
Soul Gum
A self-development podcast with philosophical, psychological and literary flair hosted by Victoria Hutchins, the creator of @thedailyvictorian. Giving your soul something to chew on every Sunday.
Latest episodes

Apr 13, 2025 • 34min
The Spiritual Implications of a Recession
The tariffs won’t just affect your wallet—they’ll also affect your soul. In this episode, we walk through 5 spiritual side effects of an economic downturn (per Abraham Maslow, Karl Marx, and Simone Weil). Then we’ll talk through 3 philosophically-rooted tips for tending to your soul during (yet another) unprecedented time. Are the people wearing milkmaid dresses to the club a recession indicator? What would Karl Marx think about you hating your coworkers who won’t stay late at the office? How can we prioritize spirituality at a time like this without being navel-gazey? Let’s talk about it. EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro 03:16 5 spiritual impacts of a recession03:45break06:39 1. Accessing spirituality gets harder 06:52 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs08:37 Simone Weil and Simone du Beauvoir clash 11:05 Everyone’s an existentialist until the rent is due12:31 2. Resurgence of traditional faith systems 12:39 Hemline index 13:36 Moral panics during recessions 13:52 Today: trad wives, homesteading and Catholic core14:28 The link between economic security & decline of religious affiliation 16:33 3. Disconnection from nature and each other 16:58 Karl Marx’s 1844 paper on alienation of labor 21:23 4. Escapism becomes more tempting than ever21:44 Lipstick index 22:40 TikTok restock videos as a recession indicator 23:10 Alcohol sales during recessions 23:54 TikTok shop dupe culture as a recession indicator 24:35 5. We’re ripe for spiritual expansion25:42 The god shaped hole (Pascal) 26:27 3 practical tips for spiritual health during a recession26:42 1. Other people are not your competition27:28 “Be kind to people and ruthless to systems” 27:40 2. Tactile hobbies and reconnecting with the fruits of our labor29:38 3. Spirituality during hard times is best served pragmatically and people-focused 31:58 Challenge: noticing me versus them moments MY LINKS• MAKE BELIEVE is out everywhere now• Get a signed copy of MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow Bookshop• Join me in Bali June 1-7! • Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram • Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok

Apr 6, 2025 • 40min
5 Happiness Traps—and How to Break Free of Them
We all want to be happy—but so many of the ways we chase happiness actually leave us more disconnected, burnt out, or empty than before. In this episode, we’ll walk through five of the most common happiness traps: the things we do to feel better that often make us feel worse. Along the way, we’ll explore what Nietzsche, Marx, and modern Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek have to say about the pursuit of joy. Then, we’ll turn to one of the longest-running studies on happiness to ask the big question: when it comes to feeling good, what actually works? No one has the secret to happiness. But a lot of smart people have said a lot of smart things that might help you feel better and access a little more joy. Let’s talk about it.EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00 Intro01:18 Break03:22 5 happiness traps 03:27 1. Overconsumption 06:00 Overconsumption starts with scarcity programming07:11 Nietzsche & overconsumption as a way to fill the void 10:37 2. Chasing achievements 11:46 Slavoj Zizek and the duty to enjoy the grind13:26“Don’t be ridiculous, Andrea. Everyone wants this.”14:18 Superego injunction: “a million girls would kill to have this job”15:22 On using a lack of happiness as fuel to grind 15:56 3. Comparison 18:11 Downward social comparison 22:12 4. Self- and symptom-focused spiritual practices 22:55 Marx on how economic systems shape values 23:28 Self-centered spirituality in the West 24:41 Spirituality as a bandaid vs a root cause solution (Zizek)25:45 5. Isolation 27:03 The hyperindividualism crisis28:00 We owe each other stuff28:17 We want things from each other, and we should28:23 Harlow’s monkey study on attachment 30:13 We’re living in our own worlds31:28 So what DOES work? 31:57 Harvard happiness study 35:13 Challenge 36:19 Lightning round recapMY LINKS• MAKE BELIEVE is out everywhere now• Get a signed copy of MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow Bookshop• Let’s hang on tour!!• Join me in Bali June 1-7! • Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram • Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok

Mar 31, 2025 • 42min
On Walt Whitman & Making Hopeful Art at a Time Like This
I’m thinking of someone. Guess who? They’re a trailblazing artist. LGBTQ-adjacent. A Gemini from Long Island. An artist trying to make sense of rapid technological change and political division. No, not Lady Gaga. Not RuPaul. Not Frank Ocean. Think older. Centuries older. Today we’re talking about the great American poet, Walt Whitman.Walt Whitman was born in 1819, but his world feels eerily familiar. His New York was reeling from technological change and caught in a web of political division. Sound familiar? In this episode, we explore Whitman’s life—from his roots as a Brooklyn typesetter to his rise as the great American poet. We’ll unpack his most famous work, Leaves of Grass, and the ideas in it that scandalized entire towns. We’ll talk about the beauty of contradiction, the divinity of the mundane, and the radical interconnectedness of all things. We’ll ask: what does it mean to write about hope and unity at a Time Like This? If you’re questioning how your art (or your heart) fits into a collapsing society, this episode is for you.EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 02:56 Life Update: Tour! USA Today Bestseller! Bali?05:32 Walt Whitman: a Long Island Gemini 06:03 1800s NY: Nationalism, populism, manifest destiny07:52 Sound familiar? 09:02 Walt Whitman’s early life10:11 Walt Whitman, the reluctant teacher11:05 Walt Whitman, the starving artist 12:27 Walt Whitman does a social media detox13:00 Walt Whitman emerges with a first draft13:14 Leaves of Grass: not like other girls 14:00 1855 Walt Whitman is giving Woodstock 14:14 Publication expert level: just like us 14:44 Walt Whitman gets left on read 14:48 Enter: Ralph Waldo Emerson15:54 Walt Whitman is his own cheerleader 17:47 Walt Whitman is as petty as the rest of us18:22 Leaves of Grass starts to get legs 18:41 Leaves of Grass gets smuttier 18:57 Walt Whitman is not an angel 21:02 The Civil War changes everything 22:21 Leaves of Grass, an OG banned book23:01 Walt Whitman’s legacy 24:03 Walt Whitman quotes that will change your brain chemistry24:18 1. “Every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you”25:07 My ego nap25:59 2. “I am large, I contain multitudes” 26:39 The categorification of the human experience27:10 you are not a cottagecore coastal grandma clean girl mob wife u are a spiritual being having a human experience 28:48 3. “The smallest sprout shows there really is no death”31:09 4. “Do you guess I have some intricate purpose?” EPISODE LINKS• Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman• Stuff You Missed in History Class episode• Comedy by Bo Burnham• My Writer’s Digest article on writing about hopeMY LINKS• MAKE BELIEVE is out everywhere now• Get a signed copy of MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow Bookshop• Let’s hang on tour!!• Join me in Bali June 1-7! • Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram • Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok

Mar 23, 2025 • 29min
7 Tiny Ways to Cultivate Awe
When was the last time you felt genuine awe? Not just happiness, not “that’s cool,” but deep, childlike wonder? In this episode, we explore 7 five-minutes-or-less practices that can help you feel more present, more alive, and more connected to the quiet magic all around you. EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro 01:28 MAKE BELIEVE is out now02:50 Come hang with me on tour? 03:51 7 tiny ways to cultivate awe03:54 1. Look closely at ordinary nature04:20 The goggles of habit 04:41 Walt Whitman: what is the grass?05:27 Thich Nhat Hanh’s tangerine meditation07:31 Rumi & the blurriness of separation 09:14 2. Look up10:00 The benefits of tree gazing10:29 Mary Oliver’s When I Am Among the Trees11:48 3. Unitask music 11:55 Music used to be the main course13:06 One song no multitasking challenge13:29 Make an awe playlist 13:40 4. Make unsmall small talk 14:19 Martin Buber’s I-Thou vs I-It15:50 Challenge: be aware during small talk16:17 The sacred ground of connection16:50 5. Remember pale blue dot 17:08 The Voyager photo17:36 Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot 19:10 Pondering our tininess 21:04 6. Make an awe signal22:21 7. Keep an awe list 22:43 The Zeigarnik Effect24:53 Lightning round recapEPISODE LINKS• @boywaif post on the goggles of habit• Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman• Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh• Sometimes & When I Am Among the Trees by Mary Oliver• Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot• I and Thou by Martin Buber• Rumi (Coleman Bark’s Essential Rumi) • The Zeigarnick Effect MY LINKS• MAKE BELIEVE is out everywhere now• Get a signed copy of MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow Bookshop• Let’s hang on tour!!• Join me in Bali June 1-7! • Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram • Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok

Mar 16, 2025 • 31min
6 Warnings No One Gives You About Changing Your Life
We romanticize big life changes—quitting the job, moving to the dream city, chasing the thing we’ve always wanted. But big changes have big side effects. And if you don’t see them coming, they might just send you running back to the life you were trying to leave behind. In this episode, we’re breaking down six warnings I wish someone had told me before I changed everything. If you’re craving a big shift, let’s make sure you’re ready for it.EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro 01:45 Life update + tour! 05:52 6 warnings about changing your life 06:14 1. It will not automatically make you happy07:44 Harvard happiness study08:34 The hedonic treadmill 9:54 2. You will have an identity crisis 10:12 Ship of Theseus 11:40 3. You’ll probably feel stuck12:04 Diamond Example 13:12 Change happens at tipping points 15:31 4. It never stops feeling vulnerable15:55 Asch conformity study 17:18 The neuroscience of fear & hope19:43 It’s only embarrassing if you’re embarrassed22:33 5. There’s no magic pill 24:32 6. You’ll feel torn between who you were and who you’re becoming 24:52 Janus, the Roman god of transitions27:18 Lightning round recapMY LINKS• Preorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copy• Preorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more• Let’s hang on tour!!• Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE!• Join me in Bali June 1-7! • Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram • Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok EPISODE LINKS• Ship of Theseus • Harvard happiness study• The hedonic treadmill • Digging for diamonds cartoon• Janus: the god of doors, gates and transitions

Mar 9, 2025 • 56min
A 5-Step Guided Practice for a Season of Transformation
Don’t press play unless you’re ready for big change. This isn’t a normal podcast episode—it’s a guided practice designed to help you step into the next chapter of you with clarity and intention. Maybe you’re on the brink of a big life change. Or maybe you feel stuck and just know it's time for a shift. This episode will walk you through the five-step practice that completely changed my life. In it, we'll learn about the neuroscience of manifestation, do a guided meditation, journal, and come on the other side of the episode with a clear plan routing towards our dreams. EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro08:13 Agenda09:25 Plato's Cave Allegory13:22 The neuroscience of manifestation16:14 The reflection practice that changed my life 16:36 Step 1: Define your current chapter20:37 Step 2: Define your next chapter22:53 Step 3: Guided visualization meditation37:32 Step 4: Journaling38:26 4a. Reflect on the chapter that’s ending40:56 4b. Set intentions for your next chapter 43:29 4c. Set SMAAART* goals 47:33 4d. Plan your trust-building week 52:23 Step 5: Believing MY LINKSPreorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copyPreorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and moreLet’s hang on tour!!Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE!Join me in Bali June 1-7! Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok

Mar 2, 2025 • 43min
How to Get Over an Embarrassing Moment in 5 Steps
Admit it: you’re still thinking about that cringey thing you did 6 years ago. Maybe it was something you said. Something you did. Something that haunts you at 2 AM when your brain decides to rerun its most humiliating blooper reel.Today, we’re breaking down exactly how to move past an embarrassing moment in 5 steps. We’ll talk about why your brain refuses to let things go, how the spotlight effect makes you think people care way more than they actually do, and the five fastest ways to shake off the cringe and move on with your life.EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro 02:06 Preorder Make Believe! Come see me on tour!02:44 Why do we feel embarrassment? 03:50 Embarrassment scale 03:57 Tier 1: slight cringe05:07 Tier 2: mild cringe07:07 Tier 3: proper humiliation 11:09 Tier 4: deep humiliation 13:29 Tier 5: existential humiliation15:45 Jean Paul Sartre’s the gaze 17:50 The spotlight effect18:44 Social media and the spotlight effect19:30 5 tips for navigating embarrassing moments19:3 6 Break - Book! Bali! Tour! 25:25 1. Remember the spotlight is not real29:51 2. Call it out as it’s happening 32:49 3. Tell someone 34:27 4. Figure out the root35:58 5. Own it and then move on 40:07 Challenge MY LINKS Preorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copy Preorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more Let’s hang on tour!! Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE! Join me in Bali June 1-7! Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok EPISODE LINKSSpotlight Effect Study Spotlight Effect and Social Media Study Jean Paul Sartre’s Being and Nothingness

Feb 23, 2025 • 38min
Your Fear of Being Canceled is Hurting Your Art
Creatives, I’m looking at you. In today’s episode, I walk you through exactly how I lost my creative spark in the Internet’s sea of opinions and how I got it back. When did we forget that art is supposed to make us clutch our pearls? And how do we remember? If you want to stop praying to the altar of the comment section, this episode is for you. We’ll walk through 4 things that helped me start making chewy, brave art again. You owe it to yourself to stop sanitizing your art. This episode is a messy, raw field guide on how to do that—from another creative climbing out of the same boat. 00:00 Intro 02:09 Preorder MAKE BELIEVE! Let’s hang on tour!02:44 Are vulnerability and nuance needed for good art?03:13 Did video kill the radio star? Will IG poetry kill literary poetry?04:04 Taylor Swift’s quill, fountain pen, glitter gel pen buckets of art 04:40 Sugarcoated self love: helpful or hurtful? 05:28 Should we think about the audience when we make art?05:42 Rick Rubin & “the audience eats last”06:20 Is social media tainting our intentions as artists? 08:13 Art as an offering vs. art as an outlet 08:33 How to gut your art of meaning 09:20 My own experience navigating this, good and bad11:47 Should artists care about views and engagement?12:27 Microwaving our art to keep pace with the algorithm13:52 Having no haters is not a badge of honor 14:45 “Bad takes” vs “good takes” and the erasure of nuance 15:10 Moral imposter syndrome and curated vulnerability16:55 The big, messy mistakes we don’t hear about17:33 Stop sanitizing your art 17:57 Ellen Bass & art that makes you clutch your pearls 18:31 Relax by Ellen Bass 19:11 Art for likes versus art for thought 19:36 So how do we take our brains back? 19:59 Break - with a big surprise! 23:47 4 ways to take our creative spark back23:57 1. Notice the voices in your head 24:57 2. Temper vulnerability with respect for your privacy26:07 3. Create art with urgency 26:21 A Little Life & commodified art vs art for art’s sake28:42 Mary Oliver on getting distracted from your art30:55 4. Get off your phone 32:00 How to start a fire, literally & creatively33:57 Your art misses you 35:34 I ♡ your thoughts 36:27 Challenge: make something scary this week 37:14 You are not out of good ideasMY LINKS Preorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copy Preorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more Let’s hang on tour!! Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE! Join me in Bali June 1-7! Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok EPISODE LINKS Joy Sullivan’s poetry masterclass - brought up so much thought and a big breakthrough for me. Dives into what it means to make vulnerable, surprising art. Taylor Swift accepting Songwriter-Artist of the Decade at the Nashville Songwriter Awards, discussing her quill, fountain pen and glitter gel pen lyric categories The Creative Act by Rick Rubin and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - two of my favorite books on the creative process, both talked about in this episode Relax by Ellen Bass - one of my many favorite poems by Ellen Bass, who IMO is the blueprint for writing gutsy, gritty poems. Could not recommend her books Like a Begger, Mules of Love, and Indigo more. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara - the novel with the passage I read about commodified art vs art for art’s sake. Upstream by Mary Oliver - the book with the passage I read about getting distracted. If you need a reminder of the cost of hiding from your truth, read chapter 3.

Feb 16, 2025 • 36min
The Confidence Code: 8 Shifts for Instant Growth
Confidence isn’t just something you have—it’s something you do. Today, we’re breaking down 8 small but powerful shifts that will instantly change how others see you and how you feel about yourself. These aren’t generic “believe in yourself” tips. These are super specific, research-backed tips that will instantly improve your confidence. We’re diving into original sources ranging from Plato’s the Republic to HBO’s Euphoria to ask: what does it mean to be a confident person? And how do you become one? If you want to show up in the next conversation you have as most magnetic, grounded, and comfy-in-your-skin version of yourself—this episode is for you.EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro03:42 The philosophy of confidence 03:55 Plato’s virtue of the mean05:30 Maddy from Euphoria on confidence06:49 8 shifts for instant confidence 07:18 Break - with a surprise for you! 11:12 1. The power of the pause 13:35 2. Watch overactive listening 16:02 3. Open body language18:29 4. Handshakes are hot 20:34 5. Rephrase mirrored questions24:04 6. Slow blink rate 26:43 7. Watch upspeak 29:22 8. Call them by their name32:32 Lightning round recapMY LINKS Preorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copy Preorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE! Join me in Bali June 1-7! Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok EPISODE LINKS On nonverbal dominance How open body language makes us more attractive The calming effect of physical touch The power of handshakes TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves by Allison Woods Brooks Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman The body language of the eyes (re: blink rate) The neuroscience of calling people by their name

Feb 2, 2025 • 34min
We're Drowning in Choices and It's Ruining Our Lives: The Paradox of Choice
We live in an age of seemingly infinite options. The internet has thousands of pages of search results for that thing you need to buy. Endless entertainment awaits on streaming platforms and social media. Dating apps offer a never-ending scroll of potential partners. So why does it feel impossible to find what we need? Why can’t you pick a movie to watch? Why is it harder than ever to find someone to love?
This episodes discusses the paradox of choice: the idea that more choices often make us less happy. Is more less when it comes to choices? If so, how can we live happily in an age of infinite options? Let's talk about it.
EPISODE OUTLINE:
00:00 Intro
01:51 What is the paradox of choice?
02:37 Stanford jam study
06:12 Dating apps
07:10 Decision paralysis
08:53 Opportunity costs
09:13 Sylvia Plath's fig tree allegory
12:08 Expectation inflation
15:05 So what do we do about it?
15:57 Break
21:01 Kierkegaard's leap of faith
22:10 The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
24:17 Nietzsche's amor fati
27:49 Satisficing
30:00 The next right thing
MY LINKS:
Preorder my poetry book MAKE BELIEVE from Blue Willow to get a free poem print and a personalized signed copy
Preorder MAKE BELIEVE from Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble, and more
Get the Believe Again yoga flow, guided meditation and mini-journal bundle free when you preorder MAKE BELIEVE!
Join me in Bali June 1-7!
Find me @thedailyvictorian on Instagram
Find me @thedailyvictorian on TikTok