There’s a side of depression that doesn’t get talked about enough.

The side where life just… stops.

Where showering feels impossible.
Where the dishes pile up.
Where you stop responding to texts.
Where shame gets louder than anything else.

In this episode, we talk about severe depression through a nervous system lens — what it looks like when you move into a prolonged freeze state, why it can happen even after life circumstances improve, and how shame keeps the cycle going.

Most importantly, we talk about how to gently begin climbing out.

Not with pressure.
Not with perfection.
But with small, steady steps that rebuild dignity and momentum.

If you’ve ever felt ashamed of how far things have gotten — this episode is for you.

If You Need Immediate Support:
If you are in the U.S. and experiencing thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also chat via https://988lifeline.org

If you are outside the U.S., please contact your local crisis service or emergency number.

This episode was created by Kristen Callaway, LMFT — a licensed therapist and the voice behind Let’s Sit With This.

If you want more therapy content that feels like a conversation, you can find me here:
Website: www.seekingpeaceok.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/seekingpeacecounseling

If you’re enjoying the podcast, following or subscribing helps more people find the show. And if an episode resonates, sharing it with someone you care about goes a long way.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and supportive purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace individualized mental health care. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

Hey strangers — I’ve missed you.

This episode is a little different. It’s mid-February, life has been full (sickness, weather chaos, school closures, work), and I’m recording this with 18 minutes before my next client. So we’re embracing real life over polished perfection.

Today I’m finally sharing thoughts on January’s Therapist’s Bookshelf pick: Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. This one pushed me a bit outside my usual comfort zone, and I’m reflecting on what stood out, what felt helpful, and why tiny, sustainable change matters more than dramatic overhauls.

We talk about:

• Why small steps are often the most powerful ones
• The importance of curiosity instead of shame when change doesn’t stick
• Letting go of all-or-nothing thinking
• Giving yourself permission to adjust when something isn’t a fit

This episode is less of a formal book review and more of an honest conversation about growth, habits, and what it looks like to keep showing up — even when you feel behind.

February’s book is How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis, and I’m really looking forward to diving into that one next.

If you feel like you don’t have it all together right now, you’re not alone.

Pull up a chair. Let’s sit with this together.

This episode was created by Kristen Callaway, LMFT — a licensed therapist and the voice behind Let’s Sit With This.

If you want more therapy content that feels like a conversation, you can find me here:
Website: www.seekingpeaceok.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/seekingpeacecounseling

If you’re enjoying the podcast, following or subscribing helps more people find the show. And if an episode resonates, sharing it with someone you care about goes a long way.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and supportive purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace individualized mental health care. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

Have you ever wondered what books mental health professionals actually read to help them in their work with clients?

Not the clinical or theoretical ones — but the books you could actually pick up, read, and find helpful.

Well you're in luck because I'm starting a new monthly series I’ll be doing this year called The Therapist’s Bookshelf.

Each month, I’ll read one book and then come on here to talk about it — what stood out to me, what challenged me, what I loved, what I didn’t love, and how I think about the ideas as both a therapist and a human. Most of these books are new to me, and a couple are ones I’m revisiting because they mattered that much.

Think of it like a laid-back book club — a space to talk honestly about ideas that help us understand ourselves, our relationships, and the hard parts of being human.

The books in this series touch on things like change, emotions, trauma, relationships, boundaries, habits, and meaning. Some are practical. Some are deeper. I’ve intentionally chosen a mix, knowing that different books will resonate with different people.

You’re welcome to read along each month — or not. You can simply listen to the episodes as they come out and take what’s helpful. Physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks are all welcome here.

The Therapist’s Bookshelf — Full Reading List

Here is the complete reading list for the series, in the order we’ll be moving through it:

January: Tiny Habits — BJ Fogg

February: How to Keep House While Drowning — KC Davis

March: Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl

April: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone — Lori Gottlieb

May: Set Boundaries, Find Peace — Nedra Glover Tawwab

June: The New Rules of Marriage — Terrence Real

July: Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents — Lindsay C. Gibson

August: Running on Empty — Jonice Webb

September: The Gifts of Imperfection — Brené Brown

October: Atlas of the Heart — Brené Brown

November: Walking the Tiger — Peter Levine

December: No Bad Parts — Richard Schwartz

All of the books are listed here so you can follow along at your own pace — or simply use the episodes to decide which ones might be worth picking up.

If you’re enjoying the show, make sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes.

Let's get reading!

This episode was created by Kristen Callaway, LMFT — a licensed therapist and the voice behind Let’s Sit With This.

If you want more therapy content that feels like a conversation, you can find me here:
Website: www.seekingpeaceok.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/seekingpeacecounseling

If you’re enjoying the podcast, following or subscribing helps more people find the show. And if an episode resonates, sharing it with someone you care about goes a long way.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and supportive purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace individualized mental health care. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

January has a way of turning change into pressure, noise, and unrealistic expectations.

Today I’m joined by my friend and colleague Megan Secrest, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the founder of Gift of Grit Counseling. Megan brings such a grounded, real-life approach to change—especially when it comes to health goals, identity shifts, and the emotional side of starting over. In this episode, we talk about New Year’s resolutions—but not in the usual pressure-filled way. We get into why resolutions often fall apart, how your nervous system plays a role, and how to set goals that actually fit your real life and energy. If you’re someone who’s tried to “get it together” every January… this one’s for you.

We talk about:

Why most resolutions fall apart (and it’s not because you’re lazy)

The best time to start (hint: it’s not January 1)

How to choose goals that fit your real life—not your fantasy life

The mindset shift from vanity goals to “future me” goals (hello, the 70-year-old version of you)

Megan’s 10 rules for sustainable changes.

About today’s guest: Megan Secrest, LCSW is the founder of Gift of Grit Counseling. She supports clients navigating anxiety, trauma, major life transitions, identity shifts, and grief—and she blends trauma-informed therapy, EMDR, polyvagal principles, and practical habit-building tools to help change actually last.

Connect with Megan:

Website: https://www.giftofgritcounseling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giftofgritcounseling

Thanks for sitting with us today. I’m really glad you’re here—and I’ll save you a seat for next time.

This episode was created by Kristen Callaway, LMFT — a licensed therapist and the voice behind Let’s Sit With This.

If you want more therapy content that feels like a conversation, you can find me here:
Website: www.seekingpeaceok.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/seekingpeacecounseling

If you’re enjoying the podcast, following or subscribing helps more people find the show. And if an episode resonates, sharing it with someone you care about goes a long way.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and supportive purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace individualized mental health care. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

On this special episode, Kristen was recently a guest on the podcast Therapist's Take, where they explored the complex and often invisible realm of ambiguous and non-traditional grief. They discussed the many ways this kind of grief shows up—through infertility and disrupted visions of family, through the slow unraveling of relationships and the loss of safety within them, through the painful recognition of family dysfunction, and through the moral injuries carried by those in military or first responder roles. You will learn how to name these experiences (07:26), understand their emotional impact, and take meaningful steps toward healing when closure isn’t straightforward.

You can find more about Therapist's Take with Carrie and Josh here: https://familysolutionsok.com/fsc-podcasts/

This episode was created by Kristen Callaway, LMFT — a licensed therapist and the voice behind Let’s Sit With This.

If you want more therapy content that feels like a conversation, you can find me here:
Website: www.seekingpeaceok.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/seekingpeacecounseling

If you’re enjoying the podcast, following or subscribing helps more people find the show. And if an episode resonates, sharing it with someone you care about goes a long way.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and supportive purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace individualized mental health care. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

Listen to hear Kristen's update about her experience of running a marathon, and the lessons she learned.

This episode was created by Kristen Callaway, LMFT — a licensed therapist and the voice behind Let’s Sit With This.

If you want more therapy content that feels like a conversation, you can find me here:
Website: www.seekingpeaceok.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/seekingpeacecounseling

If you’re enjoying the podcast, following or subscribing helps more people find the show. And if an episode resonates, sharing it with someone you care about goes a long way.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and supportive purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace individualized mental health care. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

You’ve named the tricky relationships. You’ve thought through your boundaries. But what happens when setting those boundaries doesn’t go the way you hoped? In this final episode of Navigating the Holidays with Tricky People, Kristen walks you through how to prepare for pushback—emotionally, mentally, and practically. She helps you explore the gap between the boundaries you want to set and the ones you’re actually ready for, and reminds you that quiet internal boundaries are still real boundaries. You’ll learn five ways to ground yourself ahead of time, how to spot manipulative guilt trips, and why even tiny steps forward still count.
This is your prep talk before you head into hard rooms—so you don’t go in unanchored.

This episode was created by Kristen Callaway, LMFT — a licensed therapist and the voice behind Let’s Sit With This.

If you want more therapy content that feels like a conversation, you can find me here:
Website: www.seekingpeaceok.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/seekingpeacecounseling

If you’re enjoying the podcast, following or subscribing helps more people find the show. And if an episode resonates, sharing it with someone you care about goes a long way.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and supportive purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace individualized mental health care. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

In this second episode of Navigating the Holidays with Tricky People, we’re talking all about boundaries—what they are, what they aren’t, and why they can feel so dang hard to set, especially around family. Kristen breaks down a simple metaphor that helps make boundaries more concrete, names common boundary myths, and offers practical examples for setting limits around your time, your body, your kids, and your space.
Whether you're thinking about leaving early, skipping the drama, or just quietly opting out of hard conversations—this episode will help you prepare for whatever gatherings lie ahead.

This episode was created by Kristen Callaway, LMFT — a licensed therapist and the voice behind Let’s Sit With This.

If you want more therapy content that feels like a conversation, you can find me here:
Website: www.seekingpeaceok.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/seekingpeacecounseling

If you’re enjoying the podcast, following or subscribing helps more people find the show. And if an episode resonates, sharing it with someone you care about goes a long way.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and supportive purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace individualized mental health care. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.