A self-development podcast with philosophical, psychological and literary flair hosted by Victoria Hutchins, the creator of @thedailyvictorian. Giving your soul...
On Walt Whitman & Making Hopeful Art at a Time Like This
I’m thinking of someone. Guess who? They’re a trailblazing artist. LGBTQ-adjacent. A Gemini from Long Island. An artist trying to make sense of rapid technological change and political division. No, not Lady Gaga. Not RuPaul. Not Frank Ocean. Think older. Centuries older. Today we’re talking about the great American poet, Walt Whitman.Walt Whitman was born in 1819, but his world feels eerily familiar. His New York was reeling from technological change and caught in a web of political division. Sound familiar? In this episode, we explore Whitman’s life—from his roots as a Brooklyn typesetter to his rise as the great American poet. We’ll unpack his most famous work, Leaves of Grass, and the ideas in it that scandalized entire towns. We’ll talk about the beauty of contradiction, the divinity of the mundane, and the radical interconnectedness of all things. We’ll ask: what does it mean to write about hope and unity at a Time Like This? If you’re questioning how your art (or your heart) fits into a collapsing society, this episode is for you.EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 02:56 Life Update: Tour! USA Today Bestseller! Bali?05:32 Walt Whitman: a Long Island Gemini 06:03 1800s NY: Nationalism, populism, manifest destiny07:52 Sound familiar? 09:02 Walt Whitman’s early life10:11 Walt Whitman, the reluctant teacher11:05 Walt Whitman, the starving artist 12:27 Walt Whitman does a social media detox13:00 Walt Whitman emerges with a first draft13:14 Leaves of Grass: not like other girls 14:00 1855 Walt Whitman is giving Woodstock 14:14 Publication expert level: just like us 14:44 Walt Whitman gets left on read 14:48 Enter: Ralph Waldo Emerson15:54 Walt Whitman is his own cheerleader 17:47 Walt Whitman is as petty as the rest of us18:22 Leaves of Grass starts to get legs 18:41 Leaves of Grass gets smuttier 18:57 Walt Whitman is not an angel 21:02 The Civil War changes everything 22:21 Leaves of Grass, an OG banned book23:01 Walt Whitman’s legacy 24:03 Walt Whitman quotes that will change your brain chemistry24:18 1. “Every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you”25:07 My ego nap25:59 2. “I am large, I contain multitudes” 26:39 The categorification of the human experience27:10 you are not a cottagecore coastal grandma clean girl mob wife u are a spiritual being having a human experience 28:48 3. “The smallest sprout shows there really is no death”31:09 4. “Do you guess I have some intricate purpose?” EPISODE LINKS• Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman• Stuff You Missed in History Class episode• Comedy by Bo Burnham• My Writer’s Digest article on writing about hopeMY LINKS• MAKE BELIEVE is out everywhere now• Get a signed copy of MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow Bookshop• Let’s hang on tour!!• Join me in Bali June 1-7! • Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram • Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok
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41:57
7 Tiny Ways to Cultivate Awe
When was the last time you felt genuine awe? Not just happiness, not “that’s cool,” but deep, childlike wonder? In this episode, we explore 7 five-minutes-or-less practices that can help you feel more present, more alive, and more connected to the quiet magic all around you. EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro 01:28 MAKE BELIEVE is out now02:50 Come hang with me on tour? 03:51 7 tiny ways to cultivate awe03:54 1. Look closely at ordinary nature04:20 The goggles of habit 04:41 Walt Whitman: what is the grass?05:27 Thich Nhat Hanh’s tangerine meditation07:31 Rumi & the blurriness of separation 09:14 2. Look up10:00 The benefits of tree gazing10:29 Mary Oliver’s When I Am Among the Trees11:48 3. Unitask music 11:55 Music used to be the main course13:06 One song no multitasking challenge13:29 Make an awe playlist 13:40 4. Make unsmall small talk 14:19 Martin Buber’s I-Thou vs I-It15:50 Challenge: be aware during small talk16:17 The sacred ground of connection16:50 5. Remember pale blue dot 17:08 The Voyager photo17:36 Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot 19:10 Pondering our tininess 21:04 6. Make an awe signal22:21 7. Keep an awe list 22:43 The Zeigarnik Effect24:53 Lightning round recapEPISODE LINKS• @boywaif post on the goggles of habit• Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman• Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh• Sometimes & When I Am Among the Trees by Mary Oliver• Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot• I and Thou by Martin Buber• Rumi (Coleman Bark’s Essential Rumi) • The Zeigarnick Effect MY LINKS• MAKE BELIEVE is out everywhere now• Get a signed copy of MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow Bookshop• Let’s hang on tour!!• Join me in Bali June 1-7! • Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram • Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok
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28:42
6 Warnings No One Gives You About Changing Your Life
We romanticize big life changes—quitting the job, moving to the dream city, chasing the thing we’ve always wanted. But big changes have big side effects. And if you don’t see them coming, they might just send you running back to the life you were trying to leave behind. In this episode, we’re breaking down six warnings I wish someone had told me before I changed everything. If you’re craving a big shift, let’s make sure you’re ready for it.EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro 01:45 Life update + tour! 05:52 6 warnings about changing your life 06:14 1. It will not automatically make you happy07:44 Harvard happiness study08:34 The hedonic treadmill 9:54 2. You will have an identity crisis 10:12 Ship of Theseus 11:40 3. You’ll probably feel stuck12:04 Diamond Example 13:12 Change happens at tipping points 15:31 4. It never stops feeling vulnerable15:55 Asch conformity study 17:18 The neuroscience of fear & hope19:43 It’s only embarrassing if you’re embarrassed22:33 5. There’s no magic pill 24:32 6. You’ll feel torn between who you were and who you’re becoming 24:52 Janus, the Roman god of transitions27:18 Lightning round recapMY LINKS• Preorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copy• Preorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more• Let’s hang on tour!!• Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE!• Join me in Bali June 1-7! • Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram • Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok EPISODE LINKS• Ship of Theseus • Harvard happiness study• The hedonic treadmill • Digging for diamonds cartoon• Janus: the god of doors, gates and transitions
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30:48
A 5-Step Guided Practice for a Season of Transformation
Don’t press play unless you’re ready for big change. This isn’t a normal podcast episode—it’s a guided practice designed to help you step into the next chapter of you with clarity and intention. Maybe you’re on the brink of a big life change. Or maybe you feel stuck and just know it's time for a shift. This episode will walk you through the five-step practice that completely changed my life. In it, we'll learn about the neuroscience of manifestation, do a guided meditation, journal, and come on the other side of the episode with a clear plan routing towards our dreams. EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro08:13 Agenda09:25 Plato's Cave Allegory13:22 The neuroscience of manifestation16:14 The reflection practice that changed my life 16:36 Step 1: Define your current chapter20:37 Step 2: Define your next chapter22:53 Step 3: Guided visualization meditation37:32 Step 4: Journaling38:26 4a. Reflect on the chapter that’s ending40:56 4b. Set intentions for your next chapter 43:29 4c. Set SMAAART* goals 47:33 4d. Plan your trust-building week 52:23 Step 5: Believing MY LINKSPreorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copyPreorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and moreLet’s hang on tour!!Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE!Join me in Bali June 1-7! Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok
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56:25
How to Get Over an Embarrassing Moment in 5 Steps
Admit it: you’re still thinking about that cringey thing you did 6 years ago. Maybe it was something you said. Something you did. Something that haunts you at 2 AM when your brain decides to rerun its most humiliating blooper reel.Today, we’re breaking down exactly how to move past an embarrassing moment in 5 steps. We’ll talk about why your brain refuses to let things go, how the spotlight effect makes you think people care way more than they actually do, and the five fastest ways to shake off the cringe and move on with your life.EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro 02:06 Preorder Make Believe! Come see me on tour!02:44 Why do we feel embarrassment? 03:50 Embarrassment scale 03:57 Tier 1: slight cringe05:07 Tier 2: mild cringe07:07 Tier 3: proper humiliation 11:09 Tier 4: deep humiliation 13:29 Tier 5: existential humiliation15:45 Jean Paul Sartre’s the gaze 17:50 The spotlight effect18:44 Social media and the spotlight effect19:30 5 tips for navigating embarrassing moments19:3 6 Break - Book! Bali! Tour! 25:25 1. Remember the spotlight is not real29:51 2. Call it out as it’s happening 32:49 3. Tell someone 34:27 4. Figure out the root35:58 5. Own it and then move on 40:07 Challenge MY LINKS Preorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copy Preorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more Let’s hang on tour!! Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE! Join me in Bali June 1-7! Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok EPISODE LINKSSpotlight Effect Study Spotlight Effect and Social Media Study Jean Paul Sartre’s Being and Nothingness
A self-development podcast with philosophical, psychological and literary flair hosted by Victoria Hutchins, the creator of @thedailyvictorian. Giving your soul something to chew on every Sunday.
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