Dr. Shauna Moore Reynolds shares her professional and personal insight into Intimate Partner Violence, discussing how we can be advocates, ask questions to open the door to discussion, there are no predetermining factors that make you more likely to experience IPV, the shame on if, having the courage to leave, understanding it takes an average of 10 attempts to leave, not knowing what goes on behind closed doors, pedestals and perceived notions, heroes, making it look good on the outside, the skills of a manipulator, why women might stay, financial control, being broken, privileged perspective, the shame belongs to the abuser, you can't love somebody better, co-dependence, bad boy attraction, honeymoon stage as the hook, chasing the beginning/that first high, it takes two to make it work, an abuser's past isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card, don't make excuses for other's behavior, recognizing abuse, going back, the cycle of abuse, someone who doesn't socialize well, denoting subtle abuse as personality quirks, more training needed for authorities, patience with the abused (and patience is not the same as co-dependence), not limiting the amount of times you're willing to help, abuse is not addiction (tough love isn't needed), the octopus that has them, stop stigmatizing things that are out of your control, relationships are work not pain, getting help to heal, having the conversation with kids about what's healthy and what's abuse, having a trusted person, being better listeners (and better believers), what to do when you're ready to leave.

Resources for those in need:

Domestic Violence Support: https://www.thehotline.org/

What to do when you're ready to leave: https://www.domesticshelters.org/articles/escaping-violence/when-it-s-time-to-go-part-i

Escape checklist: https://www.mottchildren.org/health-library/te7754

Advice on what to do/take when you're leaving: https://www.boredpanda.com/leaving-abusive-partner-relationship-advice/

Episode recorded on 02/26/21

Episode released on 03/31/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Dr. Nicole Moshfegh knows insomnia. She talks to us about how insomnia works, "helpful behavior" that causes insomnia to persist, recipes for disaster, creativity and insomnia, exercise and sleep drive, jittery zombies, fight or flight, acknowledging thoughts, catastrophe spirals, good habits, self care, relaxation, yoga, calming down, turning off, alcohol's effect, sleep stages, cultivating good sleep habits, consistent wake-up times, circadian rhythm, winding down before bedtime, getting enough activity for sleep drive, avoiding napping, reduce anxiety, challenge thinking around sleep, journaling, get out of bed if you're not sleeping, don't work/eat/sleep/watch TV/be on a screen in bed, leave your phone in another room, burning the candle at both ends, sleep deprivation, myth of 8 hours, quality over quantity, FOMO, parenting your inner child.

You can reach Dr. Nicole Moshfegh at https://drnicolemoshfegh.com/

Her book is available here: https://bookshop.org/a/11990/9781641527910

Episode recorded on 02/20/21

Episode released on 03/24/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su is a board certified OBGYN, a certified menopause practitioner, the Medical Director of Menopause at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, and the Chief Medical Officer at Gennev. Clearly, she knows her menopause. In this episode, we talk about: Menopause being taboo, women avoiding the subject, how it's normal and natural, it's not doomsday, perimenopause symptoms (sleep problems, mood changes, anxiety and/or depression); how menopause is, for many, a happier, healthier, positive time, managing symptoms, how we all experience it differently, the average age of menopause is 52, and perimenopause happens about 2-3 years before; the fun of flooding, varying hormone levels, hormone replacement therapy, evidence-based wisdom, no need for hormone testing,  choosing FDA regulated hormones, avoiding compounded medication, risks, how "bio-identical" is a marketing term, breast cancer, cardiovascular risk, brain tattoos, ESTROGEN MATTERS (book; see line below), misogyny, Dr. Jen Gunter, the safer window, high-dose longevity clinics, Big Pharma, charlatans, John Oliver, quality control, herbal remedies, placebo effect, Gennev, no one pathway for all women, mindfulness and stress reduction, cortisol, a plant-based diet, colorful plates, choosing white wine over red, exercise (30 mins x 5 days/week), vaginal estrogen, North American Menopause Society, accountability, lifestyle as the pillar of health, community, small balls, doctor shopping.

You can find Dr. Rebecca on Twitter and Clubhouse @DrRebeccaDSu and at Gennev.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Gennev https://gennev.com/

Estrogen Matters https://estrogenmatters.com/

North American Menopause Society https://www.menopause.org/

John Oliver on Compounding Pharmacies  

Episode recorded on 02/12/21

Episode released on 03/17/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

What's all the hubbub about when it comes to Mercury Retrograde? Welp, the 2020 election happened during MR and so did the second impeachment. In this episode, my favorite astrologer talks about: Ancient Egypt; a f*cked up ephemeris; the divorce of astrology and astronomy; as above, so below; the wanderers; Sirius; certain predictable events; being regulated by the Moon; astrology doesn't require faith; solar wind; Founding Fathers, High Masons and Illuminati; going back to move forward; commerce, trade and communication; the Rocky Horoscope; oysters; a disturbance in The Force; red flags; self-respect; chaos; ACOA; anxious thinking; Gandhi; Old Testament; calm the F down; the red tent and Moon lodge; taking care of ourselves; if you can't have fun, start a fight; psychic residue; the voice in your head; being useful; poop thoughts; gremlins; a chance to be mindful; happiness is an inside job; functional archetypes; New Age hogwash; vertical drop; skin cars; reorganizing the interior; curiosity; a series of frustrations; a lesson in being patient; being well-rested; Saturn's Day; Loki and the Trickster; inventing the Devil;  sh*tty perceptions; let's go deep or leave me alone; Doors of Perception; Socrates; Merrill Markoe; did you have a happy childhood or are you funny; Kurt Vonnegut; made to break; leaving a trail; lost control; homework; your own growth process; radical awakening; arms, hands and fingers; stalling; things to avoid; sign of the knees; old wives' tales; junk in the trunk; paying attention; being compassionate.

You can find Coral on her website: https://coralcadman.com/

Episode recorded on 02/20/21

Episode released on 03/10/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Your Joyologist and host of the Claim It! podcast, Tricia Huffman, talks with us about struggling with feeling like we can have joy now, her favorite word, celebrating the small stuff (get a cookie!), knowing it's not permanent, like lessons, it is what it is, making things work, how she became a joyologist, living with pain, the desire to be truly heard and seen, retiring the word "should" and replacing it with "want", seeing that everything is "my" choice, doing the dishes, approaching things from a place of joy, removing the guilt from guilty pleasures, stop stealing joy from ourselves, making yourself feel joy, daily wins and joys, toxic positivity, remembering to keep going, acknowledging yourself, fibromyalgia, F the Shoulds. Do the Wants.

You can find Tricia at yourjoyologist.com and Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @yourjoyologsit. Her books F THE SHOULDS. DO THE WANTS. will be out in April 2022. 

Episode recorded on 02/05/21

Episode released on 03/03/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, author of GASLIGHTING: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People—And Break Free, is back (also check out ep 18 on Apologizing) to talk about gaslighting and: breaking down the difference between manipulation, lying and gaslighting, emotional abuse, agreeing to reality, "hoovering", "flying monkeys", isolation, mean girls, controlling the narrative, Gaslight (the movie), a broken nation, normalizing gaslighting, QAnon, failing to learn history, none of us are immune to gaslighting, love bombing, trust, getting educated, punishment, damage control, narcissists and sociopaths, ammunition, Dirty John, cycle of abuse, looking good in public, go to the source, splitting, power and control, toxic positivity, future faking, compinsult, importance of talking to a mental health professional, patterns and norms, healthy boundaries, attachment styles, balanced relationships, healthy discourse, you don't have to reconcile, practice self-compassion, not being responsible for other people's stuff, the trauma of 2020.

Mentioned in the episode:

Robert Cialdini

Dr. Sarkis' book recommendations

Episode recorded on 12/31/20

Episode released on 02/24/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Melissa Joy Manning is an ethically- and eco-minded jewelry designer and CFDA member, and a friend of mine. She founded the CFDA Sustainability Committee and uses 100% recycled precious metals in her handmade designs, famous for her signature style and one-of-a-kind creations. We talk about: knowing each other for 20 years, being in business for nearly 25 years, over-achieving parents, art as a career, silversmithing in Mexico, passion, living authentically, getting fired, vocational counseling, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, knowing how to run a business, being a hero, positioning, being around for three years, pre-Etsy/direct-to-consumer, building a brand, emulating and partnering, learning your voice, bringing a brand to market, turning, churning and burning, misconceptions, being self-funded, reinvesting, being green-certified, ethics, what you can do with what you love, social component, leading by example, sustainability and success, danger of overnight success, InStyle/Oprah effect, room for everyone, originators, strategy, false promise, vicious cycles, collaboration, generosity, mentoring, feeling lucky, cycle of 3, 5, 7, 10, vision plans, watching the market, racing backwards, finding inspiration, business can be a solution, the best design solves problems, morals and ethics, Bezos could do better, choices, creating community, potty mouths, wage disparity, the other NRA, learning, changing the demand, everything is political, the luxury of choice, cancel culture, embracing failure, being grounded, defining your own success, never take no for an answer.

Related links:

Melissa Joy Manning Jewelry

Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center

Episode recorded on 01/28/21

Episode released on 02/17/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Certified sex educator, body acceptance advocate and the author of CURVY GIRL SEX: 101 Body-Positive Positions to Empower Your Sex Life, Elle Chase,  CSE, ACS, joins the pod to talk about how to simplify the complicated relationship we have with our bodies. We talk about the love of David (Bowie), messages we aren't achieving, complicated human beings, conditionally loving our bodies, accepting your body as is, compassion, demands, control, how dissatisfaction is healthy, standards, self-reflections, fear or love, no quick fix, zero patience, bossy messages, critical thinking, Marie Osmond, skinny women in bikinis, ennui, Madison Avenue, being sold to, a certain type of fatness, improvements, baby steps, being judged, self-criticism, embracing the imperfect, knowing what is realistic, being your ideal, plastic surgery, do what makes you happy, not having to be a certain way, the exterior won't fix the interior, labiaplasty, not looking how you feel, fall in love with yourself, there is no body that's normal, attracting shallow, what you bring to the table is important, dating when fat, self-esteem, taking the 350 lbs woman over the supermodel, how we get comfortable with ourselves, what we tell ourselves can be most damaging, stopping at neutral before going from negative to positive thoughts, changing the way we speak to ourselves, remember what you like about yourself, what you believe, romancing yourself, being your biggest fan, learning your love language, the relationship with yourself and its importance, Yukon gold potatoes, little things, comfort and joy, cravings, feeding the soul, separating wheat from chaff, muting, blocking and unfollowing, courage and strength, neutrality, more compassion, messy humans, Japanese sweet potatoes, knowing what lifts you up, being nice to yourself, recognizing the pressure we're under, finding what's supportive to you, friends, joy in Bernie memes, feeling like a human being again, perfections is boring, Michelle Pfeiffer, smokers, good toes, the perfect human, beautiful nailbeds.

You can find Elle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @TheElleChase and her website is ellechase.com. 

Episode recorded on 01/22/21

Episode released on 02/10/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community. We are on Twitter and Instagram @SassyLittlePod and Facebook @SassyLittlePodcast.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

In this episode, we talk about: Threesomes. Lies. Going over 200 episodes. Friendships. Learning. How their podcast got started. Usable gems. Critical thinking. Hating the premise of self-help. Being of service. Doing good work. Writing on accident. Filter feeding the debris. What sticks. Living with a professor. Questioning authority. Flamingoes. Best sellers. Being our best selves. Screenwriters. Lord God King Boofoo. Self-help is a misnomer. What you would actually have to do each day if you followed all the top self-help advice (spoiler alert: it's impossible). Racism and privilege. Community care. Victim blaming. Manipulation. Caveats. Rachel Hollis' divorce. Problematic advice. Social constructs. The mental load of women. Not having a party. Best advice. Worst advice. Leveling up. Assistance. Experts. Protecting listeners. Responsibility. Fabergé-ing. Ageism. Tea drinking.

Books mentioned in the episode:

A Sassy Little Guide to Getting Over Him (by yours truly)

On Screenwriting by Syd Field

Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger

Fed Up by Gemma Hartley

Burnout by Amelia Nagoski and Emily Nagoski

How to be Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Generation X by Douglas Coupland

Episode recorded on 01/02/21

Episode released on 02/03/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media (Twitter and Insta: @SassyLittlePod) and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs

Dr. Stephanie Sarkis holds a PhD, NCC, DCMHS and LMHC. She’s a bestselling author and psychotherapist specializing in anxiety, gaslighting, narcissistic abuse, and ADHD. Her latest book is Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People. She’s a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family and Circuit Mediator and a contributor to Forbes, Psychology Today and The Huffington Post, as well as the host of the Talking Brains podcast. We start by getting to the good part, talk about the lack of accountability and narcissism evident in those who refuse to apologize. Toxic personalities. 1980s philosophy (Wall Street, Gordon Gekko). Taking responsibility. Not being a doormat. Apologizing to each other in real time. Empathy, compassion and understanding. Showing you're trustworthy/having integrity. Having an asserting personality AND STILL apologizing. When people are heard, it changes thing (and that's 90% of what therapy is). Epidemic of loneliness. One person can make a huge difference. Binary thinking of apologizing/taking responsibility = admitting guilt. Acknowledgement of injustice. Lack of responsibility has been normalized by last administration. Empathy should be normalized in next administration. People who don't feel guilt. Following Mr. Roger's advice and "look for the helpers". New level of human suffering in 2020. Importance of accountability. You don't have to condone the behavior to accept the apology. Proper apology = "I'm sorry I hurt you; this is how/what I'm going to change." Motives. Apologies are not a contract/guarantee it won't happen again. ADHD. Repeat offenders. Non-apology = "I'm sorry you feel that way"/puts blame on the person harmed/deflects responsibility...and is a gaslighting technique. You're too sensitive/can't take a joke. If someone says you hurt them, you hurt them. It's easy to take responsibility. Don't blame yourself if someone refuses to apologize; that speaks to them. Setting boundaries (and becoming the difficult person because of that). Workplace offenses. We can't expect an apology for everything. Blanket apologies. Increasing our compassion (we don't know what others are going through, especially now). Giving grace to people while keeping our boundaries. If you think apologies are a weakness, talk to a professional to break those patterns (find out how it served you in the past and why it no longer serves you now). Don't underestimate the power of humor (but understand it's not always injectable). Behavior anomalies. If you have a complaint about another, check to see if you aren't guilty of the same. Fluffy McStuffins. Frayed nerves. If you charge up a hill, you might be met with a mirror. Those willing to apologize value human relationships, understand we are inherently flawed human beings, and maybe doesn't take themselves too seriously. Willingness to take responsibility. Separate ego from self. Waiting for a reckoning. What you can do to help heal stuff. Inherent entitlement. Addressing privilege. Shitler. Vocal racists. Not reconnecting. We can all be friends again. (No, we can't.) People can change—listen to what they say, pay attention to what they do. We are coming out of an abusive relationship (with our president). Gaslighting. Irreparable damage. Understanding what you have control over. Strengthening empathic muscles. Reaching out for help is a strength, not a weakness. Emotional intelligence mentors. Taking a refresher course on communication.

You can find Dr. Sarkis on Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn @stephaniesarkis, on Instagram @sarkisphd, on Facebook @StephanieSarkisPhD and her website stephaniesarkis.com. Her latest book is Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People—And Break Free.

Episode recorded on 12/18/20

Episode released on 01/20/21

For more information on the podcast or its host, please visit sassylittlepodcast.com. There, you will find links to social media and an opportunity to become a member of the podcast community.

Thanks for listening! If you like this sassy little podcast, please subscribe to it, rate it and review it, and tell your friends about it. Become a patron on Patreon. Cheers!

Full episodes are available to paid subscribers of A Sassy Little Substack. Subscriptions start at $5/mo or $40/yr. For more information, visit A Sassy Little Substack.

The podcast is written, produced and edited by Sandra Ann Miller.  If you are interested in becoming a guest, please visit the Contact page at SassyLittlePodcast.com.

Music: Shower Beer by GG Riggs