EP26: Would You Love Me If I Was a Worm?

What are we really asking for when we say we want a “ride or die”? 

Is it loyalty? 
Or is it the hope that someone will stay beside us when life becomes heavy, messy, painful, or lonely? 

In this deeply personal episode, Kimberly explores loneliness, emotional exhaustion, grief, friendship, unconditional support, trauma, and the human need to feel emotionally safe with other people. Through stories about her grandfather, postpartum struggles, friendships, heartbreak, and healing, she reflects on the difference between possession and presence—and why so many people are starving for genuine connection. 

This episode explores: 

• the loneliness epidemic  

• emotional safety and human connection  

• grief and losing safe people  

• kindness during difficult seasons  

• support versus enabling  

• trauma, shame, and emotional isolation  

• friendship, loyalty, and unconditional care  

• the fear of being “too much”  

• learning to receive love without earning it through performance  

What if “ride or die” was never really about someone dying for you… 
but about someone refusing to abandon you while you’re alive? 

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For questions, collaborations, or guest inquiries:
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EP25: You Communicate Someone into Caring

What if healthy communication isn’t actually about saying things perfectly? 

In this episode, Kimberly explores the pressure many people feel to communicate “correctly” in order to deserve being heard. From overexplaining and emotional self-erasure to boundaries, accountability, emotional capacity, and the difference between honesty and impulsivity—this conversation dives into what healthy communication actually looks like in real life. 

This episode talks about: 

• overexplaining and people pleasing  

• emotional neglect and feeling unheard  

• boundaries and emotional capacity  

• trauma dumping vs. healthy processing  

• accountability and repair  

• why some conversations stop being productive  

• the difference between connection and control  

Because sometimes communication isn’t failing because you said it wrong. 

Sometimes the issue is that the other person was never willing—or able—to truly hear you in the first place.

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For questions, collaborations, or guest inquiries:
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EP24: 80/20 in Relationships

What happens when a relationship slowly stops feeling emotionally safe?

Most relationships don't fall apart overnight. The shift is often gradual—a little less consistency, a little more tension, a little more uncertainty. Until one day, you realize you're spending more energy managing the relationship than enjoying it.

In this episode, Kimberly explores the idea of the "80/20 relationship" and why emotional safety depends more on predictability than perfection. She discusses how trauma, burnout, grief, resentment, attachment wounds, and survival mode can change the way people show up in relationships—and how to recognize the difference between a difficult season and a harmful pattern.

Topics include:

• Emotional safety vs. emotional instability
• Why predictability matters more than perfection
• Walking on eggshells and hypervigilance
• Trauma, burnout, and personality changes
• People-pleasing, over-functioning, and hyper-independence
• Difference between growth and chaos
• Grieving who you were inside a relationship
• Learning to trust yourself again

Kimberly also shares personal reflections on emotional abuse, fertility struggles, abandonment fears, and the painful realization that love should never require self-abandonment.

Because relationships are allowed to change. People are allowed to change.

You should not have to disappear in order to keep the relationship alive.

🎙️ Thinking Out Loud with Kimberly is a podcast about boundaries, healing, identity, relationships, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.

#Relationships #Attachment #MentalHealth #SelfWorth #PersonalGrowth #ThinkingOutLoudPodcast

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In this episode Kimberly talks with Audra Phelps — coach, former LDS member, and mom — about the messy, courageous work of disentangling faith, identity, and family life. Audra shares her journey leaving the Mormon Church, how she rebuilt community and purpose, and practical tools for emotional regulation, boundary-setting, and deciding what to keep or let go. Whether you’re questioning, staying, or already out, this conversation offers compassionate, middle-ground guidance and hope for creating a life aligned with your values.

Find Audra at:

Mama Audra - Coach for Ex Mormon Moms 

Mama Audra - YouTube 

Mama Audra (@mamaaudra) | TikTok 

Facebook

Instagram

Free Masterclass: https://mamaaudra.com/training

If you're interested in collaborating email Kimberly @ [email protected]

EP23: When Life Gives You Lemons… Now What?

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

But what happens when you don’t want lemonade?
What happens when the lemons represent grief, infertility, disappointment, burnout, loss, or a life that didn’t turn out the way you imagined?

In this episode, Kimberly explores the pressure to “look on the bright side” and how resilience has slowly become confused with emotional suppression. Through personal reflections on infertility, motherhood, disappointment, and healing, she talks about the importance of allowing yourself to feel pain without rushing to turn it into something inspirational.

This episode explores:

• toxic positivity and forced gratitude
• infertility and emotional grief
• the difference between resilience and suppression
• holding joy and disappointment at the same time
• why people rush others out of pain
• learning to process emotions honestly instead of performing strength

Because maybe resilience isn’t pretending you like the lemons.
Maybe it’s giving yourself permission to decide what comes next after admitting you don’t.

Welcome back to Thinking Out Loud.

#Podcast #MentalHealthPodcast #SelfReflection #EmotionalGrowth #DeepConversations #HonestConversations #HealingJourney #KimberlyRoller

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EP22: Mom Shaming 

“Should we bring mom shaming back?” 

It’s a question that’s been showing up more and more online—usually from people carrying real pain from childhood. But does shame actually create better parenting… or just better hiding? 

In this episode, Kimberly explores the difference between accountability, punishment, and projection. She talks about the emotional weight mothers carry, the pressure of parenting under constant public judgment, and how shame can quietly make struggling parents spiral instead of grow. 

Through personal stories and reflection, this episode unpacks: 

• the rise of “soft” mom shaming online  

• generational pain and unresolved childhood wounds  

• the difference between harmful patterns and human mistakes  

• how shame impacts parenting in real time  

• why accountability and cruelty are not the same thing  

• what actually helps parents grow and children thrive  

This is a conversation about parenting, healing, accountability, support systems, and what happens when mothers are expected to carry the weight of everyone else’s pain. 

Because maybe the real question isn’t whether moms should be judged more harshly— 
maybe it’s what actually creates change. 

Welcome back to Thinking Out Loud.

#Podcast #MentalHealthPodcast #SelfReflection #EmotionalGrowth #DeepConversations #HonestConversations #HealingJourney #KimberlyRoller

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EP21: Breaking the Cycle of Harm 

When does understanding become enabling? 

In this episode, Kimberly explores the difficult space between compassion and accountability. What happens when someone’s harmful behavior becomes a pattern instead of a mistake? And how do we hold empathy for people’s pain without ignoring the impact they leave behind? 

Through personal reflection, parenting experiences, trauma, and conversations around illness and mental health, this episode examines the difference between explanation and excuse. Kimberly opens up about confronting her own reactions, learning to take accountability for the harm she caused, and recognizing that healing requires more than understanding—it requires change. 

This episode is for anyone struggling with boundaries, guilt, repeated cycles of harm, or the question: 
“How many chances is too many?” 

A reflective conversation about accountability, compassion, trauma, parenting, boundaries, and choosing where the cycle ends. 

Welcome back to Thinking Out Loud.

#Podcast #MentalHealthPodcast #SelfReflection #EmotionalGrowth #DeepConversations #HonestConversations #HealingJourney #KimberlyRoller

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EP20: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

What does power actually reveal about people?

In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Kimberly explores how power shapes relationships, parenting, family systems, race, religion, mental health, and personal accountability. From childhood experiences of emotional imbalance to the realities of adulthood and parenting, this episode reflects on how power can expose both harm and healing.

Is power a test of character… or an amplifier of it?

This conversation dives into control, shame, emotional safety, systems of influence, and the difficult process of recognizing where we’ve been powerless—and where we hold power ourselves.

Because power doesn’t just reveal who others are.
Sometimes, it reveals who we are too.

Welcome back to Thinking Out Loud.

#Podcast #MentalHealthPodcast #SelfReflection #EmotionalGrowth #DeepConversations #HonestConversations #HealingJourney #KimberlyRoller

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What happens when respect becomes a weapon instead of a virtue?

In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Kimberly navigates the complexities surrounding the concept of respect and how it often gets misconstrued in our interactions. She challenges the notion that respect is simply an action to be given or earned and argues instead that it is a profound feeling—one that can quickly shift into a tool for power and control.

Kimberly reflects on the widespread misunderstanding of respect in today’s world, where people leverage feelings of disrespect to justify harmful behaviors and avoid accountability. She discusses how discomfort—whether from disagreements or differing opinions—can mistakenly be labeled as disrespect, leading to unnecessary conflict and confusion.

Through her personal experiences, Kimberly illustrates the importance of recognizing respect as an admiration for another's qualities or abilities, rather than a transactional duty governed by conditions. She emphasizes the power of honest conversation and the ability to disagree without losing respect, highlighting how true relationships thrive when mutual recognition exists.

As she explores the intricacies of personal boundaries, power dynamics, and the importance of self-advocacy, Kimberly poses thought-provoking questions about how we view respect in our lives. Can you truly disagree with someone and still hold respect for them? The answer, she argues, is a resounding yes.

Join Kimberly in this exploration of what it means to redefine respect, cultivate healthier relationships, and honor our own feelings while navigating the complexities of human interaction.

#Podcast #MentalHealthPodcast #SelfReflection #EmotionalGrowth #DeepConversations #HonestConversations #HealingJourney #KimberlyRoller

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Episode 18: Stitching Yourself Back Up 

How do you begin to heal after recognizing the toxicity that shaped your identity? 

In this continuation of the journey on Thinking Out Loud, Kimberly explores the aftermath of breaking free from harmful relationships and the complex emotions that follow. She grapples with the feelings of grief for the connections lost and the version of herself that felt comfortable in those damaging dynamics. 

This episode dives deep into the challenges of unlearning ingrained patterns of self-doubt and the weight of guilt that often accompanies newfound clarity. Kimberly shares her experience of finding true support through her husband and friends, illustrating how real love doesn’t require performing or proving oneself worthy. 

As she navigates the intricacies of acceptance, safety, and authenticity, Kimberly highlights the importance of recognizing what a healthy relationship truly looks like. This includes learning that love does not mean tolerating harm, and that it’s possible to exist without having to defend oneself constantly. 

Join Kimberly in this powerful conversation about healing, self-discovery, and the vital steps needed to rebuild not just your life, but your sense of self. If you’ve ever felt lost after leaving a toxic situation, you’re not alone. 

Welcome back to Thinking Out Loud. 

#Podcast #MentalHealthPodcast #SelfReflection #EmotionalGrowth #DeepConversations #HonestConversations #HealingJourney #KimberlyRoller

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