With special guest: my Sister!!! For my 28th birthday, I sat down with my 18-year-old sister to share 28 truths about confidence, dating, boys, people, and being a woman with self-worth.

This conversation moves from chaotic sister humor to the deeper realities of building confidence as a woman. We talk about why most mistakes get made after midnight, how everything feels more dramatic in the dark, and why intensity is not the same thing as compatibility. We unpack the difference between attraction and anxiety, and why calm, secure love can is often the healthiest.

Beyond dating and relationships, we get into the foundations of self-love: choosing your environment wisely, eating consistently, setting boundaries without over-explaining, and remembering that no one is coming to save you. We talk about body image, spotlight syndrome, conquering insecurities, being the average of the people you spend time with, getting to know your mom as a person, and why embarrassment is a choice.

I hope this Mary’s Cup of Tea episode feels like a confidence pep talk from your virtual big sister.

Remember: “The worst thing in the world can happen, but the next day the sun will come up. And you will eat your toast. And you will drink your tea.”

Hope this episode is somehow entertaining and somewhat useful to your self-love journey.

If you’re enjoying our self love podcast, share it with the women in your life! Your support helps spread women empowerment and self-love!

Deepen your self love journey with Mary’s books:

1. The Gift of Self-Love, an interactive workbook to help you build confidence, recognize your worth, and learn to finally love yourself.
2. 100 Days of Self-Love, a guided journal with 100 prompts for calming self-criticism and learning to love yourself.

Follow Mary Jelkovsky on IG: @maryscupofteaa and @maryspodcast

Mentioned In This Episode...

Mary’s Self-Love Playlist: maryscupoftea.com/playlist

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When the external world feels heavy, your internal world must stay regulated. Self-care is not about escaping reality. It’s about standing steadily inside it. This conversation is about how to stay emotionally regulated when the noise feels constant and the news cycle never ends.

We’ll talk about protecting your energy, being intentional with your attention, and practicing self-care through boundaries with yourself. If your mental health has felt stretched thin by the state of the world, this episode offers perspective and encouragement.

You will learn about…

• how social media functions similarly to propaganda
• why energy management might be better than time management
• how I approach giving and charitable contribution
• the idea of “joy stacking” as a form of self care
• why eye contact is a form of resistance
• small rituals that help you come back home to yourself

Remember: self-care is not disengagement from the world, it is how you stay resourced enough to meet it. Real self-care supports your mental health AND lets you contribute to causes you care about.

If you’re enjoying our self love podcast, share it with the women in your life! Your support expands our self-love circle and shows others that mental health matters.

Deepen your self love journey with Mary’s books:

1. The Gift of Self-Love, an interactive workbook to help you build confidence, recognize your worth, and learn to finally love yourself.
2. 100 Days of Self-Love, a guided journal with 100 prompts for calming self-criticism and learning to love yourself.

Follow Mary's self care journey on IG: @maryscupofteaa and @maryspodcast

Mentioned In This Episode...

• A Small Light series on Prime Video
• “I’m Russian. Here’s how propaganda really works” by Silent East

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many women talk about anxiety as if it’s a personality trait, but Dr. Ellen Vora offers a different lens: anxiety could be a mind-body signal that something in your mental health ecosystem needs support. In this conversation, we unpack what women misunderstand about anxiety, why mental health is deeply physical, and how to stop seeing anxiety as a personal flaw.

You will learn…

• the difference between “false anxiety” vs. “true anxiety” (and why that distinction changes everything)
• is it the mind-body connection or the body-mind connection?
• how women’s bodies, hormones, and cultural stressors create a unique anxiety landscape
• the drawbacks of traditional cognitive behavioral therapy
• physical ways to take care of your mental health

Remember: Anxiety doesn’t automatically mean something is mentally wrong with you. Often it’s your physical body asking for care, and sometimes it’s your inner compass asking for honesty. Either way, you deserve support that helps you feel safer in your body and steadier in your mental health.

Dr. Ellen Vora is a board-certified psychiatrist who takes a functional medicine approach to mental health. Dr. Vora received her B.A. from Yale University and her M.D. from Columbia University. She’s also the bestselling author of The Anatomy of Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming the Body’s Fear Response where she shares a whole-person perspective on anxiety, mental health, and overall well-being– especially for women.

Follow Dr. Ellen on Instagram: @ellenvoramd Get Dr. Ellen’s book, The Anatomy of Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming the Body’s Fear Response

And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with the women in your life! Make sure to tag @maryspodcast and @ellenvoramd

Mentioned In This Episode...

• Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker
• Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Dr. John Sarno
• The Way Out by Alan Gordon
• research on Ketamine-assisted therapy
• Wizard of Oz & Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd Theory EXPLAINED

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