Overthinking About Being A Flake

Magical Overthinkers

Amanda Montell & Studio71

Education, Science, Society & Culture

4.3 • 636 Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When did canceling plans become a personality trait... and at what cost? This week, Amanda is joined by writer and internet culture expert Kate Lindsay (@kathrynfiona) to overthink being a flake... not as a quirky coping mechanism, but as a habit that can quietly shrink our lives. Together, they explore how chronic flakiness can lead to isolation, weaken our relationships, and negatively impact mental health, especially in the burnout aftermath of the pre-COVID girlboss era that taught us to overextend and then retreat. The conversation traces how exhaustion, overwork, and digital culture have reshaped our tolerance for social effort, and when “protecting your peace” starts to look like opting out entirely. A sobering but compassionate spiral about burnout, loneliness, and the hard work of choosing connection again. - Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers. - To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack. - Pick up Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at⁠ https://SHOPIFY.COM/magical⁠ Get 50% off Unlimited premium wireless at ⁠https://MintMobile.com/magical To learn more about how to support Minnesota’s immigrant communities, check out this MSP Mag article, which shares several ways to offer help or find support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:22.5	Welcome to The Magical Overthinkers podcast, a show for thought spirallers, exploring the subjects we can't stop overthinking about, from laziness to crying. If you identify as a thought spiraler,
1:31.2	someone who lives in their head, a person who feels like they're just struggling to navigate
1:37.2	their innate human mysticisms in this ever-digital disembodied time, then you're in the right place.
1:45.3	This podcast is here to quiet the noise in our heads for a little while, or even help us hear a
1:51.3	melody in it. I'm your host, Amanda Montel, author of the book this podcast was based on
1:56.4	The Age of Magical Oversinking out now on Paper. Today, we're overthinking about flakiness.
2:03.9	Social unreliability.
2:06.6	Cancelling plans last minute.
2:08.8	And we're doing so with the help of my friend Kate Lindsay,
	...

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