by Rosie Verbose

Podcast Episode 14 – Elyssa Rider

You can listen to Episode 14 here!

There’s loads of ways you can listen, including: Anchor FM (via which you can find us on lots of other platforms), Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

More creativity and mental health chat with Ferrero Rochelle and Rosie Verbose! We had the pleasure of chatting to illustrator and sex-educator, Elyssa Rider, about her experience of EMDR therapy, managing burnout as a freelance content creator, and representing the world as she thinks it ought to be. We covered a LOAD of great stuff but please be aware there is a lot of discussion about treating trauma of various kinds, so please check in with yourself before listening and feel free to skip using the time stamps below ❤️

Check out Elyssa’s art on Instagram: @elyssa_rider, and the charity she works for, Brook, on their website and on Instagram at @brook_sexpositive.

Please note, we experienced a technical glitch during recording which was absolutely NOTHING to do with Rosie having a moment of complete and utter stupidity. As such, there is a slight difference in quality between the first half of the podcast and the rest of the episode. Thank you for your patience. Rosie has learned her lesson.CW: brief mentions of racism (4:17 – 5:10 and 24:40 – 26:03); street harassment (9:57 – 10:42 and 24:20 – 26:03); PTSD and trauma (15:40 – 22:00).

Some useful links for mental health issues mentioned in this episode: PTSD; racism & mental health; burn-out; mental health during Covid-19. You can find more mental health resources on our website.

  • Elyssa’s comic about PTSD
  • Elyssa’s illustrated comic of PTSD, drawn in ink and coloured in shades of pink and magenta watercolour paint. This image shows two cartoon brains in the centre, with writing above and below. The brain on the left looks healthy and happy, whereas the right one looks like it's melting in traumatic distress. The text on top reads, “My mental health has fluctuated for years”, and on the bottom says, “but the signs that made me realise I needed help were…”
    Elyssa’s comic about PTSD
  • Elyssa’s illustrated comic of PTSD, drawn in ink and coloured in shades of pink and magenta watercolour paint. This image is abstract, with jagged edges. On top it reads, “Flashbacks, usually of being raped. As if it was happening now.”
    Elyssa’s comic about PTSD
  • Elyssa’s illustrated comic of PTSD, drawn in ink and coloured in shades of pink and magenta watercolour paint. This image is titled “Avoidance” and shows three stop signs. In the centre of the first, it says “Oxford,” partially obscured by the line through the stop sign. In the second, it says “That place”, again, partially obscured by the line through the stop sign. The third shows a cartoon face with a beard but no other features. Around the sign it says, “White men with dark facial hair.”
    Elyssa’s comic about PTSD
  • Elyssa’s illustrated comic of PTSD, drawn in ink and coloured in shades of pink and magenta watercolour paint. This image is titled “Nightmares,” and shows Elyssa’s disembodied head free-falling down a cavern. On either side, disembodied hands reach out to grab her. One of her eyeballs is falling out and trailing behind her.
    Elyssa’s comic about PTSD
  • Elyssa’s illustrated comic of PTSD, drawn in ink and coloured in shades of pink and magenta watercolour paint. This image is titled “Intrusive thoughts.” In the centre, cartoon Elyssa is walking and whistling. She is wearing a leather jacket, vest top and jeans. She is surrounded by thought bubble clouds. In each one is a different intrusive thought: “That man will stab you,” “Strangle that cat,” “Imagine that car hitting you,” “Jump in front of that bus,” “That man will grope you,” “That man across the street is about to rape you,” “Strangle that man."
    Elyssa’s comic about PTSD
Be in the next episode of #InvisiblePodcast! Tweet or DM us with what you’re grateful for this week, or – better still – send us a voice message! You can also email us: invisiblecabaret@gmail.com.

Things mentioned in the podcast:

Are you an artist (of any description) with a mental health story to tell? Email invisiblecabaret@gmail.com for more details about how to be a future guest on the podcast.
With thanks to: Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk
Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod, available under license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

If you’re affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please do not be afraid to seek support. Help is available. The NHS website has a great directory to get you started.

‘F*ck the Rules, F*ck the Boxes’: Burlesque, Burnout & Body Positivity with TRIXIE KIXX – The Invisible Cabaret Podcast: Mental Health & The Arts

Ferrero Rochelle & Rosie Verbose are joined by professional dancer & burlesque artiste, Trixie Kixx! Trixie is a powerhouse queer woman with a passion for body confidence centred around how movement makes us feel, not what we look like. She regularly performs with House of Burlesque and teaches lessons in London and online. She's also a Queen Crystaller (read, the gateway drug for Rosie Verbose's stoning obsession, as discussed with Sammy Sparkles!). Join us as we chat about burlesque, practising body positivity/ body neutrality as a dancer, and more. CW: discussion of weight & body image throughout Keep up to date with Trixie on Instagram: @trixiekixx, and follow her work with House of Burlesque & Off The Rails Studios while you're at it! Trixie teaches a class every Tuesday at 8:10pm online and in the studio at Off The Rails (@offtherails.studio), open to all women. *** What are you grateful for? Be in the next episode of our podcast and tell us what has you feeling thankful lately. You can Tweet us at @inviscabaret, DM us on Instagram or send us a voice message. *** Things mentioned in the podcast: Trixie in action: classic burlesque strip, example routine from a class House of Burlesque's lockdown rehearsal process Tempest Rose's Gypsy monologue act Trixie's Bloody Mary act – photos on our social media & website; learn about Mary I here! Waacking (you can learn this with Mademoiselle Ginger  Advice on curating your social media for better mental health Re. curating your social media feed – see our episode with Reed Amber for more on this 'Eleveneriefe' meme  Roch mentions Miss Mustardseed – check out our episode with her here (also about body positivity!) Hypothyroidism Boots Botanics skincare Kew Gardens *** Edited and mixed by Matt Ennis, www.mennismixing.co.uk Music: Shades of Spring by Kevin MacLeod , available by license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 http://www.invisiblecabaret.org
  1. ‘F*ck the Rules, F*ck the Boxes’: Burlesque, Burnout & Body Positivity with TRIXIE KIXX
  2. ‘I'm A Walking Paradox’ | Brain Science & Sparkly Bras with SAMMY SPARKLES
  3. ‘Bonus Points If You Go To Therapy’ | Fantasy and Reality with Anti-Shamer, REED AMBER
  4. ‘It’s Healthy to Sweat (and Kinda Sexy!)’ | Fitness & Femininity with LENA MAE LENMAN
  5. 'Reclaiming Things I Never Knew I Lost' | Corsets & Confidence with SINOPA RIN

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