerful-new-rubin-observatory-just-found-11-000-new-asteroids-and-measured-tens-of-thousands-morehttps://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/asteroid-hits-earth.htmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_meteorhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_eventhttps://www.esa.int/About_Us/50_years_of_ESA/Asteroids_The_discovery_of_asteroidshttps://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/facts/https://www2.tulane.edu/~sanelson/Natural_Disasters/impacts.htmhttps://www.planetary.org/articles/how-astronomers-rank-dangerous-asteroids-and-what-that-means-for-you

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5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Co-hosts Lorien and Katharine talk about what's making them anxious, from bears to Botox and everything in between.

Information

  • Creator
    Lorien Megill and Katharine McNally
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    159
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Lorien Megill and Katharine McNally
  • Show Website
    The Anxiety Encyclopedia

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