Marriage, Motherhood & the Messy Middle; What happens when the therapist gets real
What if the therapist stopped giving advice and started getting real?
Welcome to Marriage, Motherhood, and the Messy Middle - where I, Carrie Cohen, licensed therapist and creator of the Safe2Love™ Method, pull back the curtain on what life actually looks like when you’re juggling a marriage, raising kids, caring for aging parents, and trying to figure out who you are in the middle of it all.
After 25+ years of helping other people navigate their relationships, I’m done pretending I have it all figured out. This podcast is my unfiltered take on the beautiful chaos of midlife - the marriage fights that happen at 2am, the mom guilt that hits when you’re just trying to take a shower, the sandwich generation overwhelm when everyone needs you but you’re running on empty.
Here’s what you WON’T get: perfect advice from someone who’s got it all together.
Here’s what you WILL get: Raw, honest conversations about what it really takes to love and be loved in the thick of real life. Because sometimes the most healing thing isn’t another strategy - it’s knowing you’re not the only one figuring it out as you go.
If you’re a woman navigating marriage, motherhood, and everything in between, welcome. This is your space to feel seen, heard, and a little less alone in the beautiful mess of it all.
Safe to Love
Marriage, Motherhood & the Messy Middle; What happens when the therapist gets real
Inside A Therapist Mom’s Mind On Mom Guilt & “Good Enough” Parenting
What if the fastest way to become a better parent is to let go of guilt? I open up about the choices that shaped our family—moving a kindergartner mid-year, changing schools after COVID, and making the hardest leap from private to public when our teen asked for more room to breathe. Along the way, I share the framework that guided us: read the signals, honor your kid’s input, consult trusted voices, test the fit, then decide with intention.
We explore “good enough parenting,” the Winnicott idea that drops perfection while raising the bar for presence, repair, and care. I walk through why guilt stalls growth, how conscious choices create steadier outcomes, and why your nervous system matters more than your best speech. Kids absorb our energy; when we regulate, they can regulate. That’s how secure-enough attachment gets built day by day, not through flawless decisions but through consistent, grounded ones.
You’ll hear how we weighed academic pressure against a full life—figure skating, horses, friendships—and why we chose balance over burnout. We also reframe the habit of blaming our own parents in therapy, shifting toward recognizing their limits and gifts so we can evolve without getting stuck in old stories. The takeaway is simple and strong: write an intentional family story on purpose. Choose to remember the effort, the togetherness, and the fun, and keep moving forward with clear eyes and an open heart.
If this resonates, share it with a friend who’s wrestling with a big parenting decision, subscribe for more real, unfiltered episodes, and leave a review with one insight you’re taking into your week.
Thank you for listening to Marriage Motherhood & The Messy Middle; When the therapist gets real!
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