Real Life with Radelle

Radelle

Real Life with Radelle is practical psychology for actual humans living actual lives. Hosted by psychologist Radelle Jensen, the podcast explores parenting, mental health, relationships, neurodivergence, boundaries, anxiety, behavior, connection, and the complicated reasons people do what they do. It's a powerful podcast about how cultivating connection, intentional living, and intentional thinking can change your life.  These are short, conversational episodes designed to give you something useful to think about while you’re walking the dog, driving kids around, folding laundry, working, or trying to get through the rest of your day. Radelle brings psychology out of the therapy room and into real life, with an emphasis on understanding the why underneath behaviour, making sense of our brains, building stronger relationships, and figuring out what actually helps. There are no one-size-fits-all answers here. People are nuanced, families are complicated, and sometimes the advice one person desperately needs is exactly the wrong advice for someone else. The goal is to give you useful ideas, practical tools, and different ways of looking at things, while leaving room for your own judgment, self-reflection, and lived experience. Expect conversations about raising connected kids, anxiety, ADHD and autism, emotional regulation, sibling relationships, boundaries, self-compassion, trauma, parenting without losing yourself, and the small shifts that can make everyday life feel a little easier. Real life is complicated. Psychology can help it make a little more sense.

  1. 19h ago

    How to Actually Change the Way You Think

    How to Actually Change the Way You Think In Part 2 of my CBT series, we move from simply noticing our thoughts to actually doing something with them. We talk about automatic thoughts, cognitive restructuring, cognitive reappraisal, thought records, and how to examine a thought without automatically believing it. I walk through a real-life example of feeling judged by an annoying brother-in-law — because sometimes the thought really is partly true — and explain why CBT is not about pretending everything is wonderful or forcing yourself to “think positive.” Instead, the goal is to ask: What actually happened? What did my brain tell me it meant? What evidence supports that thought? What evidence doesn’t? Is there another explanation? What is a more accurate and useful way of seeing this? We also talk about what happens in the brain during cognitive reappraisal, why changing the meaning we give a situation can influence our emotional response, and research showing that structured CBT strategies such as thought records and behavioural experiments can help shift beliefs, anxiety, and behaviour. If you are located in Alberta, and interested in therapy, reach out to radelle@radellejensenpsychology.com Disclaimer This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy, psychological treatment, diagnosis, or individualized mental-health advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a psychologist-client relationship. If you are struggling with your mental health or need support specific to your situation, consider connecting with a qualified healthcare or mental-health professional. Research mentioned McManus, F., Van Doorn, K., & Yiend, J. (2012). Examining the effects of thought records and behavioral experiments in instigating belief change. Ciharova, M., Furukawa, T. A., Efthimiou, O., et al. (2021). Cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation and cognitive-behavioral therapy in the treatment of adult depression: A network meta-analysis. Buhle, J. T., et al. (2014). Cognitive reappraisal of emotion: A meta-analysis of human neuroimaging studies. Berboth, S., & Morawetz, C. (2021). Amygdala-prefrontal connectivity during emotion regulation: A meta-analysis of psychophysiological interactions.

  2. Sep 7

    The Story Your Brain is Telling You

    In this episode of Real Life with Radelle, Radelle Jensen, a registered psychologist, introduces the foundations of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT. The way we interpret an event can influence how we feel, how our bodies respond, and what we do next. This does not mean that every thought is true, that difficult experiences are our fault, or that we can simply “think positive” to solve every problem. Instead, CBT helps us notice the stories our minds create and evaluate whether those stories are accurate, helpful, or connected to a real concern. In this episode, Radelle discusses: ● Why the same situation can lead to very different emotional reactions ● How interpretations can influence stress responses and behaviour ● Common cognitive distortions, including mind reading, catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralizing, “should” statements, personalization, and emotional reasoning ● Why CBT is not about gaslighting yourself or ignoring genuine problems ● How to distinguish between an unhelpful thinking pattern and an accurate concern ● The importance of noticing automatic thoughts before trying to change them ● How creating space between an event and your response can support greater choice and flexibility __________________________________________ About Radelle Jensen Radelle Jensen is a registered psychologist who provides general psychological education and advice through Real Life with Radelle. Radelle also offers a parenting course called Being a Happy, Connected Parent, designed to help parents build stronger relationships with their children and create more connection in everyday family life. You can learn more about the course here: https://beholdtheconnection.podia.com/being-a-happy-connected-parent ____________________________________________________ Disclaimer The information shared on Real Life with Radelle is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individualized psychological assessment, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical advice. Every person and situation is different. The strategies discussed in this episode may not be appropriate for everyone, and listening to this show does not create a psychologist-client relationship with Radelle Jensen. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, feel that you may be at risk of harming yourself or someone else, or need urgent medical or psychological support, contact your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency room. If you are in Canada or the United States, you can call or text 988 for immediate crisis support. If you are elsewhere, contact your local crisis line or emergency service. ____________________________________________________ Research: Hofmann, S. G., et al. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research. The review identified 269 meta-analytic studies of CBT and reviewed a representative group of 106 across a broad range of psychological and health-related conditions. (PubMed) Jamieson, J. P., Nock, M. K., & Mendes, W. B. (2012). Mind over matter: Reappraising arousal improves cardiovascular and cognitive responses to stress. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Participants who were taught to reinterpret stress arousal showed changes in cardiovascular responding and attention during a stressful task. (PubMed) Buhle, J. T., et al. (2014). Cognitive reappraisal of emotion: A meta-analysis of human neuroimaging studies. Cerebral Cortex. Across 48 neuroimaging studies, cognitive reappraisal consistently recruited cognitive-control regions and modulated amygdala activity. (PubMed) Berboth, S., & Morawetz, C. (2021). Amygdala-prefrontal connectivity during emotion regulation: A meta-analysis. Neuropsychologia. Findings support the involvement of prefrontal-amygdala connectivity during cognitive regulation and reappraisal of emotion. (PubMed) Atlas, L. Y. (2023). How Instructions, Learning, and Expectations Shape Pain and Neurobiological Responses. Annual Review of Neuroscience. Research on expectancy and placebo effects demonstrates that expectations can influence subjective pain through identifiable neural systems. (PubMed) Ren, J., et al. (2025). Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Brain Activation in the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety Disorders. A meta-analysis of 22 studies involving 443 patients found changes in patterns of brain activation following CBT, including regions involved in emotion regulation and cognitive control. (PubMed) Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. The cognitive model describes how our perceptions and spontaneous thoughts about situations influence emotional, behavioural, and physiological reactions; CBT teaches people to identify and evaluate these automatic thoughts rather than assuming they are facts. (Beck Institute)

4.9
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

Real Life with Radelle is practical psychology for actual humans living actual lives. Hosted by psychologist Radelle Jensen, the podcast explores parenting, mental health, relationships, neurodivergence, boundaries, anxiety, behavior, connection, and the complicated reasons people do what they do. It's a powerful podcast about how cultivating connection, intentional living, and intentional thinking can change your life.  These are short, conversational episodes designed to give you something useful to think about while you’re walking the dog, driving kids around, folding laundry, working, or trying to get through the rest of your day. Radelle brings psychology out of the therapy room and into real life, with an emphasis on understanding the why underneath behaviour, making sense of our brains, building stronger relationships, and figuring out what actually helps. There are no one-size-fits-all answers here. People are nuanced, families are complicated, and sometimes the advice one person desperately needs is exactly the wrong advice for someone else. The goal is to give you useful ideas, practical tools, and different ways of looking at things, while leaving room for your own judgment, self-reflection, and lived experience. Expect conversations about raising connected kids, anxiety, ADHD and autism, emotional regulation, sibling relationships, boundaries, self-compassion, trauma, parenting without losing yourself, and the small shifts that can make everyday life feel a little easier. Real life is complicated. Psychology can help it make a little more sense.

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