The Scary, sweaty, sleepy podcast

A Q&A on Life, Recovery, Awkward Conversations & Other Terrible Decisions
 
Sean Guy is back, and this time we’re throwing out the script.
 
From recovery to relationships, politics to parenting, social etiquette to surviving family gatherings, Ashley Bates and Sean answer listener questions with honesty, humor, and just enough sarcasm to keep everyone awake.
 
We’ll tackle the age-old advice that says you should never discuss politics, religion, or money at social events—and explore whether avoiding difficult conversations has made us better at getting along or simply worse at talking to each other.
 
Expect laughter, honest stories, practical wisdom, and a few rabbit trails that somehow make perfect sense by the end. If you’ve ever left a dinner party thinking, “Well… that escalated quickly,” this episode is for you.
 
Join Ashley Bates and Sean Guy for an unfiltered conversation about communication, curiosity, recovery, relationships, and learning to laugh at yourself—because if you can’t laugh at midlife, it’ll laugh at you first.
 
Hosted by Ashley Bates
 
Scary, Sweaty, Sleepy Podcast
 
Stay honest. Stay curious. Stay feral.
 
Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

America turns 250… and whew, we’ve got thoughts.
 
Join Ashley Bates, host of Scary, Sweaty, Sleepy, for Episode 42 featuring a powerful conversation with Ruth Ann Rigby—community leader, advocate, and 2026 Remarkable Women winner.
 
We’re talking about America, womanhood, resilience, progress, growing pains… and all the messy, beautiful lessons we’re still learning along the way.
 
Because if life has taught us anything, it’s this:
Growth isn’t neat. Freedom isn’t simple. And healing rarely happens in silence.
 
✨ Stay honest. Stay curious. Stay feral. 🎙️
 
Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Some of the best conversations happen when there’s no script and no plan.
This week on Scary, Sweaty, Sleepy, Ashley Bates and Daniel Anderson talk about consistency, entrepreneurship, recovery, faith, aging, menopause brain, financial freedom, and why growth often starts when you take action before you feel ready.
From Costa Rica adventures and the Pura Vida mindset to finding peace in nature and navigating life’s uncertainty, this episode is a reminder that courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s showing up anyway.
✨ Consistency over perfection.
✨ Progress over certainty.
✨ The next right step over the perfect plan.
🎧 Episode 41 is available now.
 
#ScarySweatySleepy #StayFeral #MidlifeUnfiltered #PodcastLife #Entrepreneurship #Recovery #Menopause #PersonalGrowth #PuraVida #DoItScared
Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions. 

I'm sitting down with Emily Henning—the powerhouse behind Upcountry Camp—to talk about what happens when life completely shatters your plans and you decide to build something better under the stars.
We’re getting into:
 The Scary: Staring down a breast cancer diagnosis and coming out the other side completely fearless.
 The Sweaty: Leaving a comfortable life in Atlanta to build a luxury outdoor business in Mississippi from scratch.
 The Sleepy: Why slowing down and sleeping outside is exactly what your mental health needs right now.
If you’re sitting on a dream because you’re waiting for the "perfect time," this is your wake-up call.
 
🎙️ Stay feral. Stay curious. Tune in to the Scary, Sweaty, Sleepy Show.
 
Produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Sometimes the outline falls apart.
The conversation takes a turn.
The microphones stay rolling… and suddenly the producer becomes part of the episode.
 
This week on Scary, Sweaty, Sleepy, Ashley is joined by producer Daniel Anderson of Audio Alchemy Productions for an unexpected, unfiltered conversation about life behind the scenes, midlife chaos, creativity, connection, and what happens when you stop trying to control every moment.
 
It’s funny, honest, awkward in the best way, and proof that sometimes the most meaningful conversations are the ones you never planned for.
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Today’s conversation is raw, real, and deeply human.
My guest, Kelli Peters, is a woman in recovery who fought her way back to herself—only to be met with a breast cancer diagnosis that changed everything.
 
And as if that wasn’t enough, she was thrown into menopause without the option of hormone therapy.
 
This episode is about more than survival.
It’s about identity, resilience, and what it looks like to navigate a body that no longer plays by the same rules.
 
If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body… or like healing came with unexpected trade-offs… this one is going to stay with you.
 
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Midlife has a way of waking you up.
 
What you used to ignore, excuse, or work around… you can’t anymore.
Not because you’re dramatic—because you’re aware.
 
This episode is about rising standards, self-respect, and no longer abandoning yourself to keep the peace.
 
Scary, Sweaty, Sleepy — Midlife gets real.
 
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

Midlife isn’t a crisis — it’s clarity. In this short episode of Scary, Sweaty, Sleepy, Ashley shares what it means to feel a little feral at 46 and why protecting your peace suddenly matters more than pleasing everyone else.
 
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

10 Things 46 Taught Me
That 36 Couldn’t See Yet
 
— A Short Episode of Scary, Sweaty, Sleepy —
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.

In this episode of Scary, Sweaty, Sleepy, Ashley is joined by therapist Zach Thompson, MA, LPC, Valley Hildebrand, NP-BC, Elizabeth Fowler, and Liz Woodruff, LPC to explore the idea of the Second Bloom—a midlife season of slowing down, healing, and listening to what our bodies and lives are asking of us.
 
Together, they discuss stress, grief, nervous system regulation, and the process of letting go of roles and patterns that no longer fit, while making space for what’s next.
This episode is produced by Daniel Anderson at Audio Alchemy Productions.