Episodes
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Codependency is one of those buzzwords often used in therapy and mental health around relationships. Today’s guest has provoked a lot of feedback by challenging people’s views on this subject. Join us for this intriguing conversation.
I’m joined by one of my favorite people on TikTok, Shahem Mclaurin, a social worker in Brooklyn, NY, with over 500,000 followers on social media. Shahem is self-described as a person who is “queer as hell, Black as hell, and loud as hell.” They use their platform to address a wide range of social and mental health issues impacting people of color, patriarchy-impacted people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Show Highlights:
● How Shahem’s view of codependency has challenged the worldview of many people
● Why Shahem got a lot of blowback from his thoughts on codependency when he began to challenge popular worldviews
● Why we need to differentiate between attention-seeking and connection-seeking behaviors
● Why people get defensive when their “codependency identification” is challenged
● How the term codependency originated as part of popular therapeutic language
● How our culture sees having empathy for someone and expecting accountability from them as opposites that can’t both be true at the same time
● Thoughts on codependency, outside validation, connectivity, and feeling emotionally safe
● How to take a look at your unique journey “in the pool”
Resources and Links:
Connect with Shahem: TikTok and Instagram
Connect with KC: TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes
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The thing about boundaries is that they are much more complex than most people assume. The world of boundary-setting is rarely colored with clearly defined black-and-white choices. Today’s episode is a conversation with my friend Bethany about her relationship with her father and how she handled boundaries in ways that felt authentic to her. We are discussing how boundaries come into play in the relationships we have and the decision-making process we use. Join us to learn more!
Show Highlights:
● A little background on Bethany’s dad, their relationship, and how she grew up not feeling wanted and approved by him
● How Bethany’s relationship with her dad got worse as she became an adult and encountered her personal addiction issues
● How Bethany learned hard lessons about communicating with her dad
● Why Bethany decided to maintain her relationship with her dad—even though he gave her every reason not to
● How Bethany set hard boundaries by not engaging with him when he was drinking and verbally abusive to her
● How extra complexities came into their relationship when his health declined and he needed her more and more
● Why Bethany’s decisions to engage and re-engage were never about believing he would change
● Why the boundary decisions we make are less about what is right or wrong and more about how we can remain an authentic, whole person
● How Bethany handled his terminal illness in ways that left her with no regrets
Resources and Links:
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
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Missing episodes?
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I’m honored to be joined by Pat Sorrells for this episode. Pat is the CEO and president of Camp For All, a camp for ALL abilities and disabilities that opened in 1998. Pat has invested her heart and life into this organization, serving in her current role since 2007. Camp For All has impacted tens of thousands of people in ways that other camps cannot do. Join us to learn more!
Show Highlights:
The beautiful mission of Camp For All
A truly “barrier-free” camp is much different from other camps.
The importance of a REAL camp experience–instead of short-changing kids with challenging needs
Camp For All structure for programs throughout the year
The unique model of Camp For All in partnering with organizations to provide camps catering to kids with specific needs
Highlights of Pat’s fondest memories of Camp For All’s scope of impact and accommodation
Fun camp activities at Camp For All
Specific accommodations at Camp For All
Want to access Camp For All or partner with Camp For All? Pat explains what to do by accessing their Website.
Resources and Links:
Connect with Camp For All: Website
Preorder my new book: Struggle Care Website, Amazon, and Bookshop
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
In this episode of Struggle Care, host KC Davis speaks with Neha Ruch, founder of Mother Untitled and author of The Power Pause. Together, they explore the reality of modern motherhood, particularly for women who decide—or feel compelled—to pause their careers to care for their children. This conversation addresses the outdated stereotypes of stay-at-home moms and offers empowering, practical insights for navigating this unique chapter with confidence and clarity.
Show Highlights:
Neha’s personal story behind writing The Power Pause
What the “tradwife” movement misses—and who this book is really for
Why "stay-at-home mom" is an outdated and limiting term
How women can redefine productivity, identity, and success during a career pause
The hidden costs of idealized motherhood in media and social platforms
A breakdown of the personal, professional, and family goals women can set while caregiving
Financial planning tips and why couples must prepare for the pause together
The role of privilege, budgeting, and honest conversations with your partner
How to reclaim agency and dignity during motherhood—without losing ambition
Why it’s time to rewrite the narrative of caregiving and career on your own terms
Resources and Links:
📘 The Power Pause by Neha Ruch – Available wherever you get your books
🌐 Mother Untitled Website – Free resources including financial prep, postnups, and return-to-work guidance
📱 Follow Neha on Instagram
Connect with KC Davis:
🌐 Website
📱 TikTok | Instagram | Facebook
📘 How to Keep House While Drowning
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Today’s topic is exciting: toxic masculinity, which might be better termed “functional masculinity.” I’m joined by Alex Frankel, who grew up in San Francisco clearly understanding that the definition of hotness was dictated by beautiful people in popular magazines. During his entire childhood, he felt trapped in his fat body and hated how he looked. He finally realized that being hot was more than perfect abs and bulging biceps but more of an attitude. Alex is now a successful plus-size model, and he’s a body-acceptance advocate and role model for fat guys all around the world. He created the Hot Fat Guy Club to dispel the myths around diet, culture, fatphobia, and other fat people stereotypes. His goal was to create a welcoming community where people are celebrated and not shamed for their body types. Why do I love this topic? It’s because men are not often talked about in the body positivity movement. Join us for a new perspective from a Hot Fat Guy!
Show Highlights:
● An overview of Dr. Ronald Levant’s Seven Tenets of Traditional Masculine Ideology
● Where the problem of masculinity originates because of deeply entrenched patriarchy, traditional masculine values, programming, and gender policing
● Fascinating trends in how young boys and girls segregate themselves until puberty hits
● Why Alex believes a lack of empathy and respect for other human beings are core issues with today’s masculinity
● How we are taught the power differential by society around relationships and rejection
● How programmed traditional masculinity can be dormant until it flares up later in life
● The link between church and religious propaganda and traditional masculinity
● Why men have been programmed by traditional masculinity around vulnerability and feeling shame in showing emotions
● Three things to note around weaponized vulnerability, emotional safety, and caring feelings
● An example about the inability to express or understand emotions
Resources and Links:
Connect with Alex Frankel and the Hot Fat Guy Club: TikTok and Instagram
Mentioned in this episode: Therapy Chat podcast and The Tough Standard: The Hard Truths About Masculinity and Violence by Ronald F. Levant and Shana Pryor
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Today, we are covering an important topic today, but maybe not in the way you expect. I’m joined by Rachel Mulholland (aka Shug CM), a therapist whom I met on TikTok because of her incredible content around sex education for children. Today’s focus is on how our lives as adults are impacted if we don’t get comprehensive sex education as children. Join us for the conversation!
Show Highlights:
How KC’s story from her teenage years illustrates the gaps that most people have in their education about sex and the fact that sex ed is NOT a one-time conversation
How “purity culture” is impacting teenagers in certain places in the US in damaging ways
How even most comprehensive sex ed doesn’t address the pleasurable side of sex–and (for females) that the pleasure doesn’t have to come from another person
How sexual predators take advantage of the lack of information in sex ed from SAFE places
Why parents have real fear about talking to their kids about sex ed
The effects of NOT educating kids that sex and pleasure don’t always go together
Rachel’s Four Pillars of Safe Sex: confirmation, communication, lubrication, and enthusiastic participation
Why parents should be aware when their kids are ready to hear and learn–and begin at the most basic level appropriate for their age
How to answer those first little-kid questions around, “Where do babies come from?”
Why curiosity is a foundational part of body talk for kids–not just around sexuality
How parents can work through their own feelings around sex ed with their children
Why Rachel’s next project is a book about body talk
Resources:
Connect with Rachel: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Website (coming soon!)
Recommended by Rachel: How Do You Make A Baby by Anna Fiske
Connect with KC: TikTok, Instagram, and Website
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
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You have probably heard me say, “You can’t save the rainforest if you are depressed.” The truth is that eco-shame and eco-perfectionism can get in the way of our taking steps toward better functioning. If you have ever felt guilty for not being “eco-friendly enough,” this episode is for you!
Rebecca Gray is an environmental epidemiologist. With her master’s degree in public health, she studies disease, the patterns of disease, and health at population levels within communities and countries. She also studies how factors in the environment impact health by causing and promoting disease. Rebecca works with government agencies like the EPA and CDC to develop water guidelines to keep pollutants out of the water supply.
Show Highlights:
How Rebecca has experienced forms of eco-shame in her profession
How some people push the environmental movement in ways that are able-ist
The trap we fall into to “embody the archetype” of the space we occupy
How social media plays into the eco-perfectionism pressure we feel
Why functionality matters more than the morality of what we do in care tasks, eating, the environment, etc.
Rebecca’s view of today’s environmental movement
Why we should ask ourselves how an eco-behavior affects our health and well being
What really does need to happen to prevent climate change
How our capitalistic society colors what we can do to be eco-friendly
How differing narratives make us feel pressured to make individual changes and collective changes to “save the world”
How to identify what we need to function well, fill in gaps with eco-friendly behaviors, and learn how to conserve our energy
How to take a more reasonable–and less stressful–view of sustainability swaps
Actions that have the least impact and the most impact on environmentalism
Rebecca’s advice about letting ourselves off the hook for the decisions we make
Links & Resources:
Connect with Rebecca: LinkedIn
Connect with KC: TikTok and Instagram
Get KC's Book, How to Keep House While Drowning
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I’m back with one of my favorite guests who is always up for the challenge of a podcast–no matter what the topic is! I want to explore the term rejection sensitivity dysphoria and get Dr. Lesley Cook’s take on it because I have so many questions. Let’s learn more together!
Dr. Lesley Cook is a psychologist who works with those with ADHD and other kinds of neurodivergence. Born and raised in Hawaii, she now lives in Virginia and works with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.
Show Highlights:
● What RSD (rejection sensitivity dysphoria) is and how it is manifested
● KC’s personal experience with RSD and feelings of worthlessness
● How RSD is different from sensory sensitivity and autism
● Thoughts about the strong word dysphoria in RSD
● KC’s personal experience with RSD and being told she is “too sensitive”
● How we can grow, change, and find regulatory strategies for RSD
● Why it is difficult to communicate the facets and nuances of RSD and other interpersonal difficulties
Resources and Links:
Connect with Dr. Lesley Cook: TikTok
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
What’s your organizing style? Are you a bee, ladybug, cricket, or butterfly? Find out in today’s episode as professional organizer, Cassandra Aarssen explains how to tidy and organize according to your natural organizational style. Cas is a self-proclaimed “recovering super slob” on a mission to help other families who struggle with disorganization and clutter. Join us!
Show Highlights:
Cas’s journey to Chief Clutterbug status
Four organizational types, according to how you naturally sort and store your everyday things:
Butterfly: You are a visual person who wants simple, quick, and easy organizational systems.
Bee: You love visual and organizational abundance and are meticulous and detail-oriented, preferring to see your everyday items instead of hiding them away.
Cricket: You love visual simplicity and organizational abundance, wanting to hide items out of sight, but you are detail-oriented and methodical.
Ladybug: You love visual and organizational simplicity and prefer all your items hidden out of view with fast, easy solutions.
Find your balance between wanting to put things away easily and wanting to find things easily. (You can’t have it both ways!)
Parenting challenges in helping your kids learn to organize
Cas’s best organizing advice for butterflies: Use plastic bins, baskets, buckets, and labels.
Consider your “valuable real estate” from waist to eye level.
Establish a “drop zone” in your home.
Best tips from Cas and KC for keeping and organizing all the kids’ papers and artwork
Cas’s best organizing advice for bees: Use clear, stacking bins and pegboards for meticulous organization. (Fun fact: Most hoarders are actually bees!)
Cas’s best organizing advice for crickets: Use lots of styles for traditional organization.
Cas’s best organizing advice for ladybugs: Use drawer dividers, bins, and baskets (with no lids).
Resources and Links:
Connect with Cas: Website (and Resources)
Preorder my new book: Struggle Care Website, Amazon, and Bookshop
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
We’re bringing back one of our most insightful and impactful episodes! In our very first episode, you heard my conversation with Dr. Lesley Cook about executive functioning. She had so much wisdom to share that I couldn’t wait to have her back—this time, to explore the topic of self-compassion.
Is it possible to have too much self-compassion? How do we find the balance between being kind to ourselves while still striving for progress? Dr. Lesley shares her expertise, breaking down the complexities of self-compassion and how it plays a crucial role in our personal growth.
About Our Guest:
Dr. Lesley Cook is a psychologist specializing in ADHD and neurodivergence. Born and raised in Hawaii, she now lives in Virginia, where she works with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.
Show Highlights:
✅ Finding the balance between self-compassion and personal growth
✅ Understanding self-compassion through Dr. Kristin Neff’s work
✅ The role of shame and how it connects to self-compassion
✅ Strategies for shifting from shame to self-compassion
✅ How self-compassion can become a learned behavior we pass down to our children
Link and Resources:
Connect with Dr. Lesley: TikTok and Instagram
Connect with KC: TikTok and Instagram
Get KC's Book, How to Keep House While Drowning
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I have big news! Starting now, we will follow a new release schedule for the podcast, going to twice-a-month releases on the first and third Mondays. We’ve done weekly episodes for a couple of years now, and I need to free up some time for exciting upcoming projects. My new book releases on May 6 and is available now for preorder: Who Deserves Your Love? How to Create Boundaries that Start, Strengthen, or End Any Relationship. My next project is a cookbook that focuses on easy, stress-free meals and gentle nutrition with my compassionate philosophy. I’m also trying my hand at fiction writing with my first draft of a fantasy romance novel. I want every project to reflect my full passion and energy, and I feel strongly that it’s time to reallocate my focus toward these other endeavors. I’ll stick to the twice-monthly podcast release schedule for March, April, and May. The last episode in May will be the final episode of the Struggle Care podcast—for now. You never know what might happen in the future! Let’s keep in touch! Sign up for my newsletter at Struggle Care, and I promise not to overload your inbox!
Show Highlights:
An exclusive sneak peek into my new book, Who Deserves Your Love? How to Create Boundaries that Start, Strengthen, or End Any Relationship
My second book has the same disability advocacy perspective as my first book.
You’ll find counter-culture messaging for communication and relationships.
My book avoids standard attachment types and the language of codependency.
An overview of the three parts of my book
Listen as I read ch. 7 about The Decision Tree.
It’s tricky to occupy the space between wanting to have compassion and grace for people while still having boundaries for yourself.
Resources and Links:
Preorder my new book: Struggle Care Website, Amazon, and Bookshop
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
I’m excited to have Rev. Lizzie return to the show today to discuss her new book, God Didn't Make Us To Hate Us. Rev. Lizzie is an Episcopal priest who has become a good friend–and is always a fun guest! Join us!
Show Highlights:
Rev. Lizzie’s new book—and why she wrote it
Considering the question, “Why do I believe what I believe?”
The truth about Christianity means telling the WHOLE story.
The comfort in being loved by God when we’ve been told by people that we are “bad and broken”
Living in joy is THE goal.
The four parts of Rev. Lizzie’s book
A list of books which are foundational pieces of Rev. Lizzie’s faith journey
Listen in while Rev. Lizzie reads a moving excerpt from her book about her birthing experience, sin, and God’s perfect love.
Resources and Links:
Connect with Rev. Lizzie: TikTok, Instagram, and God Didn't Make Us To Hate Us
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Money, money, money—-today’s show is all about money! I’m joined by Dana Miranda, the author of You Don't Need a Budget: Stop Worrying about Debt, Spend without Shame, and Manage Money with Ease. Dana is here to discuss debt from a refreshing perspective, and she shares her best advice about how to proceed after finding your financial footing. Having a budget is NOT the answer to all of your money problems. Join us for expert advice from Dana!
Show Highlights:
Dana’s path to the work she does today
Money decisions are not purely black and white.
What it means to be “Healthy Rich” (Check out Dana’s podcast: Healthy Rich.)
Financial education is more than the demonization of debt.
The fascination with shame as a way to bring behavior change around money (Does it really help to yell at people?)
A healthy (and different) approach to debt
Debt is strategic for the wealthiest 1%?? How?
Understanding how debt products work and impact your credit score
With debt, negotiation is always a possibility. Give it a try.
Dana’s advice about debt products and red flags to look for
Societal attitudes toward “acceptable debt”
Addressing the gaps in financial knowledge for the typical American who finally achieves financial stability
Accessible financial advice is available—where to look and who to trust
Dana’s book: Who is it for and how can it help?
Resources and Links:
Connect with Dana Miranda: Healthy Rich podcast and You Don't Need a Budget book
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Today’s episode is about surviving abuse, and I’m joined by Lisa Phillips, an abuse survivor. She shares her horrifying experience of surviving abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, along with so many other young girls. Lisa hosts a podcast called From Now On, where she dives headfirst into stories of abuse and recovery. Join us.
Show Highlights:
Lisa’s experience with Jeffrey Epstein when she was a young model in NYC
Understanding the scope of sex trafficking and sexual predators
Common questions survivors ask themselves: “Am I the crazy one? How could I not have known? How could I have been so stupid?”
Red flags, boundaries, predators, and “the switch”
Look out for “love bombers”!
The irony of sharing a history of sexual abuse with a partner (“They want to abuse you in the same way you were abused.”)
It’s hard to leave a relationship if you are trauma-bonded to that partner.
Abuse makes you more at risk of being abused again.
Lisa’s podcast guests, their stories, and universal experiences of abuse
Talking to our kids about evil people and “bad guys”
The main danger is NOT from strangers.
Resources and Links:
Connect with Lisa Phillips: Instagram, From Now On Podcast, Podcast Instagram, Podcast TikTok, and From Now On YouTube
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Food rules, pop culture messaging, pressure, and the demonization of certain foods have huge impacts on the meals being eaten every day across the US. There is a better way to ensure we get the nutrition we need without beating ourselves up over the meals we eat. Dalina Soto, Your Latina Nutritionist, joins us for this eye-opening conversation. Join us!
Show Highlights:
Including your culture is an important part of nutrition.
Racial bias, demonized foods (like white rice), and pop culture messaging
Food IS fuel—but there’s more to it than nutrition!
Rethinking your nutritional hierarchy
Decision-making fatigue in meal planning
Reevaluating the “food rules” we follow
The “eating out” vs. “buying more groceries” dilemma for American families
Dalina’s top tips for quick meals and easy hacks (An air fryer saves the day!)
We, as women, put much of the pressure around nutrition on ourselves.
Dealing with kids: the key is to keep offering new fruits and vegetables
The beauty in finding a good nutritionist who doesn’t demonize cultural foods
Dalina’s new book, coming in March: The Latina Anti-Diet
Resources and Links:
Connect with Dalina Soto: TikTok, Website, and The Latina Anti-Diet book
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Where can you turn when a loved one is in the throes of addiction and needs help? How do you know what professionals to trust and if a treatment center is reputable? So many questions surround the topic of addiction treatment, and it’s a murky industry. We are discussing the seedy underbelly of the addiction industry with my guest. Heidi Voet, LPC, is a longtime mental health professional and the owner of Chapter House Counseling and Sober Living. Heidi and I take on this important topic and explain why, despite the problems, we would still send a loved one into treatment. Join us to learn more!
Show Highlights:
Heidi’s take on the ugliness of the treatment industry
Understanding the medical model of treatment vs. the community model
12-step programs, legalism, insurance corruption, and integrity
The truth: Exploitation has bled into addiction treatment.
The real dilemma for family members
The struggle for political correctness while trying to intervene for an addict
Heidi’s advice to families who want to intervene:
Don’t intervene too fast.
Find the lowest level of appropriate care (think of a ladder of options).
Be wise and ask questions of the consultant, case manager, or interventionist. (“Are you on the payroll of a treatment center?”)
Speak to current clients, alumni, and families of the center.
Red flags in your interaction with a treatment center and helpful questions to ask
The need to consider gender-specific treatment
Why KC would never recommend a wilderness treatment center
Assessing a center’s approach to trauma, medications, and religious philosophies/affiliations
Resources and Links:
Connect with Heidi Voet and Chapter House Counseling: Website
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Sensory health goes far beyond discomfort with a scratchy fabric or loud noises. If you are not familiar with sensory health, this episode will be full of new concepts and revelations for you. You WILL realize how important sensory health is for each of us! My guest is Virginia Spielmann, an occupational therapist who did a TEDx Talk on this topic. She explains sensory health, why it’s important, and how it matters in every area of life. Join us to learn more!
Show Highlights:
Virginia’s background and journey to her work today
Sensory health: “how” we feel, what we do with it, and why it connects to everything about our psychological well-being
Understanding sensory health as the bridge between mental and physical health
Active lifestyles and exercise don’t look the same for everyone.
Differences in sensory processing
How we unintentionally gaslight our kids’ sensory reactions
The importance of being curious as a parent
Finding a balance between accommodating and exposure/growth
Understanding systematic desensitization
Comfort AND challenge—not comfort OR challenge
The #1 intervention for improved mental health? Dance and other forms of big play
An overview of the STAR Institute’s programs, services, and events
Resources and Links:
Connect with Virginia Spielmann and the STAR Institute: Website and TEDx Talk
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
This episode is the second part to my conversation with Dr. Karla Lester about food shaming, weight bias, metabolic diseases, “almond moms,” and more. Dr. Karla lends her professional expertise to the discussion of these important topics. Join us!
Show Highlights:
The effect of “almond mom” parenting on kids: food shaming, eating disorders, and more
The start of binge eating disorder in very young kids
Guarding against “opposite” mistakes with your kids in making good food choices
From KC, a parent’s perspective on food choices and neurodivergent kids
A switch from compliance to compassion
The goal in feeding kids should start with a focus on intentional, daily protein intake (Start with protein at breakfast!)
Aim for habit change in a positive direction.
Understanding “food noise” and what it means to bust common food myths
Dr. Karla’s advice to parents: “Get to neutral.”
Red flags for parents to look for in their kids’ food behaviors
Responding as a parent to your child’s weight gain/loss
The truth about insulin resistance: “It is an epidemic that we cannot ignore!”
Understanding the term healthism
Resources and Links:
Connect with Dr. Karla Lester: IME Community, Dr. Karla, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Dr. Karla's radio show
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Today’s topic arouses a host of different feelings and reactions around the term “pediatric obesity.” Dr. Karla Lester joins us to share her expertise as a medical professional and her perspective as a concerned parent. Discussing food and eating habits for us and our kids can send us down a rabbit hole with many tangents. Let’s get some balance and clarity in today’s episode.
Show Highlights:
Parents are victims of diet myths and bad science—and it carries over to our kids.
Having food rules doesn’t mean a commitment to restrictive eating.
How Dr. Karla came to the work she does today
“Almond moms” and “thin privilege” in our society
Fact: It is more difficult to navigate the world in a larger body, and parents fear this for their kids.
Health myths that “almond moms” believe and pass on to their kids
Does thinner always mean healthy? “No, you can be metabolically healthy, or unhealthy, at any weight.”
Comorbidities between addictions and eating disorders
Myths about obesity causing many health issues
Understanding insulin resistance and its causes
A look at the COVID-19 epidemic in a different light
Resources and Links:
Connect with Dr. Karla Lester: IME Community, Dr. Karla, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Dr. Karla's radio show
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
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This is a lighthearted episode–because we all can use a break from all the heaviness around us. I’m welcoming Caroline, “The Niche Tea Lady,” to the show. Join us!
Show Highlights:
Understanding “niche tea”
Caroline’s favorite story of niche tea: the amazing tale of two birders
The biggest plot twist in a niche tea deep dive
Memorable niche tea surprise endings
Pyramids, video games, and the nuances of content creation
Everyone loves an underdog story!
“Discords” and weirdo behavior
The funniest niche tea in Caroline’s experience: a published back-and-forth between two high-level academics
The most viral niche tea stories in Caroline’s experience: birding and beekeeping
Resources and Links:
Connect with Caroline: TikTok, X, Instagram, and YouTube
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices - Show more
