Is This My Inner Child or My Adult Self?
ShrinkChicks
Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT and Emmalee Bierly, LMFT
4.9 • 755 Ratings
🗓️ 18 August 2025
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this week’s episode of ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen are diving deep into inner child work—what it is, why it matters, and how to know when it’s your adult self making a choice… or your 5-year-old self running the show.
They explore how childhood wounds shape big emotions and disproportionate reactions, what it means to reparent yourself, and how to move from autopilot to awareness. They also break down generational trauma—how it’s passed on through behaviors, beliefs, and even biology—and what it really looks like to break the cycle (hint: progress, not perfection). From grief around emotionally unavailable parents to navigating guilt with your own kids, they remind us that healing isn’t about perfection; it’s about curiosity, compassion, and regulation. Plus: how to deal when your mom won’t apologize, what to do when your MIL suddenly turns hostile, and why you will mess up your kids, just maybe not in the ways you fear.
Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and action! PS: Fast forward to around 6 minutes to skip the intro and get straight to today’s content.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So let me be honest for a second. |
| 0:02.0 | Braves and underwear have always been a pain point for me. |
| 0:05.3 | You know the drill. |
| 0:06.3 | Strap sticking in, bands that never sit quite right, |
| 0:09.8 | underwear that either rolls or rides up. |
| 0:12.4 | I'd get so frustrated shopping for bras and underwear that I kind of gave up. |
| 0:17.2 | I'd add things to my cart online, stare at them, and then just never check out. |
| 0:21.6 | Because in the back of my mind, I figured it'll just be another letdown. |
| 0:25.8 | But recently, I finally took the plunge with skims, and I cannot believe I waited this long. |
| 0:30.0 | I started with a fits everybody collection, and let me tell you, it is like, oh, so this is what it's supposed to feel like. |
| 0:37.1 | The fabric is unreal. Silky, soft, stretching all the right ways, and it somehow manages to feel light but still supportive. |
| 0:45.1 | My absolute favorite piece, the triangle bra. |
| 0:47.9 | I am not exaggerating when I say it is the most comfortable bra I have ever owned. |
| 0:53.3 | Usually the second I walk in the door, |
| 0:55.0 | I cannot wait to take my bra off, but with this one, half the time I forget I'm even wearing it. |
| 0:59.7 | It's supportive without squeezing and it just feels good on my body. And now I'm kind of obsessed. I |
| 1:05.8 | keep looking at the rest of the skim site, making mental wishless and a set of abandoning my cart |
| 1:10.3 | like I used to, |
| 1:11.5 | I'm actually excited to click checkout. It feels like I finally found intemates that actually work |
| 1:16.0 | for me. Pieces I don't have to think about all day because they just feel good. I get it now. |
| 1:21.3 | This is why people rave about skims and why I'm officially hooked. Shop skims fit. Everybody's |
| 1:26.9 | collection at skims.com. |
... |
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