Dear Dr. Tracy

Are we wired to fix our loved ones? It might feel that way when you notice discomfort showing up when your kids or your partner are experiencing something unpleasant.  It’s easy to get caught up in finding the solution, but could we be missing their feelings and leaving them feeling invalidated?  In this episode, I sit down with Michelle Kenney from Peace and Parenting, to talk about repair, the u...

For today's bonus episode, I sit down with fellow Psychologist Dr. Shefali to discuss what it means to build a healthy parent-child relationship.  Dr. Shefali is an acclaimed author, international speaker, and clinical psychologist.  If you haven't already, be sure to check out season 3 episode 4 where Dr. Shefali and I discuss the parent-child relationship. EPISODE LINKS Order Dr. Shefali's newes...

We all pee ourselves a little after having kids and it’s totally normal, right? Sure, it’s common… but it actually isn’t normal. Chances are your OB didn’t sit you down at your first prenatal appointment to discuss the importance of keeping your pelvic floor healthy and there’s an even higher chance they never talked to you about how urinary incontinence, at any level, isn’t normal after baby. So...

Have you ever found yourself suddenly the default parent, with your partner nowhere in sight and you’re left to tend to the baby? Or maybe you find yourself asking your partner to watch the baby and if now is a good time to shower. I’ll never forget the time I couldn’t find my husband one sunny Saturday. Left to do our baby’s bottle and nap time, I was enraged. When did I become the default parent...

It's time for another Q&A episode where I answer your questions! In today's episode, I answer a community member's question about sex after baby. Life changes so much after baby is born and the pressure to have intercourse can feel overwhelming.  Breastfeeding, hormone fluctuation, sleep deprivation, birth trauma, feeling touched out, recovering from birth. Is sex off the table? Absolutely not, bu...

You’ve prepared everything for baby’s arrival: ✅Birth plan ✅Hospital bag ✅Freezer meals ✅Set up nursery ✅Install car seat You’ve done the research and checked your list twice. But did you prepare your relationship? Many of us have thought that a baby will bring us closer as a couple. Perhaps you haven’t had any noteworthy struggles in your relationship so far and think nothing will change. Or...

When we first fall in love, there’s an attraction and excitement that sets the person apart from anyone else in the world - yet over time, we shift away from this. When I polled the community 67% of you said you felt like your partner’s roommate rather than their lover. Conversations feel transactional. There’s a loss of physical connection. The spark feels lost. But why does this happen? What can...

Do you find yourself frequently feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated by your environment? Perhaps you’ve heard those close to you say “You’re too sensitive.” You’re not alone and in fact, you might be part of the 20-30% of the population that are highly sensitive people.  Today I am sitting with Natalie Brunswick to talk about highly sensitive people and the impact that being a highly sensitive...

In today’s episode, I talk about 7 things your parents didn’t teach you about relationships, and the things we should tell our children. I polled the community several months ago about this topic and your responses were so cool to see.  It’s fascinating to see how so many of us didn’t learn how to show up in relationships - things like how to build healthy communication and what a healthy relation...

Let me set the scene. The tree is up. The lights are on. The decorations are hanging. And I am envisioning a picture perfect moment… the kids smiling in their Christmas outfits while we all smile for that Instagram-worthy photo. Cue. Reality. My kids are now 5 and 7. Hot chocolate ends up on their clothes more than in their bellies. I haven’t sat down all day. And this is nothing like what I envis...

For so many, the holidays stir up so many emotions and old wounds. This is particularly true for parents while they sit in front of their children, seeing their own struggles and triggers being reflected back by their children - a window, an opening to be curious and to heal. And it often brings up questions of - where am I with my parent? How do I feel with them? What works and isn’t working anym...

Social media has recently become a place for mothers to connect and share their real, raw truths, but it hasn’t always been this way. For many, we open up our feeds and are flooded with highlight reels of the lives of others. Perfectly curated holiday pictures, clean homes, and women glowing - it can seem as though every other mother has their life together.  Am I the ONLY mother who doesn’t love...

Does it feel like a never-ending cycle with your partner when it comes to setting boundaries with the family?  Maybe you both end up getting stuck on what you should do when your mother-in-law gives TEN gifts, when you both told her only two.  What are the missteps in our relationship when it comes to boundaries? My husband and business partner joins me for today's episode on boundaries. Why bring...

Welcome to Season 4! With each season this community passes new milestones and continues to grow! I am incredibly grateful for you - your DMs, downloads, shares, and comments. Each week, you show up. You bring me your ah-ha moments, your wins, and your struggles. Thank you for joining me here and let's get started with another amazing season! To kick off the season, I am so excited to bring Dr. Be...

Being a parent brings new challenges to your life, but one that might have surprised you was constantly feeling touched out. Your child is tapping your arm, the furnace is humming, and you're beginning to feel like your head is going to explode.  So why is this? In this episode, I sit down with Larissa Geleris, MS, OTR/L from Steady Parents to discuss parenting and sensory overload. Larissa is a l...

We are here! Already at the season finale. Season finales are bittersweet. I have gratitude for all the amazing conversations of this season and I feel sad that we are taking a break! I love ending the season by taking your questions. So here are three of YOUR questions that I will answer in this episode: How does one deal with the fear of abandonment when you are someone with anxious attachment?...

Many people don't think of divorces as happy, which is why the story from today's guests is an important one! When Nikki DeBartolo and Benjamin Heldond got divorced, they devised a strategy to put their son's needs first. Together, they helped each other heal and build a new, blended, family.  In this episode, we discuss: How Nikki and Ben came to be "Our Happy Divorce" The markers/moments that th...

"My partner isn't willing to change - what do I do?" We love certainty and the only thing that is certain about our relationships is that we cannot control other people. It's really challenging when our partners are not interested in learning to shift - especially since a couple is two people that make up the struggles.  In this episode, I discuss: What if your partner doesn't want to change? Can...

Do you find yourself asking… How do we feel close again after we just had a disagreement?  My partner doesn’t like to come back and talk about the hard stuff.  My partner doesn’t apologize. I always have to bring up the hard conversations.   I get it.  This is a common experience in our relationships.  The reality? We didn’t learn how to repair. It was never modelled to us or it came attached with...

One of the most common concerns I hear is, "My partner is struggling with their mental health, what do I do?" Dr. Kojo joins me on the podcast to discuss how mental health can show up in relationships. Dr. Kojo Sarfo, DNP, PMHNP-BC is a social media content creator, mental health nurse practitioner, and psychotherapist with over two million followers on all of his social media channels (TikTok, In...

Growing up we learn so much from our mothers and growing up the messaging we receive is "obey thy mother." The things we learned from our mothers growing up and the way they coped in the world show up in us, throughout our lives. But What if our mother was wrong? What if they are passing along their own trauma? What if they cross our boundaries and teach us not to listen to ourselves? Bethany Webs...

You finally have a minute to pause and relax. As you hold your cup of coffee, just heated up for the fourth time, and look around your house, you feel overwhelmed. How can you relax when the mess keeps triggering you? I get it. There can be so much stuff in our homes that we stop feeling happy in our space, get stuck getting rid of things, and in general, feel a sense of overwhelm by everything go...

A client once told me through tears that she hadn't been honouring her, and she pointed to her body. I could see reflected in her face the experiences of so many women - including me. It wasn't just a week of not listening to her body. It was years. Possibly her whole lifetime. We build these inner dialogues and narratives around our bodies and food, many of them being unconscious that guide us to...

Does your partner share everything with their parents? This episode dives into this topic after receiving a question from one of our community members.  In this episode, we discuss: What kind of impact could sharing everything with your extended family/mother-in-law have on you? Your relationship with your partner? Your relationship with their family? Exploring triangulation and scapegoat dynamics...

One of the most common complaints I receive is, "We never talk about the hard stuff." What's the barrier to turning towards each other and talking? For many, it's time. For others, it's not wanting to upset the other person. Dr. Morgan Cutlip joins me on the podcast for this episode. Dr. Morgan is a relationship expert and owner of My Love Thinks. If you are struggling with the mental load, be sur...