Other People's Problems

A COVID scare in the kids’ group Patti manages wakes up the perfectionist inside her — the part of her that feels she needs to be perfect in order to deserve connection with others. She and Dr. Hillary trace this feeling back to her younger years, and help Patti draw from her personal growth to comfort that version of herself.

As we wind down the season, Dr. Hillary McBride invites you to catch your breath and feel yourself in this particular moment. Imagining as you exhale that this breath could support you in the practice of letting go.

Kristin recognizes she feels isolated and alone, at least in part because she’s kept people at a distance to protect herself from getting hurt. Dr. Hillary uses her own relationship with Kristin to model friendship and the excitement that can come from deep connection.

Dr. Hillary needs to tell her longtime client Vanessa that she’s pregnant and that they'll soon need to take a break, when Hillary goes on maternity leave. This is hard to hear for Vanessa, who has been left, physically and emotionally, by important people in her life when she needed them most. Hillary helps Vanessa navigate the pain of feeling abandoned while also assuring her: although their situation will change, their bond is secure.

Hannah has found a range of ways to earn love and protect herself from getting hurt. In Dr. Hillary McBride’s words, she “has found a way to stay connected to people by figuring out who they want her to be, and then being that.” The two work to help Hannah trust that she can show up as her authentic self, and to believe that she is lovable as she is.

Ethan’s parents have become committed to extreme right wing ideologies, which they keep pushing on Ethan. He has tried and failed to explain to them why their views are harmful. Now, in the midst of helping his wife deal with a health crisis, Ethan has decided to step away from his relationship with his parents, despite how much it hurts. Dr. Hillary helps him navigate his grief.

Kristin’s brother died when she was very young and she blamed herself, the way children sometimes do. She has carried that unresolved shame for decades. As the anniversary of his death stirs up hard feelings, Dr. Hillary helps Kristin begin to heal this deep wound. She also guides adult Kristin, now a parent herself, toward saying the words she needed to hear as a child.

As someone who has struggled with addiction and a bipolar diagnosis, Julia carefully hides away parts of herself. Dr. Hillary McBride helps her embrace her complexity, and reconcile it with her new identity as mom. “Your identity was never in addiction, was never in illness, your identity has always been something much deeper.”

Slow down today and join Dr. Hillary for five minutes of mindfulness. This meditation, which she wrote, is intended to help you feel grounded and more at ease. (If you're too busy today, then you may want to play it twice.)

What does it mean to come out of isolation? In a year where we’ve needed it, this season is all about reconnecting with ourselves and one another. Dr. Hillary McBride helps her clients talk through a range of issues heightened by these uncertain times. An all new season of Other People’s Problems begins May 18, 2021.

A gift to you, our listeners, as we wrap Season 3. We appreciate you so much. Take good care of yourself and each other. (And, hey, if you have feedback or experiences with OPP to share, we’d love to hear from you. Please email producer Jodie Martinson: jodie.martinson@cbc.ca)

As we know from the earlier episode with Lacey, she grew up with a mother who neglected her. It has left her with a deep sense she is not good enough. In this episode, Hillary and Lacey travel back to Lacey’s childhood home to witness the situation through the eyes of caring responsible adults who see little Lacey’s suffering and take care of her.

It’s been a few weeks since we released a bonus episode from Louise about being hospitalized for anorexia and contracting COVID-19 in the hospital. Now, she’s home, healing, and determined to take steps toward recovering from her eating disorder and letting her true self shine through.

Vanessa’s daily life is difficult. Between coping with the demands of work and raising a daughter with special needs, Vanessa is falling into old patterns of negative thinking and self-silencing. Can she learn to break old patterns and recognize her own feelings of loneliness?

As a teenager, Andrew was sexually abused by someone he trusted. Even though the perpetrator was an adult, and to an outsider it would be a clear case of child sexual abuse, the experience felt more complex to him at the time.

Louise had to be hospitalized because of anorexia. In the hospital, she contracted COVID-19 and has had to be isolated for weeks. She and Hillary speak compassionately to the eating disorder part of Louise for how it has helped her cope with her suffering, and ask it to move aside so that the real Louise, the parts of her that want to live fully, can begin to take over. Plus, we hear a candid interview with Hillary, who has personal experience with an eating disorder. NOTE: This conversation was recorded over video conferencing software over weak hospital wifi, and the audio quality is hard to understand at times. We’ve done our best to improve it but recommend listening in a quiet space with good headphones.

Emily was taught as a kid to avoid some of her emotions, including sadness. Now as an adult, she is learning how to sit with her feelings without pushing them away. She hopes to resolve past traumas and develop new ways of coping with the ups and downs of life.

Tom connects with Hillary over Zoom during a lunch break at work. He's been working to understand and experience his emotions, connect with his wife and kids, and compassionately factor in his ADHD. Hillary is amazed at how far Tom has come from their first session to where he is today, taking the time to take care of himself, and model for his kids how to express big feelings appropriately when they come up.

Growing up, there was a lot of conflict in Lacey’s family. After her parents divorced, the conflict stopped, but Lacey and her sister were often left alone. By connecting with her younger self, Lacey realises what she was missing: being seen and loved just as she is. Now, Lacey is doing her best to let go of the childhood patterns — the shield — that once protected her, in hopes of creating healthier ways of being for herself and her children.

Dr. Hillary McBride is back with a new season of Other People's Problems. Unlike most therapy podcasts that feature sessions between a therapist and a one-off client, Hillary's clients have been working with her for a long time. This is what people sound like when they talk about difficult childhoods, the stress of day-to-day-life and sudden changes to our lives with someone they trust.

Andrew has been working on connecting with others. Although he is making great strides, Andrew is finding it hard to connect with his wife. As the corona virus forces him to close his restaurant and isolate at home with his family, Andrew must get vulnerable and ask for what he's been longing for — intimacy.

Food, We Need to Talk from WBUR follows one woman's quest to end her war with food. Hosts Juna Gjata and Dr. Eddie Phillips wield solid science, medical knowledge, common sense and an endless supply of dad jokes to teach us how to eat better and feel better about it.

Recorded in front of a live theatre audience at the HotDocs Podcast Festival, Hillary McBride discusses how our families shape us for better and for worse by digging deeper into Sloane's story and her own. Featuring special expert panellists Kwame McKenzie and Tina Malti.

"You don't get rid of shadow, you learn how to use it. There is strength and goodness and power even in the shadow" - Hillary

Shame keeps Dave from connecting with other people. He finds a way to reach toward Hillary.

As Sloane prepares to welcome her first child, she confronts the painful relationship she has with her own mother and her wish the relationship could end.

Franklyn has begun dating again after his divorce. But hurt and fear from the past are making it hard for him to dive in to new love.

*Warning: This episode references suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. When someone you love is suicidal, talking about it is daunting. In this podcast extra, host Hillary McBride, producer Jodie Martinson, and expert guest Lu Ripley get real about how to have candid conversations and ask that terrifying question: "Do you want to kill yourself?"

*Warning: This episode references suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. Belle is feeling suicidal and like a bad parent. Hillary talks with her about the idea of a "good enough" mom.

Hannah's anxiety is out of control and that's making it hard to get through her day at work.

Host Hillary McBride advises her client Hannah to listen to a guided mediation on her commute to help ease her anxiety. Here's one for you to use, with Hillary as your guide.

Hillary works with Ethan to imagine playing and connecting with his new baby. He's worked for years to process the terrifying experience of almost losing his wife during the birth of their first child.

*Warning: This episode details a sexual assault and may be triggering for some listeners. A chance encounter at the pool has triggered Layla to remember a sexual assault. In this session, she begins to heal.

Ellie's decision to leave her abusive relationship has restored her sparkle. But how does she foster a good relationship between him and their daughter without getting hurt again?

If you liked how Other People's Problems let you into the minds and hearts of ordinary people you'll love Mic Drop. Listen in as teenagers share their mood-swinging, dream-chasing, rule-breaking dramas and adventures.

Patti strives to be perfect and does so much for her son and husband. Hillary helps her see that giving even more is not the answer.

Hillary introduces Sloane to the idea of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to help her understand why she feels so overwhelmed at times. But will the diagnosis help Sloane feel more or less empowered to change?

Belle has a voice inside her head that torments her with messages of self-hate. She turns to food to feel better. Hillary tries to help her with a therapy called EMDR.

'Maggie' talks with OPP creator and producer Jodie Martinson about what it was like to be a part of the podcast, and how the microphone in the room affected her.

Franklyn revokes his access to tracking his ex-wife's whereabouts through her phone. It's his last connection to her.

The birth of Patti's son still haunts her today. What can she do to overcome those memories that are keeping her stuck in guilt and regret?

Megan and Clark are going through some major life changes. Clark welcomes the change. Megan is supportive yet can't help but miss what's been lost along the way.

Creator and producer of Other People's Problems Jodie Martinson sits down with Hillary to explain how OPP was made, and what challenges they faced in putting it together.

Steve wants to have more sex with his wife. But is his focus on the bedroom obscuring a bigger issue?

Sometimes we use thrills - even illegal ones - to lift our mood when we're feeling down. Maggie is a stay-at-home mom who struggles with the humdrum of raising little ones. But can she find a way to feel proud and powerful without resorting to destructive thrills?

Sloane is planning her wedding, but childhood memories make her fearful of what could go horribly wrong. Although she's excited to start a new stage of her life, she's having nightmares of her wedding day. They all revolve around her mother.