Therapists IRL
Welcome to "Therapists IRL," the podcast where we keep it real, bringing you candid conversations with real-life therapists about their real-life struggles. Join us as we cover everything from personal journeys with mental health issues to toxic relationships, family dysfunction, addiction, and the everyday challenges they face outside of the office.
Hosted by Steph Hill and Jen Starkey, two practicing licensed therapists with a passion for breaking down walls and busting myths. With episodes dropping weekly, we invite you to sneak a peak into the authentic and unfiltered lives of these two therapists, and their therapist guests.
Whether you’re a fellow mental health professional, a therapy enthusiast, or you’ve never even stepped foot inside a therapist’s office, "Therapists IRL" is your go-to source for genuine conversations about the mental health struggles we all face, and the healing that is possible. Through this podcast, we hope to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help by highlighting that therapists, like anyone else, grapple with their mental health and emotional well-being...and healing is possible.
Episodes
47 episodes
When Mr. Rogers is NOT Your Neighbor and Oscar the Grouch Would be a Welcome Replacement
Welcome to Therapists IRL, Episode 46, where Steph takes us on a tour of her neighborhood, introducing us to the colorful cast of characters wreaking havoc on her life (and her poor pooches lives too). Where is Mr. Rogers when we need him?<...
TBT - Episode 1- Intros and Mantras and Myths...Oh My!
Whew! We've managed to keep this going for over a year (limping right along). For TBT, we thought we'd welcome some new listeners with our very first, very awkward Episode 1. Whether you're new here, or have been with us from the start...
Wounded Healers Series: The Importance of Hope, With Debbie Merkel
Have you ever heard anyone sing on our podcast before?? Today's guest did! Welcome to another episode of Therapists IRL, where you never know what will happen! Debbie Merkel knows despair. She also knows intimately how to gras...
Revisiting: A Non-Partisan Conversation About the Impact of Politics on Mental Health
This episode originally aired on November 14, 2024, just after the election, but (sadly) we feel it's still relevant.Welcome to Therapists IRL. In the wake of this 2024 Presidential Election, Steph & Jen explore the emotional impact ...
Wounded Healer Series: An Inspiring Conversation with Amy Abel on the Long Road to Recovery After a Fall (Literally!)
Welcome to Episode 42 of Therapists IRL, where Jen and Steph are joined by friend and colleague Amy Abel. One year ago (almost to the day), Amy found herself on an unexpected medical journey after a freak accident that shattered her ankle...
TBT!! Wounded Healers Series: A Candid Conversation with Kirk M. Samuels (The Intimacy Incubator) on Men's Mental Health
TBT!! We want to RE-introduce you to a man who not only invites other men into healing and wholeness, but also believes women will be safer as a result. Jen & Steph first spoke to Kirk in November 2024, in Episode 8 of Season 2, but we don'...
Wounded Healers Series: Kristi Thornton, on Being an Orphan, Hummingbirds & Coping with Medical Anxiety
Hi Listeners! Meet one of Steph's all-time favorite people, Kristi. Welcome to Episode 40 of Therapists IRL. Kristi shares openly about what it is like to be orphaned, having lost her mom as a toddler and her father a few year...
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder...Or so We Hope!
Welcome to Therapists IRL... Episode 39? It's been so long, we hardly remember! Yup. We went on a little unplanned hiatus. Please forgive us! We've missed you and we hope you've missed us and come listen to the new episodes we'll be dropping. T...
Episode 38: Big Heart, Weary Soul, Tear-Filled Eyes
When love alone can't heal, comforting words fall short, and hope doesn’t alter reality….Welcome to Therapists IRL, Episode 38. In this episode, Jen and Steph explore the challenges of caregiver compassion fatigue and anticipatory grie...
Wounded Healer Series: A Conversation with Taylor About Her Journey to Peace & Self-Acceptance regarding her Spirituality, Racial identity, and Sexual Evolution
Imagine your rock bottom being the moment a neighbor throws a chair through your window and saves your life. Welcome to Episode 37, where Jen & Steph chat with Taylor Newell-Smith about her healing and personal growth within the intersectio...
Episode 36: Wounded Healer Series - A Soulful Talk with Abby Ward, on Navigating the Loss of a Therapy Client to Suicide (Trigger Warning!)
Most people probably don't think about the loss a therapist experiences when one of their clients passes away. Welcome to Episode 36 of Therapists IRL, where Jen & Steph sit down with our dear friend Abby Ward to discuss just that. On...
Episode 35: When the Therapists Need Therapy (Vulnerable Episode Alert!)
When you realize you're still enraged about something that happened a long time ago... or you just can't get it together and clean up those doom piles or pick up the dog toys. Welcome to Episode 35 of Therapists IRL!! Steph & Jen get real a...
Episode 34 -Wounded Healer Series: A Conversation with Charlotte Bertrand, on Doing the Work and Finding Hope When Life Doesn't Cooperate
Imagine always being told that being a wife and mother were the ultimate goals in life, then finding yourself single, childless not by choice, and working in the Adoption field... Welcome to Therapists IRL! In this week's episode, J...
Episode 33 -Wounded Healer Series: Karen is Back! Special Guest, Karen Corona on Hope and Healing After Despair (TRIGGER WARNING- Suicide Discussed)
As we wrap up September and Suicide Prevention Month, Jen and Steph are joined by their dear friend, Karen Corona. Please note, this episode comes with a heavy-duty TRIGGER WARNING, as Karen shares her personal experiences with suicidal ...
Episode 32: It's Suicide Prevention Month (Trigger Warning!)
Hey Podcast Family! It's good to be back. We have to put a trigger warning on this episode, because we are talking about a very tender and sometimes triggering topic - suicide. In this episode, Jen & Steph share perspectives from the therap...
Episode 31: Therapists IRL Updates & Alohas
Welcome to Episode 31 of Therapists IRL, where Jen & Steph make some important announcements regarding the future of the podcast. Tune in, and we will see you soon!
Episode 30- Who Moved the Dang Cheese? And Other Important Questions from the Cheesehead
It's 3am. Do you know where your cheese is? Welcome to Therapists IRL, Episode 30, where Jen and Steph wax poetic about cheese, change, and challenges based on the classic book, "Who Moved My Cheese?" For many (or maybe most) of us, chang...
Episode 29: I Need, You Need, We all Need... Ice Cream?
Want to hear us get a little choked up? Welcome to Therapists IRL Episode 29, where Jen & Steph delve into one of the most important (and sometimes painful) parts of being human - unmet needs. Needs drive everything, whether we are talking ...
Episode 28 : Do As I Say, Not As I Do: Self-Care Strategies and Routine
We start each day early with a daily meditation, a little yoga, and an intentional breakfast, and end each day by winding down gently until we drift off to a restful 8 hours of sleep. Just kidding. Welcome to Therapists IRL, Episode...
Episode 27- Wounded Healers Series: Guest Karen Corona on Rising from the Ashes of Major Depression, Severe Mood Disorder, and Trauma
At age 13, an A- triggered thoughts of ending it all. At 21, a lost friendship led to time in a psychiatric hospital... the first of several psychiatric stays. Welcome to Episode 27 of Therapists IRL, where Jen & Steph talk with colleague K...
Episode 26 - Wounded Healers Series: Guest Interview with Kati Saul on Mothering Her Child Through a Heart Transplant
Imagine getting a call one afternoon that your firstborn 12 year old child went into cardiac arrest while playing at a friend's house. Welcome to Episode 26 of Therapists IRL, where Jen & Steph talk with colleague Kati Saul. Kati shar...
Episode 25- The 4-1-1 on Emotional Intelligence (Because Adulting is Hard)
Ever feel like you're one missed coffee away from a meltdown? Yeah, us too. Listen, adulting is hard, but there are some things we can do to lighten our load, and they start with an understanding of EQ-- emotional intelligence.In ...
Episode 24: In Honor of the Loving Dads
Another one of those potentially hard days just passed (in the US)...Father's Day. Welcome to Episode 24 of Therapists IRL, where Jen and Steph reflect on their relationships with their own dads, and share a few fond memories. We were lucky eno...
Episode 23: The Ways We Self-protect & Get In Our Own Way. Yep, We're Talking Defense Mechanisms.
It's the fight you pick with your partner after a horrible day at work. It's the 3 hours you spend scrolling social media instead of making the phone call you've been dreading. It's the sugary sweet way you greet that neighbor you simply can't ...
Episode 22: Yeah...That's On You
What can you do when your "bestie" of 35 years suddenly decides the friendship isn't cutting it for her anymore and makes a unilateral decision to end it...without ever talking to you beforehand about why??? Welcome to Therapists IRL, Epi...