In this episode of Alchemy, Tim and LeeAnna set sail through the Love Archipelago, exploring the rocky islands of human emotion. First stop: “Desire and Disappointment” - where we chase love but find out we’re way better at the chase than the actual thing. Then, onto “Love as an Existential Completeness” - the soulmate myth that feels more like a trap than true connection. Finally, “Love as Animals Wandering Through the World” - because sometimes love is just about finding a mate to share a Netflix account with. If you’re ready to question everything about love, relationships, and whether we’re all just stumbling through life, this episode is for you. Spoiler: no one’s escaping the wreckage.

Listen up—this podcast is ad-free. That’s right, no cheesy cruise ads telling you to book your next overpriced vacation to "picturesque Dutch villages," where you’ll spend a week crammed in with 1,000 other cruise passengers who somehow all think they’re part of an exclusive club. No thanks. Instead, we’re offering you pure, unfiltered content. No sponsors, no distractions, just the kind of insightful chaos you’re here for. You’re welcome.

Read The Snark’s review of this podcast here. Writers’ prompts for this podcast are here. Submission page for Effigy Press here. Effigy Press here.

Intro music: brighter days by Oliver Massa - License code: S4QNBRVN0S5MTNW4 https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/brighter-days Outro music: nightdrive by mood-maze - License code: OGGKCMVJLUMOBW5P https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/nightdrive. Or, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NZsJWoGZ9A

Let’s face it: Life is a constant mess of contradictions. Freedom feels great… until it leaves you with a heap of regret. Love makes you feel like you’re on top of the world… right before it takes you down a peg (or ten). In our latest Alchemy Podcast episode, Tim and LeeAnna dive headfirst into some of the most mind-boggling human paradoxes: freedom vs. control, love’s highest highs and lowest lows, and all the emotional chaos in between. Get ready for a wild ride of snark, bad decisions, and surprisingly insightful moments (we promise, they’re in there somewhere).

Here’s a paradox for you: the less we try to sell you, the more you’ll want to stick around. Weird, right? No annoying ads. No cheesy pitches. Just raw, unfiltered Alchemy. We don’t need to shove stuff down your throat to keep you hooked. Because, let’s face it, who needs more ads in their life? So, enjoy the chaos, the contradictions, and the endless contradictions. It’s the least we could do, considering we’re not trying to sell you anything. Except maybe our weird, wild perspectives on life.

The Paradox of Love: A Historical Exploration of Western Philosophical Perspectives on Love, Exclusion, and Liberatory Potential. By David Berman.

Read The Snark’s review of this podcast here. Writers’ prompts for this podcast are here. Submission page for Effigy Press here. Effigy Press here.

Intro music: brighter days by Oliver Massa - License code: S4QNBRVN0S5MTNW4 https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/brighter-days Outro music: nightdrive by mood-maze - License code: OGGKCMVJLUMOBW5P https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/nightdrive. Or, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NZsJWoGZ9A

In this Alchemy Short n’ Sweet episode, Tim and LeeAnna delve into the joy of a crisis made so much worse by the person who panics – do they want to be center of attention, or is it their emotional fragility, or (better yet) both? Writers, sharpen your pencils. Non-writers, stay tuned anyway—and relive your own crises in safety.

Of course, as with all our podcasts, we’ve spared you the temptation of ads for pizza delivery that promises to be ‘just what you need’—until you realize you’ve spent half your paycheck on a pizza that could’ve been made in the time it took for them to find your address. You’re welcome—because we care about your wallet (and your waistline). And if one of those ads sneaks through, I swear we didn’t endorse it. Just blame it on the algorithm’s cravings.

Read The Snark’s review of this podcast here. Writers’ prompts for this podcast are here. Submission page for Effigy Press here. Effigy Press here.

Intro music: brighter days by Oliver Massa - License code: S4QNBRVN0S5MTNW4 https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/brighter-days Outro music: nightdrive by mood-maze - License code: OGGKCMVJLUMOBW5P https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/nightdrive. Or, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NZsJWoGZ9A