Pulling Threads
Claim This Podcastby Leslie Mathews
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Podcast Overview
<p><strong>Pulling Threads</strong> 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, <strong>Leslie Mathews, JD, MSW</strong>, this show blends trauma-informed guidance, nervous system education, and meaningful conversations about the patterns that shape our relationships, identity, and purpose.</p> <p>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 <strong>reinvention, entrepreneurship, career pivots, and stepping into authenticity</strong>, offering inspiration and practical wisdom for women building new chapters.</p> <p>Through expert interviews, personal storytelling, and mindfulness-based tools, Pulling Threads supports women who are healing, expanding, and creating aligned lives and businesses. It’s a space for those navigating toxic dynamics, strengthening emotional regulation, or following the pull toward something more authentic and more fulfilling.</p> <p>If you’re ready to untangle old patterns, trust your intuition, and weave a life — and identity — that feels grounded, empowered, and true, this podcast is where your next chapter begins.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/27/2025
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Recent Episodes
June 30, 2026
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 panic.Kimberly is the founder of The Classy Girl’s Guide to Divorce and uses EMDR and Emotionally Focused Therapy to help women navigate the emotional landscape of divorce. Together they unpack the surprises no one prepares you for, the early emotional decisions that cost women later, why you absolutely can do EMDR while you’re in the thick of it, and what it really means to stay “classy” (hint: it’s more sassy than polite).———READY TO GET THROUGH YOUR DIVORCE — WHOLE?THROUGH is Leslie’s structured divorce coaching program for women who want to come out the other side regulated, clear, and steady. Learn more & enroll: https://theloomlife.com/throughdivorceprogramCONNECT WITH LESLIE & THE LOOM LIFE→ Coaching & podcast: https://theloomlife.com→ Therapy (Florida clients): https://loomlifetherapy.com→ Leslie’s personal site: https://leslieellenmathews.com→ Instagram: @the.loom.life · TikTok: @leslieellenmathewsCHAPTERS00:00 Welcome & meet Kimberly McNary02:20 From couples therapy to becoming a divorce therapist05:20 Can relationships heal after betrayal?08:10 Kimberly's own divorce and what it taught her10:55 The shame of being a marriage therapist going through divorce13:20 The moments only someone who's lived divorce understands15:50 Financial fears, keeping the house & thinking beyond survival20:00 Why divorce support should be about more than legal advice20:45 Leslie's first experience with dating after divorce24:00 Timing, healing & reconnecting when you're both ready26:00 How to know you're truly ready to date again28:00 Dating from fear vs. dating from self-worth30:00 Dating apps, honesty & protecting your children33:00 Divorce with adult children and the "wait until they're grown" myth36:00 Why healing after divorce can't be rushed39:30 The hidden grief of divorce and rebuilding your identity43:30 Trauma, EMDR & helping your nervous system heal48:30 Childhood wounds that shape adult relationships56:00 Learning to trust yourself again1:04:00 Boundaries, co-parenting & protecting your peace1:14:00 Building a life that finally feels like your own1:18:00 Final thoughts & where to connect with KimberlyEmpower women through divorce and breakup transitions, drawing on EFT, EMDR, and her own lived experience. She practices in San Diego, CA.→ Website: https://kimberlymcnary.comABOUT KIMBERLY McNARY, LMFTKimberly McNary is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 17+ years of experience supporting relationships and personal growth. She founded The Classy Girl’s Guide to Divorce. → Instagram: @classygirlsguidetodivorce & @mcnarytherapy→ Facebook: McNary Therapy & The Classy Girl’s Guide to Divorce→ LinkedIn: search “Kimberly McNary”A NOTE OF SUPPORTThis conversation touches on emotional abuse, trauma, and nervous-system overwhelm. If you’re struggling, you don’t have to navigate it alone. In the U.S. you can call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788). Support is available 24/7.#PullingThreads #DivorceRecovery #EMDRTherapy #DivorceSupportForWomen #ClassyGirlsGuideToDivorce
June 23, 2026
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 transformation coach, TEDx speaker, 15-time Ironman finisher, and Kona qualifier — who walked away from her marriage, her career identity, and her relationship with alcohol, then moved alone to Costa Rica at 50.Jen and Leslie unpack what they both call "the slow unraveling" — the years of incremental leaving that happen long before anyone physically goes. They talk about how the body keeps score of a life that no longer fits, why high-achieving women keep performing instead of living, and what it actually takes to stop chasing finish lines and start trusting yourself.--TIMESTAMP--00:00 – Introduction to Jen Rulon02:08 – Leaving a life that looked perfect07:46 – The year everything changed10:19 – Letting go of a 30-year identity12:05 – The Costa Rica trip that changed everything13:00 – Her last drink and a new perspective16:35 – Marriage counseling and uncertainty18:18 – Rebuilding purpose and helping women21:04 – Awakening, questioning, and change24:00 – Trusting instead of forcing29:11 – Choosing herself for the first time30:02 – Realizing she was running from her marriage33:25 – Separation and moving toward divorce35:35 – Saying, “I want a divorce”36:26 – Moving to Costa Rica39:49 – The power of saying it out loud41:08 – Performing a life vs. living one43:00 – Why women avoid the inner work46:25 – Childhood wounds and relationships47:47 – What she truly wanted beneath success50:07 – How inner work changes relationships54:24 – Trauma bonds, loneliness, and fear56:02 – Trusting yourself after divorce58:05 – Jen’s Four Pillars: Movement, Metabolism, Mindset & Meaning59:53 – Stress, cortisol, and relationships1:00:29 – Meditation and nervous system regulation1:03:58 – When relationships hold you back1:05:57 – “I finally know who I am”1:06:58 – Finding support and community1:10:47 – Working with Jen1:13:18 – Rise With The Tides Retreat1:15:30 – Life after divorce1:16:40 – There is life after the change you're afraid to make▶ WORK WITH LESLIETHROUGH — 8-week divorce recovery coaching program: https://theloomlife.com/throughdivorceprogram1:1 coaching, podcast, and resources: https://theloomlife.com▶ CONNECT WITH JEN RULONWebsite: https://jenrulon.comFree Rise Strong Blueprint: https://jenrulon.myflodesk.com/blueprintInstagram: @coachjenrulonTikTok: @coachjenrulonLinkedIn: Jen RulonMemoir releasing 11/11/2026▶ IN THIS EPISODE• Why "the leaving" happens long before you physically go• Stacy Sims, perimenopause, and the moment Jen decided her last Ironman• Getting sober in December 2019 — and what came into focus once the mask came off• Asking for a trial separation, then asking for a divorce• Moving to Costa Rica alone at 50 — and what her family thought• Masculine and feminine energy, and why so many high-achieving women perform a life instead of living one• Jen's four pillars: Movement, Metabolism, Mindset, Meaning• Trauma bonds, the fear of loneliness, and why the fear is usually worse than the reality• Why finding people who match your energy is non-negotiable▶ THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IFYou're a woman in midlife who's done everything right and still finds yourself wondering, "Is this it?" You're navigating a divorce, sobriety, an empty nest, a career pivot — or you can feel the slow creep that you've been living someone else's life.▶ SUBSCRIBEHit subscribe so you never miss a Tuesday episode. If this conversation resonated, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it genuinely helps other women find this work.▶ FOLLOW THE LOOM LIFEInstagram: @the.loom.lifeTikTok: @leslieellenmathewsWeb: https://theloomlife.com#midlifetransformation #divorcerecovery #startingover #sobriety #theloomlife
June 16, 2026
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, Leslie's 8-week coaching program → https://theloomlife.com/throughdivorceprogram──────────────In this conversation, Stefanie pulls back the curtain on what the research actually shows about why women — across industries, identities, and life stages — are still systematically held back at work and at home. Her book draws on more than 450 academic citations to dismantle the most persistent myth in modern gender inequality: that women just need to lean in harder, negotiate better, or believe in themselves more.Leslie and Stefanie talk about the data on backlash against women who ask for raises, the 30+ identity characteristics that get weaponized against women in hiring decisions, why the home — not the office — is where most women's burnout actually originates, and the 400-hour-per-year personal leisure gap between U.S. men and women. They also unpack the quiet shift from collective empowerment to individualistic self-help, why the pay gap hasn't budged in 20 years, and what a meaningful collective response actually looks like.This is essential listening for any woman who is over being overworked — but not over her ambition.─── Timestamps ───00:00 Introduction to Stefanie O'Connell01:15 From theater to financial journalism04:14 The myth that women lack ambition06:30 Why the research has been hiding in plain sight07:01 When negotiating backfires for women09:24 The hidden biases keeping women out of leadership12:20 Why ambition is viewed differently in men and women15:05 The importance of examining our own biases15:53 What surprised Stefanie most in the data16:30 The unpaid labor gap and women's burnout18:45 Leslie shares her personal career and marriage story22:08 How family dynamics shape workplace culture24:39 The invisible workload of stay-at-home mothers26:00 Choosing a partner who supports your ambitions27:00 Why community support matters more than ever28:27 The danger of turning systemic problems into personal failures30:45 Why collective solutions create lasting change34:40 Entrepreneurship, coaching, and gender bias36:50 Why women are often judged differently when charging for their expertise38:00 Building resilience through community and collective action39:30 Modeling healthy relationships and ambition for our children41:40 The loneliness epidemic and rebuilding connection44:00 Why data matters in conversations about women’s experiences45:30 The gaslighting women experience around work and ambition46:50 What meaningful collective action actually looks like48:00 Why progress on the pay gap has stalled50:20 The growing hostility toward women in the workplace52:35 A message for ambitious women who feel exhausted53:35 Building community instead of carrying shame54:05 Where to find Stefanie and her book55:00 Final reflections and closing thoughts──────────────🧵 ABOUT PULLING THREADSPulling Threads with Leslie Mathews is a podcast about untangling the patterns, stories, and systems that keep us stuck — and weaving something more authentic in their place. New episodes weekly.🌐 Connect with Leslie:• Website: https://theloomlife.com• Therapy: https://loomlifetherapy.com• Personal site: https://leslieellenmathews.com• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.loom.life• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leslieellenmathews📕 Connect with Stefanie O'Connell:• Book — The Ambition Penalty: https://tooambitious.com/book/• Substack (Too Ambitious): https://tooambitious.substack.com/• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefanieoconnell/• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stefaniemoconnell──────────────If this episode resonated, please leave a 5-star rating and share it with one woman in your life who needs to hear it.#TheAmbitionPenalty #Women
94 total episodes available
Recent guests on Pulling Threads
Guests from recent episodes — sign up to see every guest that has ever appeared on this show.
Courtney Carter
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Amber Shaw
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Liza Lounsbury
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Carly Hill
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Dr Stephanie Thrower
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Leslie Mathews
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Mary Eldridge
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Dr Kelly Cross
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Clarissa Stolte
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Melissa Good
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Melanie Miller
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Ellina Creary
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- What is Pulling Threads?
<p><strong>Pulling Threads</strong> 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, <strong>Leslie Mathews, JD, MSW</strong>, this show blends trauma-informed guidance, nervous system education, and meaningful conversations about the patterns that shape our relationships, identity, and purpose.</p> <p>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 <strong>reinvention, entrepreneurship, career pivots, and stepping into authenticity</strong>, offering inspiration and practical wisdom for women building new chapters.</p> <p>Through expert interviews, personal storytelling, and mindfulness-based tools, Pulling Threads supports women who are healing, expanding, and creating aligned lives and businesses. It’s a space for those navigating toxic dynamics, strengthening emotional regulation, or following the pull toward something more authentic and more fulfilling.</p> <p>If you’re ready to untangle old patterns, trust your intuition, and weave a life — and identity — that feels grounded, empowered, and true, this podcast is where your next chapter begins.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Information about guest appearances is not available.
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