Psychotherapist Seerut Chawla (@seerutkchawla) joins us for a hot take on the dangers of Insta-therapy. Warning: this conversation will challenge you to keep an open mind, think critically, and evaluate what you’ve been taught. 
You will learn... 

what ideas about mental health that have been popularized on social media are actually unethical and harmful 


how cultural differences impact our view of mental health 


what trauma actually is and what it is NOT 


Remember: take what resonates with you and leave the rest. This conversation is meant to challenge us to maybe see things a little differently... 
Seerut Chawla is a psychotherapist and cultural commentator based in London. 
Follow Seerut on Instagram: @seerutkchawla 

 Sign up for Seerut’s Substack here: https://seerutkchawla.substack.com/
And if you enjoyed this episode, screenshot it and share it on social media! 

Make sure to tag @maryspodcast and @seerutkchawla

#120: Uncomfortable Realities and the Dark Side of Insta-Therapy with Seerut Chawla

Welcome to Self-Love.

We cover topics surrounding self-love including body-image, confidence, self-worth, body positivity, mindset, mental health, feminism, relationships, and so much more. Along the way, your host Mary lets you in on her personal life, never shying away from the messy, raw, and real conversations that we all crave. So grab a cup of tea, slide in your headphones, and get ready for some self-lovin!

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Self-Improvement

Our culture is OBSESSED with female bodies and their appearance making us all “beauty sick.” From constricting clothes to anti-aging skincare products, beauty culture eats up our precious time, money, and energy. This is an eye-opening and deeply-relatable discussion with Dr. Renee Engeln about “beauty sickness,” the disease that plagues so many women (to no fault of their own).
You will learn about... 

- what the research shows about beauty culture and objectification of women 

- the performative aspects of femininity 

- the psychological effects of aging in a beauty-obsessed society 

- how we can fight off beauty sickness both individually and collectively
Renee Engeln, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, is the author of Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women. Her lab (The Body and Media Lab, a.k.a. “BAM”) conducts research exploring issues surrounding women’s body images, with a particular emphasis on cultural practices that create or enforce the frequently contentious relationship women have with their bodies. The research, which has appeared in numerous academic journals, focuses on Objectification Theory, Fat Talk, and Idealized Media Images. She is regularly interviewed by the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, BBC, the Huffington Post, and other national media. Her TEDx talk has over 800,000 views on YouTube.
Remember: Though we won’t heal from beauty sickness overnight, we have the power to minimize how much we participate in it.
Get Dr. Renee’s book, Beauty Sick: https://amzn.to/4c67da9 

Learn more about Dr. Renee’s Body and Media Lab: http://bodyandmedia.com 

Watch Dr. Renee’s TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63XsokRPV_Y
And if you enjoyed this episode, screenshot it and share it on social media! Make sure to tag @maryspodcast and @beauty_sick
Mentioned In This Episode... 

Ep. 18, Mary’s first interview with Dr. Renee: https://open.spotify.com/episode/155JFBTBxSGCCA2UMK12qk?si=gWFYNVAjQxu2S2J8j69Z-w

#211: The Disease that Plagues Women, Beauty Sickness w/ Dr. Renee Engeln

What would you pursue regardless of the result? Let’s reflect on how being results-oriented removes the joy of the process. Though sometimes results do come, maybe we’d be happier if we were more immersed in the process itself.
You will learn how to...
Trust your unique process and let go of the need for immediate results
Embrace activities that bring joy without a focus on outcome
Shift your mindset to find peace in the present moment

Remember: "Trust your process, release the result."
If you enjoyed this episode, screenshot it and tag @maryspodcast on social media!
Sign up for Mary’s monthly newsletter: https://maryscupoftea.myflodesk.com/emails
Learn more about upcoming retreats: https://maryscupoftea.com/retreats
Get Mary’s book, The Gift of Self-Love: https://amzn.to/3yJKYII


Ep. 210: Process > Result

When you find yourself hitting the wall of EXHAUSTION, you could be experiencing burnout. What most people don’t know is that our biological stress cycle is not equipped to deal with our modern-day demands. Luckily, there is a cure for burnout and Amelia Nagoski is here to share it with us.
You will learn...
what causes burnout (and the only CURE for it)
how to actually “listen to your body”
how the stress cycle works
the difference between burnout, depression, and self-sabotage

Remember: When you think you need more grit, what you actually need is help.
Amelia Nagoski, D.M.A. (it stands for Doctorate of Musical Arts) is the co-author, with her sister Emily, of the New York Times bestselling Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle and the Burnout workbook. Her job is to run around waving her arms and making funny noises and generally doing whatever it takes to help singers get in touch with their internal experience.
Get Amelia and Emily Nagoski’s book, Burnout: https://amzn.to/449tPUC And the Burnout Workbook Audiobook with original songs by Amelia: https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Workbook-Advice-Exercises-Unlock/dp/B0CD2S9CBF
And if you enjoyed this episode, screenshot it and share it on social media! Make sure to tag @maryspodcast
Mentioned In This Episode... 5-part series on how to listen to your body: https://www.feministsurvivalproject.com/episodes/episode-58-how-to-listen-to-your-body


#209: The Cure for Burnout is NOT Self-Care w/ Amelia Nagoski, D.M.A.

Feeling conflicted can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to hold you back. Let’s explore how to cope with conflicting thoughts and emotions across different areas of life, from body image to career decisions, and even current events.
You will learn how to...
navigate conflicting thoughts and feelings
make decisions more confidently
make peace with all the different parts of you

Remember: "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." ~ Aristotle
Interested in Mary’s next self-love retreat? Go to maryscupoftea.com/retreats to be the first to get all the details!
If you enjoyed this episode, screenshot it and tag @maryspodcast on social media so we can see who’s listening!


#208: Feeling Conflicted? Listen to this.

Women are put into all sorts of boxes i.e. sexist roles and expectations on who we “should” be. Life coach Kara Loewentheil is back to talk some sense into us and teach us how to break these internalized thought patterns.
You will learn...
what “thought work” is and how it can help your mindset
how to break out of the “virgin/whore” + “maiden/mother/crone” paradigms
why “positive thinking” usually doesn’t work long-term (and what helps instead)
how our sexist socializations project onto the women around us

Toward the end, Kara coaches Mary on some of the conflicting thoughts she’s having about her career.
Remember: the only way to stop caring about what other people think about you is to start caring more about what YOU think about you.
Kara Loewentheil, J.D. is a Master Certified Life Coach, founder of The School of New Feminist Thought, and host of the internationally top-ranked podcast UnF*ck Your Brain: Feminist Self-Help for Everyone (50 million downloads and counting!).
Her first book, Take Back Your Brain: How A Sexist Society Gets in Your Head – and How to Get It Out (Penguin Life May 2024) has been called a “galvanizing debut” by Publisher’s Weekly, chosen as a “must-read” by the Next Big Ideas Book Club for May 2024, and praised by NYT-bestselling authors including Mel Robbins, Elise Loehnen, Dr. Marisa Franco, and Tori Dunlap.
A graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, Kara did what every Ivy League lawyer should do: Quit a prestigious academic career to become a life coach! Eight years after she stepped down as director of a think tank at Columbia Law School, she has created a multiple-7-figure business, taught millions of women how to identify the ways that sexist socialization impacts their brains, and helped women all over the world rewire their thought patterns to liberate themselves from the inside out.
Follow Kara on Instagram: @karaloewentheil Get Kara’s book, Take Back Your Brain here: https://amzn.to/3Wo3W1g
And if you enjoyed this episode, screenshot it and share it on social media! Make sure to tag @maryspodcast and @karaloewentheil
Mentioned in this episode… Ep. 36: Feminism, Body-Image, and Unfcking Your Brain with Kara Loewentheil: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mi1O4iimYDJ2oT6PlY0nG?si=6a093c1379304c30


#120: Uncomfortable Realities and the Dark Side of Insta-Therapy with Seerut Chawla

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