Ep.1476: In Our Blood and Ep.1477: Buddy’s New Buddy Wednesday, July 6, 2022 Christina Geist

Kathryn interviews Author Caitlin Billings.Caitlin Billings knows the struggles of balancing work, mental health, and motherhood better than most – while accepting her own bipolar diagnosis, she had to learn how best to support her gender-fluid child, who inherited depressive behaviors, as well as pursue an allegation of child sexual assault in their home.In her work as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and role as a mother, she felt tremendous pressure to be perfect and present stability. Though she overcame abandonment issues and an eating disorder in college, a hold-up at gunpoint broke her carefully balanced world apart, forcing her to seek help. Now Caitlin is speaking out about the deep-set need for perfection throughout society, especially on teens and mental health professionals, until people understand that your best is good enough and you are never alone. She has a thriving therapy practice in the Bay Area specializing in complex trauma.Kathryn also interviews Author Christina Geist. Establishing a connection with a peer has always been an integral and complicated part of a child’s life; and navigating a new situation can be daunting. As children around the globe spent their formative years isolated from one another during the pandemic, their need to connect grew while their ability to know how to do so waned—the same can be said for adults! Using her words, Christina Geist reminds us all how to reconnect, and the joy that comes from forming a bond with someone new. This is the third book in Geist’s and Bowers’ NY Times Best Selling Growing with Buddy series, heartwarming and humorous picture books that explore evergreen social-emotional themes like back-to-school anxiety and navigating bedtime. They are all delightful read-alouds and great additions to the back-to-school canon. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, SUNDAY Today and Morning Joe Host Willie Geist for 19 years.