Sudoku Shame, Sandwich Logic and Ridiculous Brains

2026-02-11

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I didn’t plan to talk about sandwiches this much.Or water.Or Sudoku.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 the strange, often ridiculous ways our brains create shame out of absolutely nothing. Eating the “wrong” food. Convincing yourself you hate water even though you love it. Feeling mortified because you’re slow at a logic puzzle no one else can see.I unpack why our brains invent rules that don’t exist, why invisib...

I didn’t plan to talk about sandwiches this much.

Or water.

Or Sudoku.

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 the strange, often ridiculous ways our brains create shame out of absolutely nothing. Eating the “wrong” food. Convincing yourself you hate water even though you love it. Feeling mortified because you’re slow at a logic puzzle no one else can see.

I unpack why our brains invent rules that don’t exist, why invisible judgement feels so real, and why being seen trying can feel worse than actually failing.

This episode is about shame that doesn’t make sense, fear of looking ridiculous, and the quiet pressure to only be visible once you’re already good at something.

Later in the episode, for "Small Talk", I respond to a listener question about the fear of being seen trying, and why vulnerability feels so exposing even when no one is actually paying attention.

You’ll hear:

Why your brain makes up rules it then punishes you for

How harmless things turn into sources of shame

Why being slow doesn’t mean being broken

Why feeling ridiculous is often a sign you’re doing something new

How to stop letting imagined judgement run your life

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/

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