Host Alek Shammo explores dissociation as a normal coping mechanism, drawing on Dr. Gabor Mate's work to understand its potential benefits in managing difficult experiences.
27 Jun 2025
11. The Philosophy of Self-Esteem
Host Alek Shammami reflects on the intricate connection between morality and self-esteem, sharing personal mental health experiences.
23 Jun 2025
10. Five Years on Antidepressants: Reflections upon Depression and Anxiety
Aleks Hammo reflects on their experiences with mental illness, psychiatry, depression, and anxiety after five years of SSRI treatment.
20 Jun 2025
9. Algorithms and the Loss of Curiosity
Host Alek Shammos explores how algorithms on social media impact curiosity and cause a disconnection from personal interests, prompting listeners to consider the effects of constant online engagement.
4 Apr 2025
8. Raimond Gaita
Raimond Gaita (https://raimondgaita.com.au/about/) is a Philosopher, Writer, and Public Intellectual.
Raimond is Honorary Professorial Fellow at Melbourne Law School and Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy at King's College London. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. The University of Antwerp awarded him the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa "for his exceptional contribution to contemporary moral philosophy and for his singular contribution to the role of the intellectual in today’s academic world."
His most recent book, Justice and Hope (https://raimondgaita.com.au/justice-and-hope/), was published October 2024.
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17 Mar 2025
7. Ambition and 'Immigrant Logic'
Ambition, for many of us, is a blessing and a curse. Ambition is especially complicated for us immigrant kids. This episode is a reflective one, and reflects on ambition in the context of my life as a first-generation immigrant raised in the West.
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Join the Patreon Community: patreon.com/normalpod (https://www.patreon.com/normalpodcast_)
Get in touch: contact@aleks.co (mailto:contact@aleks.co)
15 Sept 2024
6. 28 Life Lessons for my 28th Birthday (Lessons 1–7)
It's my 28th birthday today. So, to celebrate, I went to a cafe and wrote down the 28 least obvious life lessons that I have uncovered over my 28 years on planet earth.
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Email: hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com (mailto:hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com)
24 Sept 2023
5. ADHD, Anxiety, and Social Media
It's normal to struggle to pay attention. But when do our issues paying attention cross to ADHD? And what are the links between ADHD, anxiety, depression, and social media?
In this episode, we dive deep into ADHD, its symptoms, its overlap with other mental health conditions, as well as the role that social media plays in interfering with our attention, and possibly even strengthening it.
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Email: hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com (mailto:hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com)
17 Sept 2023
4. The Psychology of Time and Growing Older
It's normal to be puzzled by time and growing older. A few days ago it was my 27th birthday and, naturally, I have been reflecting upon my relationship with time and age. Time tends to move quickly when things are good, and slowly when things are hard.
Why is time so elusive? Why do we seek to control time? And what can we do to accept the passage of time, manage our expectations, focus on what is meaningful, and make the most of our... time?
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Email: hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com (mailto:hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com)
10 Sept 2023
3. Loneliness and Expectations
It's normal to feel lonely. In an age where social media provides us with immediate gratification, it can be hard to fill alone time with anything other than scrolling. But it does not seem that social media can consistently meet our needs and comfort our feelings of loneliness and isolation. In today's episode, I dive deep into the rise of loneliness, its relationship to social media, and I explore ways that we can manage our social lives and expectations to navigate feelings of loneliness.
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Email: hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com (mailto:hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com)
3 Sept 2023
2. The Psychology of Success
It's normal to feel overwhelmed when thinking about success. Perhaps success reflects something about our true selves, or it may signal our intelligence or ability to be creative, or perhaps it demonstrates our capacity to conform to social norms. But success is one of those concepts that is so hard to define that it seems to be entirely subjective. In today's episode, I look at the psychology and philosophy of success, what it means to be successful, what we can do to make sure we are thinking about success in ways that reflect our true selves, and how we can recognise toxic cultural norms.
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Email: hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com (mailto:hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com)
27 Aug 2023
1. The Psychology of Antidepressants
It's normal to be on Antidepressants. They calm down the inner critic, they make depression manageable, they make it easier to get out of bed, and they generally make life feel less overwhelming. But none of us really know how they help, or whether it's worth pushing through some of the side-effects they cause. In this episode, we unpack how the most common antidepressants (SSRIs) work, what side effects we can sometimes experience, as well as potential reasons we may have for starting treatment. I also speak about my own experience with antidepressants, and how I combine medication with therapy to reduce the impact of side-effects.
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Email: hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com (mailto:hellonormalpodcast@gmail.com)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
4.6 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 23 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
13
Social presence
94
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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