The Breakdown with Josie Balka

About The Breakdown with Josie Balka

Welcome to an emotional breakdown. Literally. Josie Balka is an author who reads poetry from inside her closet. This pod will breakdown the topics of each of her poems from life and love to friendship and nostalgia - both the good and bad sides of all of it. Let’s have a breakdown, shall we? New episodes drop on Wednesdays.

Publisher

Josie Balka

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 May 2024

Latest episode

22 May 2026

Latest episodes

6 of 10 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   22 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   My Journey To Pregnancy & Hot Takes On Parenting With A Dog

   Host Josie Balka and fertility expert Danaye Maier discuss conception journeys and offer hot takes on getting a dog before having a baby.

2. 

   11 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Mother’s Day Can Be A Lot (featuring Danaye Maier)

   Josie Balka interviews Danaye Maier, a local radio host, about navigating Mother's Day as a single mom and the benefits of open communication for a better holiday.

3. 

   5 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Grieving the Living

   Josie Balka explores the unique experience of grieving people who are still alive, focusing on changing relationships and learning to let go of familiar versions of loved ones in this episode.

4. 

   20 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   When You Spend Your Whole Life Trying To Be Smaller

   TW: BODY IMAGE. In this episode we breakdown a poem called “smaller”. Touching on spending your whole life trying to be smaller and how hard it is to be someone who thinks that way. The poem is from my newest book ‘loves of our lives’ which is available everywhere

5. 

   14 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Living with Anxiety

   In this episode we breakdown a poem called “anxiety is my roommate”. Touching on being a person who has anxiety everyday and the ways it manifests itself for me personally and for others. The poem is from my newest book ‘loves of our lives’ which is available everywhere now.

6. 

   6 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   When Your Job Is Your Identity

   In this episode we breakdown a poem called “when your job is who you are”. Touching on my recent lay off from my career and all of the feelings that come along with that. The perks of not feeling like your identity is attached to your job, and the reasons we should slow down and take in even the hard parts of what we do.

7. 

   20 Jun 2024

   I don’t want to grow old, but I don’t want to not grow old

   In this episode we breakdown the idea of not wanting time to pass but not wanting time to stop

8. 

   13 Jun 2024

   Platonic Soulmates

   Josie Balka explores the significance of platonic soulmates and how they enrich our lives with deep connections and lasting friendships.

9. 

   5 Jun 2024

   I’m Gonna Miss You Forever

   Josie Balka breaks down the poem 'I'm Gonna Miss You Forever' to explore the complexities of grief and missing people in life.

10. 

    30 May 2024

    The Way You Are > The Way You Look

    Josie Balka breaks down the significance of self-acceptance over physical appearance in her thought-provoking poem, 'The Way You Are > The Way You Look'.

Inside a recent episode

My Journey To Pregnancy & Hot Takes On Parenting With A Dog

Published 22 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So that was a situation where they were like, you're having your baby tomorrow. Crazy. So I thought I still had a few weeks. So how early was she then? Three weeks? She was only three weeks early. She's five pounds and seven ounces. So like a decent size. We were in the hospital for five days with her. Um, well she like learned how to feed and everything, but the labor was beautiful. Like I'm also so grateful because I know some people that have had like trauma during labor and that kind of thing too. You say this because I've been talking about how, and I know this is an uneducated random thought that like passes through my mind. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

55 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

493 ratings

Contact The Breakdown with Josie Balka

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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