The Strong but struggling Podcast
The Strong But Struggling Podcast is for high-functioning moms who look like they have it together, but feel like they’re barely holding it together behind closed doors.
This show is about getting out of the go-go-go → crash cycle and building a life you don’t have to recover from.
We have honest, raw conversations about:
• the weight of being the “strong” one and how no one ever asks if you’re okay
• replaying conversations in your head at 11:47pm
• carrying the mental and emotional load for everyone
• saying “I’m fine” when you’re low-key drowning
• holding it together all week… then crashing
• looking calm on the outside but bracing on the inside
Click below to listen on Apple or Spotify! Be sure to follow the show and turn on notifications so you don’t miss an episode!
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Strong but Struggling episodes
Episode 9: Anger is Not Trying to Hurt You. She's Trying to Protect You.
Everyone tells you to challenge your inner critic. Silence her. Replace her with positive thoughts. And she just gets louder. Alyssa introduces a completely different approach — rooted in parts work — that reframes the inner critic not as an enemy but as a protector doing a job she was assigned a long time ago. Includes the story of introducing herself to her now-husband as "a bitch who nags" and realizing those words were never hers.
Episode 8: Your Broken Leg Doesn't Heal Because Someone Else Lost Theirs
Someone said "at least he knows his dad." And you sat there with everything you were trying to say still in your chest. Alyssa names the specific experience of having your pain minimized by the people who are supposed to be in your corner, the "at least," the "you understand right?", the help that came with control. And the analogy that makes it impossible to minimize your own pain ever again.
Episode 7: You Know Everyone Else's Temperature. But When Did You Last Check Your Own?
She manages everyone's emotional temperature — her kids, her partner, her parents, her friends. And she has no idea what her own is. Alyssa goes into the invisible mental and emotional load that exhausts women in ways that have nothing to do with their schedule — the tracking, the anticipating, the replaying conversations at 2am. If you're tired in a way that sleep doesn't fix, this episode explains why.
Episode 6: "No" Is Not a Complete Sentence (And Other Advice That's Making It Worse)
You've seen the posts. No is a complete sentence. Protect your peace. And then someone asks you something and you hear yourself say "of course, totally, happy to help." Every single time. Alyssa reframes people pleasing entirely — not as a personality flaw but as a nervous system response — and gives you the micro-boundary tools that actually work when the full "no" still feels like stepping off a cliff.
Episode 5: Why Knowing More Isn't Enough to Change
You know your patterns. You can name them, explain them, trace them back to childhood. And on a hard Tuesday you still default. Why? Alyssa explains the difference between insight and integration — why knowing better has never been enough to actually do better — and what it takes to change a pattern that lives in your body, not your brain.
Episode 4: My Dog's Surgery Gave Me the Biggest Realization I Had Missed
She took her dog to physical therapy twice a week while ignoring her own postpartum pain for months. Sound familiar? Alyssa gets into the go-go-go crash cycle — why you run yourself into the ground, why the crash isn't weakness, and why willpower and color-coded planners are never going to be the answer. Includes the moment her husband said "I thought you liked doing everything."
Episode 3: If They Only Knew
You post the photo. Everyone comments "you're such a good mom." And all you can think is — if they only knew. In this episode, Alyssa goes into the specific kind of shame that lives in the high-achieving, self-aware woman who still feels like a fraud. The gap between who you are and who you're performing is exhausting you. And it's time someone named it out loud.
Episode 2: Same Survival. Different Font.
Your life looks good on paper. Safe relationship, done the therapy, know your patterns. So why does your body still feel like it's bracing for something? Alyssa introduces Survival Mode 2.0 — what happens when your nervous system keeps running an old protection program in a life that no longer requires it. If you can't fully exhale even when nothing is wrong, this episode explains exactly why.
Episode 1: The Question That Stops Women in Their Tracks And Why the Silence After It Says Everything
You call yourself low maintenance. Easy. Not a burden. But what if that isn't your personality — what if it's a survival strategy you never chose? Alyssa shares the two-word question that reveals the invisible rule running your relationships, your self-worth, and your daily life. If you've ever talked yourself out of asking for something before the ask even formed — this episode is for you.
What people are saying:
FAQs
What is The Strong But Struggling Podcast about?
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Conversations for high-achieving women who look like they have it together and feel like they're barely holding on. We talk nervous system regulation, burnout, boundaries, and the gap between performing fine and feeling fine.
How often do new episodes come out?
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New episodes drop every Friday. You can subscribe on Apple Podcast and Spotify. Be sure to turn your notifications on so you don’t miss an episode.
Can I be a guest on the show?
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If you are interested in becoming a guest, complete this form: Guest Application.