Spicy title coming from a woman, I know.  But I did an episode last season called “What Men Don’t Understand” and it was talking about just the unwanted comments, not always feeling safe walking places, as well as the expectations and stigmas of even working parenthood on women, etc. alongside a girlfriend of mine. Yet after that I realized I would really like to explore a follow up conversation from a male’s perspective on what conditioning looked like for you guys growing up or even...

"Help! I Like My Friend's Ex" is what one of my girlfriends said to me over lunch a few months ago... Yikes. This is a recipe for something messy and the likelihood of it going wrong is more possible than it going right. But, I think we've all known someone where they went down this path and it DID work out for them. So it may not always be a hard & fast "no" in this scenario. So, if you're faced with this problem - how does it go RIGHT? What questions should you consider going...

Inspired by a cooking/therapy combo class my sister and mom took a while back, this episode is exploring the concept of "the way you do one thing is the way you do everything." As a part of the greater series on Relationships in Season 2 this is about the relationship with YOURSELF. My guest for this episode is is my husband Aaron Weits who had no idea going into it what "pie therapy" meant, but by the end of it he did agree it was a pretty insightful exercise! Here are the questions we...

BFFS! Is it realistic to think you can keep a best friend forever? How do you nurture a friendship over time so that it can evolve throughout the years and seasons? Or, when do you know that it's time to cut bait and appreciate it for what it was? I bring in one of my longest friends (17 years!) Mariah McManus Goss to talk about the concept of longterm friendships. Our relationship start off bonding over some chunky Forever 21 necklaces and has now evolved through job changes,...

This episode is a continuation of last week's discussion about the necessity of evolving your parenting style as your child transitions between seasons. I brought in my own mom, Lisa Whelchel, to talk a bit about the her motherhood journey with us three kids over the years. In Part 1 we talked about toddlerhood through jr. high, while in this episode, Part 2, we explore high school through adulthood. The teen years can be a tricky time for both child/mom as they learn to navigate...

🚀 NEW SEASON LAUNCH 🚀Season 2 is all about relationships and my own Mom so graciously agreed to come and talk about the mother/child bond & evolution over time in our kick-off episode! The title of the episode is a bit tongue in cheek as I’m not sure how many will get that tongue in cheek reference, but my Mom, Lisa Whelchel, was on a show in the 80’s called The Facts of Life.  Yet, the reason I’m having her as a guest is because she is truly the person who has had the biggest impact on...

Our culture says “be the main character of your own story” which I can understand and get the idea… But, I am the main character in only one movie - my own - and I’m a side character in everyone else’s. How can I make the most in my supporting role in other people’s lives?  Where I would see this most frequently is in my relationship to my kids - as their parents, we have to see them as the main characters and not just an extension of OUR story. Our lives. Our wishes for them....

Has your heart ever longed for something you couldn't quite reach? Whether you're held back by circumstance, talent, timing, capabilities, fate, or luck it doesn't really matter on the "why" when it comes to dealing with the disappointment. What do you do in the interim of an unmet desire? In my experience it can be hard to hold both truths at the same time: a lot of this is out of my control, but not all of it. My nature is to white knuckle something to force it into existence, but...

Do you have a sister and wonder if you're complicated relationship is "normal?" Or do you not have a sister and are curious if it really is all that it's hyped up to be? Inspired by my last episode where a childhood friend ratted me out (in a loving way) for complaining about my sister buying matching Ugg boots... I bring back my little sister as a guest to the show. We talk about how being born 13 months apart caused me to crave independence while she would have been happy to tag along...

We all seem to have blind spots - areas we are weak in or aren’t able to accurately perceive ourselves. For me it can be as small scale as moving too quickly and incurring many typos (thank God for Grammarly!) or as large scale as being so focused in my perspective that I find it difficult to entertain alternative avenues.  There is the old saying “it takes two to know one” so oftentimes without family, friends or community who love us enough to speak hard truths and make us privy to them...

Most of us grew up watching movies, but there was always one that you wanted on repeat. Have you ever wondered what drew you to that particular movie? For me growing up I loved “The Little Mermaid” and only looking back as adult can I see the common threads of what drew me to that story. Her independence, curiosity, exploration, rejection of the norm, and quest for adventure are all themes I was aligning with.  Ultimately, movies are storytelling - which has been around since the beginning...

The second part of our “Free Marriage Counseling” episode is live now and we cover… Money & Sex Yes, we do really go there.  💰 MONEY 💰 Have you ever thought about your earliest memory tied with money? What about your partner’s? Likely, they are very different experiences, but those early emotions tied with it play into your experiences and concept of it as a whole.  💋 SEX 💋 Also we share some practical tips for a healthy sex life: The “no with an appointment” strategy Don’t...

The #1 topic request I’ve received on this podcast has been people asking for an episode discussing marriage. Committed long term relationships can be some of the most meaningful and most difficult things to navigate all at the same time.  I couldn’t do this theme solo so my guest is the LOML, Aaron Weits - my husband of nearly 11 years, lover for 16 years and best friend for 18 years. We both are currently tied on the # of weddings we have been asked to officiate and, because of that, it...

Do you remember the first time as a female you were objectified?  I do. I was 12 and he was in his early 20s. It brought up mixed feelings of being immediately uncomfortable and self-conscious, but also flattered by the attention? Whether it’s fielding unwanted advances, or running in a new city with pepper spray in hand, or being the solo female voice outnumbered in a leadership room - these instances aren’t unique.  Women reading even just those examples will go “oh yeah, been...

Sharks - the silent apex predators that you don't see coming until they have already made their kill. What does it look like to take on the traits of being a shark? Can it be done well and in an ethical manner? Besides the sharks in Finding Nemo who say "fish are friends, not food" sharks get a bit of a bad rap. When I think of who embodies these characteristics most in order it goes #1 The Cast of Succession then #2 my friend Eric Roy. Eric is a Large Enterprise Account Executive for...

Do you want to take up more space? Are you nervous that you will come across as too big or too intimidating? Or are you on the other end of the spectrum and want to be more comfortable being reserved in your nature and not forced to talk to everybody at a party? Taking up space looks different for everybody but ultimately I think each of us want to be comfortable in our own skin at the end of the day. If you've ever been told "just be more confident" was your reaction "oh, awesome, that...

Weird title, right?  It seems we accept the love that feels familiar - whether that is for better or for worse. What I want to explore is wondering are we destined to only repeat the pattern set for us or is there possibility that we can heal and set new paths for ourselves?  My guest this episode is my little sister Clancy who had a similar upbringing to me but an entirely different trajectory of life and relationships.  We come from a strong matriarchal lineage which informed us from a...

People Pleasing. It’s not a question of “if” or “are you” people pleasing but "WHY" are you doing it? It seems this is something we may all come across at some point in our life.  For me, this is something I took on later in life and am still in the process of “unlearning” that unhealthy habit.  I want us to look into the root of where did this begin in us? I bring in my friend Hannah who talks about how it was taught to her by her culture, while mine came as a response to a deep wound....

How do you not botch a job interview? I’m a part of a scaling company and had to facilitate 100+ interviews over the last year - some people completely nail it and others bomb.  I’m asking - what makes someone tank an interview? And how can you ensure that you stand out above the crowd of other candidates vying for the same job? Or what if you’re the one responsible for hiring people - how do you vet out someone within the confines of a 30 minute discussion? What I land on is that...

This week I am curious about… Botox. I’m 31 so all my friends and I are at the stage of asking ourselves, “Do we do Botox? Is it preventative? Should we have already started and are we too late??” In this episode we explore the initial questions of why do we make changes to our bodies and what motivates us to do so? Are we born with thoughts about ourselves or is that all in relation to our nurturing / outside voices in childhood? Do we ever stop to question a thought that comes to mind and...

Hi, I’m Haven. For as long as I can remember I’ve had thoughts, ideas and questions inside of me that I love to talk about with friends and, usually over a tasty vanilla oat latte, together we pull the thread of those curiosities to explore them in a safe context. But I now have a more demanding job, I’m a mom to two little kids, I still want to have some semblance of a social life and oh yeah nurture my 10+ year marriage.  …I wanted to carve out a space to allow myself to express that...