Coloring Outside the Lines

Be sure to stay in touch with host Brooke, on various online platforms including subscribing to our email list found on the website below! Website: www.redbirdcounselingmn.com Instagram, Threads: @therapy.with.brooke⁠⁠ Facebook: @redbirdcounselingmn21  As always subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing with friends helps as continuing to reach more people. Everything helps and we thank you for y...

Part 2 - There’s the unspoken societal rule that women are not “suppose” to announce their pregnancies until they are out of the first trimester because that means they are past the risk of their pregnancy ending tragically. So what happens when you did everything right, planning when to get pregnant, taking the prenatals, going to all of the appointments and then, halfway through growing your muc...

Part 1 - There’s the unspoken societal rule that women are not “suppose” to announce their pregnancies until they are out of the first trimester because that means they are past the risk of their pregnancy ending tragically. So what happens when you did everything right, planning when to get pregnant, taking the prenatals, going to all of the appointments and then, halfway through growing your muc...

Children from a young age are often exposed to things that they have no real say in or control over; that includes religion. Lauren opens up about her experience being raised Mormon, growing up in the church, and believing its teachings. That is, until she was exposed to different people with different life experiences than her. Ultimately giving her a new perspective on her high demand religion a...

Have you ever noticed how it seems like there are limitations for us in life but you’re not 100% sure where they came from? Be it family, our life experiences or our generation, oftentimes we develop into who we are unconsciously based on things we have no control over. Amy said “no more.” She pushed herself to go to the places that most people stray from and instead engages bravely with all fasci...

It’s a reality that no one wants to acknowledge is real. Babies are meant to come home. Babies are meant to have a whole life before them. And sometimes, they don’t. Part 2 Becca Sharpsteen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and school social worker in Mankato, MN. Her and her husband, Dan, experienced the significant loss of their first born son, Cal, in 2021 when she was 38 weeks pregnant. Nav...

It’s a reality that no one wants to acknowledge is real. Babies are meant to come home. Babies are meant to have a whole life before them. And sometimes, they don’t. Part 1 Becca Sharpsteen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and school social worker in Mankato, MN. Her and her husband, Dan, experienced the significant loss of their first born son, Cal, in 2021 when she was 38 weeks pregnant. Nav...

Grace had it all planned out. School. Family. Career. She was a girl who knew what she wanted. Life however, had another plan for Grace. After spending time, energy, and focus on achieving her goals, Grace learned that things actually weren’t panning out as she intended them to. After shifting her focus to the spirit of the end goal rather than the exact “thing”, she became more flexible which ult...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: miscarriage PART TWO! After becoming unexpectedly pregnant and having a smooth pregnancy, who would think that subsequent pregnancies would be any different? For many women, each pregnancy is a completely different experience. This week, Sophie shares her journey of trying to grow her family and experiencing unexplained miscarriages time and time again. Sophie speaks of hope and...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: miscarriage PART ONE! After becoming unexpectedly pregnant and having a smooth pregnancy, who would think that subsequent pregnancies would be any different? For many women, each pregnancy is a completely different experience. This week, Sophie shares her journey of trying to grow her family and experiencing unexplained miscarriages time and time again. Sophie speaks of hope and...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: death, divorce If you were anything like me, you grew up hearing about how idealistic ending up with your high school sweetheart was. That it was the ultimate goal. What I don’t remember recalling is anyone talking about what life was meant to be after the happily ever after. Ryanne joins me and talks about how real life events help you truly learn who you are and what you want o...

Women are so adaptable. To our situations, to obstacles, to symptoms. When something needs to get done we make sure it happens. What happens when we can’t though? When all of a sudden, all of the things that worked in the past to keep you “high functioning” and holding it all together no longer work? You go looking for answers and solutions, which is exactly what led Gina to her ADHD diagnosis in...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Sexuality We don’t expect straight people to come out as straight to society yet we expect anyone who doesn’t identify in that way to do so. Knowing that they would be the people that society is more likely to judge and shame for not being “like everyone else.” So many people don’t have to give a second thought to their sexuality that when someone does, the experience can be real...

Everyone always talks about the bundle of joy that you will be coming home with. The sleepless nights that you’ll be waking up feeding the newest love of your life. But no one prepares you for what can sometimes happen in your mind following the birth of said beautiful child. Whether not to scare women away from having children or not to “put ideas into anyone’s mind” these topics simply aren’t ta...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Body Image, rape Can you identify the biggest influence for how you learned how your body was and wasn’t supposed to look like? For Jessica, that answer was easy. Family. The discussion of what privileges traditional beauty can offer a woman were common within her household while growing up. When looking at the historical context of her family, for good reason too. What impact do...

Humans were not made to fit into tiny boxes. We were not all made to be the same. And there’s more to all of us and our experiences than what meets the eye. Jennifer Brown knows that better than most. As someone who was able to see things that other people couldn’t from a young age, she knew that there had to be something bigger than what the mainstream culture and religion was teaching. After rea...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Divorce Did anyone else witness adults in their life growing up have a difficult time communicating about money in a calm, stress-free way? After gaining clarity about with whom and how she wanted to spend her life, Lindsey was committed to not becoming one of those people that let money become the root of all their problems. She shares examples of watching different adults in he...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide/suicidal ideation, pregnancy/infant loss, infertility Imagine, you do everything you are told you are supposed to to live a happy life. You go to college, find the guy, get married, graduate, and then, when you go to start your family things stop going like they are “supposed to”. You learn that after years of working to prevent a pregnancy from occuring, your body is act...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide/suicidal ideation, pregnancy/infant loss, infertility Imagine, you do everything you are told you are supposed to to live a happy life. You go to college, find the guy, get married, graduate, and then, when you go to start your family things stop going like they are “supposed to”. You learn that after years of working to prevent a pregnancy from occuring, your body is act...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Divorce Married and divorced in less than two years? No one thinks they’re signing up for that. Ronna gets real with her experience of getting divorced in her 20s and having to figure out how to move forward with her life. She shares experiences of moving home with her parents, investing in her physical health as a distraction, and having to face the hard emotions that come with...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Pregnancy/infant loss In this episode, host, Brooke Halliday, shares her experiences with setting boundaries. She discusses the impact that her own therapy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and her first pregnancy had on her ability to set and maintain boundaries. Further exploring how doing so has impacted her relationships and overall quality of life. Brooke Halliday is a licensed profes...

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide/suicidal ideation, pregnancy/infant loss, divorce Host Brooke Halliday talks about her early experiences with mental health symptoms, growing up in a divorced family, starting her career, and where she is now. She shares her hopes for this podcast and why she believes she is qualified to be having these meaningful conversations with guests. Brooke Halliday is a licensed p...

Here's the deal; as a therapist I don't think enough people are having conversations about the things that actually matter in life and shape who we are. I'm here to change that. This is a space to have real, deep, meaningful conversations about the things people try to stay away from. No topic is off limits. So buckle up because we're going there!