Episode Overview

Podcast: Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky
Episode: Madelaine Petsch (Feb 10, 2026)
Theme:
Monica Lewinsky sits down with actress and producer Madelaine Petsch for a raw, wide-ranging conversation about resilience, rejection, boundaries, childhood trauma, creativity in Hollywood, and the ever-evolving quest to reclaim and redefine one’s self. The discussion weaves through Madelaine’s unique upbringing, her personal and family struggles, her process of healing, and her outspoken approach to both her art and her mental health. Together, Monica and Madelaine explore what it really means to pull oneself back from pain, harness one’s voice, and stay open to the messiness of life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Growing Up Different: Childhood, Family, and Identity

• Madelaine's Bicultural Upbringing: Raised between Washington, USA and South Africa, Madelaine grappled with feeling different—her accent, red hair, plant-based upbringing, and lack of religious affiliation as a child made her feel out of place.
  • “I was redhead. I was South African. I was not raised with religion, and I was raised plant based. So it was like, whatever I can remove from that scenario is the best case scenario for me.” (07:42)
• Parental Influence & Autonomy: Her parents provided extensive autonomy, letting her make major choices herself, including around diet and spirituality. This led to Madelaine feeling independent career-wise, but ironically indecisive in her personal life.
  • “There's a lot of trust involved, and I think that made me a very trusting person, which also has, you know, been tough for me in a city like LA.” (09:55)
• Mother as Safe Harbor: Madelaine’s mom features as a crucial non-judgmental, therapist-like figure, always offering support, absence of judgment, and space to process.
  • “She would like remove bias sometimes, honestly.” (12:12)
  • “It was almost like having a built in therapist.” (12:12)

2. The Ripple Effects of Childhood Trauma

• Father’s Volatility and Gaslighting: Madelaine digs into the “ricocheting effects” of living with a father whose mood could change suddenly, leading to lifelong hyper-vigilance and people-pleasing.
  • “I really do chameleon to behavior in the room...That's what I was taught to do as a child. My father would immediately flip on a dime...As a child, you're like, what did I just do to make him do that?” (17:33/00:06)
• Processing in Public and Family Reactions: Discussing personal family stories publicly (notably on the Call Her Daddy podcast) was daunting, but ultimately led to connection and gratitude, including from her father.
  • “My dad...was like, crying on the phone and he was like, thank you for loving me.” (18:35)
  • “This is your story, too, you can share it.” (19:11)
• Artistry as Escapism: Childhood chaos drove Madelaine to imaginative escape, fueling her artistry and passion for acting.
  • “There was so much escapism I was craving as a child, whether it be through extracurricular activities or movies...I sought being other people as an adult because I felt safer there.” (19:33)
• Shared Experience & Validation: Publicly naming her experiences resonated with listeners and created a sense of collective healing.
  • “The overwhelming amount of messages I got from people saying, like, I grew up with that as well...I made it so meaningful.” (20:15)

3. Rejection, Resilience, and Reinvention in Hollywood

• Early Career Rejection: Madelaine endured 250 auditions before landing her breakout role on Riverdale, maintaining hope and turning rejection into information.
  • “Every rejection was like, okay, let me get the note...I'd keep all of that in a notebook so I could kind of use that to my advantage.” (01:54)
• Industry’s Creativity Paradox: Both Monica and Madelaine reflect on the entertainment industry’s strange risk-aversion and how trauma or fear of rejection can stifle creativity.
  • “I sort of feel in some ways like the industry is weirdly designed to kill creativity.” (03:00, Monica)
  • “Protection also can be, like, a thief of creativity, though, in a way.” (04:02, Madelaine)
• Producing for Autonomy: Madelaine describes her journey into producing as a push for creative control and as a reaction to being typecast after Riverdale.
  • “I was taught at a very early part of my career how to produce and that my creativity and my voice was powerful.” (53:05)
  • “Why would I go make a production company and then be told what I can and cannot make?...I’d rather be fully in charge of it.” (55:33)
• Boundaries and Self-Advocacy in Work and Life: Madelaine details her progression toward setting boundaries, both in personal relationships and in professional dealings.
  • “People I love the most are the people I'm the most boundaried with.” (26:46)

4. Mental Health, Therapy & Healing Practices

• Unpacking Anxiety and OCD: Pandemic isolation intensified Madelaine’s OCD and health anxiety, prompting her to undergo brain scans and ultimately discover contributing physical factors.
  • “I went to Dr. Amen to be like, am I dying? What's wrong with my brain?...I found out that I have high...metals that were higher in my body...and that was causing anxiety.” (47:12)
• Therapy Toolbox: Somatic therapy, journaling, and routine “check-ins” become a foundation for self-awareness and healing.
  • “I still live in almost a constant state of fight or flight, that every day I have to check in and be like, you're safe. You are loved. You are enough.” (28:59)
• Ever-Evolving Process: Both guests reject the idea of being “healed”—emphasizing the ongoing nature of self-work.
  • “You're always still healing...less about this idea...I am healed from that.” (30:30, Monica)

5. Bullying, Empathy, and Character Work

• Personal and Fictional Bullies: Madelaine reflects on childhood bullying and how playing a bully (Cheryl Blossom) on Riverdale offered a portal to empathy.
  • “I started her bullying with trauma. I was like, what is making her behave like this?” (34:50)
• Reframing Childhood Pain: Madelaine now recognizes the wounds underlying bullies’ actions and has moved past needing retribution, choosing understanding.
  • “Children have something going on inside if they're treating other children badly. She certainly did.” (34:50)
• Public Revisionism: Navigating fame, Madelaine experienced former bullies both denying past harm and claiming false intimacy online.
  • “That bummed me out. And then one other girl who bullied me a lot was like, that was my best friend. And I'm like, no, you were mean to me.” (36:14)

6. The Power and Challenge of Choice

• Motherhood and Breaking Cycles: Madelaine once feared passing on her childhood pain to children; therapy reframed her perspective around agency and the ability to create a different legacy.
  • “I was kind of terrified...of giving them the same childhood that I had...Now I look at it, like, wow. I get to give a little human, like, all the love in the world that I wanted.” (39:34)
• Financial and Emotional Independence: Moving out and earning her own living empowered Madelaine to insist on healthier relationships with her family.
  • “I built a whole life. I found a support system, new friends. I built a family for myself. And I was like, I no longer have any need for this if it's not going to be how it should be.” (43:02)

7. Spirituality and Authentic Fulfillment

• Reclaiming Spirituality: Madelaine discusses reviving her spiritual practice—not as a performative routine, but as an authentic, grounding source of joy and connection.
  • “I'm currently working on reclaiming my spirituality...Getting more in touch with like nature, Mother Earth...It's not just [crystals]. There's so much more to that.” (59:05, 60:07)
• Against Performative Wellness: Both women critique the commodification of wellness and the pressure of performative spirituality.
  • “It's starting to feel a little performative in some ways.” (60:15, Monica)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Resilience in Rejection:
  • “Every no is closer to a yes.” (31:42, Madelaine)
• On Healing and Storytelling:
  • “Part of the survival...is how do we tell the story of ourselves to ourself?” (20:00, Monica)
• On Industry Risk Aversion:
  • “Filmmaking is about taking risk. Entertainment is about taking risks.” (54:36, Madelaine)
• On Boundaries:
  • “People I love the most are the people I'm the most boundaried with.” (26:46, Madelaine)
• On the Ongoing Work of Healing:
  • “It's ever evolving.” (30:54, Monica)
• On Vulnerability and Public Sharing:
  • “It was terrifying to talk about because you don't want to hurt the person that you love feelings. At the same time, though, it seemed to really matter to a larger group of people.” (20:44, Madelaine)
• On Childhood Trauma:
  • “We have all these, like, walls we've built because of our childhood trauma and the experiences we've had as adults. And we keep building these walls and trying to, like, protect this little kid inside of us.” (29:52, Madelaine)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Resilience & Rejection Sensitivity in Acting (01:11–03:00)
• Creativity, Risk, and the Paradox of Hollywood (03:00–05:16)
• The Power of Autonomy & Childhood Choice (08:09–10:58)
• Therapeutic Parenting Styles (12:12–13:03)
• Childhood Trauma & Chameleon Behavior (17:33 / 00:06, revisited at 33:32)
• Public Disclosure & Impact (19:11–20:44)
• Learning Boundaries & Emotional Sovereignty (23:44–26:46)
• Healing as a Lifelong Process / On ‘Neutral’ (30:20–45:43)
• Bullying and Empathy via Riverdale (34:50–36:42)
• Confronting Parental Gaslighting and Asserting Needs (39:56, 41:43–43:34)
• OCD, Anxiety, and Brain Scans During Pandemic (47:12–49:22)
• Reclaiming Spirituality and Authenticy (59:05–62:00)

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is vulnerable, reflective, and at times wryly humorous, marked by moments of laughter and deep candor. Monica leads with a welcoming, empathetic tone, creating space for Madelaine’s honesty and making clear the universality of messy, evolving healing. Both women’s self-awareness and affection for tangents shine throughout.

For New Listeners

This episode is a jewel for anyone interested in the intersection of personal healing, artistic expression, and the daily renegotiation of boundaries and identity. Whether you're an artist, a survivor, or simply “reclaiming” your own life, Monica and Madelaine offer wisdom and companionship for the journey.