If you’ve ever tried to set limits on your kid’s phone use and ended up in an argument, you’re not alone. One listener reached out with a common parenting dilemma: her 13-year-old son is glued to his phone, has unrestricted access to social media, and spends his free time either on his phone or playing Fortnite. She wants to set boundaries—but she also doesn’t want him to be mad at her for doing it.

In this episode, we tackle the uncomfortable truth about setting tech limits: there will be pushback, and that’s okay. I break down exactly how to approach this in a way that protects your relationship while making boundaries clear and enforceable. We talk about why relying on a teen’s self-control is a losing game (for all of us, honestly), how to set limits that actually work, and how to shift the conversation from control to connection.

You’ll Learn:

✔️ The four types of tech limits every parent should consider

✔️ Why boredom is actually good for your kid—and how to help them push through it

✔️ How to frame tech boundaries in a way that fosters responsibility, not just obedience

✔️ The surprising way humor and social media can help teens think critically about their own screen use

If you’ve been feeling exhausted from the constant power struggles over tech, this episode is for you. Let’s dive in.

💌 Have a relationship question you’d like featured on the show? Fill out the Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey and share your story.

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and mention how this listener's question resonated with you - you might just help someone else feel less alone.

🎙 Tune in next week for real-life relationship questions, insight that builds empathy, and practical steps to create happier, healthier relationships.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebuilding after an affair is one of the hardest challenges a marriage can face.

In this episode, I tackle a deeply personal question from a listener who’s navigating the aftermath of her husband’s infidelity. She’s a working mom of two who’s been blindsided by her partner’s affair and is grappling with intrusive thoughts, unanswered "why’s," and the emotional toll of rebuilding trust. Together, we unpack what early recovery looks like, why intrusive thoughts are normal (and how to manage them), and the steps both partners need to take to heal and rebuild.

I also dive into why the season of raising young kids is so hard on marriages, how betrayal can shake us to the core, and why healing requires empathy and understanding from both partners—even when one bears the sole responsibility for stepping outside the marriage. Whether you’ve experienced an affair in your own life or are seeking insight into relationship challenges, this episode is a compassionate guide to finding your way forward.

💌 Have a relationship question you’d like featured on the show? Fill out the Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey and share your story.

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and mention how this listener's question resonated with you - you might just help someone else feel less alone.

🎙 Tune in next week for real-life relationship questions, insight that builds empathy, and practical steps to create happier, healthier relationships.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we teach our children to love themselves when we’re still working on loving ourselves? In this heartfelt conversation, I sit down with a listener navigating her own body insecurities while raising a daughter who looks just like her. Together, we explore the journey of healing, breaking the cycle of negative self-talk, and modeling self-acceptance for the next generation.

💌 Have a relationship question you’d like featured on the show? Fill out the Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey and share your story.

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and mention how this listener's question resonated with you - you might just help someone else feel less alone.

🎙 Tune in next week for real-life relationship questions, insight that builds empathy, and practical steps to create happier, healthier relationships.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feeling the New Year's pressure to overhaul your whole life, right now? Let’s rethink that.

After a too-short December and a too-long holiday break, New Years is coming in HOT with some be-more-do-better energy... and it feels like I'm already falling behind in 2025 (and it's only January 7th!).

Can you relate?

Instead of signing up for the slew of goals our society sets for us - the leanest body, biggest work accomplishments, most money, BEST YEAR YET! - I'm trying something a little bit different:

• Taking a breath.
• Looking back.
• And using my personal highs, lows, and new self-knowledge to set the course for a truly tailored approach to the new year.

And I'm inviting you to do the same.

It's not your typical to do list to level up. Instead, it's a mindful way to set an intention for the year to come.

If you’re ready to set goals that feel good, not forced, this episode is for you.

We'll be back to listener questions next week, so make sure that you're subscribed to the show so you don't miss a minute!

💌 Have a relationship question you’d like featured on the show? Fill out the Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey and share your story.

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and mention how this little wellness check resonated with you - you might just help someone else (ME!) feel less alone.

🎙 Tune in next week for real-life relationship questions, insight that builds empathy, and practical steps to create happier, healthier relationships.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HOLD THE PHONE! If you're feeling tempted to reconnect with estranged family members because it's the hollliiiiddddaaaayyyysss, you are not alone!

Maybe it's the twinkle lights. The traditions. The third glass of your mother's favorite wine. Or... worst of all... the hope that the season brings. But for some reason, the relationship boundaries that seem so clear during the rest of the year can get cloudy during the holidays.

But before you send the familial equivalent of "U up?" to your estranged family members...

Listen in as I tackle a question from a listener, Sarah, who wants to know if she should encourage her husband to reach out to his parents, who cut off contact from the family earlier this year. She asks:

• Should we be in contact with our parents, on behalf of our children, so that they have a grandparent relationship?
• Can disappointing parents be good grandparents?
• If the estrangement continues, what should we say to our children when they ask why they never see their grandparents?

In this episode, I cover:

• How family cutoffs can be particularly painful during the holidays
• How to recognize emotional immaturity in your parents (or anyone else!)
• That emotional immaturity in parents can lead to harmful dynamics for their children and grandchildren
• That setting boundaries is crucial when dealing with emotionally immature family members
• That it's natural to yearn for family connections, but not all relationships are healthy
• That coping with family estrangement requires grounding oneself in reality
• That finding comfort in oneself and one's immediate family is essential when dealing with emotionally immature family members, or dealing with a family estrangement

💌 Have a relationship question you’d like featured on the show? Fill out the Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey and share your story.

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and mention how Sarah's call resonated with you - you might just help someone else feel less alone.

🎙 Tune in next week for real-life relationship questions, insight that builds empathy, and practical steps to create happier, healthier relationships.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can you do when your old coping mechanisms, like people-pleasing, no longer serve you?

This week, I’m tackling a listener question from a mom of two young kids who’s juggling work, caregiving, and household responsibilities. As a recovering people-pleaser, she finds herself falling into a pattern: doing too much, silently resenting her husband for not doing more, blowing up, and then feeling guilty about it. Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing: this isn’t about who’s good or bad at “helping.” It’s about navigating an inherently imbalanced season of life and learning to partner better - together.

In this episode, I talk to this listener about:

• Why the old coping strategies of independence and people-pleasing aren’t working anymore (and why that’s totally normal).
• How to start the hard conversations about sharing the load, even if it feels awkward or scary.
• Practical steps for turning resentment into teamwork, including breaking the habit of “doing it all.”
• Why this kind of honest, ongoing communication is the key to long-term balance and connection.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying the mental and physical load of your household while your partner coasts, this episode is for you.

💌 Have a relationship question you’d like featured on the show? Fill out the Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey and share your story.

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and mention how Julie's call resonated with you - you might just help someone else feel less alone.

🎙 Tune in next week for real-life relationship questions, insight that builds empathy, and practical steps to create happier, healthier relationships.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a romantic relationship ends, everyone understands the grief. You're “allowed” to cry, binge ice cream, and lean on your girlfriends for support. But when you lose a friendship—even a best friendship—that grief can be ignored because the person is "just a friend."

And yet, friendship breakups can be every bit as difficult as any other breakup, and can leave us grappling with sadness, self-doubt, and lingering pain that feels impossible to shake - something that today's featured listener, Megan, knows well.

Megan opens up about the end of a best friendship that fell apart during a difficult season in her life. Together, we’ll explore:

• Why society often devalues friendship loss, leaving us unsupported in our grief
• How the meaning we attach to the end of a relationship impacts our ability to heal
• How the end of a friendship can impact your sense of self-worth
• Why you can't stop thinking (and re-thinking) about the painful end of a relationship
• Why you might be ambivalent about healing from a painful breakup (and why that is ok)
• How to shape your mindset to facilitate healing from a breakup
• How to set boundaries that support your recovery after a friendship breakup
• The exact steps you can take to let go of the pain of a(ny) breakup and reclaim your emotional energy

Whether you’re navigating the loss of a close friend now or still haunted by a friendship that ended years ago, this episode will offer the empathy, insight, and actionable tools you need to move forward.

Want to shape your mindset around suffering when recovering from a breakup? Check out Andrea's favorite book, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron (this is an Amazon Affiliate link, and if you make a purchase through this link, I will earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting the show!)

💌 Have a relationship question you’d like featured on the show? Fill out the Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey and share your story.

📣 Loved this episode? Leave a 5-star review and mention how Megan’s story resonated with you—you might just help someone else feel less alone.

🎙 Tune in next week for more real-life relationship struggles, fresh perspectives, and practical advice to create happier, healthier connections.

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ah, the holidays. Children laughing, people passing, and the smell of resentment thick in the air.

What? I’m not supposed to say that part out loud?

Here’s the thing: the holidays ARE magical… for the people not in charge of them. But for women - who often do the vast majority of the planning and purchasing and hostessing and cooking and cleaning and decorating, not just during the holidays, but the rest of the year - it can feel like same $#!*, different day… but on steroids.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. 

In today’s episode, I’m breaking away from listener-submitted questions to tackle something every single one of my therapy clients talks about this time of year: holiday overwhelm. If you’re tired of the endless “shoulds” and mounting pressure, let’s take some power back and change things up.

I’m sharing a simple, two-step strategy to help you get clear on what you really want this holiday season—and make decisions that actually get you there. Whether it’s setting boundaries, cutting back, or finding peace in the chaos, this episode will show you how to bring joy back to the holidays (without sacrificing your sanity).

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why the holidays feel so overwhelming (it’s not just you!).
• The sneaky ways external and internal pressures steal your joy.
• How to define your “holiday true north” and use it to guide your choices.
• Small but powerful tweaks to make the season feel lighter, happier, and more you.

Ready to make this your best holiday season yet? Let’s dive in.

LAST CHANCE! COMPLETE THE SURVEY BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER 28, 2024, AND YOU WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN A $50 GIFT CARD. As if you needed any additional incentive to submit your own question, which may be answered on a future episode of Sounds Like Therapy.

UPDATE: The 2024 Gift Card Thank You Drawing is over - congrats to listener Rachel on her big win! - but the survey is still live! I want Sounds Like Therapy to be your favorite podcast, and your feedback directly helps me shape the show! Plus, you can submit your question for consideration for a future episode. Thanks for taking the survey! You're the best!!

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parenthood can be magical, but let’s face it: it's not great for your sex life. When you’re sleep-deprived, breastfeeding, and feeling self-conscious about your postpartum body, the idea of intimacy with your partner might feel impossible—maybe even repellent.

This week’s listener question comes from a mom of two struggling with the “ick” when her husband initiates physical touch. She loves him deeply but feels overwhelmed and unsure how to reconnect. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. In this episode, I break down why this happens (hint: it’s not just hormones) and share practical steps to navigate this tricky season.

We’ll cover:

• The science behind postpartum hormones and their impact on desire.
• Why the “ick” is more about exhaustion and emotional overwhelm than love.
• How to shift from avoidance to connection, even when sex feels off the table.

This isn’t about quick fixes or guilt-tripping—it’s about creating a partnership where both of you feel seen, valued, and wanted.

Take a deep breath, mama. There’s hope, and it starts with small, intentional steps.

Want the FREE GUIDE to rekindling desire? Click here

BIG (BUT EASY) ASK: Would you please take three minutes to fill out the super-short, super-easy Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey? Not only do you get a chance to submit your own question, which may be answered on a future episode of Sounds Like Therapy, but if you fill out the survey between now and Thanksgiving 2024, you'll be entered for a chance to win a $50 GIFT CARD as a token of my thanks for your time.

UPDATE: The 2024 Gift Card Thank You Drawing is over - congrats to listener Rachel on her big win! - but the survey is still live! I want Sounds Like Therapy to be your favorite podcast, and your feedback directly helps me shape the show! Plus, you can submit your question for consideration for a future episode. Thanks for taking the survey! You're the best!!

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In case you missed it… here in America we just had a presidential election which, because we’re so divided in this country, means that just about half of the country is celebrating while the other half is devastated.

And also now? We are just weeks away from the start of the holiday season, where we’re supposed to sit down with the political foes we call family and pass the peas without throwing punches! Is it any wonder that so many of us are full of dread? 

If you’re anxious about politics ruining your Thanksgiving dinner, I think you’ll SO relate to the listener we hear from today, who shared her own worries about seeing her sister at Thanksgiving, after an intense political disagreement last month. 

And even if you don’t, personally, have political discord in your family, stay with me - the insights I share about why humans fight, and the plan that I lay out to keep the peace at Thanksgiving, will be a guide that you can apply anywhere that humans congregate - from the boardroom to the PTA meeting, and everywhere in between.

How do we keep the peace without feeling forced to agree or, worse, getting drawn into a fight? This episode dives into real, practical strategies to manage family dynamics this holiday season. We'll explore why we’re wired to seek conformity, how today’s digital “tribes” fuel polarization, and how you can set healthy boundaries to enjoy a conflict-free Thanksgiving.

Takeaways

• Understanding "tribalism" and why we're wired to seek conformity
• Why humans fight - or avoid - when our sense of security and belonging is threatened
• Practical tips to navigate politically charged family gatherings
• How to stay grounded when relatives bring up controversial topics
• The power of setting boundaries to prevent heated holiday discussions

BIG (BUT EASY) ASK: Would you please take three minutes to fill out the super-short, super-easy Sounds Like Therapy Listener Survey? Not only do you get a chance to submit your own question, which may be answered on a future episode of Sounds Like Therapy, but if you fill out the survey between now and Thanksgiving 2024, you'll be entered for a chance to win a $50 GIFT CARD as a token of my thanks for your time.

UPDATE: The 2024 Gift Card Thank You Drawing is over - congrats to listener Rachel on her big win! - but the survey is still live! I want Sounds Like Therapy to be your favorite podcast, and your feedback directly helps me shape the show! Plus, you can submit your question for consideration for a future episode. Thanks for taking the survey! You're the best!!

Disclaimer: while this podcast sounds like therapy, it is not actually therapy nor is it a substitute for therapy, and while I am a therapist, I am not YOUR therapist. Please be entertained and encouraged, and seek appropriate mental health support from a licensed therapist in your community, if necessary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.