Holding Space

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Pany Robinson, a board-certified family practitioner with 22 years of experience and one of the most refreshingly no-nonsense voices I've encountered on women's hormonal health to talk about everything you weren't told about perimenopause and menopause.
I met Dr. Pany at a training on maternal rage (yes, there's a connection), and I was immediately like: I need her on this podcast.
This one is for anyone who has ever felt like something was off but couldn't name it — and for your partner too, honestly.
We talk about:
The symptoms nobody mentions: itchy ears, frozen shoulder, cystic acne, vertigo, palpitations, recurrent UTIs, and more
Why hot flashes are actually a later symptom...and what's already happening in your body long before that
How to advocate for yourself in a system that isn't quite caught up yet (including what to ask for and how to say it)
The long-term case for hormone therapy: dementia, cancer risk, muscle loss, and more
The relational toll: libido, intimacy, and why 45 is both the hardest year for women on average and the peak age for divorce
Why this is a whole-body, multidisciplinary issue, not just a "get on a patch and call it a day" situation
To connect with Dr. Pany or book a free 20-minute phone consult, visit nextphaseclinic.com.
To learn more about my therapy practice or book a free consult you can visit drcassidymft.com.
You can learn more about Dr. Cassidy's book Mom Needs a Moment here or you can buy it wherever books are sold!

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In this episode, I welcome back Dr. Kim Van Dusen — one of my very first podcast guests ever — to talk about her new book Parenting Through Play.
Together we explore why play is such a powerful entry point for connection, regulation, and even repair with our kids. Dr. Kim helps those of us who don't always feel like getting on the floor to play (hi, it's me) by introducing the idea of "purposeful play pockets" — micro moments of novelty and playfulness woven throughout the day that don't require a ton of energy or capacity. Think: swapping a fork for a pair of tongs at dinner, or a small mindset shift at clean-up time.
We also talk about:
The myth that play has to mean sitting on the floor for hours of pretend
Reconnecting with your own inner child (especially if you didn't grow up in a playful home)
Why play and power struggles both take energy...and which one you'd rather spend it on
Using play as a tool for repair
How play can help kids work through big transitions, sibling dynamics, separation anxiety, and fear
The invisible mental load that comes with parenting and with being the "fun" one
The legacy we leave when our kids learn to use play to connect, communicate, and repair
To learn more from Dr. Kim and grab a copy of Parenting Through Play, visit theparentologist.com/book and follow along on Instagram @theparentologist.

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On today’s episode, I’m joined by therapist, speaker, and host of The Dude Therapist Podcast, Eli Weinstein. Eli works extensively with couples and families, and his upcoming book From I Do to We Do explores what really happens to relationships once kids enter the picture.
Because here’s the truth: most couples start parenting believing that love will carry them through. And while love absolutely matters, it’s not always enough to navigate the stress, exhaustion, invisible labor, and shifting roles that come with raising kids.
In this episode, we talk honestly about what happens to marriages during the parenting years, including the quiet resentment that can build when expectations go unspoken, the invisible mental load many parents carry, and why couples often feel like they’re both doing “120%.”
Eli shares practical ways couples can reconnect as teammates instead of adversaries, and why repair, not perfection, is what actually sustains long-term relationships.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why love alone doesn’t guide couples through the parenting years
How unmet expectations quietly turn into resentment
The mental load many parents carry, and how couples can share it more intentionally
The power of repair after rupture, and why genuine apologies matter more than perfect ones
Why successful marriages require choosing your partner again and again as life changes
My hope is that this conversation helps couples step out of scorekeeping and back into partnership. Parenting can easily pull partners into opposite corners. But when couples learn how to communicate, repair, and reconnect, they can remember that they’re actually on the same team.

Connect with Eli
Follow Eli on social media: @eliweinstein_lcsw
Get his book: From I Do to We Do

If you loved this episode
Share it with a parent who’s in the thick of it right now
Support the podcast with a rating or review
Subscribe to my Substack, A Little Space, Please, for the post that goes with this episode
Learn more about Dr. Cassidy and Co's therapy practice at www.drcassidymft.com

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On today’s episode, I’m joined by mindfulness mentor, meditation teacher, and host of the Mindful Mama Podcast, Hunter Clarke-Fields. Hunter is the author of Raising Good Humans and Raising Good Humans Every Day, and for years she’s been supporting parents in moving out of reactivity and into more present, connected relationships with their kids.
As a therapist and parent, I know how easy it is to feel like we’re “messing it all up,” especially in the early years when we’re exhausted, triggered, and trying to break cycles in real time. In this conversation, Hunter reflects on parenting her oldest, now 18, and shares what only time can teach: repair matters more than perfection, and it’s never too late to shift a relationship.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why parenting is a long game, and why you don’t always get immediate feedback that it’s “working”
How repair builds safety and connection, even after reactivity
The power of delighting in your child, and practicing real listening
Why boundaries and self-care are essential, not selfish
Hunter’s message for parents in the thick of the toddler years
My hope is that this episode offers you a deep exhale: you don’t have to be perfect to be a safe, steady parent. What matters is your willingness to keep coming back.
Connect with Hunter
Listen to her podcast: Mindful Mama Podcast
Get her books: Raising Good Humans and Raising Good Humans Every Day
Find her online: mindfulmamamentor.com
If you loved this episode
Share it with a parent who’s in the thick of it right now
Support the podcast with a rating or review
Subscribe to my Substack, A Little Space, Please, for the post that goes with this episode
Learn more about Dr. Cassidy and Co's therapy practice at www.drcassidymft.com

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of Holding Space, Dr. Cassidy is joined by Dr. Sumi Raghavan for a grounded, human conversation about parenting during a moment of real fear and moral injury.
ICE violence in Minnesota and across the country has left many parents feeling dysregulated, overwhelmed, and unsure how to show up for their kids while their own nervous systems are on high alert. This conversation isn’t happening from a distance. We're two moms, two therapists, sitting inside the same world you are, trying to figure out how to keep showing up without collapsing.
Together, we explore what’s happening in parents’ nervous systems right now, why overwhelm is a reasonable response to real threat, and how regulation is not disengagement, but the foundation for sustained action and care.
We aim to offer concrete guidance for how to talk to kids across different ages, from young children to teens, while protecting their sense of safety without pretending nothing is happening.
This episode is meant to be a place of containment, not more flooding.
Resources & Next Steps
A written companion to this episode, with key takeaways and language you can return to, is available on Substack here.
Links to grounding tools, community resources, and organizations supporting immigrant families are included there as well.
To connect with Dr. Sumi Raghavan and learn more about her New York-based private practice, you can find her on instagram @drsumiphd and her private practice website here!

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