BUNDLE OF HERS returns with conversations and stories of identity. Not what people want you to be, and not what you are supposed to do—what does it mean, and how does it look to be you on your terms and by your identities as you define them? In the season six premiere, we further expand the discussions of what it means to be your true authentic self.

Cold opens are a technique commonly used in television storytelling to grab the audience’s attention and keep them from channel surfing. BUNDLE OF HERS uses cold opens as well—the random bit before the intro music starts. During the early episodes, in an effort to have more comfortable conversations, our producer gave us talking points before each episode. From how our days went, to our worst phobias. Five seasons in, we've gradually gotten accustomed to cold opens and start each episode with the most random discussions that sometimes have absolutely nothing to do with the episodes' topics. Twenty-five episodes in season five mean 25 cold opens—all together in one place—these are the conversations before the conversation.

In the second part of our two-part fifth season finale, Margaux, Leen, and Harjit share stories about their experiences as medical residents, reflecting on how they've grown as both physicians and people. BOH's veteran voices discuss burnout—why they feel jaded and tired—and talk about discovering ways to go back to their passion for medicine and prioritizing patients in the new year.

In the first part of our two-part fifth season finale, Mariam, Hạ, and Lina look back on their first season of sharing narratives and stories on BUNDLE OF HERS, and talk about the importance of community as they reflect on the highs and lows of medical school. In true confession form, the newest voices of BOH go through some of their expectations for medical school vs reality—rounding out the season with manifestations for the next year.

Trauma—physical, emotional, and mental—can be passed down to us from our parents and family members in the way we are raised. As defined by the Office for Institutional Equity at Duke—Inter-generational trauma is a concept developed to help explain years of generational challenges within families. It is the transmission or sending down to younger generations, of the oppressive or traumatic effects of a historical event. In an intimate conversation, Mariam and Lina reflect on intergenerational trauma from their lived experiences as immigrants, and talk about the importance of trauma-informed healthcare.

Throughout our formal education and extending into our professional careers, most of us will have participated in some form of mandatory surveys, ranging from feedback for thought leaders to problem-solving conflict resolutions. You provide your thoughts and opinions... then what? The ideal is change happens. But how is the gathered information and data used? Is it even used, or is it a practice of tokenism? The unfortunate truth is it takes more effort to make change than it does surveying opinions and thoughts. In S5E22, Leen and Harjit discuss the consequences of truthful surveys.

Awareness of your inner child can bring more fulfilled, lighter, carefree years during adulthood. Inner Child Work is healing childhood experiences and recognizing how those experiences come out in the way we behave and react as adults. Reconnecting with one’s inner child is evaluating and healing the parts of one’s self that perhaps didn’t get attention during childhood. In S5E21, Margaux and Harjit reflect on their childhoods, and how their experiences have carried with them through the way they interact with patients and their careers in medicine.

SisterSong—leader of the reproductive justice movement—defines reproductive justice as "the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities." But how do systems of oppression such as racism, ableism, and sexism, make it harder for some to access reproductive care? In S5E20, Lina and Hạ talk with Juliette Friedland, co-chair for diversity and inclusion at Optum UnitedHealth, about the disadvantages and inequalities of reproductive health, and the history and future of obstetrics and gynecology.

Discovering where you come from contributes to knowing where you're heading. We are built from the generations before us—our mothers and grandmothers before them—through their sacrifices, pain, and all they've had to endure. Each mother loves and nurtures differently, and sometimes that love and nurture are affected by historical and cultural complexities.

In S5E19, Hạ, Harjit, and Margaux dedicate a tribute to the matriarchs of their lives, sharing stories of generations prior and reflect on how they are shaped by the narratives of their ancestors.

Raising children is a community effort, but our society can make us feel we should be able to do it successfully alone. But the instincts are not always natural, and the expectations are not always met. And the advice you receive may not be the help you need. Matrescence—the physical, mental, and emotional transition into motherhood—comes differently to different women. Returning from parental leave, in S5E18, Margaux talks to Dr. Manpreet Kaur about the support network needed during the postpartum period, and how their knowledge of medicine and being working physicians contributes to their new roles as mothers.