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Between a Hot Mess & a Therapist
Between a Hot Mess & a Therapist episodes
- 88. Why Helpers Deflect “How Are You Really?”
Why is it so hard to answer honestly when someone asks how you’re really doing? In this episode, Shawna unpacks the helper pattern of deflecting care, the nervous-system bracing underneath it, and why being witnessed can feel harder than holding space for everyone else. If you’re fluent in supporting others but awkward as hell at receiving, this one will land.
WORK WITH ME
Messy Middle Blueprint (HD Reading, $97): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/messy-middle-blueprint
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/practice-by-design-intensive
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/texas-lpc-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
13 min - 87. They Said “It’s Just a Dog!”
What Pet Loss Really Costs Helpers Who Were Already Running on Empty
In March, we lost our beloved Deputy Bullet. Unexpectedly. What followed was a grief cycle wrapped in financial stress, a quiet fear of being judged for how it was managed, and the particular loneliness of knowing too much about loss to pretend it doesn’t hurt. This one is personal. And it’s for anyone who is still in the middle of something and wondering if they’re allowed to be.
WORK WITH ME
Messy Middle Blueprint (HD Reading, $97): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/messy-middle-blueprint
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/practice-by-design-intensive
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/texas-lpc-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
24 min - 86. What Fibroids Taught Me About Being a Helper: A Therapist Gets Honest About Cycles, Burnout & the Body
July is Fibroid Awareness Month. In July 2009, I had zero awareness — even as a trained clinician who teaches other people to pay attention to their bodies. What I had was a body I had been quietly ignoring for longer than I want to admit, and a set of symptoms I had filed away under inconvenient but manageable.
In this episode, I get honest about what fibroids actually taught me, what your cycle is doing beyond the bleeding part, and why helpers specifically are wired to override the very signals their bodies send loudest. We talk about the four phases of your hormonal cycle, what each one is asking of your nervous system, the connection between your sacral energy and chronic suppression, and why the phase designed for rest keeps getting skipped by the people who need it most.
This isn't a medical episode. It's a permission episode. Permission to stop treating your body's rhythm like a scheduling conflict. Permission to get curious about the message instead of just managing the symptom.
Because you were never built to run at the same speed in every season. That's not a flaw. That's the whole design.
This episode is for anyone who has a uterus, has had a uterus, or loves someone navigating what it means to live inside a body that bleeds.
WORK WITH ME
Messy Middle Blueprint (HD Reading, $97): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/messy-middle-blueprint
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/practice-by-design-intensive
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/texas-lpc-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
22 min - 85. You Are More Than Your Job: The Burnout Risk of Shrinking Yourself
A birthday reflection turned into something bigger: what happens when you realize you’ve been living as a smaller, more explainable version of yourself. In this short podcast episode, Shawna talks about identity, burnout, being more than one thing, and why helpers lose themselves when they keep trimming off the parts that don’t fit the professional bio. If you’ve been told to pick a lane, this one is for you.
Got a Question? SUBMIT IT HERE
——————————————————————————
WORK WITH ME
——————————————————————————
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/work-with-me
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only, $400/mo): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/lpc-associate-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
FREE Still Human audio series: https://healingrootswab.myflodesk.com/reset
——————————————————————————
FIND ME
——————————————————————————
YouTube: youtube.com/@heyyallitsshawna
Website: shawnalovinlpcs.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyyallitsshawna
Disclaimer: Although Shawna is a licensed counselor in the State of Texas, this podcast is not therapy and should not be used as a therapeutic intervention. Many of the practices and products mentioned are for educational and informational purposes only. Should you need support, please seek appropriate, qualified, and licensed professionals.
10 min - 84. Why I’m Building a T-Shirt Business Instead of Taking More Clients
You love the work. But more clinical hours stopped feeling like the answer a long time ago — and maybe you already know why, even if you haven't said it out loud yet.
In this episode, Shawna maps the moment she stopped asking how do I squeeze more life out of the same setup? and started asking what it would look like to build something that supports my future without draining the capacity I'm trying to protect?
That question led her to a heat press, a family business, and a completely different relationship with effort.
This isn't a feel-good pivot story. It's a real conversation about the sneaky pattern that helpers fall into — solving every pressure point with more of themselves — and what it actually costs when that becomes your whole financial strategy. It's about nervous system rhythms, sustainable capacity, and giving yourself permission to become more than one thing before burnout makes the decision for you.
What you'll hear in this episode:
Why "just take more clients" is a trained response, not a strategy
The real energetic difference between clinical hours and creative work
What building something physical did for Shawna's body and her week
Why protecting your longevity is not the same as taking your work less seriously
Permission to build something nobody saw coming
If y'all want to know what it looks like to build a different life on purpose — in real time, not in retrospect — this is the episode.
Got a Question? SUBMIT IT HERE
——————————————————————————
WORK WITH ME
——————————————————————————
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/work-with-me
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only, $400/mo): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/lpc-associate-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
FREE Still Human audio series: https://healingrootswab.myflodesk.com/reset
——————————————————————————
FIND ME
——————————————————————————
YouTube: youtube.com/@heyyallitsshawna
Website: shawnalovinlpcs.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyyallitsshawna
Disclaimer: Although Shawna is a licensed counselor in the State of Texas, this podcast is not therapy and should not be used as a therapeutic intervention. Many of the practices and products mentioned are for educational and informational purposes only. Should you need support, please seek appropriate, qualified, and licensed professionals.
16 min - 83. Your Body Hates the Job You’re Good At (Your Human Design Might Explain It)
Ever feel like your job isn’t just stressful—it feels fundamentally wrong for how you’re built? In this episode, I’m talking about the clash between your work life and your actual energy style, pacing, and decision-making. Using Human Design as a grounded lens—not a personality gimmick—we’re getting into what happens when your body keeps trying to do a job that fights your natural rhythm, and why that friction can leave helpers exhausted, flat, and questioning everything.
Got a Question? SUBMIT IT HERE
——————————————————————————
WORK WITH ME
——————————————————————————
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/work-with-me
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only, $400/mo): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/lpc-associate-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
FREE Still Human audio series: https://healingrootswab.myflodesk.com/reset
——————————————————————————
FIND ME
——————————————————————————
YouTube: youtube.com/@heyyallitsshawna
Website: shawnalovinlpcs.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyyallitsshawna
Disclaimer: Although Shawna is a licensed counselor in the State of Texas, this podcast is not therapy and should not be used as a therapeutic intervention. Many of the practices and products mentioned are for educational and informational purposes only. Should you need support, please seek appropriate, qualified, and licensed professionals.
21 min - 82. I Thought It Was Just Burnout Again, Until This Happened at Work
Another person is leaving. Management refused a simple shift swap that would have supported the people who’ve actually been holding the work together, then later admitted they made the decision based on what would be easier to fill—not what was fair. In this episode, I’m talking about what bad leadership does to trust, morale, and the nervous system, especially when you already feel watched, undervalued, or quietly singled out. This is for anyone who has ever looked around at constant turnover and thought, maybe the problem isn’t just the job. Maybe it’s who’s running it.
Got a Question? SUBMIT IT HERE
——————————————————————————
WORK WITH ME
——————————————————————————
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/work-with-me
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only, $400/mo): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/lpc-associate-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
FREE Still Human audio series: https://healingrootswab.myflodesk.com/reset
——————————————————————————
FIND ME
——————————————————————————
YouTube: youtube.com/@heyyallitsshawna
Website: shawnalovinlpcs.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyyallitsshawna
Disclaimer: Although Shawna is a licensed counselor in the State of Texas, this podcast is not therapy and should not be used as a therapeutic intervention. Many of the practices and products mentioned are for educational and informational purposes only. Should you need support, please seek appropriate, qualified, and licensed professionals.
19 min - 81. The Anti-Helper Era: Why Helpers Secretly Hate the Field
What happens when you’re still licensed, still skilled, still good at the work… but the field itself starts feeling too small for who you’ve become? In this episode, I’m talking about the quiet rebellion of mid-career therapists and helpers who are no longer interested in shrinking themselves to fit stale systems, weak supervision, or professional boxes that never taught them how to build a real life. This is about evolving without abandoning yourself, keeping your credentials without worshipping the container, and learning to trust your own depth when the field can’t fully name it yet.
Got a Question? SUBMIT IT HERE
——————————————————————————
WORK WITH ME
——————————————————————————
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/work-with-me
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only, $400/mo): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/lpc-associate-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
FREE Still Human audio series: https://healingrootswab.myflodesk.com/reset
——————————————————————————
FIND ME
——————————————————————————
YouTube: youtube.com/@heyyallitsshawna
Website: shawnalovinlpcs.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyyallitsshawna
Disclaimer: Although Shawna is a licensed counselor in the State of Texas, this podcast is not therapy and should not be used as a therapeutic intervention. Many of the practices and products mentioned are for educational and informational purposes only. Should you need support, please seek appropriate, qualified, and licensed professionals.
22 min - 80. Silent Quitting Your Life: When the Old You Doesn’t Fit Anymore
This episode is for the high-functioning people who look “fine” on the outside but know, deep down, that whole parts of their life no longer fit. Not just jobs—roles, expectations, identities, and ways of living that your body is tired of performing. I’m talking about the quiet inner ending that happens before the outer change, why midlife can bring your real compass back online, and what your nervous system may be telling you before you have the next plan figured out.
Got a Question? SUBMIT IT HERE
——————————————————————————
WORK WITH ME
——————————————————————————
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/work-with-me
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only, $400/mo): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/lpc-associate-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
FREE Still Human audio series: https://healingrootswab.myflodesk.com/reset
——————————————————————————
FIND ME
——————————————————————————
YouTube: youtube.com/@heyyallitsshawna
Website: shawnalovinlpcs.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyyallitsshawna
Disclaimer: Although Shawna is a licensed counselor in the State of Texas, this podcast is not therapy and should not be used as a therapeutic intervention. Many of the practices and products mentioned are for educational and informational purposes only. Should you need support, please seek appropriate, qualified, and licensed professionals.
23 min - 79. You Don’t Work a Job. You Rent Your Life.
That moment when you’re sitting in the car after work, too drained to even walk into your own house? Yeah. That’s not laziness. That’s what happens when your life has been built around being useful, available, and endlessly “good at handling things.” In this episode, I’m talking about the real cost of overfunctioning, helper conditioning, and what it does to your nervous system when your days stop belonging to you. If you look functional on the outside but feel cooked on the inside, this one will hit home.
Got a Question? SUBMIT IT HERE
——————————————————————————
WORK WITH ME
——————————————————————————
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/work-with-me
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only, $400/mo): https://shawnalovinlpcs.com/lpc-associate-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
FREE Still Human audio series: https://healingrootswab.myflodesk.com/reset
——————————————————————————
FIND ME
——————————————————————————
YouTube: youtube.com/@heyyallitsshawna
Website: shawnalovinlpcs.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyyallitsshawna
Disclaimer: Although Shawna is a licensed counselor in the State of Texas, this podcast is not therapy and should not be used as a therapeutic intervention. Many of the practices and products mentioned are for educational and informational purposes only. Should you need support, please seek appropriate, qualified, and licensed professionals.
20 min
About Between a Hot Mess & a Therapist
From the publisher's feed
Welcome to Between a Hot Mess & a Therapist.
This isn't your typical self-help podcast. This is where seasoned therapist Shawna Lovin, LPC-S tells the truth about burnout, helper life, and building a different kind of practice and career. If you're a therapist, counselor, social worker, or helper who's exhausted by what the system keeps asking of you — and you're ready to build something that actually fits your life and your energy — you're in the right place. Expect real talk about clinical culture, sustainable practice building, Human Design as a capacity tool, and what it looks like to build a different life on purpose. No hustle gospel. No performative wellness. Just honest, grounded conversation from someone who's lived it.
Hosted by Shawna Lovin, LPC-S | Texas LPC Supervisor | Practice Building Consultant | shawnalovinlpcs.com New episode every week.
——————————————————————————
WORK WITH ME
——————————————————————————
Messy Middle Blueprint (HD Reading, $97): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/messy-middle-blueprint
Practice by Design (for fully licensed clinicians, $497): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/practice-by-design-intensive
LPC Supervision (Texas Associates only): https://heyyallitsshawna.beehiiv.com/products/texas-lpc-supervision
Ten Twenty QM (custom tees): www.tentwentyqm.com
——————————————————————————
FIND ME
——————————————————————————
YouTube: youtube.com/@heyyallitsshawna Website: shawnalovinlpcs.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyyallitsshawna
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