024 | Molly Tucker, PhD: How to Speak Up (When You're Afraid to Say the Wrong Thing)

This week, Molly and clinical psychologist Dr. Molly Tucker – co-author of Saying the Wrong Thing – explore how compassionate people can speak up in emotionally charged moments. You’ll learn about psychological flexibility vs. rigidity, how to assess situational safety, what to try in the moment, and how to repair relationships when you’ve said (or not said) the “wrong” thing.

 

They also introduce a simple challenge: One Bold Thing per week through 2025 – small, values-aligned actions that build courage and change culture. Will you join us?

 

Build the skill (and nervous-system capacity) to speak up – kindly, safely, and consistently.

 

This packed episode covers:

• tools for speaking up with courage (and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, or ACT).
• why being “afraid to say the wrong thing” is common.
• the cost of chronic peace-keeping.
• staying in hard talks without shutting down or exploding.
• how to gauge situational safety, micro-advocacy at the dinner table, and advocating for a trans family member
• ideas for repair after saying the “wrong” thing.

 

Today’s Guest:

Dr. Molly Tucker is the co-author of the newly released book Saying the Wrong Thing: How to Speak Up in Difficult, Controversial, or Emotionally Charged Conversations. (Order and receive a 25% discount with code SPEAKUP25: https://www.pesi.com/item/saying-wrong-thing-156754.) She has been interested in relationships and mental health since the fifth grade when she first was trained as a “Peer Mediator” to help fellow students resolve disputes. That’s when she knew she wanted to be a Clinical Psychologist. Dr. Tucker received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Texas. She then completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System, with a specialty in Advanced Interprofessional Mental Health. Beyond formal training in multiple Empirically Supported Treatments (ESTs), she has also received extensive training in administration and interpretation of cognitive, personality, and vocational psychological assessments. If you're looking to find meaning and engage fully with life, she would be honored to walk alongside you in that journey.

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