This week on The Landline, we’re talking about the green-eyed guest we all pretend not to know. Jealousy: she’s misunderstood, underutilized, and more useful than she lets on. We trace how jealousy first showed up in our girlhoods, how it tangled with shame and silence, and why now, in our 40s, it’s become a powerful diagnostic tool.
Topics include:
The difference between jealousy and envy (and why we confuse them)
How shame trains us to ignore emotional information
Creative jealousy and the male productivity trap
Why jealousy in relationships might be a sign of unmet needs, not toxicity
Learning to “neutralize” comparison instead of weaponizing it
If jealousy is just your body saying “I want that,” then maybe it’s time we listened. As always, this is a space for truth, tenderness, and storytelling as survival.
Mentioned in this episode:
– Cheese-heavy grits
– Body image and comparison
– Reclaiming creative power
– The Wanties (our new term for the jealousy craving)
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