Podcast
The Anxiety Encyclopedia
Hosted by Lorien Megill and Katharine McNally · EN
Co-hosts Lorien and Katharine talk about what's making them anxious, from bears to Botox and everything in between.
18episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
152. H is for Hantavirus
1w ago00:54:27Tap to summarizeLorien learned a lot of rodent-related facts she doesn't like. She shares them with Katharine. Sources: Sourceshttps://www.instagram.com/p/DYPeDuARj29/https://www.instagram.com/laurel__bristow/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthohantavirushttps://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/symptoms-diagnosishttps://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/treatmenthttps://www.nmhealth.org/publication/view/general/5072/https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/data-research/cases/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/surveillance/index.htmlhttps://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/media/pdfs/2025/01/HantavirusBrochure-508.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_virushttps://thepreamble.com/p/the-daily-brief-may-15-2026https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/andesvirus.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/health/hantavirus-outbreak-quarantine.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/cdc-no-us-hantavirus-cases-people-monitored.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-where-is-it-what-to-know.html
Transcribe →151. M is for the Manosphere
3w ago00:57:47Tap to summarizeA Katharine classic! Sources:- https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/manosphere- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manosphere#:~:text=The%20manosphere%20is%20a%20varied%20collection%20of,that%20feminists%20promote%20misandry%20(hatred%20of%20men). - https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2026/03/world/expose-rape-assault-online-vis-intl/index.html- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate- https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64125045- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Tate- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Enlightenment- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Going_Their_Own_Way- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/26/men-going-their-own-way-the-toxic-male-separatist-movement-that-is-now-mainstream- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_artist- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_rights_movement- Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, 2026, Netflix.
Transcribe →150. M is for Mushrooms
Apr 2800:51:37Tap to summarizeLorien tells Katharine about mystery mushrooms, magic mushrooms, and mushroom foraging (and reveals that the hunter/gatherer gene skipped her). Sourceshttps://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a70698051/mushroom-bizarre-hallucination/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-peoplehttps://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Psilocybin-2020.pdfhttps://calpoison.org/about-magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-safetyhttps://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308850#summaryhttps://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/psychoactive-psilocybins-evolution-in-magic-mushrooms/https://www.beckleyretreats.com/blog/types-of-psychedelic-mushroomshttps://food52.com/story/6306-eugenia-bone-on-mushrooms-myths-and-foraginghttps://food52.com/story/20860-an-illustrated-guide-to-mushroom-foraging-10-earthy-savory-recipeshttps://food52.com/story/20860-an-illustrated-guide-to-mushroom-foraging-10-earthy-savory-recipeshttps://barebonesliving.com/blogs/gardening-foraging/foraging-for-mushrooms-a-complete-guide?srsltid=AfmBOoojEexVoJOsvnKbJRLZO04G53F-0SldhYROYYivS88zdLBz3qVQhttps://melissaknorris.com/podcast/5rulesforforagingwildedibles/?srsltid=AfmBOood16NZQUcHRepd1lL60a10Pk1P8mc3Cm2j0wkz7qpHMTW6x4Mkhttps://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-hunt-mushrooms/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/deadly-mushroom-arrives-canada/581602/https://www.npr.org/2025/12/10/nx-s1-5639775/death-cap-mushrooms-californiahttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/four-dead-and-three-receive-liver-transplants-after-eating-death-cap-mushrooms-in-californiahttps://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/nx-s1-5451735/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-sentence
Transcribe →149. A is for Asteroids
Apr 1400:57:20Tap to summarizeLike much of the country of late, Katharine has space on the brain. Sources:https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-an-asteroid-caused-extinction-of-dinosaurs.htmlhttps://today.ucsd.edu/story/an-asteroid-doesnt-have-to-hit-earth-to-cause-catastrophe https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/the-powerful-new-rubin-observatory-just-found-11-000-new-asteroids-and-measured-tens-of-thousands-morehttps://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/asteroid-hits-earth.htmhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_meteorhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_eventhttps://www.esa.int/About_Us/50_years_of_ESA/Asteroids_The_discovery_of_asteroidshttps://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/facts/https://www2.tulane.edu/~sanelson/Natural_Disasters/impacts.htmhttps://www.planetary.org/articles/how-astronomers-rank-dangerous-asteroids-and-what-that-means-for-you
Transcribe →148. A is for Alpine Divorce
Mar 3100:51:08Tap to summarizeLorien has discovered another reason not to go hiking. Also, Lorien says she's not going to give away the ending to a 130-year-old short story and then immediately does, so spoiler alert, we guess.
Transcribe →147. T is for Trains
Mar 1700:47:51Tap to summarizeJoin us on the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe as Katharine tells Lorien about trains. Sources:https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clye22ljxw4ohttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/train-crashes-against-crane-southeastern-spain-tve-reports-2026-01-22/ https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/safest-places-sit-traveling-train-044500726.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHXlCiTsDI1W-HQMT2Srzg7Sxt1XD5M05UpxS5RF67Wq7aszfKgg42IDI83-5rK0oH6xUGuVASRQAZHyV6bw8JgnmtpvOSlhFBE0yw5CTtBDYRxFjJykTwuBQ4WUkBFQWREmPQWJ1Z9LjLRH0HN-cJh16Enq_83S4fZj2X1bPO-h https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rail https://getthetiger.com/blog/5-deadliest-train-crashes-in-united-states-history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Sri_Lanka_tsunami_train_wreckhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balvano_train_disasterhttps://journalistsresource.org/economics/comparing-fatality-risks-united-states-transportation-across-modes-time/ https://www.bustle.com/articles/83287-are-trains-safer-than-planes-statistics-are-clear-about-which-mode-of-transportation-is-safest https://www.history.com/articles/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-trains https://www.intrans.iastate.edu/news/trains-a-history/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport https://www.propublica.org/article/train-derailment-long-trains https://usafacts.org/articles/are-train-derailments-becoming-more-common/ https://www.aar.org/issue/freight-rail-pedestrian-driver-safety/#! https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/railroads-and-regulators-must-address-the-dangers-of-long-trains-report-says/
Transcribe →146. S is for Sovereign Citizens
Mar 301:03:11Tap to summarizeLorien tells Katharine about a group that dares to ask the question: what if the only laws that count are the ones I like? Sources https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/sovereign-citizens-movement/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudolawhttps://web.archive.org/web/20141102010820/http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/sovereign_citizens_plaster_courts_with_bogus_legal_filings/https://www.domprep.com/articles/a-violent-surge-sovereign-citizens-vs-government-authority/#:~:text=Precise numbers of SovCits can,who have committed violent crimes.https://everytownresearch.org/report/armed-extremism-primer-sovereign-citizens/https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/moorish-sovereign-citizens/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorish_sovereign_citizenshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7513757/https://everytownresearch.org/report/armed-extremism-primer-sovereign-citizens/https://www.sog.unc.edu/sites/www.sog.unc.edu/files/Sov citizens quick guide Nov 13.pdfhttps://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/sovereign-citizens-movement/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Nicholshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudolawhttps://aeon.co/ideas/here-comes-pseudolaw-a-weird-little-cousin-of-pseudosciencehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vexatious_litigationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waukesha_Christmas_parade_attack
Transcribe →145. T is for TikTok Challenges
Feb 1701:00:58Tap to summarizeThis episode is more filling and less toxic than a Tide pod. Sources: Sources:https://www.npr.org/2022/09/22/1124252556/nyquil-chicken-challenge-fda-warninghttps://www.healthline.com/health/dont-eat-tiktoks-nyquil-chicken#talking-safe-usehttps://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/09/07/paquis-one-chip-challenge-removed-from-shelves-following-teens-death/https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/worcester-street-renamed-to-honor-teen-who-died-after-one-chip-challenge/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Chip_Challenge https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-teenagers-eat-tide-pods-2018013013241 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumption_of_Tide_Pods https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51742854 https://injury.research.chop.edu/blog/posts/skull-breaker-challenge-and-concussions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_challenge https://academic.oup.com/jbcr/article-abstract/37/4/e395/4582201?redirectedFrom=PDF https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benadryl_challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_and_ice_challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackout_challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Whale_Challenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_Challenge_hoax
Transcribe →144. G is for Greenland
Feb 300:57:53Tap to summarizeLorien gives Katharine a quick and dirty history lesson on the largest island in the world for...absolutely no specific reason at all...Sources: Sources: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-advisers-discussing-options-acquiring-greenland-us-military-is-always-an-2026-01-06/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/https://apnews.com/article/denmark-us-trump-greenland-talks-1b783621cbbbc1218986151be9c6836chttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_United_States_acquisition_of_Greenland#:~:text=During World War II, the,persuade the US to leave.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_United_States_acquisition_of_Greenland#cite_note-clingendael20202-73https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_the_Red's_Landhttps://www.norden.org/en/information/facts-about-greenlandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Greenlandhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/10/denmark-pm-says-sorry-to-greenland-inuits-taken-for-heartless-social-experimenthttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18249474#:~:text=982 - Greenland discovered by the,Age as temperatures fall significantly.https://www.britannica.com/place/Greenland/Historyhttps://japan.um.dk/en/about-denmark/greenland/history-and-culturehttps://www.historyextra.com/period/general-history/who-owns-greenland-history-explained/https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2025/02/through-indigenous-eyes-the-colonial-history-of-greenland-and-why-it-mattershttps://apple.news/ALJhys51gS6eo8NSJkb5uPw
Transcribe →143. F is for Flooding
Jan 2000:53:59Tap to summarizeKatharine tells Lorien about types of flooding; Lorien (kind of) tells Katharine the plot of the 2006 movie Flushed Away. Sources:https://www.weather.gov/phi/FlashFloodingDefinition https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-are-two-types-floods https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/the-dangers-of-floodwater https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/many-effects-flooding/ https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-25/yangtze-river-peaks-in-china https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/hurricane-katrina.htm https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/07/the-deadliest-floods-in-u-s-history/ https://www.weather.gov/safety/flood-watch-warning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pacific_Northwest_floods https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-31/the-johnstown-flood https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/great-mississippi-river-flood-1927 https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/13/us/camp-mystic-flooding-texas
Transcribe →