The Perinatal Podcast

Join Dr. Erroll Pierre and me as we discuss the importance of being bad to grow into your expertise, how to build your personal board of directors, and - surprising to no one listening to this show - the importance of normalizing therapy.    Dr. Pierre shares his intellectual labor to educate me further on many things healthcare, including immigration reform, Public Charge, and how resea...

We're back, back, back again! Jenny returns to take a deeper dive into vicarious trauma (VT) and vicarious resilience, how to put cracks into internalized beliefs that hold us back from asking for what we need, and why it sucks when people (ahem, raising my hand. People are people and people are also me.) tell Dr. Hughes, "I don't know how you can do it!" when it come to specializing in trauma. &n...

Kate Acton joins me this week to help me put into words what I've been wanting to say in response to the Uvalde, TX school massacre, and frankly, she does a better job of it than I could have alone. When I saw her Instagram post, What Mental Illness Is Not, I knew this is how I wanted to broach this topic, and she was gracious enough to accept my invitation to discuss.    In addition to...

Dr. Huge is BACK! We discuss the difference between Vicarious and Secondary Trauma, the importance of community, and why she prefers to call it a Dance of Life and Work rather than balance.    Further, we discuss Vicarious Resilience that can be found in helping professions that can aid us in remembering why we do the work we do, even when we experience some of the darkest times.  ...

Y'all I'm on my soapbox today. Make sure you're ready to hear my true thoughts on the things people think are useful to say to a person going through whatever their perinatal journey is.    I quote the book, The Art of Holding in Therapy, by Karen Kleiman, and I'm not going to spoil it for y'all, but suffice to say, telling someone to do yoga to combat fertility struggles is, say it with...

I have lots more to say on the subject, but with my voice being as shot as it is, I thought I'd take a quick moment to share my thoughts on Mother's Day and the celebrations that can sometimes feel thrust upon us. And the fact that, if we don't exude pure joy 100% of the time, we are seen as ungrateful. I fully plan to discuss this further, hopefully with a guest or two, once my voice returns! Mot...

In a nod to some of my podcasting heroes, Karen & Georgia, from an episode I think was in Indianapolis (how apropos my guest is a huge Colts fan, if that's accurate) live show (still hoping someone will listen to this episode and confirm the name, because I am positive I got it wrong), my childhood friend and I discuss all things toxic masculinity, trying to recognize the formative moments in...

Following my conversation with Mano a couple of weeks ago, I had a listener request for more details on The Wise Mind, and I'm always happy to oblige your requests! Take a moment of psychoeducation with me and discuss how the Logical Mind + the Emotional Mind in various combinations can help us with making more wise choices. I also take a moment to discuss Cognitive Restructuring activities to ass...

"It's a form of perfectionism to expect people to always show up perfectly in their relationship with you." Boom.    Have you thought about the work you're doing to decrease your own need for perfectionism and give yourself grace but maybe haven't thought about the level of perfection you're still expecting from others in your life? Dr. Jenn Hardy and I discuss "what happens when people...

Have you heard of an EAP? Employee Assistance Programs are available from a number of employers, yet so many people haven't heard of them or don't access their benefits.  I recently sat on a panel with a company encouraging its employees to take advantage of their benefits, so I felt energized to make sure my viewers were all aware of these amazing benefits!  Employee Assistance Programs...

In another beautiful moment of, slide into those DM's and ask or the answer will always be, No!, Melissa Dumaz of U Help You sits down with me to discuss trauma and the journey from surviving to thriving, getting out of the grind/hustle culture mindset, and the importance of intentionality in making healthier choices for a better life.   What does it mean to take up space? | Let's Discuss! &n...

Look. You can't have a mental health podcast recording the day after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live TV and not discuss it. That triggering moment aside, the illustrious Mano Agapion joins me to chat about the trauma that can fuel comedy and art, perceived judgement and opening up to spaces for potential vulnerability, and our ever-evolving self-worth journeys.   I introduced myself to...

Kelsy, founder of the Relatable Mom Life community, joins us this week to discuss building your parenthood support community, even if it's with strangers you met on the internet; learning to block the trolls and the haters in your life; and learning to develop and listen to your parenting gut. Don't let the trolls get you down. | Let's Discuss! Find Kelsy! https://www.instagram.com/welcome.to.the....

In this week's episode, special guest Natalie Knox shares her story of chronic illness as she battles Hashimoto's Disease and her struggle to feel good about herself when she doesn't feel she can trust her body anymore. In a powerful discussion, Natalie describes her attempts to control the controllables while learning to advocate for herself as she discusses her body with her providers.   Bo...

Meet Alisha, the one who helped me realize becoming a Social Worker was my life's calling!    In today's episode, Alisha Bowker, LCSW, and I debunk some common thinking errors, widely held colloquial beliefs, and sources of shame for perinatal humans. We also, big shocker here, espouse the virtues of participating in ongoing therapy with a trusted provider, which can help new parents and...

Join Dr. Lauren Hughes of Bloom Pediatrics and I as we brave the 2022 Blizzard of Kansas City (Spoiler Alert: I do, in fact, shovel my driveway and go pick up my kids from school later that day!) and discuss all things parenting and pediatrics!    Dr. Hughes and I discuss that Fed is not Best - Fed is ONLY; that formula is, in fact, Science Milk; and that for some, logic is our Kryptonit...

Coping in infertility, triggered by feelings, there's no magic way to get over it - the body & brain keep it packed away. The grief and trauma that come with each person's infertility journey are unique.    In this week's episode, Michelle Strong of @MyMindBodyBaby, and I discuss borrowing trouble, the physics of what you put your energy into is what grows, and functioning in a nonju...

In this week's episode, I discuss common thinking errors, namely All Or Nothing Thinking, and how this type of thought doesn't fully encompass the beauty and complexity that is the human experience. Sitting with the tension of paradox, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, all of it. How do we get to being okay with not being okay? How do we open our minds?  Let's Discuss... Oh! And I final...

Special Guest, trauma specialist Dr. Jenny Hughes, sits down with me to discuss how we all have our own versions of trauma, including daily stressors and microaggressions. Dr. Hughes provides us with the definitions of complex trauma, as well as vicarious trauma, and we discuss how we can work to get out of the pattern of self-blame related to our traumas. On this week's episode, we discuss in ver...

Special guest, Kate Cleveland of Enso Mama, returns! In another fun-filled chat, we go here, we go there, we go every which where, including discussion of minutes v. moments, Kate's recent diagnosis of ADHD, and maybe Beyonce and I don't really have the same 24 hours in a day?  We dip our toes into perfectionism and procrastination, managing the mental load of parenthood and adulthood, being...

First introduced to me by Liz Higgins in our Crossover Episode (that's S1E10, if you want to give it a re-listen!), I have been thinking about Obsessive Comparison Disorder ever since. I've thought about how I allow it into my own life, how I participate in it, and how it's impacted my relationships, both online and in "real life."   Turning anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and an excessive worry...

School starts this week - all the feelings! Excitement! Anticipation! Empowerment! School Pride! (Go Jayhawks!)     And also, weirdly, anxiety took hold of me Monday this week. The dreaded Imposter Syndrome tried to take hold.  In this week's episode, I discuss the definition, the key components, who it typically affects more, and the best ways I've found to tone down the negat...

Courtney Lewis and I venture here, there, and a little bit of everywhere in this week's episode. A parent, community activist, and my friend since 1st grade, Courtney and I chat about how bonkers it can be to contemplate being responsible for the lives of tiny humans, how to determine what expectations are worth living up to and which need to be chucked, and how grateful we are social media didn't...

In this week's episode, I discuss my own Sunday Scaries and Holiday Hangover after a delightful long weekend off work and with my family and loved ones. Recognizing the privilege I have to be able to take such time away from work, I also discuss how difficult that blah feeling can be when you don't get the time with your children and/or loved ones when you have to return to work.    Alwa...

This week, special guest, Stephanie Booe, momma, wife, author, and owner of The Warriors Shop, and I spill the InfertiliTEA on the fertility journeys, collaborating with the community, and holding space and value for where people are. We also discuss how to find peace and comfort on social media, ignoring the negativity, and avoiding participation in the Trauma Olympics.   Stephanie is t...