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ShrinkChicks

Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT and Emmalee Bierly, LMFTwww.shrinkchicks.com
Emmalee Bierly, LMFT and Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT, owners and co-founders of The Therapy Group (@thetherapygrp), bring you the ShrinkChicks Podcast. ShrinkChicks is on a mission to make therapy and therapeutic topics more relatable and accessible. Each Monday, Emmalee and Jen will explore different mental health topics and invite you to sit in on their insight, humor, and knowledge, leaving the psychobabble behind.
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Episodes

Rewind: Decision Paralysis

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are re-sharing one of their favorite episodes while they take a little Thanksgiving break. This time of year is filled with decisions, both big and small, and Em and Jen are validating the various challenges that can come when making decisions. They talk through what makes us freeze when faced with a decision, analysis paralysis that comes with an abundance of choices, the fear of regret, external validation, how people pleasing can be a hurdle, and the...

Nov 25, 202448 minSeason 6Ep. 26

The Relationship Between Spite & Motivation

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are talking about spite and motivation. They start the episode off by discussing both of their ADHD diagnoses and how motivation, for them, can be hard to come by. Then, they define spite by explaining the two different types and discussing the motivation behind proving people wrong. Emmalee and Jen share how spite was the catalyst for starting their business, The Therapy Group, and what to do when spite as motivation runs out. Tune in to gain insight, ...

Nov 18, 202444 minSeason 6Ep. 25

Normalizing Intrusive Thoughts

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 a ...

Nov 11, 202447 minSeason 6Ep. 24

What Does Masculinity Really Mean?

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 content! Joh...

Nov 04, 202437 minSeason 6Ep. 23

The Difference Between Being Kind vs. Being Walked All Over

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, and...

Oct 28, 202446 minSeason 6Ep. 22

Boundaries with Emotionally Immature People

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 lik...

Oct 21, 202452 minSeason 6Ep. 21

Life Lessons That Changed Our Perspective

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: Fas...

Oct 14, 202444 minSeason 6Ep. 20

Is It Possible to Release Control?

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 ho...

Oct 07, 202450 minSeason 6Ep. 19

How to Take Responsibility for Your Emotions

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, aware...

Sep 30, 202444 minSeason 6Ep. 18

How to Respond and Not React

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 to g...

Sep 23, 202448 minSeason 6Ep. 17

Building Self-Confidence: Don't Believe Everything You Think

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 around ...

Sep 16, 202442 minSeason 6Ep. 16

Should I Speak Up or Bite My Tongue?

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 how ...

Sep 09, 202446 minSeason 6Ep. 15

Rewind: People In Our Lives Who Aren't "Doing The Work"

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 th...

Sep 02, 202447 minSeason 6Ep. 14

The Line Between Empathy and Enabling

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 well ...

Aug 26, 202445 minSeason 6Ep. 13

Inside Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy

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. Sophia a...

Aug 19, 202446 minSeason 6Ep. 12

Help! I'm Anxious About My Anxiety

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 line b...

Aug 12, 202445 minSeason 6Ep. 11

A New Perspective on Death & Dying

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 anticipatory...

Aug 05, 202447 minSeason 6Ep. 10

The Impact of Your Core Wounds on Your Friendships

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 friendship break-up o...

Jul 29, 202442 minSeason 6Ep. 9

Making New Friends (& Nurturing Old Ones) in Adulthood

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 dif...

Jul 22, 202441 minSeason 6Ep. 8

The Things We're Working On

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 and...

Jul 15, 202445 minSeason 6Ep. 7

What Does "Trauma" Really Mean?

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 mean...

Jul 08, 202443 minSeason 6Ep. 6

The Role Stress Plays in Our Relationships

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, regulating o...

Jul 01, 202445 minSeason 6Ep. 5

Our 10 Year Anniversary Episode!

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 thera...

Jun 24, 202450 minSeason 6Ep. 4

Coping with Information Overload

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 on...

Jun 17, 202442 minSeason 6Ep. 3

Unlearning Societal Expectations

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 opini...

Jun 10, 202440 minSeason 6Ep. 2

Emmalee's Fertility Journey

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 friend g...

Jun 03, 202442 minSeason 6Ep. 1

Rewind: Change is F*cking Scary

In light of the holiday weekend, today's episode is a re-release of one of Emmalee and Jen's favorites. 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. In the episode, Emmalee and Jen talk all about change and why it can be so challenging and scary! They share how they each process change and why it works for them. Then, they discuss how to move through the fear of change, the loss ...

May 27, 202441 minSeason 5Ep. 22

Can Love Ever Really Be Unconditional?

On this week's episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are myth-busting the idea of unconditional love. They explain the difference between conditional and unconditional love and which kinds of relationships fall into either category. Then, they answer the #1 listener question: can love be unconditional in romantic relationships? Plus, they dive deeper into the way we put unconditional love on a pedestal as a society. Em and Jen discuss the grief process in accepting the reality that our parent...

May 20, 202439 minSeason 5Ep. 21

Getting Comfortable(ish) with Discomfort

Today on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are teaching you how to build distress tolerance skills. They start the episode by explaining what distress tolerance is and where the concept comes from. Emmalee and Jen discuss the relationship between acceptance of reality and its effect on distress. They answer your questions about discomfort from other people's distress, releasing control, tangible self-soothing tips for when distress arises, how to know if you have too much distress tolerance, feeling...

May 13, 202442 minSeason 5Ep. 20

You Are Not Responsible for Other People's Emotions

This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen explain the concept of differentiation. This term is woven through the work they do and they're here to explain it in a digestible, relatable way. Emmalee and Jen list some questions to help determine if you’re differentiated and share which of the questions they resonate with most. Then, they discuss how differentiation relates to codependency and cut-off, enmeshment vs. closeness, and separating your emotions from someone else’s. Em and Jen answer you...

May 06, 202444 minSeason 5Ep. 19
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