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Misogyny, $800 first dates, simps, and high-value women: Social media has been busy cooking up and feeding us an addictive but toxic slurry of trends over the past few years. Here at The Toxic Cooking Show we're two friends dedicated to breaking down these trends, terms, and taunts into their simplest ingredients to understand where they came from and how they affect our lives. Join us each week as we ponder and discuss charged topics like personal responsibility and "not all men" before placing them on our magical Scale O' ToxicityAny comments or topics you want to hear about write to us at toxic@awesomelifeskills.com
58 Episodes
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Send us a text Dating clarity shouldn’t feel like decoding hieroglyphs, but so many of us end up stuck in the gray zone where you act like a couple yet can’t say the word. We tackle the modern situationship head-on: what it actually means, why it’s everywhere, and how to stop investing months in “let’s see where it goes.” With real stories, clinical insight, and a few hard truths, we separate friends with benefits from the murky middle and show you how to move forward with confidence. We sta...
Send us a text One face in a box reacting to another face in a box shouldn’t feel dangerous. Yet the way reaction content spreads shapes what we see, what we believe, and how safe we feel in public. We dig into why this format is everywhere, how it amplifies fringe clips into cultural moments, and what happens when a small creator’s post is blasted to millions with zero context. The result isn’t just more noise; it’s a perception shift that makes isolated incidents look like widespread crises...
Send us a text Ever notice how a viral post can jump from your screen to your doorstep? We take you inside a series of jaw-dropping cases to map the blurry boundary between calling someone out and putting them in danger. From the Sniper Wolf vs Jack Films feud that moved from YouTube to a front porch, to a therapist’s flippant “trauma dump” TikTok that shattered trust, to a guy livestreaming smug politics in a company shirt and then blaming “the internet” for his firing—this episode pulls apa...
Send us a text Today’s countdown says the world ends… again. We lean into the joke, then pull back the curtain on how doomsday thinking has evolved—from ancient uprisings and medieval plague marches to papal numerology, Y2K jitters, and the latest TikTok rapture trend. Along the way we ask the question that matters most: who benefits when fear goes viral, and what does it cost the rest of us? We trace the lineage of failed prophecies with surprising cameos—yes, Columbus had an end date, and ...
Send us a text Ever notice how the “good old days” always look like a movie set? We pull back the velvet curtain on the myths that won’t die—women who “didn’t work,” men who “provided alone,” teens “married off” en masse—and replace them with what the archive, archaeology, and everyday logic actually show. From hunter-gatherer bands to early farms, women hunted, gathered, planted, harvested, brewed beer that kept people safer than water, spun and wove the clothes on everyone’s backs, and shar...
Send us a text The digital age has spawned a new form of emotional connection that blurs the line between technology and intimacy. As generative AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, more people are forming deep emotional attachments to chatbots designed to mimic human interaction—sometimes with devastating consequences. Lindsay and Christopher dive deep into how these AI systems actually work, dispelling the common misconception that they "think" or "understand." These large language model...
Send us a text Ever wonder why your grandparents could afford a house, two cars, and yearly vacations on a single income while you're drowning in debt with two salaries? The answer lies in a fascinating economic breakdown that demolishes the myth of America's "good old days." When we crunch the numbers comparing a 1946 household budget to today's financial reality, the results are staggering. While the average household income has increased just 19% since the post-war era (adjusted for infla...
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Send us a text Gold diggers have become a hot topic online with self-proclaimed alpha males spreading panic about women supposedly out to bleed men dry of their money, but the truth is more complex than the stereotype. • Historical context showing "gold digger" term originated in the 1920s during women's economic transition • Exploring how economic inequality continues to shape dating expectations in different cultures • First date spending pressures create impossible situations where men fe...
Send us a text Have you ever watched someone defend a clearly broken product or problematic politician with the fervor of a religious zealot? That strange psychological phenomenon finally has a name: "Cybertruck Syndrome." This episode introduces a fascinating new concept that explains why certain people become utterly incapable of admitting when they've backed the wrong horse. We explore how this cognitive pattern goes beyond simple stubbornness or sunk cost fallacy to become an identity-le...
Send us a text What happens when therapy becomes just another tech startup looking to maximize profits? In our deep dive into BetterHelp, we uncover the troubling reality behind the polished marketing of America's largest online therapy platform. Behind those ubiquitous podcast advertisements lies a business model that's crushing therapists while potentially harming the very clients it claims to help. We break down exactly how the platform's payment structure forces therapists to maintain un...
Send us a text We've all seen the ads - BetterHelp promises convenient therapy at your fingertips. But behind the slick marketing lies a company with deeply troubling business practices that every therapy-seeker should know about. When Christopher Patchet, a licensed therapist, along with Lindsay McClane, looks on how BetterHelp operates. From selling sensitive user data to Facebook (resulting in a $7.8 million FTC fine) to allegedly creating fake profiles for real therapists without their c...
Send us a text The modern manosphere has created a pantheon of male archetypes, but none quite as supposedly elusive and mysterious as the "Sigma Male." Emerging around 2017-2018, this concept markets itself as the rarest, coolest type of masculinity—the lone wolf operating outside traditional hierarchies while maintaining alpha-level respect. But peek behind the curtain, and you'll find fascinating contradictions. The very examples held up as quintessential Sigmas—James Bond, Batman, John W...
Send us a text Conspiracy theories have evolved from reasonable skepticism about government deception to dangerous delusions with real-world consequences, tracing their development from Cold War distrust to internet-fueled paranoia. • American trust in government began eroding in the 1940s with the Roswell incident and changing official explanations • MK Ultra program confirmation proved the government conducted unethical human experiments with LSD and torture • The internet's emergence arou...
Send us a text We've all felt that gut-punch moment. You discover that celebrity you've adored for years—whose work shaped your identity or brought you comfort—has revealed themselves to be deeply problematic. Your social media feed floods with damning evidence, your friends debate whether to throw away their merchandise, and you're left wondering: what now? This episode dives headfirst into the messy, emotional territory of fallen idols. From JK Rowling's transformation from beloved author ...
Send us a text Empathy seems like a universally positive trait - until it's weaponized against you. In this eye-opening exploration of emotional boundaries, hosts Lindsay McClain and Christopher Patchet, LCSW unpack the surprising dangers of being "too nice" in a world that's quick to exploit kindness. Drawing from psychological research and personal experience, they distinguish between empathy (actually feeling others' emotions) and sympathy (feeling compassion without absorbing emotions), ...
Send us a text A seemingly innocent church invitation from a workplace crush led Christopher into the unsettling world of cult recruitment—complete with love bombing, isolation tactics, and a baptism offer on day two. This jarring personal story opens our deep exploration into the psychology of cults and why they're far more prevalent in society than most realize. Cults aren't just remote compounds with strange religious practices. They're organizations built around absolute authoritarian le...
Send us a text In a world where digital connections often come with emotional detachment, ghosting has become a prevalent topic. Lindsay McClain and Christopher Patchet, LCSW dive deep into the reasons behind ghosting, exploring personal anecdotes that range from humorous to heart-wrenching. With statistics revealing that a staggering percentage of young adults have experienced ghosting, the conversation expands beyond just dating into friendships and professional relationships. Listeners wi...
Send us a text Is life coaching a scam, or does it really hold the key to personal transformation? Join us on the Toxic Cooking Show as we unravel this intricate tapestry of guidance, dissecting the realms of life coaching and therapy with precision and humor. We promise an enlightening exploration into when you might benefit from the pep talks of an energetic life coach and when the profound expertise of a licensed therapist is essential. Along the way, we’ll arm you with the knowledge to ma...
Send us a text Ever wondered if your favorite fitness influencer is more interested in your wallet than your well-being? Join us as we humorously dissect the world of "fitfluencers" with your hosts, Lindsay McClain and Christopher Patchet, LCSW. Our mission? To help you sift through the glossy promises and algorithm-driven content that bombard our screens. We're taking a historical stroll to uncover how fitness went from being a natural part of life to the marketing behemoth it is today. Spoi...
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