Stretch marks are what’s left behind after serious growth. They don’t call therapy “doing the work” for nothing. It’s hard, messy, painful, but so necessary. Mary Katherine and Sara close out their first season by sharing how emotional stretch marks can be just as jarring as the physical ones.

Closer to Fine [email protected]
www.instagram.com/closertofinepod

Mary Katherine Backstrom www.facebook.com/mkbackstrom
www.instagram.com/marykatherinebackstrom

Sara Farrell Baker www.facebook.com/sarafarrellbakerwriter
www.instagram.com/sarafarrellbaker/

What are boundaries and why do we need them? Why is it hard when someone sets a boundary with us? MK and Sara discuss boundaries they’ve set with friends, family, their spouses, and ways they struggle with respecting someone else’s boundaries. They also go down a Twilight rabbit hole because why wouldn’t they?

Codependent Book Club Recommendation
Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

Closer to Fine [email protected]
www.instagram.com/closertofinepod

Mary Katherine Backstrom www.facebook.com/mkbackstrom
www.instagram.com/marykatherinebackstrom

Sara Farrell Baker www.facebook.com/sarafarrellbakerwriter
www.instagram.com/sarafarrellbaker/

Mary Katherine and Sara have had very different lives when it comes to their religious beliefs. In what ways has religion been a toxic or hurtful force in their lives? How does that get reconciled with the idea of a kind and loving God? What does it mean to challenge and criticize your faith, even when it’s strong?

Closer to Fine [email protected]
www.instagram.com/closertofinepod

Mary Katherine Backstrom www.facebook.com/mkbackstrom
www.instagram.com/marykatherinebackstrom

Sara Farrell Baker www.facebook.com/sarafarrellbakerwriter
www.instagram.com/sarafarrellbaker/

Sara and MK lay it all on the table when it comes to their eating disorders or disordered eating and how dieting steals their joy. How young were MK and Sara when they were first affected by diet culture? How are they trying to break this cycle with their children, especially their daughters? What does a healthy relationship with food even look like? MK explores body positivity vs. body neutrality and Sara talks about how difficult it has been to take power and pain out of the word “fat.”

Closer to Fine [email protected]
www.instagram.com/closertofinepod

Mary Katherine Backstrom www.facebook.com/mkbackstrom
www.instagram.com/marykatherinebackstrom

Sara Farrell Baker www.facebook.com/sarafarrellbakerwriter
www.instagram.com/sarafarrellbaker/

Mental Health is a journey and rarely a linear one, so seeking out treatment when we are feeling “fine” can help set us up for success before we hit a low. Why do we treat mental illness like there is a moral-failing attached to it when we would never do that for a physical or visible illness? MK and Sara both have ADHD and they talk about the difficulty in living with and treating this disorder and the shame born out of the symptoms.

Closer to Fine [email protected]
www.instagram.com/closertofinepod

Mary Katherine Backstrom www.facebook.com/mkbackstrom
www.instagram.com/marykatherinebackstrom

Sara Farrell Baker www.facebook.com/sarafarrellbakerwriter
www.instagram.com/sarafarrellbaker/

Mary Katherine Backstrom and Sara Farrell Baker introduce themselves and dive into their mental health journeys. From how their diagnoses impact their lives, to “dating” a therapist, to taking their psych meds, Sara and MK explore what “fine” means to them and how they’re trying to move the needle closer to it. They discuss their own friendship and the value of having supportive friends who expect an honest answer when asking “How are you?”

Closer to Fine [email protected]
www.instagram.com/closertofinepod

Mary Katherine Backstrom www.facebook.com/mkbackstrom
www.instagram.com/marykatherinebackstrom

Sara Farrell Baker www.facebook.com/sarafarrellbakerwriter
www.instagram.com/sarafarrellbaker/