Episode 53: Let Them Fail | Therapists, Adolescents, and the Audacity to Be Human

In this raw and wide-ranging episode of Tell Me About Your Mother, Evan and Melissa explore what it means to be a therapist, parent, and human being—flawed, opinionated, and under pressure to perform. From setting boundaries on the soccer field to navigating adolescent risk-taking and drug use, the conversation covers the deep discomfort of losing control, the power of regulation, and the dangers of sanitized professionalism.

Topics include:

• Why regulating yourself is the most powerful parenting move
• The limits of behavioral control in adolescence
• The dark side of data, AI, and digital permanence
• Why therapists shouldn’t have to apologize for being human
• Self-diagnosis trends and the loss of clinical nuance

Whether you’re a clinician, a parent, or just someone trying not to lose it in public—this episode is your permission slip.

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