1247 – 7 Stages of Sleep With Me
Everyone’s journey to Sleep With Me is unique but this boredom seminar tries to find some stages they all have in common.
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Episode 1247 – 7 Stages of Sleep With Me
[START OF RECORDING]
SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster…you know, one time…I listen to so many…I said, ‘podcaster’. That’s how…that’s not quite Ray, but I’m a bit odd. Speaking of podcasts, I’m…when the caster’s odd, that’s me, the Odd Caster. Odds? Don’t tell me about the odds. I’m the Odd Caster. I mean, that could be…that could…I could be in one of those shows. It’d be more of a parody show where they’d say, who’s up next? Who’s opposing our heroic figures? The Odd Caster. Well, what does he do? He rambles. He just is himself, which…there’s nothing wrong with it; just a bit odd. He’s also ovular. He’s got ovular logic. Well, what purpose does it serve? ‘Cause I just tuned into this show for the first time and I’m already confused. Oh, great question. Welcome to Sleep With Me.
It’s a podcast that’s here to keep you company and put you to sleep. It’s a bit different, though; you’re right. It’s been around for a long time. It does take a couple tries to get used to, so maybe that’s what you’re experiencing, 'cause it is so different. It’s kinda like calling a friend in the middle of the night and having them talk to you about nonsense, but with the purpose of just keeping you company so that you could fall asleep. But in this case there’s no social compact, so I’m just here to talk to you. But it is a bit different. What we got coming up is support so it could be free for you, then there’s a long, meandering intro which is separate from the support, meant to ease you into bedtime, not to put you to sleep, and then later on it’ll be our episodically modular series, Multiplex. So, that’s what to expect coming up here on Sleep With Me. So glad you’re here. Give it a few tries. See how it goes, and thanks for supporting the show, my bore-friends.
INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. It could be thoughts on your mind, things you’re thinking about, thoughts, thinking thoughts, it could be feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally related to those thoughts or feelings that are just there, it could be physical sensations, it could be changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be going through something, you could be getting over something, you could be anticipating something, you could be traveling, you could have guests.
Whatever it is, the only reason I list some of that stuff is so that you know you’re not alone. Some part of this show is about a…kind of a general shared experience or a shared spirit or a shared feeling. Maybe all those things, where I might not know exactly what you’re going through that’s keeping you awake. I may have not been through something similar, but I think I can relate to how you feel about it. Even if I can't, I can tell you that there’s someone listening right now, and that person is — maybe for the last time tonight — perking up in their bed because they know how you feel, because they’ve been there. Maybe they’re there now. That’s the shared experience I’m talking about. They know how it feels.
They’re nodding their head in a caring way for you, because they have shared that experience before and they know what it feels like, and they know, hey, yeah, it’s not easy. I know how it feels. Maybe one day, if you become a regular listener, you’ll be the one perking up and sending your shared experience, your caring, your empathy, your compassion, across the deep, dark night. That might sound different. It is, but it’s true. It’s really what works about this show. I mean, along with all the nonsense and the pointless meanders, but that’s the foundation of the podcast, really. I’ve been there. I know how it feels, and at this point, even if I don't know how it feels, someone out there does. We all know you deserve a good night's sleep.
You deserve a place you could get some rest, the rest you need so your life is more manageable, the rest you need so you could start getting some momentum, you could be out there flourishing. You deserve a bedtime you don’t have to dread, that doesn't have to be a rigmarole, a bedtime you could look forward to or at least feel neutral about. That’s what I’m hoping to provide for you. Or if you already loathe me, which is…you know, probably the majority of people that tune into the show don’t like me and never listen again. But here’s the best part; I have a website set up for you, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou, so you could check that out. Then you say, oh, there’s other sleep podcasts with different styles on there and there’s other sleepy stuff.
But give it a few tries because the most engaged people with the show, the people that have supported the show directly the longest, are the ones that said, at first I couldn’t…I did not…I strongly disliked the podcast. In much more stark terms they phrased it, but they said, after the second or third try I realized, oh…like, at first I was skeptical, then I was doubt…I went through the seven stages of Sleep With Me, which I guess I’ll have to make up now. Maybe that…I guess that’s gonna be what this episode’s about. It was supposed to be about our episodically modular series, but anyway. I guess that’s…it sounds interesting, so…just interesting enough to put you to sleep.
But at first they were like, I didn’t like the show…not sure about it, skeptical, doubtful…that’s a normal way to get to the show 'cause you’re probably tired and fed up, right? You probably looked for something, maybe somebody told you about this podcast, maybe you read about it on a list somewhere, but you’re really looking for something to help you fall asleep. Now, the show is very different, so I’m gonna go through how it is different. The first thing is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones and pointless meanders, which means I go off-topic, I get mixed up, I forget what I was talking about, then I repeat myself, then I pause in the middle of a sentence, then I remember something from five years ago, then I forget what I was talking about again.
But that’s all…the pointless meanders are…'cause the show is here for you to just barely…you can listen to the show, but you could just barely listen to it, too. There’s some people that listen to me at a mumble and there’s some people that listen kinda closely, but they know they don’t have to pay strict attention. They could be like, uh-huh, uh-huh…oh, I wasn’t listening there, but…and I say, don't worry; you didn’t miss much. I mean, I know superfans would be like, oh no…but you didn’t miss…Sleep With Me; you didn’t miss much. That could be a shirt we…talk about a revenue opportunity. If we could sell shirts to people that never listened to the show, it’d be like…I never listened to Sleep With Me and alls I got…alls I did was buy this shirt for, whatever, a hundred bucks.
I was just trying to think…and alls I got was this shirt, but I didn’t miss anything 'cause now I have the shirt. Then on the back it’d say, ‘I paid $100?’ Question mark…so…but you know what I mean. You say, well, you didn’t miss much. I mean, that probably…you say, I tried to listen to that sleep podcast you told me about, but I fell asleep. You didn’t miss much. That’s what a regular listener and a regular listener would say to one another, or to a new listener that’s gonna become a regular listener. If they say, oh wow, it was great…I feel bad, though. No, you didn’t miss much. Now, that does leave room that you maybe missed a little tiny bit, but that’s…it’s recorded, so…and don't worry about it 'cause at some point I’ll repeat myself.
It might be…it could be tomorrow or it could be five years from now, and…but that’s fine, too. So, it’s a podcast you just barely listen to, kinda like a TV on in the other room or background noise, but…that’s slightly engaging, that’s barely humorous. This is also a podcast that doesn't put you to sleep. When I started the show, there wasn’t really sleep podcasts, but the idea that this is a sleep podcast…it’s more of a distraction podcast, a keeping-you-company podcast, a taking-your-mind-off-of-stuff-and-bringing-it-over-here, or taking…whatever’s keeping you awake…I call them brainbots, those parts of you that are scooting around, making noise. They only activate at bedtime. I’ve been dealing with that all week. I say, I’m so tired. They say, well, we’re not. By the way, we’re…we’ve just reached full charge.
I say, I thought I unplugged you. We’re solar-powered. Well…but I put you…so, I’m here to take your mind off of that and keep you company. I’m here to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your bore-bor, your neigh-bore, your Borbie, your bores, your bore-friend. I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff, not to put you to sleep. There’s no pressure to fall asleep with this show. I’m gonna be here to the very end. The episodes are over an hour. There’s over 600 ad-supported, free shows so that if you need me, I’m here, but you don’t…there’s people who are listening who can't sleep, so I’m here to the very end. There’s people that listen during the day because they need a break. So, I’m here to keep you company, but you don’t need to listen to me.
It’s kinda the conundrum of the show. So, let’s see, what else throws people off, right? It’s a podcast you don’t really listen to, it never gets started, you don’t miss much, don’t…it’s not gonna put me to sleep but it’s a sleep podcast, I’m not gonna like it for the first two or three tries I listen…can you give me more good news? Oh yeah, the show is structured in a very deliberate way and you can adjust, but this is just how most people listen, especially when they start out, and the most people that don’t listen again…so, I’ll just point everything out and then you could say, oh, maybe this is a podcast for me. Maybe it isn’t. So, the show starts off with a greeting, a welcoming greeting so you feel seen and you say, hey, I could come over here; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, come on in.
Check the podcast out. You could come in, you could look in the window, you don’t have to come in. You could look at a distance. You’re still welcome even if you’re looking at us from far away. So…and then I usually say something silly. Then after that is support so the podcast could be free. Some people prefer to pay for a ad-free version, or some people prefer to use our referral program to get ad-free episodes, but most people, they just like the flow of the ad-supported show and that they don’t have to pay for it and that it’s always there for them. So, then after the support is a long, meandering intro. Now, the intro is separate from the support. It’s about fifteen to twenty minutes long. You say, couldn’t you introduce me to the podcast in like, two minutes? I’d say, I could…I mean, I don't know if I could. Someone could; it wouldn’t be me.
But that would also…it’s where…I’m built to do this. ‘Cause I say, I could introduce you very quickly or someone out there could, to the podcast, but the intro is not here to put you to sleep. Just like most sleep studies and sleep advice, the intro is a wind-down period. Now, there is about 2% of people that fall asleep. There’s about 2% of people that start the show at twenty or thirty minutes, but for most people, the intro is meant to ease you into bedtime and to kinda slowly lower the volume on the day whether you’re in bed getting comfortable or you’re winding down or you’re getting ready for bed…or — I could highly suggest it — do a chill activity, even if it’s just staring at the ceiling or lying in a comfortable position that’s not your sleep position and just listening for a little bit and unwinding that way, like having a wind-down to have some buffer from the day.
That’s just what works for me personally and what has been proven to work, is…not 100% of the time; it works for me about 60%, 70% of the time. But it’s also nice. It gives you something to look forward to. So, the intro is a wind-down. Then after the intro is some support, then it’ll be a story. It was originally gonna be a episodically modular story, but I think we’ll do a episode about the seven stages of Sleep With Me. I feel like we’ve done something similar, but maybe it was from The Boredom Institute. Then there’s thank-yous at the end of the show. So, that’s the structure of the show. That’s why I make the show. If you’re new, just see how it goes. Test it out. Give it a few tries.
If you decide you want to…you could change the way you listen to the podcast in your podcast app, you could support the show directly, you could be on the referral program, or you could just listen linearly like tons of people do. Whatever works best for you, but just kinda see how it goes at first. Like I said, if you don’t like the show, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou has you covered. So, I’m glad you’re here. I work really hard. I yearn and I strive. A ton of other people work on this show because we care. We know this is here to help you fall asleep. We’ve been there. So, thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple ways I’m able to do it for you for free twice a week.
Well, hello, everyone. Hello. This is Brad Braderson of The Boredom Institute. I’m very excited to be back on the podcast here. An unexpected visit, believe it or not, but excited to be boring and to bore you with the power of boredom. Here at The Boredom Institute, we use boredom to bring you health, wealth, happiness, and more. Like, to start you on the road to it, you know. We don’t necessarily get you to the…you have to go…you have to use the tools of boredom to get to the finish line. Some may say that The Boredom Institute is different or whatever, but we would not be here…now, I’ve also gotten some piece…they said, Brad, are you sure…? Is The Boredom Institute a real place? I’d say, to me, it’s as real as anything.
I do these seminars…I’ve been to so many Westins and many other…I know the small conference rooms of the world. These are a few of my favorite…right off of a freeway, not near…conference rooms, and I’m happy to be here. Now, what I’m really happy about is…this is a new format we’ve never done before, or we’ve never bored before, if you don’t mind me saying, because this is a free seminar. It’s not part of the Boredom Mastery Series, which is available…it’s not currently available. I guess for Sleep With Me listeners it is, but the…we’ve…we’re working on…but so, Scooter asked me to come in. He said, hey, I wonder if we could work together again, Brad. I said, Scooter, it would be my…have we worked together before? Scooter said, I’m very familiar with your work. I said, okay, terrific.
So, Scooter said he wanted to do a episode about the seven stages of Sleep With Me. I said, well, that sounds intriguing, Scooter. If I know you, I know it’d fit right in with the…at least the boredom part of The Boredom Institute. I don't know if it’ll bring health, wealth, and happiness and many other things, but your lulling, soothing tones or you scoothing tones may…so, Scooter said he wanted to come in and maybe do it…'cause Scooter said, well, I could do it by myself, Brad, but I would love to have you here. So, here we are at the…this isn’t a Westin, but it’s not…Scooter likes…tried to do it at a Hyatt Place, but he…neither one was available. So, we’re here at a small place. We don’t have…you’re our audience. I’m so glad you’re with us, listening.
So, I want to bring Scooter on and kinda talk about these seven stages of Sleep With Me, which I don't think Scooter’s familiar with. So, we’re unpacking this together. This, for sure…so, Scooter, can you bring…can I bring you in here? Thanks, Brad. Thanks for having me on. I believe this is your program, Scooter, but yeah, you’re welcome. So, Scooter, what made you want to talk about the seven stages of Sleep With Me? Well, Brad, it just randomly came up in a intro when I was trying to record a intro for another actual episode of a podcast that I had already recorded, and I was trying to describe…once again in the intro I got lost and I was meandering, and I was kinda…so, I said, well, that would be a good episode. Scooter, could you tell me more?
Because you’ve already…in the spirit of The Boredom Institute, you’ve already lost me. You’ve already lost me over, and can…so, can you tell me more? You had me when I lost…when I stopped paying attention. Thanks, Brad, for that compliment. I wish I could think of something witty related to those quotes to make it even funnier. Well, so, I forgot what you were at…I think you said, tell me more. Okay, so, I always try to put myself in the shoes of the person listening to the show for the first time. Scooter, do you find that hard to do? Thanks, Brad, that was a softball. Holy cow, I love that. You really set me up there. I wish I was prepared for it. It is both…it is something I’ve done a lot over the years, probably 1,200 times. It’s something very important and essential.
It is something that helps soften me internally when I’m recording, and it also helps prepare me for when I…for when a notification pops up on my phone while I’m recording. Scooter, you’re laughing but I don't understand what you’re talking about because you’ve already…but so, could you tell me more? You know, Brad, you might be the first…I know you’re not a AI, but you are…you’ve…you have some ChatGPT qualities that I’ve never noticed before. Scooter, could you tell me more? That’s a good one. You might be ChatGPT-5 or something, Brad. Well, Scooter, people say I’m unreal, so maybe…who knows? Okay, so, what I mean is that it’s all…and a long time ago, I was listening to one of the two Scotts be interviewed about making podcasts.
Scott Aukerman…not Adam Scott or another Scott…and it was about…I don't know if it was…it was some sort of behind-the-scenes show about podcasting, and Scott was kinda talking about some of the structure necessary to make a podcast, basically. He was saying it was really important to remember that it’s always someone’s first time listening. It’s a little bit different than radio in the sense that most people are listening linearly, so it’s not like they’re tuning in for the first time in the middle of the episode, but you do have to remember it’s always somebody’s first time listening. That stuck with me, and also a large amount of very strong feedback I’ve gotten underlies that fact, that Scott was correct and that also, to further deepen it, it’s totally…it’s…a very large portion of that is out of my control.
Even if you were making a comedy show, like Comedy Surprise Surprise or…and maybe it’s based on that song, Bang Banging to the Groove, or whatever…Comedy Bang Banging to the Groove, it…or my two…whatever. Are you talking…? The imaginary podcast the two Scotts did, Are You Talking Newt to Me…Scooter, was that based on a book by someone named Newt? No, but that would be…I don't know if they…I’m sure there’s a book by that person, but probably…we should just move on, Brad. Thanks, Scooter. I was thinking of Newt Scamander. Yeah, no matter what newt, probably best to move on. Oh, Scooter, you’re right. I’ve de-bored things at The Boredom Institute already. It’s okay, Brad. You’re just doing your best to…you just pulled a ChatGP, too. Scooter, I did, didn’t I?
Okay, don’t…let’s not get into…you’re feeling a little Tommen-y, Brad. Oh, sorry, Scooter. I have to maintain my business image. Scooter, would that be ironic if I was Tommen? If Tommen became Mikey, moved in with you and Ray, and then as he matured he became Brad Braderson…? I could see that path, because you do have some sort of deep-seated, forlorn sadness in seeking health, wealth, and happiness through helping people seek health, wealth, and happiness through boredom, Brad. Scooter, you see right through me. Okay, Scooter, let’s get back to you, though. Okay, so let’s get back to it. You’re right, Brad. Okay, so, it’s always somebody’s first time listening to the podcast. Now, that is quadrupally so with a sleep podcast.
I say that because I think there’s the seven stages of…because not only have I gotten strong feed…there’s a bucket of feedback — and oh boy, is it a bucket — of people that listen to the show, Brad, and for some reason it just lands on their sweet limbic system and it goes straight to the cool part of their…the cool circulatory part of their…the old limbic or old stem. Old Stemmy Limbic or what…have you met Stemmy…? Scooter, I have. ‘Stemmy Limbic’ is hard to say, though. You’re right about that, Brad. But so, for a large portion of people that tune into Sleep With Me, they have a immediate strong reaction. So, Brad, we’re getting right into this. So, that is always the first stage of Sleep With Me. Not everybody experiences it, so I just said ‘always’ by accident, but it is the first stage of Sleep With Me for a lot of people.
Now, everybody can experience it differently on a spectrum of feelings. Scooter, if you could come up with what you would call the stage or some…a word, like other stages, stage…I guess Stage One would be pretty…'cause it’s not always Stage One, 'cause sometimes people listen to it for four years and then they get to the Stage Two, Brad. So, it’s a returnable stage. Well, maybe you could randomly look through a list of words, Scooter, and come up with some words. Okay, aback, I would say. Let me see what else is on here. Grumpy; okay, there’s another one. I’m looking through these words here that listeners submitted. Definitely not adorable. Soggy? Maybe not at that stage. Maybe…delicious? No. Supple? No. Serene? No. Volatile? I would say they may feel volatile after listening. Indomitable? I don't know. Briny? No.
Let’s see what else we have here. Scoot…oh yeah, Scooter, what about…? Okay, we’ll go to those ones. Any other words, Scooter? Well, I would say, strong surprise. So, I would go with…let’s go through the list again. Volatile might…putrid; there you go. Putrid may be…I don't know what the definition of ‘putrid’ is, but they may make a sound. You know, we’ve talked about that movie where the person was quoting the famous philosopher that said, you make a sound about things? They would make a sound like ‘putrid’. So, putrid…Scooter, maybe you look up the definition of the word ‘putrid’ for us here, live. You got it, Brad. P-U-T-R-I-D, right? Putrid meaning…okay, yeah…is there a metaphorical…? Yeah, I would say this is right. Yeah, un…very unpleasant, if used in an informal term. Yeah, I would say this…that nails it.
So, Brad, Stage One, the best word to describe it, possibly, is…right now, is putrid. Scooter, I didn’t think…of all…but also, the essence…when someone says it, they’re saying it in a way…kinda like a sneeze, but not quite a sneeze. Are you with me, Brad? Scooter, I am. So, let’s say…let’s lean into this even more together. So, one of the definitions that we’re looking at here…it’s like leaves that are becoming fuel for the soil, and they’ve been left…you know, old leaves that are returning to the earth. Or, maybe ‘compost’ would be a better way to describe it. So, you’re saying…what are you…? Scooter, can you feed that back to me? Sure, Brad. I would say that’s probably…in some degrees, right…? ‘Cause, yeah, there’s com…there’s all kinds of compost in the world. I’ll go with that.
You know, intentional, unintentional, and sometimes you step in stuff, future compost that’s even on the sidewalk. They say, it’s on my shoe now. So, yeah, I would say within that spectrum…or you might say, whoa, I never…maybe if you went to a apple farm and you got to the apple farm at the right time of year when it was cool and there was fresh apple cores being composted…I mean, it’s a pretty big presumption for me to make, but you say, whoa boy, this is the best compost I’ve ever happened to come…and they’d say, sir, you’re at our apple farm. I’m here with the Beacon Skiff authorities as can…and I’d say, okay, great. I’d just come and I’d just…so, I would say that Brad…yeah, the first stage of Sleep With Me, the Putrid Stage or the Compost Stage, if people want to soften it up a bit…Scooter, did you do that…?
No, I didn’t do it on purpose, Brad, but yeah, it’s a accident. Or the old, wet leaf stage…I’d say a putrid, old, wet leaf more than ‘compost’, unless you were saying ‘compost’ like a person in a 1920s op-ed cartoon. They would not…and they’re not speaking about compost; they’re making a declaration. Scooter, for some reason I understand exactly what you’re talking about. So, tell me more about this first stage of Sleep With Me. Brad, I was just wondering…I know we couldn’t do it, but imagine if we just talked about the first stage of Sleep With Me for like, forty-five or fifty minutes. Scooter, that would be a dream. I mean, that’s what…that would enable me here at The Boredom Institute…we could spin it off into a series.
The first stage of Sleep With Me is…the next six to discover them and how to use them…so, okay, Brad…yeah, let’s…we’re only at eighteen minutes, though, or fifteen. Okay, Scooter, so tell me more about this Putrid Stage. Yeah, putrid’s a nice word. It doesn't get used a lot so I’m happy to use it, though it does maybe…I mean, I don't know, but…okay, so, here we go, Brad. Buckle your seatbelt because…so, people tune into Sleep With Me and they have a expectation. I talk about this every intro, right? They have…now, they have…their expectation is pretty much out of my control, and maybe…there’s just so many different ways people discover the show, right? Right, Scooter.
Even if they have…so, part of this is…pre-Sleep With Me era or pre-sleep podcast era was a softer version of this, which maybe is another stage of Sleep With Me, probably…is like when I tried to use other sleep audio. I said, I don't think this is…this just doesn't work. It’s too…tonally, it doesn't work for me. I didn’t realize that at the time, though, Brad. Scooter, can you tell me more? Well, I guess I never…I was never…I was…when I tried sleep audio at first, I was a kid. Then maybe I tried it a few times before I discovered other solutions that helped me fall asleep that weren’t good for the rest of my life but helped me sleep. But before that, I just said, this stuff just doesn't work. I didn’t realize that it probably worked for some people. Then, I also listened to comedy radio which didn’t put me to sleep but distracted me.
So, at some point I said, how come there’s not something out there like a podcast…? Because when podcasts first started, they were just…there was podcasts about everything, but there wasn’t really any sleep podcasts. Or, I don't know if…I don't think there were any sleep podcasts. I said, well, how come there isn’t, one, a sleep podcast for grown-ups, and two, it’s like a bedtime story for grown-ups that kinda takes their mind off of stuff and puts them to sleep but in a friendly way like a friend? Okay, Scooter. So, I can already see…even if someone heard you describing this…and I’m not try…I think they could easily enter into the putrid phase after listening to you. Brad, you really know how to butter a sleep podcaster up. Holy cow, do you get it. Thank you, Scooter. So, I…am I…?
Yeah, so, maybe you…I don't…I mean, I don't think you are AI. That was just a joke. Thank goodness, Scooter. So, yeah, back to this, Brad. So, thank you, by the way. Yeah, even if people understand the nature of the show — hey, it’s like calling a strange friend and they’re gonna talk you to sleep — they still obviously form their own impression of that. So, when they get here, they enter that first phase 'cause they say, holy cow, this isn’t like what I thought it was gonna be like. Now, some people that’s not a issue for, so they’re on the low stage, apple…we’ll call it the Apple Compost Stage. They say, that’s great; apple compost. If everybody…even a apple orchard’s gotta compost even the processed apples as well as the ones that fell from the tree.
Scooter, so could we even get into a light, fallen-from-the-tree apple compost? Brad, you know how to…you really know how to make boring content. You really like to draw it out so that it’s not concise at all. Scooter, we’re a team right now. Yeah, so, for some people when they first get here, it’s like fallen-off-the-tree apple compost…would be the first stage of Sleep With Me for them. They say, oh yeah, there’s those apples there; fell off the tree and they’re going through the circle of life. You know, maybe that’s all…there’s a whole…there’s…Scooter, there’s a range of spectrum within there, you’re right. Right, of curiosity. Maybe they were looking at the apple, maybe they were smelling the apple, maybe they were looking at the color of the apple.
Maybe they step on the apple, maybe they kick the apple, I mean in a non…just like a childlike way. Maybe they walk around…yeah, so, you’re right, Brad. But yeah, the mildest form would be a form of some sort of stage of…the first stage of Sleep With Me, fallen-off-the-apple-tree apple compote, apple orchard compost, all the way to putrid…which some people in the world may find that putrid. If they’re carrying around a unabridged dictionary…Scooter, they’d be pretty tired if they’re walking through an apple orchard. Yeah, that’s pretty much kind of humorous, like a lot of Sleep With Me, Brad. Well, I know you love sneaking in references about unabridged dictionaries, Scooter. I just know you do. Yeah. Well, you did it for me there, Brad.
So, yeah…so, they could be anywhere in that, right? Because when they first get there, they say, what is this, right? Because maybe if…to keep with this apple metaphor…maybe if you’re at a distance and that…it’s late…that late-summer, early-fall heat…I don't know what a apple orchard’s…if they got…you know what I’m saying? They say, well, that’s kind of a different smell of apples than I would prefer to be smelling. Right, Scooter, but I think you went off track there. Yeah, I don't…I had a point but I lost the point. But basically, when people get here, that’s the first stage. So, a multitude of things, because…if I can rephrase what you’re saying, Scooter, which is what great interviewers probably do…I don't know. I’m working on my skills of just listening to people, Brad. Right, Scooter.
But so, you’re saying people come to the show…and we’ll probably get into some of the other stuff later, it sounds like. But when they get to the show, they have a reaction because, one…well, now sleep podcasts are a thing. They’ve been a thing for a while now. So, they may have listened to another sleep podcast before or some sort of sleep…a bedtime-story-for-adult product, and even then…or they may have listened to sleep audio or they may have never listened to sleep audio, but they have…or they may have even read your thing, which you probably haven’t updated in a long time, and they get there and they say, huh…‘what is this thing’ would be the…you know. But a lot of times they have a much stronger reaction. Right, which I’ll get into next. But yeah, so, that’s Stage One, Brad.
We did manage to talk about that for a while, so that was cool. Okay, Scooter, what’s the next stage? Okay, so, this one also is gonna take a lot of setting up 'cause again, you’re having to understand and put yourself in the pajamas, as we say, or the slippers — but their slippers are probably off unless they have in-bed slippers — of someone tuning in to a sleep podcast. Okay, Scooter. I mean, I can…I’m really good at doing it for people who would pay money to go to a seminar using the powers of boredom for health, wealth, and happiness. So, if you could help me…okay, so, I don't think the right word for this stage is ‘skeptical’ or ‘skepticism’ but it might be, because no matter what…and again, these stages are malleable.
But this is a different experience than the Putrid Stage which is that, okay, I’m checking this show out because it’s the podcast that puts you to sleep even though he’s…and then he kind of explains what that means, which is a play on words. But particularly…now, I don't want to create an idealized Sleep With Me listener, but I am trying to think of one person, right, and they…this is like one of the people…I’m putting myself in their pajamas. They’ve been struggling to get a good night's sleep. They’ve tried a lot of things. They’ve heard a lot of people tell them ideas and what to try, and they’re feeling exasperated and fed up. Then either they found this show or someone recommended it or they heard about it in some other way, and they get here…and maybe they’ve even experienced some of the putridity…?
Is that allowable, Brad? Scooter, of course. It’s a degree of putridness, I would say, but…wow, Brad, you’re…it’s like…what was the band that…isn’t there a song like Silent Putridity? Scooter, yeah, but…yeah, stages of putridness is…also works. Okay, so…so, that’s another stage where they say, I’m skeptical or doubtful. Scooter, why don’t you go to your list and see what you could come up with for words? Okay. Let’s see, looking through these…indubitably, invigoratingly, roundly, briskly…these are adverbs, I think; daintily, naively, inadvertently, lovingly, meticulously, splendidly…okay, so, none of those are working 'cause we…I don't know if we need another adjective. Okay, how about a verb?
Calculates, lands, climbs, tumbles, dreams, sleeps, cuddles, spelunks…no…pirouette, percolate, enchant, lurk, sip, walk, leap, acquiesce, cogate, saunter, swagger…what about an animal, Brad? Manatee, sidekick, house plant, raccoons, travelers, axolotls, ferrets, sundials, emus, pupperonis, trees, lasagnas, emus, pillows, hamsters…hamsters, maybe? Hummingbirds, goldfish, geese…okay, geese; there we go, Brad. Scooter, you’re not gonna call the second stage of Sleep With Me the Geese Stage, are you? Maybe the Canada Geese Stage…Canada Geese in the US Parks and California and My Experience With Them Stage. Scooter, you’ve one-upped me inefficiently creating a list of seven stages of Sleep With Me. Yeah, so, we’ll just call it the Geese Stage for short.
Now, it may be a reaction to the geese…so, this is again the spiritual essence of Canada geese in the US parks and California. But so, it could be just…what is this person squawking about? But I guess, Brad, I’m wrong. This is more of a skeptical thing. I think it’s just skepticism. Scooter, I think it’s good that you decided to…while you didn’t force a metaphor there…I’ve never seen that technique used before, but I’ve already learned so much. Yeah, I mean, skeptical or doubtful is what I use on the show, and I would say that that’s Stage Two of Sleep With Me, is skeptical or doubtful. Is this really gonna…? I don't…find a way we could geese it up. I wanted to put feathers on it, I guess, Brad. Well, Scooter, this is why you’re…you’ve been doing what you’ve been doing for ten years.
Yeah, so this next stage is just…I mean, I still like calling it the Geese Stage, but it’s like being skeptical or doubtful, 'cause it’s not ‘what is this guy squawking about’; it’s like, ‘is this really gonna work and I’m so fed up with all this other stuff I’ve tried’. Sadly, I guess, Brad…I mean, hopefully people check out sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou or they hear some of the messages in the intro and they don’t…because Sleep With Me is just not gonna work for most people. So, in some sense, their skepticism is well-founded or their doubt is well-founded; this is just another thing that isn’t gonna help me, and that’s again another part of how these stages of Sleep With Me inform the creation of Sleep With Me, Brad. Scooter, I might have to write this down.
So, the desire for health, wealth, and happiness informs the creation of boredom and the use of boredom in the quest for health, wealth, and happiness. Yeah, in your case, Brad, I guess that would be…for The Boredom Institute, that would be the thing. But do you understand what I’m saying? Is that knowing that someone in their pajamas or whatever, the proverbial pajamas, is skeptical or doubtful…like, I don't have control over…it’s well-founded…and their strong emotions about it, because luckily we’ve already gone through the putrid phase, so I could totally get it when somebody says, hey, twenty people told me this helped them sleep and I strongly loathe you. For some people that’s gonna be the Putrid Stage or the Compost Stage, but other people would just be like, hey, I tried this and it never worked.
Now, that goes into the next stage of Sleep With Me, maybe. I don't know if that’s the next stage of Sleep With Me, Brad. Let me check my non-notes. Great, Scooter. What’s your next stage? Oh, it’s…okay, so it’s…we’re gonna have to find a word for this one. So, it is the next…yeah, let’s see what we got here. Here’s some exclamations; goodness, noodles, rapscallion, yike, a-ha, crikey, gadzooks, shazooks? Oh bananas, wowza, wowzers, excelsior, whoa, dang, cowabunga, zoinks…wowza is popular. Cool, yowza, bazooks, beans, geez, stoke, yikes, brilliant, fie, yikes…fie…okay, so fie…hold…can you put a pin in fie, Brad? Scooter, I will. I’ll hold…how about if I hold fie in the palm of my hand?
Blimey, oh, champion, pie, carumba, gadzooks, wee, dang, goodness, awesome, whatever, yay, shucks, cowabunga, goodness gracious, crimini, sheesh, dude, zoinks…okay, so let’s look up…C-R-I-M-I-N-I, crimini, and fie, right? So, crimini…this is interesting, Brad. I like working with you. Crimini…okay, crimini is a disbelief. But let’s just see if it’s…has a twin…let’s look it up in Cambridge. What do you say, Brad? Scooter, that’s fine with me. No, there’s one that’s positive, an example. Used to express surprise…oh, or the fact you are not pleased about something, according to Cambridge. There you go, Brad. Okay, so, crimini works. Crimini, crimini? Crimini and crimini…okay, Scooter, why don’t you look up fie next? Scooter, I didn’t realize you were gonna be doing the seven stages of grief at a Renaissance faire. That’s fair.
That’s a fair one, Brad. I spelled ‘fie’ wrong. I spelled it F-O-R. Is it F-I-E? Scooter, were you…because you were laughing at my joke? You’re getting…you may be Tommen. But yeah, I was, because crimini and fie…okay, fie is accurate; disapproval, disappointment, and strong feelings. So, fie, crimini, fie…crimini, fie, crimini…I think Fie Crimini Fie is Stage Three. Scooter, would they be with their fist and they’re looking at the sky? Yeah. I mean, there was many memes maybe that could fit it, but yeah, Fie Crimini Fie is when…now, this could hit in any of these…but this is a common reaction, unfortunately very, very common. I guess it could land at any time, but it is usually…strangely enough, even though I ask people, they usually are in…a little bit deeper in the episode.
So, in some sense, while these aren’t always experienced in this linear matter, one, two, three…and if we’ll get to any more, but…is that a lot of people…at first they feel like it’s putrid and they say, oh boy, this does remind me of some sort of compost. Then if they…then they say, okay, well, he’s being nice and he wants to help me fall asleep, but I don't know if this is really gonna work, so I’m geesing. I’m feeling a little geesey here. I guess that was my geese metaphor, is like, if you go…when I go running where there’s Canada geese, they are doubtful about me and my presence in their park.
That’s how they view things, and they usually let me know by making a sound. But also they say, by the way, I’m not gonna get out of your way, so you’re gonna have to run around me while I make the sound. Why don’t you run in my compost? Scooter, this sounds like what…yeah. Yeah, so…so, yeah…so they could…then they enter the Geese Stage; I don't know if this is gonna work. Then depending on the situation…and again, this could be people that end up supporting the show. They’ll enter into this new Fie Crimini Fie Stage, because usually the people that are in the Fie Crimini Fry…Fie Stage early, they just stop listening. It’s the people that are…the Fie Crimini Stage…Fie Stage now; maybe they’re ten minutes in or fifteen minutes in. So, yeah, they go through those…that feeling.
Now, they could go through it at any time, including people that listened to the podcast for years, and decide that they’ve reached the Fie Crimini Fie Stage and let me know about it. But I usually try to funnel it — that’s why I have sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou — 'cause I’m so familiar with it and it really is outside of my control, Brad. So, I say…it still doesn't change my feeling about it when I get…hear about it, but I think that sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou, while it hasn’t been directly attributed to working…there was a presentation at a podcast conference by someone showing the interlinked…with Sleep With Me interlinked with all these other sleep podcasts and meditation podcasts, and I think a lot of them were discovered because of this method.
For going through the Fie Crimini Fie Stage but not staying in it; that’s…that would be the ideal goal if I could control it, which I can't, but I can mitigate it where I can by talking about why do we make the show, why is it structured the way it is, how do a lot of people listen to the ad-supported version linearly, the intro is not designed to put you to sleep, you could fall asleep…like, explaining those things and offering, hey, I still want you to fall asleep; that’s just the truth. It’s also that I don't want anybody to be stuck in a Fie Crimini Fie stage unless, yeah, they’re at a…playing a character at a Renaissance faire, walking around saying that. Okay, Scooter, I get it. Yeah, they’re very upset and they’re yelling ‘Fie Crimini Fie’, and that’s a normal reaction.
Alright, so then the next stage is…Scooter, we have four stages left and so, I’m gonna have to ask you to be a little bit more…to actually come up with terms for them and get to them. Okay, so, the next two…okay, there’s one…okay, so there’s one that kinda goes…Scooter, do you have a term or…? Well, I call it a stronger version of the Harvard…a non…different ways of interpreting the Harvard Negotiation Project based on only the title of the book, saying, I’m gonna use my idea of what that means…Scooter, you’re really outdoing yourself with not being able to come up with…yeah, that’s good. So, you’re saying another stage of Sleep With Me, possibly the next one…because if you’re in Fie Crimini Fie, you may not be getting out of that, right? Right.
So, they may never experience this next stage, though a lot of people do because they listen two or three times or they come back to the show and they do enter this next stage. There are varying…I think this one kinda flows into the next one, especially for the time we have, which is like…yeah, it’s like, maybe this should have been done…it’s like trying…a lot of people are trying to figure it out and waiting for it to start. So, yeah, I guess…but Scooter, what does that have to do with the Harvard Negotiation Project? I think it’s kind of like an active process. When the podcast is actually working, it’s a somewhat passive process, right? They’re barely listening.
But for a new person or a person that’s…hasn’t gone through these stages…and maybe some people skip over this stage, but maybe some people are in the stage; like, they say…they’ve been activated, right? Again, we’re hoping…and again, the whole…one of the whole purposes of the intro — I’m putting myself in other people’s proverbial pajamas — is to say, okay, let me help you through these stages. I guess that’s why we’re making the show. It’s really helping me stay aware of how important this is, is to say, okay, let me get you through this stage where you’re in the active version of saying, how can I negotiate with this podcast? When you’re doing that, you’re trying to wonder…well, the biggest question is when is this gonna get started? When is it gonna get sleepy?
Those thoughts could be related to the other stages as well, but I think this is one where it’s like…Scooter, it kind of is a call to attention, which is…instead of being…instead of leaning into misdirection, they’re directing their attention at you. So, I guess I kind of understand. This is a little bit like the geese metaphor, but it…I think you’re almost there. Yeah, I mean, the idea that the podcast is always going nowhere, it’s always never getting started, it doesn't…those are things that you just can't understand until you experience them, and that’s one of the things with Sleep With Me, is it doesn't ever make…it’s never making…it’s always never making sense. Scooter…yeah, so, I think those were pretty good. Do you have a word for that one or do you want to just move on? I don't know, I think that’s pretty good.
When’s it gonna…when’s this gonna get sleepy? I don't know, yeah. Scooter, I’m gonna have to hold you to this. I think we have to come up with a specific version of this stage. Okay, you’re…Brad, you’re really…you’re…Scooter, why don’t we go through these occupations? Okay; haberdasher, gum-scraper, train something…director, dancer, zookeeper, projectionist, night light, data scientist, sanitation, coder, HR, scientist, janitor, baker, teacher, midwife, writer…I don't know, midwife kinda works in a metaphorical way. Retired, box car driver, horse whisperer…horse whisperer, maybe. Scooter, I’ve always wondered; did you ever see…? Isn’t there a movie, The Horse Whisperer? I think so. So, I guess it would be either…so, this is…okay, so let’s take it this way.
This must be the wrong horse whisperer midwife. You can't be the horse whisperer mid…you can't be the correct horse whisperer midwife. Horse Whisperer Midwife Stage, Scooter. I’ve got it. That works. I understand. You say, you can't be qualified to be the horse whisperer or the midwife. You say, but I am. You say, you’re not…you have creaky, dulcet tones; you’re not technically whispering. But I’m the horse whisperer midwife. Yeah, I’m here to midwife and horse-whisper your sleep into existence, or how…you know, I’m always never getting started. So, okay, Scooter, that makes sense. Now, what’s the next stage?
I think the next stage is…I guess, yeah, I mean…I think this is a different flavor than the fie…this is kind of like a projector-type thing, but I would say that the next phase is…and again, this is something people experience all over…even the people that have listened ten years. Loathing, I think, is another stage of Sleep With Me. Again, it’s…people move through the loathing or it…I can't tell you how many times I’ve heard or seen something that says I loathe you, or a version of that in another vocabulary, including superfans of the podcast. I think that’s just acknowledging it here together, Brad, 'cause that’s a normal thing and that it’s a normal stage of Sleep With Me. Now, it doesn't mean everybody should let me know.
It means everybody can move forward through the thing 'cause I don't really have control over what makes people loathe me. In some sense I think the reason I say that projection is like, I know for me…and again, putting myself in other people’s proverbial pajamas, is the idea of like, huh, is this something…? It’s too close to…I’m in too much harmonics. So, I’m having a strong feeling about this, and if I move…on the other side of the feelings, I find, oh, I actually like this person 'cause we share some things and they’re exposing some vulnerability to me…but at first my reaction…Scooter, are you talking about people that drive like you? Wow, you really crushed it, Brad. You’re exactly right.
That would be a simple way to say it, how I feel when I see someone driving and I don't realize they drive the same way as I do, so I have a strong feeling about it, which would be loathing. You’re correct, Brad. But Scooter, you can move on from that if you say ‘bless you’ or whatever. Yes, Brad. Okay, Scooter, so let’s bring it home here. We got two more stages of Sleep With Me. Okay, Brad. Well, the next stage is kind of…maybe this is more the Harvard-Negotiation-Project-type thing. It’s one of the last stages, and again, that we’ve tried to create solutions for it. Again, this could be at any stage in their Sleep With Me experience, but it does tend to come second-to-last or last for a lot of people, but not…most people know and I talk about this a lot. It’s like, so, this would be the If Only Stage. Okay, Scooter. Did you just come up with that?
Yeah, I guess 'cause I have so much experience with this, Brad. It’s just…people say, if only the podcast was this, this, and this, or if only…and that, again, is a stage…people could either depart from the show initially or long term, or they move through that stage. That, again, is only so…that has become a little bit more under our control because a lot of people…so, the majority of people experience the free, ad-supported show linearly and they wind down during the intro and they fall asleep during the story. I kinda talk about that in every intro, 'cause again, I’m putting myself in the people’s shoes, in that case that don’t do that, because that’s…even though it’s the majority or the plurality of listeners that listen to the ad-supported show linearly and fall asleep during the story and wind down, there’s other people that are experiencing…and probably — well, it’s not the majority — a large portion of people in the ‘if only’ experience.
Now, there might be a ‘if only’…that another sleep podcast can fulfill that ‘if only’, so…and those people may be experiencing the ‘if only’ earlier in the stages of Sleep With Me. But then there’s ‘if only’…well, if only it didn’t have music, and we’ve been able to do that in different ways, or if only it…and I say, okay, well, you could set a sleep timer, or if only…oh, you could set your…or you could create a playlist, or…the whole way we create content where it’s constantly varying on a kinda three-episode style release; written episodes, recap episodes, random story episodes, and then we repeat or we’re adding on new stuff all the time. So, there’s always something different. So, it’s like, well, if only it wasn’t TV recaps. It’s like, oh, don't worry; the next episode won't be a TV recap…kinda thing.
So, trying within your control to kinda create some customizable options for the podcast for people that would want to customize it and have it as a different experience but keeping it in mind that it’s only somewhat under your control, especially when what you know from experience and feedback is like, most people are kind of just passively listening in bed based on kinda what you laid out. They start the show, they’re getting ready for bed, or they’re getting in bed winding down. They would prefer to just listen to a free ad-supported version of the show, and eventually later on, like you said, in the thirty or forty minutes of the show, they’re drifting off and falling asleep, and maybe they let it stop at the end of the episode or maybe they have a sleep timer set for forty-five minutes or sixty minutes.
Exactly, Brad. You really get it. Scooter, what is the final stage of Sleep With Me that you…? ‘Cause this one would be a closer, right? Yeah. I mean, I think the final stage of Sleep With Me, while there’s a lot…again, a lot of ways to describe it, is like, I had no idea I was always looking for this. I never knew or I never knew…I’ve been searching…I didn’t know I was searching for this my whole life. That’s only…that’s how you know you’re at the seventh stage of Sleep With Me. Again, that can change for some people and not…that’s not applicable to all listeners, but it is…for a large…people, it’s like…and they many never even actually be cognizant of that, right, and that’s fine, too. They may already be asleep, right? Then they…it’s just working for them.
But I think it is something more than it just works for the people that are reaching that seventh stage, which is some sort of experience like, I had no idea something this strange could be out there and I’m so glad it is. Again…oh, to hearken back to the…some of the…what can…in the middle stages is that I’ve really…I’m trying to be there for the listener and be myself and have my guard down, right? I’m a little bit different like you are, too, Brad. Scooter, I had no idea how different I was until you maybe gave me a backstory that I’m really Tommen from Game of Thrones, which I’m not sure that’s…but it could be. But, yeah…but yeah, you’re right, Scooter. Sorry, I didn’t mean to create a backstory for you. It wasn’t…we didn’t create a backstory; it was more of a…I was just curious that you could be. I may be, Scooter. If I know, then I’m keeping…I’m just playing along. That sounds better. Yeah, I like that, Brad.
I guess…so, yeah, that’s the stage of Sleep With Me. The last couple are kinda simpler 'cause it’s like, then I’m so glad you found the show because I’m so…I made it because of that, because I said, wow, I don't feel like something…I mean, part of it is feeling seen and being…saying, hey, I’m different, I’m looking for something different, and I want to feel seen in that way. Like, I had no idea I was looking for something that’s a little bit…like calling a strange friend, but I’m glad you’re my strange friend, or pseudo-friend. Scooter, I’m glad, too, and I’m happy we got to go through these stages of Sleep With Me together today. I’m happy. Yeah, thanks, Brad, and thanks everybody for listening, and that’s the seven stages of Sleep With Me. I’ll probably only remember some of them, but I get to listen to this episode a few times before it comes out. So, thanks, and goodnight.
[END OF RECORDING]
(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)
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Boredom Institute / Trending Tuesday
History of the Band Tee
https://blackmarkettoronto.com/blogs/news/a-brief-history-of-vintage-band-t-shirts-how-they-evolved
https://rockerteeshirts.com/blogs/rockers-blog/a-brief-history-of-the-t-shirt-market
https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/tour-merchandise-history/
Composting
https://elevatepackaging.com/blog/the-history-of-composting-modern-journey/
https://www.biocycle.net/us-food-waste-composting-infrastructure/
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/06/1210826900/why-not-all-cities-are-welcoming-community-composters
The Horse Whisperer
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jun/26/true-story-horse-whisperer-buck-brannaman
https://horsemanship-journal.com/articles/unveiling-the-mysteries-horse-whispering-forging
7 Stages of Grief
https://www.coop.co.uk/funeralcare/advice/do-the-seven-stages-of-grief-exist
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/grieving-process
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-history/its-time-let-five-stages-grief-die
DOWN TO BUSINESS
One time I said Pudcaster
The Odd-Caster
I could definitely oppose some heroic figures
Like calling a friend in the middle of the night
No Social Compact
Deep Dark Night United
Doris, Chris, and Katie (SleepPhones)
PLUGS
Hand in Hand; The Midnight Mission; Trevor Project; SWM+; SleepPhones; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline
SPONSORS
AquaTru; Helix Sleep; Wild Health; Polysleep; Odoo; Air Doctor Pro; Zocdoc; Progressive
INTRO
I list all that stuff so you know you’re not alone
General Shared Experience
The Shared-sperience
Nodding along in a caring way
The 7 Stages of Sleep With Me
Well, I guess I’m gonna make an episode about this now
Don’t worry, you didn’t miss much
Sleep With Me: You Didn’t Miss Much
Man, talk about a revenue opportunity
I could sell $100 t shirts to people that haven’t listened yet
What could go wrong with that idea?
Shoutout to my brainbots, who just reached fully charged
My brainbots cannot be unplugged because they are solar-powered
You can just look at the show through the window
There’s no pressure to come on in
I highly recommend a wind-down routine
It works maybe 60% of the time for me
We all care about you
STORY
Brad Braderson is here, unexpectedly
Welcome to the Boredom Institute
You have to use the tools of boredom to get across the finishing line
The Boredom Institute is as real as anything
I know all the hotel conference rooms in the world
This is a free seminar
The 7 Stages of Sleep With Me
I don’t know if it’ll bring health, wealth, and happiness but it’ll certainly bore
Here we are in a nondescript hotel conference room
Welcome Scooter to be a guest speaker
Brad interviewing Scooter
Scooter, you’ve already lost me over
What a great softball question, Brad, thank you
Scooter imagines he’s a first-time listener
Brad does have some ChatGPT qualities to him
Along time ago, I was listening to Scott Aukerman being interviewed
It’s always somebody’s first time listening
Comedy Bang Bang into the Groover
Brad has already de-bored and made this too interesting
What if Brad is just a grownup Tommen?
A bucket of feedback
Old Stemmy Limbic
Stage 1: Immediate Strong Reactions
People can also return to this stage later on
A list of words including back, grumpy, soggy, not adorable, volatile, briny
Strong Surprise, Putrid, Volatile
Let’s define Putrid live
Very unpleasant, yep, that’s it for sure
Stage 1: The Putrid Stage
Old Leaves that are returning to the soil
The composting of apple cores at an orchard
Putrid Old Wet Leaf
Or maybe you use “compost” like it’s in a 1920’s political cartoon
Only Brad understands what I’m saying
What if we just talk about Stage 1 for the whole episode?
We could turn this into a whole series
Putrid should get used more as a word
People have an expectation for SWM that is out of my control
Pre-SWM Sleep Audio was a softer era
And that vibe didn’t work for me
But comedy radio distracted me
I made the podcast that I wanted to hear
Man, Brad, you really know how to butter a sleep podcaster up
Brad definitely isn’t AI
If people don’t like it, they go to the Apple Compost Stage
Falling Off a Tree Apple Compost Stage
Brad and Scooter are a great team
It would be tiring to carry an unabridged dictionary around an apple orchard
That late summer / early fall heat
I had a point, but I lost it
Moving onto Stage 2
Put yourself into the pajamas and slippers of someone tuning into a sleep podcast
Stage 2 isn’t quite Skepticism
I don’t want to create an Idealized Sleep With Me Listener
Can people experience Putridity?
Scooter, why don’t you just go to your word list?
Man, it’s hard to find a word for this phase
Okay, verbs aren’t working, how about an animal?
Maybe hamster
Okay, geese!
Stage 2: The Canada Geese in US Parks Phase
The spiritual essence of Canada Geese in the US Parks in California
You know what, I think this is just skepticism
Let’s find a way to geese it up
Stage 2: What is this guy squawking about?
Stages of SWM inform the creation of SWM
Stage 3: Some Excellent Exclamations
Let’s put in a pin in Fie!
Let’s look up Fie and Criminy
Can Criminy be used positively?
I spelled Fie wrong
Fie is definitely accurate
Stage 3: Fie Criminy Fie
A lot of memes could go with this stage
Going back to my geese metaphor
Stage 3 tends to happen a little deeper into the show, listening time-wise
Stage 4: Different Ways of Interpreting the Harvard Negotiation Project
Some people may never get out of Fie Criminy Fie
Putting myself in other people’s proverbial pajamas
How can I negotiate with this podcast?
It’s kind of like a peace metaphor
Always Going Nowhere
You just can’t experience that until you get it
Let’s go through some occupations to find the perfect description
Am I a Horse Whisperer?
Stage 4: You can’t be qualified to be the horse whisperer midwife, but you are
Stage 5: Loathing
I’m navigating why it is that people loathe me
How I feel when I see someone driving and don’t realize they drive just like me
Stage 6: If Only
If only the podcast was different from what it is
The people that don’t fall asleep during the story
But other people don’t fall asleep and wonder how it could work for them
These stages are permeable and ever-shifting
Stage 7: I didn’t know I was always looking for this
It just works
I had no idea I’d be so glad that this strange thing exists
Being there for the listener and keeping my guard down
Brad is glad to have a backstory now as a grown-up Tommen
I’m so glad you found the show and that it works for you
PATREON THANKS
Laura, Jacqueline, Marie Michelle, Laura H, Aubrey, Bonnie, Cindy, Melanie, Rebecca, Mara, Eileen, Bruce, Rachel, Susan, Rob, Amanda, Kelly, Mark, Jennifer, Robin, Emily, Gerard, Cicely, This, Shane, Spencer, Ted
SUMMARY:
Episode: 1247
Title: 7 Stages of Sleep With Me
Deep Dark Night United: Doris, Chris, and Katie (SleepPhones)
Plugs: Hand in Hand; The Midnight Mission; Trevor Project; SWM+; SleepPhones; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline
Sponsors: AquaTru; Helix Sleep; Wild Health; Polysleep; Odoo; Air Doctor Pro; Zocdoc; Progressive
Patreon Thanks: Laura, Jacqueline, Marie Michelle, Laura H, Aubrey, Bonnie, Cindy, Melanie, Rebecca, Mara, Eileen, Bruce, Rachel, Susan, Rob, Amanda, Kelly, Mark, Jennifer, Robin, Emily, Gerard, Cicely, This, Shane, Spencer, Ted
Notable Language:
- The Odd-caster
- The Shared-sperience
- Sleep With Me: You Didn’t Miss Much
- You’ve already lost me over
- De-Bored
- Old Stemmy Limbic
- Putrid
- Putrid Old Wet Leaf
- Falling Off a Tree Apple Compost Stage
- Idealized Sleep With Me Listener
- Putridity
- Fie
- Criminy
- Proverbial Pajamas
Notable Culture:
- Sleep With Me podcast
-
- The Boredom Institute
- Westin
- Hyatt Place
- Jerry Maguire
-
- ChatGPT
- Scott Aukerman
- Adam Scott
- Comedy Bang Bang
- “U Talkin’ Newt 2 Me?”
- Newt Scamander / Harry Potter
- 7 Stages of Grief
- The Horse Whisperer
- Game of Thrones
Notable Talking Points:
- I list all that stuff so you know you’re not alone
- General Shared Experience
- The Shared-sperience
- Nodding along in a caring way
- The 7 Stages of Sleep With Me
- Well, I guess I’m gonna make an episode about this now
- Don’t worry, you didn’t miss much
- Sleep With Me: You Didn’t Miss Much
- Man, talk about a revenue opportunity
- I could sell $100 t shirts to people that haven’t listened yet
- What could go wrong with that idea?
- Shoutout to my brainbots, who just reached fully charged
- My brainbots cannot be unplugged because they are solar-powered
- You can just look at the show through the window
- There’s no pressure to come on in
- I highly recommend a wind-down routine
- It works maybe 60% of the time for me
- We all care about you
- Brad Braderson is here, unexpectedly
- Welcome to the Boredom Institute
- You have to use the tools of boredom to get across the finishing line
- The Boredom Institute is as real as anything
- I know all the hotel conference rooms in the world
- This is a free seminar
- The 7 Stages of Sleep With Me
- I don’t know if it’ll bring health, wealth, and happiness but it’ll certainly bore
- Here we are in a nondescript hotel conference room
- Welcome Scooter to be a guest speaker
- Brad interviewing Scooter
- Scooter, you’ve already lost me over
- What a great softball question, Brad, thank you
- Scooter imagines he’s a first-time listener
- Brad does have some ChatGPT qualities to him
- Along time ago, I was listening to Scott Aukerman being interviewed
- It’s always somebody’s first time listening
- Comedy Bang Bang into the Groover
- Brad has already de-bored and made this too interesting
- What if Brad is just a grownup Tommen?
- A bucket of feedback
- Old Stemmy Limbic
- Stage 1: Immediate Strong Reactions
- People can also return to this stage later on
- A list of words including back, grumpy, soggy, not adorable, volatile, briny
- Strong Surprise, Putrid, Volatile
- Let’s define Putrid live
- Very unpleasant, yep, that’s it for sure
- Stage 1: The Putrid Stage
- Old Leaves that are returning to the soil
- The composting of apple cores at an orchard
- Putrid Old Wet Leaf
- Or maybe you use “compost” like it’s in a 1920’s political cartoon
- Only Brad understands what I’m saying
- What if we just talk about Stage 1 for the whole episode?
- We could turn this into a whole series
- Putrid should get used more as a word
- People have an expectation for SWM that is out of my control
- Pre-SWM Sleep Audio was a softer era
- And that vibe didn’t work for me
- But comedy radio distracted me
- I made the podcast that I wanted to hear
- Man, Brad, you really know how to butter a sleep podcaster up
- Brad definitely isn’t AI
- If people don’t like it, they go to the Apple Compost Stage
- Falling Off a Tree Apple Compost Stage
- Brad and Scooter are a great team
- It would be tiring to carry an unabridged dictionary around an apple orchard
- That late summer / early fall heat
- I had a point, but I lost it
- Moving onto Stage 2
- Put yourself into the pajamas and slippers of someone tuning into a sleep podcast
- Stage 2 isn’t quite Skepticism
- I don’t want to create an Idealized Sleep With Me Listener
- Can people experience Putridity?
- Scooter, why don’t you just go to your word list?
- Man, it’s hard to find a word for this phase
- Okay, verbs aren’t working, how about an animal?
- Maybe hamster
- Okay, geese!
- Stage 2: The Canada Geese in US Parks Phase
- The spiritual essence of Canada Geese in the US Parks in California
- You know what, I think this is just skepticism
- Let’s find a way to geese it up
- Stage 2: What is this guy squawking about?
- Stages of SWM inform the creation of SWM
- Stage 3: Some Excellent Exclamations
- Let’s put in a pin in Fie!
- Let’s look up Fie and Criminy
- Can Criminy be used positively?
- I spelled Fie wrong
- Fie is definitely accurate
- Stage 3: Fie Criminy Fie
- A lot of memes could go with this stage
- Going back to my geese metaphor
- Stage 3 tends to happen a little deeper into the show, listening time-wise
- Stage 4: Different Ways of Interpreting the Harvard Negotiation Project
- Some people may never get out of Fie Criminy Fie
- Putting myself in other people’s proverbial pajamas
- How can I negotiate with this podcast?
- It’s kind of like a peace metaphor
- Always Going Nowhere
- You just can’t experience that until you get it
- Let’s go through some occupations to find the perfect description
- Am I a Horse Whisperer?
- Stage 4: You can’t be qualified to be the horse whisperer midwife, but you are
- Stage 5: Loathing
- I’m navigating why it is that people loathe me
- How I feel when I see someone driving and don’t realize they drive just like me
- Stage 6: If Only
- If only the podcast was different from what it is
- The people that don’t fall asleep during the story
- But other people don’t fall asleep and wonder how it could work for them
- These stages are permeable and ever-shifting
- Stage 7: I didn’t know I was always looking for this
- It just works
- I had no idea I’d be so glad that this strange thing exists
- Being there for the listener and keeping my guard down
- Brad is glad to have a backstory now as a grown-up Tommen
- I’m so glad you found the show and that it works for you