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Brutally Anna

Brutally Anna

By: Anna Kai
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About this listen

 Welcome to Brutally Anna — the podcast where we stop pretending we’re fine and start telling the f*cking truth. I’m Anna, a writer, accidental influencer, and self-appointed spokesperson for the women who feel too much, think too hard, and talk to themselves in the shower. This isn’t a self-help podcast. It’s a self-honesty one. Each week, I dive into the mess of being a human — the shame, the silence, the spirals — and say the things we’re all thinking but too afraid to post. From heartbreak to ambition, mental health to mental health to creative burnout, loneliness to the urge to completely disappear... nothing is off-limits. If it’s brutally honest, we go there. No fake pep talks. No toxic positivity. Just the deeply uncomfortable, strangely funny, painfully freeing truth. If you’ve ever felt like you’re too much or not enough — you’re in the right place. Pull up a chair. Let’s get brutal. New episodes on Wednesdays.2024 Maybe Both Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Life’s Too Short to Be Uncomfortable, Emotionally or In a Thong

    Life’s Too Short to Be Uncomfortable, Emotionally or In a Thong
    Jul 2 2025
    Let’s talk about thongs, grief, people-pleasing, and the radical act of not going to the damn party. In this episode, I unravel why I stopped molding myself into someone else’s ideal — whether it was for a man, a friend, or an aesthetic. I also talk about loss, what a photographer taught me about timing, and why your “no” doesn’t need an excuse (or a follow-up text). If you’ve ever contorted yourself to be chosen, approved of, or invited — this one's for you. Also, RIP to the thong I wore once in 2014. ALL MY CHANNELS Newsletter: https://brutalbanter.beehiiv.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maybeboth TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@maybeboth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • Stop Begging to Be Chosen And Go Where You’re Wanted

    Stop Begging to Be Chosen And Go Where You’re Wanted
    Jun 25 2025
    This week, I’m talking about what it feels like to be unwanted—by men, by friendships, by jobs, by the popular girls with the trendy names who never wanted to sit with you at lunch. I share what growing up as the daughter of Chinese immigrants taught me about invisibility, advocacy, and watching my mom try to return a pot to Kmart in broken English while I stood there, 7 years old, already learning what it means to feel small. I talk about how I’ve slowly learned that just because someone doesn’t want you doesn’t mean you’re unworthy. It might just mean they’re not the right person, not the right door, not the right moment. I also get into rat metaphors, George Eliot, and why sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop running and let what’s meant for you catch up. If you’ve ever felt like you had to shrink to be chosen—this one’s for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • My Best Friend Paid For Her Own Engagement Ring

    My Best Friend Paid For Her Own Engagement Ring
    Jun 19 2025
    She’s 32, never had a boyfriend, and just dropped thousands to fund her own proposal — hotel, flowers, the ring he gave her. Meanwhile, he’s out here liking thirst traps and asking her for money for designer watches. In this episode, I unpack the heartbreak of watching someone you love choose delusion over dignity — and why trying to save them might actually be a way of avoiding your own sh*t. Also in this episode: • The difference between generosity and desperation (and how thin the line can be) • The ex-boyfriend I tried to impress with an espresso machine I couldn’t afford • Why today — some random Tuesday in June — might be your new beginning • The illusion of arrival — what happens after you get the life you begged for This is Brutally Anna 2.0 — where it's us just now, and nothing's off limits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    25 mins
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