I stumbled across Emily Haswell on TikTok, and I knew immediately that we would be friends. Listen to hear Emily’s TikTok about wearing the “circus tent with pockets” that led her to say (as a 33-year-old plus-sized woman), “I will NOT be influenced again by what the skinny-girl influencers say we MUST have!” She has started a de-influencing movement that I’m totally here for. Join us to laugh and learn more!
 
Show Highlights:
●      How Emily got more followers when she started her honest, de-influencing movement
●      Why KC hashired Emily as creative director for the Struggle Care podcast
●      Why KC and Emily decided to cancel on having the well-known, Emmy-nominated Netflix stars, The Minimalists
●      How we critique The Minimalists’ philosophy because it spreads shame and doesn’t hold the value we are looking for (and who really does the dishes in their house anyway?)
●      How we have reacted to influencers with harmful messaging on health, hoarding, domestic tasks, etc.
 
 Resources and Links:
Connect with Emily Haswell: TikTok and Instagram
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes

56: The Guests I Cancelled On with Emily Haswell

A podcast about self-care by a host that hates the term self-care. Therapist KC Davis, author of the book How to Keep House While Drowning talks about mental health, care tasks, and more.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Self-Improvement

As usual, we are talking about all things mental health, wellness, and topics that matter to us both individually and systemically. I’m excited to be joined by Parker Bushman, the founder and CEO of Ecoinclusive Strategies and the Inclusive Journeys Guide. Ecoinclusive Strategies is a consulting firm that works with conservation-based organizations, environmental organizations, and nonprofits around diversity, equality, and inclusion. Join us!
Show Highlights:


Nature should be free and accessible to ALL!

The existing disparities in neighborhoods, tree cover, park access, and open spaces

Racist roots of the conservation movement

Messages of elitism among “outdoorsy” people

Things that have been baked into our ideas about who gets to be outside and enjoy it–We need to break down the barriers!

Thoughts about able-ism and outdoor spaces

Parker’s consulting work with organizations doing wildland restoration, community engagement, and DEI work

Building community through engagement, information, collaboration, and empowerment

Systemic issues that prevent outdoor access

Parker’s advice to everyone about finding outdoor activities that you enjoy


Resources and Links:
Connect with Parker Bushman and Ecoinclusive Strategies: Website, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.

94: Making the Outdoors Inclusive with Parker Bushman

We are continuing with the topic of trad wives, but we are taking a different angle in this conversation. I’m joined by Professor Neil Shyminsky, who is an English professor at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario. He doesn’t teach a lot about literature but likes to focus on media studies, gender/sexuality studies, and socio-political thought. We begin with a clip of Professor Neil explaining the concept of the “leisure class” as it relates to trad wife content. Join us!

Show Highlights:

The “other” side of trad wife content: an idealized performance of domesticity and romanticization of a woman’s role

Professor Neil defines “the leisure class.”

Don’t always believe the story the camera shows! (It’s all carefully curated content!)

Social signals in how we “perform” our gender

Trad wives as the moral purity status symbol of their husband’s godliness and enjoyers of God’s richest blessings from living a life of submission

Thinking critically is key to understanding the truth about the values they promote.

The difference between liking traditionally feminine things and being a content creator who makes active choices about how they present their enjoyment of traditionally feminine things

The comparison between trad wife content and MLMs

Professor Neil’s advice: “Be thoughtful and self-reflective in what you consume.”


Resources and Links:
Connect with Professor Neil Shyminsky: TikTok, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.

93: Trad Wives and the Leisure Class with Professor Neil Shyminsky

Buckle up for this one! We are discussing the interesting topic of trad wives, the psychology of anti-feminism, and the pushback/feedback we are seeing on TikTok. If you aren’t sure what any of that means, stay with us, and we will explain. I’m joined by my good friend and frequent guest on the show, clinical psychologist, Dr. Lesley Cook. 

Show Highlights:

A montage of trad wife audio content

The overriding philosophy of trad wife content: the good way vs. the bad way (with no in-between)

KC’s definition of a trad wife: “a woman who chooses to stay home, submit to her husband, and embrace traditional gender roles because they believe God says they will be happier” (usually with undertones of homeschooling, homesteading, and political/religious agendas)

The correlation between mainstream marketing, multi-level marketing, and trad wife philosophy: they all create the myth around what they are trying to sell

The psychology of instability, isolation, loneliness, vulnerability, and a lack of belonging common in the trad wife movement

Too much feminism OR not enough feminism??

Our responsibility as a global community of women to the problems of patriarchy

Patriarchy, the myth, and the marketing campaign

Scenarios in which a trad wife is trapped, isolated, overtaxed, and overwhelmed—but still believes the myth

Traps that pop up in many areas with exploitive systems that can all be tied to money

How we are consuming trad wife content with a romanticized view of the false narrative


Resources and Links:
Connect with Dr. Lesley Cook: TikTok
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.

92: Trad Wives: The Psychology of Anti-Feminism with Dr. Lesley Cook

Please be advised that today’s episode is adult content; it’s not safe for work or little ears. We are talking all things kink with Sunny Megatron, a clinical sexologist, kink educator, and consultant. Join us for an interesting and informative conversation!

Show Highlights:


Understanding what kink really is—and how it measures up to the assumptions we have

The difference between kink and a fetish

Sunny explains “kink done well” and “kink done wrong”

The concept of “aftercare” in kink

Societal messages around sex that lead to shame, embarrassment, and an overall lack of open communication

We don’t understand our sexual motivations.

Stigma busting around sexual assault, trauma, and fantasy

Red flags to look for in sexual power dynamics

The slippery slope of fear (of what kink may lead to)

Problems in kink relationships are the SAME problems in “vanilla sex” relationships! 


Resources and Links:
Connect with Sunny Megatron: Website, TikTok, and Instagram 
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.

91: When Kinky Sex is the Healthier Option with Sunny Megatron

If you have felt the pressure to put meals on the table that adhere to the expectations of others, even when you could barely function in life, this episode is for you. I’m joined by Amy G.S.A. Brooks of Wandering Ames. She’s one of my favorite content creators who posts about the OK Kitchen. There is more to life than succumbing to societal pressure to prepare perfect, five-star meals. Join us!
 
Show Highlights: 
●      The beginnings of the OK Kitchen and the forming of a new community
●      Food insecurity and diet culture during the pandemic
●      Messages surround us everywhere about how we feed ourselves and fuel our bodies.
●      Thinking about preparing food for three meals every day seems like never-ending labor!
●      Meal plans can be a helpful tool–but should be set aside when needed.
●      Wasteful in food or wasteful in being unkind to ourselves? Which is worse?
●      Be willing to break the rules: dinner doesn’t have to be a big meal or a fancy production, and food plans should be simple and flexible.
●      The point of meals is to get what our bodies need.
 
Resources and Links:
Connect with Amy G.S.A. Brooks: TikTok
Connect with KC: Website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: www.strugglecare.com/promo-codes.

56: The Guests I Cancelled On with Emily Haswell

Download our free app to listen on your phone