x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Make Your Damn Bed

@MYDBpodcast is a bite sized, real talk, daily motivation podcast to play while you make your bed every morning. Build momentum - better your life.Each episode is around 10 minutes and intended to encourage, motivate, and inspire you to get out of bed - so you can start making it! Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.All content, including text, graphics, images and information, is for

education self-improvement

All Episodes

11:26

1670 || what does machiavellian actually mean?

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/16

I've been using the term "machiavellian" for years. Recently, I looked it up. Today, I'm sharing what I found. Machiavelli was a teacher of "evil". He believed virtues were a waste of time. He said successful founders and supporters of government must be violent murderers to sustain control. Fear is a more powerful motivator than fear, so he encouraged brute force and violence as a means to an end. We can combat this type of thinking by encouraging empathy, connection, and morality. Wikipedia's

en

11:14

1669 || when reality is up for debate

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/15

This isn't about disagreeing about policies or politics, anymore. We currently live in a world with a sizable minority of people are disagreeing about reality itself. We cannot allow those who disagree with reality to create a new one. What do we do when we're forced to tolerate people who support authoritarianism? How does a pluralistic democracy deal with people who threaten the existence of such a thing? We must set firm and clear boundaries against actions + movements that threaten the

en

11:11

1668 || Until death, failure is psychological.

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/14

There's an Arabic saying, "لايدرك كله لا يترك كله" or "What cannot be achieved in its entirety should not be abandoned completely."Until death, failure is psychological.Little Miss Sunshine the grandpa reminds her she’s not a loser for failing, he explains that losers are the people who are too afraid to win, so they never try.Very Well Mind's "What happens after I die?"Maya Angelou's Poem "When I think of Death"Read the Poem "If you're not planning on going to heaven, go to Norway."Read the Poem

en

11:35

1667 || I'm not scared of dying, I'm afraid of not...

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/13

My family has never been one to talk about death, we pretend it doesn't exist until it blindsides us and ruins our lives. But building this wall around the inevitable has created a feeling of deep fear around the entire subject.So, as I get older, and I am forced to face this reality more and more, I am beginning to realize that it's never been about my fear of "mortality" in and of itself, but my fears are in feeling like I never truly lived. To face my fear of death, I have to be willing to face

en

10:25

1666 || death is the room, not the elephant

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/12

“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” James Baldwin"Whatever goes up must come down." And here we are, at the center of the arc, trapped in the gaudiest, most valuable, and most improbable water wheel the world has ever seen. Everything now, we must assume, is in our hands; we have no right to assume otherwise.” James Baldwin“Life is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun

en

11:12

1665 || how to not fear your death

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/11

You cannot imagine what it would be like to be dead, because death is an absence of existence. There is, literally, nothing to imagine – because nothingness itself cannot be imagined. There is no perspective, no view from nothingness, nothing to which it can be approximated. So that is the first recommendation: realise that being dead isn’t an experience. Death itself isn’t really athingat all. In Epicurus’ words: ‘Death is nothing to us.’ - Sam Dresser Read the original Article on Psyche.co Read

en

7:11

1664 || social media brings out our worst

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/10

Read this today's original source, here."When you’re overwhelmed with information, you don’t think deeply about it; you have to process it very quickly. So, you tend to process it through existing biases, and that encourages people to form groups in tension with other groups." - Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us ApartNicholas CarrRead episode scripts on Julie's Medium Blog.SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN

en

11:34

1666 || an online AYCE buffet, what are you eating?

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/09

If the internet is an AYCE buffet of unlimited, endless options, there’s bound to be items you find disgusting, that will make you physically ill. There’s also bound to be items you find delicious AND nourishing and can’t get enough of. But a majority of that buffet will be… fine.It will be mediocre filler foods that you don’t remember eating at all. You may even fill yourself up on the “just okay ” foods and not realize how much better of a meal it could’ve been if you’d been more patient or

en

8:41

1665 || what if the act of "choosing" is enough

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/08

I accidentally ritualized something that is typically mundane, and that, in itself, is a magical and empowering act.Now, as much as I want to push society towards more “analog” and “slow” options because I genuinely think it would be good for us all to get off of these algorithms for good, it’s not the only way to opt into more conscious consumption.“Consciously consuming” as a ritual, instead of a burden, can be applied to almost any aspect of life.When I take a moment to consider the vibe I’m

en

10:31

1661 || being "above" it, means being apart from it.

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/07

"It feels good to look down on peopleuntil you realize that being abovesociety is also being apart from it. It pullsyou deeper into your own home, your own phone." - quoted from Lily Alexandre's Youtube Video.Read episode scripts on Julie's Medium Blog.SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.The

en

11:27

1660 || surveillance makes us docile

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/06

How do we feel like we’re not being watched, when we are being watched?Studies show that citizens tolerate being surveilled, and eventually stop thinking about it. But we tend to act more docile + reliable after we forget. The camera makes you more docile. It makes you a better employee. But the camera has taken something from you. Your complex and unstable kinetic energy. Everyday it reanimates your body in predictable loops.”The first time I realized I was being surveilled without my knowing, was

en

10:04

1659 || psychic burden of being surveilled

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/05

Cameras "take" and "capture" reality, but even when we know it's manufactured, we tend to trust what we can see. Today, we talk about the historical and psychological implications of photography. Watch Lily Alexandre's Youtube Video. Read episode scripts on Julie's Medium Blog. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR

en

11:01

1659 || personal panopticon

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/04

I have tried to be conscious of any of the personally imposed surveillance that I take part in.It’s futile, I’m sure, but:I opt out of everything I can possibly opt out of online.I talk shit to and about every Ring doorbell to anyone who will listen.I opt out of the biometric data collection at the TSA, despite some of the officers reminding me they have my data already.The point is, I like exercising my rights where the options still exist. Even if it is futile.And even if it is inconvenient for

en

8:25

1658 || personal system assessment

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/03

I realizedtrying to balancethings by pushing back and forcing a reset, rather than allowing the swing of humanity, with the full spectrum of human emotions, and restore my faith that just existing is enough.I know that when I am my most inspired I can get inspired by a moth flying at a light, a mom smiling at her baby, and I am known to get emotional when an older person buys themselves ice cream. There is something beautiful and inspiring about the simple act of existence, in it’s purest form.Let

en

9:19

1657 || the year you give yourself a chance

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/02

If the “experience” is the goal, failure ceases to exist.“you will figure it out.” You should trust that. If you don’t believe it, maybe its time to give yourself a chance to prove yourself wrong.In what ways have you been your own biggest bully? In what ways have you become your own opps?Some of you* have been playing really small and trying to fit in boxes that were never built for you and you’re wondering why you’re uncomfortable? Meanwhile, you’re contorting to fit into a box when there’s

en

10:14

1656 || controlled demolition

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2026/01/01

Sometimes, when the facades are crumbling, you may start to recognize the need for a controlled demolition. Not to destroy anything of value, but to strategically dismantle some of the more daunting aspects of your current human experience. Any routines, beliefs, relationships, that are no longer helpful, we must be willing to strip back to the foundation, so we can actually assess the underlying damage, reset, and rebuild.The thought experiment of a controlled demolition is very helpful, not

en

11:22

1655 || no shame new years

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2025/12/31

We write narratives about ourselves that we show up and reflect back. Address the narrative, and recognize you can show up around your "shame" and it doesn't have to be something you identify with. You can allow shame to point, not guide. It's a tool, not a boss. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON

en

11:46

1654 || science news around a meaningful life

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2025/12/30

2025 brought in some studies that left me with some hope about the future, and I wanted to share that with you. You can read the ones I missed here at Berkeley's Greater Good Magazine Website. SUPPORT JULIE (and the show!)DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund AND THE Sudan Relief FundGET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.comTUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBESUBSCRIBE FOR BONUS CONTENT ON PATREON.The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed

en

11:14

1653 || it's not a debate

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2025/12/29

Today is the finale of our series on street epistemology, and we're digging into what NOT to do. Wonder: The big question.Hypothesis: The interlocutor's proposed answer to the question.Elenchus: Question and answer to discover what other reasonable propositions are likely to be true that refute the hypothesis. Proceed by mutual agreement at every step - elenchus is not a debate.Accept or Revise: Refine or revise the hypothesis - either without vulnerability to that elenchus, with reduced confidence,

en

10:27

1652 || when faith is more valuable than reason

Make Your Damn Bed ·

2025/12/28

Some people think their faith is "enough". Today I share ways to get them to reflect on the flaws in that thinking, and how to deal with people who refuse to budge. Wonder: The big question.Hypothesis: The interlocutor's proposed answer to the question.Elenchus: Question and answer to discover what other reasonable propositions are likely to be true that refute the hypothesis. Proceed by mutual agreement at every step - elenchus is not a debate.Accept or Revise: Refine or revise the hypothesis -

en

1,772 results

Similar Podcasts

Science Talk

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

五分钟心理学

柠檬心理

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

Veterinary Clinical Podcasts

The Royal Veterinary College