Podcast Summary: No One Is Coming to Save Us – Listen Now: Talkaboutable (Lemonada Media)

Episode Air Date: September 9, 2025
Host: Dr. Susan Swick (previewing her show, "Talk About Able")
Main Content Starts: [00:06]

Episode Overview

This episode offers a special preview of Lemonada Media's new advice show, "Talk About Able," hosted by child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Susan Swick. The focus is on helping parents navigate difficult conversations and family transitions, emphasizing curiosity, empathy, and open dialogue. The preview features a poignant therapy session where a mother explores her anxieties about introducing her new partner into her family and managing her sons' emotional responses to upcoming changes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introducing a New Partner to the Family

• The mother (Mom) shares her experience dating "Brian the dentist" and navigating her children's reactions ([01:02]).
  • Mom: "It's a little awkward and maybe it's just awkward for your mom to date and like hold hands with somebody else in the house." ([01:02])
  • She recounts specific instances of her sons, Ethan and Chase, interacting with Brian after periods apart. Notably, both boys greet Brian respectfully despite lingering awkwardness.

2. Family Bonding Moments

• The family engages in shared activities to foster connection:
  • Mom: "We, the three of us, had this incredible conversation about the Enneagram. And then we went into dinner and he wanted to play rummy 500. So then we played cards for two hours." ([02:00])
• These moments suggest progress and gradual comfort, though the mother is mindful that connection is still forming.

3. Fear and Anxiety About Change

• The mother is considering moving in with her partner — an idea she hasn't yet told her sons ([03:09]).
  • Therapist: "It sounds like you guys really talk about so much, and you have great clarity about this being a person you want to... move in with." ([03:15])
• She expresses concern about minimizing harm to both her sons and Brian.

4. Anticipation of Emotional Reactions

• Mom worries about her sons’ potential reactions: withdrawal, moodiness, or emotional outbursts ([04:10]).
  • Therapist: "So let's pause there. What happens if they act out the feelings? Like, play me that movie." ([04:10])
  • Mom: "Chase retreats to his room, spends less time out... less communicative, less talkative, and he can be snarky... Ethan gets really moody also, isolates, is not nice. And then comes back with, like, apologies and hugs." ([04:18])

5. The Complexity of Home and Grief

• The family must move due to their rented home being sold. This raises emotional challenges connected to grief — it was their last home with the children's late father.
  • Mom: "Brian died in this house. It's the last place we lived as a family. And if I let it go, I might be creating space for Brian the new—the dentist—that I didn't know I was withholding." ([05:50])
• The mother discusses the tension of honoring her sons’ feelings while also needing to make big decisions as a parent.

6. The Pressure of Change and Nonverbal Communication

• The timing of introducing new changes (the move and living together) is faster than she would prefer, but forced by external circumstances.
  • Therapist: "It sounds like... the pressure to move a little quicker than you might have moved otherwise, because you're losing this house... That might lead to them struggling and maybe even punishing you, but you can handle it... But you're worried about Brian being punished by them." ([07:22])

7. Transparency and Anticipating Children’s Awareness

• Although the formal conversation hasn't happened, the therapist points out the children likely suspect what’s happening.
  • Therapist: "I would suggest they may suspect that if he's looking with you at homes and they know that you can't keep this home..." ([08:01])
  • Mom: "They might already know, or they're wondering." ([08:28])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mom: "I want to do as little harm as possible in the process. Not just for the boys, but for the dentist, too." ([03:40])
• Therapist: "Let's pause there. What happens if they act out the feelings? Like, play me that movie." ([04:10])
• Mom: "I'm scared that they will leave and never come back to me." ([05:14])
• Mom: "If I let it go, I might be creating space for Brian the new—the dentist—that I didn't know I was withholding." ([05:50])
• Therapist: "You're worried about Brian being punished by them. And in not knowing how to inoculate against that, you're kind of waiting to say it out loud." ([07:22])

Important Timestamps

• [00:06] – Dr. Susan Swick introduces "Talk About Able"
• [01:02] – The mom describes the awkwardness of dating as a parent
• [02:00] – Family bonding moments, discussion of the Enneagram and card games
• [03:09] – Mom reveals she hasn't told her sons about moving in with her partner
• [04:10] – Therapist asks mom to envision her sons' potential reactions
• [05:50] – Discussion of the home’s connection to grief and moving forward
• [07:22] – Therapist highlights the challenges of accelerated change
• [08:28] – Acknowledgement that the children likely sense what's coming

Tone & Format

The conversation is empathetic, thoughtful, and filled with humor and honesty. Dr. Swick models curiosity and openness as she guides parents through uncertainty, emphasizing that parenting isn’t about perfect answers, but about making every topic discussable—“talk aboutable.”

Takeaway

The episode provides a relatable, emotionally nuanced look at the complexities of family transitions after loss, cohabitation, and maintaining open communication with children through uncertain and challenging times. It underscores the importance of honoring both parental authority and children's feelings, and gently reminds listeners that the hard conversations are often the most important.