ShrinkChicks
by Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT and Emmalee Bierly, LMFT
Latest episode
Do I Actually Like Them, or Am I Just Anxious?
Do I Actually Like Them, or Am I Just Anxious?
About this podcast
Emmalee Bierly, LMFT and Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT, owners and co-founders of The Therapy Group (@thetherapygrp), bring you the ShrinkChicks Podcast. ShrinkChicks is on a mission to make therapy and therapeutic topics more relatable and accessible. Each Monday, Emmalee and Jen will explore different mental health topics and invite you to sit in on their insight, humor, and knowledge, leaving the psychobabble behind.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 340 episodes
- Do I Actually Like Them, or Am I Just Anxious? · 41 min · Season 8 Episode 45This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into relationship anxiety and the question so many people find themselves asking: Do I actually like this person, or am I just anxious?…
- The Mental Load: Parental Burnout and the Default Parent · 43 min · Season 8 Episode 44This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into mental load, parental burnout, and what it means to be the default parent. They explore the invisible work of running a family…
- Dear Em & Jen: Real-Life Advice on Love, Loss, and Family · 39 min · Season 8 Episode 43This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are bringing you a full episode of Dear Em & Jen listener questions, diving into topics from career setbacks and complicated relationships…
- Overwhelmed vs. Overstimulated: What Your Nervous System Is Actually Telling You · 40 min · Season 8 Episode 42This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into the difference between feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated, and what’s actually happening in your nervous system when…
- The Sex Recession: Why Everyone's Too Stressed for Intimacy · 40 min · Season 8 Episode 41This week on ShrinkChicks, we’re talking about sex, baby, and why everyone seems to be having less of it. The “sex recession” is a real thing, and Em and Jen are exploring how…
- Emotional Flooding: Why You Shut Down Mid-Argument · 42 min · Season 8 Episode 40This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk all about emotional flooding and why you might shut down, go blank, or struggle to find your words when you’re flooded. They explain…
- Why AI Can’t Replace Human Connection with Mike Blanche · 44 min · Season 8 Episode 39This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by licensed clinical social worker and addiction expert Mike Blanche from Ethos Treatment to talk about how technology, social…
- Mother-Daughter Relationships: Why Are They So Complicated? · 39 min · Season 8 Episode 38This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into mother-daughter relationships and why they can bring up some of our biggest emotions, even well into adulthood. They explore…
- What Does It Mean to Practice Radical Acceptance? · 41 min · Season 8 Episode 37This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk all about radical acceptance, a core DBT skill that involves fully acknowledging reality as it is, even when you don’t like it, agree…
- Rewind: Building Self-Confidence · 37 min · Season 8 Episode 36This week on ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen are throwing it back to an episode from 2024, Building Self-Confidence. This was one of their top episodes, and during this holiday…
- How to Cope With Emotionally Immature Family Relationships · 37 min · Season 8 Episode 35This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk all about emotionally immature parents and in-laws, the boundaries that can get blurry in family relationships, and how to protect your…
- Navigating Mental Health Struggles in a Relationship · 42 min · Season 8 Episode 34This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about being the partner of someone struggling with mental health, or being the partner struggling, and what it’s like to navigate…
- Jealousy in Romantic Relationships & Beyond · 39 min · Season 8 Episode 33This week on ShrinkChicks, we’re talking all about jealousy. Where does it actually come from, and what do you do with it? Your hosts dive into jealousy at every angle; anxious…
- When Is It Time to Say Enough in a Relationship? · 38 min · Season 8 Episode 32This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen take on a common yet difficult relationship question: how do you know when it's time to stay and fight for a relationship, versus when it's…
- Why Therapy Works: Real Wins From the ShrinkChicks Community · 37 min · Season 8 Episode 31This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen celebrate the many ways therapy can change your life by sharing powerful stories and wins from the ShrinkChicks community as well as…
- Navigating Conversations Through Relationship Milestones · 39 min · Season 8 Episode 30This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about the hard conversations that come with every stage of a relationship and why they're never just a one-time discussion. From…
- How to Argue Without Ruining Your Relationship · 38 min · Season 8 Episode 29This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into what it really means to fight fairly in relationships and how conflict can actually bring couples closer when it’s handled well…
- Insecurities: Why They Keep You Stuck (and How to Move Forward) · 41 min · Season 8 Episode 28This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen unpack insecurities: where they come from, why everyone has them, and how they quietly shape our relationships, careers, and sense of self…
- Rewind: Boundaries with Emotionally Immature People · 46 min · Season 8 Episode 27On this rewind episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen welcome Nedra Glover Tawwab back to the podcast! Nedra is a licensed therapist, a New York Times Bestselling author, and…
- Sibling Relationships in Adulthood: Closeness, Conflict, and Boundaries · 41 min · Season 8 Episode 26This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about adult sibling relationships and why growing up in the same family doesn't always mean growing up with the same experience. They…
- Are You Settling or Just Compromising in Your Relationship? · 42 min · Season 8 Episode 25This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen unpack the difference between compromise and settling in relationships, and why the line between them can feel so confusing sometimes. They…
- How Our Assumptions Keep Us Stuck · 37 min · Season 8 Episode 24This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about how assumptions can quietly keep us stuck in relationships, work, and everyday life. From assuming people are upset with us to…
- When Life Doesn’t Look the Way You Thought It Would · 35 min · Season 8 Episode 23This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about expectations versus reality and why life’s biggest moments often don’t feel the way we imagined they would. From marriage and…
- How to Build Adult Friendships · 37 min · Season 8 Episode 22This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about making friends as an adult and why something that used to happen naturally can suddenly feel so difficult. They unpack what…
- Rewind: How to Respond and Not React · 42 min · Season 8 Episode 21On today's rewind episode of ShrinkChicks, Emmalee and Jen discuss what it actually looks like to respond, not react. They discuss the practice of responding and not reacting…
- Feeling Lonely in a Relationship and How to Fix It · 42 min · Season 8 Episode 20This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about feeling lonely in a relationship: why it happens, how common it is, and what actually helps you reconnect. They explore…
- Kids or Childfree: How to Decide What’s Right for You with Keltie Maguire · 47 min · Season 8 Episode 19This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by Keltie Maguire, host of The Kids or Childfree Podcast and a clarity coach who helps people decide between parenthood or a…
- Why Relationships Change Over Time · 38 min · Season 8 Episode 18This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen break down the phases of relationships and how couples evolve over time, from the honeymoon stage to deeper intimacy. Using a developmental…
- When to Go No Contact: Boundaries vs. Cutting Someone Off · 37 min · Season 8 Episode 17This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about estrangement and going no contact, a topic that’s more common than we think but still carries a lot of stigma. They unpack why…
- Navigating Your “What Am I Doing?” Era · 36 min · Season 8 Episode 16This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about navigating the “what am I doing with my life” era, those moments when your path, career, or identity no longer feels as clear as…
- Why Childhood Pain Shows Up in Adult Life · 40 min · Season 8 Episode 15This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen explore healing your inner child and advice to give to the kid who lives within your adult self. They talk about why revisiting younger…
- The Vulnerability of Joy · 37 min · Season 8 Episode 14This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about why joy and anxiety often show up together, especially when something good is happening. When positive moments arrive, the…
- Nicole Pellegrino on Becoming a Mom, Grieving a Mom, and Mental Health · 53 min · Season 8 Episode 13This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen continue their storytelling series where notable guests share the real emotional journey behind their success. Today’s guest is Nicole…
- Understanding the Many Forms of Grief · 38 min · Season 8 Episode 12This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen explore grief; not just the kind that follows death, but the many forms of loss that shape our lives. From pregnancy loss to complicated…
- The Hidden Cost of Being the “Good Kid” with Maggie Nick · 48 min · Season 8 Episode 11This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by trauma therapist, parenting educator, and cycle-breaking advocate Maggie Nick (AKA Maggie with Perspectacles) to talk about…
- Trauma Responses: Understanding The Fawn Response · 45 min · Season 8 Episode 10This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen wrap up their trauma response mini-series with a deep dive into the fawn response, the often-overlooked survival strategy rooted in…
- Trauma Responses: Understanding The Flight Response · 40 min · Season 8 Episode 9This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen continue their trauma response series with a deep dive into the flight response: what it is, how it shows up, and why it can feel so…
- Cameron Rogers on Motherhood, Mental Health, and Motivation · 44 min · Season 8 Episode 8This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen launch a new storytelling series featuring notable voices sharing the real emotional journey behind their success. First up: content…
- Trauma Responses: Understanding The Fight Response · 46 min · Season 8 Episode 7This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen continue their trauma response series with a deep dive into the fight response: what it is, why it develops, and how it shows up in everyday…
- Trauma Responses: Understanding The Freeze Response · 41 min · Season 8 Episode 6This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen break down the freeze response, one of the most misunderstood trauma responses. They explain how freezing is an involuntary nervous system…
- Reimagining Healthy Relationships · 43 min · Season 8 Episode 5This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by one of their all-time favorite guests, Alexandra Solomon, licensed clinical psychologist, adjunct professor at Northwestern…
- “Ready” Is Not a Feeling · 40 min · Season 8 Episode 4This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen unpack a belief that keeps a lot of people stuck: the idea that you need to feel ready before making a big decision. They talk about why…
- Breaking Free from Diet Culture · 43 min · Season 8 Episode 3This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are joined by Johanna Kulp, licensed therapist, speaker, and body image specialist, who helps individuals and families break free from diet…
- When Everything Feels Personal · 42 min · Season 8 Episode 2This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen talk about how to take things less personally…and why that’s harder than it sounds. After one of their posts went viral, they unpack why…
- The Difference Between Anxiety & Intuition · 41 min · Season 8 Episode 1This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen delve into a question that many people struggle with: How do I distinguish between anxiety and intuition?They break down how each shows up…
- Do I Need Therapy in the New Year? · 37 min · Season 7 Episode 51This week on ShrinkChicks, Em & Jen wrap up 2025 with a topic that might just be on all of our minds: Do I need therapy going into the new year? They talk about how tough this…
- The Holiday Boundaries Episode · 40 min · Season 7 Episode 50This week on ShrinkChicks, Em & Jen break down the pressure, guilt, and expectations that can make the holidays feel so overwhelming. Jen shares what it was like growing up…
- AI vs. Your Therapist · 45 min · Season 7 Episode 49This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dig into a topic that’s becoming impossible to ignore: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in therapy, including how it’s showing up in clinical…
- Introversion, Extroversion, and Your Social Battery · 37 min · Season 7 Episode 48This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen plug into the world of social battery: how much emotional energy we have for connection before we start feeling depleted. They talk through…
- Rewind: Improving Communication in Your Relationship · 42 min · Season 7 Episode 47This week on ShrinkChicks, we’re rewinding to one of our most beloved episodes: Improving Communication. Em and Jen revisit what it really means to communicate and how to do it…
