Session 434: Ask Dr. Joy - The Sibling Sit Down
Therapy for Black Girls
iHeartPodcasts and Joy Harden Bradford, Ph.D.
4.8 • 5.7K Ratings
🗓️ 22 October 2025
⏱️ 14 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, we're kicking off a new mini-series here on the podcast that we're calling The Sibling Sit Down. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be digging into the bonds that have formed us and shaped us, the relationships that challenge us, and everything in between. We have found that the relationship with our siblings is often very formative — some of the most formative relationships we will have in our lives.
We don't talk about them that much, and so we're hoping that with this mini-series, we can change that narrative just a little. In this first episode, it's an Ask Dr. Joy episode where I will be answering questions that have been submitted by our community members over in our Patreon channel.
Ask Dr. Joy is typically an exclusive Patreon series, but we thought we'd bring it over here to the podcast to kick off this special mini-series all about siblings.
Today, we're tackling three powerful questions:
- How do you navigate grief while honoring the bond you had with a sibling?
- How do you build healthy bonds in blended families with new siblings?
- How do you heal a volatile or contentious sibling relationship?
About the Podcast
The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.
Resources & Announcements
Grief Share: griefshare.org
The Gift of Grief by Dr. Ajita Robinson
Session 31: Dr. Ajita Robinson on Grief
Session 162: Processing Our Collective Grief
Session 335: Navigating Painful Emotions Around the Holidays
You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.
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Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.
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Our Production Team
Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins
Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis
Producers: Tyree Rush & Ndeye Thioubou
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. |
| 0:23.8 | I'm your host, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| 0:30.0 | For more information or to find a therapist in your area, visit our website at Therapy for Blackgirls.com. |
| 0:38.4 | While I hope you love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is not meant to be a |
| 0:44.3 | substitute for a relationship with a licensed mental health professional. |
| 0:56.5 | Hey, y'all. |
| 1:00.3 | Thanks so much for joining me for session 434 of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. |
| 1:01.7 | We'll get right into our conversation after a brief word from our sponsors. |
| 1:09.4 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 1:18.0 | This week we're kicking off a new mini-series here on the podcast that we're calling the sibling sit down. |
| 1:24.9 | Over the next couple of weeks, we will be digging into the bonds that have |
| 1:29.0 | formed us and shaped us, the relationships that challenge us, and everything in between. |
| 1:35.1 | We have found that the relationship with our siblings is often very formative. It's some of the |
| 1:39.8 | most formative relationships we will have in our lives. We don't talk about them that much. |
| 1:44.7 | And so we're hoping that with this mini-series, we can change that narrative just a little. |
| 1:48.7 | So in this first episode, it's an Ask Dr. Joy episode where I will be answering questions that |
| 1:53.9 | have been submitted by our community members over in our Patreon channel. |
| 1:57.6 | And I do ask Dr. Joy pretty frequently over in our Patreon, and I thought that I would |
| 2:01.6 | bring it over here to the podcast so that we could kick off this special mini-series of |
| 2:06.7 | All About Siblings. So here's our first question. I had an older brother who passed away in |
| 2:11.9 | 23. He was always my protector. And we were incredibly close growing up. |
| 2:21.0 | Losing him has left a hole I'm still trying to understand. |
... |
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