Episode
Sudoku Shame, Sandwich Logic and Ridiculous Brains
- Podcast
- Different, Not Broken
- Published
- Feb 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1186
- Processing state
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Summary
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/ Chapters / Timestamps 00:00 – Sudoku shame and the nonsense our brains create 01:12 – Sandwich logic and internalised rules 03:32 – Why I pretend I hate water 06:08 – Invisible judgement and made-up leaderboards 09:14 – Listener question: fear of being seen trying 12:32 – Getting comfortable fe…