Third Space Podcast

WHIRL - Women Helping In Real Life - with Jennifer and Ashleigh
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Weekly

Hosted by Ashleigh and Jennifer, Third Space Conversations is a podcast dedicated to the beauty of unfiltered, authentic connection. Every episode explores the challenges, triumphs, and everyday realities of navigating life, business, and personal growth. We dive into the topics that matter most to women—building boundaries, finding your village, pursuing your passions, and learning how to show up for yourself so you can show up for others. Third Space Conversations is the official audio companion to WHIRL (Women Helping In Real Life).

  1. 5d ago

    Episode 30 - Family Dynamics

    Why can we be confident, capable adults everywhere else, then slip back into old roles as soon as we’re around family? The responsible one, the funny one, the peacemaker, the quiet one. Often nobody asks us to play the part. We just do. This week on Third Space Conversations, Jennifer and Ashleigh look at the family version of ourselves. Jennifer talks about growing up as the goofy, quiet middle child in a big blended family, and about why she still gets quieter around family even though she’s comfortable leading people at work. Together they ask how much of who we are around family is really us, and how much is who we’ve always been expected to be. This isn’t an episode about fixing your family or diagnosing anyone. It’s about noticing the patterns, working out which ones still fit, and deciding how you want to show up. In this episode, we explore: The family version of ourselves, and whether it matches the person the rest of the world seesThe roles we were given versus the ones we chose: responsible child, rebel, peacemaker, funny oneWhy two siblings can grow up in the same house and remember completely different childhoodsWhy family can be complicated even when it’s healthy, including blended families, belonging and loyaltyWhy we sometimes have less patience for family than for strangersHow childhood roles show up in our careers, marriages, friendships and leadershipWhen being dependable turns into being taken for grantedWhether we can change the dynamic without changing the relationshipHow to stop reacting like your younger self when someone pushes an old buttonQuestions to sit with: If your family met the person you are at work, would they recognize you?Are you still playing a role because your family expects it, or because it’s comfortable?What is one thing you’ve outgrown that your family may not realize you’ve outgrown?This week’s reflectionWhen you’re around your family, are you showing up as the person you are today, or the person you learned to be years ago? Maybe it’s a bit of both, and that’s okay. But if there’s a part of yourself you’ve been holding back, it might be worth asking why.

  2. Oct 29

    Episode 29 - Gratitude Without Toxic Positivity

    Episode 29: Gratitude Without Toxic Positivity Have you ever been having a rough day, only to be told, "At least you have a roof over your head"? While meant to offer perspective, forced optimism often leaves us feeling guilty for having real, valid human emotions. In this episode of Third Space Conversations, Jennifer Harvey and Ashleigh Barcuch unpack the difference between authentic gratitude and performative optimism. Together, they explore: How "gratitude pressure" shows up in careers, business, and daily life. The boundary between healthy appreciation and emotional suppression. Why acknowledging hard realities allows for genuine growth rather than forced contentment. Practical ways to practice gratitude without ignoring your truth. Reflection Question: What does genuine gratitude look like in your life, and have you ever felt pressured to be thankful when what you really needed was permission to be honest? Connect & Community: Join Us in Austin: If you’re in the Austin area, join us at WHIRL (Women Helping in Real Life)! We meet Friday mornings from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM at the Rethink Wealth office (just south of The Domain) to continue these conversations in person. Share the Episode: Know someone who needs permission to feel what they feel today? Send this episode their way! Stay curious. Stay connected. And we’ll meet you in the third space.

  3. Oct 23

    Episode 28 - The Busy Trap

    Episode description Are we really as busy as we say we are—or have we become attached to being needed? In this episode of Third Space Conversations, Jennifer and Ashleigh explore why busyness has become a badge of honor, how productivity can sometimes disguise avoidance, and what we might be missing while we're working so hard to keep everything together. From the mental load women often carry to the expectations we place on ourselves, this conversation asks a question worth considering: Are we building fulfilling lives, or simply filling every available moment? Join us for an honest, sometimes uncomfortable, and occasionally hilarious conversation about identity, responsibility, and making room for what matters. This week's reflection: What would you make room for if you weren't trying to prove anything?

  4. Oct 14

    Episode 27 - Trusting your Intuition

    Jennifer and Ashleigh discuss, bad hair and all, what it really means to trust your intuition. Have you ever just known something was off before anyone said a word? Or felt pulled toward a choice that made no sense on paper and turned out to be exactly right? They dig into what intuition actually is, where it comes from, and why so many of us have learned to talk ourselves out of it. They look at the science behind gut feelings, from fast pattern recognition to the body signals that show up before your mind catches up. Then they take on the hard part: telling true intuition apart from anxiety, fear, and old wounds that sound a lot like wisdom. How do you choose whose advice deserves weight? Does that person understand the situation, or only the version you have presented? Are you asking for information, a challenge, reassurance, or permission? Can you disagree with someone you respect without dismissing what they know? Your challenge this week: Notice one gut feeling a day. Write it down. You don’t have to act on it yet. Just start listening again. We want to hear from you! Reflect on these, or send us your answers: When did your gut tell you something before you had proof, and were you right?Tell us about a time you ignored your intuition. What did it cost you, and what did you learn?When has trusting your gut led you somewhere you never would have planned?How do you tell the difference between intuition and fear in your own body?Whose voice do you hear when you doubt yourself, and is it really yours?What’s one thing your gut has been telling you lately that you haven’t acted on yet?

  5. Oct 8

    Episode 26 - Intimacy and Vulnerability

    What does it actually take to be known? This week Ashleigh and Jennifer welcome a guest who knows Ashleigh better than almost anyone: her partner, Ben. Together they unpack the difference between intimacy and vulnerability, why letting someone see you can feel like weakness from the inside and courage from the outside, and what it looks like to practice closeness while raising a family and building businesses side by side.  In this episode:  • Intimacy vs. vulnerability, and the five kinds of intimacy  • Bids for connection and why small moments matter more than grand gestures • Men, emotional armor and what makes it safe to be seen  • Staying close through distance, stress and big life transitions  • Intimacy beyond romance: friendship, community and being known by your people • A lightning round of questions designed to build closeness  This week's challenge: Pick one person and share something true you'd normally keep to yourself. Start small. Notice what happens.  Resources mentioned: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson, Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel, All About Love by bell hooks, and the Gottman Institute's work on bids for connection.  Find your people: whirl.network  Third Space Conversations is hosted by Ashleigh Barcuch and Jennifer Harvey.

  6. Oct 7

    Episode 25 - Who Are You Really?

    Jennifer and Isi discuss finding out who you really are, when no one needs anything from you, and how to stay in that mindset when they do.

  7. Sep 23

    Episode 24 - The Masks We Wear

    Ashleigh and Jennifer welcome Cateryn Anez, founder of Cate Jewelry, to discuss the masks we wear, where they come from, and how we learn when we wear the mask or the mask wears us. Check out Cateryn's jewelry line, Cate, here: https://cateryn.com/

  8. Sep 16

    Episode 23 - Balance is a Lie

    This week, Jennifer and Ashleigh welcome guest Stephanie Louie to discuss what balance looks like - work, life, personal, relationships - all of it, and why the idea of having balance between them all is just another potentially toxic field of rhetoric when what we really need to find is what is good enough and what helps us feel aligned to what we want and need and who we truly are.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Hosted by Ashleigh and Jennifer, Third Space Conversations is a podcast dedicated to the beauty of unfiltered, authentic connection. Every episode explores the challenges, triumphs, and everyday realities of navigating life, business, and personal growth. We dive into the topics that matter most to women—building boundaries, finding your village, pursuing your passions, and learning how to show up for yourself so you can show up for others. Third Space Conversations is the official audio companion to WHIRL (Women Helping In Real Life).

Information

  • Creator
    WHIRL - Women Helping In Real Life - with Jennifer and Ashleigh
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © WHIRL - Women Helping In Real Life - with Jennifer and Ashleigh
  • Show Website
    Third Space Podcast