Justine Carino, LMHC

02/06/2026

You are not loved because you perform.

Not for your grades.

Not for your accomplishments.

Not for being impressive, helpful or easy.

You don’t have to earn your place in the world.

Failure won’t break you. Rest won’t make you lazy. Saying no won’t make you unlovable.

So dream big. Build things. Lead. Create. ✨

02/04/2026

As a licensed psychotherapist running a group private practice who has created a second business coaching female entrepreneurs, I can tell you the struggles that many women facing while trying to build their businesses while having their babies:

• self-worth is measured by achievement.
• chronic nervous system dysregulation.
• saying no feel selfish.
• delegation creates anxiety instead of relief.
• loss of identity outside being a business owner or mother.
• feeling trapped by the life they work so hard to build.
• hyper independence and over-functioning.
• rest feels unsafe instead of nourishing.

You are not alone when you say you feel these things. You just need the right type of support. You can be successful and sane. You can have the business and the babies.

Curious how burnt out you really are? I created a two minute assessment to help you identify your level burn out and what you can do about it. Comment “BB” below, and I will send you a link ✨
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02/03/2026

Worthiness doesn’t come from effort. It comes from presence.

So many high-achieving women are unconsciously taught that rest must be earned, value must be proven, and productivity determines self-worth. Over time, that belief disconnects you from your body and keeps you stuck in overdoing mode.

But doing less doesn’t mean caring less. It often means listening more.

When your worth feels tied to how much you produce, slowing down isn’t laziness, it’s an invitation. An invitation to receive instead of resist. To work with your body’s rhythm instead of pushing against it.

Presence is where worthiness lives. And learning to receive is a skill not a failure.

Comment “pod” and I’ll send you the link to listen to Episode 101.

01/26/2026

Ever curious about the difference between “normal” anxiety and an anxiety “disorder”? I answered that question in my latest blog below.

The Difference Between Normal Anxiety vs. an Anxiety Disorder Jan 20 Written By Justine Carino In today’s world, anxiety can feel rampant. Global, political, financial, and internal factors all contribute to a general sense of unease. And if you’re a working mother who carries a lot of responsib...

01/22/2026

I am so excited to hard launch my brand new coaching program that supports the mental health of female entrepreneurs, The Balanced Boss ✨ This program helps women build the mindset required to make more money, reclaim more time, and create a business that feels sustainable—not suffocating, and without the stress and burnout.

1:1 coaching designed to help female entrepreneurs break from stress, anxiety and perfectionism.

12/31/2025

Sometimes our perfectionism isn’t about wanting to succeed, it’s about avoiding the shame of falling short.

Perfectionist parts often form in response to moments that felt overwhelming, embarrassing, or deeply personal. And over time, those moments add up shaping how we react, protect, and push ourselves.

IFS therapy helps us understand where these parts come from, and how we can meet them with compassion instead of judgment.

Comment “pod” and I’ll send you the link to listen to Episode 100.

12/23/2025

We all have different internal “parts” of ourselves like the perfectionist that keeps things running, or the avoider part that shuts down when emotions feel too big.

In the Internal Family Systems (IFS) modality, these aren’t just habits or personality quirks, they’re “protectors.” And they’re working hard to keep us safe, often in ways we don’t even realize.

Episode 100 of Thoughts from the Couch podcast dives into what IFS therapy teaches us about our internal world, how parts like “managers” and “firefighters” operate, what “Self” actually means, and how the younger parts of us, called “Exiles” carry old pain we’ve tried to bury.

breaks it down in a way that’s deeply compassionate, clear, and so relevant for anyone trying to understand why they react the way they do and how to start healing from the inside out.

Comment “pod” and I’ll send you the link to listen.

12/16/2025

When you count tasks in a relationship, you lose sight of the bigger picture.

You can’t quantify quality because tasks don’t drain everyone equally. What looks small to you might be heavy for someone else.

Episode 99 of Thoughts from the Couch looks at how scorekeeping in your marriage harms connection and how shifting toward understanding creates a healthier partnership dynamic.

Comment “pod” for the link to the episode.

12/09/2025

Ever feel like you’re doing everything at home not because you want to, but because you “do it better”?

That’s the parenting pushout: a quiet dynamic where one parent becomes the default, and the other slowly steps back.

On this episode of Thoughts from the Couch, we are breaking down why the pushout happens, how it creates learned helplessness, and what couples can do to rebuild balance and teamwork at home.

Comment “pod” for the link to Episode 99.

12/02/2025

Saying “I want to stay” but refusing to do the work? Make that make sense.

In this episode of Thoughts from the Couch, I talk with about what it means when one partner avoids couples therapy and why that avoidance might actually be fear, not failure.

Comment “pod” and I’ll send the link to Episode 98.