Overthinking About Being A Flake

About this episode

Amanda and guest Kate Lindsay discuss the implications of chronic flakiness on mental health and relationships in the context of modern digital culture.

When did canceling plans become a personality trait... and at what cost? This week, Amanda is joined by writer and internet culture expert Kate Lindsay (@kathrynfiona) to overthink being a flake... not as a quirky coping mechanism, but as a habit that can quietly shrink our lives. Together, they explore how chronic flakiness can lead to isolation, weaken our relationships, and negatively impact mental health, especially in the burnout aftermath of the pre-COVID girlboss era that taught us to overextend and then retreat. The conversation traces how exhaustion, overwork, and digital culture have reshaped our tolerance for social effort, and when “protecting your peace” starts to look like opting out entirely. A sobering but compassionate spiral about burnout, loneliness, and the hard work of choosing connection again. - Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers. - To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack. - Pick up Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at⁠…

People in this episode

Host: Amanda Montell

Guest: Kate Lindsay

Topics covered

• chronic flakiness
• mental health
• burnout
• social effort
• digital culture
• relationships

Keywords

• flake
• canceling plans
• isolation
• girlboss era
• social connections
• burnout
• mental health

Sponsors

Mint Mobile, Shopify

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Magical Overthinkers Club

Books & works: The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality

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