Nuance Needed

In this episode Amanda sits down with Kayleigh Summers, to discuss birth trauma, grief, having one child and so much other nuance. 
Kayleigh’s story is about grief, acceptance, and discovering that the life she didn’t choose might actually be better than the one she had planned. This realization really surprised her and was fascinating to hear about.
Content warning: This episode discusses cardiac arrest, near-death experience, traumatic birth, hysterectomy, and medical trauma.
Some highlights from our conversation:

How Kayleigh always assumed she’d have two children

The process of waking up six days after giving birth to learn she’d had a hysterectomy

The initial response of avoiding grief through action: “I couldn’t touch the white hot grief of not being able to have another child... so I was like, yes, no, I’m gonna have another child. Like you’re not gonna stop me”

How pursuing surrogacy strained her marriage

The slow journey to acceptance

The unexpected shift in perspective: “What’s interesting is where I’m at now... it’s shifted majorly in the last year or two... I like our life better than I think I would if we had another kid”

On the power of questioning parenthood

Perhaps most powerfully, Kayleigh reflects on how trauma forced her to pause: “I would have never paused to say, hey, is another child a good idea for our family and our marriage? That would have never happened... I have had the opportunity to think very deeply about what it means to add a second kid.”
This is truly one of my FAVORITE conversations I have had on this podcast. Kayleigh’s story is so unique and filled with nuance and surprisingly a lot of hope. Don’t be scared by the content warning, its such a great episode!
You can follow Kayleigh on social media @birthtrauma_mama and online at thebirthtraumamama.com.
WE ARE NOW ON SUBSTACK with bonus episodes, pep talks, episode guides, and so much more! Join us at nuanceneeded.substack.com
To learn more about therapy reach out to Therapy for Women Center, therapyforwomencenter.com. We have therapists licensed in 42 states across the country and have offices if you are local to the Philadelphia area.
Want to join the conversation? EMAIL- podcast@therapyforwomencenter.com or LEAVE US A MESSAGE at 813-444-8683. We'd love to hear what you think!

Tired of hearing that “the way things used to be” was somehow better? A lot of what we romanticize as tradition is actually a tiny blip in history—and women have been paying the price for it.
In conversation, we tackle:

Why the 1950s weren’t the “traditional” family structure we think they were (and how weirdly specific that period actually was)

The wild history of dating, including the fact that some of the first women going on public dates were arrested for prostitution

How women became the default safety net for everyone from husbands to children to aging parents

The uncomfortable question: if your adult children are your retirement plan, what exactly did you do to prepare for your own life?

Why “I raised you” is NOT a lifetime debt—and what actual reciprocity between parents and adult children looks like

The connection between estrangement, divorce, and the classic “this came out of nowhere” excuse

Why community keeps getting asked to pick up the slack for men who simply aren’t showing up at home

WE ARE NOW ON SUBSTACK with bonus episodes, pep talks, episode guides, and so much more! Join us at nuanceneeded.substack.com
To learn more about therapy reach out to Therapy for Women Center, therapyforwomencenter.com. We have therapists licensed in 42 states across the country and have offices if you are local to the Philadelphia area.
Want to join the conversation? EMAIL- podcast@therapyforwomencenter.com or LEAVE US A MESSAGE at 813-444-8683. We'd love to hear what you think!

What does accountability look like when the systems meant to provide it don't? In this episode, we're talking about the Cornell fraternity case and the culture around it, including why we keep having the wrong conversation.
In conversation, we tackle:

Why "but she said she was fine" tells you nothing, and what most women already know about that

Sam's accountability video and the comment section that proved her point ("women don't take accountability either!")

The problem with teaching consent as a box to check

How brotherhood, hazing, and party culture set everyone up to fail

Jessica Valenti's call to get rid of frats entirely, and whether Greek life can be reformed at all

"Where were their mothers?" (funny how it always comes back to women)

What to do with the rage when you can't fix the whole thing

WE ARE NOW ON SUBSTACK with bonus episodes, pep talks, episode guides, and so much more! Join us at nuanceneeded.substack.com
To learn more about therapy reach out to Therapy for Women Center, therapyforwomencenter.com. We have therapists licensed in 42 states across the country and have offices if you are local to the Philadelphia area.
Want to join the conversation? EMAIL- podcast@therapyforwomencenter.com or LEAVE US A MESSAGE at 813-444-8683. We'd love to hear what you think!

When did friendship become something we have to optimize? In this episode, Amanda sits down with friendship specialist Blake Blankenbecler to talk about why we’re overthinking our friendships—and how therapy speak, social media, and the pressure to have “perfect” relationships might be getting in the way of actually enjoying them.
In conversation, we tackle:

Why your friends don’t need to be your therapists (and why that doesn't mean you shouldn't vent)

The friendship “test” that tells you to stop reaching out and see who comes looking for you

Why “I miss you” is often more vulnerable (and more useful) than a perfectly worded conversation about your unmet needs

The five-person “core friendship” idea—and why not every friend needs to know everything about you

Why “your friends like you” might be the radical reassurance we actually need

The case for bringing back hosting friends, parallel play, dumb jokes, snacks, and being together without turning every interaction into emotional work

Blake Blankenbecler is a therapist and friendship specialist. She is the creator of the Friendship Deck and practices at Fig Therapy. Follow her on social media @blakeblankenbecler and find her online at blakeblankenbecler.com. 
WE ARE NOW ON SUBSTACK with bonus episodes, pep talks, episode guides, and so much more! Join us at nuanceneeded.substack.com
To learn more about therapy reach out to Therapy for Women Center, therapyforwomencenter.com. We have therapists licensed in 43 states across the country and have offices if you are local to the Philadelphia area.
Want to join the conversation? EMAIL- podcast@therapyforwomencenter.com or LEAVE US A MESSAGE at 813-444-8683. We'd love to hear what you think!

In this episode we're getting into the pressure to be best friends with your sibling, why forcing it backfires, and why it's okay if you just don't like yours.
In conversation, we tackle:

Why Sam spent her entire childhood wishing her sister ill — and what shifted in 2020

Our advice to parents who want close kids: it has to be their idea, or do something dumb enough that you become the common enemy

Why treating "eldest daughter" as your whole personality is a horoscope with better branding

"That's cute when you're four. That's not cute when you're a grown adult with a functioning frontal lobe"

Why your memory of who was the good sibling and who was the mean one is basically worthless

How we've self-helped our way into believing any contention in a relationship is a red flag

Regulation is not perpetual calm — it's sitting in the feeling of wanting to throw up while you have the repair conversation

WE ARE NOW ON SUBSTACK with bonus episodes, pep talks, episode guides, and so much more! Join us at nuanceneeded.substack.com
To learn more about therapy reach out to Therapy for Women Center, therapyforwomencenter.com. We have therapists licensed in 43 states across the country and have offices if you are local to the Philadelphia area.
Want to join the conversation? EMAIL- podcast@therapyforwomencenter.com or LEAVE US A MESSAGE at 813-444-8683. We'd love to hear what you think!