October marks both Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month — a time to honor women's experiences of loss, resilience, and healing.
In this episode of The Gaslight Effect Podcast, Dr. Robin Stern welcomes Dr. Jessica Zucker, a Los Angeles–based psychologist and award-winning author who specializes in reproductive and maternal mental health.
Dr. Zucker shares the story of her own miscarriage at 16 weeks into her second pregnancy — a life-changing experience that reshaped her clinical work and inspired her to launch the I Had a Miscarriage campaign. Through her writing and advocacy, she has worked to dismantle the silence, stigma, and shame surrounding pregnancy loss and to foster a culture of openness, compassion, and understanding.
Together, Robin and Jessica explore how gaslighting often shows up in women's health, from dismissive medical encounters to well-intentioned but invalidating comments like "at least you know you can get pregnant." Dr. Zucker explains how these responses can deepen isolation and grief, and she offers guidance for supporting others through loss with empathy and validation.
The conversation expands to her second book, Normalize It, which addresses broader women's health topics — including menstruation, body image, and menopause — and the cultural discomfort that keeps so many of these issues unspoken. Both Dr. Stern and Dr. Zucker reflect on their own experiences growing up in a society that encouraged silence and self-criticism rather than self-acceptance.
Through powerful storytelling, Dr. Zucker emphasizes the importance of self-expression — whether through journaling or open dialogue — and the healing that comes from being truly seen and heard. She envisions a cultural shift toward greater psychological awareness, where people can meet one another's pain with compassion instead of minimization.
Key themes:
-
The emotional and societal impact of miscarriage and pregnancy loss
-
Medical and personal gaslighting in women's health
-
The power of storytelling and vulnerability in healing
-
Normalizing conversations about menstruation, menopause, and emotional well-being
To check out this and other episodes, head over to robinstern.com.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Gaslight Effect Podcast on your favorite podcast platform, and be sure to leave us a review to let us know what you think. Until next time, remember: healing is a journey, and you don't have to walk it alone.
Dr. Robin Stern's Social Media Links:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/drrobinstern/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dr.robinstern/
Twitter (X) - https://twitter.com/RobinSStern
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-stern-220b403a
Dr. Robin Stern's Books:
The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide
Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on The Gaslight Effect Podcast do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.