I always thought perfectionism was a bit of a humble brag — a flaw that was actually a strength. Something that helped you get ahead.

Then I read an article in The New Yorker, and everything changed. I realised perfectionism isn’t something to gloat about at all. It’s a debilitating way of being, with deep roots, that can quietly stop you from living, creating, and connecting.

In this conversation, I sit down with Cass Seidler, psychologist and recovering perfectionist. Together, we unpack what perfectionism really is, how it shows up, the toll it takes on your life, relationships, and energy — and what the road to recovery can look like.

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You can order your One Word Journal here

Email me on jyk@masterpiece.fm

DM me on IG here

And sign up to my newsletter here! (for things I learnt from these pods and more)

Thank you for listening :)

JYK 🤍

Choosing One Word for 2026

This week, Matteo and I sat down to reflect on 2025 through the lens of our words — mastery and foundations. We spoke about the friction of moving home, starting therapy, the biggest lessons we took from it, and why my podcast cover shoot became a philosophical lesson for life. We also share our words for 2026 and how we arrived at them.

You can order your One Word Journal here

Share your One Word here

Email us at hello@myword.is

Get in touch via IG on @myword.is and @jessicayolandakaye

DM me on IG here

And sign up to my newsletter here!

Thank you for listening :)

Grace O’Neill is a writer, editor, podcaster, and this year, she became a mother.

After years of searching, pivoting, and finally finding the confidence to say I am an artist, Grace had her son, Eli, and time became very real.

In this conversation, we talk about the fear of motherhood, how it surprised and stretched her, and what it’s been like writing her first novel amidst it all. We talk about perfectionism and craft, devotion and discipline, and what happens to the artist when life gets fuller.

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ONE WORD JOURNAL

Pre-order here.

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GRACE O'NEILL

Instagram + Substack

Read Grace's piece: Dispatches from Motherhood

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NEWSLETTER

For 'Things I learnt from Grace' and more sign up to my free newsletter here.

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JESSICA YOLANDA KAYE

Instagram + website.

Email jyk@masterpiece.com for anything else :)

Eliza Gosse is not your typical artist. Mathematical, precise and quietly disciplined, she has built an incredible career as a painter — ten solo exhibitions in seven years — and she’s only 30 (and just getting started).

In this conversation, we talk about what it really means to commit to a creative life: the steadiness, the structure, the slow evolution. Eliza shares how she plans three shows ahead, why she still uses a tiny brush despite being told not to, and how becoming a mother is shifting her relationship to art and home.

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ONE WORD JOURNAL

Pre-order here.

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ELIZA GOSSE

Art + Instagram + Buon Gusto Studios.

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NEWSLETTER

For 'Things I learnt from Eliza' and more sign up to my free newsletter here.

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JESSICA YOLANDA KAYE

Instagram + website.

Email jyk@masterpiece.com for anything else :)

I met the Canadian-born TV and film producer, Haley Vickers, at a birthday dinner in 2023. We were both pivoting in our careers, both breaking up with London, and by the time dinner came out, I’m pretty sure we’d both cried. Haley has that rare ability to make you laugh, cry, think, and see things differently. All within a matter of minutes.

Haley has spent the last decade developing and producing films across London, Toronto, and beyond. In 2025, she launched her own production company, Flick Films. Most recently, she executive produced the rom-com Mile End Kicks, starring Barbie Ferreira, which premiered at TIFF this year.

Like me, Haley has spent the past year in what she calls “living limbo.” So, sitting together on a sofa in central London, we explored the role of place in shaping who you are and who you’re becoming. We laughed, we cried, and inevitably, found ourselves in Italy.

I loved this chat. I hope you do too.

JYK 🤍

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HALEY VICKERS

Instagram + IMDB + Flick Films.

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MUSIC

'Deleta Ya' by Djo.

Used with permission from AWAL.

Listen here.

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NEWSLETTER

For things I learnt from Haley and more sign up to my free newsletter here.

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ONE WORD

Find your word here.

Share your word here.

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Email jyk@masterpiece.com for anything else :)

Diana Reid wrote her debut novel at 24 during lockdown, having deferred a corporate law job by a year. That book became a bestseller. In the five years since, she’s published two more, with another and a screenplay adaptation on the way. But what's so remarkable about Diana isn't her productivity, but her perspective.

Sitting together on a sofa in London, I was struck by her stoicism, her maturity, her detachment. In this conversation, we talk about the conditions that give you the freedom to create, the best advice she’s ever received, training for writing like an athlete, why she leaves her phone at home, and the little pocketbook where she collects inspiration.

It’s a conversation that reshaped how I think about focus, creative discipline, and what really matters.

JYK ♥️

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Follow Diana on instagram

Order Diana's latest book: Signs of Damage

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Pre-order your One Word Journal and pick your word for 2026

Subscribe to my newsletter for new podcast episodes

Email: jyk@masterpiece.fm

Instagram: @jessicayolandakaye

Today, my podcast, Masterpiece, is out. I’ve been talking about this podcast for years — dreaming about it, playing with it, circling around it, and avoiding it. It’s wild how you can want something so much and still be so scared of it. How something can feel so true and so dangerous at the same time. I’ve avoided this podcast because I’ve been afraid. Afraid to trust myself. Afraid to be fully seen.

Masterpiece is a podcast about letting go of who you think you should be and becoming who you really are. But the truth is, it’s really hard.

For the last decade, I’ve been on this beautiful, messy, meaningful journey of discovering who I am — quitting my job, moving to London, becoming an artist. And even though I’ve shared pieces publicly, I’ve kept a lot to myself. I’ve been living between the lines, and I don’t want to hide anymore.

Miranda July said, “The more honest you are, the more dangerous it feels.”

This podcast feels dangerous. But it also feels important.

So for the first episode of Masterpiece, I said what I was afraid to say.

JYK 🤍

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https://www.instagram.com/jessicayolandakaye/

https://www.jessicayolandakaye.com/

https://www.myword.is/journal

Talia Blank is a painter, poet, filmmaker, and incredibly deep thinker. For Talia, making art is like breathing. It isn’t something she thinks about. It pours out of her. And yet, when she had her first solo exhibition in New York, something she had dreamed of, it broke her heart.

In our conversation, we speak about what it really means to be an artist. The vulnerability that creativity demands, and how exposing that can feel when shared publicly. The maxims she lives by, the rituals that save her, and what happens when we stop trying to control everything and let the magic in.

I loved this chat. I hope you do too.

JYK 🤍

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TALIA BLANK

Instagram + creative studio + website.

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MUSIC

'It Starts Now' by BLOND:ISH.

Used with permission from KOMPAKT Records.

Listen here.

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NEWSLETTER

To receive Talia's Big Little Things (the book, film, rituals that inspire her) sign up to my free newsletter here.

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ONE WORD

Find your word here.

Share your word here.

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Email studio@jessicayolandakaye.com for anything else :)