Ep. 9 Have you ever felt both connected and conflicted by the place you came from?

Together, they hold space for the emotional complexity of religious trauma and identity, naming how fear-based teachings, belonging, and creativity all left their mark. Now a mental health professional and artist, Thomas shares how he’s learning to hold multiple truths, navigate spiritual deconstruction, and find freedom on his personal transformation podcast-worthy journey.

💬 Key Themes:

- Navigating life’s gray areas between faith, freedom, and fear

- The emotional toll of religious trauma and the power of emotional resilience

- The intersection of mental health and spirituality, shame, and healing

- Redefining belonging through vulnerability and courage

- How doing hard things can lead to deeper personal growth and connection

Whether you’re deconstructing, reconnecting, or somewhere in between, this episode is for you. Tune in to It’s Both—a mental health and motherhood-friendly space for real stories of being human—and discover how embracing contradictions can lead to deeper healing and community.

- Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts

- Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box

- Start your own podcast with Riverside

- Manage & distribute your podcast with Ausha - use code: T4XJWQNTUQ to get $30 off

- It's Both on Instagram

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Thank you again for listening and remember,  life isn't either/or, it's both.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ep. 8 Have you ever felt the emotional tug-of-war between career ambitions and the demands of motherhood?

In this episode of It’s Both, host Nikki P sits down with her guest Heather for an authentic conversation about parenting in the gray, emotional resilience, and the messy middle of being a working mom. Together, they unpack what it means to hold multiple truths—the guilt of time away from your kids, the pride in pursuing your passions, and the ever-evolving identity that motherhood demands.

Heather shares her personal transformation journey, naming the pressures, sacrifices, and moments of clarity that come with trying to “do it all.” With honesty and vulnerability, Nikki and Heather explore the mental load of motherhood, the value of community support, and the challenge of navigating life’s gray areas with grace.

💬 Topics they explore include:

- The invisible emotional labor working moms carry

- How to hold emotional tension while building a career

- Identity shifts in motherhood and what it means to grow

- The importance of real stories and honest storytelling in breaking shame

- Finding permission to be both ambitious and nurturing

Whether you’re navigating working mom burnout, redefining your role at home, or learning how to balance your own needs with your family's, this episode offers companionship, clarity, and courage.

Tune in to It’s Both—a mental health and motherhood podcast that celebrates the complexity of being human and the power of vulnerability and courage in the everyday.

- Follow, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts

- Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box

- Start your own podcast with Riverside

- Manage & distribute your podcast with Ausha - use code: T4XJWQNTUQ to get $30 off

- It's Both on Instagram

- It's Both on Youtube

- It's Both on Spotify

Thank you again for listening and remember,  life isn't either/or, it's both.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ep. 7 If you are having thoughts of suicide, experiencing a crisis, or just need to talk to someone, reach out to the 988 Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also visit the 988 website.

Have you ever felt joy rise up in the middle of heartbreak? In this powerful episode of It’s Both, host Nikki P. is joined by Annie Paraison for an authentic conversation about navigating grief, emotional healing, and the complexity of holding multiple truths during seasons of loss.

Annie shares real-life mental health stories about losing several loved ones—and how those moments also opened the door to self-discovery, community support, and even laughter. Together, Nikki and Annie explore the messy middle of grief, where pain and beauty can exist side by side, and how naming these contradictions can lead to deep personal transformation.

💬 Key themes include:

- How to navigate life's gray areas between sorrow and joy

- Building emotional resilience through connection and reflection

- What it means to embrace contradictions in the healing process

- The power of vulnerability and courage in storytelling

- Why healing isn’t linear and grief doesn’t follow a script

- Ways to feel your feelings without shame

- Finding hope in the complexities of loss and everyday life

Whether you're grieving a loved one, a version of yourself, or the life you thought you'd have, this mental health podcast offers space for honest storytelling and authentic conversations. Tune in for comfort, companionship, and a reminder that you’re not alone in the tension of feeling both.

- Connect with Annie

- Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts

- Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box

- Start your own podcast with Riverside

- Manage & distribute your podcast with Ausha - use code: T4XJWQNTUQ to get $30 off

- It's Both on Instagram

- It's Both on Youtube

- It's Both on Spotify

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ep. 6 What does it mean to stay connected when life pulls you in different directions?

In this episode of It’s Both, Nikki P. is joined by longtime friends Lacey and Audrie for an authentic conversation about long-distance friendships, growing apart, and the quiet grief that often comes with evolving relationships. Together, they share real stories of being human — reflecting on childhood friendships, adult friendship struggles, and what it means to show up with vulnerability and courage even when things aren’t as they once were.

This emotional resilience podcast explores the personal transformation that happens when we stop pretending everything fits neatly. It’s about navigating life’s gray areas, embracing contradictions, and holding multiple truths — like missing someone and loving your independence, or outgrowing a connection while still cherishing what it gave you.

💬 You’ll hear honest storytelling around:

- The complexities of making friends as adults

- How to feel your feelings when relationships change

- The emotional tension of reconnecting and letting go

- Why healing isn’t linear in long-term friendships

- The beauty of doing hard things like reaching back out

Whether you're navigating friendship transitions or simply missing someone you used to know, this episode reminds us: friendship — like life — doesn’t have to be either/or. It can be both.

- Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts

- Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box

- Start your own podcast with Riverside

- Manage & distribute your podcast with Ausha - use code: T4XJWQNTUQ to get $30 off

- It's Both on Instagram

- It's Both on Youtube

- It's Both on Spotify

Thank you again for listening and remember,  life isn't either/or, it's both.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ep. 5 Are you feeling stretched thin between being present for everyone else and still trying to stay connected to yourself?

In this heartfelt episode of It’s Both, host Nikki P. shares an honest reflection on what it means to navigate motherhood and identity in a world that expects women to carry it all. From the pressure to perform and “hold it together” to the deep inner work of reclaiming rest and voice, this conversation is a lifeline for anyone trying to balance emotional burnout, parenting in the gray, and the desire for true connection.

Through authentic conversations and honest storytelling, Nikki explores the challenge of holding multiple truths — love and exhaustion, gratitude and grief, ambition and depletion — while resisting the urge to pick one narrative over the other.

💬 In this episode, you’ll hear:

- How to feel your feelings without guilt or shutdown

- The emotional toll of overwhelmed working moms and invisible labor

- What realistic self-care looks like when you're running on empty

- How emotional resilience is built through softening, not striving

- Why navigating life’s gray areas opens the door to personal transformation

This episode reminds us that healing isn’t linear, and growth often begins in the quiet tension between “too much” and “not enough.” If you're tired of surface-level conversations and looking for a mental health podcast that holds space for life’s complexities, this is your moment to exhale.

Because life isn’t either/or —

- Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts

- Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box

- Start your own podcast with Riverside

- Manage & distribute your podcast with Ausha - use code: T4XJWQNTUQ to get $30 off

- It's Both on Instagram

- It's Both on Youtube

- It's Both on Spotify

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ep. 4 What does it really mean to be a father, a man, and emotionally open in today’s world?

In this episode of It’s Both, Nikki P. sits down with Devon — a stay-at-home dad — for an authentic conversation about modern masculinity, emotional vulnerability, and the evolving landscape of fatherhood. Together, they explore the complex tension of holding multiple truths — strength and softness, provider and nurturer, partner and parent.

This isn’t just a parenting in the gray conversation — it’s a real story of being human, filled with vulnerability and courage. From confronting outdated gender norms to reclaiming emotional depth, Devon shares what it means to raise children while raising yourself.

💬 You’ll hear reflections on:

- Navigating the mental load of parenting as a stay-at-home dad

- The disconnect between traditional masculinity and emotional expression

- How to feel your feelings while still showing up for others

- The power of inner-child healing and redefining fatherhood

- Why embracing contradictions is key to building emotional resilience

This episode is a space for personal transformation, where growth looks like softening, connecting, and doing hard things in the name of love.

Because life isn’t either/or —

- Listen to The Imperfect Dads Podcast

- Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts

- Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box

- Start your own podcast with Riverside

- Manage & distribute your podcast with Ausha - use code: T4XJWQNTUQ to get $30 off

- It's Both on Instagram

- It's Both on Youtube

- It's Both on Spotify

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ep. 3 What do you do when the life you built no longer fits the person you're becoming?

In this episode of It’s Both, Nikki P sits down with Janice Holland — therapist, mother, and founder of The Trauma Teacher — for an authentic conversation about marriage, identity, and faith deconstruction. Janice opens up about the emotional unraveling that began when her husband came out as gay, forcing her to confront both cultural and spiritual expectations that had shaped her life for years.

This is a story of holding multiple truths — of how a relationship can be both sacred and misaligned, of how endings can feel like loss and liberation. Through honest storytelling, Nikki and Janice explore how letting go of who we thought we were is part of the path toward becoming who we truly are.

💬 In this episode, we explore:

- The emotional cost of staying in relationships that no longer reflect your truth

- How marriage and divorce can both shape and shift our sense of self

- The courage it takes to let go of expectations rooted in perfectionism and faith

- What it means to face an identity shift during a major life transition

- Why healing isn’t linear, and how we can learn to sit with discomfort without rushing to resolve it

This isn’t just a story about divorce — it’s about real stories of being human, about doing hard things, and about building emotional resilience in the face of uncertainty.

If you’re in the middle of a faith shift, relationship change, or a deeply personal transformation, this episode is your invitation to embrace contradictions, feel your feelings, and find courage in the gray.

Because life isn’t either/or —

- Get Connected with Janice Holland, The Trauma Teacher

- Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box

- Start your own podcast with Riverside

- Manage & distribute your podcast with Ausha - use code: T4XJWQNTUQ to get $30 off

- It's Both on Youtube

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Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ep. 2 Have you ever felt like parenting pulls you in every emotional direction—joy, guilt, connection, frustration—all at once?

In this episode of It’s Both, host Nikki P. is joined by friends Amy Merritt Campbell and Hannah Wohltjen for an authentic conversation on the complexities of parenting young children. Together, they dive into what it means to hold multiple truths in motherhood—to feel both fulfilled and depleted, bonded and overwhelmed, proud and uncertain.

This isn’t just a parenting chat—it’s an emotional healing podcast where honest storytelling, emotional tension, and the real work of being human take center stage.

💬 In this episode, we explore:

- The mental load of parenting and how it intersects with career, identity, and burnout

- How to navigate life’s gray areas and still show up with love

- Why healing isn’t linear, especially while raising kids

- The power of how to feel your feelings without rushing to fix them

- What emotional resilience really looks like in the everyday chaos of family life

This conversation invites you to explore your own personal growth journey—one that honors the tension of doing hard things, embracing contradictions, and allowing space for both gratitude and grief.

Whether you’re deep in the mess of toddlerhood or quietly unraveling expectations of what a “good parent” should be, this episode offers warmth, reflection, and real connection.

Because parenting isn’t either/or.

- Learn more about Elevate Consulting

- Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts

- Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box

- Start your own podcast with Riverside

- Manage & distribute your podcast with Ausha - use code: T4XJWQNTUQ to get $30 off

- It's Both on Instagram

- It's Both on Youtube

- It's Both on Spotify

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ep. 1 Have you ever looked in the mirror and felt both gratitude and criticism at once? You're not alone.

In this powerful episode of It’s Both, host Nikki P. and her longtime friend Heather Lefebvre sit down for an authentic conversation about body image, emotional healing, and what it means to live in the messy middle—where self-acceptance and self-doubt often coexist. Through honest storytelling, they explore how media, childhood messages, and parenting shape the way we see ourselves, and how we begin to rewrite those narratives with compassion and truth.

Together, they hold space for the tension between confidence and insecurity, naming the emotional complexity of learning to love a body that's been criticized, praised, and policed. This episode is a reflection of real stories of being human, packed with moments of vulnerability and courage, laughter, and truth.

💬 You’ll hear about:

- Body neutrality vs. body positivity

- How media representation and identity shape our self-perception

- The impact of societal pressure and appearance

- The emotional weight of parenting and body image

- The deep work of how to feel your feelings and sit with shame

This is more than a mental health and motherhood conversation—it's a reminder that healing isn’t linear, that we can learn how to hold emotional tension, and that doing hard things is part of becoming whole.

If you're on a personal growth journey and looking for an emotional resilience podcast that embraces contradiction and creates space for your full humanity, you're in the right place.

Because life isn’t either/or.

-- Learn more about Heather Lefebvre

-- Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts

-- Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box

-- Start your own podcast with Riverside

-- Manage & distribute your podcast with Ausha - use code: T4XJWQNTUQ to get $30 off

-- It's Both on Instagram

-- It's Both on Youtube

-- It's Both on Spotify

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Have you ever felt joy and anxiety at the same time? Or found yourself stuck in the tension between who you were and who you're becoming?

In this opening episode of It’s Both, host Nicole (aka Nikki P) offers an honest storytelling journey through coping with family conflict, healing from divorce, and navigating the emotional weight of motherhood. Through authentic conversations rooted in her own experience, she explores what it means to live in the messy middle—where healing isn’t linear, and emotional contradictions are part of being fully human.

You’ll hear about the personal growth journey of becoming a parent while also learning how to feel your feelings, sit with discomfort, and find resilience in the unknown. This is a space where navigating life’s gray areas isn’t a problem to fix but a truth to hold.

Whether you’re a parent, someone wrestling with identity shifts, or simply trying to do hard things, this episode offers comfort and clarity. You'll walk away with tools to hold emotional tension, embrace vulnerability and courage, and trust that it’s okay to be a work in progress.

Because real life doesn’t fit into neat boxes—and neither do you.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.