Breathe, Darling with Emily Riggs

In this episode, Emily sits down with Samantha Redden in a powerful exploration of identity and resilience, navigating what it really means to start over. In today’s episode, Samantha shares her journey from nonprofit work to becoming a nationally recognized cycling instructor, and the deep grief and identity loss she faced as she exited that chapter. Through motherhood, living with type 1 diabete...

Kara Cruz, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, shares a powerful conversation with Emily today on self-abandonment and what it really looks like for women navigating burnout, people-pleasing, and disconnection from self. The explore the connection between many women’s experiences of midlife and menopause, and uncovering wounds they’re desperate to heal from. Drawing from her work with women...

TW: infertility, perinatal loss, perinatal trauma How do you hold hope and grief at the same time? In this episode, Emily sits down with Dr. Bridget Jones. Bridget is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in working with women who have previously struggled and who currently struggle with infertility. She shares openly about her personal and professional journey through infertility, preg...

In this episode, Emily sits down with somatic therapist Melissa Woody (LCSW, SEP) to explore what it really means to move from survival into connection. Melissa shares how her own experience with burnout and illness forced her to redefine “enough” and reconnect with herself beyond her work. Melissa and Emily discuss protective patterns, unearthing what they are, how they’ve kept us safe, and how t...

In this episode, Emily is joined by therapist and Self-Compassion Educator, Kylie Lambert. This episode dives deep into the inner “mean girl” many women carry - that critical voice that pushes and shames, convincing us our worth is tied to productivity and others’ opinions of us. Through honest conversation, Kylie and Emily explore how inner dialogue forms, why it’s difficult to release, and what...

In this episode, Emily is joined by Victoria Reyna, a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in ADHD, who brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to her work. They explore together what ADHD actually is, moving beyond the common stereotype of hyperactivity, and how it shows up in both children and adults. Victoria reframes ADHD as an executive functioning disorder, impacting area...

In this episode, Emily is joined by therapist and Perinatal Mental Health Specialist Nicole McNelis (M.Ed., NCC, LPC, PMH-C) to talk about a topic many mothers experience but rarely discuss openly: mom rage. Nicole explains how maternal rage often grows out of a powerful combination of feelings of powerlessness, injustice, and stress, and why it feels so sudden and overwhelming. Nicole first encou...

In this episode of the Breathe, Darling Book Club , Emily and Steph sit down with Suleika Jaouad’s The Book of Alchemy — a luminous exploration of creativity, transformation, and the alchemy of turning life’s hardest moments into meaning. Together, we reflect on the themes that resonated most deeply with us and our listeners, including: ✨ The role of ritual and creativity in healing✨ How communi...

Welcome to the very first Breathe, Darling Book Club episode! 🎉 In this candid conversation, Emily Riggs and Stephani Duff unpack Text Me When You Get Home by Kayleen Schaefer — a love letter to female friendship that challenges old narratives and invites us to look at our relationships with fresh eyes. Together, we dive into the complex, beautiful, and sometimes heartbreaking truths of women’s f...

Welcome back to Breathe, Darling: the podcast! In this episode, Emily sits down with Kara Cruz, LMFT—therapist, women's mental health advocate, and founder of Kara Cruz Wellness—for a deeply grounded conversation on navigating mental health, healing from self-abandonment, and learning to trust ourselves again. Kara shares her expertise in reproductive and perinatal mental health, ADHD, anxiety, co...

Welcome back to Breathe, Darling: The Podcast ! Today’s conversation is an honest one, the kind that feels like sitting across from someone who really gets you. Emily is joined by Stephani Duff—a calm, thoughtful presence with a gift for saying things that stay with you. Together, they talk about the real magic of female friendship, what it means to love every version of yourself, and how we keep...

We all know the discomfort of feeling lost in our lives. Maybe it’s a season of directionless wandering or one of grieving the life we thought we’d have. Other times, we feel like we’ve found our footing—our calling is clear and our purpose feels aligned with where we’re at in life.  Regardless of the season you find yourself in, this episode holds so much goodness for each of us just figuring it...

Have you heard of the concept "Highly Sensitive Persons"? Today's guest, Bridget Petri, has dedicated her therapy practice to creating space for the highly sensitive among us, helping them navigate a chaotic world and maintain a sense of self. With great care and compassion, Bridget describes for us the characteristics of HSPs and ways to embrace this personality trait. She shares her journey of d...

I'm beyond excited to welcome today's guest, Nikki Wendel, to the podcast! Nikki is not only one of my favorite people to talk all things mental health with, but also an encouraging force for change in my own life. I met Nikki almost 3 years ago, sharing brunch at a random diner in Virginia (a story for another time). I quickly learned that she is a determined, lifelong learner, who inevitably rub...

We're back with part 2 of my conversation with Grace Casey! If you missed part 1 of this conversation, hit pause on this one and go listen! It's a rich conversation full of vulnerability, connection, and permission. In part 2, we discuss creating the lives we want for ourselves and our families, while rejecting the premise that life has to look one way in order to be worthy. We pivot to chat about...

It is such a joy to welcome today's guest, Grace Casey, to the podcast! Grace is the mastermind behind the branding for both my psychotherapy business, Emily Riggs Therapy & Wellness, and Breathe, Darling: The Podcast. Grace's presence in my life has brought a deep sense of knowing, calm, and richness that I didn't know I needed. Her lived experience has bred wisdom and clarity on what matters...

We're back! After a long and unintentional hiatus, the podcast has returned with a new episode, “All the things, all the time, all at once.”In this episode I share about the time between our last episode back in November and now, including a bit about my personal journey (infertility, grief process, and entrepreneurship) and what’s next for the podcast. I share about my recovery from hustle and my...

Welcome back to Breathe, Darling: The Podcast! Episode 4 is an introduction to my favorite person, my husband, Ben Riggs! Ben is a writer, editor,  passionate storyteller, and unabashed dog dad to our pup, Lewie. Ben jumps right in with our "slow burn" questions, sharing how he's changed over the last several years, what is bringing him joy in this season, and how he's breathing a little easier th...

Welcome back for episode 3 of Breathe, Darling with Emily Riggs! This episode is all about the practice of mindfulness: what is it? why is it helpful? and why does it matter? As a community built on wholehearted living, showing up for our lives on purpose is inherent to our values. Our experiences with hardship often leave us as passive recipients of what life has to offer, instead of active parti...

Welcome back to Breathe, Darling with Emily Riggs! Thank you for your response to our first episode. We're so encouraged by this community and are excited to dig in this week with a new episode about change, acceptance, and growth. Change is often messy, and for the most part, we'd just rather not when it comes down to it. But change is inevitable. Our acceptance of change, and the proceeding grow...

Hello friends! Welcome to the first episode of Breathe, Darling with Emily Riggs. I am excited to share about the meaning behind the name of the podcast and what to expect from the podcast moving forward. I share a bit about my journey with grief and how I embrace my humanity on my "hard days". I also ask for your help in celebrating my mom's birthday today. Be sure to tag us in your posts of cele...

Hello, friends! And welcome to Breathe Darling, the podcast. I am your host, Emily Riggs and I am so excited to share this space with you. Breathe, darling is about learning to live with the uncomfortable, the difficult, and the unimaginable— and what it takes to show up wholeheartedly along the way. It’s about crafting a meaningful life, one where we laugh, cry, process, mourn, hope, and heal. It...