In This Episode: Candles, Cork & Linen | The Insomnia Project

Amanda and Marco are back with another slow, wandering conversation — the kind that asks nothing of you and gives your mind just enough to follow without holding on. This week, they drift through the quiet textures of everyday life: pickled wood, the soft weight of linen, the springy underfoot feeling of cork, and the amber glow of a handmade candle. It's the kind of sleep podcast episode that feels like sitting in a warm room with nowhere to be.

How this one meanders

It starts with Marco's recent project pickling wood — a technique that keeps coming up on the show, and for good reason. From there, the conversation finds its way to linen: the fabric, the feel, the way it shows up in clothes and bedding and slow living. Cork enters next — floors, stoppers, the material itself — and Amanda and Marco give you their honest take on whether they're actually fans. The episode closes with candles, including Amanda's low-key satisfying project of melting down candle remnants to make something new.

The kind of show that's made for winding down. Whether you're lying in the dark or just trying to quiet a busy mind, this one has you covered.

What we talk about

• Marco's pickling wood technique and why this topic keeps finding its way back to the show
• Linen as a material — clothing, bedding, and the particular texture that makes it a slow-living staple
• Cork floors and cork in general — do Amanda and Marco actually like it? (They'll tell you)
• The sensory appeal of candles and why they work so well as a wind-down ritual
• Amanda's candle-making project using leftover wax remnants — low effort, oddly satisfying

This episode is perfect for

• Anyone who can't sleep and needs something gentle and unhurried to follow
• People who love slow living content and material textures
• Linen enthusiasts, cork-curious decorators, or anyone rethinking their home materials
• Overthinkers and people with racing thoughts who need a soft landing
• Candle lovers and anyone who enjoys a good DIY-without-pressure story

The Insomnia Project is a sleep podcast for people who lie awake at night. Hosts Amanda and Marco have quiet, unhurried conversations about everyday things — no plot twists, no tension, no agenda. Just the kind of talk that helps your body remember it's allowed to rest. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe wherever you listen.

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If your mind won't stop running tonight, we've got just the thing. In this episode of The Insomnia Project, Marco is joined by returning guest Nidhi Kanna for the kind of warm, wandering conversation that's perfect for insomnia, racing thoughts, or anyone who just needs something gentle to drift off to. No stress, no stakes — just the good stuff.

They start where all great conversations start: staring at a wall. Specifically, painting one. Nidhi and Marco get wonderfully sidetracked on the surprisingly fraught world of colours that are easy to commit to and hard to undo — the kind of paint decisions that haunt you in the best possible way.

From there, the conversation meanders the way only a sleepcast can — from wall colours to Nidhi's recent trip to Mexico City, taking in the food, the texture of the place, and the very particular pleasure of being somewhere new. And then, naturally, they find their way to the finer things: Nidhi's bougie delights, Marco's bougie delights, and what it really means to treat yourself well.

It's the perfect listen for a slow Sunday morning, a Monday morning at work when you want to focus but need a friend nearby, or a Tuesday night that won't wind down, or anyone who loves a good chat about nothing and everything all at once.

📸 Follow us on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/theinsomniaproject

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/@theinsomniaprojectpodcast

☕ Support the show and get bonus chats on Patreon:

www.patreon.com/theinsomniaproject

😴 Enjoy ad-free episodes and extras on Supercast:

www.theinsomniaproject.supercast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode: To-Do Lists, Ironed Shirts & the Great Lakes

If you've ever drifted off to sleep mid-thought while running through a mental checklist, this episode of The Insomnia Project was made for you. Amanda and Marco explore the quiet, surprisingly satisfying world of list-making — the kind of slow, meandering conversation that's perfect for winding down, easing insomnia, and letting your mind finally relax into sleep.

How the conversation meanders

It starts with something wonderfully small: a to-do list borrowed from Marco's nephew's day. From there, the conversation drifts into the gentle pleasure of crossing things off — and the even greater pleasure of writing the list in the first place. Marco, freshly proud of his perfectly ironed and starched shirt, shares a surprisingly useful washing machine tip that leads the whole show sideways into a love of domestic rituals. That nostalgia for simple satisfactions carries the hosts toward geography: Marco's deep affection for Chicago, Amanda's pull toward Lake Erie, and before long the two are drifting slowly through all five Great Lakes, finding what makes each one worthy of the word "great."

Perfect for list-lovers, Midwest daydreamers, and anyone who just needs something calm to fall asleep to.

What we talk about

• A to-do list from Marco's nephew — and the simple delight of watching someone else's day on paper
• The ritual and satisfaction of crossing things off a list, and why making the list might be the best part
• Marco's freshly ironed, starched shirt — and a tip for getting better results from your washing machine
• Marco's love for Chicago and what the city means to him
• Amanda's affection for Lake Erie and what draws her to it
• A relaxed tour through all five Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario — and what makes each one quietly remarkable
• The way ordinary things become fascinating when you slow down enough to actually look at them

This episode is perfect for

• Anyone struggling with insomnia who needs something gentle and unhurried to fall asleep to
• List-makers and planners who find comfort in the ritual of organizing a day
• Fans of the Great Lakes region, or anyone who grew up near the water
• People who love Chicago or the wider Midwest and want something that feels like home
• Listeners who enjoy a sleep podcast that wanders pleasantly and never goes anywhere too fast

The Insomnia Project is a podcast about nothing in particular — and everything that makes ordinary life worth noticing. New episodes every week, running just long enough to help you relax, unwind, and finally fall asleep. If Amanda and Marco's gentle conversations have helped you drift off, we'd love a rating wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps more restless minds find their way here.

📸 Follow us on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/theinsomniaproject

📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/@theinsomniaprojectpodcast

☕ Support the show and get bonus chats on Patreon:

www.patreon.com/theinsomniaproject

😴 Enjoy ad-free episodes and extras on Supercast:

www.theinsomniaproject.supercast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.