In this episode, Dr. Robyn McKay and Alyse Bacine, a Breathwork Practitioner, Spiritual Mentor, and the CEO of Alyse Breathes LLC, get into the real conversation that every woman needs to have — about what makes female friendship so healing, so hard, and so absolutely essential. Drawing on their own childhood memories, middle school micro-traumas, and decades of work with high-achieving women, Robyn and Alyse unpack why the wounds we carry from early friendships shape everything from how we handle conflict to whether we let people get close at all.
This episode explores:
Why middle school leaves a lasting mark on how women relate to each other
The in-group/out-group dynamics that create adult patterns of isolation and self-protection
What gifted women's "thorns and shells" are
Why female friendship is a mental health necessity
How placing all your emotional needs on your marriage creates the conditions for it to break down
What a psychologically mature, real friendship actually looks like
Why it is harder to make friends as an adult
How healing yourself creates the conditions for a deeper, more lasting connection
This is the episode I'd have played on repeat in my 20s, 30s, and even last Tuesday. It's real, it's warm, it's funny — and it might just make you want to call your best friend the second it's over.
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Alyse Bacine, M.A., is a Breathwork Practitioner, Spiritual Mentor, and the CEO of Alyse Breathes LLC. She has her Master’s in Counseling Psychology and certifications in both Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness Practices, as well as an extensive background in the mental health field, where she served as a school counselor for 10+ years and received a grant to implement a meditation program at her school.
Connect with Alyse Bacine:
Website: https://www.alysebreathes.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyse_breathes/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyse.levy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alysebreathes/
Robyn McKay, PhD, is an award-winning therapist and psychospiritual advisor who teaches and leads at the intersection of psychology × spirituality × energetics. With deep roots in clinical psychology and a lifetime of living at the crossroads of intuition and credentials, she is a rare bridge between science and soul, credentials and codes, strategy and spirit.
Early in her career, Robyn served as a university psychologist before stepping into her broader calling as a guide for high performers, creatives, and seekers. She addresses a wide spectrum of human experience — healing trauma, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and ADHD in women; accessing spiritual gifts; and navigating existential crossroads.
Having sold $2.5M+ in retreats and private intensives, Robyn is now architecting an entirely new category of retreats: expert-led, trauma-informed, miracle-level. She helps credentialed, neurodivergent, and spiritually awake women leaders design transformational retreats that carry depth, meaning, and lasting impact.
Connect with Dr. Robyn McKay:
LinkedIn: Robyn McKay, PhD
Facebook: Dr. Robyn McKay
Instagram: @robynmckayphd
Book a call with Dr. Robyn! https://drrobynmckay.com/call