Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert joins Chrissy Teigen for a raw, unfiltered conversation about codependency, emotional addiction, and the journey behind her new memoir, All the Way to the River. She opens up about love, loss, boundaries, and the spiritual surrender that helped her rebuild her life from the inside out. If you've ever lost yourself in a relationship or struggled to feel “enough,” this episode offers powerful insight, practical tools, and a path back to yourself.

Key Takeaways

• How to recognize the early signs of codependency before they quietly reshape your life.
• Why surrender—not control—creates deeper emotional stability and real inner peace.
• How to break people-pleasing habits and rebuild a stronger, steadier sense of self.
• Why emotional sobriety matters and how to sit with hard feelings without acting on them.
• How Liz’s “Letters From Love” practice can ground you and transform your daily self-talk.

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On this wildly relatable episode of Self-Conscious, clinical psychologist and Good Inside author Dr. Becky Kennedy sits down with Chrissy to talk about what parenting really demands of us—not just as moms and dads, but as humans still healing ourselves.

Together, they unpack how parenting is less about fixing behavior and more about building connection—especially when it comes to tantrums, lying, shame, and accountability. Whether you’re raising children, raising yourself, or both—this episode will change the way you see discipline, repair, and love.

 KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Good Kids, Bad Behavior: Learn how separating your child’s identity from their actions unlocks healthier discipline, without shame.
• Reparenting 101: Dr. Becky explains why we parent the way we were parented—and how to break intergenerational cycles by building emotional trust with ourselves first.
• Lies Aren’t Moral Failures: Reframe lying not as a sign of bad character, but as a protection strategy born of fear or guilt.
• How to Start the Sex Talk: Chrissy shares how she’s preparing for “the talk,” and Dr. Becky offers a foolproof opener: “If I sound awkward, it’s because I’m the first person in my family to ever talk about this.”
• The Tool You’ll Use Every Day—A.V.P.: Acknowledge, Validate, Permit. This three-step process helps both adults and kids regulate big feelings, build self-trust, and recover from emotional overload.

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Chrissy sits down with Jonathan Haidt to unpack The Anxious Generation—how the mid-aughts, smartphone/social-media surge “rewired” childhood, replacing play, sleep, and face-to-face friendship with dopamine-driven scrolling and an epidemic of anxiety. He lays out exactly what parents, schools, and communities can do right now to restore a healthy, play-based childhood.

Five Key Takeaways:

1. The Great Rewiring — How smartphones, cameras, and infinite feeds rewired childhood and attention.
2. Girls vs. Boys — How social media drives anxiety and self-harm in girls and boys differently
3. Four Rules — No smartphones before high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, and more free play.
4. Home Habits — Ban phones from the table and bedrooms; swap TikTok scrolling for shared long-form stories.
5. The Parent Playbook — Band with other parents, try summer camp resets, and reclaim evenings/mornings from screens.

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Chrissy sits down with Dr. Gabor Maté to discuss his groundbreaking work, The Myth of Normal, exploring how our culture of hustle, disconnection, and suppressed emotions creates trauma and illness. Together, they discuss why addiction, shame, and mental health struggles are not personal failings but natural responses to abnormal circumstances—and how healing begins with authenticity, compassion, and awareness.

Five Key Takeaways:

• The “Myth of Normal”: Many things we consider normal in society—like emotional suppression or constant productivity—are actually unhealthy, while behaviors we label “abnormal” (like addiction) are often natural responses to pain.
• Trauma Defined: Trauma isn’t just the event itself but the unhealed wound and the inner changes it causes, shaping how we see ourselves and the world.
• Addiction as Coping: Addiction should be understood not as an identity but as a coping strategy—a way to soothe or escape unbearable emotional pain.
• The Five A’s of Healing: Authenticity, Agency, Anger (healthy boundaries), Acceptance, and Awareness are essential pillars of recovery and self-healing.
• Compassion Over Shame: Healing requires learning to extend the compassion we freely offer others to ourselves, breaking cycles of self-judgment rooted in childhood wounds.

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When pregnancy veers off the script, what do you do next—and how do you reclaim your power? Chrissy talks to economist and parenting data expert Emily Oster discussing her bestseller The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications, translating the hardest parts of miscarriage, stillbirth, preeclampsia, hyperemesis, and postpartum mental health into clear questions, better conversations with your care team, and compassionate next steps.

Five Key Takeaways

• Name it to navigate it: Understanding what actually happened (not just the label) is the first step toward clarity, closure, and planning.
• Ask the four questions: What happened? Why did it happen to me? Could it happen again (and how likely)? What can we do to lower the risk or prepare?
• Recurrence isn’t one-size-fits-all: Some complications (e.g., gestational diabetes, postpartum depression) have higher repeat risk; others (like many abruptions) are less likely to recur—plan accordingly.
• Advocacy is a skill: Decide the communication style you want (all the numbers vs. big-picture), switch providers if you don’t feel heard, and bring your true self to appointments.
• Postpartum is medical, not moral: Screening for depression/anxiety (for birthing and non-birthing partners), pelvic recovery, lactation after loss, and body-image grief deserve proactive care—not silence or shame.

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Susan Cain, creator of the Audible Original A Quiet Life in Seven Steps, explores with Chrissy why our culture overvalues loudness—and what we gain when we embrace the power of quiet. Together, they unpack introversion, sensitivity, and how honoring your natural temperament can unlock creativity, deeper happiness, and true self-acceptance.

Key Takeaways

• Why society rewards extroversion, and the hidden strengths introverts bring to relationships, leadership, and creativity.
• The “battery test” for understanding whether you recharge with solitude or stimulation.
• How quiet living isn’t weakness—it’s a path to originality, awe, and emotional depth.
• Tools for designing your day around your natural energy cycles, instead of fighting them.
• The freedom that comes with giving yourself permission to live in alignment with your true temperament.

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Matt Ritter and Aaron Karo, creators of the new Audible Original “The Buddy System,” help Chrissy and husband John Legend navigate the crisis of male loneliness; unpacking why men struggle with friendship, and how building rituals can literally save lives. With humor and heart, they explore why male friendships matter for health, happiness, and stronger relationships.

Key Takeaways

• The rituals that help friendships endure across decades.
• Why male loneliness is a hidden public health crisis linked to depression, substance abuse, and even early death.
• How women can support partners in maintaining male friendships without carrying the whole emotional load.
• Simple frameworks like “TCS” (Text, Call, See) to keep friendships alive.
• Why vulnerability—saying “thank you” or even “I love you, man”—is real strength, not weakness.

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In this raw and revelatory episode of Self-Conscious, we talk about the kind of depression that hides behind a perfect Instagram feed. High-functioning depression doesn't leave you sobbing in bed—it shows up in overachievement, relentless busyness, and emotional numbness. Chrissy sits down with psychiatrist and author Dr. Judith Joseph for a conversation that starts in the mind and ends in the body—with tears, breakthroughs, and healing. In one of the most vulnerable interviews she’s ever done, Chrissy shares a gut-wrenching admission about childhood trauma that changed the course of her life, why she doesn’t trust her own emotions, and what it’s like to raise kids while still healing herself. This isn’t just a discussion—it’s a reckoning. Together, Chrissy and Dr. Judith unpack the science, psychology, and strategies for finally naming the pain and finding your way back to joy.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Discover the difference between "Big T" and "little t" trauma—and why the small stuff that "shouldn't" hurt still does.
• Learn the five V's of healing: Validation, Venting, Values, Vitals, and Vision—along with real tools for daily emotional clarity.
• Reconnect with joy.

This episode contains discussions about trauma, including sexual abuse and emotional neglect. Listener discretion is advised.

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Chrissy sits down with Oliver Burkeman, author of Meditations for Mortals to explore why the obsession with “finally getting everything done” is a trap. Burkeman explains how embracing imperfection and accepting our limits can help us stop chasing control, start finishing things imperfectly, and actually live with more presence and ease.

Five Key Takeaways:

• The Finish Line Myth: The to-do list will never be empty—your job isn’t to “catch up,” but to choose the next thing that matters.
• Imperf-Perfectionism: Starting and finishing something—messy or not—is better than waiting until it’s perfect.
• Small, Realistic Goals: Swap “do it perfectly” for “do it regularly” (like 20 minutes of writing or one load of laundry).
• Three Good Hours: Most of us only have three focused hours a day—use them for what matters most, and let the rest be messy.
• Celebrate Done, Not Perfect: Keep a “done list,” make small decisions to move forward, and see problems as part of real life—not signs of failure.

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What does it really mean to live—and thrive—with ADHD in a world built for neurotypical brains? Chrissy talks with Dr. Alok Kanojia—aka Dr. K—a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, former monk, gamer, and meditation teacher, about his Audible Original 30 Days to Thrive with ADHD, where he shows listeners not just how to cope but how to turn the unique traits of ADHD into strengths that fuel resilience, creativity, and success.

Five Key Takeaways

• Why ADHD is both over diagnosed and underdiagnosed, and how it can look very different in boys versus girls.
• The surprising truth about stimulant medication versus therapy—and why skill-building often works better long-term.
• How hyperfocus, impulsivity, and distraction are two sides of the same coin, and how to work with them instead of against them.
• Why many people struggle with self-esteem, shame, and addiction alongside ADHD, and how that shapes adult life.
• A practical exercise called “urge surfing” that helps you ride out cravings and impulses without giving in.

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