Trich Talks!

For years, Thea Bryan (@jazzwinebook) kept her hair pulling a secret—even from her best friend of over 40 years. As a mental health professional working in recovery, she understands the power of compassion, healing, and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health. After trying countless approaches and continuing to explore new options, including minoxidil and TMS therapy, Thea is now sharing her...

Today's episode of Trich Talks is dedicated to parents. After receiving hundreds of comments and messages from parents seeking guidance on how to support their children with trichotillomania and other body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), Barbara shares a special PSA created just for them. In this episode, she covers: • What trichotillomania really is—and why parents aren’t the cause • How to...

Barbara is back with another Your Questions, My Answers episode of Trich Talks! In this episode, she tackles questions from the trichotillomania community, including: Does trichotillomania cause gray hair to appear sooner? What is the best way to grow hair back faster? How do hair-pulling episodes start for you? Are they caused by stress or something else? Will my eyelashes ever grow back? How do...

Kailey (@embracingmysuperpower) returns to Trich Talks with an exciting milestone to celebrate—8 weeks pull-free! Having shared her journey on the podcast before, she's back to reflect on the progress she's made, the challenges she's overcome, and the confidence she's rebuilding along the way. With the unwavering support of her family, friends, and coworkers, Kailey has reached meaningful mileston...

Shiffy Andelman (@shifkay) shares her experience living with trichotillomania and hopes to bring more awareness and understanding to hair-pulling and related behaviors. — Living with a BFRB isn’t about willpower, it’s about awareness. The Keen2 by HabitAware gently vibrates to help you notice pulling or picking in the moment , so you can pause and choose what comes next. It’s not about stopping pe...

Ava has experienced trichotillomania, including pulling her hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows, since she was 8 years old. Only recently, after discovering the HabitAware Collective community, has she truly begun to manage, accept, and confront her BFRB. Outside of her BFRB journey, Ava is a college student who also works part-time at her local zoo. ^We did not pay her to say this! — Living with a BFRB...

Amber (@amberinthedriversseat) is a stay-at-home mom of four who has lived with hair pulling since a young age. After only recently discovering the official name of the disorder just two months ago, she has turned her experience into advocacy, using social media to raise awareness, share her journey, and help others feel less alone. In this episode, Amber opens up about living with trichotillomani...

Lauren D. Fulter (@laurendfulter_author) published her first book at age sixteen, but she's been writing her fictional friends ever since she could hold a crayon. As a neurodivergent creative with trichotillomania, she’s passionate about helping people feel seen in the media they consume. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCWBI) and is a marketing assistan...

Jennifer Mbanu (@jenmbanuwellness) is a passionate patient advocate and wellness entrepreneur dedicated to raising awareness around body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), including Trichotillomania, which she has personally navigated for the past 33 years. After opening her wellness business this past October, Jennifer continues to create spaces for education, healing, and community support. S...

In this episode of Trich Talks , Barbara responds to questions from the community, offering both practical guidance and honest insight into living with trichotillomania. She shares how listeners can join a supportive, judgment-free group and explores alternative strategies for managing urges—especially in areas like eyelashes where physical barriers can be challenging. From there, the conversation...

Brandi Davis (@brandidcozytrichtalk) is a trichotillomania advocate who has been navigating life with the condition since she began hair pulling at just 8 years old. Now 34, she shares her lived experience with honesty and compassion, helping others feel less alone while raising awareness about trichotillomania. Through her platform, Brandi creates a supportive space for open conversation, breakin...

Holly Johnson (@trich.journey) returns to the podcast one year later, opening up about how her journey with BFRBs has evolved since her last appearance. She shares the highs, and the real, unfiltered growth she’s experienced along the way—offering insight, honesty, and hope for anyone navigating their own path. This episode is pure motivation. Follow Holly’s walking page @mindfulmilesclub_ Listen...

After struggling for years with skin/nail picking personally, as well as noticing the issue come up again and again in her professional life working in behavioral health, Emma (@tranquilitips) is now working to build something new to support this community. TranquiliTips are cuticle protectors that work by creating a barrier to protect the skin, while redirecting picking motions to the sleeve rath...

Today’s episode of Trich Talks is a special one. Barbara reads from The Trichster Diaries and she officially comes to the end of the book. In this episode, she opens up about what it was like sharing her trichotillomania with her husband (then her new boyfriend!)—something that felt scary, vulnerable, and ultimately so freeing. He even makes a little cameo, which makes this episode extra meaningfu...

In today’s episode of Trich Talks , Barbara reads from her memoir, The Trichster Diaries . She highlights the small but meaningful moments of connection that help break the silence around trichotillomania, while also embracing the humor in the unexpected ways it shows up—or doesn’t—in daily life. Through it all, she reminds us just how powerful it can be to share our experiences with trusted frien...

Aleshia Wisch (@thealeshiawisch) has lived with trichotillomania for decades and now helps women heal through nervous-system–first support rooted in lived experience. She is the founder of the Becoming Her Movement and is passionate about helping women move out of shame and into safety, self-trust, and real change—without relying on willpower or self-blame. — Living with a BFRB isn’t about willpow...

Aleshia Wisch (@thealeshiawisch) has lived with trichotillomania for decades and now helps women heal through nervous-system–first support rooted in lived experience. She is the founder of the Becoming Her Movement and is passionate about helping women move out of shame and into safety, self-trust, and real change—without relying on willpower or self-blame. — Living with a BFRB isn’t about willpow...

In this episode of Trich Talks , Barbara reads from The Trichster Diaries and opens up about her struggle with hair pulling while working as a classroom teacher. Standing in front of students each day while privately — or maybe not so privately — battling urges took an emotional toll. She reflects on what it felt like to remain in a role she knew was negatively impacting her trichotillomania, yet...

In this episode of Trich Talks , Barbara reads from The Trichster Diaries and reflects on the different places and situations that used to trigger her hair pulling. From the car to the bathroom to post-dance recitals, she shares the environments that sparked the urge and the compulsive need to check the mirror after each pull. Barbara explores the cycle of pulling → checking → shame, and the emoti...

Jessie Hannah (@barebecoming) has lived with a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) for over 25 years, beginning at age seven. For much of her life, she believed it was something she should be able to control through willpower alone, a belief that kept her stuck in silence and shame. Everything shifted when she participated in group CBT for BFRBs and experienced, for the first time, what it fel...

Steven Goddard (@bearsy84) is a London-based man in his 40s who has been living with trichotillomania for over 25 years. Through his experience, Steven has come to recognize how deeply trich impacts men, despite being far less openly discussed than it is among women. He speaks candidly about the stigma, isolation, and pressure many men feel to keep their struggles private, and the toll that silenc...

On today’s episode of Trich Talks , Barbara reads from her book The Trichster Diaries and revisits the tips and tricks she once relied on to manage trichotillomania. More than six years later, she reflects on which strategies still hold up, which ones she’s outgrown, and how her understanding of recovery has evolved. The episode is filled with honesty, humor, and perspective, inviting listeners to...

On today’s episode of Trich Talks , Barbara reads an excerpt from The Trichster Diaries and reflects on why the concept of being “pull-free” doesn’t fully make sense for her. She explores how recovery is often framed in all-or-nothing terms, why that narrative can feel limiting or even harmful, and what redefining healing has looked like over time. The episode invites listeners to consider their o...

Amaya (@lemuriidae) has had BFRBs since early childhood, and embraces the bald life. They are pursuing a degree in research psychology, and would like to study BFRBs in the future to improve our understanding of these often overlooked conditions. In their (somewhat limited) spare time they love to cook, make art, dance, and hang out with their pet snake named Dirt. — Living with a BFRB isn’t about...

Based in Northern California, Isa (@isabellahhh.__b) is a student studying digital marketing and psychology, two of her favorite passions. She started her account to raise awareness and show transparency for mental health, joy in everyday life, and her faith is super important to her. Opportunities like Trich Talks is something Isa has always wanted to be a part of, so this is such a blessing! ———...