Motherhood begins with a seismic identity shift that nobody prepares you for. That moment they hand you your baby and you're suddenly "Mom"—before you've even had time to process the transformation happening inside you.

The raw truth? Becoming a mother often begins with grief. Grief for your independence, your rhythms, and the version of yourself who didn't calculate nap windows or feel constantly needed. This profound psychological and emotional metamorphosis has a name: matricence. Like adolescence, it reshapes your entire being, yet society rarely acknowledges its existence or provides grace for women navigating this terrain.

When expectation crashes into reality, the disconnect can feel earth-shattering. You thought you'd feel whole, blissful, and instinctively wise, but instead, you're cracked open, hollow, flooded with self-doubt. You're never alone yet never felt more isolated. Your partner watches helplessly as you transform, creating a new kind of distance when connection feels most vital. And for the 1-in-7 women experiencing postpartum depression or anxiety, the journey becomes even more complex, clouded by intrusive thoughts, numbness, or hypervigilance that have nothing to do with your capacity for love.

Throughout this deeply personal episode, I share insights from my therapy practice and my own unraveling as a new mother. We explore motherhood as three emotional "trimesters"—from the raw beginnings of ages 0-6, through the sweet spot of ages 7-12, to the bittersweet letting go of ages 13-18. Each phase requires a different version of you, different boundaries, different strengths.

Whether you're in the trenches of early parenthood or supporting someone who is, remember this: You are not broken. You are not failing. You are becoming. Subscribe now to continue these unfiltered conversations about the transformations that shape our lives.

Support the show

🎙️ Episode Footer

💬 Liked this episode?
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people find Licensed and Unfiltered and keeps the conversations going.

🌐 Explore more:
Head to licensedandunfiltered.com for tools, extras, and all the behind-the-scenes stuff.

📲 follow us @licensnedaunfiltered

📩 Have a question or topic you’d love to hear covered?
Submit it anonymously or send us a DM or submit them here — you just might hear it on a future episode.

—

© 2025 Licensed and Unfiltered. All rights reserved.
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy or mental health treatment.

Sponsored by Northern Arizona Digital Marketing and Therapedia

Ever found yourself unexpectedly emotional over a scene from The Office? That odd moment when Jim cuts his tie after Pam tears her veil, or when Michael is the only one who shows up to appreciate Pam's art? There's a psychological reason those moments hit so hard.

Welcome to a therapeutic journey through the halls of Dunder Mifflin, where we're unpacking what makes this workplace comedy secretly one of the most profound character studies on television. Beyond the cringe humor and paper sales lies a masterclass in attachment theory, relationship dynamics, and emotional growth.

Through a therapist's lens, we explore why Michael Scott's desperate need for approval masks deep abandonment wounds, how Jim's sarcasm serves as emotional armor against vulnerability, and why Pam's journey from people-pleaser to self-advocate mirrors the therapeutic process so many of us experience. We'll analyze each character through the framework of Internal Family Systems, revealing how their quirks, flaws, and defense mechanisms protect their most vulnerable parts.

Discover which Office character you most resemble psychologically—whether you're an anxiously attached Michael, an avoidant Jim, a rigid Angela, or somewhere in between. Learn how the show's most tender moments create such powerful emotional responses because they tap into universal human needs for connection, validation, and acceptance.

Whether you're a longtime fan who can quote every "that's what she said" or someone who's curious about how pop culture reflects our psychological patterns, this episode offers fresh insights into both the show and yourself. Because sometimes, the most profound healing doesn't happen in a therapist's office—it happens while watching a fictional paper company that nobody asked for but everybody needed.

Ready to see your favorite workplace comedy in an entirely new light? Grab your World's Best Boss mug and join us for a session of Licensed and Unfiltered.

Support the show

🎙️ Episode Footer

💬 Liked this episode?
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people find Licensed and Unfiltered and keeps the conversations going.

🌐 Explore more:
Head to licensedandunfiltered.com for tools, extras, and all the behind-the-scenes stuff.

📲 follow us @licensnedaunfiltered

📩 Have a question or topic you’d love to hear covered?
Submit it anonymously or send us a DM or submit them here — you just might hear it on a future episode.

—

© 2025 Licensed and Unfiltered. All rights reserved.
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy or mental health treatment.

Sponsored by Northern Arizona Digital Marketing and Therapedia

Dragging yourself out of bed, crying at commercials, and fantasizing about escape while still managing to text people back? You're not lazy—you're burned out. You're compassion-fatigued. You're a full-grown adult running on caffeine, cortisol, and pure determination.

This raw, honest conversation dives deep into what burnout and compassion fatigue really look and feel like, beyond the clinical definitions. We explore the subtle signs your body sends when you're running on empty: becoming resentful when people need you, doom-scrolling instead of decompressing, mentally checking out during meaningful moments, and dreaming about quitting everything to open that bakery in Vermont. Burnout isn't always dramatic; sometimes it's just quiet depletion—the slow fade of joy and engagement that happens when you've been saying "I just need to make it through this week" for 42 weeks straight.

Through the lens of polyvagal theory, we break down how your nervous system operates when overwhelmed. When burned out, you slide down the ladder from "safe and social" into fight-or-flight or freeze modes, leaving your window of tolerance—that space where you feel grounded and regulated—practically nonexistent. Your body isn't broken; it's responding exactly as it should to chronic stress. And contrary to popular wellness culture, you can't bubble-bath your way out of burnout or manifest your way through compassion fatigue.

Real self-care isn't jade rollers and expensive candles—it's boundaries, rest, and the courage to say "I'm not okay" when you're not. It's choosing sleep over people-pleasing and speaking to yourself with the same compassion you'd offer a friend. Because healing doesn't happen when you're waging war on yourself. You don't need to be falling apart before you're allowed to rest. Rest isn't a reward—it's a right.

Listen in, take a breath, and remember: burnout doesn't mean you're broken. It means you're human. Cancel something today, say no without a spreadsheet of reasons why, and be gentle with yourself. You're doing so much better than you think.

Support the show

🎙️ Episode Footer

💬 Liked this episode?
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people find Licensed and Unfiltered and keeps the conversations going.

🌐 Explore more:
Head to licensedandunfiltered.com for tools, extras, and all the behind-the-scenes stuff.

📲 follow us @licensnedaunfiltered

📩 Have a question or topic you’d love to hear covered?
Submit it anonymously or send us a DM or submit them here — you just might hear it on a future episode.

—

© 2025 Licensed and Unfiltered. All rights reserved.
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy or mental health treatment.

Sponsored by Northern Arizona Digital Marketing and Therapedia