Several Tangents

Leaving high school or college are exciting milestones for many people; it's also kinda terrifying. In Several Tangents' very first episode, friends and cohosts Shelley and Talia reminisce about choosing a career path in high school, the ups and downs of university (spoiler alert: it's overrated), and diving into life after graduation.  We promise it's an insightful episode....once you get past all the giggling.

Sometimes, you have to make some hard choices.

Hey. Did you know that, at the time of this episode's release, the pandemic isn't over yet? This week, Shelley gives an update on what's changed with regards to the current pandemic and provides more insight into what's happening in the labs.

Natalie is back and I think you guys know the drill. We just couldn't shut up on our other podcast so it spilled over to Several Tangents! We talk about our Chinese names, Asians defying stereotypes by not being meek but rather, in reality, loud AF, phlebotomy, and more! You can find the rest of our conversation on Forensic Friends in the episode about the Racial History of Medicine.

Yay for hodgepodge episodes! This week's episode are some snippets from another podcast, Forensic Friends. Over there, Natalie and Shelley discuss confirmation bias and psychology; over here, the conversation continues with personal experiences and anecdotes. As this episode was cut from the full conversation from the other podcast, the transitions are a little abrupt. Whoops. You can find Natalie on her podcast, Some Kind of Brown, and also in Forensic Friends!

Why is it so damn hard to get people to understand they're being racist? Ego, that's why.  This week, Shelley dives into one of the reasons that "good people" might be against anti-racism, and what gets in the way of improving oneself and becoming a better person. And, if you don't support Black Lives Matter, then you can gtfo.

It's Several Tangents' one year anniversary! In this teeny tiny episode, Shelley looks back on how the podcast has changed and grown, and the challenges faced when making an indie podcast. 

Oof, it doesn't look like this whole situation is really getting any better, is it? Shelley talks about road rage and drivers with tiny dicks. She also talks about the mental toll the pandemic is taking on her as well as all the self-esteem and body image issues that comes with the very first world problem of not having a gym to go to. 

Happy National Med Lab Week! Shelley gives her fellow medical lab professionals a shoutout and gives some insight about what happens so that doctors get the lab results they need to care for their patients.  It's a short episode, and unfortunately the audio towards the second half is a little messed up. Whoops.

This year has been absolutely surreal, and with many countries in lockdown, socializing can be a tricky thing to navigate. Shelley gives an update on what life is like as a healthcare worker during a pandemic and ponders about the strain on friendships that self-isolation might have.

Shelley might not be stuck working at home (yay health-care work!) but she understands the need to keep oneself entertained. So this week, she geeks out about all the things that keep her from dying of boredom.

This week, a very tired and very salty Shelley gets introspective about...well, saltiness. There's also a segment at the end about COVID-19, in case you are curious about a medical microbiology lab technician's opinions about this pandemic. Keep up with the podcast on social media! Twitter: @severaltangents Instagram: @severaltangents Email: severaltangents@gmail.com

Continuing from last episode, Shelley and Chantelle reminisce about the idiosyncrasies of high school, complain about their neighbours, discuss the merits of small boobs vs big boobs, and detail their hair care routine. It's a Several Tangents episode that is basically all tangents! Look for us on social media! Twitter: @severaltangents Instagram: @severaltangents Email: severaltangents@gmail.com

Chantelle is back! We chat about our memories growing up and how our mindset has changed as we become adults (even though we don't feel like real adults). We also get in depth about Chantelle's undying love for Antique Roadshow. There's also another, very special guest appearing in this episode, in the form of a derpy white husky constantly whining for our attention. Her name is Mina and she loves carrots.

Coronavirus! Antivaxxers! Shelley gets passionate this week about healthcare and the spread of misinformation, pointing out the logical fallacies of a recent run-in with an antivaxxer as well as shedding some light on the novel coronavirus outbreak.

A short episode this week, whoops! Going with the theme of goals and resolutions, Shelley talks about some tips for getting out of productive slumps when ~inspirational blog posts and videos of bullet journals aren't enough.  We all love pretty planners and stationary, but do those things actually help?

Happy New Year! This episode, Shelley and Dylan talk about the fallacy of New Year's Resolutions, goal setting, and why goals fail. We take a mini dive into body image, Dylan's chest hair, and Shelley's inability to cook. Ten points if you know what all the letters in the acronym "SMART Goals" stands for without Googling it!

Happy holidays! It's the most jolly time of year but it can also be incredibly stressful and sometimes, downright depressing. In true Several Tangent fashion, we cram as many holiday (and winter) tangents into a single episode! This week, Dylan and Shelley talk about the non-magical aspects of snow, winter memories, and the less happy side of the holidays. Thank you to Dylan for sharing his very personal experience of Christmas with his family after he'd come out. 

It's nearly the end of 2019, which makes it a good time to reflect. From co-hosting to social media to the intricacies of true crime, Shelley reveals the things she learned about podcasting. And, of course, she spills some more podcast tea. 

This week, we tackle the topic of mental health and stress. Shelley's friend Chantelle joins the episode to discuss her and Shelley's experiences with stress and mental health struggles. As it turns out, keeping it all in is not a healthy coping mechanism. The reality is that there remains a huge stigma against talking about mental health, struggling in front of your peers, and accepting that you might need help. Because of the nature of this episode, there is a content warning for discussions of mental health and mental illness as well as suicidal thoughts. Neither of us are professionals in this field and are only sharing our own experiences and what we learned. We hope that this episode is not only informative but might be of some help to those of you fighting your own mental health battles.