Ask A Therapist

What happens when an experience feels both deeply physical and deeply spiritual?This week, we respond to a listener who has struggled with sleep paralysis for years. While they understand the scientific explanations behind sleep paralysis, part of them still wonders if there's a spiritual dimension to what they're experiencing.It's a question many people quietly wrestle with: Can something be...

How do you help a daughter who is struggling with body image without accidentally making things worse?This week, we hear from a mom who's noticing subtle but concerning changes in her teen daughter's relationship with food, weight, and appearance. Like many parents, she's caught between wanting to protect her child and worrying that bringing attention to the issue could make it worse.In this...

This week, we respond to a heartfelt letter from a woman who feels like she's slowly becoming a different version of herself. Between brain fog, irritability, exhaustion, declining motivation, and a changing libido, she's left wondering whether she's experiencing stress, burnout, depression, aging, perimenopause—or some combination of all of the above.If that resonates, you're not alone.In this...

Father’s Day is supposed to feel like appreciation—but what happens when it feels more like an afterthought?In this episode, Kenzie & Carli respond to a listener letter from a dad who feels unsure about how to address his quiet disappointment around Father's Day. He consistently shows up in big ways for Mother’s Day, but finds himself feeling overlooked when his own day rolls around. Now he’s...

What happens when you try to do the right thing for a child—but it puts you at odds with their parent?In this episode, Kenzie & Carli unpack a listener letter from an uncle who found himself in hot water with his brother after explaining Juneteenth to his nephews. The conversation dives into the complicated intersection of intention, identity, and boundaries within families.They explore the...

This week, we hear from a listener questioning if work they initially deemed to be meaningful has become compromised. We talk about the uneasy space where visibility, marketing, and identity collide. When does representation become performative? What does it mean to be asked to “sign off” on authenticity? And how do you hold onto your values while working within systems that reward optics over...

In this episode, we respond to a listener letter from a woman in her 40s who was recently diagnosed with ADHD—and is now trying to navigate what that means for her daily life.We explore how ADHD often shows up differently in women, including the less visible (but equally challenging) symptoms like mental overload, chronic overwhelm, and internal restlessness. We also talk about why so many women...

What’s the difference between being open to love… and getting swept up in something that isn’t grounded in reality?This week, we unpack a listener letter about a friend who falls hard and fast—every time. She calls herself a hopeless romantic, but her pattern raises a deeper question: when does optimism cross into limerence, and how is that connected to anxious attachment?In this episode, Kenzie...

In this episode, we respond to a listener who’s graduating college—and feeling completely unprepared for what comes next.With pressure from family, fear about debt, and a job market that feels uncertain, they’re stuck in a question so many people in their 20's face: What am I supposed to do with my life? Add in mixed messages about “following your passion” and the illusion that everyone else has...

Kicking off season 3, we respond to a listener letter about estrangement from a parent—just in time for Mother’s Day.Our listener shares the painful decision to cut off contact with her mom after years of repeated boundary violations. Now, as Mother’s Day approaches, she’s facing pressure from loved ones who don’t understand her choice—leaving her questioning whether her boundary is valid or if...