Send us a text

On this episode of Therapists Unhinged, Nella, Dr. Robin, and TJ return from summer break with an honest and timely conversation about the realities of back-to-school season. With Dr. Robin’s decades of teaching experience and Nella’s raw parenting perspective, they explore how school success starts at home, what support teachers actually need, and how to reset expectations on all sides. This is the episode every overwhelmed parent and burned-out teacher needs before that first bell rings.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Back-to-school season means more than buying supplies
• Teachers are facing burnout from overwork and lack of support
• Parents must mentally and emotionally prepare kids for the school year
• A strong parent-teacher relationship makes all the difference
• Clear communication prevents blame and builds trust
• Helicopter parenting can do more harm than good
• Parents must meet their kids where they are, not where they wish they were
• Teachers cannot do the parenting too
• Family structure and routines directly impact school success
• Success isn’t just straight A’s, it’s growth, maturity, and effort

BEST MOMENTS:
00:00:50. “The bell is going to start 8 a.m., but your parenting bell starts way before the bell.”
00:02:23. “Teachers are getting burnt out just like us, just like a lot of people in different fields.”
00:04:08. “Start talking to your children about the expectations.”
00:06:01. “Everybody’s kind of on a learning curve.”
00:08:15. “I’m worried that we’re going to burn them out too.”
00:09:48. “When you take the human factor out of a human experience, it doesn’t work.”
00:13:06. “We cannot keep pointing fingers at these teachers.”
00:20:09. “That would be a really good thing for teachers—to make sure they’re in contact with at least one parent in the home.”
00:25:19. “If I don’t know, I can’t help you.”
00:34:47. “People learn the most from failure. And your children will too.”

Support the show

Therapists Unhinged is where mental health gets real. Hosted by licensed therapists who tell it like it is, this podcast dives deep into the messy, meaningful, and hilarious parts of being human. From mastering resilience to navigating the chaos of everyday life, we bring raw conversations, expert insights, and unfiltered honesty...no jargon, no BS.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe, leave a review, and come unhinge with us.

This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

Send us a text

We Are Human Before We’re Therapists

In this episode of Therapists Unhinged, Nella, Dr. Robin, and TJ unpack what it means to be therapists who also happen to be human. From setting personal boundaries to dodging therapy questions at family barbecues, the hosts candidly share the very real, very human side of their professional lives. This unfiltered conversation dives deep into what happens when personal and professional lines blur, and why it’s essential for mental health professionals to disconnect, decompress, and just be.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Therapists are not on call outside the session room
• Boundaries are crucial for mental health professionals
• Family and friends often blur the line between personal and professional roles
• Being a therapist doesn’t mean being immune to life struggles
• Therapeutic relationships are not the same as therapy
• Travel and leisure can be therapeutic but aren’t substitutes for therapy
• TikTok is not a qualified therapist
• Therapy looks different now than it did 20 years ago
• Self-acceptance is the gateway to self-advocacy
• “Who we are” is not the same as “what we do”

BEST MOMENTS
00:00:01. “We're not always your therapists. We are human first.”
00:02:38. “It is a unhinged Friday today because once again, our beautiful boss lady... she's been, you know, siesta in.”
00:03:52. “Imagine me, your therapist.”
00:05:09. “Yeah, I'm a therapist, but I'm not yours.”
00:05:57. “No, I'm not on duty. You're not paying me by the hour.”
00:10:06. “We need to disconnect from our jobs... like we need to do that to be able to focus on our families.”
00:17:07. “Sometimes stuff hurts your feelings. Oh therapist we're not... we're supposed to tell you what is right.”
00:21:21. “What you think is your biggest weakness is actually your biggest strength, but you’ve got to understand it.”
00:25:00. “That's what I do. That's not who I am.”
00:36:00. “I just love to just like, look at trash TV... reality shows. Okay. That helps me. So therapeutic.”

Support the show

Therapists Unhinged is where mental health gets real. Hosted by licensed therapists who tell it like it is, this podcast dives deep into the messy, meaningful, and hilarious parts of being human. From mastering resilience to navigating the chaos of everyday life, we bring raw conversations, expert insights, and unfiltered honesty...no jargon, no BS.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe, leave a review, and come unhinge with us.

This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com

Send us a text

For today’s episode, TJ, Nella, and Dr. Robin dive deep into one of the most emotionally charged life transitions: divorce. But this isn’t just about paperwork or custody. It’s about identity, healing, and the children caught in between.

The hosts share hard-earned insights from personal experience and years of therapy practice, guiding listeners through what happens to your sense of self when a marriage ends, why co-parenting often starts with parallel parenting, and how to protect your child’s emotional world, even when yours is falling apart.

Whether you’re in the thick of divorce, navigating custody, or supporting someone else, this episode offers honest, unfiltered wisdom to help you find clarity, calm, and confidence again.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Divorce is not just a breakup. It often brings an identity crisis.
• Many people lose themselves in the role of spouse or parent and don’t know who they are outside of it.
• Letting go of anger is essential for healing and personal growth.
• Divorce is grief. It’s normal to cycle through anger, sadness, confusion, and numbness.
• Just because someone was a bad partner doesn’t mean they’re a bad parent.
• Children should never be used as emotional crutches or messengers during divorce.
• Parallel parenting is a powerful tool when cooperative co-parenting isn’t possible.
• Kids feel the energy. Protecting their nervous system should come before “winning.”
• Don’t compare your children’s reactions. Every child processes divorce differently.
• Boundaries are essential, especially when toxic communication happens through phones or text.
• Support your kids’ autonomy. One day they’ll reflect on how you handled this.

BEST MOMENTS

1.05 “You can actually lose your own identity during divorce.”
7.18 “Divorce is grief… It’s going to be an emotional roller coaster.”
10.59 “When I stopped being angry at my husband, I swear my healing was so much faster.”
15.26 “Just because you’re divorced doesn’t mean that person suddenly became a bad parent.”
21.28 “You are playing Russian roulette with your child when you talk bad about their other parent.”
22.54 “Your primary goal should be to protect your child’s nervous system.”
26.47 “Co-parenting takes two. Parallel parenting works when one of you is still stuck in conflict.”
42.23 “This will be a drop of sand in your life. What matters is the relationship your child will have with you later.”
48.40 “I never wanted my child to say, ‘Why didn’t you stand up for me?’”

Support the show

Therapists Unhinged is where mental health gets real. Hosted by licensed therapists who tell it like it is, this podcast dives deep into the messy, meaningful, and hilarious parts of being human. From mastering resilience to navigating the chaos of everyday life, we bring raw conversations, expert insights, and unfiltered honesty...no jargon, no BS.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe, leave a review, and come unhinge with us.

This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com