Whether it's known to us or not, a ton of our perspectives, behaviors, and triggers are dictated by situations that happened when we were kids.

How we show up in our relationships, parenting and even our businesses always tracks back to our childhoods. Some of the things we brush off and label as "just who we are" actually have a lot to do with early family dynamics. Understanding how these things shaped us is an opportunity to change them, and as parents, that's really important.

How do we identify these things and work to change them? What steps can we take to raise emotionally regulated kids? In this episode, I'm joined by psychotherapist, TikTok personality and author of "Your Pocket Therapist: Break Free from Old Patterns and Embrace a Happier Life", Dr. Annie Zimmerman. We talk about the important work she's doing, and how we can connect the dots between how we act now and what we experienced back then.

Of course, genes and personality exist, but it's almost always ways of coping and things we think 'that's just who I am' that track back to family dynamics when we were younger. -Dr. Annie Zimmerman

3 Things You'll Learn in This Episode

-Normalizing emotions

As parents, how do we raise emotionally aware and emotionally resilient children?

-Surprising sources of triggers

Movies and TV shows are seemingly innocuous, but do they actually create triggers later on?

-A lot of our suffering plays out in the field of relationships

How do our childhoods affect how we show up in our romantic relationships?

Guest Bio

Dr. Annie Zimmerman is a psychotherapist and TikTok personality, working with clients from a psychodynamic approach. She is also the author of "Your Pocket Therapist: Break Free from Old Patterns and Embrace a Happier Life". She has a PhD in psychology and her expertise centers on teaching clients how their early lives have formed strategies that might be contributing to unhelpful patterns in adulthood. Currently, she lives in London where she has a thriving private practice. You can follow her on TikTok and Instagram. Buy the book here.