Coping

Harry Styles is rumoured to be retiring. Amelia Dimoldenberg is bringing the Chicken Shop Date era to a close. We all remember Simone Biles stepping away from the gymnastics mat. More and more, we're watching people opt out of goals they've built their identity around and spent years publicly pursuing. Quitting seems more socially acceptable than ever, so why does walking away still feel like failure?This week, Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson explore our relationship with quitting (it's complicated). In a conversation about identity, drive and sunk costs, they unpack where the "never give up" mindset actually came from, why perseverance is treated as a virtue while quitting is seen as a flaw, and whether knowing when to stop might be just as important as knowing when to keep going.Harry Styles Is Still Getting Used to Being Harry Styles by Julio Torres, W Magazine Is Harry Styles Retiring? by Sam Prance, Capital UK Harry Styles’ Speech On Together, Together TourSimone Biles Says She Should Have Quit Way Before Tokyo Olympics by Katie Kindelan, ABC News Hyrox Athlete Apologies and Withdraws After Viral Defecation Incident by Alexandra Koster, SBSTime, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism by E.P. ThompsonThe Protestant Ethic and The Spirit Of Capitalism by Max WeberSelf-Help; with Illustrations of Conduct and Perseverance by Samuel SmilesDid ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Need an Encore? And Where Is Taylor Swift Going Next? By Maya Georgi, Rolling StoneAmelia Dimoldenberg to close doors of Chicken Shop Date by Naomi de Souza, BBCThe Sunk Cost Trap: Why We Throw Good Money After Bad by Carlos Alós-Ferrer, Psychology Today Errors in Aviation Decision Making: Bad Decisions or Bad Luck? by Judith Orasanu, Lynne Martin and Jeannie Davison, NASA Ames Research CenterLearned Helplessness at Fifty: Insights from Neuroscience by Steven F. Maier and Martin E.P. Seligman, Psychological Review Watch: Jerry Maguire Want to support our show? We'd be so grateful if you hit 'follow' or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content.Plus, you can follow along with us on Instagram and Pinterest. Find out more about what we're up to (and how you can get involved) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠copinginc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI experts, executives, and inventors themselves are sounding the alarm – warning us that an AI takeover could threaten all of humanity within just the next ten years. In other words, the call is coming from INSIDE the house.This week, Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson unpack the full context behind the looming AI threat and its potential ten‑year countdown (and why the narrative is, unsurprisingly, more complicated than the spooky, scary headlines). They contemplate the echo chamber inside Silicon Valley, the psychology that makes our worst‑case scenarios feel super inevitable, and the machine‑god anxieties that have shaped culture for centuries. In a conversation about AI fears, futurism, and the ethics of progress, they mull over our obsession with acceleration – whether it’s sustainable, whether it’s necessary, and whether our future actually involves living among the stars (or just coping with what we’ve already built). ☆ Want to stop guessing what your chart is trying to tell you? Get a personalised reading from real astrologers on CHANI – the #1 app for manifestation, meaning, and self‑discovery. ☆Want to support our show? We'd be so grateful if you hit 'follow' or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content.Plus, you can follow along with us on Instagram and Pinterest. Find out more about what we're up to (and how you can get involved) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠copinginc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Could AI Really Wipe Out Humanity and Hijack the Internet? by Robert Booth, Dan Milmo and Aisha Down, The GuardianAI Could Possibly End Humanity. How Are Humans Supposed to Process That? By William J. Broad and Cade Metz, New York TimesOne of AI’s Fiercest Critics’ Says All The Doom Talk ‘is Meant to Distract Us’ by Lauren Goode, WIRED The AI Researcher Who’s Investment Is Changing Everything on The Daily, New York TimesThe AI Tipping Point by Billy Perrigo, Harry Booth and Naomi Nix, TIMEThis Is Really Bad by Stephen Witt, New York TimesThe AI Con by Emily M BenderThe AI Doomsday Skeptics by Katrin Bennhold, New York TimesDon’t Look UpEx Machina Frankenstein by Mary Shelley‘Black Mirror’ Creator Charlie Brooker Wants Us Worried - and Not for the Reasons You'd Think, by Mikey O’Connell, The Hollywood Reporter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a culture obsessed with comeback arcs and self‑improvement, we’ve turned failure into something it was never meant to be: productive, meaningful, and always redeemable. But real life is messier. Some flops teach us, some flops just hurt, and some flops become lore… (if you were in the audience at Bongo’s Bingo, pls come forward).This week, Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson dissect ‘the flop’ in the age of AI, hyper‑curation, and personal branding – from Lizzo and her new album BITCH all the way to Grand Designs (trust us), we explore why some people choose to reclaim their failures and others own them as lessons. ☆ Are you a creative looking for support? Visit the Support Act Creative Industries Hub or call the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline on 1800 959 500 for a free and confidential chat (and remember, you don't have to be in crisis to call). Sometimes you just need to talk to someone who actually gets it and can hear you out. ☆Lizzo’s New Album Didn’t Even Chart. What Happened? by Larisha Paul, Rolling StoneLizzo In The Age Of Backlash, by Lauren Michele Jackson, The New YorkerWhen Rebecca Was 13 She Was Mocked Over Her Viral Video. Now The Joke’s On The Haters, by John Bailey, The AgeHilary Duff Does Viral ‘With Love’ Dance at First Concert in 10 Years, Entertainment TonightNot Learning From Failure – The Biggest Failure Of All study by Lauren Eskreis-Winkler and Ayelet Fishbach, Psychological ScienceHow To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast Grand Designs’ Most Infamous Lighthouse Disaster, Channel 4⁠How Olivia Rodrigo’s Love Songs Became a Breakup Album⁠, Popcast from The New York Times Want to support our show? We'd be so grateful if you hit 'follow' or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content.Plus, you can follow along with us on ⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pinterest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find out more about what we're up to (and how you can get involved) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠copinginc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all know the endless research on the negative effects of our phones. And yet, we keep picking them up.This week, Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson dig into the so-called solutions – dumb phones, no‑phone policies, two‑device lifestyles – and ask whether any of them are actually helping us break compulsive habits, or just giving us new ways to aestheticise restraint.Plus, because the wellness zeitgeist never sleeps: we’re calling for justice for beta blockers on the set of the Summer House Reunion, and yes, witchcraft is in (more on that soon). ☆ Save the date: the Glitter Gel Pen Book Club will be joining us at the Coping Studio on 25 June for the launch of ⁠our Silent Reading Sessions⁠ (and coming back monthly!). ☆Watch: ⁠Summer House Reunion Part 3⁠ (essential viewing!!) ⁠Is 2026 the Year of the Witch?⁠ By Madeleine Woon, Russh⁠My Most Capable Clients Are Becoming Prisoners Of Their Smartphones, But There Is A Way Out⁠ by Carly Dober, The Guardian⁠What I Saw At The Phoebe Bridges No-Phones MSG Show (To The Best Of My Recollection)⁠ by Erin Somers, GQ⁠Fujifilm Forecast Trends Report 2026⁠⁠The Flip Phone Cleanse⁠ by Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic ⁠Do I Look Ridiculous Carrying Two Phones?⁠ by Gabriella Gershenson, New York Times Want to support our show? We'd be so grateful if you hit 'follow' or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content.Plus, you can follow along with us on⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pinterest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find out more about what we're up to (and how you can get involved) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠copinginc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Xochitl González might just smoke again. Writing in The Cut, Xochitl captures the absurdity of organising our lives around a “future self” who, these days, may never materialise. How naïve of us.Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson follow that nihilistic thread into the architecture of pleasure: when joy must be mindful, intentional, functional, and net‑positive to qualify, what exactly qualifies. Maybe the thing worth interrogating isn’t nicotine or sugar or screen time, but the way pleasure itself has been moralised into something that requires a defence.And because the wellness zeitgeist never sleeps: we’re deeping the Enhanced Games (international conspiracy?), and embracing the sticker star charts of your cosy productivity dreams.Episode image: Getty (sourced via The Cut)Shout out to Laher for supporting this episode of Coping ! Book your consultation at⁠⁠ ⁠Laher.co⁠⁠⁠, or explore the⁠⁠ ⁠bespoke engagement ring collection⁠⁠⁠ online. The Enhanced Games Is Here. But Forget The ‘Sport’ – It Has Something It Wants To Sell You by Matt Slater, New York TimesI Mean, Why Shouldn’t We All Start Smoking Cigarettes Again? by Xochitl González, The CutWhy We Should All Embrace Nihilism by Gemma Parker, The Guardian Miley Cyrus’s Latest Beauty Muse? Glastonbury-Era Kate Moss by Ranyechi Udwmezue, British VogueWatch: Fran Lebowitz in Pretend It’s A City, NetflixRead: Pleasure Activism by Adrian Maree Brown The Narcotic Pleasures of Cleantok by Jessica Grose, New York TimesEpicurus, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyWant to support our show? We'd be so grateful if you hit 'follow' or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content.Plus, you can follow along with us on⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pinterest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find out more about what we're up to (and how you can get involved) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠copinginc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it actually mean to “live longer” in a culture that can’t tolerate aging?This week, Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson dive into the strange n seductive world of longevity culture, breaking down how a once‑niche scientific field has transformed into a billion‑dollar industry. We’re chatting about it all, from pilgrimages to Blue Zones, biological age testing, and cryonic chambers, and the $65 USD olive oils promising to rewind the effects of aging at a cellular level. The industry promises more years, but often at the cost of the humanity it claims to preserve.And because the wellness zeitgeist never sleeps, we’re also talking: pimple patches (where have they been all my life etc.) and wearable tracking devices (stay tuned for a future debate on this).Shout out to Laher for supporting this episode of Coping ! Book your consultation at Laher.co, or explore the bespoke engagement ring collection online. Watch: Blue Zones documentary, Netflix ‘Aging Is A Disease’: Inside The Drive To Postpone Death Indefinitely by Karen Heller, Washington Post Why Everyone Is Talking About Biological, Not Chronological, Age by Shivaune Field, ForbesEternal CEO Deepinder Goyal Links Aging With Gravity by Tisha Elizabeth Jacob, The Week200 Frozen Heads And Bodies Await Revival At This Arizona Cryonics Facility by Jacquelyne Germain, SmithsonianWatch: Don’t Die, Netflix Bryan Johnson Has Spent Millions Trying Not to Die. His Best Longevity Tip Is Free by Dominique Mosbergen, TIMEBryan Johnson Must Die by Alexander Biener, KainosRead: Why We Die by Venki RamakrishnanThe Anti-Aging Gold Rush Should Focus On Quality Of Life, Not Just Quantity by Michael Gurven, Stat NewsWhy I Hope to Die At 75 by Ezekiel Emanuel, The AtlanticWant to support our show? We'd be so grateful if you hit 'follow' or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content.Plus, you can follow along with us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pinterest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find out more about what we're up to (and how you can get involved) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠copinginc.com⁠⁠⁠. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to cope with a beauty standard that pretends not to be a beauty standard at all?This week, we’re talking about looking “natural” – which, in 2026 means botox in your 20s and three‑hour self-care routines.Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson explore how “aesthetic inflation”, a concept first articulated by writer Jessica DeFino, has shifted the baseline so dramatically that simply existing feels like falling behind. We unpack the psychological toll of chasing an ever-changing beauty ideal marketed as effortless, and ask whether celeb transparency around cosmetic work is actually all that liberating… And because the wellness zeitgeist never sleeps we’re also talking: oral dissolvable strip supplements (a no from us) and the new Korean lash lift that is (frankly) blindingly good. "Appearance Inflation: 3 Beauty Writers Sum Up 2025", CNN “Wait, Why Do I Want A Facelift?'" by Jessica DeFinoThe Year All My Friends Got Botox by Emmeline Clein, The CutListen: Botox, Fillers and Aesthetic Inflation, NPR It's Been a Minute podcastThe New Plastic Surgery Playbook by Rheana Murray, The AtlanticThe Forever-35 Face by Bridget Read, The Cut Beauty Standards Make Me Ashamed Of My Features, And AI Makes It Worse by Humeara Mohamed, Refinery29Nothing Looks Beautiful Anymore - And We Did This to Ourselves by Melissa Fleur Afshar, NewsweekListen: The Butt Blush Boom, Mess World podcastWould You Use Cadaver Fat Injections? by Jessica DeFino, The Guardian"Will Being 'Ugly' Be Aspirational One Day?" by Kish Lal, DazedWatch: How Much Are Australians Spending on Cosmetic Procedures?, SBS InsightWant to support our show? We'd be so grateful if you hit 'follow' or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content.Plus, you can follow along with us on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Pinterest⁠⁠⁠. Find out more about what we're up to (and how you can get involved) at ⁠⁠⁠copinginc.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever wondered who you’d be in an alternate universe – the version of you who took the other job, stayed in that city, didn’t cut bangs, or actually followed through with your new year goals? This week, we’re talking about the fantasy of becoming a “new you”, and how the 00s makeover montage promised a level of transformation that real life (and the wellness industry) absolutely cannot deliver on. Because somewhere between the slow-motion hair flip and the big no-glasses-reveal, we were sold the idea that upgrading the self is not only possible, but required. Join Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson as we unpack the pressure to evolve publicly, the discomfort of outgrowing old versions of ourselves, and the hope that comes with imagining who we might still become. Watch: The Plastic DetoxWhat if you could do it all over? by Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker Why we’re drawn to “fresh starts” by Megan A. Neff Psychology Today Psychology Today: Definition of neuroplasticityBuddhanet: definition of Anatta Modernity and self-identity by Anthony GiddensThe orphic origins of belief in reincarnation in ancient Greek philosophy by Hasskei Mohammed Majeed Britannica: Myths of rebirth and renewal Scribalo: The myth of the PheonixGet noticed to get ahead: the impact of personal branding on career success, by Sergey Gorbatov, Svetlana N Khapova, Evgenia I Lysova Want to support our show? We'd be so grateful if you hit 'follow' or left us a 5-star review so we can bring you more Coping content.Plus, you can follow along with us on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest. Find out more about what we're up to (and how you can get involved) at copinginc.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.