The Weight and Wonder Podcast

In the first episode of our BIPOC Mental Health Month series, Jason Herndon, PsyD, and Philicia Ross, LCSW-C., explore why conversations about mental health in BIPOC communities cannot be separated from history, culture, and systemic barriers. Together, they unpack the legacy of drapetomania, the overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of Black children, the differences between psychology and social work,...

Everyone online is debating who the villain of Love Island USA Season 8 is. Jason and Philicia think the answer is much bigger than any one Islander. In this episode, they explore what happens when dating, attachment, emotional regulation, race, gender, and reality television collide inside a highly manufactured environment. Instead of diagnosing contestants, they examine the systems shaping their...

This week on The Weight and the Wonder, therapists Jason Herndon and Philicia Ross unpack a viral video that asks why women with multiple degrees can still find themselves heartbroken over partners who don't treat them well. Using attachment theory, family systems, relationship psychology, and their experiences as therapists, they explore why intelligence, education, beauty, and success don't prot...

In this episode of The Weight and the Wonder , Jason Herndon and Philicia Ross, discuss the Netflix documentary Should I Marry a Murderer? and the complicated story of Caroline—a doctor who became involved in a relationship with a man who confessed to participating in a fatal hit-and-run and cover-up. But this conversation isn't really about true crime. It's about attachment wounds, loneliness, em...

Jason and Philicia unpack Netflix’s Blue Therapy and explore the deeper emotional dynamics underneath the relationships featured in the show. This episode covers masculinity and shame, provider pressure, trust after betrayal, emotional vulnerability, cultural humility in therapy, queer Black love, emotional isolation, and why love alone is not enough to sustain a relationship. They also discuss: M...

Vulnerability is often talked about as courage—but what happens when it doesn’t land well? When it’s misunderstood, interrupted, or met with defensiveness? In this episode, Jason Herndon and Philicia Ross unpack what it really means to be seen—and what it requires from both sides of a conversation. They explore emotional safety, attachment patterns, and the difference between transparency, vulnera...

In Part 2 of this conversation, we move beyond surface-level conversations about sex and get into what actually shapes intimacy: communication, capacity, feedback, and emotional connection . This episode starts with a viral caregiving story, where one partner supported the other through serious illness, only to later feel disconnected and underappreciated. From there, we unpack the deeper layers:...

In this episode of The Weight and the Wonder , Licensed Psychologist Jason Herndon and Licensed Clinical Social Worker Philicia Ross dive into the complex world of gender socialization and sexual agency. The duo kicks off a brand-new segment, "Talk Back," by responding to a listener’s deep dive into how masculine norms—often referred to as the "Man Box"—pit genders against each other from childhoo...

This week on The Weight and the Wonder Podcast , we’re diving into one of the messiest parts of relationships: infidelity, boundaries, and what happens after trust is broken. Inspired by viral clips and real-life scenarios, we explore what it actually means to heal after betrayal—and why revenge often keeps people stuck instead of moving forward. We talk through the difference between reacting fro...

A simple moment in a grocery store went viral: a husband asking his wife for permission before helping another woman reach something on a shelf. The internet had strong opinions, but Jason Herndon and Philicia Ross approach the conversation from a different angle. In this episode of The Weight and the Wonder , they explore the idea of gatekeeping kindness and what happens when relationship boundar...

In this premiere episode of The Weight and the Wonder , Psychologist Jason Herndon and Clinical Social Worker Philicia Ross unpack two viral conversations shaping how we think about relationships. First, they examine the difference between homosocial preference and misogyny, asking a harder question beneath the discourse: when someone says they “just prefer the guys,” is that neutral… or is it rev...