The Little Extra Hug (And Other Things My Brain Needs)

2026-02-18

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I didn’t plan to talk about George Carlin.Or mascara.Or why I apparently cannot send a calendar invite without causing structural damage.But here we are.Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.In this episode of Different, Not Broken, I talk about why I can speak into a microphone for 100,000 strangers… and feel deeply uncomfortable when someone I actually know tells me they listened.I unpack the idea of the “little extra hug” you can only get from strangers. Why performin...

I didn’t plan to talk about George Carlin.

Or mascara.

Or why I apparently cannot send a calendar invite without causing structural damage.

But here we are.

Hi, I’m Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do.

In this episode of Different, Not Broken, I talk about why I can speak into a microphone for 100,000 strangers… and feel deeply uncomfortable when someone I actually know tells me they listened.

I unpack the idea of the “little extra hug” you can only get from strangers. Why performing publicly can feel easier than being known privately. Why validation from the internet feels different than validation from your neighbour.

We also take a very sharp turn into hyperfixation. Makeup hyperfixation, specifically. What it feels like when your brain latches onto something and turns it into a full-blown research project. How dopamine gets mined in drawers full of blush and setting spray. And why sometimes that joy is less frivolous than it looks.

Then we talk about the contradiction that lives underneath all of it.

Being wildly capable in a crisis.

Building businesses in your head in seconds.

And being absolutely useless at routine admin.

This episode is about uneven capability. The shame that can creep in when you’re brilliant in one arena and chaotic in another. And the possibility that maybe nothing is wrong with you. Maybe you’re just built for different things.

For Small Talk, I respond to a listener question about being great in emergencies but struggling with everyday adulting.

Once you’ve been inspired to brag, here’s where you can do it!

https://differentnotbrokenpodcast.com/voicemail

Useful stuff

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you’re different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 – Doomscrolling and documentary spirals

01:29 – George Carlin and the “little extra hug”

04:20 – Why strangers feel easier than real life

07:23 – Makeup hyperfixation and dopamine mining

13:30 – The Sephora return that proved my point