Trich Talks!

Carter is a husband, new father, and scientist currently pursuing his PhD in Physics. He has lived with trichotillomania since his teens, primarily pulling his eyebrows, and has spent years exploring different approaches to managing the condition, including therapy, CBT, support groups, and microblading. In his journey, Carter has come to a place of greater acceptance while continuing to navigate the physical and emotional challenges of trich, including its impact on his health and daily life. He hopes to share his perspective as a man living with trichotillomania, how the condition has evolved through different stages of his life, and how it intersects with marriage, fatherhood, and family relationships.

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You’re probably here because you too live with trichotillomania or another BFRB. What if I told you there was an online community just for us that I’m also a part of? Let me introduce you to the HabitAware Collective, a safe and supportive place where people with BFRBs feel successful in their journeys. The HabitAware Collective offers daily accountability, two support groups each week, webinars led by experts, among other amazing resources. Learn more by visiting habitaware.com/community today

Aneela Idnani, the muse and co-founder of HabitAware and my incredible boss, released her memoir, Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows? This year. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy and I truly believe it is something you should read too. You will feel seen in these pages, quite possibly, for the first time ever. Get your copy of Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows today by visiting habitaware.com/memoir

Elliot has had trichotillomania since third grade, when someone challenged him to pull out more eyelashes than he could. Now 25, he has fully embraced his journey, his hair (or lack thereof), and everything that makes him who he is. Happily engaged and unapologetically himself, Elliot wants everyone to know that the people who truly love you will love you no matter what your hair looks like. His message? Stop giving a shit about what other people think. Your people will love you for YOU, exactly as you are.

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You’re probably here because you too live with trichotillomania or another BFRB. What if I told you there was an online community just for us that I’m also a part of? Let me introduce you to the HabitAware Collective, a safe and supportive place where people with BFRBs feel successful in their journeys. The HabitAware Collective offers daily accountability, two support groups each week, webinars led by experts, among other amazing resources. Learn more by visiting habitaware.com/community today

Aneela Idnani, the muse and co-founder of HabitAware and my incredible boss, released her memoir, Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows? This year. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy and I truly believe it is something you should read too. You will feel seen in these pages, quite possibly, for the first time ever. Get your copy of Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows today by visiting habitaware.com/memoir

Annie has been pulling out her eyelashes since she was 11 years old. From ages 11 to 21, her trichotillomania was relatively mild and would come and go, sometimes disappearing for years at a time.

At 21, her trichotillomania intensified, and she began pulling hair from her head as well. Since then, it has become something she deals with on a daily basis rather than something that comes and goes.

Through this podcast, Annie’s goal is to face her fears about talking openly about her experience and to share her story. She hopes that by bringing her trichotillomania into the open instead of hiding it, she can better understand and manage it.

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You’re probably here because you too live with trichotillomania or another BFRB. What if I told you there was an online community just for us that I’m also a part of? Let me introduce you to the HabitAware Collective, a safe and supportive place where people with BFRBs feel successful in their journeys. The HabitAware Collective offers daily accountability, two support groups each week, webinars led by experts, among other amazing resources. Learn more by visiting habitaware.com/community today

Aneela Idnani, the muse and co-founder of HabitAware and my incredible boss, released her memoir, Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows? This year. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy and I truly believe it is something you should read too. You will feel seen in these pages, quite possibly, for the first time ever. Get your copy of Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows today by visiting habitaware.com/memoir

Tesa (@tesa.heiney) has lived with trichotillomania since the age of 8. Her journey has been filled with periods of stopping and starting, learning that even when you stop pulling, the urge never truly disappears. Over the years, she has learned different coping strategies and ways to manage the urges, while navigating the emotional side of living with a disorder that can feel incredibly isolating. Tesa is passionate about sharing her story openly and honestly in hopes of reminding others with trichotillomania that they are not alone—and that recovery doesn’t always mean the urges disappear; sometimes, it means learning how to live through them.

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You’re probably here because you too live with trichotillomania or another BFRB. What if I told you there was an online community just for us that I’m also a part of? Let me introduce you to the HabitAware Collective, a safe and supportive place where people with BFRBs feel successful in their journeys. The HabitAware Collective offers daily accountability, two support groups each week, webinars led by experts, among other amazing resources. Learn more by visiting habitaware.com/community today

Aneela Idnani, the muse and co-founder of HabitAware and my incredible boss, released her memoir, Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows? This year. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy and I truly believe it is something you should read too. You will feel seen in these pages, quite possibly, for the first time ever. Get your copy of Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows today by visiting habitaware.com/memoir

On today’s episode of Trich Talks, Barbara sits down with Aneela Idnani—her boss, mentor, personal hero, and BFRB advocate extraordinaire—to talk about her memoir, Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows? and the core belief that continues to guide her: love is the answer.

Aneela is the co-founder of HabitAware, a company dedicated to helping people with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), and has spent years using her own experience to advocate for greater awareness, understanding, and support for the BFRB community.

And this isn’t Aneela’s first time on Trich Talks—it’s her third!

If you’ve listened to her previous episodes, you already know there’s always plenty to learn, laugh about, and maybe even get a little emotional over. If you’re new to Aneela’s story, this is a wonderful place to start.

Listen to today’s episode—and then go back and catch her first two appearances!

Aneela’s first appearance on Trich Talks: here

Aneela’s second appearance: here

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You’re probably here because you too live with trichotillomania or another BFRB. What if I told you there was an online community just for us that I’m also a part of? Let me introduce you to the HabitAware Collective, a safe and supportive place where people with BFRBs feel successful in their journeys. The HabitAware Collective offers daily accountability, two support groups each week, webinars led by experts, among other amazing resources. Learn more by visiting habitaware.com/community today

Aneela Idnani, the muse and co-founder of HabitAware and my incredible boss, released her memoir, Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows? This year. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy and I truly believe it is something you should read too. You will feel seen in these pages, quite possibly, for the first time ever. Get your copy of Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows today by visiting habitaware.com/memoir

Leanne Christian (@thoughtfully_human) is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in North Carolina with a special interest in working with people with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), including skin picking and hair pulling. She also lives with a BFRB herself, giving her a unique perspective as both a clinician and someone with lived experience.

Leanne’s work with BFRBs grew from noticing how often clients would disclose picking or pulling only after they felt safe enough to talk about it. She became interested in the gap between knowing a BFRB is a problem and actually having the space, tools, and support to address it.

Her approach is grounded in compassion, awareness, acceptance, and curiosity rather than shame or perfection. She helps clients understand the functions and patterns behind their BFRBs and build practical, individualized toolboxes of skills they can practice in everyday life.

Through her practice and educational work, Leanne is creating accessible tools, exercises, and short-form resources designed to make BFRB support feel less intimidating to begin—and to remind people that their BFRB deserves attention and care, even when it isn’t the most important thing happening in their lives.

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You’re probably here because you too live with trichotillomania or another BFRB. What if I told you there was an online community just for us that I’m also a part of? Let me introduce you to the HabitAware Collective, a safe and supportive place where people with BFRBs feel successful in their journeys. The HabitAware Collective offers daily accountability, two support groups each week, webinars led by experts, among other amazing resources. Learn more by visiting habitaware.com/community today

Aneela Idnani, the muse and co-founder of HabitAware and my incredible boss, released her memoir, Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows? This year. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy and I truly believe it is something you should read too. You will feel seen in these pages, quite possibly, for the first time ever. Get your copy of Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows today by visiting habitaware.com/memoir

In this episode of Trich Talks, Barbara sits down with Samantha, administrator of the NYC Trich Support Group, to talk about her personal journey with hair pulling and the powerful role that community has played along the way.

From attending her first support group meeting as the youngest person in the room, to now finding herself right in the middle—and serving as the group’s administrator—Samantha shares how far she’s come, what the support group has meant to her, and why finding a community that understands can make such a difference.

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Living with a BFRB isn’t about willpower, it’s about awareness.The Keen2 by HabitAware gently vibrates to help you notice pulling or picking in the moment, so you can pause and choose what comes next. It’s not about stopping perfectly — it’s about building awareness with compassion.

If you’ve been looking for a tool that supports you without shame, the Keen2 can be a powerful place to start. Use code LallyLove at checkout to save 10% on your Keen2 when you visit barbaralally.com/habitaware today.

You don’t have to navigate BFRBs alone. HabitAware’s peer coaching connects you with someone who truly understands what it’s like to live with a BFRB because they’ve been there too.

Peer coaches offer guidance, encouragement, and real-life strategies rooted in lived experience, not judgment. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for extra support, peer coaching can help you feel seen, understood, and supported on your journey. Visit habitaware.com/coaching today.

In this episode of Trich Talks, Barbara sits down with Hania to hear her honest and inspiring story of living with trichotillomania. Hania shares how her experience with hair pulling began and how, through that journey, she discovered a passion for hair that sparked her dream of becoming a hairdresser. It’s a story of turning a challenging experience into a meaningful path forward.

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Living with a BFRB isn’t about willpower, it’s about awareness.The Keen2 by HabitAware gently vibrates to help you notice pulling or picking in the moment, so you can pause and choose what comes next. It’s not about stopping perfectly — it’s about building awareness with compassion.

If you’ve been looking for a tool that supports you without shame, the Keen2 can be a powerful place to start. Use code LallyLove at checkout to save 10% on your Keen2 when you visit barbaralally.com/habitaware today.

You don’t have to navigate BFRBs alone. HabitAware’s peer coaching connects you with someone who truly understands what it’s like to live with a BFRB because they’ve been there too.

Peer coaches offer guidance, encouragement, and real-life strategies rooted in lived experience, not judgment. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for extra support, peer coaching can help you feel seen, understood, and supported on your journey. Visit habitaware.com/coaching today.

In this episode of Trich Talks, Barbara sits down with Heidi (@thelifeofatrichster) to talk honestly about relapse, recovery, and what it means to keep showing up for yourself. After nearly five years of being pull-free, Heidi recently experienced a relapse. Together, they explore the emotions that can come with returning to pulling after such a long period of time and how Heidi is choosing to move forward with self-compassion instead of shame.

Heidi shares how she is bouncing back, reconnecting with herself, and continuing to show up not only for her own recovery, but for the BFRB community she cares so deeply about. This conversation is an important reminder that a relapse does not erase your progress, your growth, or everything you’ve learned along the way. Healing isn’t about being perfect. It’s about continuing to show up.

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Living with a BFRB isn’t about willpower, it’s about awareness.The Keen2 by HabitAware gently vibrates to help you notice pulling or picking in the moment, so you can pause and choose what comes next. It’s not about stopping perfectly — it’s about building awareness with compassion.

If you’ve been looking for a tool that supports you without shame, the Keen2 can be a powerful place to start. Use code LallyLove at checkout to save 10% on your Keen2 when you visit barbaralally.com/habitaware today.

You don’t have to navigate BFRBs alone. HabitAware’s peer coaching connects you with someone who truly understands what it’s like to live with a BFRB because they’ve been there too.

Peer coaches offer guidance, encouragement, and real-life strategies rooted in lived experience, not judgment. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for extra support, peer coaching can help you feel seen, understood, and supported on your journey. Visit habitaware.com/coaching today.

In this episode of Trich Talks, host Barbara takes a deep dive into the history of her eyelash pulling—from how it all began after pulling her eyebrows as a child to the specific sensory triggers like "sharp" growing lashes that make it so challenging. Barbara walks listeners through her journey from ages 10 to present day, sharing the tools that have helped her along the way, including liquid eyeliner, fake lashes, and support groups.

She also gives an honest, real-time update on a recent intense pulling episode that caught her off guard for the first time in 20 years. Rather than letting shame take over, Barbara shares how she uses self-compassion, awareness, and a big-picture mindset to reassess her management strategies, offering reassurance to anyone navigating their own BFRB journey.

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Living with a BFRB isn’t about willpower, it’s about awareness.The Keen2 by HabitAware gently vibrates to help you notice pulling or picking in the moment, so you can pause and choose what comes next. It’s not about stopping perfectly — it’s about building awareness with compassion.

If you’ve been looking for a tool that supports you without shame, the Keen2 can be a powerful place to start. Use code LallyLove at checkout to save 10% on your Keen2 when you visit barbaralally.com/habitaware today.

You don’t have to navigate BFRBs alone. HabitAware’s peer coaching connects you with someone who truly understands what it’s like to live with a BFRB because they’ve been there too.

Peer coaches offer guidance, encouragement, and real-life strategies rooted in lived experience, not judgment. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for extra support, peer coaching can help you feel seen, understood, and supported on your journey. Visit habitaware.com/coaching today.