The Hidden Trauma in Women's Health: Breaking Free from a Power-Over System with Elise Loehnen

About this episode

Dr. Mindy and Elise Loehnen discuss the hidden trauma in women's health and the cultural pressures that shape women's behavior.

Join us at 1440, June 11-13th, 2026: Click to learn more If you've ever felt pressure to be the "good girl," you're not the only one. Dr. Mindy has heard from thousands of women who feel exhausted by the pressure to be agreeable, accommodating, and selfless. Many women were taught that being good meant putting everyone else first. But over time, that pattern often leads to resentment, burnout, and a deep disconnection from your own voice. That's why Dr. Mindy invited writer and cultural critic Elise Loehnen to join her for this conversation. Elise is the former Chief Content Officer of goop and the New York Times bestselling author of On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good. Through her writing and podcast Pulling the Thread, Elise explores the cultural expectations that shape women's lives and how those expectations influence our relationships, emotions, and sense of identity. In this conversation, Dr. Mindy and Elise unpack the invisible rules women have been taught to live by for generations. They explore why women were conditioned to suppress emotions like anger and envy, how people-pleasing shows up in female friendships, and why…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Mindy Pelz

Guest: Elise Loehnen

Topics covered

• women's health
• cultural expectations
• emotional suppression
• people-pleasing
• intuition
• female friendships

Keywords

• women's health
• cultural conditioning
• emotional health
• people-pleasing
• intuition
• female relationships

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: goop

Books & works: On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good, Pulling the Thread

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