ShrinkChicks
Hosts Emmalee Bierly and Jennifer Chaiken, licensed marriage and family therapists and co-founders of The Therapy Group, present the ShrinkChicks Podcast. Each Monday they explore various mental health topics in a relatable and accessible way, blending professional insight with humor. The show aims to make therapy concepts more understandable and applicable to everyday life, leaving behind the psychobabble. It invites listeners to sit in on their knowledge and candid conversations about mental health.
Episodes
The Sex Recession: Why Everyone's Too Stressed for Intimacy
This week on ShrinkChicks, we’re talking about sex, baby, and why everyone seems to be having less of it. The “sex recession” is a real thing, and Em and Jen are exploring how stress, lack of sleep, work, social media, and the constant stream of bad news can affect libido. Plus, the difference between spontaneous and responsive desire, and why improving your sex life might be less about a
Emotional Flooding: Why You Shut Down Mid-Argument
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk all about emotional flooding and why you might shut down, go blank, or struggle to find your words when you’re flooded. They explain what happens in your brain and body when your nervous system becomes overwhelmed, why shutting down can be a protective response, and how patterns that helped you growing up can follow you into adult relationships.Y
Why AI Can’t Replace Human Connection with Mike Blanche
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by licensed clinical social worker and addiction expert Mike Blanche from Ethos Treatment to talk about how technology, social media, and AI are quickly changing our mental health and relationships. Mike shares what he’s seeing after more than 20 years in the field, including why turning to AI for emotional support or relationship advice ca
Mother-Daughter Relationships: Why Are They So Complicated?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into mother-daughter relationships and why they can bring up some of our biggest emotions, even well into adulthood. They explore attachment, childhood wounds, differentiation, seeking your mom’s approval, and why one comment from your mother can somehow ruin your entire week.They answer listener questions about setting boundaries, feeling guilty
What Does It Mean to Practice Radical Acceptance?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk all about radical acceptance, a core DBT skill that involves fully acknowledging reality as it is, even when you don’t like it, agree with it, or think it’s fair. They explore how acceptance can actually create more freedom and make change possible, rather than meaning you’re giving up.They answer listener questions about radical acceptance vs. s
Rewind: Building Self-Confidence
This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are throwing it back to an episode from 2024, Building Self-Confidence. This was one of their top episodes, and during this holiday weekend, they wanted to re-release it to share tips and tricks that can help you build self-confidence and self-esteem. They discuss why doing something new can trigger feelings of insecurity, self-confidence and mas
How to Cope With Emotionally Immature Family Relationships
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk all about emotionally immature parents and in-laws, the boundaries that can get blurry in family relationships, and how to protect your peace without losing yourself. They explore why understanding emotional immaturity and childhood emotional neglect can be so validating, especially when family members see the relationship very differently than y
Navigating Mental Health Struggles in a Relationship
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about being the partner of someone struggling with mental health, or being the partner struggling, and what it’s like to navigate mental illness within a relationship. They explore the balance between supporting a partner and overfunctioning for them, while recognizing that fairness doesn’t always mean doing the same exact things. They also discu
Jealousy in Romantic Relationships & Beyond
This week on ShrinkChicks, we’re talking all about jealousy. Where does it actually come from, and what do you do with it? Your hosts dive into jealousy at every angle; anxious attachment and reassurance-seeking, why checking a partner's ex's Instagram feeds the monster instead of starving it, and how to build real security instead of chasing a certainty that doesn't exist. Some people ba
When Is It Time to Say Enough in a Relationship?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen take on a common yet difficult relationship question: how do you know when it's time to stay and fight for a relationship, versus when it's time to leave? They break down discernment counseling, a specific, structured approach to help you get clarity, and explore why "enough" is rarely one big event. The hosts dig into the difference between loyalty a
Why Therapy Works: Real Wins From the ShrinkChicks Community
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen celebrate the many ways therapy can change your life by sharing powerful stories and wins from the ShrinkChicks community as well as themselves. From learning to regulate emotions and set healthier boundaries to receiving long-awaited diagnoses and building stronger relationships, this episode highlights the lasting impact that therapy can have.They d
Navigating Conversations Through Relationship Milestones
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about the hard conversations that come with every stage of a relationship and why they're never just a one-time discussion. From marriage and finances to kids, careers, family dynamics, and major life transitions, they explore how healthy relationships require ongoing communication as life continues changing.They answer listener questions about b
How to Argue Without Ruining Your Relationship
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into what it really means to fight fairly in relationships and how conflict can actually bring couples closer when it’s handled well. They explore the difference between productive conflict and escalation, and why learning how you and your partner argue is just as important as learning how you love.The conversation breaks down common conflict mis
Insecurities: Why They Keep You Stuck (and How to Move Forward)
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen unpack insecurities: where they come from, why everyone has them, and how they quietly shape our relationships, careers, and sense of self. They explore the connection between insecurity and hyper-independence, why asking for help can feel so uncomfortable, and how comparison culture can keep us stuck.They also answer listener questions about needing
Rewind: Boundaries with Emotionally Immature People
On this rewind episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen welcome Nedra Glover Tawwab back to the podcast! Nedra is a licensed therapist, a New York Times Bestselling author, and an expert on relationships and boundaries. If you haven’t followed her on Instagram yet, go do it now! They start the episode off by talking about Nedra's book, Consider This. Then, Nedra answers your questions abo
Sibling Relationships in Adulthood: Closeness, Conflict, and Boundaries
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about adult sibling relationships and why growing up in the same family doesn't always mean growing up with the same experience. They explore how family roles, parentification, favoritism, and changing family dynamics can shape sibling relationships long after childhood.They answer listener questions about feeling responsible for younger siblings
Are You Settling or Just Compromising in Your Relationship?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen unpack the difference between compromise and settling in relationships, and why the line between them can feel so confusing sometimes. They explore how compromise is typically preference-based and healthy within a relationship, while settling often involves self-abandonment, avoidance, or giving up core parts of yourself.The two answer listener questi
How Our Assumptions Keep Us Stuck
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about how assumptions can quietly keep us stuck in relationships, work, and everyday life. From assuming people are upset with us to deciding how conversations will go before they happen, they unpack why our brains fill in the blanks and how those patterns often start as protection.They answer listener questions about mind reading, assuming a par
When Life Doesn’t Look the Way You Thought It Would
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about expectations versus reality and why life’s biggest moments often don’t feel the way we imagined they would. From marriage and motherhood to careers, birthdays, friendships, and family relationships, they explore what happens when reality doesn’t match the version we pictured in our heads.They answer listener questions about difficult in-law
How to Build Adult Friendships
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about making friends as an adult and why something that used to happen naturally can suddenly feel so difficult. They unpack what actually creates friendship (hint: it’s less chemistry and more repeated proximity), why exclusion feels so dysregulating, and how friendships naturally evolve over time.They answer listener questions about where to me
Rewind: How to Respond and Not React
On today's rewind episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen discuss what it actually looks like to respond, not react. They discuss the practice of responding and not reacting, identifying and understanding your personal triggers, responding vs. reacting with others AND with yourself, why romantic relationships typically trigger us the most, and working toward not absorbing other peop
Feeling Lonely in a Relationship and How to Fix It
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about feeling lonely in a relationship: why it happens, how common it is, and what actually helps you reconnect. They explore loneliness during different life stages, especially after having kids, why expecting one partner to meet every emotional need is a recipe for failure, and how differences in emotional depth or love languages can contribute
Kids or Childfree: How to Decide What’s Right for You with Keltie Maguire
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by Keltie Maguire, host of The Kids or Childfree Podcast and a clarity coach who helps people decide between parenthood or a childfree life. Together, they unpack the often overwhelming “in-between” of not knowing what you want, why that gray area can feel so hard to sit in, and how to get out of it. Keltie shares her own experience of
Why Relationships Change Over Time
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen break down the phases of relationships and how couples evolve over time, from the honeymoon stage to deeper intimacy. Using a developmental model from couples therapy, they explain why conflict often comes from partners being in different stages at the same time.They walk through each phase and explain why the shift out of the honeymoon stage can feel
When to Go No Contact: Boundaries vs. Cutting Someone Off
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about estrangement and going no contact, a topic that’s more common than we think but still carries a lot of stigma. They unpack why people choose cutoff, the difference between setting boundaries and full estrangement, and why there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.They explore when hard conversations should come first, how to decide between taking
Navigating Your “What Am I Doing?” Era
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about navigating the “what am I doing with my life” era, those moments when your path, career, or identity no longer feels as clear as it once did. Whether it’s a career pivot, life transition, or just a general sense of uncertainty, this stage can bring up doubt, anxiety, and a lot of second-guessing.They explore the difference between burnout a
Why Childhood Pain Shows Up in Adult Life
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen explore healing your inner child and advice to give to the kid who lives within your adult self. They talk about why revisiting younger versions of ourselves can bring both compassion and anger, and how learning to care for your inner child can help break patterns that still show up in adult relationships.Listener questions dive into projection and un
The Vulnerability of Joy
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about why joy and anxiety often show up together, especially when something good is happening. When positive moments arrive, the nervous system can start scanning for what might go wrong, making it hard to fully relax or enjoy the experience.They explore why happiness can feel vulnerable, why some people try to dampen joy to avoid disappointment,
Nicole Pellegrino on Becoming a Mom, Grieving a Mom, and Mental Health
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen continue their storytelling series where notable guests share the real emotional journey behind their success. Today’s guest is Nicole Pellegrino, content creator and host of the Long Story Short with Nicole Pellegrino podcast, who Em and Jen first connected with years ago when she was engaged and navigating the loss of her mother.Now married and newl
Understanding the Many Forms of Grief
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen explore grief; not just the kind that follows death, but the many forms of loss that shape our lives. From pregnancy loss to complicated family relationships to the life you imagined but didn’t get, grief can surface in ways people don’t always expect or understand.They talk through different types of grief, including anticipatory grief, ambiguous gri
The Hidden Cost of Being the “Good Kid” with Maggie Nick
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by trauma therapist, parenting educator, and cycle-breaking advocate Maggie Nick (AKA Maggie with Perspectacles) to talk about the hidden cost of being the “good kid.” Maggie shares her own story of growing up as the easy, responsible child no one had to worry about, and how perfectionism, people-pleasing, and self-criticism often grow out
Trauma Responses: Understanding The Fawn Response
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen wrap up their trauma response mini-series with a deep dive into the fawn response, the often-overlooked survival strategy rooted in people-pleasing and conflict avoidance. While many people are familiar with fight or flight, fawning happens when your nervous system moves quickly to smooth things over, keep the peace, and protect the connection.They ex
Trauma Responses: Understanding The Flight Response
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen continue their trauma response series with a deep dive into the flight response: what it is, how it shows up, and why it can feel so productive while still being avoidant. Unlike fight or freeze, flight often looks subtle in daily life: staying busy, overworking, changing the subject, scrolling, researching, or emotionally distancing when things feel
Cameron Rogers on Motherhood, Mental Health, and Motivation
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen launch a new storytelling series featuring notable voices sharing the real emotional journey behind their success. First up: content creator, author, and host of Conversations with Cam, Cameron Rogers.Cameron opens up about transitioning careers, building a brand in motherhood and mental health, and how becoming a mom reshaped her relationship with wo
Trauma Responses: Understanding The Fight Response
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen continue their trauma response series with a deep dive into the fight response: what it is, why it develops, and how it shows up in everyday life. Often misunderstood and heavily judged, the fight response is a nervous system survival strategy rooted in mobilization, power, and protection.They explore how fight can look like anger, defensiveness, cont
Trauma Responses: Understanding The Freeze Response
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen break down the freeze response, one of the most misunderstood trauma responses. They explain how freezing is an involuntary nervous system reaction to overwhelming threat, often linked to trauma, and why so many people carry shame for something their body chose automatically.They explore what freeze can look like in daily life (numbness, dissociation,
Reimagining Healthy Relationships
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by one of their all-time favorite guests, Alexandra Solomon, licensed clinical psychologist, adjunct professor at Northwestern University, and host of the Reimagining Love podcast, for a conversation about healthy relationships and the patterns we carry from our families of origin.Together, they explore why it’s so hard to break old dynamic
“Ready” Is Not a Feeling
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen unpack a belief that keeps a lot of people stuck: the idea that you need to feel ready before making a big decision. They talk about why “ready” is not actually a feeling, and how waiting for certainty can quietly turn into avoidance.They explore the difference between readiness and willingness, how to make decisions that align with your values (not o
Breaking Free from Diet Culture
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by Johanna Kulp, licensed therapist, speaker, and body image specialist, who helps individuals and families break free from diet culture and rebuild trust in their bodies. Johanna shares how her own eating disorder recovery shaped her work, and why so many of today’s “wellness” trends still keep people stuck.They talk about raising kids in
When Everything Feels Personal
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about how to take things less personally…and why that’s harder than it sounds. After one of their posts went viral, they unpack why giving people the benefit of the doubt isn’t the same as abandoning boundaries, and how expectations, context, and insecurity shape what hits us the hardest.They explore how self-knowledge makes it easier to stop int
The Difference Between Anxiety & Intuition
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen delve into a question that many people struggle with: How do I distinguish between anxiety and intuition?They break down how each shows up (urgency versus steadiness, fear versus values, repetitive spirals versus one-time clarity) and how anxiety and intuition can sometimes be linked. Listener questions explore whether it gets easier to tell the two a
Do I Need Therapy in the New Year?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em & Jen wrap up 2025 with a topic that might just be on all of our minds: Do I need therapy going into the new year? They talk about how tough this year felt for many people, how finances and burnout impact mental health care, and what “needing” therapy even means.They answer questions about feeling lost professionally, the fear of crying in therapy, worryi
The Holiday Boundaries Episode
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em & Jen break down the pressure, guilt, and expectations that can make the holidays feel so overwhelming. Jen shares what it was like growing up without big holiday pressure, while Em talks about navigating the mental load of parenting and splitting time between families.They delve into why holidays affect everyone differently, how media influences expectat
AI vs. Your Therapist
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dig into a topic that’s becoming impossible to ignore: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in therapy, including how it’s showing up in clinical work, where it can help, and where it crosses the line. They discuss AI’s usefulness for administrative tasks or late-night coping support, while exploring the risks of replacing human connection, losing touch with
Introversion, Extroversion, and Your Social Battery
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen plug into the world of social battery: how much emotional energy we have for connection before we start feeling depleted. They talk through why some people can socialize endlessly while others need significant downtime, and how much factors like temperament, stress load, and basic needs (sleep, food, overstimulation) shape our capacity. Em shares how
Rewind: Improving Communication in Your Relationship
This week on ShrinkChicks, we’re rewinding to one of our most beloved episodes: Improving Communication. Em and Jen revisit what it really means to communicate and how to do it better. From meta-communication (talking about how you talk) to learning the difference between honesty and harshness, they unpack the tools that make conversations actually productive.They answer listener question
The Messy Reality of the Holiday Season
This week on ShrinkChicks, we’re talking all about that very exciting (and stressful) holiday coming up … Thanksgiving! Em and Jen are unpacking the messy mix of gratitude, giving, receiving, and toxic positivity that tends to come with the holidays. From the anxiety of picking the perfect present to the vulnerability of accepting gifts (or help and compliments), they explore why balance
What Resilience Really Looks Like
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by a very special guest, Carol DeMarco, a longtime friend, mentor, and one of the first people to believe in them when they opened The Therapy Group back in 2014. Carol is a dynamic speaker with more than 30 years of experience in counseling, education, and HR. Through her signature Pearls of Wisdom approach, she helps people strengthen the
The Cost of Keeping Everyone Happy
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into the topic of people-pleasing, AKA the quiet, exhausting habit of keeping everyone else comfortable. They talk about what happens when your identity is built around being the “easy one,” how helping can actually double as control, and why peacekeeping could be affecting your own peace. They answer listener questions about learning to tol
Finding Self-Esteem & Self-Confidence
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into self-esteem and self-confidence: where they come from, how they differ, and what gets in the way of both. They explore how early experiences and family dynamics shape our sense of worth, how mastery and self-trust build confidence, and why rewriting old beliefs about ourselves is possible at any age.Listener questions touch on healing from c
Why Is It So Hard to Let People In?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen explore why it’s so hard to let people in. We all crave connection, yet vulnerability can feel terrifying, especially when it wasn’t modeled for us or didn’t feel safe growing up. They unpack why talking isn’t the same as being vulnerable, how to build tolerance for openness, and why it’s okay to keep some relationships more surface-level.Listener que
The Friendship Episode
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are taking on the topic of friendship, from making new ones to grieving breakups and navigating the complicated in-betweens. They share why effort matters in adult friendships, how to handle loneliness, and why friendship breakups can hurt just as much as romantic ones.Listener questions cover everything from reconnecting with old friends, financial d
How Not to Become Your Parents
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dig into the topic of breaking intergenerational patterns and the ways in which we end up just like our parents, for good and for bad. From inherited quirks and “mental health heirlooms” to subconscious habits we don’t notice until a third party points them out, they explore what to carry forward and what to leave behind.Listener questions include how
Marriage Advice We Actually Believe In
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen tackle one of their most requested topics: marriage advice! And as two Marriage and Family Therapists who are married themselves, they definitely have a lot to say on the topic. From the best (and worst) advice they’ve gotten themselves, to questions like “How do you know if they’re the one?” and “What should we talk about before getting married?
Can You Heal From Betrayal?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are reunited on the pod after baby Birdie’s birth, who is already showing off by sleeping through the night and sending her sister Millie into a slight spiral. In this episode, the two tackle one of the toughest topics in relationships: repairing after infidelity. From the shame and secrecy surrounding affairs to the consistent behaviors that rebuild
Ask Em Anything: Nikki’s Mom-to-Be Edition
This week on ShrinkChicks, it’s a special takeover with Em and Nikki — producer, head of operations, and soon-to-be mom (hard launch alert 🚨). Nikki opens up about her journey to pregnancy, sharing what it’s been like to face the uncertainty of not being “100% sure” about having kids, navigating anxiety, and learning to get comfortable with the unknown.
Nikki is given full rein to ask Em
When Opposite Feelings Coexist
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into the messy, complicated, and oh-so-human world of duality: how two things can be true at once. From being grateful but still wanting more, to setting boundaries and feeling both relief and grief, they explore why holding contradictions feels so uncomfortable, and why it can also be a sign of growth.
They answer listener questions on everythin
Rewind: What It Means to be a Highly Sensitive Person
On this week’s rewind episode of ShrinkChicks, we’re revisiting one of our most-loved conversations: what does it really mean to be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)? Em and Jen unpack the difference between HSPs and empaths, why sensitivity can sometimes feel like social anxiety, and how to move through a world that often labels sensitivity as a weakness.
They explore what overstimulation
What If I Made the Wrong Decision?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive headfirst into the murky waters of regret—why we feel it, how it shows up, and what it does (and doesn’t) mean about the choices we’ve made. From big life decisions to parenting fears and the spiral of overthinking in the shower, they explore why the fear of regret can be more paralyzing than regret itself, and how to move through it with compass
Is This My Inner Child or My Adult Self?
On this week’s episode of ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are diving deep into inner child work—what it is, why it matters, and how to know when it’s your adult self making a choice… or your 5-year-old self running the show.
They explore how childhood wounds shape big emotions and disproportionate reactions, what it means to reparent yourself, and how to move from autopilot to awareness. They al
When You’re Changing and Your Partner Isn’t
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about how to grow together, even as life throws you curveballs like new babies, career shifts, mismatched speeds of change, and navigating personal growth when your partner isn’t quite there (or isn’t trying).
They explore what it means to walk in the same direction (even if at different paces), how to reconnect after disconnection, and the momen
When Therapy Isn’t Working (Or So It Seems)
On this week’s episode of ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into the murky waters of when therapy isn’t working—and how to tell if the problem is the process, the therapist, or your own discomfort with growth. They talk about red flags and realistic timelines, the importance of therapeutic fit, and why sometimes therapy feels worse before it feels better.
They also mythbust common misconcepti
The Pressure to be "Chill"
This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking all about the pressure we can feel to be "the chill one" in our relationships. They discuss minimizing your needs and where that may stem from, the socialization of "the cool girl," how to slowly start expressing your needs if you're not used to doing so, why we can't expect others to read our minds, the difference between actually no
How Boundaries Impact Our Relationships
On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about all things boundaries and their effect on relationships. They discuss when others prefer the version of you that has less boundaries, why discomfort doesn’t always equal “danger” or “bad," resentment stemming from a lack of boundaries, guilt as a natural reaction to setting a boundary, getting pushback on boundaries
Emmalee's Birth Story
This week on ShrinkChicks, you all get to meet Birdie, Em's newborn daughter! Emmalee shares her birth story and how her expectations for labor went completely out the window. She discusses dealing with unmet or different expectations, why comparison to others or even yourself can be challenging when it comes to birth and postpartum, information overload & control, medication during p
Rewind: How to Stop Taking Sh*t Personally
Emmalee and Jen are taking the week off from a new episode to practice what they preach and allow themselves a break to recharge. In this rewind episode, they teach us how to stop taking sh*t so personally. They discuss where taking things personally may stem from, times when we are more prone to taking things personally, and sensitivity to rejection. Then, Em and Jen answer your question
Why Rejection is SO Painful
On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about the painful emotion of rejection. They discuss why rejection stings so badly, how to reframe and depersonalize rejection, logic vs. emotion when it comes to rejection, why it can make many of us shut down, how to start to get more comfortable with rejection, and so much more! Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and
Self-Sabotage & Why We Do It
This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about self-sabotage and why we do it. They discuss how to identify if you’re self sabotaging, the different ways self-sabotage can present itself, if they consider themselves self-sabotagers, self-criticism vs. self-compassion, how self-sabotaging behaviors can be a protective mechanism, avoidance, fear of failure and discomfort, and
What's My Conflict Language?
On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about conflict languages! Much like love languages, we each gravitate toward certain patterns when in conflict. Em and Jen break down five different conflict languages to help you understand how you approach and navigate conflict. They discuss how to identify which conflict language(s) you speak, the avoidant + anxious dy
Confronting Your Conflict Avoidance
This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are confronting conflict avoidance! They discuss how they each handle conflict personally, the two ends of the spectrum: from avoidance to reactionary, the benefits and downfalls of conflict avoidance, the temporary discomfort for long-term relief, why practice makes progress, getting comfortable with your tears, and so much more! Em and Jen also
Why Do We Chase Happiness?
On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking all about happiness. They discuss happiness as an unwavering state vs. an emotion just like any other, the difference between happiness and contentment, the role that toxic positivity plays, the pressure we may feel both internally and externally to be only happy during certain life milestones, our obsession with happines
Rewind: Forgiveness, Anger & Resentment
Happy Memorial Day! Emmalee and Jen are taking the week off from a new episode to practice what they preach and allow themselves a break to recharge. In this rewind episode, they dive into the topics of forgiveness, anger, and resentment. Em and Jen discuss why forgiveness is for us and not for the other person, the parts of forgiveness that they struggle with, how anger and resentment pl
Meeting New Versions of Ourselves
This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about the many versions of ourselves that evolve over time. They discuss comparing our past selves to our present selves, how to release old parts of ourselves while greeting new ones, the emotions of grief & loss occurring simultaneously with excitement & anticipation, radical acceptance and how it ties into meeting new versi
The Comparison Trap: Why Do We Do It?
On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are exploring the topic of comparing ourselves to others. They discuss why we engage in comparison, two different types of comparison, insecurity and comparison, the role social media plays (hint: it's a big one), how to be intentional with social media consumption, using comparison as helpful information to understand what you want,
Why Is It So Hard to Say No?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are back to recording in person at West Chester Studios and unpacking the difficulty behind saying no. They discuss our fears about saying no, why we tend to believe others are going to react negatively to our “no," the resentment that arises when we ignore our boundaries, preferring internal distress over external distress, what we get wrong abo
Navigating Differences Within Your Relationship
On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about the ways in which we're all different from our partners - from attachment styles, to conflict/resolution styles, to love languages, and political views. They discuss the various ways these differences show up in relationships, how to communicate through the differences for a deeper understanding of one another, conf
Sometimes The Goal is Just Survival
This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee shares a recent experience that reminded her that we are allowed to just survive and that we don’t have to constantly work toward "healing" or "growing." Em and Jen talk about radical acceptance, burnout, living in the present moment, shame spirals, control, and so much more. Tune in to hear their humanity and for permission that we're all allowed to tak
Who You Think You “Should” Be vs. Who You Are
On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking all about the "shoulds." They discuss how the "shoulds" or certain, specific expectations of ourselves connect to control, anxiety, and depression, battling the "shoulds" when other people are in a phase of life you envy, why comparison is so innate, what to do when others have expectations for you or of you, what it actu
Why Do We Get Authenticity Hangovers?
This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking all about vulnerability and why being vulnerable can feel so good...until it doesn’t. They discuss vulnerability, rejection, and self-protection, where the fear of being seen can stem from, authenticity and the fear of judgment, corrective experiences to regain trust, how to work on vulnerability in therapy, real vulnerability vs. unb
Avoidance Does Not Equal Healing
On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are dissecting the difference between avoidance and healing. They start the episode off by explaining how to recognize the difference in your own life and how they can tell the difference in theirs. Emmalee and Jen discuss when saying "no" is a boundary and when it is avoidance, the ability to call out your avoidance as the first ste
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