On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen normalize and validate the occurrence of intrusive thoughts. They start the episode off by sharing the definition of intrusive thoughts and some statistics about them. Then they discuss postpartum intrusive thoughts, the difference between intrusive thoughts and rumination, assigning meaning to these thoughts, how to bring them up to your therapist, when to seek professional support, intrusive thoughts and OCD, and how overthinking plays...

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are sitting down with a dear friend, John Scardina. He is a former school psychologist whose current mission is to highlight male vulnerability and connect men with other men. John talks with Em and Jen about breaking negative familial and societal cycles, our relationship with our fathers, masculinity and humanity, anger as a "cover-up" emotion in men, and so much more! PS: There is no intro for today's episode - join us right away for the...

On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are helping us differentiate between being kind and being walked all over or taken advantage of. They start the episode by explaining how the feeling of resentment can provide information to help differentiate between the two. Then they discuss the socialization of women to always be kind, why we have this idea that holding people accountable = mean, work boundaries with a boss or manager, in-laws and kindness, asking for what you need,...

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are thrilled to 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 new book, Consider This, which just hit shelves last week. Then, Nedra answers your questions about emotionally immature people and boundaries. She covers topics...

On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are sharing the life lessons they've learned throughout the years that have shifted their perspectives. They discuss how helping can really be a way to control, why being clear = being kind, feelings of stuckness and remembering everything is temporary, de-personalizing other people’s reactions, and so much more! Then, Em and Jen share their thoughts and responses to your life lessons. Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and action! PS:...

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are joined by one of their amazing clinicians from their therapy practice, Dr. Lindsay Haston! Lindsay talks to us about where to begin when releasing control, letting go of control both externally and internally, and why fear can hold us back. She discusses the main modality she uses with her clients, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and what it entails. Lindsay explains some facets of ACT like accepting things as neutral vs. good or bad and...

On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are helping us learn how to take responsibility for our emotional reactions. They discuss the guilt/shame cycle that can occur after an emotional reaction and how to stop it, what a genuine apology looks like, how to communicate when you're hurting, setting boundaries with others who emotionally react to you, and so much more! The episode ends with a Dear Em & Jen about insecurities following a heartbreak. Tune in to gain insight,...

Today on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about 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 peoples’ energy/mood. The episode ends with a Dear Em & Jen about being caught in between a parent and partner. Tune in...

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen share tips and tricks to help you build self-confidence and self-esteem. They discuss why doing something new can trigger feelings of insecurity, self-confidence and mastery, how to know if your inner critic is right or wrong, building self-confidence with a core wound of unworthiness, how to validate yourself, when people's opinions matter vs. when they don’t, and so much more! Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and action! PS: Fast forward to...

On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are covering a topic that they differ greatly on: when to speak up (what Jen works on) and when to bite your tongue (what Em works on). So whether you are an Em or a Jen - they got you! They discuss questions to ask yourself when debating whether to say something, harming yourself by staying quiet vs. harming the other person by saying too much, honesty without tact, how this relates to parenting, and tips on how to bring things up and...

This week's episode is a re-release of one of Emmalee and Jen's favorite episodes. They want to model what they often share, which is the importance of resting and taking breaks in order to continue to show up as the best versions of themselves. The topic is one that constantly receives questions: what to do when the people in your life aren't "doing the work?" Whether that's your family member, friend, co-worker, or partner, Emmalee and Jen are answering your questions about the frustrations...

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are explaining the difference between having empathy for someone vs. enabling someone, as they can feel very similar. They start off the episode by sharing ways to recognize the line between the two and speak on why it can be challenging to shift the dynamic in a relationship where we're enabling. Emmalee and Jen discuss how to apply this same logic to ourselves (i.e. holding self accountable in a gentle way), ways they have enabled one another as...

Today on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are joined by two incredible guests, Dr. Sophia Brandstetter and Karen Smith, LCSW! Both Sophia and Karen are therapists who have advanced training in and specialize in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Together, they discuss who is a candidate for KAP, a detailed explanation of what KAP looks like, KAP in a group setting vs. individual setting and what the group process entails, and information for those who may feel tentative about the idea....

On today's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking all about anticipatory anxiety. They begin by explaining the different reasons and scenarios where we might experience anticipatory anxiety, along with what could trigger it for us. Emmalee and Jen share their own personal experiences with anticipatory anxiety and how it manifests for them. They help you to recognize anticipatory anxiety and share tangible coping skills to use when it becomes activated. Then, they discuss the...

On today's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are thrilled to sit down with Alua Arthur! Alua is a speaker, an author, and the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. The three of them discuss the often uncomfortable topic of death and how to get more comfortable with it so that it doesn't feel as overwhelming and scary. Emmalee and Jen start the episode off by finding out what exactly a death doula does. Then, they talk about...

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are digging deeper into our childhood wounds and exploring how they may affect our friendships today. They start the episode by explaining the four different common core wounds to help you identify yours. Then, they share which core wound they each most identify with and how Jen's wound can trigger Emmalee's and vice versa. They discuss how we can work on noticing these wounds and changing our reactions, processing the grief from a...

Today on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about the very under-discussed topic of friendships and the difficulties that exist as we try to make new friends and nurture old friendships in adulthood. They start the episode off by sharing some interesting statistics on friendships. Then, they give us a glimpse into what their friendship was like in the early stages and how they struggled to be vulnerable with one another. Em and Jen discuss competition in female friendships, friends in...

On today's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about what they are working on personally and professionally. They want to continue to be vulnerable with you all and share their personal goals and struggles. In the first part of the episode, Emmalee and Jen share two different personal stories about having to pivot when it comes to either keeping or canceling plans. They then ask each other what they are working on overcoming in their own lives. Jen touches on staying present...

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are joined by the incredible Dr. Danica Harris! Danica is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, facilitator, presenter, and educator. She helps folks heal from attachment wounds, sexual trauma, emotional neglect, vicarious trauma, intergenerational and identity-based trauma, and work or academic trauma. Emmalee, Jen, and Danica start the episode off by defining complex trauma and how it differs from single-incident trauma. Then, they discuss what it...

On today's episode of ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen sit down with one of their dear friends, fellow therapist, and talented author, Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT! Liz is the author of I Want This to Work and has a new book available for pre-order now: Til' Stress Do Us Part: How to Heal The #1 Issue in Our Relationships. Emmalee and Jen start the episode off by asking Liz where the inspiration to write her new book came from. Then, they discuss how to navigate stress within our relationships,...

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are celebrating 10 years in business together by dedicating the episode to all that they've learned so far! They discuss their journey, the ways their lives have been enriched by one another, things they would change, hard decisions they had to make, and the transition away from pleasing people. Emmalee and Jen answer your questions about what they've learned from one another, what they're most proud of the other person for, how they've changed as...

On today's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are discussing the information overload we all experience on a daily basis and how to move toward more conscious consumption of media, the news, etc. They answer your questions about social media's role in the overwhelm, the "shoulds" and comparison culture, how to create boundaries with consumption, parenting social media accounts that make us feel like we're failing, social media therapists vs. social media "therapists," why seeing content...

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are joined by Kara Loewentheil, host of the internationally top-ranked podcast Unf*ck Your Brain and author of the new book Take Back Your Brain: How A Sexist Society Gets in Your Head and How to Get It Out. Kara shares tangible steps to change our thought patterns and address the "brain gap" so many of us experience when considering our conscious thoughts vs. societal expectations/conditioning. Kara answers questions about managing other people's...

On today's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee is taking you on her fertility journey. The episode begins with Em's story and all the highs and lows that have come with it thus far. She talks about her recurrent miscarriage diagnosis, her misdiagnosis of PCOS, and her two recent egg retrieval experiences. Then, Jen asks Em all of your questions, such as advice for those freezing their eggs alone, what has been most helpful when Em's feeling overwhelmed by the process, how best to support a...