Welcome to Motherhood Sessions! I’m Dr. Alexandra Sacks. I’m a practicing psychiatrist and the host of this show. 

In my office I’m trained to do “talk therapy”, which is all about putting your feelings into words. But talk therapy isn’t just storytelling-- it’s also about the healing power of a relationship with a caring professional.

What you’re about to hear on Motherhood Sessions is similar, and different, from the talk therapy I do with my patients in my office. In traditional talk therapy, part of the safety is its privacy and confidentiality. It allows people to let down their guard. Building this type of trust takes time, and the work doesn’t happen like magic in one session. 

The brave women on this show are not my patients—they are volunteers who have come into the Gimlet studio to share something vulnerable about their own motherhood experience with me—not in place of their own medical treatment, but because they believe in the mission of this project: to share a private conversation in a public space, in the hopes that it might be helpful to someone listening. We’ve changed their names, and taken many steps to make sure that they feel protected. 

I’m humbled by the opportunity to host them, and you, here on Motherhood Sessions. Maybe you’ll hear yourself in some of these conversations, and realize that not alone as you may feel in a human struggle you’re going through right now. Maybe you’ll feel inspired to ask someone in your life how they’re really doing. 

We want to remind you that this show should not be used in place of medical treatment and If you’re listening and think that you’d benefit by talking to a professional, please find us on Gimlet Media dot com to get the links for some help hotlines, and if you have any feedback or questions for us, we’d love to hear from you at motherhood at Gimlet Media dot com. 

Thanks for listening.