What We Carry

In this deeply personal episode, Host Amie is joined by a surprise guest: her husband, Cole. Together, they pull back the curtain on what it actually looks like to navigate a "cycle-aware partnership." If you haven’t listened to Episode 8: Mindful Cycles with MC Decker, head there first! That conversation set the stage for this one, and you’ll want that context before diving into Amie and Cole’s reflection. In this episode, we discuss: •How Cole went from thinking Amie’s cycle was "just her thing to deal with" to realizing it’s a team effort that impacts the entire home. •How using language like luteal phase and progesterone replaces frustration with compassion and stops the "filling in the gaps" stories. •Amie hits Cole with a massive question about whether men learning about cycles can actually dismantle the patriarchy—and his answer might surprise you. •We tackle the "irrational" narrative used to keep women out of leadership why this is about power and control, not biology. This isn’t just a "women’s issue." As Cole says, it’s a team effort. Whether you have a cycle or you love someone who does, this episode is an invitation to stop walking on eggshells and start building a more solid, connected relationship. Resources & Ways to Support: As mentioned in the episode, silence and stigma carry a global cost. Here are ways to learn more and take action: • Moon Time Connections: An Indigenous-led group supporting menstrual equity across Turtle Island. • Free Periods Canada: Grassroots advocacy and education to end period poverty in Canada. • The Menstrual Equity Fund: Learn about Canada’s national pilot project to address barriers to access. • Plan International Canada: Read the reports on period stigma and how it impacts safety and education. • World Economic Forum: Closing the women’s health gap and the economic power of menstrual equity. Work With Amie: If you’re feeling a disconnect in your partnership or struggling to navigate your cycle and grief, you don’t have to do it alone. Amie works with individuals and couples to find stability and connection. • Book a Consultation: www.tworiverstherapy.ca

Have you ever felt like a different person from one week to the next? One moment you’re moving through the world with ease and energy, and the next, you’re met with a heavy wave of what we call biological whiplash. Today on What We Carry, I’m joined by MC Decker, a Registered Psychologist and the founder of Mindful Cycles. MC’s work is a bridge between the clinical and the deeply personal, helping us understand that our hormonal shifts aren't "glitches" in our personality—they are part of the very rhythm of our lives. In this episode, we sit with the complexities of the cycling body, exploring: • Why we feel a sudden shift in the second half of our month, and how to stop viewing our natural "protection mode" as a flaw. • Anger as an Invitation: Moving away from the shame of "PMS" and toward the wisdom of our irritability—what is our body trying to tell us about our boundaries? • The Silence of the System: A look at why we weren’t taught these fundamentals of our own anatomy and how we can begin to reclaim that missing narrative. • The Living Spiral: How cycle awareness acts as a physical mirror to the Spiral of Integration, helping us live in harmony with the things that shape us. Whether you have a cycle or you are walking alongside someone who does, this conversation is an invitation to move out of resistance and into a radical, compassionate acceptance of your own biology. Resources for the Journey: • Connect with MC Decker: Explore her work at www.mindfulcycles.com. • The Red School: Dive into the practice of Menstrual Cycle Awareness at www.redschool.net. • Sarah Hill’s Research: Learn more about the "Period Brain" at www.sarahehill.com. Work With Me: If you’re navigating your own spiral and looking for a therapeutic space that honors both your mental health and your biological reality, I would love to support you. I am currently accepting new clients for cycle-informed therapy at Two Rivers Therapy. You can book a consultation or learn more at www.tworiverstherapy.ca. Connect with the Show: • Host: Amie Nelson • Podcast: What We Carry • Listen & Subscribe: Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere you get your podcasts. If this episode moved you, please consider sharing it with a friend. Let's keep carrying the conversation together.

In this raw solo reflection, Amie Nelson revisit's the conversation she had with her husband just before hitting 'publish' on Episode 1—and the realization that while putting ourselves out there gets easier, it never truly becomes easy. Amie dives into the difference between "Healing" and "Integration," offering a powerful reframe for those who feel like they are "failing" because old triggers have resurfaced. Using the metaphors of the Growth Spiral and the Closed Door, she explores the physical and emotional cost of perfectionism and shares a hard-won lesson in self-compassion from her time as a social worker in a high-stakes Emergency Department. If you’ve ever felt like you’re circling the same pain points, this episode is a reminder: You aren’t back at square one. You’re just seeing the view from a higher floor. Connect with Amie: • Work with me: I am currently accepting new clients. If you are looking for a therapeutic space to explore your own "spiral" and start the work of integration, please reach out for a consultation through my website www.tworiverstherapy.ca or email me at [email protected] • Instagram: Hang out with me for more reflections on art, reading, and the messy process of living at @therapywithamie • Clinic Updates: Stay connected with the practice at @tworiver.therapy Coming in April: Keep an ear out for a series of exciting announcements dropping throughout this month! Make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss the new resources and ways to connect. Next Time: Amie sits down with registered psychologist M.C. Decker for a deep dive into Menstrual Cycle Awareness and the visceral impact of hormonal cycles on our mental health.

What does it actually look like to sit in the dark with someone without trying to turn on a light? In this episode, I’m joined by my best friend of 12 years, Bree. We are pulling back the curtain on our friendship and discussing identity, mental illness, grief, boundaries and the art of staying with our friends through life’s ups and downs. Whether you are currently in the thick of a "growth season" or you’re trying to support someone who is, this episode is a roadmap for building a friendship that doesn't run from the heavy stuff. It’s a reminder that you aren’t doing anything wrong—you’re just in the middle of your growth. Connect with Amie @ Two Rivers Therapy • Watch on YouTube: Two Rivers Therapy • Follow on Instagram: @tworivers.therapy @therapywithamie • Submit Your Questions: I’m sitting down with MC Decker of Mindful Cycles Psychology soon to talk about the link between hormonal cycles and mental health. Send your questions to [email protected] Please share this episode with someone you think might benefit! You never know the impact it may have.

I had a script for this episode. I wanted to talk about the “dark months”, that heavy predictable season leading up to my mom‘s death anniversary. But after re-recording this eight times, I realized the lesson wasn’t in my notes. It was in the process of trying to record it. So, I’m leaving the mess in. This episode is an honest look at what happens when your old coping mechanism stop working and you find yourself spiralling. We’re moving away from the idea of “healing“ which feels like trying to fix a wound, and toward the practice of integration. It’s the messy lifelong work of growing around the things that shape us and learning to have compassion for the current versions of ourselves, even when our grief evolves into something new. If you’re currently in a season of transition or feeling like you’re failing because you can’t get “settled“, I hope this serves a reminder you are not doing anything wrong you’re just in the middle of growth. Looking ahead: I have some important conversations coming up that I want you to be part of! I’ll be sitting down with registered psychologist and MC Decker to discuss the intersection of hormonal cycles, mental health, and nervous system regulation. If you have questions for her, whether you’re looking to stop the war with your own body, or your partner trying to understand these shifts, please reach out to me at [email protected] or send me a DM. And next time, I’ll be joined by my best friend, Bre, for a look at the evolution of long-term friendship and help practice boundaries with the people we love most. The work never ends, but maybe that’s a gift and not a life sentence. Thank you for being here with me!

Amie sits down with her dear friend, Tim. Tim shares his story and discusses how navigating grief shapes how he moves through the world. In this episode, we hope you hear how laughter can be medicine, how our friends and family want to help us carry the weight of life and how vulnerability is at the centre of this path. Do you want to be a guest on What We Carry? Please reach out to Amie at [email protected] Do you want to work with Amie in therapy? Visit tworiverstherapy.ca for information on how to connect. (Must be a resident in Alberta, Ontario or Nova Scotia) Be gentle with yourselves, you’re not alone!

Host Amie, shares an unscripted, personal account of her banner year — the sudden death of her mom, her father’s near fatal accident, a rapid wedding, and the identity shifts of grad school and moving during a pandemic. She explores grief brain fog, vulnerability, and learning to carry what shapes us. Amie explains why she started the podcast: to invite honest conversations about loss and living, to create space for being seen, and to remind listeners to be gentle with what they carry.

In this episode, I sit down with my Dad to talk about what it’s been like to keep living after the death of my mom- his wife. We talk about grief that doesn’t follow timelines, the tension between honouring the past and moving forward, and how loss continues to shape our identities, relationships, and choices over time. This conversation isn’t about having answers or doing grief “right”, but about the reality of carrying love and loss together as life keeps unfolding. If you’re navigating grief, major change, or a life that looks different than you imagined, you’re not alone.

In this first solo episode of What We Carry, I reflect on what I’ve learned through grief, loss, anxiety, and the moments that quietly reshape us. After my mom died, I found myself asking a question I couldn’t escape: What is the point of life when pain and loss are unavoidable? This episode is about living with unanswered questions, learning to carry what shapes us, and letting the full range of human emotion exist without trying to fix or outrun it. It’s about meaning rather than happiness, coexistence rather than closure, and choosing not to carry our pain alone. If you’re entering a new season feeling uncertain, overwhelmed, or changed by something you didn’t choose, this conversation is for you.

I'm Amie, a therapist specializing in relationships, trauma, and grief. In What We Carry, we slow down to talk honestly about the human experience and how we learn to live alongside pain, loss, love, and quiet joy. Sometimes I welcome guests who share their stories; sometimes I reflect from my 12+ years in social work and my own hard seasons. This podcast is for anyone learning to set down armor and live a life that feels meaningful. New episodes every other Wednesday.