The Terri Cole Show

Are you feeling like an outsider in your own home? Does the pressure to be the "perfect" stepmom have you constantly over-functioning, resentful, and burnt out?

In this episode, I'm joined by Jamie Scrimger, the founder of the "Kick-Ass Stepmom" community. We dive deep into the messy, complicated, and often painful reality of navigating blended family dynamics. We aren't just talking about tips—we're talking about the deep emotional work required to feel secure, respected, and valued as a bonus mom.

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/844

Last week, we talked about what emotional insecurity looks like, the patterns that tell you safety is missing in a relationship. This week is about what comes next: what actually creates emotional safety.

Emotionally safe relationships do not just happen by accident.

They are built through small, consistent behaviors over time. Trust, respect, honesty, and repair are skills, not lucky outcomes.

Here are six things you can practice to build more emotional safety in the relationships that matter most to you.

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/843

Have you ever achieved your biggest goals only to end up feeling completely exhausted, lonely, and burnt out?

In this episode, I'm sitting down with my soul-sister and nervous system regulation expert, Koya Webb, to unpack the hidden trap of high-functioning codependency and people-pleasing. Koya opens up about her raw "dark night of the soul" moment—crying in a bathtub after hosting a massively successful 8,000-person event—and how it forced her to stop self-abandoning and start truly healing.

Whether you are a super-empath, a highly sensitive person (HSP), or just someone running on empty, this conversation will give you the exact science-backed daily rituals you need to reset your nervous system, build deep community, and reclaim your personal sovereignty.

We dive deep into Koya's brand new book, "Well Being Rituals: Science-Backed Practices for Sustainable Healing and Living," exploring the 7 levels of holistic well-being you can start practicing today. It's time to stop giving from an empty bucket!

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/842

Last week, we talked about what emotional insecurity looks like, the patterns that tell you safety is missing in a relationship. This week is about what comes next: what actually creates emotional safety.

Emotionally safe relationships do not just happen by accident.

They are built through small, consistent behaviors over time. Trust, respect, honesty, and repair are skills, not lucky outcomes.

Here are six things you can practice to build more emotional safety in the relationships that matter most to you.

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/841

If you've been carrying anger, disappointment, guilt, or emotional baggage, this episode offers a powerful new perspective on healing, peace, and personal growth.

In this conversation with Danielle LaPorte, we explore why emotional healing starts with compassion instead of control. We talk about resentment, rejection, gratitude, forgiveness, emotional resilience, and the surprising connection between creating the life you want and releasing what no longer serves you.

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/840

I am obsessed with emotional intelligence. It is something I have always done naturally without knowing what it was called.

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, measures your capacity to understand, perceive, and manage emotions, your own and other people's.

While IQ measures cognitive and logical ability, EQ measures your capacity for interpersonal success. Higher emotional intelligence is linked to better stress management, more satisfying relationships, and greater leadership potential at work.

The eight traits in this episode are how higher EQ shows up in real life, and they are all skills you can practice to raise yours at any age.

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/839

Stop falling into the anxious-avoidant attachment trap. In this episode, learn how to build a healthy relationship and experience corrective love. Today, I'm sitting down for a deeply personal, raw, and honest conversation with my longtime friend John Kim (aka The Angry Therapist) to discuss his brand new book, Love Hard on Purpose: Toss the Blueprints, Build Something Honest.

We are stripping away the fairytale narratives and diving into what it actually takes to build a secure relationship from scratch. John opens up about his heavy heart following a recent relationship rupture, how losing his home in the Altadena fires completely transformed his identity, and his own realization about childhood mother wounds and shadow addictions. I also share my own journey healing a father wound and breaking free from high-functioning codependency.

Whether you are single on purpose or trying to navigate a long-term partnership, this episode will show you how to move past the trauma breakers and rewire your body to accept a calm, healthy, and deeply intimate love.

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/838

A lot of what gets called "setting a boundary" out on the internet and in real life isn't a boundary at all.

Boundaries are not punishment.

They are not a lever for controlling other people.

They are not what you do when someone makes you mad.

I wrote a whole book about this called Boundary Boss, and the definition is simple. Your boundaries are your preferences, your desires, your limits, and your deal breakers, plus your ability to communicate them. That is the whole thing.

Misnaming a boundary does not just sound wrong; it makes the work harder. When you call a threat a boundary, communication has become confusing, and you may keep fighting about the same things on a loop.

Here are the five most common boundary impostors.

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/837

In this episode, I sit down with bestselling author Jane Green to talk about her rewilding memoir and her powerful journey of midlife reinvention.

We explore what happens when a woman reclaims her identity after success, marriage, and emotional breakdown — and what it really means to rebuild a life rooted in authenticity, boundaries, and self-worth.

We also dive into themes like the empty nester identity crisis, people pleasing recovery, and how somatic healing can help us process deep emotional trauma stored in the body.

If you've ever asked yourself how to rebuild your life after divorce, or how to stop people-pleasing and finally set healthy boundaries, this conversation will resonate deeply with you.

This is not just an interview — it's a conversation about coming home to yourself.

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/836

"It's fine." "I got it." "Don't worry about me." "I'll figure it out."

If you say one of these without thinking, several times a day, this episode is for you. These are the phrases that keep us stuck in high-functioning codependent behavior, and they sound generous. But there is an invisibility to what we are doing, and a cost.

These automatic behaviors are a nervous system response, habituated over years. As high-functioning codependents (HFCs), we react before we think, the moment a problem comes up. Learning to pause is the intervention. That moment before you say I got it is where the work happens, because on autopilot it is hard to change what comes out of your mouth.

Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/835