The Therapy for Black Girls podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves.
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I Have Some Thoughts Minisode | VMA's, Migos AI Trend, Kirk Franklin & Glorilla, & A Different World Reboot
Friday, October 2, 2026 • Duration 23:02
Welcome back to our minisode series, "I Have Some Thoughts." These short episodes are designed to contextualize the pop culture moments we're currently paying attention to through a mental health lens. Pop culture isn't just fun to chat about, it can reveal important information about how we relate, cope, and understand ourselves. Join us each Friday to hear Dr. Joy share her thoughts about the happenings of the week.
This week, we're chatting about the exclusion of Black winners in this year's VMA's, the Migos AI trend going too far, Kirk Franklin & Glorilla's new song, and the reboot of A Different World.
Stay Connected
Wanna chat more about the pop culture hot topics of the week? Join us inside our Patreon community.
Session 483: "You'll Change Your Mind" and Other Things to Stop Saying to Child Free Women
Episode 483
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 • Duration 49:00
"You'll change your mind." "Who's going to take care of you when you're older?" Black women who say they don't want children hear some version of this constantly, and the decision often gets treated as a betrayal of family and community. Today we're joined by licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Lana Holmes to talk about why a personal choice draws so much outside commentary. Dr. Lana and I chatted about the difference between being child free and being childless, how the legacy of chattel slavery and domestic work still shapes what's expected of Black women's bodies, what dating looks like when you know kids aren't part of your plan, and the missing supports (childcare, perinatal care, safety) that have more people questioning whether parenthood is for them. She also shares what being child free has made room for in her own life.
In this episode:
Why "I don't want kids" gets heard as a personal attack, and how cisheteropatriarchy and misogynoir feed that reaction
What gets lost when we collapse child free and childless into one category
The strong Black woman and mammy archetypes, and the expectation that Black women will mother at work and in community whether or not they have children
Vetting partners while dating, plus a script for telling mom and the aunties
What to weigh if you're still deciding, starting with your gut response and moving into the support you can count on
About the Podcast
The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.
Resources & Announcements
Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together.
You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on . Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.
I Have Some Thoughts Minisode | Tisha Campbell, Nikole Hannah-Jones, & Iced Coffee
Friday, September 25, 2026 • Duration 24:43
Welcome back to our minisode series, "I Have Some Thoughts." These short episodes are designed to contextualize the pop culture moments we're currently paying attention to through a mental health lens. Pop culture isn't just fun to chat about, it can reveal important information about how we relate, cope, and understand ourselves. Join us each Friday to hear Dr. Joy share her thoughts about the happenings of the week.
This week, we're chatting about Tisha Campbell's recent AuDHD diagnosis, Nikole Hannah-Jones' decision about schooling for her daughter, and whether bringing iced coffee to an interview is unprofessional.
Stay Connected
Wanna chat more about the pop culture hot topics of the week? Join us inside our Patreon community.
Session 482: The Lessons We Weren't Taught About Love
Episode 482
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 • Duration 14:33
This week we're back with another Ask Dr. Joy episode and today all of your questions are about the unspoken gaps in how many of us were raised to think about love. Dr. Joy discusses getting back into dating after years away, feeling a quiet disconnect with your spouse, and finally naming why relationships often feel so hard to navigate. These are the kinds of realizations that can sit with you for years before you find the words and today's conversation is about giving yourself the grace to learn what you didn't know you were missing.
About the Podcast
The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.
Resources & Announcements
Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together.
You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.
Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.
I Have Some Thoughts Minisode | Kandi & Todd's Divorce, Karmelo Anthony's Past, & the Job Market for New College Grads
Friday, September 18, 2026 • Duration 21:39
Welcome back to our minisode series, "I Have Some Thoughts." These short episodes are designed to contextualize the pop culture moments we're currently paying attention to through a mental health lens. Pop culture isn't just fun to chat about, it can reveal important information about how we relate, cope, and understand ourselves. Join us each Friday to hear Dr. Joy share her thoughts about the happenings of the week.
This week, we're chatting about Kandi Burruss & Todd Tucker's divorce, the tragic passing of Raz B & Mona Li's son, Karmelo Anthony's past, and the job market for new college grads.
Stay Connected
Wanna chat more about the pop culture hot topics of the week? Join us inside our Patreon community.
Session 481: What Worth Actually Means with Dr. Marisa Franco
Episode 481
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 • Duration 51:17
Dr. Marisa Franco is back, and this time she's turning her attention from friendship to something underneath it: self-worth. Her new book, Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment, starts with a confession. While her relationship was falling apart, she was performing security, saying all the right things, staying calm, doing everything the books tell you to do, while quietly abandoning what she actually felt. She and Dr. Joy talk through why that kind of self-abandonment is so familiar to Black women in particular, and what it costs us.
The conversation moves through what Dr. Franco calls the difference between the good twin and the bad twin of high self-esteem, both of whom say they feel good about themselves, but only one of whom can sit with a hard feeling instead of pushing it away. She explains why insecurity isn't a flaw so much as a coping strategy our brains developed to protect us from repeat harm, and introduces memory reconsolidation, the idea that revisiting an old memory with care can actually change its emotional charge and help you feel safer moving forward.
They also dig into stigma, identity stretching, and what happens when we spend our lives chronically evaluating ourselves against an ideal we didn't choose. Dr. Franco talks about raising kids with real self-worth instead of just confidence, why chasing achievement often keeps us from feeling anything at all, and what it means to aim for secure-ish instead of secure.
Resources & Announcements
Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together.
You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.
Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.
I Have Some Thoughts Minisode | U.S. Open, Raven Symone, Vic Mensa, & Chance the Rapper
Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 18:46
Welcome back to our minisode series, "I Have Some Thoughts." These short episodes are designed to contextualize the pop culture moments we're currently paying attention to through a mental health lens. Pop culture isn't just fun to chat about, it can reveal important information about how we relate, cope, and understand ourselves. Join us each Friday to hear Dr. Joy share her thoughts about the happenings of the week.
This week, we're chatting about influencer behavior at the U.S. Open, Raven Symone's relationship to Blackness, and Vic Mensa & Chance the Rapper's friendship challenges.
Stay Connected
Wanna chat more about the pop culture hot topics of the week? Join us inside our Patreon community.
Session 480: Introducing Psychedelics Into Therapy
Episode 480
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 • Duration 50:29
What happens when you combine psychedelics with the therapeutic process? Psychedelic-assisted therapy is gaining attention as more people look beyond more familiar approaches to mental health, but there’s still a lot we’re learning about how it works and what it actually feels like to experience. In this conversation with Dr. Sierra Carter, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Family Research at the University of Georgia, we’re unpacking the science behind psychedelics in therapy, the ways it may affect the brain and body, and what to consider before deciding whether this approach is right for you.
Resources & Announcements
Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together.
You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.
Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.
I Have Some Thoughts Minisode | Miguel's New Relationship, Gladys Knight Stops Performing, Miss USA Justus Kelley
Friday, September 4, 2026 • Duration 15:22
Welcome back to our minisode series, "I Have Some Thoughts." These short episodes are designed to contextualize the pop culture moments we're currently paying attention to through a mental health lens. Pop culture isn't just fun to chat about, it can reveal important information about how we relate, cope, and understand ourselves. Join us each Friday to hear Dr. Joy share her thoughts about the happenings of the week.
This week, we're chatting about Miguel's new relationship, Gladys Knight stepping away from performing, and the new Miss USA Justus Kelley.
Stay Connected
Wanna chat more about the pop culture hot topics of the week? Join us inside our Patreon community.
Session 479: The Work of Being A Girl Dad with Kier Gaines
Episode 479
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 • Duration 55:53
Most of Kier Gaines’ therapy clients are women, many of whom are working through difficult relationships with their fathers. This week, Kier and Dr. Joy discuss what a father wound can look like, how it affects daughters in adulthood, and why receiving an apology may not resolve years of hurt.
He also shares what he had to learn while raising daughters, from ordering underwear online to recognizing the parts of girlhood he could not anticipate. He and Dr. Joy discuss where attachment research falls short for Black families, how people respond to him as a big, dark-skinned Black man doing tender work in public, and why he is careful when people describe his content as “healing.” Kier’s new book, It All Starts When You Do, is out now. He shares why waiting can become a habit and what it takes to begin before you feel ready.
Resources & Announcements
Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together.
You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.
Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.
Discover shows related to Therapy for Black Girls, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.
