The Holiday Boundaries Episode
ShrinkChicks
Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT and Emmalee Bierly, LMFT
4.9 • 755 Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2025
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em & Jen break down the pressure, guilt, and expectations that can make the holidays feel so overwhelming. Jen shares what it was like growing up without big holiday pressure, while Em talks about navigating the mental load of parenting and splitting time between families.
They delve into why holidays affect everyone differently, how media influences expectations, and why saying no can feel impossible. Listener questions cover sick kids during big events, first-year-with-a-newborn boundaries, telling people you’re not hosting, coping when someone tells you no, and handling emotionally immature in-laws. They also touch on financial pressure, overstimulation, and telling kids you can’t do it all. Em & Jen explore how to keep the fulfillment without losing the joy…or yourself.
Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and action! PS: Fast forward to around 6:45 to skip the intro and get straight to today’s content.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | there's just also so much like emotional stuff that goes into it too. |
| 0:04.3 | Like what kind of script are you writing about this? |
| 0:07.6 | What kind of pressure are you putting on it? |
| 0:09.8 | Also just like the images that like we get from movies and, you know, as a Jewish child, |
| 0:16.5 | I'm like, oh, wow, Christmas seems so fun. |
| 0:19.6 | You know, like you get all these presents. |
| 0:22.1 | And sometimes it can be. |
| 0:23.2 | And sometimes it's horrible. |
| 0:24.1 | Welcome back to another episode of shrink chicks. |
| 0:36.7 | Take a seat on our virtual therapy couch and get ready to learn all about, well, you. |
| 0:41.8 | I'm Emily Beirley. |
| 0:42.9 | And I'm Jennifer Chakin. |
| 0:44.2 | And we're both licensed, marriage and family therapists and relationship experts. |
| 0:48.1 | We're the owners and founders of the therapy group, a nationwide psychotherapy practice with down-to-earth therapists just like us. |
| 0:55.5 | Your session is starting, so get ready to know yourself and grow yourself. |
| 1:03.6 | This message is sponsored by Seed. On shrink checks, we explore habits that are steady, |
| 1:09.0 | kind to your mind, and realistic to maintain and personally i'm |
| 1:12.5 | always looking to add small feel better habits into my routine that's why when i first heard about seeds |
| 1:18.7 | ds o one from a colleague i trusted i tried it and i now recommend it to friends and family and as the new year |
| 1:24.9 | approaches i'm trading in my resolutions for more doable routines. |
| 1:29.1 | Running the therapy group keeps me busy so DSO1 lives right after brushing my teeth. |
| 1:33.8 | If I can track client notes and staff birthdays, I can take two capsules. |
... |
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