The Glorious Mess
The Glorious Mess is for people who didn’t inherit a clean story.
Mixed. Fostered. Raised in systems. Raised across cultures. Raised by people who loved you but couldn’t give you your origin.
Hosted by Raymond Jordan Johnson-Brown, the show sits inside identity, memory, race, belonging, and the strange work of becoming yourself when you had to assemble the pieces.
No self-help. No performance.
Just lived experience, sharp conversation, and the honesty of building a self in public.
If you’ve ever felt like the exception in your own family, you’re home.
Welcome to the mess.
Episodes
40 episodes
The Cult of Celebrity | Why do famous people capture our attention while real issues divide us?
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, Raymond and Carla reflect on early sobriety, self-blame, and the stories we tell ourselves about responsibility when things fall apart. Raymond revisits a moment that still carries weight waking up...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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32:25
Waking Up in Vegas | What Do We Blame Ourselves For in Early Sobriety?
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, Raymond and Carla reflect on early sobriety, self-blame, and the stories we tell ourselves about responsibility when things fall apart. Raymond revisits a moment that still carries weight waking up...
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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30:05
The Collective Eye Roll | Why Are We Policing Each Other Instead of Power?
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, Raymond and Carla start with eye-rolling and somehow end up talking about power, disruption, and the politics of policing each other.We unpack how collective exhaustion shows up in the body, why eye-...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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31:51
The Convenience Question | Why Do We Blame Individuals for Structural Problems?
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, Raymond and Carla start with squirrels and somehow end up talking about capitalism, environmental guilt, and the politics of convenience.We unpack why individual behaviour is so often blamed for mas...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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28:31
The Obsession Question | Who Benefits From Men Wanting Us Like This?
In The Obsession Question, Raymond and Carla wade into the uncomfortable territory of desire, attention, and power and ask when being wanted starts to feel less like attraction and more like control.Why do some men continue to p...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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30:42
Invisible Rulers | How Much of the Story Are We Actually Getting?
In Invisible Rulers, Raymond and Carla wade into the messy question of who actually decides what we know and how much of the truth ever makes it out.What stories get told on the news? Which ones get buried? Who benefits from the...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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32:07
Gay Parents & Getting Sober | Is Sobriety Just Another Kind of Coming Out?
In Gay Parents & Getting Sober, Raymond and Carla sit down for an honest, funny, and unexpectedly tender conversation about the families that shaped them and the clarity they’re choosing now.What does it mean to be raised by...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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33:39
The Echo and the Other | Can We Really Live With the Far Right?
In The Echo and the Other, Raymond and Carla sit down for a light but honest conversation about radical pluralism — the idea that we can live together across deep difference.Can we really coexist with those whose beliefs cause h...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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31:09
Dreaming in a Political World
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, we hold nothing back. From rising polarization to the fragility of the systems we live in, we dig into the current reality of Canadian politics and why it's more urgent than ever to stay awake and ...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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53:06
Making Change Possible
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, we dive into what's been unfolding in the world and explore how we can show up in support of collective care and change. We take a look at adrienne maree brown’s work on organizing, collective tran...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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52:30
State of the World
In this episode, we take a moment to reflect on the state of the world—unpacking our thoughts on the political landscape in the U.S. under the Trump administration and drawing comparisons to what could unfold here. We dive into how we imagine p...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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38:51
All About Moms
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, titled All About Moms, we’re celebrating the women who raised us with love, laughter, and a little bit of chaos. We start by introducing our moms and sharing our favorite things about them...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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59:26
Agree to Disagree
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, we kick things off by sharing our roses and thorns—moments of joy and challenge from the past week. What starts as light reflection quickly grows into a heartfelt discussion on the complicated nature of fam...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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39:33
Creative Chaos
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, Raymond and Bronwynn dive into the transformative power of creativity as a tool for self-discovery and therapy. They explore how creative expression can shift brain function and enhance mental well...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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36:38
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Seasoned Jambalaya
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, Raymond and Taylor dive into the power of disidentifying with labels, exploring how this act can help reclaim autonomy in a world that often reduces complex experiences to simplistic terms. They di...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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44:32
Back to Fall Stress
In this episode of The Glorious Mess, we dive into the stress that often accompanies the fall season. As the days get shorter and the demands of work, school, and personal goals ramp up, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Join Raymond, Bro...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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54:04
Let's Talk About Sex, Baby
In this week's episode we dive into the intimate and often complex topic of sex, focusing on our personal relationships with it and the intersections of queerness. We share our own stories, including our experiences of losing virginity, and dis...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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54:08
Shame Spiral
In this week's episode of The Glorious Mess, we explore the universal experience of shame and discuss how taking our power back begins with talking about it truthfully with others. We dive deep into our own shame stories and offer practi...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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43:17
Medical Madness
In this week's episode, we delve into the complex relationship of substance use and our journeys towards establishing a "healthier" connection with substances. We navigate the nonlinear paths through shared laughter, medical challenges, and mor...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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50:27
I'm Not The Imposter, You Are
In this week's episode, we're joined by special guest Vanessa Lalonde, a trauma-informed creative coach and embodiment expert. Vanessa takes us on a deep dive into the intricacies of imposter syndrome. Together, we explore our own personal expe...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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1:00:30
Party Girls Never Die
In this week's episode, we delve into the complex relationship of substance use and our journeys towards establishing a "healthier" connection with substances. We navigate the nonlinear paths through shared laughter, medical challenges, and mor...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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54:04
Burnt Out: Surviving While Thriving
This episode Bronwynn and Taylor discuss the creative process, burnout, and finding simple joys to combat burnout in daily life. They also touch on the difference between self-confidence and self-worth, emphasizing the importance of nurturing b...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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56:47
Media, Mental Health, & Cancel Culture
In this week's episode, we get into Raymond's perianal abscess, alongside Bronwynn's fear of horror movies and Taylor's admiration for Martin Lawrence. Our conversation extends beyond individual anecdotes to explore the intersection of media, m...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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51:37
New Beginnings: The Mess
Welcome to The Glorious Mess podcast's Season 3 premiere! Join us as we introduce Taylor and Bronwynn to our family in this exciting episode. We're diving deep into our identities and relationships, exploring who we are to each other and to the...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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1:07:01
Diving Into the Mind: Bronwynn's Journey with the Enigmatic World of Hypnosis
Take a mesmerizing plunge into the enigmatic world of hypnosis with Bronwynn as your guide. In this episode, Bronwynn shares the captivating journey that led her to explore the depths of the mind through the transformative practice of hypnosis....
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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35:01
