Trash Talk: Where Self-Help Cliches Go to Die

Erica and Erin dig into the creative cliché they actually love: “Steal like an artist.” Inspired by Austin Kleon’s book and a long lineage of remix-friendly wisdom, they explore the difference between influence and theft when both humans and AI borrow from what’s come before

If everything’s an echo, what makes something yours?

Resources & Mentions:

Austin Kleon
 → Steal Like an Artist
 → Also by Kleon: Show Your Work, Keep...

If happiness is a choice, let’s talk about who gets to choose it, and who’s just trying to survive a system that tells them it’s their fault they’re miserable.

Erica and Erin are joined by William Davies, political economist, author of The Happiness Industry, and one of the sharpest critics of how governments and corporations turned happiness into a metric, a mandate, and a market. 

Together, they dig into the cultural scaffolding be...

Erica and Erin trace this phrase from its New Age roots to its Instagram glow-up, digging into how “the universe” became a rebranded higher power for people who’d rather not talk about God. What looks like faith might actually be a filter for avoidance, especially when it’s used to explain away failure or justify a $10K group program that never delivered.

From prosperity gospel to “trust the process” culture, they ask: Is this clich...

You know that phrase, “Be your best self”? This episode rips it wide open: from its shiny, self-help packaging to the industrial shame complex underneath.

Erica and Erin are joined by media scholar Laurie Ouellette to break down how makeover reality shows (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Biggest Loser, Wife Swap, etc.) didn’t just make for good TV;  they quietly rewired our ideas about help, worthiness, and personal responsibili...

You know those phrases that sound important but mean absolutely nothing? Yeah, we made a list.

In this rapid-fire episode, Erica and Erin pull back the curtain on some of the most overused (and underwhelming) buzzwords in business, leadership, and personal development, or rather “Business BS,” “Leadership Lies,” and “Personal Development Delusions.”

It’s a roast. It’s a reset. It’s your permission slip to stop pretending these phrase...

In this episode Trash Talk, Erin and Erica take a step back to reflect on their podcast journey…from their first encounter in a Google Doc to deciding to turn their weekly coffee chats into a podcast, they share the behind-the-scenes story. 

They also dive into the juicy bits of their personal histories, like Erin’s dumpster dive moment that launched her career (literally), and Erica’s museum exhibition background that led her to sh...

You’ve heard the quote. You’ve probably even said it. But what if that ever-popular cliché is doing more harm than good? 

In this episode, Erica and Erin throw “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room…” under the microscope, and discover a tangled web of assumptions about intelligence, value, status, and the rooms we choose to enter (or flee from).

If this episode gave you a forehead-smack moment, or just ...

Transformation. It’s a buzzword that’s been overhyped and misused to the point of meaninglessness. In this episode, Erica and Erin dive into the fallout of selling the “transformational” dream in coaching, marketing, and self-development.

They break down how the promise of overnight change leads to unrealistic expectations, burnout, and shame. From Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey to Tony Robbins’ high-ticket events, “transformation...

Authenticity is the hill everyone wants to die on; until it gets awkward. In this episode, Erin and Erica take a scalpel to the overused advice to “just be authentic.” They dig into why this well-meaning mantra is often misleading, unpack the social and professional landmines of being real, and introduce a far more useful approach: being authent-ish. 

Along the way, they break down the paradox of authenticity and the different ways ...

Gary Vee told us to document, don’t create—but is that really the move in 2025?

In this episode of Trash Talk, we break down why this advice led to an era of oversharing, redundant content, and a whole lot of noise. Not everything needs to be documented, and not every “authentic” moment serves your brand. So how do you create content that actually means something?

We’re talking about the death of the “just post more” era, the rise of...

“If you just shift your mindset, everything will change.” Sound familiar? Yeah, us too- and we’re calling BS.

Mindset isn’t a business strategy, and positive thinking won’t magically solve real problems. So why has the coaching world convinced us that our biggest barrier is our own thoughts? In this episode of Trash Talk, we break down the mindset myth, how it gets weaponized, and why it’s often used to gaslight people out of taking...

“Self-care isn’t selfish.” We’ve all heard it. But let’s be real—this phrase has been hijacked by an industry that sells bubble baths, wine nights, and spa days as the ultimate cure-all. And somehow, we still end up exhausted.

In this episode of Trash Talk, we break down how the self-care movement went from a necessary practice to an expensive (and often performative) industry. Is self-care actually fueling you—or just numbing you f...

Perfection. It’s the thing we’re supposed to chase—or avoid completely, depending on who you ask. “Done is better than perfect.” “Progress, not perfection.” “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” But is it really? Or is that just another well-worn cliché that’s been warped into something unhelpful?

In this episode of Trash Talk, Erin and Erica take on the cultural tug-of-war with perfection. From childhood conditioning to business a...

What if the so-called ‘truths’ of entrepreneurship and leadership were actually keeping you confused or small?

On Trash Talk, hosts Erin Thomas and Erica Breuer cut through the tired cliches and threadbare advice that dominate entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal development. These ideas might be popular, but that doesn’t mean they’re useful.

The aim: To shake up listeners so they uncover sharper, smarter wa...