Understanding Tokophobia: Shedding Light on a Misunderstood Fear
Release Date: 05/20/2025
Navigating Relationships with Tokophobia: From Significant Others to Friends
Tik-Tokophobia
What happens when your deepest fear hijacks your most important connections? In this honest and revealing episode of Tik-Tokophobia, Alexia and JJ get real about the ways tokophobia—the severe fear of pregnancy and childbirth—can quietly sabotage both romantic and platonic relationships. From silent avoidance to heartbreak, and from stalled intimacy to friendship breakdowns, this episode shines a compassionate (but bold) light on where reproductive anxiety actually starts pulling the strings in our personal lives. Packed with lived experience and practical insight—not just...
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Tokophobia and Anxiety Disorders: Understanding the Roots with Phobia Specialist Chris
Tik-Tokophobia
On this candid episode of Tik-Tokophobia, JJ and Alexia sit down with renowned phobia specialist Christopher Paul Jones (Harley Street, “Face Your Fears” author) for an eye-opening deep dive into what really differentiates fear, phobia, and anxiety — especially when it comes to tokophobia, the often-misunderstood and rarely named terror of pregnancy and childbirth. Together, they break down the myths, name the hidden patterns, and shine a light on why the ‘fear of the fear’ might be the real root so many professionals (and sufferers) overlook. Christopher brings years of clinical and...
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Navigating the Tokophobia Healing Journey: From Naming the Fear to Making Calm Choices
Tik-Tokophobia
Tokophobia Healing Journey — What Real Tokophobia Recovery Really Looks Like Struggling with the fear of pregnancy, birth, or motherhood? You’re not alone, and you’re definitely not crazy. In this episode of Tik-Tokophobia, Alexia and JJ dig deep into what the healing journey from tokophobia actually looks like — from the messy first steps to the tough questions nobody wants to ask, all the way to a place of clarity and real choice. Expect honesty, hope, and plenty of “me too!” moments. Key Discussion Points: What sets tokophobia apart from “normal” birth anxiety, and...
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From Two Lines to Collapse: Delinea and Cast – The Language of Tokophobia
Tik-Tokophobia
This episode of Tik-Tokophobia is a truly groundbreaking one. Alexia and JJ make history by naming two central — but until now, unnamed — experiences of living with tokophobia and Reproductive Anxiety Disorder (RAD). If you’ve ever struggled to find the words to describe what it’s actually like to face the gut-punch of a pregnancy test, or the collapse that can follow, you’ll find this conversation both validating and empowering. Drawing on personal stories, client experiences, and a touch of Douglas Adams-inspired word-creation, this episode is about reclaiming language — and with...
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From Two Lines to Collapse: Delinea and Cast – The Language of Tokophobia
Tik-Tokophobia
This episode of Tik-Tokophobia is a truly groundbreaking one. Alexia and JJ make history by naming two central — but until now, unnamed — experiences of living with tokophobia and Reproductive Anxiety Disorder (RAD). If you’ve ever struggled to find the words to describe what it’s actually like to face the gut-punch of a pregnancy test, or the collapse that can follow, you’ll find this conversation both validating and empowering. Drawing on personal stories, client experiences, and a touch of Douglas Adams-inspired word-creation, this episode is about reclaiming language — and with...
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From Two Lines to Collapse: Dilinea and Cass – The Language of Tokophobia
Tik-Tokophobia
This episode of Tik-Tokophobia is a truly groundbreaking one. Alexia and JJ make history by naming two central — but until now, unnamed — experiences of living with tokophobia and Reproductive Anxiety Disorder (RAD). If you’ve ever struggled to find the words to describe what it’s actually like to face the gut-punch of a pregnancy test, or the collapse that can follow, you’ll find this conversation both validating and empowering. Drawing on personal stories, client experiences, and a touch of Douglas Adams-inspired word-creation, this episode is about reclaiming language — and with...
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Ramona's Discovery and Defeat of Tokophobia
Tik-Tokophobia
Is the fear of pregnancy and childbirth taking over your life — or leaving you feeling completely alone and broken? In this episode of Tik-Tokophobia, Alexia sits down with Ramona, a mental health therapist, to lay bare what it’s really like to live with tokophobia and find healing on the other side. Ramona unpacks her decade-long journey from silent panic and relationship doubts to finally discovering that her fear has a name— and that overcoming it is possible. Together, they dissect why traditional therapy often falls flat, how body image and control weave through reproductive...
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Reproductive Anxiety Disorder Is Real
Tik-Tokophobia
In this groundbreaking episode of Tik-Tokophobia, Alexia and JJ introduce a term you’ve probably never heard before — Reproductive Anxiety Disorder (RAD). Going far beyond the usual discussions of tokophobia, this episode digs deep into the world of persistent, visceral anxiety around anything related to reproduction. Alexia and JJ shine a fierce light on why so many women’s experiences are mislabelled, misunderstood, or flat-out ignored — and why having the right language matters. If you’ve ever felt a hidden panic about pregnancy, birth, or even just being around babies, this...
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Could Your Own Birth Be Fueling Your Tokophobia?
Tik-Tokophobia
Are you ready to go deeper into the real reasons behind tokophobia? In this honest and eye-opening episode, Alexia and JJ confront one of the most overlooked (and misunderstood) realities for those living with a fear of pregnancy and birth: the trauma of your own birth. Forget everything you’ve been told about where anxiety “comes from”— because this one starts sooner, and runs deeper, than most of us ever realise. Whether you know your own birth story or not, this episode unpacks why the experience of being born is often the hidden driver behind lifelong tokophobia —...
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JJ’s Tokophobia and Its Hidden Impact on Creativity and Relationships
Tik-Tokophobia
In this powerful episode of Tik-Tokophobia, cohost JJ Stenhouse steps into the guest seat and shares her personal journey with tokophobia—the overwhelming fear of pregnancy and childbirth. Only recognising her tokophobia at age 68, JJ reveals how this hidden anxiety wove itself through her life, shaping her relationships, creativity, and even her sense of self. The conversation explores the life-altering impact of unrecognised reproductive trauma, the challenges of healing, and what truly shifts when you finally put a name to your fear. Key discussion points: Recognising tokophobia late in...
info_outlineWhat exactly is tokophobia, and why does it matter far beyond the walls of maternity wards? In this bold, honest first episode, hosts Alexia Leachman—a specialist who has healed her own tokophobia—and JJ, who lived with tokophobia unknowingly for nearly seventy years, crack open the hidden world of reproductive anxiety. Together, they expose how this pathological fear of pregnancy and birth can silently shape lives, relationships, and mental health, often without anyone realising.
Drawing from their own journeys and years of working with women facing these fears, Alexia and JJ reframe tokophobia as a profound anxiety disorder that deserves far more attention than it gets. This isn’t just for those planning families: if you’ve ever felt tense, trapped, or overwhelmed by the very idea of pregnancy—or seen those echoes elsewhere in your life—this episode is for you.