co-regulation

TL;DR: we're wrapping co-regulation Season 1 and releasing future episodes on Holly's Substack, Recovering. Access new episodes and more by going to newsletter.hollywhitaker.com or clicking here to sign up. Credits Original music by Gracie Coates @graciecoates @gracieandrachel on Instagram, gracieandrachel.com Sound engineering, editor: Adam Day, adamdayphotography.com Producers: Holly Whitaker ,...

Sky Fusco and Holly wrestle with fundamental questions about the role of the artist in times of crisis: Who gets to claim the title of artist? Is making art "enough" or should creative people abandon their practices to become EMTs and nurses? The conversation explores the existential doubt that plagues many creatives during unprecedented times, the fantasy of having "useful skills" instead of maki...

Holly and author Cody Cook-Parrott dive headfirst into the raw realities of staying regulated in an unregulated world. Cody shares their journey from near-mental breakdown to thriving queer rural life in Michigan, including the radical decision to permanently delete their 80,000-follower Instagram account while preparing to launch a book. Together, they explore the parallels between social media a...

In the second part of Holly's deep dive with Meg Josephson, they shift from understanding fawning to working with it. Continuing their exploration of Meg's book "Are You Mad At Me?", the conversation explores perfectionism as a protective mechanism, "secondhand fawning" through others, and the core shame beliefs that drive these patterns. Meg explains how healing happens through secure relationshi...

Part 2 of this is available now on patreon for patrons of this show! Check us out here. In this first installment of a two-part series with therapist Meg Josephson, Holly and Meg unpack the fawn trauma response - the fourth trauma response that leaves people constantly wondering, "Are you mad at me?" Drawing from her new book of the same title ( Are You Mad At Me? ) , Meg gives language to this in...

Holly and Laura sit down for their first public conversation in seven years, since the abrupt end of their previous podcast, Home, after a falling out. Peeling back the layers of what is, for each of them, their most complicated creative partnership and friendship. What started as two women finding each other on Instagram in 2013, who wanted to talk about sobriety and alcohol, became the wildly su...

Holly reunites with her friend, feminist theologian Meggan Watterson, to discuss her new book The Girl Who Baptized Herself Their conversation moves between Watterson's childhood religious trauma, academic mission to recover suppressed women's voices in early Christianity, and what it means to be called a heretic for telling the truth about women's spiritual authority. With raw vulnerability, both...

Erica Chidi shares her unique perspective on navigating crisis and uncertainty, drawing from her formative years in post-apartheid South Africa and her work as a doula, author, and founder. She discusses how current global events represent a collective consciousness shift where "everybody's here now," forcing those who previously remained disconnected to engage with reality. Erica offers practical...

Writer, podcaster, polymath, and intellectual synthesizer Elise Loehnen joins Holly for a wide-ranging exploration of how to navigate our current cultural moment with wisdom, nuance, and hope. From her unexpected journey from being the 2nd in command at Goop to becoming one of today's most thoughtful cultural commentators, Elise shares how she maintains optimism while grappling with the full compl...

Producer note: The term 'feministing' was coined by Jessica Vlenti for her groundbreaking feminist blog Feministing.com (2004-2019), which was instrumental in shaping online feminist discourse during the height of feminist digital media. Holly sits down with feminist writer and author Amanda Montei to explore what it means to be Outspoken Intellectual Feminist in what feels like the height of femi...

Holly talks w/Dr. Carl Erik Fisher, addiction psychiatrist and author of The Urge , about the intersection of narcissism and addiction in our current cultural moment, and the paradox of how recovery culture itself can create new forms of self-obsession and addiction. Key themes discussed: Living through institutional collapse and staying grounded; Anna Lembke's theory that endemic narcissism drive...

Holly reconnects with her friend and former podcast co-host (Quitted) Emily McDowell for a raw conversation about how extreme adversity can strip away everything that doesn't matter and reveal what does. After years of health crises, family loss, and business transitions, Emily describes arriving at a place of No Fucks Given that feels like coming home to herself. Together, they explore what it me...

Holly sits down with J Wortham, NYT Magazine staff writer, co-host of the Still Processin g podcast, and co-editor of the anthology Black Futures . In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore how to navigate authoritarian times through spiritual practice, community building, and practical survivalism, while examining the tension between ambition and enoughness in creative work. Topics covered...

In this first episode, Holly talks with Chris La Tray, Métis storyteller, Montana Poet Laureate, and author of the brilliant and timely memoir Becoming Little Shell . Chris shares the story of his people—the Little Shell Tribe, who remained landless for over a century after refusing to accept an exploitative treaty—and what their resilience teaches us about playing the long game in dark times. The...

co-regulation is a podcast hosted by Holly Whitaker (HOME, QUITTED) that creates space for authentic conversations about how we're navigating this period of societal upheaval and profound transition. Through conversations with thinkers, artists, and experts, informed by Holly's perspective on addiction, recovery, and the intersection of personal healing and cultural systems, this show invites list...