Still Talking About It

This week, Janelle is joined by content creator Anna the Nurse, a labour and postpartum nurse with 14 years of experience and a knack for turning some of the wildest hospital situations into hilarious, relatable social media skits.   And if you thought entitled in-laws were bad at family dinners, just WAIT until you hear what happens in the delivery room.   Janelle and Anna talk about the family m...

Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of sexual abuse, child abuse, and physical violence.   Madison Barbosa is BACK, and this time, she and Janelle are diving into some of the most disturbing in-law stories their followers have shared.   We're not talking about passive-aggressive comments or awkward family dinners anymore. These are situations where boundaries weren't just crossed… t...

In case you missed the memo, Janelle is CANADIAN. As in, she lives in CANADA. Where Thanksgiving is celebrated in OCTOBER. On a Monday. (Or Sunday, depending on when your family chooses to get together).    Apparently, some Americans in her comments section didn't get that memo after Janelle posted a Thanksgiving skit on social media… and they were VERY quick to try to correct her. Oops.   This we...

By now, you’ve probably seen the viral video from the San Francisco Giants game . A mom walks back to her seat carrying her baby, a diaper bag, and an impressive amount of food… while her husband just sits there, watching her do it.   The internet IMMEDIATELY had thoughts.   This week, Janelle is talking about the video, the wife’s response defending her husband, and what happens when we decide we...

How does a relationship with your in-laws go from manageable to strained, or even completely nonexistent? Usually, there’s a story behind it.   This week, Janelle asked her followers what finally changed THEIR relationships with their in-laws… and once again, you guys had a lot to say.   She’s getting into some of the moments that became breaking points, from in-laws who disappeared when their fam...

This week, Janelle got an email from “Aunt Linda”… and there is A LOT to unpack.   Linda is worried about her 24-year-old nephew’s girlfriend. He’s spent roughly $35,000 of his savings since they started dating, his family recently came into some money, and Linda and her sister are starting to wonder whether this girlfriend sees their son as her “golden ticket.”   So… should they be concerned? Or...

Janelle has a few hills she’s willing to die on when it comes to mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, and complicated family dynamics… and apparently, so does the internet.   This week, she’s diving deeper into two recent viral posts and explaining WHY she stands so firmly behind some of her most talked-about opinions.   Stop scolding your adult children.  Treat your grandchildren equally.  Respect a...

  Janelle asked for your hottest takes about grandparents, in-laws, boundaries and family relationships… and boy did you DELIVER!   This week, Janelle is reacting to some of the hottest takes her followers and listeners shared on Instagram. Do good grandparents have to be good parents first? When family comes to visit, should they automatically get a hotel? Did you really “marry the family” when y...

We spend a LOT of time talking about mothers-in-law around here… but apparently we’ve been sleeping on the sister-in-law drama! In fact, some of your sisters-in-law are giving the toxic mothers-in-law a run for their money.   This week, Janelle is digging into follower submissions about difficult sisters-in-law, and as usual, the stories range from mildly irritating to absolutely unhinged.   We’re...

This week, Janelle is joined by fellow content creator Sam, who originally started sharing her story online anonymously after years of dealing with a mother-in-law who threatened her, crossed some pretty serious boundaries, and even attempted to pursue grandparents’ rights.   Janelle and Sam have something else in common now, too. Both of their mothers-in-law recently passed away, and the feelings...

This week, Janelle is joined by content creator, birth and postpartum doula Bri Knight, who has built a following online sharing her own experiences with difficult in-law dynamics after becoming a mom.   They get into “pseudomutuality,” the idea of a family that appears incredibly close on the surface, but where authentic communication, accountability, and healthy boundaries are a whole lot harder...

Gift giving is supposed to be nice, right? So why does it cause SO much drama in families?   This week, we’re Still Talking About… Gifts. Janelle gets into the surprisingly complicated role gifts can play in difficult family relationships, from overgifting and grandparent competition to gifts that feel like they come with some pretty big strings attached.   She also talks about the weird position...

This week, Janelle hits ‘pause’ on her vacation to sit down in her cabin and talk about one of the most common pieces of advice people give when family relationships get complicated… "Just work it out."   Sounds easy enough. But what does "working it out" actually mean when one person is expected to do all the apologizing, all the compromising, and all the emotional labor?   Janelle shares her own...

This week, Janelle is answering your questions in another listener Q&A episode.   She shares her thoughts on everything from going no contact and explaining difficult family relationships to your children, to what happens when a spouse refuses to stand up for their partner. She also weighs in on guilt, healing, religion being used to justify unhealthy behavior, and whether you really have to call...

This week, Janelle is joined by Melissa, a follower whose relationship with her own mother-in-law has been marked by years of subtle digs, impossible expectations, and what she describes as "death by a thousand cuts."   Melissa shares how the tension started almost immediately, the countless moments that chipped away at the relationship over the years, and the incident that ultimately led her husb...

This week, Janelle shares something deeply personal. After years of talking about difficult family dynamics online, inspired largely by her relationship with her own mother-in-law, she received the difficult news that her mother-in-law had passed away.   She opens up about what the last few weeks have looked like for her family, why a terminal diagnosis doesn't erase years of complicated history,...

This week, Janelle is talking about something she sees all the time in difficult family relationships… scolding.   Not giving feedback. Not expressing disappointment. Scolding.   She breaks down why so many parents continue speaking to their adult children the same way they did when they were kids, why that approach almost always backfires, and how shame and guilt can quietly erode relationships o...

This week, Janelle is chatting with someone listeners have heard her mention many times… her podcast producer, Robyn Flynn, owner of Le Studio Quinze in Châteauguay, Quebec.   The conversation starts with how the two met through social media and eventually teamed up to launch Still Talking About It, before shifting into Robyn's own experience navigating marriage, parenting, and a complicated relat...

This week, Janelle welcomes Dr. Tracy Dalgleish back for Part Two of their conversation about family dynamics, boundaries, and what it takes to build healthy relationships in complicated family systems.   They talk about why honest feedback can be so difficult to hear, how to tell the difference between criticism and genuine concern, and why having people in your life who challenge you isn't alway...

This week, Janelle is joined by clinical psychologist and You, Your Husband and His Mother author Dr. Tracy Dalgleish for a conversation that gets to the heart of so many in-law struggles.   Like why daughters-in-law so often find themselves cast as either the victim or the villain, and what it looks like to step out of those roles and become the main character in your own life instead.   Janelle...

This week, Janelle is tackling a topic that generated a lot of strong opinions from followers… What happens when your mother-in-law continues to maintain contact with your partner’s ex?   This all starts with a listener sharing how her mother-in-law has maintained a close relationship with her son's former partner, despite being told that it makes him uncomfortable. The listener wanted to know whe...

This week, Janelle is talking about some of the less obvious red flags and green flags that can show up in mother-in-law relationships.   Not the big, dramatic, easy-to-spot stuff.    The smaller things.    The comments that leave you feeling a little weird.    The patterns that are easy to brush off individually, but start to paint a picture over time.   That includes figuring out what are those...

This week, Janelle is joined by licensed therapist, content creator, and mom of two Andrea Brambila to talk about modern parenting, family dynamics, and the pressure parents are under to do literally everything perfectly.   Andrea shares her thoughts on “90s-style parenting,” why kids don’t need parents acting like full-time cruise directors, and how independence, boredom, and lower screen time ca...

This week, Janelle is joined by a follower to talk about a situation that goes beyond awkward dynamics or difficult personalities… and into something much more serious.   What starts as uncomfortable, boundary-crossing behavior early in the relationship slowly builds into a pattern that becomes harder and harder to ignore. Moments that feel off. Comments that don’t sit right. Situations that make...

If your adult kids, their spouses, or even their friends never seem to want to spend any time at your house… there’s usually a reason. And no, it’s not because they’re “too busy.”   This week, we’re Still Talking About Why They Won’t Come Over…. As in, why your adult children simply don’t want to come to your house. Janelle draws a parallel between parenting younger kids and navigating relationshi...