Two best friends navigating adulthood, ambition, identity, and the messy beauty of caring deeply and trying hard — with microphones.
Hosted by Amanda & Monica
Latest Episodes
Why does it take a dance floor to feel like yourself?
Jul 6, 2026 · 39 min
Body image isn't one thing. It's the comment someone made when you were nine. It's the era you grew up in. It's comparing yourself to a friend who isn't growing a human right now.
Jun 23, 2026 · 41 min
Why is making friends as an adult so hard — especially when you've just moved somewhere new and don't know a single person?
Jun 15, 2026 · 48 min
You've taken the quiz. You know your attachment style. You've told a date your love language. So why does it feel like none of it is actually helping?In this Monanda episode of Trying Very Hard, Amanda and Monica talk honestly about the attachment style and love language frameworks everyone's obs...
Jun 8, 2026 · 52 min
Ever romanticized a career that looks glamorous from the outside?
Jun 1, 2026 · 45 min
Who We Are
We're Amanda and Monica — a therapist and a startup founder, two third culture kids in Singapore, and best friends who think too much, laugh too hard, and care too deeply. This podcast is our attempt to do it out loud.

Equal parts rigor, wit, and wildly contagious curiosity. Amanda is an integrative mind-body therapist and the founder of Somi Therapy, helping people who think too much, feel too much, and take on too much — then wonder why they're exhausted. She draws from psychology, neuroscience, trauma theory, coaching, and somatic practice, because surface-level has never been her thing. Before becoming a therapist, she spent years in strategy roles across education, microfinance, and consulting. She's the friend who makes you believe in yourself — and now you get to have her in your ears.

One of the coolest, sharpest, and strongest women you'll meet — and she'll hype you up, call out your bullshit, and ask the one question that cuts right to the truth. Monica is the co-founder of Nona Woman, a platform breaking period stigma and creating space for women in Indonesia to feel seen, heard, and educated. She holds an MBA from London Business School and has worked across EY-Parthenon, public health innovation, startups, and product marketing. She's generous, smart, hilarious, and made of what we suspect is 0% body fat and 100% discipline.
Get In Touch
Guest pitches, brand partnerships, episode ideas, or a message that starts with "I just listened to your episode and..." — all welcome.