PSYCHO THERAPIST

"I can't move past it," Kimberly explained to Renée, referring to the loss of her closest friendship. The loss of the friendship was complicated by the loss of a baby, and now Kimberly finds herself dealing with what she can best describe as "survivor's guilt." When she and Renée dug into the situation, it became clear that Kimberly is still, years after the friendship fracture,

"I was just born sponge-y," Jaye told Renée, explaining her exquisite sensitivities. These sensitivities made for a challenging childhood, one that would have been difficult for any child given Jaye's emotionally neglectful and conflict-ridden home. Now a 37 year-old therapist in the UK, Jaye has healed many of her old wounds, but there are still some pain points that traditional

Sami brings an issue to the show that no other guest has: he desperately wants to get a dog. Doesn't sound like a problem, right? It is for Sami, because when he thinks about becoming a pet parent, his mind immediately goes to the inevitable loss he will face when the dog dies. He is having the same problem with dating. He isn't pursuing love because he is too scared of what he ant

Ally, a former middle school teacher turned professional artist, has come to the show to talk about two of therapy's favorite topics: parents and boundaries. Specifically, Ally needs help setting boundaries with her parents - the trick is, she wants to do so without confrontation. Renée accepts the challenge, and as she formulates a plan for Ally, they make a few stops at other to

When Renée asked Torie what she does for work, Torie responded, "Ugh. You're going to hate this. I'm a lawyer." This was only one of many times that Torie made Renée laugh out loud. Hilarious and whip-smart, Torie grew up in an "enmeshed" family that survived both her mother's brain tumors and her father's catastrophic car accident. She navigated severe anxiety as a child, postpa

"I'm the mediator...I'm the oldest everything," Layla told Renée. While she is the oldest child in her immediate family and the oldest cousin in her extended family, Layla is the youngest guest we have ever had on the show. You'd never guess that from listening to her, though; she is wise beyond her years and lovely in every way. She is also carrying a timeless burden, one that mo

Christy reached out to Renée in a Q&A with this question: "My skin gets red and blotchy whenever I'm around cis men. What's going on?" Since Renée needed a lot more information before she could formulate an answer, she and Christy and decided to sort it out on the show. They look at Christy's childhood, her marriage, her experience as a parent - all of it - ultimately arrivin

"I don't really want to talk about this at all, but let's do it," Deena told Renée when they started talking. Deena, a performing artist, has a brilliant dry wit - but in this case she was only half-joking. She has a bunch of painful content that she'd rather ignore; fortunately, she's too smart for that, so she has come to the show for help unpacking the knot of depression and tr

Our first guest of the year is here to blow your mind. Haley was sex trafficked as a young child - by her mother. Now 31 years old and a mother herself, Haley comes to the show to tell her story and deepen her healing. She has done so much work already to break the many cycles of dysfunction into which she was born, but, as any cycle breaker will tell you, the work can feel endless

Renée is back with one more episode of storytelling and psycho-education to kick off the new year. This week, she narrates the series of disasters that hit just as she was leaving Italy and makes meaning from the madness. Then, she answers listeners' questions about domestic violence, the ego, and defense mechanisms. Next week, we return to our usual format with some amazing guest