Explore every episode of the podcast Real Life with Radelle
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Story Your Brain is Telling You | 07 Sep 2026 | 00:28:24 | |
In this episode of Real Life with Radelle, Radelle Jensen, a registered psychologist, introduces the foundations of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT. The way we interpret an event can influence how we feel, how our bodies respond, and what we do next. This does not mean that every thought is true, that difficult experiences are our fault, or that we can simply “think positive” to solve every problem. Instead, CBT helps us notice the stories our minds create and evaluate whether those stories are accurate, helpful, or connected to a real concern. In this episode, Radelle discusses: ● Why the same situation can lead to very different emotional reactions ● How interpretations can influence stress responses and behaviour ● Common cognitive distortions, including mind reading, catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralizing, “should” statements, personalization, and emotional reasoning ● Why CBT is not about gaslighting yourself or ignoring genuine problems ● How to distinguish between an unhelpful thinking pattern and an accurate concern ● The importance of noticing automatic thoughts before trying to change them ● How creating space between an event and your response can support greater choice and flexibility __________________________________________ About Radelle Jensen Radelle Jensen is a registered psychologist who provides general psychological education and advice through Real Life with Radelle. Radelle also offers a parenting course called Being a Happy, Connected Parent, designed to help parents build stronger relationships with their children and create more connection in everyday family life. You can learn more about the course here: https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/being-a-happy-connected-parent ____________________________________________________ Disclaimer The information shared on Real Life with Radelle is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individualized psychological assessment, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical advice. Every person and situation is different. The strategies discussed in this episode may not be appropriate for everyone, and listening to this show does not create a psychologist-client relationship with Radelle Jensen. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, feel that you may be at risk of harming yourself or someone else, or need urgent medical or psychological support, contact your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency room. If you are in Canada or the United States, you can call or text 988 for immediate crisis support. If you are elsewhere, contact your local crisis line or emergency service. ____________________________________________________ Research: Hofmann, S. G., et al. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research. The review identified 269 meta-analytic studies of CBT and reviewed a representative group of 106 across a broad range of psychological and health-related conditions. (PubMed) Jamieson, J. P., Nock, M. K., & Mendes, W. B. (2012). Mind over matter: Reappraising arousal improves cardiovascular and cognitive responses to stress. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Participants who were taught to reinterpret stress arousal showed changes in cardiovascular responding and attention during a stressful task. (PubMed) Buhle, J. T., et al. (2014). Cognitive reappraisal of emotion: A meta-analysis of human neuroimaging studies. Cerebral Cortex. Across 48 neuroimaging studies, cognitive reappraisal consistently recruited cognitive-control regions and modulated amygdala activity. (PubMed) Berboth, S., & Morawetz, C. (2021). Amygdala-prefrontal connectivity during emotion regulation: A meta-analysis. Neuropsychologia. Findings support the involvement of prefrontal-amygdala connectivity during cognitive regulation and reappraisal of emotion. (PubMed) Atlas, L. Y. (2023). How Instructions, Learning, and Expectations Shape Pain and Neurobiological Responses. Annual Review of Neuroscience. Research on expectancy and placebo effects demonstrates that expectations can influence subjective pain through identifiable neural systems. (PubMed) Ren, J., et al. (2025). Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Brain Activation in the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety Disorders. A meta-analysis of 22 studies involving 443 patients found changes in patterns of brain activation following CBT, including regions involved in emotion regulation and cognitive control. (PubMed) Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. The cognitive model describes how our perceptions and spontaneous thoughts about situations influence emotional, behavioural, and physiological reactions; CBT teaches people to identify and evaluate these automatic thoughts rather than assuming they are facts. (Beck Institute) | |||
| The one where I am back! | 04 Sep 2026 | 00:24:08 | |
The one where I explain my absence, how I had to work through some things to be willing to podcast again, listener responsibility, and what to expect moving forward! I also mention that I am currently accepting new clients into my private practice (virtual, and you must be an Alberta resident). You can email me for information: radelle@radellejensenpsychology.com | |||
| The One Where We Bridge The Divide | 20 Oct 2021 | 00:17:26 | |
It is tough times. This podcast is full of suggestions on how we can lift where we stand to better our life and the lives of those around you. | |||
| The one where we parent like grandparents | 31 May 2021 | 00:27:33 | |
The one where we parent like grandparents! We can learn a lot from the energy and lack of judgement that good and loving grandparents use. (Of course, I am speaking about my grandparents, and other grandparents who are good, kind, patient and loving). | |||
| The one where we prevent burnout, if we can. | 06 May 2021 | 00:22:39 | |
Grab my FREE happy music list here: https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/courses/free-music-happy-list | |||
| The one where we can tolerate tantrums | 13 Apr 2021 | 00:19:10 | |
Tantrums! They stress parents out! I have good news! They are normal! | |||
| The one where the mom's needs matter | 12 Mar 2021 | 00:24:36 | |
A few weeks ago I was criticized for taking a 24-hour break to myself at a hotel. So this time I took a 48-hour break. Please, women, support yourself in the ways that you need to. Our society is not set up well to support its women and moms. Only YOU know what you need as a mother. Take breaks BEFORE you crumble if possible. THIS is self-care. I find it so awful how AFTER we hear about a heartbreaking situation of a mom's suffering, we all say "we wish we knew." And yet, when that same mom is trying to take a break or get help, she is likely and often shamed. I refuse to just survive in my life, I want to thrive. When I am burning out, it is a sign of unmet needs. I really don’t need to worry too much about how it happened or where to place blame, rather, I choose to take action. I am really honest with myself. I see myself getting more tired, snippy, and overall lacking a desire to be in my own life. These are messages to me that I am struggling. I am not interested in hanging by a thread and then lashing out. I am interested in being mature and being in charge of how I show up in the world. | |||
| The one where we dont solve other people's moods | 12 Feb 2021 | 00:20:06 | |
Let’s discuss the moody kid who brings up for us all kind of feelings of disrespect or overwhelm or despair: | |||
| The one where we start to empower our thinking | 30 Jan 2021 | 00:18:27 | |
It is so easy to be stuck right now. I get it! I am feeling it so much. I also wanted to share with you about pain. Clean pain and dirty pain. The cleansing waterfall of pain that we need and want to go through, VS the muddy pond of pain that we cause ourselves by getting "stuck" in our feelings. One is cleansing and healing, one is a pit of misery and stuckness. I hope this episode helps move you into the healing and cleansing pain again if you have been feeling stuck in the misery of the muddy pond as I have been. | |||
| BREATHE and sample my parenting course | 02 Jan 2021 | 00:36:52 | |
Get help as a parent! The parenting course the world has been aching for! This course is where children's brain science meets compassion and connection, with real-life tips and tricks! This course will change your life for the 18 years you raise your children and beyond. If you like what you heard here, you can get my entire LIFE-CHANGING parenting course HERE What if it was possible to LOVE the journey of raising your kids? To have knowledge of their brains and development on your side!
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| The one where we let the children FEEL | 17 Dec 2020 | 00:25:23 | |
Building emotional skills in our kids will make them more brave, resilient and able to cope! However, many of us were not taught or modelled these skills of emotional intelligence and so, we can find ourselves really in the trenches while we parent. | |||
| The one where WE bring the love | 05 Dec 2020 | 00:21:42 | |
What if WE can change our whole experience in life by being the person who brings the love. How much "control" would that give us? How could we influence a room, a family, a community for the better? Even if it ONLY changed how WE experience our own life and experiences, wouldn't that be amazing? To be the person who brings "the love" to a situation? Maybe it's what the world needs. We have enough people maybe who are being divisive and contentious, maybe we need a few more people who are bringing the love. | |||
| The one where we stop causing ourselves pain! | 28 Nov 2020 | 00:25:26 | |
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| The one where we don't control others | 16 Nov 2020 | 00:23:49 | |
I received a question from someone whose partner reacts in large dramatic ways and tries to draw the other partner into arguments. This isn’t easy and navigating this takes emotional maturity. If you have a partner who is emotionally immature often, absolutely that is a struggle. It will feel a lot like navigating a relationship with a child or teen. I don't say that with judgement, I simply say that to empower you to know that the same tools I teach in my parenting course apply. The question (after an explanation) was “how do we deal with someone else's big emotions?” MY life-changing parenting course! https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/connectedparenting | |||
| The one where we ask WHO do we want to be right now? | 12 Nov 2020 | 00:23:49 | |
Who do you want to be in the world right now? How do you want to show up in relationships? WHO do you want to be as a parent? | |||
| The one where we deal with our parents | 16 Oct 2020 | 00:31:26 | |
My LIFE-CHANGING parenting course! This truly is a game-changer!!! https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/ | |||
| The one where we deal with the buttheads | 04 Oct 2020 | 00:26:03 | |
My AMAZING parenting course: https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/connectedparenting | |||
| The one where we have space for backslide | 26 Sep 2020 | 00:28:04 | |
Is it possible that we can KNOW how we want to act, and yet, still struggle at times to show up that way? Is that allowed? Can we meet that place with heaps of self-compassion?! A large part of being able to accept that we are humans who sometimes ride the struggle bus is understanding WHAT our brains do during times of stress which contribute to us showing up a bit frazzled. This episode will meet you where you are at and remind you that it is okay to struggle during times of uncertainty and transition and that, when we stop judging ourselves, we can get through our stretchy-growy times with more ease through acceptance. This episode will bring a LOT of relief if you are struggling! | |||
| The one where we start to feel the feelings | 19 Sep 2020 | 00:24:13 | |
We are scared to feel our feelings because of two reasons
Because what was modeled for us was reacting to our feelings, we think that is the same as feeling them and we don’t want to go there. Reacting to our feelings in a huge outburst is almost always a release of a big pile of repressed feelings. When our feelings are denied in childhood, in adulthood we lose the ability to recognize our needs and meet them. Then we get resentful, lash out, and blame others. Or we internalize it all and it manifests as guilt, shame, and struggling. Most people whose feelings were dismissed as a child feel, to one extent or another, unlovable now. Or that one part of them is unloveable or shameful. | |||
| The one where we discuss anxiety | 13 Sep 2020 | 00:21:12 | |
The parenting course that will change your life. This course meets you where you are & scoops you and your children up with so much love. Being a Happy & Connected Parent: https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/ | |||
| The one where we love ourselves in struggle | 27 Aug 2020 | 00:16:57 | |
LIFE CHANGING PARENTING HELP! --> https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/ | |||
| The one where we say "so what" to our brain. | 16 Aug 2020 | 00:16:22 | |
My life-changing parenting course --> https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/connectedparenting | |||
| The one where not everything is a panic | 09 Aug 2020 | 00:20:19 | |
My amazing-life changing parenting course! --> https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/ | |||
| The one where we control what we can (& only that!) | 29 Jul 2020 | 00:25:01 | |
My LIFE-CHANGING parenting course! On sale! https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/ | |||
| The one where we change our brains for the better. | 21 Jul 2020 | 00:17:05 | |
When attention flows, energy goes and the brain grows. Neuroscience tells us that we are growing our brain every single day and that through procedural learning, we can have a vastly different brain in a short amount of time. With depression on the rise, learning how to manage our thoughts and minds is ESSENTIAL. An unmanaged mind is an unhappy mind. In addition to this podcast, I teach this concept and the "how" in-depth in my course: https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/connectedparenting | |||
| The one where we don't drown. | 16 Jul 2020 | 00:20:32 | |
These are hard times. The world is uncovering oppression and tragedy at every turn, WHILE we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Seems easy to cope, right? Nope. Our nervous systems are not getting a break. This podcast discusses the mindset we need to lean into in order to keep our mental health intact as we advocate, share, make changes, and live in unprecedented times. Further tips to help relax and re-regulate your nervous system: Get fresh air, ideally in the sunshine Movement (endorphins) Talk to a friend (social distanced or on Marco polo or phone or text) Have a healthy snack that you love Have some recharge time alone (pair this with screens if need be) Be mindful of your bedtime Read a nourishing book Do a meditation or coloring page while listening to music you love Put up signs to do deep belly breaths Learn something new with your kids Listen to a module of my parenting course or podcast episode Have an episode of a show to look forward to in downtime Choose thoughts that serve you “I want this life” “Everything will be okay. We can figure all of this out” “the world can make the right choices”. Remind yourself that resistance IS what makes the muscle stronger and friction is what makes the diamond polish Release the emotion. Let the tears flow. Embrace emotion, don’t shame it away. You are allowed to have feelings.
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| The one where we turn off shame | 08 Jul 2020 | 00:22:25 | |
You’ll hear my say that I really don’t believe in guilt and I believe even less in shame. What does this mean? Let me break it down. I don’t believe in guilt as anything other than an emotion I've generated either with my thoughts or my subconscious beliefs which then my subconscious offers me thoughts. Here is why I am not a big subscriber to guilt or shame. My brain will always offer me a gilt thought to help me stay true to my values such as “you shouldn't have done that”. So again, I take a look at that thought and I either accept or reject it. AND THAT IS IT. That’s where guilt ends for me. Because then, I go on the beautiful suspension bridge, I want you to picture one, swinging and hopping along the way to the beautiful land of curiosity. This a land that grows beautiful flowers and tall grass and lush ferns. The land of guilt on the other side of the suspension bridge is a land of thorns and thistles and blazing hot sun where you get no relief and your energy is sapped and it’s hard to want to keep going on. So- the land of curiosity- why do I go here? I go here because the greatest gift I can give myself is going to the land of curiosity. Our brains love having a job to do and a problem to solve. Listen to learn more.
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| The one where we take our brains back | 30 Jun 2020 | 00:25:04 | |
Let’s talk about how ANGSTY the world is right now. I know you are feeling it. I’m feeling it. We are not ourselves. Essentially what is going on is the pandemic is triggering our automatic, primitive brain reactions to danger. Our brains are doing what they are designed to do. They are reacting dramatically to what they feel is life-threatening, unfamiliar, and unpredictable. When we feel like our survival is threatened we feel like we need to do something to feel like we're in control of our fate. I always teach that our brains #1 job is to keep us safe, and it is, and what is going on in the world right now is the exact conditions needed to stir up your brain’s threat detection system. You can get 25% off by using the coupon code podcast | |||
| The one where we change the story | 22 May 2020 | 00:18:22 | |
Our relationships and the feelings we feel about the people in our lives come from the thoughts we think about them. We interpret the things they do through the lens we use via the stories we’ve told from our thoughts. We have so much power in our relationships if we are simply consider the stories we are telling ourselves and wonder if they serve us. What new story could you write? | |||
| The one where you are an awesome mom already | 07 May 2020 | 00:17:20 | |
Happy Mother's Day. This episode is a kick in the butt to remind you that you are worthy and wonderful right now. That you don't need to be "better" and that your children learn from both your strengths and your weaknesses, so just keep being a human! I hope that you leave this episode feeling empowered to just keep being you and choosing thoughts that serve you. | |||
| The one where we turn off overwhelm and guilt | 01 May 2020 | 00:17:35 | |
We ALL have a land of the shoulds and when our resources are low (meaning our coping is struggling) our mind just does a freaking fairy dance to that land. Remember your brain is designed to keep you safe NOT to keep you happy. It’s default is to keep you safe always and SO unless you are participating in CONSCIOUS thoughts (that you are choosing) and being mindful of your thoughts what your brain is doing is making sure you're not asleep on the job. | |||
| The one where our nervous system just wants a villain | 24 Apr 2020 | 00:13:55 | |
The one where our nervous system just wants a villain when things are uncertain and scary. This podcast talks about how to take back charge of your brain. | |||
| The one where we allow our children to be humans as well | 17 Apr 2020 | 00:13:50 | |
Sometimes we want our children to behave differently so that WE can feel differently. But what if we just allowed it all? What if we held space for them being humans with normal feelings? | |||
| The one where we learn about anxiety | 06 Apr 2020 | 00:21:12 | |
It is normal to feel anxiety. Nothing has gone wrong! Anxiety is useful and tells us what to be on the lookout for. BUT anxiety can quickly become disordered as our brain likes to memorize patterns of survival. This episode touches on how we answer anxiety, how we interrupt the anxiety loop and how we can find peace in our thoughts. | |||
| The one where we parent bravely | 31 Mar 2020 | 00:10:13 | |
This episode will remind you that you have WHAT IT TAKES to succeed in life within you! This is the kick in the butt that you need to remember that you've got this. To slow it all down and have your own back. You can do hard things. Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right. | |||
| The one where we are new to pandemics. | 25 Mar 2020 | 00:12:01 | |
We have never been here before! This is all new! Is it okay to struggle for a little when your whole world is turned upside down and you are feeling grief and fear? I would hope so. Let's talk about how we can give ourselves and others grace. | |||
| The one where we soothe the children | 23 Mar 2020 | 00:11:10 | |
Children encounter all sorts of stress in their lives, and yet, don't have fully developed brains to rely on to process all of the changes. This episode will help you support your children through COVID-19, but also any major life disruption. | |||
| The one where you close your stress loop | 20 Mar 2020 | 00:12:03 | |
We all can feel stress. But it's so interesting how nobody has taught us how to process it. We have ideas on what can help, but we don't know the science behind it. Today, I am going to direct you to how you can close the stress cycle in your body. | |||
| The one where we all deep breathe | 18 Mar 2020 | 00:12:25 | |
This episode will teach you the difference between managing your minds and feeling your feelings and will remind you to just be in the present moment. Instagram: @beholdtheconnection and facebook group: Being a happy and connected parent. | |||
| The one where the world stood still | 18 Mar 2020 | 00:08:48 | |
Nearly every parent's world just got turned upside down. The threat of COVID-19 is staring us in the face, and so are all of our children who just got sent home from school. Indefinitely. My direct messages on Instagram are FULL of people struggling to manage their minds, and so, even though I am not ready for a podcast yet in my business, I am showing up here to help. I hope that these initial shorter episodes take some pressure off of your anxiety and help you set your intentions for the day. I hope you know that I am cheering you on as your workload seems heavy right now. I hope that you will feel lighter and brighter after you listen to this episode. Even if just a little. XO Radelle | |||