Friendships are a life line for us. Friends keep our secrets, they celebrate our wins and hold us up during the difficult times. So when a friendship ends, for whatever reason there is an acute grief associated with no longer having this life line and sadly this grief is often misunderstood and minimized. Today I’m sharing some thoughts on why friendship breakups are so difficult to navigate, what kind of support you may need to get through one, and how you might know if it’s time for a friendship to end.

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

If you find yourself wading through the waters of a friendship breakup and you're looking for support, we’d love to have you join us in our Patreon for our Sunday night check in on January 25, 2026 at 9pm ET where we’ll be walking through the pages of our Friendship Breakup Companion Guide designed to help you process the grief of the breakup.

For more insights on friendship breakups and what it takes to strengthen our relationships with friends, grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.

Stay Connected​

Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? You can submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox or you can leave us a voice memo at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls

If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.

Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop.

The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.

Make sure to follow us on social media:

Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls

Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls

Our Production Team

Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins

Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis

Producers: Tyree Rush & Ndeye Thioubou

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many Black women, higher education has long been framed as both a pathway to security and a form of social currency. But when does the pursuit of another degree serve our growth—and when does it distract us from the work we actually want to do?

In this episode, I'm joined by Melissa Ifill, LCSW for a thoughtful conversation about the “grad school urge,” credential collecting, and the complicated relationship Black women have with education, labor, and legitimacy. Together, we explore the emotional, cultural, and political forces that push so many of us toward advanced degrees—and what it looks like to pause, reflect, and choose intentionally.

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

If this episode resonated, JOIN US ON PATREON for a deeper conversation using our Free “Define Your Grad School Why” worksheet, designed to help you slow down and get clear before making a big decision.

🗓️ We’ll walk through it together during our weekly Sunday Night Live Check-In on Patreon, January 18th.

Where to Find Our Guest

Instagram: @melissaifilllcsw

Website: melissaifill.com

Stay Connected​

Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox.

If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.

Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop.

The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.

Make sure to follow us on social media:

Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls

Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls

Our Production Team

Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins

Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis

Producers: Tyree Rush & Ndeye Thioubou

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you’re chronically online, or only log on to post a quarterly dump, it’s important that you know where and how the data you’re sharing on the internet is being used. Oftentimes, we accept, we say yes, and we check a box on the screen just to get to what we were looking for, but exercising choice in those moments is a crucial way to protect your identity and take control of your digital footprint.

Here to talk with us today is Camille Stewart Gloster, an attorney and strategist working at the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, national security, and foreign policy. Camille has advised top leaders in both government and policy and major companies like Google in cybersecurity practices, and I’m excited to have her on today to talk about how we can begin to protect ourselves from the risks that come with existing in digital spaces.

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

If you'd like to take the info from this episode a step further, we invite you to join us on Patreon for the 5-Day Digital Declutter Challenge! We’re hosting the 5-Day Digital Declutter Challenge to help you clean up, reset, and redefine your digital life.

When you join, you’ll get:

• A free Digital Identity Audit Worksheet
• Daily declutter prompts to reduce digital overwhelm
• Community conversation and support
• A Live Sunday Night Check-In where we’ll work through the worksheet together and reflect in community

If you’re ready to start the year feeling lighter, clearer, and more intentional online, this is your next step.👉🏾 Join us on Patreon
🗓️Starts January ,7th 2026

Where to Find Our Guest

Website: https://camillestewartgloster.com/

Stay Connected​

Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox.

If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.

Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop.

The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.

Make sure to follow us on social media:

Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls

Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls

Our Production Team

Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins

Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis

Producers: Tyree Rush & Ndeye Thioubou

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.