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. 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.

    58 min

  2. 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

    52 min

  3. 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

    57 min

  4. MAR 31

    148. A is for Alpine Divorce

    Lorien has discovered another reason not to go hiking. Also, Lorien says she's not going to give away the ending to a 130-year-old short story and then immediately does, so spoiler alert, we guess.

    51 min

  5. MAR 17

    147. T is for Trains

    Join us on the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe as Katharine tells Lorien about trains. Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clye22ljxw4ohttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/train-crashes-against-crane-southeastern-spain-tve-reports-2026-01-22/ https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/safest-places-sit-traveling-train-044500726.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHXlCiTsDI1W-HQMT2Srzg7Sxt1XD5M05UpxS5RF67Wq7aszfKgg42IDI83-5rK0oH6xUGuVASRQAZHyV6bw8JgnmtpvOSlhFBE0yw5CTtBDYRxFjJykTwuBQ4WUkBFQWREmPQWJ1Z9LjLRH0HN-cJh16Enq_83S4fZj2X1bPO-h https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rail https://getthetiger.com/blog/5-deadliest-train-crashes-in-united-states-history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Sri_Lanka_tsunami_train_wreckhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balvano_train_disasterhttps://journalistsresource.org/economics/comparing-fatality-risks-united-states-transportation-across-modes-time/ https://www.bustle.com/articles/83287-are-trains-safer-than-planes-statistics-are-clear-about-which-mode-of-transportation-is-safest https://www.history.com/articles/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-trains https://www.intrans.iastate.edu/news/trains-a-history/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport https://www.propublica.org/article/train-derailment-long-trains https://usafacts.org/articles/are-train-derailments-becoming-more-common/ https://www.aar.org/issue/freight-rail-pedestrian-driver-safety/#! https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/railroads-and-regulators-must-address-the-dangers-of-long-trains-report-says/

    48 min

  6. MAR 3

    146. S is for Sovereign Citizens

    Lorien tells Katharine about a group that dares to ask the question: what if the only laws that count are the ones I like? Sources  ​https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/sovereign-citizens-movement/​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudolaw​https://web.archive.org/web/20141102010820/http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/sovereign_citizens_plaster_courts_with_bogus_legal_filings/​https://www.domprep.com/articles/a-violent-surge-sovereign-citizens-vs-government-authority/#:~:text=Precise numbers of SovCits can,who have committed violent crimes.​https://everytownresearch.org/report/armed-extremism-primer-sovereign-citizens/​https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/moorish-sovereign-citizens/​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorish_sovereign_citizens​https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7513757/​https://everytownresearch.org/report/armed-extremism-primer-sovereign-citizens/​https://www.sog.unc.edu/sites/www.sog.unc.edu/files/Sov citizens quick guide Nov 13.pdf​https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/sovereign-citizens-movement/​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Nichols​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudolaw​https://aeon.co/ideas/here-comes-pseudolaw-a-weird-little-cousin-of-pseudoscience​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vexatious_litigation​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waukesha_Christmas_parade_attack

    1h 3m

  7. FEB 17

    145. T is for TikTok Challenges

    This episode is more filling and less toxic than a Tide pod. Sources: Sources: https://www.npr.org/2022/09/22/1124252556/nyquil-chicken-challenge-fda-warninghttps://www.healthline.com/health/dont-eat-tiktoks-nyquil-chicken#talking-safe-usehttps://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/09/07/paquis-one-chip-challenge-removed-from-shelves-following-teens-death/https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/worcester-street-renamed-to-honor-teen-who-died-after-one-chip-challenge/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Chip_Challenge https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-teenagers-eat-tide-pods-2018013013241 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumption_of_Tide_Pods https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51742854 https://injury.research.chop.edu/blog/posts/skull-breaker-challenge-and-concussions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_challenge https://academic.oup.com/jbcr/article-abstract/37/4/e395/4582201?redirectedFrom=PDF https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benadryl_challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_and_ice_challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackout_challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Whale_Challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_Challenge_hoax

    1h 1m

  8. FEB 3

    144. G is for Greenland

    Lorien gives Katharine a quick and dirty history lesson on the largest island in the world for...absolutely no specific reason at all... Sources: Sources: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-advisers-discussing-options-acquiring-greenland-us-military-is-always-an-2026-01-06/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/https://apnews.com/article/denmark-us-trump-greenland-talks-1b783621cbbbc1218986151be9c6836chttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_United_States_acquisition_of_Greenland#:~:text=During World War II, the,persuade the US to leave.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_United_States_acquisition_of_Greenland#cite_note-clingendael20202-73https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_the_Red's_Landhttps://www.norden.org/en/information/facts-about-greenlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Greenlandhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/10/denmark-pm-says-sorry-to-greenland-inuits-taken-for-heartless-social-experimenthttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18249474#:~:text=982 - Greenland discovered by the,Age as temperatures fall significantly.https://www.britannica.com/place/Greenland/Historyhttps://japan.um.dk/en/about-denmark/greenland/history-and-culturehttps://www.historyextra.com/period/general-history/who-owns-greenland-history-explained/https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2025/02/through-indigenous-eyes-the-colonial-history-of-greenland-and-why-it-mattershttps://apple.news/ALJhys51gS6eo8NSJkb5uPw

    58 min
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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
    154
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Lorien Megill and Katharine McNally
  • Show Website
    The Anxiety Encyclopedia

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