249: Short version - Why We’re Pausing the Podcast (PTSD, Burnout & Being Real)

Rosie (00:11)
Mm-hmm. I'm ready.

Roula (00:16)
Yes. Hi, Rosie.

Rosie (00:19)
Hey, Roula.

Roula (00:19)
We're starting from the end, actually.

Rosie (00:22)
Yeah.

Roula (00:26)
We're here today to share with the listeners that we are taking a break.

and we don't know when we are coming back. We will explain a little bit why we're taking a break. If you want the long version, you can tune in. We will let you know. But if you want the short version, we will share it with you now quickly.

Rosie (00:51)
Yes, and we'll tell you when that's over. And for those of you who want the longer, more in-depth version, you can stick around. You don't have to though.

the podcast, the Rosie and Roula show where we're hitting pause because we've had a few realizations and you know, we've had the difficult conversation of, I think maybe we need to stop.

For now, neither of us are willing to walk away from the Rosie and Roula show forever.

don't want to do that, that's not what this is, but we both feel it's time to hit pause. So I don't know Roula do you want to go first and explain why you came to this decision? We both did, but from your point of view.

Roula (01:33)
yeah,

there's a lot going on in my life at the moment. And I want to show up for this podcast in my best self. and because my personal life is taken a toll on me personally, on my, wellbeing, my mental health and my days. This made me decide together with you that it could be.

time for us to take a pause until our life is back on track. And I'm saying this, I want to be clear is that the podcast is something we love to do, but we're doing it as independent podcasters. We're putting so much time and effort to make it. We have our other work that is earning us probably to pay the bills and live our lives.

at that at the moment taken a priority. Our family, my family, my future, looking after my health. This is what's now taking a priority over recording this beautiful episodes that give me so much energy. But sometimes you have to make hard decision and my hard decision is now to take a break from the Rosie and Roula show.

Rosie (02:37)
Mmm.

Mm-hmm. And I have to give Roula credit here because it was her who actually started this difficult conversation. Not me. But I agree. I agreed with her. She said she sent me a beautiful message on WhatsApp and basically similar to what you've just said now, Roula. And I think we need to stop. What how do you feel about that? And from my point of view.

I have been acutely aware that the way I show up on the podcast, which is probably stating the obvious, but impacts how Roula feels and shows up on the podcast. If one of us is feeling off, it affects the dynamic. And for me, I have been struggling with my mental health for a very long time, but especially over the last six months or so, it's been getting quite bad and bad as in just struggling, finding things difficult. And so to have that...

lighthearted fun energy on the podcast takes a lot of effort and actually I think a lot of the time I was failing to do that and that wasn't fair on Roula and really it probably wasn't fair on me to to force that so we've both got shit going on and we've gone hey we we don't want to ruin the podcast we care about this so much let's just stop for now and

Roula and I are going to keep talking. We miss each other too much. Seriously. Well, we better be Roula. You better not just be giving me the silent treatment now.

Roula (04:13)
This is an open relationship. This is not a divorce. We will come back. We're not having a divorce.

Rosie (04:17)
Ha ha!

Yeah, we're not having a divorce.

Roula (04:21)
We will come back after our cup is filled with back on track with our health, with our important occupations that are part of our survival life, surviving our life, living our life. So when our cup is full, we will come back and maybe, who knows, I can't make promises. We will come back every now and then when we feel the energy and the desire and like the urge to just

Rosie (04:34)
Mm. Mm.

Roula (04:49)
Get on the mic and say something for the Rosie and Roula Show.

Rosie (04:52)
Yeah,

no pressure. And you've probably noticed we never actually addressed this on the podcast Roula for the past, I don't know how long, four or six weeks, maybe more. We've only been doing three episodes a week. And that started because Roula had picked up that I was kind of struggling and showing up and she's like, what's going on? And we sort of agreed, look, let's see how it goes. I wasn't ready to walk away yet and Roula, I don't think you were either. So we just took the pressure off.

three episodes, we gave it a red hot shot, but you know what? It wasn't working. So we're hitting pause. Listeners, you have got over 250 episodes to go back and listen to. I am going to go back to the very beginning and binge listen. I think I will enjoy it. I'm sure a lot of it's going to be cringy because sometimes it is cringy listening back on yourself, but

every time I edit our episodes really I just it just and that's the point so it always just brings me joy brings a smile and a laugh and I want to be able to keep turning up like that and for now I think that's just is too hard for me.

Roula (05:49)
Cringy, I always laugh my ass off.

And it wouldn't be me, Roula, not ending with a few lyrics from my favorite Alanis Morissette when she says, I'm not quitting, but I'm stopping.

Rosie (06:12)
⁓ yes.

Wow, what songs that off? I need to go listen to that. You can't remember. I wonder if you made up the lyric. We'll find it and put it in the description. In a nutshell, that's what it is. We're lovingly saying, let's pause. We're not walking away. Maybe one day we will, but not now. And if you would like to hear a really candid conversation between Roula and I, we decided to hit record when we came on.

Roula (06:22)
can't remember anymore. Don't ask me difficult questions.

All right.

Rosie (06:46)
we hadn't decided whether we were going to share the conversation or not, but we decided we have. this is what you are about to hear is Roula and I talking it through. We hadn't spoken, had we Roula, on video or a phone call since we made this decision. It was all done via message. So yeah, real and raw. And I just want our listeners, Roula, to remember that it's okay to change your mind.

change direction. Explore! Be curious! Yeah!

Roula (07:16)
explore. We want to explore. We want to feel better and explore. All

right, Rosie, we're not here to give advice today. Thank you for listening. You can continue listening for the rest or stop here. We love you and yes. Bye.

Rosie (07:25)
okay, right. Okay. Yes.

We do.

See ya!