In this episode of Too Sober For This, recovery advocate Shell Righini and comedian Iain Anderson take on a very 2026 problem:

Why does everyone sound like a therapist now?

From TikTok to group chats, therapy language has gone mainstream. Words like “boundaries”, “triggers”, “narcissist”, and “holding space” are everywhere. But are they helping us understand ourselves… or just helping us win arguments?

Shell and Iain unpack the rise of wellness culture and the explosion of self-help language online. What started as tools for healing are now often used as shields, weapons, and personality traits. They explore how therapy-speak is being misused, overused, and sometimes completely stripped of its meaning. From calling people “toxic” instead of having hard conversations, to diagnosing exes with zero qualifications, to setting “boundaries” that are actually just control.

This episode gets into the grey area between genuine growth and performative self-awareness, and asks whether we’re becoming more emotionally intelligent… or just better at sounding like we are.

In this episode

• Why therapy language is everywhere right now
• The difference between real boundaries and control
• How words like “narcissist” and “triggered” are being misused
• Wellness culture and the business of self-improvement
• Social media, identity, and performative healing
• When self-awareness becomes avoidance
• The fine line between growth and superiority
• Why not everything needs a label
• What actually helps vs what just sounds good

Get ready for uncomfortable truths, sharp observations, dark humour, and at least a few moments where you’ll wonder if you’ve ever said “I’m protecting my energy” and really meant “I don’t want to deal with this.” 😅

Connect With Us

@toosoberforthispodcast

Shell Righini - @shell_righini Iain Anderson - @iainanderson.comedy

Traumedy Show - https://iainandersoncomedy.com/

Listen to Shell’s podcast We Recover Loudly here on Spotify

This Podcast Is Brought to You By We Recover Loudly Merch

Bold recovery slogans and wearable reminders that recovery doesn’t have to be quiet.

Shop here: www.werecoverloudly.com

@werecoverloudly

Mastered and edited by Unmuted Studios. Podcast production, editing, and creative support.

www.unmutedstudios.com

In this episode of Too Sober For This, recovery advocate Shell Righini and comedian Iain Anderson take on one of the internet’s most controversial and confusing topics: the manosphere.

What even is it? Where did it come from? And why are so many young men being pulled into it right now?

From Louis Theroux documentaries to viral TikTok creators, the manosphere has exploded into mainstream conversation. But beneath the headlines is something far more complex; a mix of loneliness, identity, community, and a search for meaning that’s gone… sideways.

Shell and Iain unpack the origins of the manosphere, from men’s rights movements and fatherhood struggles to the darker corners of online culture : Incels, red pill ideology, and the rise of influencers selling power, money, and “truth.”

They explore the uncomfortable reality that this didn’t come from nowhere.

There are conversations about masculinity, vulnerability, addiction, and what happens when people feel disconnected, unseen, and desperate for belonging. Plus the role of social media, self-help culture, and whether we’re all being shaped by the same systems.

In this episode

• What the manosphere actually is (and why it’s not new)
• How it evolved from support spaces into something more extreme
• Why young men are being drawn into it
• Loneliness, identity, and the need for belonging
• The role of influencers, money, and online manipulation
• Masculinity, role models, and the pressure to “be a man”
• The impact on women and the growing divide
• Why outrage sells… and who benefits from it
• Community vs isolation: what actually helps

Expect uncomfortable questions, strong opinions, dark humour, and a lot of moments where things get very real.

NEXT EPISODE QUESTION — GET INVOLVED

Next week we’re talking about the wellness industry and how wellness and self help can be weaponised as a way for people to put others down or to control.

So we want to hear from you: What are your opinions and experiences of the wellness industry?

Send us a DM on Instagram @toosoberforthispodcast or WhatsApp +44 7343 057171 with your thoughts and we might feature your opinion in the next episode of Too Sober For This.

Connect With Us

@toosoberforthispodcast

Shell Righini - @shell_righini Iain Anderson - @iainanderson.comedy

Traumedy Show - https://iainandersoncomedy.com/

Listen to Shell’s podcast We Recover Loudly here on Spotify

This Podcast Is Brought to You By We Recover Loudly Merch

Bold recovery slogans and wearable reminders that recovery doesn’t have to be quiet.

Shop here: www.werecoverloudly.com

@werecoverloudly

Mastered and edited by Unmuted Studios. Podcast production, editing, and creative support.

www.unmutedstudios.com

In this episode of Too Sober For This, recovery advocate Shell Righini and comedian Iain Anderson take on one of life’s most loaded topics: money.

From growing up with complicated financial narratives to navigating freelance life in recovery, this is an honest, funny, and at times uncomfortable conversation about what money really means, and why so many of us avoid talking about it.

Shell and Iain unpack their own relationships with money, shaped by addiction, shame, survival, and sobriety. They explore the chaos of spending in active addiction, the fear of financial instability, and the strange reality that even when things are “better,” money can still feel overwhelming.

There are conversations about debt, earning, self-worth, and the emotional weight money carries plus the reality of trying to build a creative life without a safety net.

They also dig into the contradictions: feeling more comfortable with nothing than having money, trusting everything will “work out” vs actually planning for the future, and whether chasing money is success… or just another addiction.

In this episode

• Why money feels so uncomfortable to talk about (even in recovery)
• How addiction shaped their early relationships with spending and debt
• The fear of financial insecurity even when things are “going well”
• Freelance life, feast-and-famine income, and the reality behind “doing what you love”
• The link between money, self-worth, and shame
• Why having nothing can sometimes feel safer than having something
• Trust vs avoidance: is “it’ll all work out” healthy… or delusion?
• The impact of money on relationships, partnerships, and independence

Expect uncomfortable questions, strong opinions, dark humour, and plenty of laughing at things we probably shouldn’t.

Because sometimes, even in sobriety… money still makes absolutely no sense.

If you’re struggling with debt, you don’t have to do it alone.
You can get free, confidential help from StepChange Debt Charity:
👉 https://www.stepchange.org

NEXT EPISODE QUESTION — GET INVOLVED

Next week we’re talking about the manosphere.

So we want to hear from you: What are your opinions and experiences of the manosphere?

Send us a DM on Instagram @toosoberforthispodcast or WhatsApp +44 7343 057171 with your thoughts and we might feature your opinion in the next episode of Too Sober For This.

Connect With Us

@toosoberforthispodcast

Shell Righini - @shell_righini Iain Anderson - @iainanderson.comedy

Traumedy Show - https://iainandersoncomedy.com/

Listen to Shell’s podcast We Recover Loudly here on Spotify

This Podcast Is Brought to You By We Recover Loudly Merch

Bold recovery slogans and wearable reminders that recovery doesn’t have to be quiet.

Shop here: www.werecoverloudly.com

@werecoverloudly

Mastered and edited by Unmuted Studios. Podcast production, editing, and creative support.

www.unmutedstudios.com