Nurture & Be

Starting therapy can feel tender. Maybe you know you need support, but you are not sure where to begin. Maybe you have tried therapy before and left wondering if anything was actually changing. Or maybe you are ready for deeper work, but want to understand what the process really looks like.

In this episode, Brooke gives listeners a glimpse inside the Nurture & Be therapy process and what makes our approach different.

At Nurture & Be, therapy is not just about making symptoms disappear. We look at the whole person: your body, your relationships, your support system, your past, your daily rhythms, and the patterns that may be shaping how you feel, cope, connect, and move through your life.

Brooke walks through what clients can expect when beginning therapy, from the first three assessment sessions to collaborative goal-setting, and then into the deeper work of our five-phase method: awareness, understanding, compassion, repatterning, and integration.

This episode is for anyone who is new to therapy, returning to therapy, or wondering what it looks like to do work that creates lasting change.

• What it means for care to be holistic
• Why we look beyond symptoms
• What clients can expect in the first three sessions
• How therapy goals are created together
• Why consistency matters in the therapy process
• The Nurture & Be five-phase method
• Why repatterning can feel uncomfortable
• How therapy can begin to ripple into relationships, parenting, work, and daily life

Therapy at Nurture & Be is a guided, collaborative process. It is about understanding what is underneath the symptoms, building compassion for yourself, practicing new patterns, and creating change that reaches far beyond the therapy room.

Interested in working with Nurture & Be? Schedule a free 20-minute consultation with one of our therapists at www.nurtureandbe.com.

Growth doesn’t always feel like growth while you’re in it. Sometimes it feels like embarrassment, regret, self-doubt, or wondering if you should have known better.

In this episode, Brooke shares a personal reflection on leadership, imposter syndrome, and the messy middle of becoming someone new. After a hard season in business, she explores how self-criticism can disguise itself as accountability — and how shame can actually keep us from learning the lesson faster.

This episode is about the difference between accountability and self-abandonment, especially for high-achieving women who tend to over-function, people-please, and make every hard moment mean something about who they are.

Main takeaway:

Maybe the hard season isn’t proof that you’re failing.
Maybe it’s proof that you’re learning.
Maybe it’s proof that you were brave enough to try.

The courage to try might be the bridge between who you were last year and who you are becoming now.

Feeling Stuck? Understanding the Stages of Change

Have you ever known exactly what you need to do, but still found yourself not doing it?

In this episode, Brooke breaks down the Stages of Change model and explores why personal growth isn't simply about knowing better—it's about moving through a process. Whether you're trying to improve your relationships, prioritize your health, set boundaries, manage anxiety, or finally follow through on a goal, understanding where you are in the change process can help you stop judging yourself and start moving forward. 

Brooke walks through the five stages of change:

• Pre-Contemplation: "It's not a problem."
• Contemplation: "Maybe this is a problem."
• Preparation: "I know what I should do."
• Action: "I'm actively making changes."
• Maintenance: "This has become part of my life."

She also discusses why so many people get stuck in preparation mode—consuming information, making plans, and waiting for motivation—without taking meaningful action. 

• How to identify which stage of change you're currently in
• Why feedback from others can sometimes reveal blind spots
• The difference between preparation and true action
• How shame keeps us stuck and self-awareness helps us move forward
• Why motivation alone isn't enough to create lasting change
• The importance of understanding the real impact of your behaviors

• What area of your life feels stuck right now?
• What feedback have you been hearing repeatedly that you may be dismissing?
• Are you truly taking action, or are you preparing to take action?
• What would change in your life if you fully committed to the next step?

Sometimes knowing what needs to change is the easy part. Understanding why you keep getting stuck, repeating patterns, or struggling to follow through often requires deeper support. Therapy can help you uncover the beliefs, fears, and emotional roadblocks that keep you cycling through the same challenges.

At Nurture and Be Therapy Services, we help clients move beyond awareness and into lasting transformation through a holistic approach that considers your mind, body, relationships, and nervous system.

We offer free 20-minute consultations for residents of Georgia and Florida. Whether you're navigating anxiety, burnout, relationship struggles, life transitions, people-pleasing, perfectionism, or simply feeling stuck, we're here to help.

Explore therapy services through Nurture and Be Therapy Services and schedule your free consultation today.

Follow along for more mental health education, practical tools, and honest conversations about healing, growth, and living with intention.

Because awareness is where change begins—but you don't have to do the work alone.

In this episode of the Nurture & Be Podcast, Brooke sits down with Dr. Jennifer McGowan, founder of Regenerate Physiotherapy, for a conversation every woman needs to hear.

They dive into the realities of painful sex, pelvic floor dysfunction, postpartum healing, vaginal dryness, urgency, leakage, and the symptoms so many women silently normalize after babies, during stress, or through hormonal shifts.

This episode breaks down what pelvic floor therapy actually is, why so many women feel dismissed when they ask for help, and how pain during intimacy is often connected to muscles, nerves, stress, the nervous system, and overall pelvic health, not just “something being wrong.”

Brooke and Dr. Jen also talk about:

• What the pelvic floor actually does
• Why painful sex is more common than people realize
• The connection between stress, anxiety, and intimacy
• How hormones and arousal shift over time
• Why women often feel shame around low desire or discomfort
• The role of pelvic floor therapy in healing
• Postpartum recovery and reconnecting with your body
• Why “just relax and drink wine” is not actual treatment

If you’ve ever wondered:
“Is this normal?”
“Why does intimacy hurt now?”
“Why do I feel disconnected from my body?”
“Why did no one tell me this?”

This episode is for you.

• Regenerate Physiotherapy Website
• Follow Regenerate Physiotherapy on Instagram

At Nurture & Be Therapy Services, we support women, moms, couples, and families through anxiety, identity shifts, burnout, relationships, postpartum transitions, and more through collaborative therapy and medication management services across Georgia and Florida.

Book a free 20-minute consultation here and we’ll help connect you with the right support for where you are right now. 

Connect with Dr. Jennifer McGowanNeed Support?

Episode Summary

This episode is a little more direct, a little more honest about how therapy actually works.

I’m walking through what I see all the time.

People start therapy, begin to feel some relief, gain insight… and then stop. Not because it didn’t work, but because they left right before the part where real change happens.

If you’ve ever felt like you understand your patterns but still find yourself repeating them… this is for you.

Because insight is only one part of the process.

What comes after is where things actually shift.

• Why so many people leave therapy too early (and don’t realize it)
• The difference between feeling better and actually changing patterns
• The phases of therapy and what’s happening in each one
  Why insight alone doesn’t create lasting change
• The part of therapy that feels uncomfortable, but is necessary
• What it looks like to move from understanding → doing something different
• How change becomes something you can actually sustain

If you’re starting to recognize yourself in this, you’re not doing it wrong. You might just be in the part that doesn’t feel as good yet.

This is the work we do every day inside therapy. Helping you understand your patterns, move through them, and build something that actually holds in your real life.

If you’re in Florida or Georgia, you can schedule a free 20-minute consultation with one of our therapists to see if it feels like a good fit.

Head to our website to get connected. We’d love to support you.
www.nurtureandbe.com

You’re not stuck. You just might need support through the part where things actually change.

Dr. Nari Jeter is a licensed marriage and family therapist and relationship expert known for her thoughtful approach to boundaries, emotional health, and relational dynamics. In her private practice, she helps couples navigate conflict, dissatisfaction, infidelity, and divorce. Through her writing and speaking, she explores how people can maintain connection without sacrificing their sense of self by developing healthy, sustainable boundaries. Her insights have been featured in outlets including SELF Magazine, Newsweek, and USA Today.

Episode Summary:
In this episode, Brooke sits down with Dr. Nari Jeter to unpack one of the most common, yet least talked about, dynamics in relationships: physical intimacy.

They explore the difference between sex and intimacy, why desire shifts over time (especially postpartum and during high-stress seasons), and the pattern so many couples find themselves stuck in…
“I need emotional connection first” vs. “I need physical connection first.”

If you’ve ever felt disconnected, confused, or even guilty around intimacy in your relationship, this conversation will help you understand what’s actually happening beneath the surface.

What We Talk About:

• The difference between sex vs. intimacy (and why it matters)

• Why desire changes across seasons of life

• The mental load, hormones, and exhaustion behind low desire

• The “cycle” couples get stuck in around connection

• Why physical intimacy isn’t just about sex

• How unmet needs show up differently for each partner

• Reframing guilt and pressure in relationships

• What “normal” can actually look like for intimacy frequency

Key Takeaways:

• Intimacy is more than physical. It’s emotional, psychological, and relational closeness.

• Desire isn’t just about attraction. It’s influenced by stress, hormones, mental load, and relationship health.

• Both partners have needs. And both matter.

• The goal isn’t perfection. It’s understanding and connection.

• Small shifts in communication and perspective can change everything.

A Reframe to Sit With:
Instead of “I should…”
What would it look like to shift into “I get to…” when it comes to connection in your relationship?

Continue the Conversation:
This episode continues on our paid platform, As It Happens, where we go deeper into:

• resentment during intimacy

• “checking the box” sex

• how to rebuild desire when it feels completely gone

About Our Guest:
Dr. Nari Jeter is a licensed marriage and family therapist, educator, and couples specialist based in Florida. She works extensively with couples navigating intimacy, communication, and long-term relationship dynamics.

Resources & Links:

• Instagram: @drnarijeter

• Website: drnarijeter.com

From Nurture & Be:
We offer:

• Individual, couples, and family therapy

• Medication management

• Free community support groups:

  • Postpartum Support

  • Divorce Support

  • Middle School Girls Group

You can explore all services and book a consultation at:
www.nurtureandbe.com

Episode Summary

This episode is a little more real-time, a little less polished.

I’m sharing what I’ve been learning about over-functioning in relationships, the subtle ways we try to keep the peace, and how living in “neutral” can quietly keep us stuck.

If you’re someone who holds a lot emotionally, anticipates needs, over-explains, or feels responsible for how things land for others… this is for you.

Because what can look like care on the surface is often something deeper underneath.

• What over-functioning actually is and why it’s so easy to miss
• The connection between over-functioning and people-pleasing
• How this shows up in relationships, parenting, and everyday interactions
• The emotional and physical weight of carrying what isn’t yours
• Childhood patterns that shape this dynamic (even in “good” families)
• The over-functioning / under-functioning cycle in relationships
• Why over-explaining is often anxiety, not clarity
• 
  

If you’re starting to recognize yourself in this, you don’t have to untangle it alone.

This is the work we do every day inside therapy. Helping you understand your patterns, shift how you show up in relationships, and move toward something that actually feels aligned.

If you’re in Florida or Georgia, you can schedule a free 20-minute consultation with one of our therapists to see if it feels like a good fit.

Head to our website to get connected. We’d love to support you. www.nurtureandbe.com

You don’t have to carry everything to be loved.

Show Notes:
In this episode, Brooke is joined by Dr. Shaleigh of AlignLife Sugar Hill for a real, honest conversation about postpartum prep beyond the diapers, swaddles, and recovery supplies.

Together, they talk about the emotional, physical, relational, and hormonal shifts that come with pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum season, and what it looks like to build a true support system before baby arrives.

Brooke shares from both her professional lens as a licensed marriage and family therapist and her lived experience as a mom, while Dr. Shaleigh brings insight from the chiropractic and nervous system side of care.

They walk through what actually belongs in your “postpartum toolkit” including your care team, your community, your relationship support, and your mental health plan.

If pregnancy or postpartum has felt heavier than you expected, you are not alone.

At Nurture and Be, we support women through pregnancy, postpartum, and the in-between seasons with therapy that looks at the whole picture. Anxiety, intrusive thoughts, identity shifts, relationship strain, grief, and the mental load of motherhood are all welcome here.

We serve clients in Georgia and Florida and offer free consultation calls to help you get started.

In this episode, we talk about:
• What postpartum prep should actually include
• Why your care team matters before baby arrives
• Postpartum anxiety, depression, OCD, and intrusive thoughts
• Pregnancy after loss and how fear can show up
• Nervous system regulation during pregnancy and postpartum
• Breastfeeding support, recovery planning, and C-section prep
• Why couples support matters after baby
• The role of community in maternal mental health

Resources + Links:
Nurture and Be Therapy Services: https://www.nurtureandbe.com/
Pregnancy + Postpartum Therapy: https://nurtureandbe.com/postpartum
Postpartum Support Group (Free): https://mailchi.mp/nurtureandbe/supportgroups
Dr. Shaleigh – AlignLife Sugar Hill: https://alignlife.com/locations/sugar-hill-ga-chiropractor/

A gentle reminder:
You don’t have to wait until things feel overwhelming to get support. Therapy can be a proactive part of your postpartum plan, not just something you reach for when you’re already depleted.

We’re here. We’re home.

Episode Description

In this solo episode, Brooke shares something a little different — lessons she’s actively learning in real time.

There’s a lot of pressure in our culture to show up with everything figured out. But the truth is that life, leadership, and motherhood are always evolving. Growth rarely happens once everything feels stable — it happens right in the middle of the messy, uncertain moments.

This episode is about normalizing the ups and downs of being human and remembering that when things feel shaky, it doesn’t always mean something is wrong. Sometimes it means something new is being built.

1. Letting Go of the Picture You Thought Something Would Be

2. Holding Other People’s Big Feelings Without Absorbing Them

3. Trusting the Season You’re In

Toward the end of the episode, Brooke shares a moment from a recent tarot reading where the death card was pulled — often misunderstood as something negative, but actually symbolizing transformation and rebirth.

Learn more about Nurture & Be Therapy Services:
www.nurtureandbe.com

Follow along on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes life, leadership, and motherhood conversations:
@nurtureandbe

Nurture & Be also offers free community support groups, events, and therapy services for individuals, couples, and families in Georgia and Florida.

Episode Summary
In this episode, Brooke sits down with Stephanie Slater, therapist and group practice owner in British Columbia, to talk about what happens when women stop competing and start collaborating. They unpack the real-life reasons community feels hard to build (especially in postpartum or in leadership), why “one person can’t be every well,” and how the right kind of connection can calm the nervous system and reduce isolation.

This conversation is grounded, practical, and honest, including how to build community when you’re tired, when you’re new somewhere, and when vulnerability feels risky.

What We Talk About

• Why collaboration can feel safer and more sustainable than competition

• The myth of scarcity (and what happens when you put it down)

• The quiet power of having “business people,” “parenting people,” and “just-for-fun people”

• Why community doesn’t need to be perfect to be healing

• Simple, doable ways to build connection when you’re already stretched thin

• The idea that community can be a nervous-system-level support (not just a social nice-to-have)

Key Takeaways

• You don’t need one person to meet every need. You need a few places to belong.

• Community is built through small risks: saying hi first, inviting someone, trying things once.

• The goal isn’t “everyone loves me.” The goal is finding your fit.

• The right community helps you feel steadier. The wrong community can amplify anxiety.

About Stephanie
Stephanie Slater, M.A. is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Canadian Certified Counsellor in British Columbia. She leads Slater & Associates, a group practice serving perinatal mental health, adults, teens, and children, and also offers corporate talks on mental health and wellness.

Find Stephanie

• Website: https://www.slaterandassociates.ca

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slater_therapy_and_counselling/

Want support from Nurture & Be?
If you’re ready for a next step and want help figuring out what kind of support would actually fit, you can request a free consult with our team here:

• https://www.nurtureandbe.com (Free Consult)

Brooke also mentions our free community support groups (postpartum + divorce). You can find current groups + details on the website.