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Health & Fitness
Kara Loewentheil
UnF*ck Your Brain: Feminist Self-Help for Everyone breaks down the centuries of sexist socialization that causes us to struggle with self-doubt, burnout, and anxiety.
Hosted by Master Feminist Coach Kara Loewentheil, J.D., founder of The School of New Feminist Thought and author of Take Back Your Brain (Penguin 2024), each episode teaches you how to turn down the noise of societal expectations, turn up the volume on what YOU really want in life, and change your thinking to make sure you go get it.
This podcast is an essential resource for anyone eager to embrace a life free from limiting beliefs and societal constraints.
If you ever find yourself asking questions like…
*Why am I so anxious about stuff that isn’t a big deal?
*How can I stop overthinking everything?
*Am I selfish for wanting my life to look different?
*Will I ever feel comfortable in my body?
*Am I a bad parent?
*How can I ask for more money at work?
*Can I stop people-pleasing?
*How can my partner and I communicate better?
… then you won’t want to miss an episode.
Visit schoolofnewfeministthought.com to learn more about The School of New Feminist Thought and more.
152. Hope & Commitment
Are you feeling hopeless, afraid, despondent, or angry at the recent passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg? In today’s podcast, I will teach you how to take hopeful action even when you aren’t FEELING hopeful, by using the coaching model to generate feelings of commitment. Hope feels good when it happens to arrive, but commitment will create a revolution.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/152
24:4924/09/2020
151. Maximalism
Do you wish your life looked more like those minimalist Instagram homes full of light and clean lines and constraint? In today’s podcast episode, you will learn about the patriarchal underpinnings of minimalism and why I embrace MAXIMALISM instead. Tune in to get a taste of what life could look like if you stopped restricting yourself and gave yourself permission to be as colorful, loud, and abundant as you wanted.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/151
20:2017/09/2020
150. Compromising: How and When
Women are socialized to compromise our needs and happiness behind the needs of family, friends, even strangers. At the same time, we’ve also experienced situations where compromise is helpful and growth-promoting. In this podcast episode, you will learn a few simple questions to ask yourself so that you will always know when to compromise and when to stand firm.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/150
18:0010/09/2020
149. Diet Culture, Internalized Oppression, & Fat Bias - My Story
Most of us are so steeped in fatphobia that we don’t even realize it exists…and yet it impacts every aspect of our lives, from what we think about our bodies to what our doctors tell us when we are sick. Listen in to learn how I used thought work to overcome my own internalized fatphobia, and how you can set yourself free, too.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/149
33:2403/09/2020
148. Intuition
Listen in this week to discover why the framing of intuition as something you use to categorize an experience doesn’t serve you, how it gets confused with feelings of anxiety, and the role of cognitive bias here. You need to examine the assumption that you should act on something without question if it’s coming from your intuition, and I’m guiding you through this process today.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/148
21:5227/08/2020
147. Listener Q&A Vol. 17
Listen in today to get a taste of what it’s like to join The Clutch where I coach every single week on topics like body image and thought work. I’m doing a listener Q&A to coach on some of the most frequent questions I get sent. If you’re loving what you’re learning here and want a chance to have your questions addressed, come join us there!Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/147
26:0520/08/2020
146. Using TW Against Yourself
Listen in this week to discover if you might be using thought work against yourself. There are two main ways that I see this play out very commonly, and I’m showing you why using thought work within these contexts can sometimes bring you awareness, but ultimately they are longer paths to getting to that point.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/146
27:3713/08/2020
145. Mental Flexibility
Join me this week as I show you what mental flexibility is and why this skill is crucial in thought work. I’m outlining the irony that exists in resisting being challenged or in trying on a new contradictory thought, and why accepting, allowing, and holding space for two conflicting beliefs is what will help you move into alignment with the thing you want to become or have.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/145
21:3306/08/2020
144. Get Out of Other People's Models
Join me on the podcast today as I show you when it’s useful to think about other people’s models, when it’s not, and why. Making your mental and emotional state contingent upon what other people might be thinking, feeling, or doing is useless and a waste of energy, and my goal is to show you that you never have to know what someone else is thinking to decide what you are going to think.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/144
17:0830/07/2020
143. Radical Self-Love & Self-Care
Join me this week as I show you the power that lies in practicing radical self-love and exquisite self-care, why it is a radical subversive act, and how liberation from an oppressive ideology is an inside job. Radical self-love is where change has to start, and it’s a tool that will give you the emotional resources and mental freedom to transform your life.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/143
24:1223/07/2020
142. Are You Underacting or Overacting?
Join me today as I share the nuances that come with being an overactor and an underactor, and the antidotes for each type of behavior. Both types are self-critical and often feel miserable about their goals, and I’ll be showing you how balanced action is the key to your own growth and appreciation for the journey, no matter what you may be working on.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/142
29:2716/07/2020
141. Closure
Join me today as I show you what true closure is and how to get it. I’m outlining two things that many people believe will bring them closure if they had it, why these things are just lies our brains feed us, and the only thing that is really in your way of being happy right now.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/141
23:0509/07/2020
140. Selling Yourself on Your Thoughts
Join me on the podcast today as I show you why you have to sell yourself and commit to watering, nurturing, and growing the new thoughts you’ve planted in your brain to make your visions and dreams come true. You’ll inevitably have mixed results along the way, but that’s just part of the process.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/140
21:5302/07/2020
139. Let's Talk About Sex Vol. 2
Today I'm showing you how thought work can be used in various scenarios to improve your sex life and your physical experience of sex. It’s not all biology, your thoughts have a huge impact on the sexual dynamic between you and your partner, and your experience of sex overall.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/139
16:0025/06/2020
138. Let's Talk About Sex Vol. 1
Listen in this week as I share a technique that I’ve found effective in connecting to your sexuality by embodying your own desire. This can feel uncomfortable and it may bring up strong emotions for you, and that’s totally okay and normal. The great thing about this work is that you can take it as slow as you want, without anyone else being involved.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/138
19:5218/06/2020
137. Defensiveness & Shame
Join me today as I show you what is actually happening when you feel defensive, and how shame feeds into this feeling and prevents you from consciously digging into your thoughts. Anxiety, shame, and defensiveness are signals for you to get curious, and cluing yourself in and asking the right questions will allow you to see where you might be out of alignment and make changes.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/137
23:2411/06/2020
The Role of Thought Work in Living with Racism: A Conversation with Erika Royal (UPDATED)
Join us today as Erika shares her experience of navigating racism and her own journey of finding her voice to speak up and have difficult conversations as a black woman. You’ll hear how learning the coaching tools has impacted her life, and she illustrates the nuances of how she uses thought work to process her experiences, allow her emotions, and take action.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/junebonus2
49:5008/06/2020
136. Anti-Racist Thought Work for White People
Listen in today to discover the most productive ways for you to be an ally and to make anti-racism a practice. I’m showing you how to use thought work to start questioning your belief systems. There is no one right way to do this, and creating guilt and shame for yourself never results in transformation. Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/136
47:0605/06/2020
135. Embrace the Suck
Today I'm sharing two big reasons why you need to embrace the suck. We’re going to experience it at least 50% of the time anyway, so why not accept that and move through the world knowing that it sometimes sucks to be a human? There is no perfect way to do this, and willing to stay present is a skill that will help you embrace the other 50% that is full of joy and happiness.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/135
23:3928/05/2020
134. A Year of Thought Work Vol. 3 - Money, Money, Money
This week, I want you to hear from some of my Clutch students who have used thought work to change their relationship with money. I love that they each bring a unique perspective on this topic, coming from various fields and industries, and every single of them has used what they’ve learned in The Clutch to create a more abundant financial mindset.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/134
50:3721/05/2020
133. Your Financial Value & Worth
This week I illuminate the importance of this work in feeling secure in your moral value and worth, and why you, as a human, have inherent and intrinsic value just for existing. It’s no surprise that women tend to experience a lot of emotional drama when it comes to financial conversations or discussing their economic worth, and I’m untangling all of this on the podcast today.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/133.
26:0914/05/2020
132. Pleasure First Principle
You can experience pleasure whenever and however you want, without permission from anyone else. I’m diving into how women don’t spend time on things we truly love, and why we’re not encouraged to take real pleasure seriously. Taking the time to create and experience pleasure is the best thing you can do for yourself, and I’m showing you how today.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/132
18:4907/05/2020
Bonus Podcast With Brooke Castillo
Kara and Brooke Castillo of the Life Coach School explore how the Covid-19 outbreak is presenting a unique opportunity for us to level up our thought work skills. Learn why loneliness, fear, and misery are not inevitable reactions to the crisis - and how to shift your thinking to get relief.
11:0105/05/2020
131. A Year of Thought Work Vol. 2 - Dating, Breakups, & Social Justice
Listen in this week to catch Marissa and Deb share their experience around dating, breakups, social justice, and how The Clutch has helped them shift their perspective. This is such a rich and interesting conversation, and I know that the discoveries they’ve made throughout their time in The Clutch will show you what is truly possible for you too.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/131
54:1730/04/2020
130. The What If Parade
I know all of you will be able to relate to having moments where your brain seems to go to worst-case scenarios; where you imagine all the horrible things that could potentially happen in your life, or what I call a “what-if parade.” Even though I’ve dedicated my life to the practice of thought work, I’m no exception, and today, I’m showing you why this is normal and what you can do when this happens.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/130
18:1223/04/2020
Creating Purpose Out of Chaos (Turn Panic Into Peace Series #11)
Listen in today as I show you how opportunities are available to you right now if you choose to see this crisis through a new lens. If you’re not currently living the life you want, I’m sharing some reasons why all of us humans tend to turn away from what’s possible for us, and finally, what it takes to create the life of your dreams.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/purpose-peace-11
14:1817/04/2020
129. A Year of Thought Work Vol. 1 - Parenting, Body Image, & COVID-19
Join us on the podcast this week as The Clutch members, Bessie and Elizabeth, share their lessons learned and the best thought work they’ve done to transform their lives. I’m so excited for them to show you what’s truly possible when you learn how to manage your mind and I know that they’ll inspire you to do the same.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/129
52:5516/04/2020
This Is Your Life (Turn Panic Into Peace Series #10)
Join me on this episode as I show you why humans tend to want to believe that our lives will start in the future, or that it will start once we have achieved something, whether that’s weight loss, finding a partner, or anything else. Putting your life off until things get back to ‘normal’ is preventing you from experiencing the freedom and happiness you could be having right now if you embraced your current situation, and I’m giving you the tools to help you do that today.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/your-life-peace-10
14:4813/04/2020
Live Coaching: Relationships, Productivity & Health Anxiety During a Pandemic (Turn Panic Into Peace Series #9)
This is a time of questioning and being curious of your patterns, belief systems, and actions that you’ve been able to escape from before the pandemic, and you’re going to see how it shows up for three of my clients. We’re addressing questions around living your best life right now, health anxiety, perfectionist tendencies, and getting things done in quarantine.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/live-coaching-peace-9
48:2611/04/2020
128. Boredom
Join me this week as I talk through what boredom actually is, whether it’s a problem, and how you can handle it better. Letting boredom just exist in your body can feel extremely uncomfortable, but you’ll be surprised at how much growth and new insights you’ll discover on the other side of it.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/128
12:4409/04/2020
Health Anxiety, Hyper-Vigilance, & Yes-And Thoughts (Turn Panic Into Peace Series #8)
Listen in today as I offer you three tools that I have found to be very helpful in my own life and with my clients with their health-related anxiety. Acknowledging the reality that you are mortal is the first step in finding peace with our current situation, and I’m walking you through how you can use these techniques to stay out of frenzy and anxiety.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/health-anxiety-peace-8
21:3808/04/2020
Money Mindset & Financial Anxiety (Turn Panic into Peace Series #7)
Listen in today as I show you why you can create value and money right now during a pandemic. Just because this is our current reality doesn’t mean you don’t have any control over your mind or the kind of results you can create anymore. I guarantee that taking ownership of your thoughts and choosing intentional thoughts around money will help you feel empowered and create any amount of money or value you want.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/money-anxiety-peace-7
19:4806/04/2020
Brain Habits & How to Change Them (Turn Panic Into Peace Series #6)
Listen in this week as I show you how your brain creates mental habits, and how cognitive bias is a crucial element to understand in changing them. This concept is applicable everywhere in your life, at any time, and the two ways I’m offering to you today of how to prevent your cognitive bias from running wild is going to give you so much more control over your mental and emotional experience.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/brain-habits-peace-6
17:3404/04/2020
127. How to Know What You Want
Join me this week as I break down what it means to want something, the fundamental motivation for why you want something if you have an unmanaged mind, and two exercises you can use to determine what you actually want. I’ll also be diving into how women especially use thought work against themselves in deciding what they want for their lives.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/127
20:3802/04/2020
Creating Productivity + Connection (Turn Panic into Peace Series #5)
In the midst of what feels like chaos and frenzy, most of us are seeking some stability and familiarity. Staying focused and productive in some area of your life and feeling connected to other people are two ways of doing this, and I’m offering my recommendations of how you can do this reasonably and realistically.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/productivity-peace-5
17:1501/04/2020
Why Mental Health Matters Most (Turn Panic into Peace Series #4)
Join me on this episode as I highlight why your mental health matters the most right now. You’ll discover what is possible for you when you prioritize this over your physical state, and how undermining it is actually deteriorating both your body and mind.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/mental-health-peace-4
16:5330/03/2020
How to Feel Better (Turn Panic Into Peace Series #3)
Join me as I walk you through the difference between your thoughts and your feelings, and how to identify what a feeling is. From there, you’ll be able to start the process of intentionally creating emotions that you want to feel, and at the same time, you’ll be able to allow emotions that feel uncomfortable in your body without resisting them.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/feel-better-peace-3
16:3628/03/2020
126. Anxiety and Control
Discover exactly why we get sucked into believing that we can control other people and external circumstances, and why letting it go is the only path to true freedom. Any feeling you want to have can be achieved by relinquishing the belief that you can or should be able to control anything outside of yourself. To do this, I’m offering a set of questions you can ask yourself that will focus on the things you can control.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/126
22:4226/03/2020
Neutralize Your Negative Thoughts (Turn Panic Into Peace Series #2)
Too often, we believe that the thoughts we have are unchangeable, and so we try to control everything outside of us to try to feel better, which is impossible. Instead, what I’m offering you today is a technique called neutral thoughts that will guide you in actively choosing thoughts that serve you.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/neutralize-peace-2
19:0725/03/2020
Your Brain In A Pandemic (Turn Panic Into Peace Series #1)
Join me today to gain a deeper understanding of what is going on in your brain right now. This first step is crucial to changing the state of panic that you might be experiencing. I’ll also be highlighting how the news and social media can feed into the frenzy that your mind is going through.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/pandemic-peace-1
17:4823/03/2020
125. Choose Your Own Adventure
Join me this week to discover how you might be disempowering yourself by not embracing the agency you have over your own life. There is no right or wrong, failure or success. You can have any adventure you want, and there is no wrong story to write.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/125
12:2619/03/2020
UFYB Bonus: Pandemic Panic (UPDATED)
Join me as I share some tools that you can practice to help you see why you might be feeling fear right now, as well as some reminders about the news and social media and the role it plays in your mental health. Acting out of fear will always feel terrible, and so I’m sharing my pandemic mission statement and some affirmations that you can use too, to help you be in control of your brain and manage your thoughts.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/pandemic-panic/
01:00:3017/03/2020
124. Self-Improvement Shame
Join me this week as I introduce you to a concept I call self-improvement shame. Coming to this work with shame about yourself, to change your own negative thoughts about yourself, is never going to produce the change you want to see. You can’t outrun your shame, and so instead, I’m showing you how to start creating true transformation in the long-run.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/124
22:1012/03/2020
123. Your Brain on Patriarchy
Discover the true impact of patriarchy on our brains through the concept of heuristics. I'm giving you the basics of how our brain unconsciously absorbs the messages we’re taught and creates reasoning shortcuts, and then how that ties into the patriarchy and our experience as people socialized as women.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/123
20:1905/03/2020
122. Silver Linings + Positive Spin
As you learn about thought work and start using these tools to change your life, it’s only natural to want to speed things up, change all of your beliefs, and start getting the results you want right away. Something I’ve seen every single one of my students do at some point is ‘silver-lining’ their thoughts to feel better, and today I’m showing you how this isn’t conducive to the process and why it doesn’t work.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/122
17:0427/02/2020
121. Five Years of Thought Work Part 3: Friendships and My Self-Relationship
Join me this week to discover how practicing the skill of managing your mind can be the greatest gift you can give yourself. I’m now more kind and compassionate to myself in moments of intense suffering and negativity, and you too will get to see the transformations that are truly possible if you apply this work.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/121
20:1020/02/2020
120. Five Years of Thought Work Part 2: Family & Romantic Relationships
Join me this week to see if you can identify with some of the limiting beliefs I was holding onto around family and romantic relationships, and see how you could free yourself of thoughts that aren’t serving you. Make sure to tune in next week as I dive into friendships and other social relationships too!Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/120
30:1713/02/2020
119. Five Years of Thought Work Part 1: Body, Work & Money
On today’s episode, I’m diving into my relationship with my body image, work, and money mindset, and how that has shifted over the years of doing this work. A lot has changed since I first started in 2015, and I’m sharing the progress I’ve seen in those areas, as well as the habitual thought patterns that occasionally still show up.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/119
29:2506/02/2020
118. Empathy & Other People’s Models
Listen in today to gain a new perspective on why it’s so hard to fundamentally understand that other people have totally different thoughts to you, and how you buy into the assumptions you have about what’s going on in their brain. If you don’t know what a model is, I’m giving you the basics to help you understand this concept better, and I’m also sharing my interpretation of what empathy really means.Get full show notes and more information here: https://unfuckyourbrain.com/118
25:5030/01/2020
117. Result-Entitlement
Listen in as I take a deep dive into entitlement, how it shows up and why, and a new way to start thinking about the results you want that will save you time and energy, instead of sitting in entitlement, which drains all of your resources and leaves you in emotional drama.Get full show notes and more information here: http://unfuckyourbrain.com/117
22:2423/01/2020