In this Friends of F Words episode, Dr. Daryl Appleton sits down with Dr. Brittany Bankhead, a double board-certified trauma surgeon, entrepreneur, and founder of Modern Mom Lab.

Brittany shares a blunt truth: women get put in boxes no matter what they choose. Working mom, stay-at-home mom, part-time mom, no kids, all of it. So she’s building a different framework, one where “having it all” is personal, flexible, and designed around what actually matters to you.

They talk about defining your “Dream Week,” delegating strategically (even with a budget), why high performers struggle to ask for help, and the difference between achievement and alignment. Brittany also shares the reality behind the highlight reel: failures, grit, a divorce, doing the work, and choosing her relationship again in a new way.

This week’s F Word is first impressions—and no, this isn’t about being polished, likable, or charismatic.

In this episode, Dr. Daryl Appleton breaks down the real psychology behind first impressions, including the one question used by the CIA that reveals how someone handles stress, power, and emotional responsibility:

“When was the first time you had to be the adult in the room?”

From job interviews to first dates to family dynamics, this episode gives you a science-backed framework for decoding people beyond their résumé or highlight reel.

You’ll learn:

• Why we assess people on warmth and competence within seconds

• How language, tense, and tone reveal unprocessed pain

• What emotional granularity says about stress tolerance and leadership

• How microexpressions leak truth before words do

• Why defensiveness is a data point—and curiosity is a growth signal

• How to ask better questions without interrogating or diagnosing

  
  

You’ll also get a practical decoder toolkit for:

✔️ Job interviews

✔️ Dating

✔️ Friendships & family

✔️ Leadership and trust-building

This episode isn’t about judging people.

It’s about seeing them clearly—and showing up clearly yourself.

This week’s F Word is fraudulence — and no, you’re not actually a fraud.

In this solo episode, Dr. Daryl Appleton breaks down the psychology of imposter syndrome: why it happens, who it affects most, and how feeling like a fraud is often a sign you actually care about what you’re doing.

You’ll learn:

• The real science behind imposter syndrome (and why 70–90% of people experience it)

• Why high achievers, leaders, women, and first-generation professionals feel it most

• The 5 “Imposters in the Wild” (Perfectionist, Superhero, Expert, Natural Genius, Soloist)

• How imposter syndrome shows up at work, at home, and in relationships

• Practical ways to stop letting feelings override facts

This episode isn’t about “confidence hacks.” It’s about competence, alignment, and self-awareness — and learning how to move forward with the feeling instead of letting it run the show.

If you’ve ever thought:

“I don’t belong here.”

“They’re going to figure me out.”

“I’m only successful because of luck.”

Congratulations. You’re human. And you’re not alone.

If January feels harder than it should, you’re not failing, you’re re-entering.
In this episode, Dr. Daryl Appleton explains the January Tax, the real brain-based cost of returning to structure after the holidays. You’ll learn why focus disappears, why multitasking backfires, and why motivation crashes in early January. This episode breaks down the science behind re-entry friction and dopamine depletion in plain language. You’ll also get practical, research-backed strategies to reset your brain and move forward without pushing harder or burning out.

From forced positivity to curated “authenticity,” we’re living in the era of emotional forgery where looking real is often more important than being real. Research shows that performing feelings you don’t have can spike anxiety, burnout, and even physical health risks. In this episode, I sit down with The M Take Podcast to call out the curated chaos, unpack why performative personas are so seductive, and explore how to spot when “real” is actually rehearsed. Because the one thing you can’t fake… is the truth.

This week, we are sitting down with certified interior designer Liz Toombs to decode what your home, office, and even that corner chair you never sit in says about you. We talk about how furniture isn’t just functional, it’s deeply emotional, the perfect way to decorate for the life you want, and how maybe that glitter horse head from HomeGoods can be the next family heirloom. From creating rooms that encourage connection to designing spaces that keep you focused (and sane), this conversation is all about curating your environment with intention. Because let’s be honest: if your room’s a mess, your head probably is too. Time to redesign both!

What if your closet was more than clothes what if it was your secret weapon? In this episode, image consultant and author Rachael Kennedy and I open the playbook the polished, powerful, and in-the-know have used forever: using fashion to signal who you are and who you’re becoming. We break down the real psychology of style, how self-awareness and authenticity can live inside your wardrobe, and how dressing on purpose opens communication and opens doors.

Think of this episode as your permission slip and blueprint to wear the life you actually want to live.

In this episode of Feelings & Other F Words, we’re unpacking a topic that almost didn’t make it to air, because it’s that layered, that personal, and that emotionally charged.This week, we’re breaking down family estrangement: what the research actually says about going no-contact (or low-contact), how common it really is, why it happens, what it costs us emotionally, and how to decide if it might be the right choice, for now, or forever.No sugarcoating. No one-size-fits-all answers. Just an honest look at what it means to fracture family ties and what it might take to heal, rebuild, or release them altogether.

If you’ve ever walked into a room and immediately started making a mental checklist of everything no one else seems to see, welcome to the freight train of mental load.This week, I sit down with Zachary Watson, aka The Mental Load Coach and self-professed “recovering man-child,” to talk about the invisible labor that’s burning people out behind closed doors. We get into emotional labor, decision fatigue, gender roles, agency, and the uncomfortable question: what does real accountability in partnership actually look like?Whether you’re carrying the load or just realizing you’ve been riding in the passenger seat, this episode is for you. Buckle up.

This Mother’s Day, we go full-bodied, because motherhood doesn’t live in one lane. It’s mental, emotional, physical, invisible, and all-consuming. In this deeply honest and wildly relatable episode (we laugh and cry), I sit down with the incredible Lauren Berty, @thattwinmama, for a conversation that spans matrescence, twin chaos, silent labor, teenage vs toddler parenting, and the sharp-edged softness of rediscovering yourself post-birth. From online vulnerability to offline identity, we talk guilt, rage, reclaiming power, and the myth of 'loving every second of motherhood” and refining your own parenting story.if you have ever mothered, been mother-ed, or have had to hold it all together ... this episode is for you.