Broken Podcast

Co-hosts Hannah Mirmiran and Alexa Theisen continue their investigation into shame. They talk about how people avoid dealing with shame and guilt, and how people act out.  One of the ways people react to painful feelings of shame and guilt is automatically getting defensive. We rarely want to sit with feelings of shame and guilt. It's painful. None of us wants to be seen as the "bad guy", so we often automatically shift blame and focus on other people--jealousy, envy, and projection.

This episode features a conversation between co-hosts Hannah Mirmiran and Alexa Theisen about shame. The psychology of shame, definitions, differentiation between shame and guilt, going deeper than Brené Brown, demonstrating how shame shows up for couples and parents. Specific tools to resolve shame are discussed.

This episode educates listeners about thought patterns and provides information about how have the power to change our thoughts and feel better. The episode covers fear, grounding techniques, mindfulness, scarcity vs abundance, thought reframing, and the law of attraction. By using the tools provided in this episode, listeners will be able to change patterns of thinking, feel less fearful, and change the way they feel, in turn decreasing stress, anxiety and depression.

This episode focuses on parenting and shame. Alexa and Hannah break down various conflicts currently faced by parents. This episode primarily focuses on moms.  The two talk about the history of parenting in America, the evolution of the role of motherhood, the choices and decisions moms frequently face, the heartache, the joy, the challenges, the opportunities, and the insidious shame and judgment that is so prevalent today.

Alexa and Hannah respond to a listener request to do an episode about friendship. This episode talks about the importance and value of friends and good friendship. The co-hosts talk about various experiences they’ve had with friends. The show covers lots of issues related to friendships including how to decide the value of friends, the importance of maintaining friends, the pain of losing friends, and the skills needed to improve and grow friendships. (402) 715-9710. omahapsychotherapy.com

This episode is about the danger of labeling people. Not every man who behaves selfishly is a "narcissist". And not all women who act impulsively or demonstrate emotion are "borderline". There is a difference between having narcissistic traits and an actual personality disorder. Throwing around labels and saying that people are "crazy", "borderline" or "narcissistic" only furthers stigma and shame, and leads to people not getting the help and support they need. It also promotes a culture of victims.

Therapists Hannah Mirmiran and Alexa Theisen discuss the sex strike suggested recently in a tweet by Alyssa Milano. They talk about the sex strike and the messages it may send. They also talk about how many people in marriages seem to be on sex strikes.  Hannah and Alexa talk about the danger of using sex as a weapon.  They discuss trends in marriage in America surrounding sex.  They also share tools and resources to help individuals and couples improve sex.

Hannah Mirmiran and Alexa Theisen discuss all things related to therapy--what happens in therapy sessions, what to expect, how to find a therapist, how therapists are trained, and how to figure out what you want from therapy. They explain and debate several different types of therapy and the variety of options that exist. They also discuss the difference between treating mental health in a medical model versus going to therapy for self improvement and optimization.

Therapists Hannah Mirmiran and Alexa Theisen talk about compassion fatigue.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 Hannah and Alexa interview domestic violence survivor Christen Sacco. Christen bravely and openly shares about how her relationship began, the initial red flags, the progression into abuse, how the abuse escalated, the steps she took to get out of the relationship, how she escaped and got help, and how she's healed after the relationship.

Co-hosts and therapists Hannah Mirmiran and Alexa Theisen interview Hannah's daughter, 7 year-old Lily Mirmiran who shares her thoughts about what is broken in the world today and about how adults are breaking things.

Co-hosts and therapists Hannah Mirmiran and Alexa Theisen interview mom Shannon Vaccaro who bravely shares her painful and raw story of pregnancy loss.

Broken co-host Hannah Mirmiran shares her personal story of addiction, grief, divorce, and recovery.

Therapists Hannah Mirmiran and Alexa Theisen of Omaha Psychotherapy interview Melissa Mueller. Melissa shares her powerful personal story, including her struggle with bulimia and her recovery. Hannah and Alexa are therapists at Omaha Psychotherapy, omahapsychotherapy.com (402) 715-9710

Hannah and Alexa explore the Shadow, a concept developed by Carl Jung. They explain the origins and meanings of this concept, and discuss the power and usefulness for doing shadow work.