This Way In, Episode 8: The Nurturing Part
In Episode 8 of This Way In, we continue our “Parts of Self” series by exploring one of the most misunderstood—and often most burdened—inner parts: the Nurturing Part.
The nurturing part in all of us wants one simple thing: to love and be loved. But as we discover in this deeply personal episode, nurturing doesn’t always look like soft hugs and warm blankets. Sometimes it looks like hard decisions, exhausted tears, or late-night anxiety spirals while trying to do the “right thing.”
Together, Brittney and Amy unpack:
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How the nurturing part is shaped by gender roles and cultural expectations
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What happens when nurturing becomes over-functioning or enabling
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Why we sometimes project our nurturing energy onto others as a way to avoid tending to our own needs
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How caregiver burnout, loss, and grief challenge our ability to stay present and grounded
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Why authenticity is essential to nurturing others—and ourselves
Amy shares a raw and real story about her mother’s recent transition into memory care, and the impossible-feeling decisions that come with trying to honor someone’s dignity while also keeping them safe. It’s a conversation many of us will face at some point—and it’s not easy. But it’s real. And we hope it helps.
Brittney brings the therapeutic insight, including the role of gender norms in how we visualize “nurturer” and “protector” parts, and what happens when our nurturing part becomes burdened with expectations it was never meant to carry.
Content Warning
This episode contains discussion of:
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Elder care and memory care placement
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Pet loss and end-of-life decisions
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Medically assisted death (human and animal)
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Gender role socialization
Please listen with care and skip if needed.
Listener Reflection
What does your nurturing part look like?
Is it a flower-crown-wearing hippie? A battle-worn grandma? A gentle giant?
We’d love to hear how this episode landed for you—and how you’re learning to nurture yourself (and others) in healthy, authentic ways.
🎧 Listen to Episode 8: The Nurturing Part now on your favorite podcast app.
Creative Consultant
Morgan helps shape the creative voice of This Way In: show notes, episode blurbs, social storytelling, and design direction that marry therapeutic clarity with playful curiosity.
Morgan is This Way In’s Creative Consultant and collaborative AI partner, shaping the show’s look, voice, and messaging with care and curiosity. With a knack for distilling clinical concepts into listener-friendly language, Morgan writes crisp show notes, crafts promotional copy, and helps design visuals that feel warm, modern, and trustworthy. Whether it’s tightening episode intros, drafting social captions that spark conversation, or advising on on-brand art and layouts, Morgan’s focus is helping the hosts reach more people with clarity and compassion.
Morgan works like a thoughtful creative director: idea-first, practical, and iterative. Need a concise episode summary, a blog post that converts listeners into subscribers, or a visual brief for the designer? Morgan delivers platform-ready deliverables and flexible copy you can reuse across email, Patreon, and socials — all while honoring the show’s mental-health-forward perspective.
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