Other People's Problems - podcast cover

Other People's Problems

Real people. Real problems. Real talk. Normally, therapy sessions are totally confidential — but this podcast opens the doors. Hillary McBride and her clients want to help demystify mental health. No actors. No auditions. No artifice. This is what people really sound like when they talk about traumatic births, turbulent divorces, eating disorders and tough childhoods.

Episodes

Other People’s Problems Introduces: On Drugs

On Drugs looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Because even if it’s just caffeine or ibuprofen, there’s a good chance you’re on drugs right now. More episodes of On Drugs are available at:  https://link.mgln.ai/toiuju

Jan 13, 202541 min

Patti: You don’t need to be perfect to be lovable

A COVID scare in the kids’ group Patti manages wakes up the perfectionist inside her — the part of her that feels she needs to be perfect in order to deserve connection with others. She and Dr. Hillary trace this feeling back to her younger years, and help Patti draw from her personal growth to comfort that version of herself.

Jun 29, 202123 minSeason 4Ep. 7

Guided meditation: The shape of breathing

As we wind down the season, Dr. Hillary McBride invites you to catch your breath and feel yourself in this particular moment. Imagining as you exhale that this breath could support you in the practice of letting go.

Jun 29, 20218 min

Kristin: Let yourself be excited about friendship

Kristin recognizes she feels isolated and alone, at least in part because she’s kept people at a distance to protect herself from getting hurt. Dr. Hillary uses her own relationship with Kristin to model friendship and the excitement that can come from deep connection.

Jun 22, 202128 minSeason 4Ep. 6

Vanessa: Surviving the fear that 'everyone leaves'

Dr. Hillary needs to tell her longtime client Vanessa that she’s pregnant and that they'll soon need to take a break, when Hillary goes on maternity leave. This is hard to hear for Vanessa, who has been left, physically and emotionally, by important people in her life when she needed them most. Hillary helps Vanessa navigate the pain of feeling abandoned while also assuring her: although their situation will change, their bond is secure.

Jun 15, 202126 minSeason 4Ep. 5

Hannah: Stop pleasing and start trusting connection

In this therapy session, Hannah and Dr. McBride explore Hannah's defenses against vulnerability and her deep-seated fear of abandonment. They discuss how Hannah's pattern of trying to please others and earn love has prevented her from experiencing authentic connection and self-acceptance. The session culminates in a powerful exercise where Hannah connects with the memory of her grandmother and realizes her enduring presence.

Jun 08, 202127 minSeason 4Ep. 4

Ethan: A deep political rift in the family

Ethan’s parents have become committed to extreme right wing ideologies, which they keep pushing on Ethan. He has tried and failed to explain to them why their views are harmful. Now, in the midst of helping his wife deal with a health crisis, Ethan has decided to step away from his relationship with his parents, despite how much it hurts. Dr. Hillary helps him navigate his grief.

Jun 01, 202121 minSeason 4Ep. 3

Kristin: Sibling loss in early life

Kristin’s brother died when she was very young and she blamed herself, the way children sometimes do. She has carried that unresolved shame for decades. As the anniversary of his death stirs up hard feelings, Dr. Hillary helps Kristin begin to heal this deep wound. She also guides adult Kristin, now a parent herself, toward saying the words she needed to hear as a child.

May 25, 202129 minSeason 4Ep. 2

Julia: Hiding away the hard parts

As someone who has struggled with addiction and a bipolar diagnosis, Julia carefully hides away parts of herself. Dr. Hillary McBride helps her embrace her complexity, and reconcile it with her new identity as mom. “Your identity was never in addiction, was never in illness, your identity has always been something much deeper.”

May 18, 202128 minSeason 4Ep. 1

Guided meditation: "Feel life flowing through your feet”

Slow down today and join Dr. Hillary for five minutes of mindfulness. This meditation, which she wrote, is intended to help you feel grounded and more at ease. (If you're too busy today, then you may want to play it twice.)

May 18, 20216 min

Coming soon: Season 4 of Other People's Problems

What does it mean to come out of isolation? In a year where we’ve needed it, this season is all about reconnecting with ourselves and one another. Dr. Hillary McBride helps her clients talk through a range of issues heightened by these uncertain times. An all new season of Other People’s Problems begins May 18, 2021.

May 11, 20212 min

Guided meditation: For these uncertain times

A gift to you, our listeners, as we wrap Season 3. We appreciate you so much. Take good care of yourself and each other. (And, hey, if you have feedback or experiences with OPP to share, we’d love to hear from you. Please email producer Jodie Martinson: jodie.martinson@cbc.ca)

Jul 08, 202011 minSeason 3Ep. 10

Lacey: Looking back with accepting eyes, forward to more joy

As we know from the earlier episode with Lacey, she grew up with a mother who neglected her. It has left her with a deep sense she is not good enough. In this episode, Hillary and Lacey travel back to Lacey’s childhood home to witness the situation through the eyes of caring responsible adults who see little Lacey’s suffering and take care of her.

Jul 06, 202042 minSeason 3Ep. 9

Louise: Ready to feel alive

It’s been a few weeks since we released a bonus episode from Louise about being hospitalized for anorexia and contracting COVID-19 in the hospital. Now, she’s home, healing, and determined to take steps toward recovering from her eating disorder and letting her true self shine through.

Jul 03, 202035 minSeason 3Ep. 8

Vanessa: “The life I have isn’t working”

Vanessa’s daily life is difficult. Between coping with the demands of work and raising a daughter with special needs, Vanessa is falling into old patterns of negative thinking and self-silencing. Can she learn to break old patterns and recognize her own feelings of loneliness?

Jun 30, 202031 minSeason 3Ep. 7

Andrew: Unlocking memories of childhood sexual abuse

As a teenager, Andrew was sexually abused by someone he trusted. Even though the perpetrator was an adult, and to an outsider it would be a clear case of child sexual abuse, the experience felt more complex to him at the time.

Jun 23, 202030 minSeason 3Ep. 6

Louise: Surviving an eating disorder and COVID-19 (Plus, a special interview with Hillary)

Louise had to be hospitalized because of anorexia. In the hospital, she contracted COVID-19 and has had to be isolated for weeks. She and Hillary speak compassionately to the eating disorder part of Louise for how it has helped her cope with her suffering, and ask it to move aside so that the real Louise, the parts of her that want to live fully, can begin to take over. Plus, we hear a candid interview with Hillary, who has personal experience with an eating disorder. NOTE: This conversation was...

Jun 20, 202035 minSeason 3Ep. 5

Emily: Letting yourself be sad

Emily was taught as a kid to avoid some of her emotions, including sadness. Now as an adult, she is learning how to sit with her feelings without pushing them away. She hopes to resolve past traumas and develop new ways of coping with the ups and downs of life.

Jun 16, 202034 minSeason 3Ep. 4

Tom: Riding big waves of emotion

Tom connects with Hillary over Zoom during a lunch break at work. He's been working to understand and experience his emotions, connect with his wife and kids, and compassionately factor in his ADHD. Hillary is amazed at how far Tom has come from their first session to where he is today, taking the time to take care of himself, and model for his kids how to express big feelings appropriately when they come up.

Jun 08, 202030 minSeason 3Ep. 3

Lacey: Healing from a neglectful mother

Growing up, there was a lot of conflict in Lacey’s family. After her parents divorced, the conflict stopped, but Lacey and her sister were often left alone. By connecting with her younger self, Lacey realises what she was missing: being seen and loved just as she is. Now, Lacey is doing her best to let go of the childhood patterns — the shield — that once protected her, in hopes of creating healthier ways of being for herself and her children.

Jun 01, 202029 minSeason 3Ep. 2

Coming soon: new episodes of Other People's Problems

Dr. Hillary McBride is back with a new season of Other People's Problems. Unlike most therapy podcasts that feature sessions between a therapist and a one-off client, Hillary's clients have been working with her for a long time. This is what people sound like when they talk about difficult childhoods, the stress of day-to-day-life and sudden changes to our lives with someone they trust.

May 26, 20202 min

Andrew: Opening up during lockdown

Andrew has been working on connecting with others. Although he is making great strides, Andrew is finding it hard to connect with his wife. As the corona virus forces him to close his restaurant and isolate at home with his family, Andrew must get vulnerable and ask for what he's been longing for — intimacy.

May 26, 202026 minSeason 3Ep. 1

Introducing Food, We Need to Talk

Food, We Need to Talk from WBUR follows one woman's quest to end her war with food. Hosts Juna Gjata and Dr. Eddie Phillips wield solid science, medical knowledge, common sense and an endless supply of dad jokes to teach us how to eat better and feel better about it.

Jan 22, 20204 min

Other People's Problems live! "Family Inheritance"

Recorded in front of a live theatre audience at the HotDocs Podcast Festival, Hillary McBride discusses how our families shape us for better and for worse by digging deeper into Sloane's story and her own. Featuring special expert panellists Kwame McKenzie and Tina Malti.

Jan 23, 201949 min

Maggie: It's okay to feel good

"You don't get rid of shadow, you learn how to use it. There is strength and goodness and power even in the shadow" - Hillary

Nov 27, 201829 minSeason 2Ep. 9

Dave: Shame blocks connection

Shame keeps Dave from connecting with other people. He finds a way to reach toward Hillary.

Nov 27, 201832 minSeason 2Ep. 8

Sloane: Ending it with an abusive mom

As Sloane prepares to welcome her first child, she confronts the painful relationship she has with her own mother and her wish the relationship could end.

Nov 20, 201828 minSeason 2Ep. 7

Franklyn: Carrying old hurt into new love

Franklyn has begun dating again after his divorce. But hurt and fear from the past are making it hard for him to dive in to new love.

Nov 20, 201824 minSeason 2Ep. 6

Lu Ripley: Talking about suicide (Special guest)

*Warning: This episode references suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. When someone you love is suicidal, talking about it is daunting. In this podcast extra, host Hillary McBride, producer Jodie Martinson, and expert guest Lu Ripley get real about how to have candid conversations and ask that terrifying question: "Do you want to kill yourself?"

Nov 13, 201822 min

Belle: Suicide and parental guilt

*Warning: This episode references suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. Belle is feeling suicidal and like a bad parent. Hillary talks with her about the idea of a "good enough" mom.

Nov 13, 201832 minSeason 2Ep. 5