EP: 34 Navigating Difficult Relationships: Insights from Beyond Difficult with Rachel Samson & Dr. Jessie Stern
Release Date: 08/17/2025
EP 48: Preparing With Love, Not Fear with Toni Corbett Part II
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this episode of Soul Therapy with Chelle, we sit with a truth most of us avoid: one day our time here will end. With gentleness, clarity, and a surprising amount of humour, Toni Corbett joins Chelle to talk about how grief can become a doorway to preparation, presence, and deeper love. Toni’s story begins with a sudden loss of a dear friend that left no room for last conversations. Rather than be consumed by that absence, she turned her grief into service: writing long love letters to her children and building a practical system to help families manage the things that matter when...
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EP 47: Preparing for the Inevitable: Turning Grief into Love and Legacy
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this episode, we explore what it means to face the one certainty in life with clarity, compassion, and courage: that one day, our time in this lifetime will come to an end. My guest, Toni Corbett, shares the deeply personal story that led her to this work. After losing her dear friend Mari—suddenly, swiftly, and without the chance for final conversations - Toni was left holding both grief and a profound realization: Most of us assume we’ll have tomorrow. But not everyone gets the luxury of time to say what matters. Instead of being swallowed by loss, Toni transformed her grief into...
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EP 46: Reclaiming the Mother Within & Relationships and the Fear of Loss Part III
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this final part of my book reflection on Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman, I explore what it means to reclaim the mother within - the inner source of care, grounding, and tenderness many of us spent years longing for. Edelman describes this as a second birth: the moment a daughter realizes that while the mother she lost can never be replaced, the mother she needs now can begin to grow inside her. At first, this idea feels startling - even unfair. But in time, it becomes liberating. It expands the lineage of care rather than erasing it. Through Gestalt therapy, I reflect on how this...
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EP 45: The Myth of Getting Over It & Mother Hunger
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this episode of Soul Therapy, with Chelle, we continue exploring Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman - a conversation that began as a book review and has deepened into a kind of masterclass on grief, healing, and self-awareness. We unpack two profound themes: the myth of “getting over it” and mother hunger - that lifelong ache for unconditional safety and belonging. Edelman reminds us that grief isn’t something we leave behind; it’s a landscape we learn to live within. Through the lens of Gestalt therapy, Chelle explores how unfinished grief lives in the body - as tension, fatigue,...
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EP 44: Book Reflection: Motherless Daughters - The Legacy of Loss
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this episode of Soul Therapy, with Chelle, I explore a quiet kind of grief - the one that lives in the shadows. The grief of being a daughter without the presence of a mother. Sometimes it’s because she has died. Other times, because she has gone missing in other ways - through silence, estrangement, addiction, or the slow erosion of love. Drawing from Hope Edelman’s Motherless Daughters and through the lens of Gestalt therapy, I reflect on how a mother’s gaze is our first mirror - the way we learn we exist, that we are seen, that we are loved. When that mirror disappears, we learn to...
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EP 43: Becoming Myself Abroad - The Freedom We Find When We Travel
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this episode of Soul Therapy, with Chelle, I share a deeply personal journey of rediscovery - one that unfolded during my travels through Italy and Greece. It was a time when I began responding not to who I used to be, but to who I am now. As I wandered through sunlit streets, tasted lemon trees in the air, and ran laughing through the Tuscan rain, I felt something awaken - a sense of aliveness I’d forgotten. Travel, for me, became more than a change of scenery; it became a mirror. It reflected back the parts of myself I’d hidden, the ones craving softness, freedom, and joy. Through the...
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EP 42: From Numbing to Nourishing: Choosing Clarity and Compassion with Belinda Stark
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this episode of Soul Therapy, with Chelle, we continue our heartfelt conversation with mindset coach Belinda Stark, diving deeper into what it really means to rediscover yourself beyond the drink. Belinda shares the powerful stories of women she’s supported - many in their 50s and beyond - who’ve realized they want more from life than the same daily cycle. Together, Chelle and Belinda unpack how change truly begins with compassion, not perfection, and how the smallest, most realistic goals can create the biggest transformation. They explore: The stages women go through when...
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EP 41: The Gentle Reset: Healing, Menopause, and Sobriety with Belinda Stark
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this episode of Soul Therapy, with Chelle, I sit down with the inspiring Belinda Stark - an alcohol mindset coach who helps women redefine their relationship with drinking and reconnect with themselves. Belinda opens up about her own turning point - the morning she woke up with shaking hands and a heavy heart, realizing that something had to change. Her story is not about labels or shame, but about courage, compassion, and the slow, beautiful process of coming home to yourself. Together, we explore: The hidden emotional toll of “holding it all together” as women, mothers, and...
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EP 40: Book Spotlight: The Audacity to Be Free with Author Hana Assafiri
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this episode of Soul Therapy, with Chelle, I sit down with Hana Assafiri - a beloved social activist, radical entrepreneur, and author of The Audacity to be Free. From her iconic Moroccan Soup Bar in Melbourne to the pages of her memoir, Hannah has devoted her life to women’s empowerment, social justice, and reimagining what freedom and defiance can look like. Together, we explore Hannah’s journey of resilience - how adversity and trauma shaped her, yet never defined her. She speaks about creating safe spaces for dialogue beyond soundbites, challenging the cultural and gender...
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EP 39: Care for Humanity
Soul Therapy, with Chelle
In this episode of Soul Therapy, with Chelle, I share a tender reflection on humanity - the ways we care for one another, and the times we fall short. While traveling through Europe, I was struck by two contrasting images on the same day: animals in Ephesus being welcomed, fed, and protected as part of the community, and later that night, a dinghy of refugees - families crying for help in the dark sea. That contrast deeply moved me, highlighting the disparities in how we extend care and belonging. This experience opened space for me to reflect on immigration, privilege, heritage, and the...
info_outlineIn this episode of Soul Therapy, with Chelle, I’m joined by the brilliant Rachel Samson and Dr. Jessie Stern, co-authors of Beyond Difficult, a guide to understanding and navigating challenging relationships.
What begins as a lighthearted introduction quickly deepens into a powerful conversation about why people can be “difficult,” how our own triggers shape interactions, and how compassion and curiosity can shift the way we respond.
Rachel and Jessie share the story of how they met across continents, the surprising path that led them to write Beyond Difficult, and the realities of creating a book in the “margins” of busy lives from parenting toddlers to juggling academic careers.
We talk about:
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Why “difficult” behavior is often a reflection of vulnerability, not malice
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The parenting lens that helps reframe adult conflict with compassion
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The role of personalisation and how to stop taking others’ behavior so personally
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Practical strategies for managing tricky moments with grace
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The friendship and collaboration that brought Beyond Difficult to life
Rachel and Jessie speak with warmth, humor, and candor about their own writing journeys, the lessons they’ve learned through research and clinical work, and why building self-awareness is key to healthier relationships.
This is a conversation for anyone navigating tension whether at work, at home, or in everyday encounters, and wanting tools to respond with clarity and heart.
Let this episode remind you: understanding others starts with understanding what’s underneath the behavior in front of you.
Connect with Rachel Samson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/australianpsychologist/
Website: https://www.samsonandbulluss.com/index.php/Home
Connect with Dr. Jessie Stern:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjessiestern/
Website: https://www.drjessiestern.com/
Connect with Me:
Instagram: @_chellegriffin_
Facebook: Michelle Griffin Psychotherapist & Intuitive Guide
TikTok: @soultherapy.with
LinkedIn: michelle-griffin-325075127
Website: http://www.chellegriffin.com