Kara Loewentheil

UnF*ck Your Brain: Feminist Self-Help for Everyone

Health EN ↓ 586 episodes

UnF*ck Your Brain: Feminist Self-Help for Everyone breaks down the centuries of sexist socialization that causes us to struggle with self-doubt, burnout, and anxiety. Hosted by Master Feminist Coach Kara Loewentheil, J.D., founder of The School of New Feminist Thought and author of Take Back Your Brain (Penguin 2024), each episode teaches you how to turn down the noise of societal expectations, turn up the volume on what YOU really want in life, and change your thinking to make sure you go get it. This podcast is an essential resource for anyone eager to embrace a life free from limiting belie...

Author

Kara Loewentheil

Category

Health

Latest episode

Jul 9, 2026

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Episodes

508. “Fine”: Why Women Don’t Tell the Truth About How They Feel 09.07.2026

If you’ve ever answered “fine” when you weren’t really fine, this episode is for you. Saying “fine” may feel safe in the moment, but it trains your brain to ignore your desires, feelings, and needs, leaving you disconnected from yourself, burnt out, and frustrated. In this episode, I explore why socialization and evolutionary wiring make women suppress anger, disappointment, and discomfort to avoi...

507. Coaching Hotline: Why Feedback Sends You Into a Shame Spiral 07.07.2026

Does receiving feedback make you spiral into shame, anxiety, or self-doubt? In this Coaching Hotline episode, I answer a listener who struggles to separate her self-worth from professional critique. You'll hear why those intense feelings are actually avoided emotions showing up, how your brain prioritizes short-term discomfort over thoughtful response, and why trying to get through the feelings qu...

506. How a Sandwich Can Rescue - or Ruin - Your Life 02.07.2026

If you’ve ever eaten a sandwich when you really wanted dumplings, turned down help you needed, or stayed silent in a meeting because it felt safer to bite your tongue, listen in. Your brain focuses on the short-term pain of asking for what you want and the anxiety or shame that follows, but avoiding those feelings comes at a much bigger cost. In this episode, I slow everything down and examine how...

505. Coaching Hotline: What Humility Actually Means & Why You Wear Makeup (and Whether It Matters) 30.06.2026

Why do we wear makeup, and does it even matter? In this Coaching Hotline episode, I answer a listener question about makeup and body image. I explain why wearing makeup is a personal choice and often a form of self-expression, not a reflection of whether you have done the inner work to love your body. I also tackle a question about humility and how it can be useful in managing your mind. This epis...

504. Being Joyful Anyway: A Conversation with Kate Bowler 25.06.2026

Joy doesn’t always arrive when you expect it, and sometimes it shows up when life feels the hardest. In this episode, I talk about making space for joy with Kate Bowler, a professor at Duke University, 5x bestselling author, and host of the podcast Everything Happens . We discuss why happiness is overhyped, how microjoys and unexpected moments can interrupt your day, and why cultural narratives of...

503. Coaching Hotline: Sibling Rivalry & the Comparison Trap & When Your Child Has a Chronic Illness 23.06.2026

Do you ever find yourself comparing yourself to a sibling and feeling stuck in resentment and rivalry? In this Coaching Hotline episode, I break down why most of that tension is coming from your own thoughts and judgments, and how noticing those patterns can change the way you relate to your family. I also answer a listener question about parenting a child with a chronic illness. Many parents feel...

502. Why You Don't Ask for What You Want (& How to Start to Change It) 18.06.2026

When is the last time you actually asked for what you wanted when you were nervous? Not hinted, not hoped someone would notice, not talked yourself out of it. In this episode, I explore why women often suppress desires, needs, and wants in daily life, from small asks like an hour to yourself to bigger moments like negotiating at work or in relationships. You'll hear why thoughts like "I shouldn’t...

Bonus: 3 Ways to Use Coaching in Other Jobs (The Future Coach Podcast) 17.06.2026

Many people assume coaching is only for those who want to run a full-time coaching business, but coaching skills can actually be applied in almost any role. In this bonus episode, I explore three ways you can integrate coaching into other jobs. Whether you’re a manager, team leader, HR professional, or working for another coach, understanding the mental models that drive behavior can transform how...

501. Coaching Hotline: Using Social Media to Change Your Body Image & When Your Partner Shuts Down in Arguments 16.06.2026

Social media can be a surprisingly powerful tool when it comes to changing how you think about your body. In this Coaching Hotline episode, I answer a listener question about using intentional visual exposure on social media to improve body image. I explain why deliberately engaging with images that reflect diverse and relatable bodies can help retrain your brain’s perceptions, and why it is impor...

Bonus: Is Coaching the Career for You? (Greatest Hits) 12.06.2026

Have you been wondering whether coaching could be a career path for you, or something you bring into the work you're already doing? If you can't stop thinking about that, this episode is for you. What it means to be a coach today is far more varied and interesting than most people assume, and most of you are better suited for it than you realize. I explain who is well-suited for coaching, what it...

500. The Two Biggest Ways Women Hold Back (& What Comes Next for UFYB) 11.06.2026

Women often hold themselves back in ways they don’t even notice. This week, I explore the two biggest ways this happens: not asking for what you want and not telling the truth about how you feel. I break down how socialization and internalized beliefs train women to downplay their desires, soften their emotions, and edit themselves in real time, leaving them disconnected from what they actually wa...

499. Coaching Hotline: Explaining Divorce to Your Kids & When People-Pleasing Kills Real Connection 09.06.2026

Divorce can be overwhelming, especially when you are trying to figure out how to explain it to your children. In this Coaching Hotline episode, I answer a listener's question about the first stage of divorce, talking about it with her kids, and why starting with your thoughts and feelings, not just actions, is what makes the next steps clear. I also tackle a question about people-pleasing and seek...

498. Making Peace with the Human Void 04.06.2026

Think about something you really wanted, something you worked for or waited for, or told yourself would finally change how you felt about your life. Maybe it was a job, a relationship, a business milestone, or a body you thought would make you feel confident. And then you got it, and the feeling did not last. That is the human void, and in this episode I explain what it is, why it shows up even af...

497. Coaching Hotline: Managing Your Mind During PMS & Is Disappointment a Cop-Out? 02.06.2026

Managing your mind during PMS can feel impossible, even when you know thought work and self-coaching strategies. In this episode, I answer a listener question about how hormonal changes or cyclical patterns affect emotional resilience. I also tackle a question about disappointment and whether feeling let down is a cop-out. As you’ll hear, managing your thoughts and feelings intentionally can chang...

496. The 3 Words Sabotaging Your Goals & How to Change Them 28.05.2026

There is one thought that quietly sabotages almost every goal you care about, and you probably don’t even realize it’s a thought because it sounds like a fact. In this episode, I break down the three words that stop us from following through on what we want and explain why believing this thought can make it feel impossible to achieve the results you are working toward. Plus, I share a three-step p...

495. Coaching Hotline: Stop Romanticizing the Future & Why We Chase People Who Don’t Want Us 26.05.2026

Do you ever find yourself planning for the future and imagining how perfect it's going to be? In this Coaching Hotline episode, I answer two listener questions about fantasies and expectations. I explore why romanticizing the future can take you out of the present and why trying to control your thoughts about someone else only makes you feel more out of control. I break down how our brains trick u...

494. The Six Stages of Change 21.05.2026

How many times have you been doing the work, trying to change, and then completely lost it? You yelled at your kids, said yes when you meant no, or spent money you promised yourself you wouldn't, and thought, "I am failing. This is not working. I should just give up." We’ve all done this, which means we’ve all quit on change when we were already in the process, but just couldn’t see it. In this ep...

493. Coaching Hotline: Making Friends as an Adult & The Line Between Honesty and People-Pleasing 19.05.2026

Making friends as an adult can feel intimidating, especially when it seems like your upbringing didn't give you the skills to navigate social connections. In this Coaching Hotline episode, I answer two listener questions about friendships and social interactions. I explore why it is possible to build friendships while continuing your self-work, and why the story you tell yourself about your friend...

492. 3 Keys to Changing Your Thoughts (Greatest Hits) 14.05.2026

This week, I break down the three foundational principles that will allow you to coach yourself effectively, no matter where you are on your thought work journey. If you’re new to the podcast, this is an essential episode to ground you in the basics of cognitive change. If you’ve been here a while, I guarantee you’ll hear these keys in a new light, ready to take them deeper. Listen in to discover...

491. Coaching Hotline: Thought Work, Moral Objectivism & The Motivation to Set Goals 12.05.2026

What’s the point of setting goals if you already feel how you want to feel? In this Coaching Hotline episode, I answer a listener question about thought work and goals, and why it can feel like your whole motivational system breaks when you stop chasing goals just to feel differently about yourself. I also answer a question about the philosophical underpinnings of thought work, moral objectivism,...

490. How to Stop Procrastinating - A Better Solution 07.05.2026

How many times have you promised yourself that this time you were finally going to stop procrastinating? Maybe you bought another planner to color-code, or scoured the internet for the best productivity tips. You want to solve this problem, but what if procrastination isn't the problem you think it is? In this episode, I show you why procrastination is not a character flaw, a willpower problem, or...

489. Coaching Hotline: Social Media Validation & Emotional Vulnerability vs. Thought Work 05.05.2026

Social media will happily turn your nervous system into a tiny squirrel hunting for dopamine, my friends. This week, I coach a listener who keeps checking likes and engagement on posts for her business. Instead of treating likes, commissions, creative desire, and income as one tangled emotional knot, I show you how to separate the questions so your brain can stop making Instagram engagement mean e...

488. How to Enjoy Sex More: A Conversation with Sex Coach Laura Jurgens 30.04.2026

So many women think there’s something wrong with their sex drive, when the real issue is how they’ve been taught to relate to their body. In this episode, I sit down with sex coach Laura Jurgens to explore why low libido is not just a mindset problem or a medical issue, and how repeated experiences, socialization, and nervous system patterns shape your relationship with intimacy. If you’ve been fe...

487. Coaching Hotline: Learning to Love Your Body & Navigating Unclear Expectations at Work 28.04.2026

Do you struggle to feel at peace with your body when you gain weight? Or worry that gaining weight will result in health issues? In this Coaching Hotline episode, I invite you to challenge the beliefs that weight is synonymous with health and that health is synonymous with morality (spoiler alert, it's not). Then, I tackle a listener question about unclear work expectations and how that impacts th...

486. The Last 5% - The Secret to Completing Any Goal 23.04.2026

Have you ever gotten so close to a goal, and then one thing to goes wrong, and your brain immediately decide the whole thing was a mistake? That moment right before the finish line is where so many people quit. In this episode, I introduce a concept I call The Last 5% and showing you why your brain is most likely to turn progress into proof that you’re not capable right when you’re closest to gett...

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