Marionette Doll's
The Marionette Doll represents the delicate balance between control and surrender. This symbol mirrors the experience of those shaped by trauma and the process of reclaiming agency over one’s life.
In childhood, the marionette can embody the feeling of being pulled by invisible strings of emotions, expectations, or circumstances beyond our control. Each string reflects an external influence: family, society, fear, or survival instincts that guided us before we could guide ourselves. The wooden frame, fragile yet enduring, symbolizes the resilience we carry even when we feel manipulated or voiceless.
Yet, there is a beauty within the marionette, too. When the strings move in harmony, the doll dances; it becomes expressive, graceful, and alive. In this light, the marionette also represents the healing potential: the process of learning which strings to cut, which to keep, and how to move with intention rather than compulsion. It is the story of regaining authorship of transforming from being controlled to becoming the choreographer of one’s own movements.
Marionette Dolls explores these themes through honest conversations about mental health, trauma, and recovery. It’s about acknowledging the strings that once controlled us and, together, learning how to move freely again.
Episodes
27 episodes
Hey little mama, let me whisper in your ear...
This week, Sarah and Crystal descend into the strange, whisper-filled world of ASMR. Why do some people drift off to sleep listening to tapping, page turning, and soft voices, while others feel irrational rage, discomfort, or the overwhelming u...
Psycho Babble: When Belief Becomes a Weapon
How does one person gain enough influence to reshape another person’s identity, beliefs, and behavior?In this episode of Psycho Babble, Sarah and Crystal examine Charles Manson, the formation of the Manson Family, and the psycho...
Glitch in the Matrix: Between Spirits and Psychosis
Throughout history, people have reported hearing voices, seeing visions, and experiencing realities that others couldn't perceive. Were they prophets, mediums, or experiencing something psychology is still working to understand?In this e...
Not Free From PTSD
Fireworks can represent celebration to one person and danger to another. Sarah and Crystal explain PTSD using the DSM-5-TR, explore how the brain reacts to trauma reminders, and discuss why fireworks may affect veterans, first responders, survi...
Part One: The Flash Before the Forgetting
What if the brain begins showing warning signs before memory loss becomes obvious?Sarah and Crystal break down Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, EEG, and early screening in clear, everyday language. Sarah also sha...
Dude, Where's My Father Figure?
Fatherhood is often reduced to stereotypes the grill master, the provider, the guy who falls asleep in the recliner halfway through a movie. But behind those stereotypes are real people navigating responsibility, identity, mental health, relati...
No Regerts: We Need to Talk About Steve
Why do people get tattoos?For some, they're works of art. For others, they're reminders of the people they've loved, the battles they've survived, or the identities they've built along the way. In this episode of Psycho Babble, Sarah and...
It's My Party and I'll Panic If I Want To
Birthday's are supposed to be fun... right?So why do so many people feel anxious, awkward, overwhelmed, guilty, lonely, or emotionally exhausted when their birthday comes around?In this episode, Sarah and Crystal pull back the cur...
The Bad Kids Club: Defiant Until Proven Guilty
Sarah and Crystal discuss childhood behavioral disorders, emotional dysregulation, ODD, Conduct Disorder, trauma, school systems, parenting stress, and the barriers families face trying to access mental healthcare for children.This episo...
Oh, You Wanna Talk About Mothers!
Motherhood is often described as magical but rarely honest.In this Mother’s Day special, Sarah and Crystal talk about the realities people don’t prepare women for: pregnancy complications, labor trauma, postpartum depression, anxiety, ra...
Glitch in the Matrix: Creatures We Haven't Proven Yet
What if the things people keep seeing… aren’t just stories?In this episode, we explore cryptozoology—the study of animals not yet proven by science—and why people across different places continue to report the same kinds of creatures. Fr...
Accidentally Successful
What if the voice in your head telling you “you don’t belong here”… isn’t telling you the truth?In this episode of The Marionette Dolls Podcast, we unpack imposter syndrome—what it actually feels like, where it comes from, and w...
I Just Don't Need To!
In this episode, Sarah and Crystal break down what self-care actually looks like, why it’s so hard to maintain, and how burnout, guilt, and people-pleasing get in the way. They also dive into boundaries, why they’re uncomfortable, why people re...
I Would Like to Speak to the Manager of Grief
In this episode, Sarah and Crystal break down the psychology of grief, including the misunderstood “stages,” why emotions come in waves, and how loss can affect the mind, body, and relationships. They also explore how grief can show up differen...
Psycho Babble: Where Safety Failed
In this episode of Psycho Babble, Sarah and Crystal explore the psychology and systemic failures surrounding Jeffrey Dahmer. Focusing on control, awareness, and missed warning signs, this episode examines how proximity does not guarant...
Well That Hit Different
One moment, you’re driving to work like any other morning. The next moment, your car is rolling down the highway, and everything changes.In this episode, Sarah shares the story of the accident that caused her traumatic brain injury and t...
Glitch in the Matrix: The Version of You That Didn’t Make It
Have you ever survived something that should have killed you?A car crash you narrowly avoided.A fall that somehow ended differently than it should have.A moment where time seemed to slow… and you walked away alive.In this ...
Spring Forward... Fall Apart
We lose an hour every spring and gain one in the fall, but our biology doesn’t change as quickly as the clock. In this episode, Sarah and Crystal explore how daylight saving time affects circadian rhythms, hormonal timing, mood regulation, and ...
Cosmos in the Microwave… Again
In this episode of Marionette Dolls, Sarah and Crystal take a deeper dive into why Mercury Retrograde feels so real — even if it isn’t physically affecting your phone, your plans, or your relationships.We explore how the brain s...
Pandora's Box: Breaking the Cycle
⚠️ Content / Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of childhood abuse, domestic violence, coercive control, racism, religious trauma, foster care involvement, and self-harm. Listener discretion is advised. Please take car...
Bloody Valentine
⚠️ Content Warning:This episode discusses intimate partner violence, coercive control, emotional abuse, and homicide. Please listen with care. If you need to pause or step away at any point, that is completely okay.In this dee...
Psycho Babble: Where Fiction Got Its Face
In the premiere episode of Psycho Babble, Sarah and Crystal explore the psychology behind Ed Gein, the man who unknowingly shaped the face of modern horror. Rather than focusing on shock value, this episode examines how identity collap...
Cupid has me in a chokehold
⚠️ Content & Trigger WarningThis episode discusses domestic violence, intimate partner violence, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, coercive control, and trauma responses. No graphic details are used, but the topic itself m...
