Welcome to The You Only Podcast, the place where psychology meets real-life survival, healing, and the courage to keep going—especially when life feels heavier than the holidays can sometimes handle. If you’re new here, I’m grateful you found your way into this space. This show was built for people who carry unseen weight: the childhood survivors, the quiet fighters, the ones who look strong on the outside while their heart is whispering, “Please keep going.” Here, I break down the psychology of pain, patterns, and personal growth in a way that actually connects—with facts, with honesty, and with the lived reality of what healing looks like.

Today’s episode is inspired by Bo Stern’s powerful book When Holidays Hurt, because for so many of us, this season isn’t wrapped in joy—it’s wrapped in memories, grief, and emotions we’ve tried to outrun. But buried inside that pain is strength, and hope doesn’t disappear just because life gets hard. Together, we’re going to explore why the holidays trigger so much, what the research says about emotional overload this time of year, and how you can create small but meaningful moments of peace, courage, and self-compassion. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or you’re listening for the first time, you’re not alone. And you’re in the right place.