Couples therapy is not just for relationships on the brink. In this episode, LJ and Ale unpack when to start couples therapy, what research says about timing, and the signs that “we’re fine” might actually mean “we’re stuck.” 💬🧠

You’ll hear about:

• Early intervention and why it works ✅
• The “Four Horsemen” warning signs ⚠️
• High-risk transition seasons that can test any relationship 🔁
• Different therapy styles, from EFT to the Gottman Method 🧩
• How to find a therapist that fits you (not just the internet) 🔍

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s “bad enough” to go to therapy, this episode is your gentle nudge: you do not have to wait for a disaster to get support. 🫶🏽

🎛️ Editor’s note: The audio quality in this recording is not our best. We’re sorry about that, and we appreciate your patience while we keep improving our setup.

• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (2015). Consumer Update Survey.
• Doss, B. D., et al. (2009). The effect of the transition to parenthood on relationship quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Gottman, J. M. (1994). Why Marriages Succeed or Fail. Simon & Schuster.
• Johnson, S. M., et al. (1999). Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy: Status and challenges. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.
• Wiebe, S. A., & Johnson, S. M. (2016). A review of the research in Emotionally Focused Therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
• Williamson, H. C., et al. (2016). Timing and effectiveness of couple therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
• Perel, E. (2017). Mating in Captivity. Harper.
• Gottman Institute research summaries (various publications).
• Showtime. (2019–2025). Couples Therapy.

In this episode of Trial & Error & Error, Ale and LJ continue on Ale’s quest to become rich with a beginner-friendly introduction to investing in the stock market.

You’ll learn:

• 💸 What to do before you invest (emergency fund, debt, budgeting)
• 📈 What a stock is, and why investing always involves risk
• 🧺 Why diversification matters, and how it reduces the chance of losing everything
• 🧩 What ETFs are, and why many beginners use them to spread risk
• 🔢 How long-term compounding can turn small, consistent contributions into big outcomes
• 🧘 Why staying calm during market dips can matter more than picking “the perfect” investment

🎧 Audio note: Sound quality is a bit rough in parts of this episode. Thanks for bearing with us.

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)”.
• FINRA. “Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)”.
• Vanguard. “What is an ETF?”
• Investopedia. “Diversification”.
• Investopedia. “Compound Interest”.
• S&P Dow Jones Indices. S&P 500 historical annual returns (long-run averages).
• Federal Reserve. Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (emergency savings / ability to cover a $400–$1,000 expense).
• S&P Dow Jones Indices. S&P 500 drawdown during the 2007–2009 financial crisis (peak-to-trough decline and recovery timeline).
• Nischa Shah. Personal finance guidance on emergency funds (3–6 months of expenses).

This week on Trial & Error & Error, we’re diving into cancel culture: what it actually means, where it came from, and why “accountability” online can sometimes turn into a full-blown pile-on.

⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode includes mention/discussion of rape/sexual violence. Please take care while listening.

🔊 Quick audio note: The sound quality in this episode isn’t the best in parts (sorry!) — thank you for bearing with us.

📅 New episode out Wednesday — listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️

💬 Question of the week: Have you ever deleted an old post out of fear? 😬

• We talk about digital footprints, screenshots being forever, and the very real anxiety of feeling like one old post could resurface and define you.
• We explore the gray areas: Does time passed matter? Does intent matter? Are apologies ever “enough”? And should different public figures (politicians vs. reality TV stars vs. comedians) be judged by different standards?
• Plus, we get into the psychology behind ostracism, outrage algorithms, group polarization, and what all of this does to creativity, growth, and the way Gen Z shows up online.

Research Articles & Studies:

• • Ng, E. (2020). No grand pronouncements here…: Reflections on cancel culture and digital media participation. Television & New Media, 21(6), 621–627.
  • Clark, M. D. (2020). DRAG THEM: A brief etymology of “cancel culture.” Communication and the Public, 5(3–4), 88–92.
  • Ronson, J. (2015). So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. Riverhead Books.
  • Williams, K. D. (2007). Ostracism. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 425–452.
  • Williams, K. D., & Nida, S. A. (2011). Ostracism: Consequences and coping. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(2), 71–75.
  • Brady, W. J., Wills, J. A., Jost, J. T., Tucker, J. A., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2017). Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 114(28), 7313–7318.
  • Crockett, M. J. (2017). Moral outrage in the digital age. Nature Human Behaviour, 1, 769–771.
  • Sunstein, C. R. (2002). The law of group polarization. Journal of Political Philosophy, 10(2), 175–195.
  • Myers, D. G., & Lamm, H. (1976). The group polarization phenomenon. Psychological Bulletin, 83(4), 602–627.
  • Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
  • Haimovitz, K., & Dweck, C. S. (2016). What predicts children’s fixed and growth intelligence mind-sets? Not their parents’ views of intelligence but their parents’ views of failure. Psychological Science, 27(6), 859–869.
  • boyd, d. (2011). Social network sites as networked publics: Affordances, dynamics, and implications. In A Networked Self (pp. 39–58). Routledge.
  • Marwick, A. E., & boyd, d. (2011). I tweet honestly, I tweet passionately: Twitter users, context collapse, and the imagined audience. New Media & Society, 13(1), 114–133.
  • American Psychological Association (2022–2023). Stress in America Reports.
  • Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–17.
  • Nesi, J. (2020). The impact of social media on youth mental health. Current Opinion in Psychology, 31, 125–129.
  • Massanari, A. (2017). #Gamergate and The Fappening: How Reddit’s algorithm, governance, and culture support toxic technocultures. New Media & Society, 19(3), 329–346.
  • Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet. Yale University Press.
  • CareerBuilder (2018, 2021). Social Media Screening Studies.
  • Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Reports on social media screening in hiring.