The Wonky Adult Handbook

Finding our voice as Artists: the trials and tribulations of the Drama School Experience

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 16:27:00 +0000

This Episode we welcome you into the world of The Arts, as Nim and I discuss our experience training at Fourth Monkey. Together, we explore the wacky, terrifying, and exposing aspects of Actor Craft Training, and most importantly, what it's taught us about themselves.

As well as this, we digest what it was like to Graduate and complete our final shows in a Pandemic. An experience that no actor in training has ever had to do before. We believe that our industry is being ignored, so today, we take this opportunity to share the importance of keeping the Arts alive, now more than ever.

Tune in to learn about everything that Actors in Training keep quiet in the Muggle World. From Object exercises to Animal Studies, we share the Education experience that very few will ever get to experience.

Under our skin: what you look like and why it shouldn't matter

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 18:41:16 +0000

Every Adult started off as a teenager in a body that was developing faster than their thoughts. This episode transports our listeners back in time to the unseemingly troubling memories of growing up at an all-girls school; a hot spot for Eating Disorders and Fat-shaming.

Arianna and Host Emily unapologetically discuss the pressures of being both sexualized and physically penalized throughout their adolescence, the trauma that followed that, but most importantly how it did not break them. This Episode is about self-development, intimacy, love, and self-acceptance. Social Media is placing teenage girls under a microscopic lens of pressure and insecurity, and we hope that this can provide some comfort in the midst of that.

Dating and skin colour: Kishan's story of being Brown, British and left in the Lurch.

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 16:01:00 +0000

Episode 6 explores all things in relation to race and how it's informed our experiences as young adults. Kishan shares his story of growing up as a Gujarati Indian man in North London throughout the early noughties. He uncovers some hard truths about being abandoned by teachers, encountering micro-aggression, and later on experiencing exclusion from Dating Apps. Alongside this discussion, Emily compares this to her experience of White Privilege and the 'normalization' of subtle racism in English Culture.

Together, they overall assess the importance of being able to have this conversation with friends in order to dismantle systemic racism, and the importance of learning about other cultures in general.

Born to be wild: our idea of success and where it came from

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 17:17:18 +0000

In Episode 5, Emily and Rory discuss their personal ideas of success and delve into where these ideas were initially adopted by us. This conversation looks at the grief of losing a family member, and how many early childhood traumas can influence what we place importance on.

My wonky bits uncovered: how I learnt to shake hands with my OCD and why it's okay to not accept every part of yourself yet

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:13:54 +0000

Are some 'positive' quotes suffocating and silencing us? How does 'self-acceptance' compare to 'self-love'? Are they the same thing? This week, Emily offers the listeners of The Wonky Adult Handbook her first solo episode. Grab yourself a cup of tea and listen to her open up about herself as she answers the questions that you submitted, including delving into how mental illness can physically shrink your life, and why it's important to compromise with your mind and not fight against it. This episode offers some hearted humor mixed with a bit of vulnerability; a fresh perspective on honest self-reflection and why it's okay to not adore every part of yourself yet.

Beyond monogamy and lust: how do we ask each other difficult questions without breaking up?

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 16:00:36 +0000

Is it healthy to desire other people in a relationship? Do people cheat because they are too scared to communicate? Why do we practice monogamy if often it ends in tears? How can we sustain a long-lasting loving relationship 'forever'? A monogamous couples challenge: unpicking the 'flaws' of the society's most over-romanticized relationship structure. In this episode, Emily and Rory, a monogamous couple, talk about the pressures they often face within a relationship, delve a bit deeper into why people might conceal and hide from their partners, and touch a little on some of the biological and sociological reasons behind monogamy.

Has the pandemic changed our relationship with alcohol? Or are we still living for the weekend?

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 11:48:10 +0000

We are almost at the end of a very dry January, and this prompts an important first-time discussion between three childhood friends. How much of an impact has alcohol had on our formative years? Where can we spot it within the festive season? Is it 'uncool' to go sober, and are we making boozing a personality trait? This week, Isabel and Mairead join Emily for some light-hearted reflection about growing up in a city that never rests.

Burnout in a creative world: are we letting our ambition define who we are?

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 15:09:35 +0000

In this episode, Emily and Louis discuss everything creative and career-related, from learning to set healthy boundaries for ourselves, neglecting our mental health in order to please our families - to also discovering sanctuary, inspiration, and (even) father figures within motivational speakers.