Why Women Are Exhausted: The Price of Carrying Care in a World That Doesn't Value It

This week's Healing Her Story episode opens a new cycle with a focus on care. What it costs. Who provides it. And why so many women are running on empty.Riva revisits a conversation she started on the show last year, this time with a deeper understanding, not just intellectually, but in her own body and nervous system.But this carries profound wisdom about what happens when an entire society fails to value the work that holds it together.In this episode, Riva breaks down the staggering economic reality of unpaid care work in America, the racial disparities within that data, and why care work remains one of the most undervalued forms of labor in the world. She explores the biological truth that oxytocin, not dopamine, is the primary regulator of the female nervous system, and why so many women are not receiving the reciprocal connection their bodies actually need to thrive.She also gets personal, sharing her own ongoing search for answers through the Western medical system, and why so many women leave talk therapy feeling like it simply wasn't built for them.In this episode Riva explores:The real dollar value of unpaid care work and why the numbers look different across raceWhy care work is the most essential industry in the world and remains chronically underpaidThe biological need for oxytocin in the female nervous system and why dopamine-driven productivity culture leaves women depletedWhy your rage, anxiety, and exhaustion are not problems to fix but intelligent responses to an oppressive systemWhat it actually means to receive care rather than only give itThis episode closes with three questions Riva invites you to sit with: do you see your caregiving as valuable, do you feel obligated to care for others at the expense of yourself, and is it easier to show up for others than for yourself.Send us Fan Mail Our intro and outro song, Reclamation (Reborn), is an anthem of remembering.This song was created as a companion for the healing journey, especially for women reclaiming their voices, their rhythms, and their belonging in a world shaped by patriarchy.You’re invited to listen, feel, and let the music meet you wherever you are.Looking for support? Here's how to go deeper:Book a Somatic Assessment: Your 75-min 1:1 virtual session to explore what your body is holding and shape a personalized care plan. Book HereFree Trauma Recovery Mini-Course: A self-guided intro to trauma recovery and nervous system care. Download Here1:1 and Group Support: Virtual and in-person offerings. Learn MoreMeditations on Insight Timer: Guided practices for nervous system regulation. Listen HereWatch Reclamation: A music video and expressive arts project. Watch HereFollow on Instagram: @healingherstorypodcastSubscribe so you never miss an episode. Email [email protected] or DM @healingherstorypodcast on Instagram.