PODCAST · health
Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity
by Leslie Mathews
Pulling Threads is a podcast for women navigating life, career, past and current trauma, breakups and divorce, motherhood, reinvention, and the brave work of becoming who they’re meant to be. Hosted by therapist, coach, and founder of The LooM Life, Leslie Mathews, JD, MSW, this show blends trauma-informed guidance, nervous system education, and meaningful conversations about the patterns that shape our relationships, identity, and purpose. Each episode explores the complicated places where life asks us to grow — healing from emotional abuse, rebuilding after divorce, midlife identity shifts, attachment wounds, dating again, motherhood, and rediscovering your voice. Many guests share their own stories of reinvention, entrepreneurship, career pivots, and stepping into authenticity, offering inspiration and practical wisdom for women building new chapters. Through expert interviews, personal storytelling, and mindfulness
Episodes
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Why I Call Myself a Guide, Not a Coach
Divorce coach or therapist? If neither feels quite right, there's a reason, and it isn't you. Here's why I call myself a guide. ▶ Work with Leslie: https://theloomlife.com ▶ Still deciding whether to stay or go? Start with Mending or Moving On: https://theloomlife.com/op/mending-or-moving-on When…
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Why your friend gets meaner when you’re happy
You drove home replaying a comment that was “just a joke.” Someone close to you gets a little sharper every time your life gets better — and you’re starting to wonder if you’re the problem. You’re not. Here’s what’s actually happening, and what to do about it without blowing up the relationship.…
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How to Find Yourself Again: 4 Wrong Turns to Avoid
You keep waiting to feel like yourself again before you start doing the things a person like you would do.That is the wrong order, and it is why so many people try to come home to themselves, fail, and decide something is wrong with them. Nothing is wrong with you. You were given the wrong...
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I don’t know who I am outside of being a mom
You can name every birthday, every grade, every photo — and still not recognize the woman in them. This is the episode about the decade so many of us lose, and how to tell the difference between sacrificing for your children and disappearing into them. Work with Leslie →...
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The You, The Me, The We. What Happens When We Lose Ourselves in Love
You didn't lose yourself all at once. You said yes to one thing that wasn't yours, and then another, and then another. Shoutout to James Sexton, NYCDivorceLawyer on IG for the inspiration for today's episode! This is the episode about how that happens — and how you come back. → Work with me, one…
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What Women Get Wrong About Divorce: A Lawyer’s Hard Truths
Divorce advice for women from an attorney who has spent 20 years representing women only. Heather Quick, founder and CEO of Florida Women's Law Group, joins Leslie to share what two decades of women's stories have taught her about courage, boundaries, and becoming, and the hard truths about…
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’Til Death Do Us Part Is the Easiest Vow You’ll Make
'Til death do us part is the easiest vow you'll ever make, and that's exactly the problem. This is Part 2 of The Six Words, a series about the promise almost all of us have made and almost none of us have questioned. In Part 1, I traced where those words came from, and how "'til death" once meant...
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Till Death Do Us Part: The Vow We Stretched by 38 Years
“Till death do us part” was written in 1549, when the average person lived to 43. It promised about 19 years. Today it is asked to cover 57. Same six words. Nearly triple the sentence. And we have been quietly blaming ourselves for the difference ever since. If you have ever stood in a hard…
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Narcissistic Abuse Recovery: Why Your Brain Bonds to Pain
Trauma bonding is not weakness. It is neurobiology. In this teaching session, therapist and coach Leslie Mathews explains exactly what happens in your brain and body inside an emotionally abusive relationship -- and why leaving is so much harder than anyone outside it understands. Ready for...
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Burnout Recovery for Working Moms: Why Hustle Fails
Burnout recovery is not a personal willpower problem — and if you are a working parent trying to hold a demanding job and a full life at the same time, this conversation will name something you have been carrying quietly. Leslie sits down with Jessica Lattif, founder of Not Working in Tech, a...
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Rebuilding Confidence After Leaving: Taking Up Space Again
Rebuilding confidence after starting over doesn’t happen all at once. It happens one small, brave choice at a time. In this episode of Pulling Threads, Cammy De shares what it really looks like to reclaim your voice and take up space again while you’re still in the middle of healing. Cammy didn’t...
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The Neuroscience of Heartbreak: Why You Feel Stuck & How to Heal
The neuroscience of why heartbreak physically hurts — and how to rewire a brain stuck in survival mode. In this episode of Pulling Threads, Leslie Mathews welcomes her first-ever male guest, mental health creator and coach Collin Patrick, for an honest conversation about overthinking, emotional...
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She Left a 6-Figure Career to Heal Her Marriage
What happens when a high-achieving wife and mom walks away from a 15-year, six-figure career to heal her body, her marriage, and her family? In this conversation, Kayla Licari shares how leaving her physician assistant career unraveled the deeper truth she had been carrying, chronic back pain,...
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Reclaiming Intimacy: Healing Self-Abandonment in Women
If years of over-functioning have left you feeling checked out, numb, or disconnected from your own life, this episode is for you. Sex therapist and intimacy coach Dr. Tabitha Taylor joins Leslie to talk about what it really means to reclaim intimacy from the inside out — and why it starts with...
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Dating After Divorce: Boyfriend vs Husband
Dating after divorce as a man can feel like you’ve become a whole different person — steadier, easier to be with. Here’s the honest why. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ WORK WITH LESLIE 1:1 → Book a private, no-pressure discovery call: [1:1 COACHING DISCOVERY CALL — confirm booking URL] The Loom...
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Why the Honeymoon Phase Fades — And How to Keep It
KEEP THE SPARK: STAYING SECURE AND DESIROUS The honeymoon phase fades for almost everyone — but the spark doesn’t have to. In this solo episode, Leslie Mathews unpacks what early passion is really made of and how to stay both secure AND desirous for the long haul. ➤ Work with Leslie 1:1...
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The Classy Girl’s Guide to Divorce: Staying Steady When It Falls Apart
Divorce doesn’t just end a marriage — it shakes your nervous system, your finances, and your sense of self. In this episode of Pulling Threads, therapist Kimberly McNary, LMFT, and host Leslie Mathews talk through how to move through divorce with clarity and steadiness instead of being run by...
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Starting Over at 50: Leaving a Life That Looked Good on Paper
What does it actually look like to leave a life that looks good on paper — a 20-year marriage, a competitive athletic identity, a familiar world — and rebuild from scratch in your 50s? In this episode of Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity, Leslie sits down with Jen Rulon — midlife…
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The Ambition Penalty: Why Women Get Punished for Asking
What if your burnout isn't a personal failure — but a systemic one? Award-winning journalist Stefanie O'Connell joins Leslie to unpack The Ambition Penalty. 📕 Get Stefanie's book: https://tooambitious.com/book/ 💧 Ready to move through your divorce with structure and support? Explore THROUGH,...
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Touch Hunger: The Loneliness No One Warns Divorced Men About
Touch hunger is the loneliness no one warns divorced men about — when the isolation stops being emotional and becomes physical. (For the Boys, Round 10.) 🧭 Work with Leslie 1:1. Book a free discovery call → [INSERT DIRECT BOOKING LINK] Coaching: theloomlife.com Leslie: leslieellenmathews.com...
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Reclaiming Your Voice After Religious Trauma | Kate Johnson
What happens when the systems that raised you also silenced you? In this episode, memoirist and survivor advocate Kate Johnson joins Leslie to talk about religious trauma, purity culture, and the long road of finding your voice after a lifetime of being told to stay quiet. Kate grew up a pastor's...
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Blindsided by Divorce: Why Men Don’t See It Coming
If she left and you never saw it coming, you’re not broken — and you’re not alone. Book a free discovery call → theloomlife.com In this “For the Boys” episode, Leslie Mathews — former attorney turned coach — unpacks one of the most common experiences divorced men share in private: “I didn’t see…
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Trauma Bonds, Abandonment & Unsafe Love | Petrona Joseph
Why do we keep choosing partners who hurt us? In this episode, mental health advocate and author Petrona Joseph joins Leslie to unpack trauma bonds, unsafe love, and the abandonment wound that drives the loop. ▶ WORK WITH LESLIE 8-week divorce recovery program — THROUGH:...
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Male Loneliness: Why Men Lose Friends After 40
Why do so many men have no close friends by 50? In For the Boys (Ep. 7), Leslie pulls back the threads on male loneliness — and the hidden flaw in how men build friendship. → Work with Leslie 1:1 (book a discovery call): theloomlife.com → In Florida? Therapy with Leslie: loomlifetherapy.com →…
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Money Blocks are Trauma: Why Abundance Work Fails
Money is never just money. In this solo episode of Pulling Threads, Leslie Mathews explores why money affirmations and manifestation so often fail — and why real abundance work has to happen in the body, the nervous system, and the family story you inherited. ➤ Ready to do this work with support?...
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Burnout, Divorce & How to Start Over with Purpose
What if rock bottom is actually solid ground for the first time? Ariane Vera on starting over after burnout & divorce. ▸ THROUGH — Leslie's 8-week divorce coaching program: https://theloomlife.com/throughdivorceprogram ▸ The Atelier — Ariane's membership for women building businesses:...
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Men’s Anger After Divorce: The 4 Emotions Underneath
Men's anger after divorce isn't really about anger — it's a translator for grief, fear, shame, and longing. Book a discovery call: [DISCOVERY CALL URL] | theloomlife.com If you're a man who is divorced, separating, or on the other side of a long marriage that ended in any direction, this episode…
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Stop Trying to Fix Him: The Michelangelo Effect
Are you in love with a man you’re quietly trying to fix? This episode names the pattern, the psychology behind it, and the way out. There is a script some of us learned long before we ever met him: love hard enough, see deeply enough, hold space generously enough, and you can reach the wounded…
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Healing After Divorce: Nervous System Reset & Self-Trust
Healing after divorce starts in the body — not the spreadsheet. In this conversation, crisis coach Pamela Dussault joins Leslie Mathews to share why nervous system reset has to come before any of the practical work, and how women rebuild self-trust after an abusive marriage, burnout, or...
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They Told You Women Want a Beast
The internet keeps telling men that women secretly want a “beast” — that dominance, danger, and edge are what really attract her, and that being kind makes you invisible. In this episode of Pulling Threads (For the Boys, Episode 5), Leslie Mathews takes that advice seriously instead of dismissing...
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What an Avoidant Man Actually Wants, and The Part Nobody Talks About
If you've been dating an avoidant man and you can't quite name what you've been tracking — this is for you. There's a paradox he can't articulate, and you've been guessing for your whole relationship. Today it gets language. 👉 Ready to stop performing your way through this? Book a 1:1 discovery...
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Reinventing Yourself After Big Life Pivots | Chelsea Freeman
Former model and longtime QVC host Chelsea Freeman on what it actually takes to reinvent yourself after a major life pivot — and why looking good has nothing to do with vanity. 🌿 Work with Leslie: https://theloomlife.com ✨ THROUGH — 8-Week Divorce Program:...
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For Men: Avoidant Attachment in Men And What They Actually Want
Avoidant attachment in men isn't about not wanting love. It's about a paradox almost no one names: you want her to choose you completely AND have a full life that doesn't depend on you. This episode names it. 👉 For the woman in your life who's been confused by you: send her the companion episode...
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The Disappearing “I”: When Women Lose Themselves in Love
In a recent therapy session, my therapist asked me a simple question I couldn't answer: "How would it feel to say I?" I couldn't. ✨ If this episode names something you've been carrying, I work with women on exactly this at The Loom Life → https://theloomlife.com ✨ Ready for structured support...
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Sent Away at 16: A Troubled Teen Industry Survivor’s Story
What happens to a teenager who's sent away to be "fixed"? Kaila Miller spent 48 weeks inside a residential program at 16 — and now she's a therapist helping families heal differently. ✨ FROM LESLIE 🌐 theloomlife.com | loomlifetherapy.com | leslieellenmathews.com 💌 Book a discovery call →...
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Grounded Masculinity: What Women Actually Scan For
Grounded masculinity isn't a performance — it's a state. What women's nervous systems actually scan for, from a therapist's perspective. 🔗 Work with Leslie 1:1: https://theloomlife.com 🎧 Subscribe to Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity for the rest of the For the Boys playlist. In Episode 2…
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Healing During and After Divorce: Body, Mind, & Nervous System
Divorce isn't just emotional — it's physiological. In this solo episode, Leslie walks you through whole-person healing → theloomlife.com Work with Leslie: → THROUGH (8-week divorce coaching program): theloomlife.com/through → Mindful Untangling Community: theloomlife.com/community → Book a...
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Burnout, Manifesting & Reinvention w/ Emmy Winner Cassidy Gard
Burnout, manifesting & reinvention — Cassidy Gard shares her raw journey from Good Morning America to author & mother. 🔗 Pre-order Cosmic Goodness (May 12, 2026): https://amzn.to/4sTTAD3 🌐 Cassidy's website: https://www.cosmicgoodness.com 🌿 Work with Leslie: https://www.theloomlife.com |...
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Why Divorce Loneliness Hits Men So Hard (And What’s Actually Happening)
Why Divorce Loneliness Hits Men So Hard (And What's Actually Happening) This one is for the men. Specifically the men 40 to 60 who are coming out of a long marriage and don't have language for what their body is doing without her in it. Most of the content out there for divorced men is either...
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Self-Care Isn’t Enough: Heal Trauma with Self-Regulation
Free trauma regulation guidebook from Ashley Anne: substack.com/@gravitypointinstitute Work with Leslie: theloomlife.com What if trauma work didn’t have to feel like guesswork? In this episode of Pulling Threads, Leslie sits down with Ashley Anne, PhD — trauma specialist, neuro counselor, TEDx...
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Finding Your Voice Again: Heal Through Music | Demaree Hill
What happens when the voice that was taken from you becomes the very thing that heals you? In this powerful episode of Pulling Threads, Leslie sits down with Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and vocal coach Demaree Hill — a Broadway performer, single mom, and the woman who recorded a duet with...
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The Divorce Glow Up, What Social Media Is Not Showing You
Ready to do the real work? Join THROUGH: https://theloomlife.com/throughdivorceprogram or Book a call: theloomlife.com The divorce glow up is everywhere on TikTok right now. The before-and-after side-by-sides. The captions: "The divorce effect is real. No lab coat required." And honestly? I love...
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Divorce Financial Clarity: What a CDFA Wants You to Know
Divorce financial planning starts before you hire a lawyer — and the team you build changes everything. 📖 Melissa's book — Divorce by Design: https://amzn.to/4e5znpU ───────────────────────────────────── What if divorce didn't have to feel like chaos? In this episode of Pulling Threads, host...
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Why Friends Gossip During Your Divorce And How to Heal
When a friend gossips about your divorce or breakup, it's not just betrayal — it's trauma. Here's what the research says, and how to heal. 🔗 Work with Leslie: www.theloomlife.com There is a specific kind of pain that happens when you're going through the hardest thing in your life — a breakup, a...
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When Friends Aren’t Enough | Erin Snow & The Unmuted Room
What do you do when you need to talk — but you're not looking for advice, just to be heard? Erin Snow is a Professional Listener and founder of The Unmuted Room, a first-of-its-kind confidential listening space in Newington, New Hampshire — also available virtually. Most people have no truly...
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When You Feel Nothing... Divorce Numbness
You expected grief. You expected rage. What you didn't expect was... nothing. In this episode, Leslie unpacks the science behind that strange, flat, disconnected feeling that so many women experience after betrayal and divorce — and why it's not emptiness, weakness, or avoidance. It's called…
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Mom Burnout, Self-Doubt & Career Transitions | Liz Bakshi
Burnt out, stuck & scared to make a move? LCSW + Women’s Empowerment Coach Liz Bakshi gets real about mom burnout, self-doubt, and what it actually takes for professional mothers to stop putting themselves last. ✨ WORK WITH LIZ BAKSHI 📲 Instagram: @lizbakshicoaching 👥 Free Facebook Community…
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Surviving Covert Narcissistic Abuse: Kids, Courts & Money
What happens when you leave a covert narcissist — but the war doesn't end? In this episode of Pulling Threads, I sit down with Trish Michael, author, publisher, and creator of trauma-informed books and courses for families healing from narcissistic abuse and high conflict divorce. Trish spent 20...
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Is it Intuition or a Trauma Response? How to Tell the Difference
Have you ever felt consumed by doubt about someone you love — and nothing happened to explain it? In this episode, I'm sharing something deeply personal: trust issues that surfaced out of nowhere, no trigger, no cause — just the feeling, growing louder. As a therapist and someone who has done…
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Navigating Trauma in Family Court After Emotional Abuse
Divorce trauma, family court, and emotional abuse are deeply connected — but almost no one prepares women for what actually happens inside the family court system. In this episode of Pulling Threads, therapist and divorce support specialist Leslie Mathews explains why many women leaving…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Pulling Threads is a podcast for women navigating life, career, past and current trauma, breakups and divorce, motherhood, reinvention, and the brave work of becoming who they’re meant to be. Hosted by therapist, coach, and founder of The LooM Life, Leslie Mathews, JD, MSW, this show blends trauma-informed guidance, nervous system education, and meaningful conversations about the patterns that shape our relationships, identity, and purpose.
Each episode explores the complicated places where life asks us to grow — healing from emotional abuse, rebuilding after divorce, midlife identity shifts, attachment wounds, dating again, motherhood, and rediscovering your voice. Many guests share their own stories of reinvention, entrepreneurship, career pivots, and stepping into authenticity, offering inspiration and practical wisdom for women building new chapters.
Through expert interviews, personal storytelling, and mindfulness
HOSTED BY
Leslie Mathews
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity have?
Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity about?
Pulling Threads is a podcast for women navigating life, career, past and current trauma, breakups and divorce, motherhood, reinvention, and the brave work of becoming who they’re meant to be. Hosted by therapist, coach, and founder of The LooM Life, Leslie Mathews, JD, MSW, this show blends...
How often does Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity release new episodes?
Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity?
You can listen to Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity?
Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity is created and hosted by Leslie Mathews.
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