Admit it. There’s a tiny part of the holiday season that you dread. You’ve got a few relatives who always poke their noses into your parenting business, and you never know exactly how to handle their comments. Should you just put up and shut up? Or should you lash back? Or is there perhaps a better solution that might help to avoid all of that negative energy floating around in the room?

Listen as Marie and best-selling author and top psychotherapist Sandra Reich talk about why topics like breastfeeding are so likely to bring on criticism, and how the “crab mentality” works overtime—and is often contagious among family members—at holiday time. Ask yourself what story is playing in your head. Heed Sandra’s warning that negative emotional energy has been scientifically linked to physical disease, and get her tips on how to create appropriate boundaries and avoid unwanted consequences.