Read
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I don't maintain an extensive reading list. In full candor, I don't have much time for reading so most of it is devoted to technique and training. However there are a select few that remain standouts:
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When the Body Says No
by Gabor Maté
Explores how chronic stress, especially when we suppress emotions or ignore our own needs, can manifest in the body as illness. Since reading it I consider my clients' medical symptoms more through an emotional and psychosocial lens, alongside appropriate medical care.
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Mother Hunger
by Kelly McDaniel
Describes the lasting emotional imprint left when core maternal needs go unmet, often showing up in adulthood as a persistent longing for validation, safety, or belonging.
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Over time I've found this work tends to find its way into my practice, and I don't think it's incidental. My own relationship with my mother is deeply meaningful and one we've both had to approach with intention and care over time. That experience informs how I help women move toward relationships that are more grounded, reciprocal, and fulfilling.
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My perspective allows for a broader truth: as adults, we're no longer just recipients of a relationship, but active participants in it. We can acknowledge the grief of what may not have been received in the relationship, while also moving beyond a one-sided narrative. As this process deepens there is a shift away from blame, toward taking responsibility for how we engage, relate, and participate in the relationship now.
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At the same time, some mother-daughter relationships are too harmful for repair, and in those cases, support may be needed to navigate boundaries and distance.
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This book is a helpful starting point for the process.
Listen
Dr. Anna Lembke on Addiction - A discussion on how addictive patterns extend beyond substances into everyday behaviors that shape how we regulate mood and experience reward. I appreciate Anna Lembke's style—clear, deliberate, not chasing viral ideas.
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Dr. Bessel van der Kolk: What Is Trauma - Brief explanation from a major contributor on how trauma is held in the body and why lasting change requires more than insight alone.
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Many clients I work with carry experiences that overwhelm the nervous systems' capacity to cope. That type of stress can make dense material feel difficult to absorb; it impacts attention, memory, and the ability to take in new information.
A two-hour interview with Bessel van der Kolk, or a complex clinical text like The Body Keeps the Score, may be valuable, but not always digestible. With that in mind, I still want share this relevant interview for those who want to spend time with it:​
Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk on The Mighty Pursuit Podcast​
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Approaches
