The Strong-but-Struggling Podcast

The Strong-but-Struggling Podcast

The Strong But Struggling Podcast is for high-functioning women who look like they have it together — but feel like they’re barely holding it together behind closed doors. Hosted by Alyssa Booth, licensed therapist and trauma-informed coach, this show is about getting out of the go-go-go → crash cycle and building a life you don’t have to recover from. We have honest, raw conversations about: • the weight of being the “strong” one — and how no one ever asks if you’re okay • replaying conversations in your head at 11:47pm • carrying the mental and emotional load for everyone • saying “I’m fine” when you’re low-key drowning • holding it together all week… then crashing • looking calm on the outside but bracing on the inside This is Survival Mode 2.0 — when your life looks stable, but your nervous system is still on high alert. You don’t need more discipline. You don’t need a better morning routine. And you don’t need to prove you can handle it. Most high-functioning women have the awareness, but they stay stuck because they’ve never felt safe enough to live differently. If you’re self-aware, know your patterns and triggers, and are tired of collecting insight without real change, this is where we move from information to integration. Strong isn’t the goal. Steady is. Supported is. Regulated is. If you’re done white-knuckling your life... Welcome! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

July 3, 2026 32 mins

Ten episodes in.


And before we go any further — thank you. For getting in the car with me. For doing the dishes with me. For showing up week after week, even when the topics hit places you weren't totally ready to look at.


That means something.


This episode is a little different. Alyssa is closing out season one with the seven truths that have made the biggest difference in her own life — not the things she lea...

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You hear yourself mid-sentence with your kid and stop. The tone, the wording, the way it came out — it doesn't sound like you. It sounds like someone else. Someone you grew up with.


You repair it. You apologize. You do the thing you never got. And it's real, and it matters.


But there's another voice. She doesn't care about the repair. She wants to know why you keep doing this, why you need so many repairs, why no matter...

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If you broke your leg and sat down in the ER, and someone walked in who had lost their leg entirely — would you get up and leave? Would you decide your fracture didn't count anymore and walk out to figure it on your own?


Of course not. Their worse injury doesn't fix yours.


And yet that's exactly what you do with your own pain. If someone else has it worse, you don't bring it up. If someone else has fewer resources, you ...

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There's a conversation happening in your head right now.


Maybe it's the one from three days ago that you've been editing ever since — what you should have said, what they probably thought, whether you overshared. Maybe it's the one you haven't had yet, the one you've already rehearsed six different ways, including the part where he misunderstands you and how you'll clarify. Maybe it's the argument you're having in the show...

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You've seen the posts. No is a complete sentence. You don't owe anyone an explanation. Protect your peace.

And you want to be that woman. You really do.


So you walk into the conversation with your talking points ready. You know exactly what you're going to say. And somehow — you don't even know how it happens so fast — you walk out having agreed to the thing, comforted the person, and completely abandoned yourself in ...

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Discover why knowing what to do isn't enough for lasting change and how to bridge the invisible gap in your healing journey using body-based strategies and insights. 


Main Topics:

  • The difference between awareness and embodiment in change
  • How patterns are stored in the body, not just in thoughts
  • The myth of discipline and the role of nervous system regulation
  • The impact of watching and modeling behavior, especially in family
  • ...
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In this episode, Alyssa Booth shares a powerful story about how neglecting her own physical and emotional health led to burnout, and how recognizing the cycle can empower women to choose themselves first.


Welcome to the go-go-go crash cycle. The one where you run yourself completely into the ground, hit the wall, feel guilty about hitting the wall, get back up, and do it all over again. The one that looks like productivity and a...

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May 15, 2026 32 mins

You post the photo. Everyone comments "you're such a good mom." And all you can think is —

if they only knew.


If they only knew what happened three minutes before that photo. If they only knew the version of you that exists when nobody is watching — the one in the car, the one at 10pm, the one that is barely holding it together on a Tuesday and performing fine in every room.


That gap — between who you are and...

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May 15, 2026 35 mins

Your life looks good on paper. Safe relationship. Decent house. You've done the therapy. You know your patterns. You are, by every external measure, okay.

And you still cannot fully exhale.


You're on the couch but not really landing. You're on vacation but mentally still at home. Something good happens and instead of just feeling it there's this flicker — like it's too good, like there's a catch, like you're waiting for the...

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You say it all the time. "I don't really ask for much." "I don't want to be a burden." "I'm just low maintenance."

And you say it like it's a personality trait. Like it's just who you are.


It's not who you are. It's what you learned.


In this episode, Alyssa introduces the question that has stopped women in their tracks more than any other in her years of clinical work: why not? Why don't you ask for much? Why don't you want pe...

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Licensed Therapist and Nervous System Coach, Alyssa Booth, shares her personal journey from trauma and shame to healing and self-empowerment.

This episode explores the importance of recognizing the difference between being strong and being okay, and offers insights into healing the nervous system and breaking cycles of self-sacrifice.

Alyssa will discuss:

  • The difference between being strong and being okay
  • Recognizing emotional and...
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