Both Sides of the Couch
Both Sides of the Couch is where therapist and human meet. Hosted by Kari Rusnak, a licensed therapist living with chronic illness, the podcast explores the messy, honest overlap between helping others and healing yourself. Through personal reflections, stories, and thoughtful conversations, Kari invites listeners to slow down, think deeply, and feel a little less alone, on both sides of the couch.
Episodes
Episode 17 : What Adopting Taught Me About Pet Therapy and Myself
Send us Fan MailWhen we think about pet therapy, we often picture the comforting moments: the cuddles, companionship, emotional support, and unconditional love. But what happens when the pet you adopt comes with anxiety, fear, and a history that requires patience, training, and trust-building?In this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, I share my experience adopting Vixey, an anxious rescue dog wi
Episode 16: Both Side of the Razor; The Truth About Women, Body Hair, and Who Benefits from the Expectation
Send us Fan MailWhat if the expectation for women to shave their body hair was never about hygiene, beauty, or personal preference but about shame, capitalism, and whose gaze we've been taught to perform for? In this episode, Kari explores the cultural history of women's body hair removal through three lenses: as a woman, as someone living with chronic illness, and as a therapist. From t
Small Thoughts Big Feelings: It’s Not the Sound, It’s My Nervous System
Send us Fan Mail In this Small Thoughts, Big Feelings mini, Kari reflects on noise sensitivity. From vertigo triggered by sound to the sudden anger that comes with repeating yourself or speaking louder, this episode explores how sensory overload shows up in the body.Support the showThanks for listening to Both Sides of the Couch! If something you heard today resonated, share the episode or leave a
Episode 15: Why I Don’t Offer Free Consultation Calls (and Why That’s Ethical)
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I explain why I don’t offer free consultation calls and why that decision is grounded in ethics, safety, and respect for therapeutic labor. I unpack the myth of the “quick 15-minute call,” why it almost always turns into unpaid therapy adjacent work, and the very real risks of engaging in clinical conversations without informed consent.I talk openly about mandated
Episode 14: Chronic Illness, Emotional Labor, and the Friend No One Checks On
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari reflects on a small, ordinary moment that sparked a much bigger realization about imbalance in relationships. Through the lens of a therapist, a chronically ill person, and a friend who often gives more than she receives, she explores what it feels like to be emotionally capable yet quietly unsupported.Kari unpacks how emotional comp
Small Thoughts Big Feelings: The $14,000 Question
Send us Fan Mail In this mini episode, Kari shares a funny moment about an HSA statement that turns into a reflection on invisible labor, chronic illness, and why some parts of life are hard to explain even to the people who love us. For information on health savings accounts, check out these links:https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/health-savings-account-hsa/https://www.healthcare.gov/high-deduc
Episode 13: When I Choose to Overdo It: Autonomy, Chronic Illness, and the Right to Decide
Send us Fan MailIn Episode 13, Kari explores a deeply familiar tension for people living with chronic illness: being told “don’t overdo it.” While often well-intentioned, Kari explains how this phrase can feel controlling, dismissive, and painful, especially for people who already live with constant limitation and loss.This episode is not about ignoring consequences or denying the reality of chron
Episode 12: The Therapy of Nature: How the Outdoors Supports Chronic Illness
Send us Fan MailIn Episode 12, Kari explores the therapy of nature and how time outdoors can support people living with chronic illness, pain, fatigue, and nervous system dysregulation. Kari begins the episode by reflecting on a familiar moment in nature, using sensory details to model what it means to slow down and simply be present outdoors. Kari reflects on how nature offers something rare in
Episode 11: The Ovary Atlas: Why One Scientific Breakthrough Might Change Women’s Health Forever
Send us Fan MailIn Episode 11, Kari explores a major but surprisingly under discussed scientific breakthrough: the creation of a cellular atlas of the human ovary, recognized as one of the most important discoveries of 2024. Kari explains why this research is long overdue, given the historic underfunding and neglect of women’s health and the health of people with ovaries.She begins by naming an im
Episode 10: When the Work Gets Complicated: Sexual Harassment in the Therapy Room
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Kari says she wants to shine light on an uncomfortable but very real issue in the mental health field: sexual harassment toward therapists. She explains that although it’s shockingly common, therapists rarely receive training on how to talk about it, which leaves many clinicians feeling isolated, ashamed, or unsure of how to respond. Kari says she was inspired to r
Episode 9: When Relief Feels Scary — Learning to Trust Feeling Better
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari explores the surprising fear and guilt that can surface when chronic illness symptoms finally ease. After years of struggle, she’s experiencing real relief thanks to a new medication, and discovering that feeling better isn’t as simple as it sounds.She dives into the emotional complexity of healing, explaining how our brains crave pr
Episode 8: The Myth that Productivity = Worth: what being forced to rest teaches about internalized capitalism.
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Kari challenges the deeply ingrained belief that our worth is tied to productivity, a mindset rooted in internalized capitalism, where value is measured by hustle, output, and efficiency. She shares a personal story about a physical breaking point that forced her to face her chronic illness and reevaluate the drive to constantly “push through.”Kari explores how thi
Episode 7: Behind the Listings: The Truth About Therapist Directories
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari pulls back the curtain on the business behind therapist directories, from her own experience leaving Psychology Today to uncovering what really happened with Therapy Den after its founder sold it.She shares her firsthand story of how therapist listings became big business: pay-to-play exposure models, low compensation for writers, hi
Episode 6: What Chronic Illness Taught Me About Boundaries
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari explores one of her favorite topics, boundaries, through both a therapist’s and a chronically ill person’s lens. She reflects on how the body sometimes enforces limits long before the mind does, especially when chronic pain, fatigue, or stress make “pushing through” impossible.Kari shares how she’s learned to honor physical boundarie
Episode 5: When I Get It Wrong
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari gets honest about imperfection, the kind therapists aren’t always allowed to show. She explores what it means to make mistakes in the therapy room, how she recognizes when she’s missed the mark, and why taking responsibility strengthens rather than damages relationships.Kari shares her own experiences of acknowledging errors with cl
Episode 4: Burnout Isn’t Always Obvious
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari unpacks the often sneaky onset of burnout, not just as a therapist, but as a human living with chronic illness. She shares how her definition of “enough” has evolved from grinding through nine clients a day to creating sustainable balance with a four-client maximum.Kari reflects on how burnout doesn’t always announce itself with warn
Episode 3: The Weight of Other People’s Stories
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari opens up about the unseen emotional and physical toll of holding space for others while managing her own chronic illness. She shares how, early in her private-practice career, she began noticing deep exhaustion, not just from long therapy hours, but from the intensity of listening, empathizing, and carrying others’ pain while masking
Episode 2: When the Therapist Cancels
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari dives into a rarely discussed topic: what happens when the therapist has to cancel. From both the professional and human sides, she explores the guilt, boundaries, and grace wrapped up in letting people down, even when it’s unavoidable.Kari shares two deeply personal stories: the first time she ever had to cancel sessions due to sudd
Episode 1: The Advice I Give That I Struggle to Follow
Send us Fan MailIn the very first episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari, a therapist, writer, and human navigating chronic illness, introduces the heart behind her new podcast: bridging her professional insight with her personal reality.She opens up about her dual roles as therapist and patient, and how living with chronic illness has reshaped the way she works, connects, and finds balance. The
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