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Send us Fan Mail Mimi’s philosophy is simple: “Do it, see what happens.” It’s taken her from selling her family’s produce as a kid to working in biotech, teaching Pilates, trying stand-up, and launching her own consulting business. This week in the pond, we talk about the experiences behind that confidence: strict parents, learning to read a room, earning an MBA while pregnant, and finding something fun to do after a layoff. We also get honest about motherhood, chronic pain, protecting your energy, and the pressure to look like you’ve got your shit together. Plus, my first Muni ride becomes a whole production, Mimi gives me a nudge toward the comedy stage, and somehow we end up making a plank challenge. Come for the laughs. Stay for the permission to try something before you’ve overthought it into oblivion. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Who gets to decide whether you’re a “real” artist? J.D. Boychuk joins Siobhan to talk about rejection, public art, pricing your work, and building a creative life that pays some bills and still feels like yours. From Metro Detroit to Shanghai and conversations with monks in Laos, his story is full of unexpected turns, and people who opened doors because he showed up and followed through. They dig into imposter syndrome, the business lessons art school left out, and why helping other people can change your own path. Plus: a World Trade Center memorial, a world getting way too beige, and the Everywhere Butter Siobhan is slightly obsessed with. For anyone making things, starting over, or wondering whether the unconventional path still counts. Find more about J.D. Boychuk at: https://jdboychuk.com/ Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Nurse educator and grant writer Ricardo Dukes joins Siobhan for a conversation about the gap between knowing the textbook and knowing how to care for a person. They talk about patient advocacy, chronic pain, the mind-body connection, training future nurses, supporting nonprofits through grant writing, and making space for self-care. If you’ve ever felt unheard in a medical setting, this one will hit close to home. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Billy Ribak turned one kid’s request for drum lessons into 3 O’Clock Rock, a hands-on music program where young musicians start bands, write songs, make records, play real shows, and go on tour. Billy joins Siobhan to talk about growing up playing music with his brother Marc, building community through rock ’n’ roll, and teaching kids the communication, collaboration, and follow-through that being in a band actually requires. Plus we talk about the Ogres’ Anh Phoong jingle, recording student songs at Abbey Road Studios, a surprise assist from a rock star, and why every creative person needs to keep their transmitter on. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Chamaine Wofford has been building things since she was a teenager, but opening Vinyl Wine Bar & Shop may be the hardest thing she’s ever done. She joins Siobhan to talk about growing up gifted and ambitious in South Carolina, spending 12 years in speech therapy, raising children as a single mom, developing her palate through travel, and bootstrapping a destination wine bar at Alameda Point. They dig into being underestimated as a Black woman, learning to step away from your own business before it steals your joy, and what happens when the strong woman doing all the nurturing realizes she deserves to be nurtured too. Plus: small-producer wines, Champagne with caviar and truffle chips, Depeche Mode, a few opinions about Napa, and the belief that hospitality matters even more in a world where so many people are lonely. Good wine. Good music. Good vibes. No proving you belong. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Shawnte didn’t set out to become a yoga teacher or a community healer, she just knew she couldn’t keep living the way she was. In this episode, she sits down with Siobhan to trace her journey from social work and wilderness programs with deeply traumatized youth, to remote-care burnout, to finding an unexpected lifeline in yoga and community. They talk about moving from Virginia to Florida to Alameda, the loneliness of caregiving and working from home, and what happens to your nervous system when life keeps demanding more than you have. Shawnte shares the story of crying on her mat, asking the universe for an answer, and the stranger who unknowingly nudged her straight into teacher training. Together, they unpack performance vs. presence, why “comparison is the thief of joy” hits different when you’re reinventing yourself, and how real community, especially among Black and Brown women, can rewrite old narratives about worth and belonging. If you’ve ever felt stuck between who you were told to be and who you actually are, this one’s for you. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Music doesn't put food on the table, but it feeds something just as important. This week, Siobhan welcomes Dr. Margaret "Marge" Jones, classical guitarist, rock frontwoman of M. Jones and the Melee, teacher, and lifelong student of music, for a conversation that starts with microphones and somehow ends with the meaning of art. They talk about earning a PhD in music, touring in a minivan, teaching nearly 50 students, surviving layoffs, and why perfection is wildly overrated. Marge shares what it's like being the only woman in the room, how stage fright never completely disappears, and why stepping on stage feels like putting on a superpower suit. Along the way, they celebrate happy mistakes, unpack the roots of rock and roll, nerd out over music history, and ask a bigger question: if music doesn't technically meet our basic needs... why has every culture throughout history made it anyway? This episode is for anyone who's ever wondered if their creative life matters. (Spoiler: it does.) Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail It’s episode 10 of Touch of the Tism and your favorite tired bartenders are back: Siobhan, Holly, and Dani. What starts as a delirious catch-up about sleep deprivation, weird days off, and bar bathroom emergencies quickly opens into a deeper conversation about Juneteenth, white supremacy, policing, and why education, not “wokeness”, is the real threat to people in power. The crew unpacks mispronounced names, Irish and Scottish roots, Boston vs. Bay Area accents, and the thin line between cultural appreciation and appropriation. They share what Juneteenth looked like growing up, how Black history keeps getting paved over (literally and figuratively), and why the World Cup’s joy feels so precious against rising hate groups and protests. Along the way, you’ll get unhinged bar stories about underage IDs, kids sleeping in bars, waving cash at bartenders, and why “Can I please have…?” will always get you further than “Gimme.” They close with grief, dads, Buffalo Soldiers, and a sharp reminder to lead with kindness while still holding the line. If you’ve ever felt bone-tired, overwhelmed by the news, and still determined to care about people, this one’s for you. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Alicia—aka Big New Energy—is a Bay Area storyteller, single mom, and content creator who somehow makes history nerdy, small businesses, and quiet streets feel cinematic. She’s helped local shops hit their best sales in years, turned hidden corners of Richmond into destinations, and built a community off the strength of her voice and curiosity. In this episode, we dive into how she got here: growing up bullied, wrestling with self-doubt, and deciding, at some point, to stop letting other people’s opinions drive her life. We talk about having kids who were never supposed to walk or talk—and grow up speaking Mandarin. We unpack the “I don’t give a f*ck” mindset, navigating online hate, and the very real fear of putting your face (and heart) on camera. Alicia walks us through her content process—from explore days with her kids to late-night scripting and editing—and how she’s slowly turning that work into a business and future as a social media manager and consultant. This is a conversation about resilience, creativity, community, and giving yourself permission to be seen. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Some friendships change your life. Others change the lives of everyone around you. Karen Beckles returns to Ducking Realitea for her third appearance, this time joined by her longtime friend, collaborator, and "chum," Leia Mitchell. What started as conversations between two roommates during COVID slowly evolved into a partnership built on trust, personal growth, and a shared passion for helping people reconnect, with themselves and with each other. Together they talk about leaving careers that no longer aligned with their values, becoming certified life coaches, navigating entrepreneurship, and why healing doesn't always happen in therapy offices, it often happens over tea, honest conversations, and communities that make people feel seen. Karen also shares how Let's Gather & Sip grew from intimate gatherings in her apartment into a thriving community event in Alameda, while Leia explains the behind-the-scenes role she plays helping transform creative ideas into sustainable businesses. This conversation is funny, heartfelt, and full of reminders that healing isn't about having all the answers. Sometimes it's simply about finding people willing to ask better questions. If you've ever wondered how community gets built, or wished you had people who truly "get" you, this episode is for you. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Ducking Reality Presents: Touch of the Tism, Siobhan, Holly, and Danielle take you from sticky bar floors to heavy-hearted truth in under two hours. They start with pure chaos: flip flops in dive bars, near-death toe incidents, and why melty cheese might be the only thing holding us together. Quickly, the tone shifts into something deeper—navigating parents’ depression, estate planning, and the brutal reality of watching the people who raised you fall apart. There’s inheritance drama, life insurance weirdness, and all the unsexy logistics of “grown-up” survival. Holly then unveils her darkly funny “apocalypse kill list” (spoiler: sports hooligans are in danger), which launches a wider conversation about entitlement, destructive fandoms, and performative attention-seeking. From there, they dive into queer history, Pride, pronouns, labels, and the tension between wanting to be respected and just wanting to buy groceries without a full identity interrogation. It’s raw, it’s irreverent, it’s political, and it’s full of belly laughs—exactly the kind of conversation you overhear at a bar and secretly wish you’d been invited into. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail This episode starts with Brian photographing 25 bands in 48 hours and somehow ends with swinger hotels, Japanese punk bands, AI, strip club playlists, and one of my favorite conversations we've had about creativity. Brian Paine and Johnny Dismal join me to pull back the curtain on what it's like to document a music scene from both sides of the stage. Brian talks about the obsessive post-production that helps him remember every band he shoots, why he never points out performers' onstage habits, and how social media and consent have completely changed candid photography. Johnny brings the performer's perspective: unsolicited feedback from strangers, the curse of hearing every wrong note, and why some of the best moments in music happen because someone didn't stop after making a mistake. Along the way we wander through Meta glasses, AI editing, Japanese punk hospitality, Bay Area music history, and how local scenes have evolved from competition to genuine community. We also spend some time talking about supporting opening bands, documenting local artists, and why the people behind the camera are just as much a part of the scene as the ones on stage. But somewhere in the middle, this conversation becomes about something much bigger than music. It's about making things because you love them. Leaving the mistakes in. Showing up for your community. Supporting each other instead of competing. And remembering that nobody creates anything worthwhile alone. Whether you've ever picked up a camera, started a band, written something, launched a business, or wondered if your work was "good enough," this episode is a reminder that perfection was never the goal. Sometimes the beautiful mistakes become the reason people remember you. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Well, Touch of the Tism is two weeks late. Before anybody asks... no, none of us are pregnant. 😂 Honestly, we've just been busy being adults, which frankly feels like a design flaw. Between BottleRock, gallery resets, work, chronic pain, family stuff, and trying to remember where we left our keys, this episode took a little longer to make it out into the world. This one starts with us catching up and quickly devolves into the usual chaos. We talk about weird things people say when they think nobody is listening, what your bartender is probably thinking when you don't tip, breaking expensive things at work, leading teams when you're exhausted, and the weird guilt that comes with asking for grace when your struggles aren't always visible. There's also a conversation about chronic pain that hit a little harder than I expected. Because sometimes you're doing your absolute best and from the outside it just looks like you're running late. If you've ever been overwhelmed, underestimated, overworked, in pain, or just trying to hold your shit together with duct tape and caffeine, this one's for you. Thanks for hanging in the pond with us, my ducks. 💜 Listen now. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail Charles was born in Manila, raised in West Oakland, and shaped by a journey that includes skipping grades, rave days, a suicide attempt, paranoid schizophrenia, and two hospitalizations. Today, he’s a therapist serving school-age kids on Medi-Cal, bringing both clinical training and lived experience into the room. In this conversation, we talk about what psychosis actually feels like, why medication is lifesaving (not shameful), and how immigration, race, and class intersect with mental health. Charles shares candidly about navigating homelessness outreach, burnout, and working in systems that often underpay the very people trying to keep communities afloat. We also get into the beauty of Filipino culture—food, hospitality, and showing up for each other—as a quiet backbone of the Bay Area, and how love (hi, Jamie!) and community have held Charles through it all. If you’ve ever felt like your past disqualifies you from helping others, this episode flips that script and shows how surviving can become a powerful tool for service. Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.

Send us Fan Mail This week I'm joined by Ilona Campbell, the creator behind Campbell Sells the Bay, for a conversation that goes far beyond real estate. Born in Ukraine and raised in San Francisco, Ilona shares her journey through Burning Man culture, opening one of Brooklyn's first vape shops, world travel, motherhood, and eventually becoming one of the Bay Area's favorite local history storytellers. We talk about Oakland history, East Bay neighborhoods, Fairyland, Lake Merritt, real estate, AI, community, and how understanding the story of a place can change the way you see it. It's a conversation about reinvention, curiosity, resilience, and why some of the most interesting stories are hiding right in our own backyard. If you love Bay Area history, Oakland stories, local culture, travel, entrepreneurship, and casual conversations about serious sh*t, this episode is for you. Guest: Ilona Campbell (@campbellsellsthebay) Support the show Thanks for hanging in the pond, my ducks 🐤 Where we keep it honest, casual conversations about serious sh*t, and somehow still find a way to laugh through it. If you felt something, send it to someone you love… or someone who might need a little push. Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/duckingrealitea/ And go out there and find your joy, even if it’s a little chaotic. Stay curious, stay joyful… you’re deeply loved, my ducks.