When Opposite Feelings Coexist
ShrinkChicks
Jennifer Chaiken, LMFT and Emmalee Bierly, LMFT
4.9 • 755 Ratings
🗓️ 8 September 2025
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on ShrinkChicks, Em and Jen dive into the messy, complicated, and oh-so-human world of duality: how two things can be true at once. From being grateful but still wanting more, to setting boundaries and feeling both relief and grief, they explore why holding contradictions feels so uncomfortable, and why it can also be a sign of growth.
They answer listener questions on everything from navigating personal struggles when others seem to have it “worse,” to holding both excitement and fear in big life changes, to grieving the loss of a therapist while still feeling grateful for the work you’ve done together. Along the way, Em and Jen remind us that pain is not a competition, gratitude doesn’t have to equal complacency, and your feelings don’t need to cancel each other out to be real. Whether you’re moving through a divorce, starting a new job, or simply facing the daily contradictions of being human, this episode offers compassion, validation, and some much-needed relief in knowing you don’t have to pick just one truth.
Tune in to gain insight, awareness, and action! PS: Fast forward to around 9 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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