Hey friend — ever know exactly what would help but still can’t seem to do it? You’re not lazy, and this episode gently explains why knowledge alone isn’t enough and how that gap actually shows up in your life.

Think tiny, repeatable practices: pausing before you say yes, stretching while you dry your hair, or taking two quiet minutes. These small moments add up and help your brain learn a new way of being without overhauling your whole life.

No pressure, just curiosity and compassion — try one tiny thing today and notice what happens.

To register for my Free Webinar: How to Know What You Need When Everyone Needs Something From You. Why capable, driven women lose touch with their own needs—and how to reconnect with yourself, trust yourself, and make more intentional choices

Choose either 

Tuesday September 8th 10:00 AM EST

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Sym24VhESKeo2oEx6_8ilQ

Thursday Sep 24, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/emCI1FsrSoGbSfyYFTMWow

Ready to join? 

Join my Group Coaching Membership for Women: Resilient and Restored

https://drlauriebruce.com/resilientandrestored

🌿 Take the "How Connected Are You?" Quiz

🤍 Join My Free Community

Ever said yes and immediately regretted it? This episode digs into why 'yes' can feel like part of who we are—people-pleasing, the fawn response, fear of disappointing—and offers one tiny, powerful practice: pause and say, “Let me think about it.”

Start small, be gentle with yourself, and remember boundaries are a practice, not proof you’re a bad person. Try the pause and see what you actually want.

If something in today’s episode resonated with you, I’d love to stay connected.

Take the How Connected Are You? Quiz

How connected are you to yourself right now?

This short quiz can help you identify where you may have lost touch with your thoughts, feelings, needs, values, and inner voice, and give you a place to begin reconnecting with yourself.

👉 Take the Quiz: https://drlauriebruce.com/quiz

Join the Free Resilient & Restored Community

If you’re ready to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and learn to know and trust yourself again, come join me inside my free Resilient & Restored community.

👉 Join the Community: https://www.skool.com/resilient-and-restored-8441/about

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.lauriebruce

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who might benefit from the conversation.

I’m glad you’re here.

Why is it so hard to rest, even when you know you’re exhausted?

For many high-achieving women, slowing down can feel surprisingly uncomfortable. You may finally have a moment to yourself, only to find your mind racing, your body feeling restless, or a nagging sense that you should be doing something more productive.

In this episode of From Both Sides of the Couch, we’re taking a closer look at the psychology and nervous system science behind why rest can feel so difficult.

If you’ve spent years being responsible, productive, dependable, and attuned to everyone else’s needs, your nervous system may have learned to associate staying busy with safety, control, or even self-worth. So when you finally stop, your body and mind don’t necessarily experience it as relaxation.

We’ll explore:

• Why high-achieving women often struggle to slow down, even when they desperately need rest

Rest isn't simply about doing less. It’s about developing the capacity to notice what your mind, body, emotions, and nervous system are communicating and responding with greater awareness.

If you've ever thought, “I know I need to rest, but I don't know how to actually stop,” this episode is for you.

Take a pause, settle in, and consider what might happen if rest became less about earning a break and more about learning to listen to yourself.

I invite you to take one idea from today’s episode, put it into practice, and see what happens.

If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love to stay connected.

🌿 Take the "How Connected Are You?" Quiz

🤍 Join My Free Community

About the Podcast

From Both Sides of the Couch is hosted by Dr. Laurie Bruce, a licensed clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. Each week, Dr. Laurie blends psychological insight, mindfulness, and real-life conversations to help women cultivate greater self-awareness, strengthen self-trust, and create lives that feel more grounded, intentional, and fulfilling.

About the Podcast

From Both Sides of the Couch is hosted by Dr. Laurie Bruce, a licensed clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. Each week, Dr. Laurie blends psychological insight, mindfulness, and real-life conversations to help women cultivate greater self-awareness, strengthen self-trust, and create lives that feel more grounded, intentional, and fulfilling.

Embrace the Messy Start:

Today, I’m sharing a very real moment: I’ve been building a membership called Resilient and Restored and I keep getting stuck on needing it to be perfect before I start. So I’m choosing the messy start instead.

If you’ve ever felt stuck waiting for clarity or fearing mistakes, you’re not alone — progress comes from practice, not perfection. I’m inviting you to take small, imperfect steps with me and learn as we go.

If that resonates, come join the free community on SKOOL — it’s a tiny, brave step we can take together. Thanks for being here.

If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love to stay connected.

🌿 Take the "How Connected Are You?" Quiz

🤍 Join My Free Community

✨ Ready to go deeper?

Have you ever looked at the life you built and wondered why you still do not feel like yourself?

In this solo episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, I talk about the quiet, gradual ways women can lose connection with themselves while caring for everyone else, moving through responsibilities, and living on autopilot. This is not about needing to blow up your life or start over. It is about noticing the small ways you may have stopped checking in with yourself.

I also talk about why later rarely comes, how autopilot can make life feel like something you are managing instead of something you are living, and why reconnecting with yourself can begin with one simple practice: noticing without judgment.

Listen to this week's episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch: Why You Don’t Feel Like Yourself Anymore (And How to Find Your Way Back) 

If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love to stay connected.

🌿 Take the "How Connected Are You?" Quiz

🤍 Join My Free Community

✨ Ready to go deeper?

Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!

Follow her socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/ 

Visit her website.

Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/ 

#MidlifeWomen #SelfConnection #MentalHealth

Hey friends! What if regret is not a sign that you are failing, but a signal pointing you back to what matters?

In today’s solo episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, I am talking about the emotion of regret, the pressure of the no regret lifestyle, and why painful emotions often carry important information. I also share a personal update about the podcast returning to an audio-only format and what this decision has taught me about values, alignment, and making room for what matters most.

Join me as we look at how regret can remind us of our values, why we need to sit with difficult emotions before we try to change them, and how small shoulds can slowly fill our lives until there is very little room left for ourselves.

If you have been feeling pulled in too many directions, saying yes because you should, or wondering whether your life still fits who you are becoming, this conversation is for you. Join me as we explore how to look back without living there and create space for what matters in What Regret Can Teach You.

If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love to stay connected.

🌿 Take the "How Connected Are You?" Quiz

🤍 Join My Free Community

✨ Ready to go deeper?

Follow her socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/ 

Visit her website.

Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/ 

#Regret #SelfCompassion #PersonalGrowth

Hey friends! Why does intimacy feel so hard when your nervous system does not feel safe?

In today’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, I am joined by Vanessa Cushing, Licensed Professional Counselor and certified sex therapist, to talk about nervous system dysregulation, desire discrepancy, trauma, communication, and what sex therapy actually looks like in real clinical practice.

Join us as we unpack why desire can shut down when the body is in survival mode, how blame keeps couples stuck, why communication needs more than just talking, and when therapists should consider referring clients to a trained sex therapist.

This conversation is for therapists working with intimacy concerns and for anyone who wants a more compassionate, informed way to understand desire, trauma, and connection. We also talk about Vanessa’s work with Sex Therapy Pro and why accessible, shame-free education around sexual health matters.

Vanessa Cushing is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the owner and founder of Cushing Counseling and Sex Therapy Pro, where she works to help clients eliminate distress, build healthier coping skills, and gain insight into unhealthy patterns. She holds a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, dual bachelor's degrees from the University of Virginia, and a Certificate in Sex Therapy from the University of Michigan. Vanessa specializes in sex therapy and integrative couples work, addressing concerns ranging from desire discrepancy to reclaiming sexuality after trauma, and is an LGBTQ+ affirming, inclusive provider.

To explore Vanessa's AI-powered sex therapy platform with personalized treatment plans and exercises, visit sextherapypro.ai. 

Connect with Vanessa Cushing:

Website: https://www.cushingcounseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cushingcounseling/

Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-cushing-477051156/

If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love to stay connected.

🌿 Take the "How Connected Are You?" Quiz

🤍 Join My Free Community

✨ Ready to go deeper?

Follow her socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/ 

Visit her website.

Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/ 

#SexTherapy #RelationshipHealth #IntimacyHealing #women in mid-life

What happens when therapists become the people everyone else turns to, but their own support starts to disappear? 

In today’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, I am joined by Lorain Moorehead, therapist, consultant, and host of The Self-Care Therapist podcast, to talk about why supervision, consultation, and therapy still matter after licensure.

Join us as we unpack the fine line between supervision, consultation, and therapy, why therapists need spaces where they can be honest about what is coming up for them, and how ongoing support helps clinicians grow instead of quietly carrying everything alone.

Getting licensed does not mean therapists stop needing guidance. Whether we are learning a new modality, navigating a difficult case, or noticing our own reactions in the room, support is part of ethical and sustainable clinical work.

If you are a therapist, supervisor, consultant, or helping professional who has ever wondered where your own support is supposed to come from, this conversation is for you. Join us as we explore why licensed therapists still need supervision in Why Licensed Therapists Still Need Supervision With Lorain Moorehead

Lorain Moorehead is a therapist, consultant, and EMDR Certified, EMDRIA‑approved consultant specializing in trauma‑informed care and EMDR integration. She works with high‑achieving adults navigating anxiety, perfectionism, identity loss, and relational stress through depth‑oriented, evidence‑based approaches. Lorain brings advanced training in DBT and certification in Perinatal Mental Health, grounding her work in safety, attunement, and nervous‑system awareness. She also supports clinicians through supervision, consultation, and training, with a strong focus on ethical practice and clinical decisionmaking. In 2025, she launched The Self Care‑apist Therapist Podcast, creating space for therapists to explore innovative, research‑backed modalities—including emerging conversations around KAP and trauma treatment.

Website: https://lorainmoorehead.com/   

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorainmoorehead/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theselfcareapist/  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theselfcareapist   

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjS1AkQopGeVq6eP-1j7Y4i-oloOPSJmw  

If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love to stay connected.

🌿 Take the "How Connected Are You?" Quiz

🤍 Join My Free Community

✨ Ready to go deeper?

About the Podcast

From Both Sides of the Couch is hosted by Dr. Laurie Bruce, a licensed clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. Each week, Dr. Laurie blends psychological insight, mindfulness, and real-life conversations to help women cultivate greater self-awareness, strengthen self-trust, and create lives that feel more grounded, intentional, and fulfilling.

Follow her socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/ 

Visit her website.

Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/ 

#ClinicalSupervision #TherapistSupport #TherapistBurnout

Hey friends! What happens when the life you expected no longer fits the person you are becoming?

In this episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, I am joined by Dr. Elana Hoffman, licensed Clinical Psychologist, author, and host of Talk Relationship to Me, to talk about gray divorce and why more couples are starting over later in life. We get into what gray divorce means, why it may be increasing, the emotional grief that comes with ending a long marriage, and the identity shifts that can happen when the future you imagined suddenly changes.

Join us as we unpack the questions people start asking in midlife, the role of financial independence, sexuality, family patterns, and why divorce can be both heartbreaking and liberating. We also talk about the difference between initiating divorce and being left, why men need more compassionate support after divorce, and what it can mean to create a healthier path forward for yourself and your family.

There is no single way to move through divorce. Sometimes you need space to grieve. Sometimes you need therapy, coaching, community, or support from people who understand. And sometimes healing means realizing that starting over later in life does not mean you failed. It means there may still be a whole life waiting for you on the other side.

If midlife has left you questioning the life you built, the relationship you stayed in, or the future you thought was certain, this conversation is for you. Join us as we explore what it means to start over later in life and find yourself again in Gray Divorce: Why More Couples Are Starting Over After 50 with Dr. Elana Hoffman

Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!

Dr. Elana Hoffman is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, author of So, Your Wife Left You… Now What?, and host of the podcast Talk Relationship to Me. Specializing in divorce and relationship transitions, she helps adults navigate the emotional, relational, and identity shifts that come with major life changes, including the growing phenomenon of gray divorce. Through her therapy and coaching practice, she works specifically with men rebuilding their lives after divorce, helping them understand themselves and their patterns with a compassionate and no-blame/shame approach, and what they actually want on the other side. With licensure across 40+ states through Psypact, she brings a warm, no-nonsense clinical lens to the conversations most people are afraid to have.

Grab Dr. Elana Hoffman's book, So, Your Wife Left You… Now What? https://www.amazon.com/Your-Wife-Left-What-Psychologists/dp/1965971040

And catch her podcast, Talk Relationship to Me  https://www.youtube.com/@TalkRelationshipToMe 

Connect with Dr. Elana Hoffman:

Website: https://www.drelanahoffman.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.elanahoffman/

Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development. 

Follow her socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/ 

Visit her website.

Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/ 

Hey friends! How do you heal and recover from a broken relationship? In today’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, I am joined by The Therapist Brothers, Brannon and Tyler Patrick, both licensed clinicians, to explore the hidden trauma of betrayal and why infidelity can create such deep emotional wounds.

Join us as we unpack the deeper meaning of betrayal trauma, help you understand the experience of reality fragmentation, and offer insight into what healing, repair, and rebuilding trust can look like for couples who choose that path.

There is no quick fix for betrayal trauma. While we can be grateful for the confidence, strength, and joy we’ve regained, that doesn’t erase the pain we’ve endured. Both can exist at the same time, and healing often means making space for the full truth of our experience. Remember, life is good on the other side.

If betrayal has left you questioning your reality, your worth, or your ability to trust again, this conversation is for you. Join us as we explore what healing can look like after deep relational wounds in The Hidden Trauma of Betrayal: Why Infidelity Hurts So Deeply.

Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!

Brannon Patrick, LCSW, and Tyler Patrick, LMFT, are brothers and

licensed clinicians who help individuals and couples heal after infidelity,

addiction, and the trust rupture that follows. With 20+ years each in

addiction and trauma work, They also host The Therapy Brothers, a weekly call-in show where real people work through betrayal, shame, trauma, and addiction.

Connect with Brannon Patrick:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brannon-patrick/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brannon_patrick/ 

Connect with Tyler Patrick:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-patrick-lmft-24488366/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.wandering.therapist/ 

Learn more about the Therapy Brothers!

Website: https://therapybrothers.org/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therapy.bros 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapy.brothers 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@therapy.brothers 

Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development. 

Follow her socials:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/ 

Visit her website.

Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/ 

#BetrayalTrauma #InfidelityRecovery #RelationshipHealing