What Your Therapist Thinks

Dr. Lindsay Cavanagh, psychologist and marriage expert, joins Kristie and Felicia to unpack the strategies for long-term intimacy. They discuss the emotional aspect of desire: how mental load and systemic stressors can make or break the spark in parenthood.

Some takeaways:

• Why spontaneity fails when it meets the exhausting logistics of parenthood.

• The difference between intentional pursuit and weaponized incompetence.

• How to ...

Therapists Julie Goldberg joins Kristie and Felicia to unpack the mechanics of nervous system regulation and offer a practical, somatic perspective on mental health. They explore the range of human response from fight-or-flight to shutdown. This episode reframes anxiety and burnout away from personal failures to adaptive physiological responses designed to keep you safe.

Some takeaways:

• The differences between safety, mobilization ...

Financial therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin joins Kristie and Felicia to unpack the psychological roots of our bank accounts. They center the conversation on the emotional landscape of money: how one’s childhood and systemic failures, not personal incompetence, shape financial anxiety.

Some takeaways:

• Why "logic" fails when it crashes with childhood narratives and fears.

• The difference between functional planning and toxic guilt.

• Ho...

Erica Bonham, LPC, MA joins Kristie and Felicia to demystify EMDR therapy and how it actually works to heal the brain. They explore how bilateral stimulation mimics REM sleep to "unstick" traumatic memories trapped in the nervous system. Erica advocates for a bottom-up approach to recovery to address the somatic and emotional roots of distress.

Some takeaways:

• How bilateral stimulation helps the brain reprocess

• Why a somatic appro...

Relationship expert Colette J. Fehr joins Kristie and Felicia to unpack the messy, neurological reality of moving on. They explore why breakups feel less like a simple goodbye and more like overcoming an addiction, creating a need for a strategic "reset" of the brain. Colette advocates for “no-contact” as a vital tool for nervous system regulation and reclaiming your sense of self.

Some takeaways:

Author and counselor KC Davis, LPC joins Kristie and Felicia to break down the shame often associated with a messy home. They unpack the life-changing mindset of moral neutrality, meaning that your ability to do laundry is not a reflection of your character. KC supports shifting away from society’s standards of "tidiness" to a sustainable approach that prioritizes your mental health.

Some takeaways:

• Why struggling with dishes doesn...

Jeff Guenther, LPC, also known as TherapyJeff, joins Kristie and Felicia to unpack everything on modern romance. They break down the dating world as a space that requires nervous system regulation and radical authenticity. Jeff advocates for a shift away from performing for validation to a more grounded approach focused on genuine curiosity instead of the pressure of finding "the one."

Some takeaways:

• Why looking at first dates a...

Dr. Rebeccah Lyle, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, joins Kristie and Felicia to explore the nuanced reality of ADHD in women and AFAB individuals. Together, they break down how social expectations of "good behavior" sometimes mask ADHD symptoms in girls, leading to life-changing diagnoses in adulthood when the pressures of career and motherhood reach a breaking point.

Some takeaways:

Welcome to Season 2 of What Your Therapist Thinks. We were absolutely mind-blown by all the love we got from you in season 1 and so after some life changes like Kristie having a baby… we’re back!

A mental health show where actual, licensed therapists open up about what they’re really thinking, while answering the internet’s most burning mental health questions. And by "real-world," we mean Reddit posts. Incognito Google searches. An...

In this special episode, hosts Kristie Plantinga and Felicia Keller Boyle share their own mental health journeys and what led them to create "What Your Therapist Thinks". Drawing from Felicia’s professional background as a somatic therapist and Kristie’s lived experience as a long-time therapy goer, they discuss navigating chronic illness, childhood isolation, the "good kid" trap and why breaking the stigma of silence is the first ...

In this special holiday episode, Katrina Mautner, a queer trauma-informed therapist, joins Kristie and Felicia to talk everything on setting boundaries with family. Drawing from Katrina’s anti-oppressive and harm reduction framework, they break down boundaries as a tool for connection—defining them as the distance at which you can love both yourself and the other person.

Some takeaways:

• How boundaries actually allow us to deepen ...

Shelly Qualter, an expert counselor, joins Kristie and Felicia to talk everything on performance anxiety. Drawing from Shelly’s experience as an expert counselor, they break down performance anxiety as a fear-based emotion arising from uncertainty, feeling threatened, or being out of control.

Some takeaways:

• The difference between helpful "nervous energy" and debilitating panic
• How externalizing anxiety (like giving it a name) fos...

Jon Lee LMFT, joins Kristie and Felicia to talk everything on trauma and recovery. Drawing from Jon’s specialized niche in dissociative disorders, they break down trauma as a lasting adaptation of the nervous system.

Some takeaways:

• The difference between a traumatic event and the physiological trauma response
• How healing is achieved through incremental progress and relational therapy
• Balancing traditional Western practices with c...

Certified sex therapist Amalia Miralrio joins Felicia and Kristie to talk everything cheating. Drawing from her psychoanalytic expertise, Amalia breaks down infidelity as an unconscious drive. She explains where it can originate from and why this inner conflict leads to a struggle for autonomy.

Some takeaways:

• How unconscious drives work as a motivation for cheating
• The connection between infidelity and early developmental issues
• H...

Somatic trauma therapist Chloe Bean joins Felicia and Kristie to talk everything people-pleasing. Drawing from her expertise in high-functioning anxiety, Chloe breaks down people-pleasing as a learned trauma response. She explains how it can originate from a childhood need for safety and why prioritizing others leads to resentment and losing yourself.

Some takeaways:

• How people-pleasing works as a survival habit
• The connection bet...

Licensed clinical social worker Kenny Levine joins Kristie and Felicia to explore the destructive power of contempt in relationships. Drawing from the Gottman method, Kenny breaks down the "Four Horsemen" of conflict, explaining how to identify warning signs like contempt and why addressing this early is a must for maintaining a healthy partnership.

Some takeaways:

• How contempt is a red flag for a relationship's health
• The differe...

Licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Cassidy Freitas joins Kristie and Felicia to unpack everything on co-regulation in parenting. Dr. Freitas breaks down advice like how a parent's calm presence can regulate a child's nervous system, and the crucial difference between gentle parenting and permissiveness.

Some takeaways:

• What it means to be a calm anchor for your child's nervous system
• The crucial difference between gentle p...

Ketamine specialist Shannon York joins Kristie and Felicia to chat about the transformative world of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). Shannon breaks down how it’s different from purely medical ketamine treatment, debunks common myths, and explores how (KAP) can quiet the brain's default mode network to accelerate healing.

Some takeaways:

- Ketamine as a medical treatment vs. an assistant to psychotherapy

- Why setting a clear i...

Licensed and multi-certified therapist Kathryn Wood joins Kristie and Felicia to demystify Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and intrusive thoughts. They break down what OCD actually is (and isn’t) and differentiate reality from pop psychology stereotypes.

Some takeaways:

• The difference between a fleeting thought and a persistent, intrusive thought
• Why typical “advice” can actually make OCD worse
• How OCD can manifest: from perfe...