Make Your Damn Bed

I have tried to be conscious of any of the personally imposed surveillance that I take part in.It’s futile, I’m sure, but: I opt out of everything I can possibly opt out of online. I talk shit to and about every Ring doorbell to anyone who will listen.I opt out of the biometric data collection at the TSA, despite some of the officers reminding me they have my data already. The point is, I like exercising my rights where the options still exist. Even if it is f...

 I realized trying to balance things by pushing back and forcing a reset, rather than allowing the swing of humanity, with the full spectrum of human emotions, and restore my faith that just existing is enough. I know that when I am my most inspired I can get inspired by a moth flying at a light, a mom smiling at her baby, and I am known to get emotional when an older person buys themselves ice cream. There is something beautiful and inspiring about the simple act of existence, in it’s purest form.Let...

If the “experience” is the goal, failure ceases to exist.“you will figure it out.” You should trust that. If you don’t believe it, maybe its time to give yourself a chance to prove yourself wrong. In what ways have you been your own biggest bully? In what ways have you become your own opps?Some of you* have been playing really small and trying to fit in boxes that were never built for you and you’re wondering why you’re uncomfortable? Meanwhile, you’re contorting to fit into a box when there’...

Sometimes, when the facades are crumbling, you may start to recognize the need for a controlled demolition. Not to destroy anything of value, but to strategically dismantle some of the more daunting aspects of your current human experience. Any routines, beliefs, relationships, that are no longer helpful, we must be willing to strip back to the foundation, so we can actually assess the underlying damage, reset, and rebuild. The thought experiment of a controlled demolition is very helpful, not because it’s important to think of collapse, but because it can be empowering to rem...

We write narratives about ourselves that we show up and reflect back. Address the narrative, and recognize you can show up around your "shame" and it doesn't have to be something you identify with. You can allow shame to point, not guide. It's a tool, not a boss. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT...

2025 brought in some studies that left me with some hope about the future, and I wanted to share that with you. You can read the ones I missed here at Berkeley's Greater Good Magazine Website. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make...

Today is the finale of our series on street epistemology, and we're digging into what NOT to do. Wonder: The big question.Hypothesis: The interlocutor's proposed answer to the question.Elenchus: Question and answer to discover what other reasonable propositions are likely to be true that refute the hypothesis. Proceed by mutual agreement at every step - elenchus is not a debate.Accept or Revise: Refine or revise the hypothesis - either without vulnerability to that elenchus, with reduced confidence, or even rejecting it. On the other hand, if the hypothesis survives repeated attempts at...

Some people think their faith is "enough". Today I share ways to get them to reflect on the flaws in that thinking, and how to deal with people who refuse to budge. Wonder: The big question.Hypothesis: The interlocutor's proposed answer to the question.Elenchus: Question and answer to discover what other reasonable propositions are likely to be true that refute the hypothesis. Proceed by mutual agreement at every step - elenchus is not a debate.Accept or Revise: Refine or revise the hypothesis - either without vulnerability to that elenchus, with reduced confidence, or...

Wonder: The big question. Hypothesis: The interlocutor's proposed answer to the question. Elenchus: Question and answer to discover what other reasonable propositions are likely to be true that refute the hypothesis. Proceed by mutual agreement at every step - elenchus is not a debate.Accept or Revise: Refine or revise the hypothesis - either without vulnerability to that elenchus, with reduced confidence, or even rejecting it. On the other hand, if the hypothesis survives repeated attempts at elenchus, provisionally accept it. Act accordingly: Reduce confidence in and reliance on the hypothesis that is refuted by elenchus....

You can't change minds when people are defensive. Practice using neutral language and reframing techniques to minimize defensiveness. These are difficult conversations, but they shouldn't feel like confrontations. Today we talk about some ways to do that. Read Perth Skeptics collection of street epistemology resources.Read Berkeley's "Bridging Differences Playbook" Visit the Street Epistemology Website.Read the Wikipedia on Street Epistemology.SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL...

You can affirm a person without affirming their ideas. Treat people with respect, leave space for silent reflections, and allow yourself humility in how you approach these dialogues. Read Perth Skeptics collection of street epistemology resources.Read Berkeley's "Bridging Differences Playbook" Visit the Street Epistemology Website.Read the Wikipedia on Street Epistemology.SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE...

We are fallible. We can't "know that we know" everything. Street epistemology is based on reliabilism. It's not dogmatic, but it does help us recognize fallacies when people are claiming extraordinary events are true. Read Perth Skeptics collection of street epistemology resources.Read Berkeley's "Bridging Differences Playbook" Visit the Street Epistemology Website.Read the Wikipedia on Street Epistemology.SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM...

Challenge your biases + stereotypes. Focus on first-hand experiences. Focus on individual humanity, not their group membership. Assume good intentions. Be intentional with expanding your interactions with other cultures. Learn to engage with context not the connotation.Read Perth Skeptics collection of street epistemology resources.Read Berkeley's "Bridging Differences Playbook" Visit the Street Epistemology Website.Read the Wikipedia on Street Epistemology.SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL...

It's not about changing someone's mind, it's about finding common ideas so you can expose the vulnerabilities + biases, but there are risks involved. You may start to identify your own faulty beliefs. This work isn't for everyone, all the time. It's not your responsibility to have productive conversations about everything, all the time. If you have the capacity, though, some of these strategies and skills can help us hone those skills. Read Perth Skeptics collection of street epistemology resources. Read Berkeley's "Bridging Differences Playbook" Visit the Street Epistemology...

Lately I've been avoiding arguments by asking people about their "mode of justification" rather than the justification, itself. It's helped me in my genuine curiosity, which allows me to be more respectful when dealing with people whose beliefs seem ridiculous. There's no formula or script, but asking "what evidence would change your confidence in the truth of this claim?" has changed my relationship with these types of conversations. Working from where we do agree, and meeting people where they are, and exploring alongside each other - to understand HOW they got to the...

When you deep clean your kitchen cabinets, your guests won't know what a MESS it used to be. It's invisible labor. They won't see the chaos that you had to go through to get everything to an organized place, but that doesn't take away the value of an organized cabinet. Finding a way to engage with the world productively, has been a chaotic mess of a project - but it's been worth it. I'm highly sensitive and in a world that pushes us all towards numbness, it feels like a burden. But it's...

Here are the learned dispositions that coincide with education + critical thinking: Comfort with abstraction Willingness to defer gratification Belief that your questions are legitimateEase with formal language Patience with hierarchal structuresWatch MaisonRichie's tiktok on educational disposition. Read scholarly teacher's article. Read Know Atom's article. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE<...

Kids are losing their tolerance for frustration, and it's showing up in their education. Have you noticed a change in your own?The school system is broken, but that means we should invest MORE into it, not less. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.The opinions expressed by Julie...

"Everything will seem like a world-ending crisis if we don't know what has/hasn't happened before. If it has happened before, it's can be hugely comforting to know how it was resolved and/or what might happen next." - Cindy OtisToo much negativity leads to complacency, the inability to act, adopting a crisis perspective, depression, and PTSD. So we need to avoid overindulgence, accept your limits, set boundaries, take action where you can, be reasonable with yourself, pick ONE thing at a time, take some sort of action, and stop putting so much pressure on...

Being dysregulated is actually a sign of a healthy nervous system. You don't need to focus on staying "regulated" but instead, learn to listen to the signals that arrive when you do become dysregulated so you can focus on the root cause, instead of the symptoms. When we learn to listen to our feelings as information, we can decide which ones we need to address in real time. It's not about avoiding discomfort altogether, but getting curious about the causes + feelings associated with it so you can start aligning your actions with your...