Is being a tradwife really just about baking bread, homemaking and traditional femininity, or is there something deeper going on?

In this episode, Dr Alex is joined by Dr Rosy Blunstone to explore the psychology of the tradwife phenomenon: why tradwife content has become so popular online, what it offers women psychologically, and why it may also be more complicated (and less traditional) than it first appears.

This conversation examines whether tradwife culture is a harmless aesthetic, a genuine lifestyle choice, a reaction against burnout and modern feminism, or a romanticised fantasy shaped by influencer culture.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Dr. Blunstone is a registrar psychiatrist and psychotherapist working in North London.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for psychological coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

This is an excerpt from: E177 - Why You Must Deal With Self-Hate.

Low self-esteem doesn’t always look like insecurity. In this clip, Dr. Alex explains three patterns of low self-esteem and self-hate: becoming aggressive, becoming submissive, or becoming avoidant. Drawing on Karen Horney’s ideas in *Neurosis and Human Growth*, he explores how poor self-esteem can show up as narcissism, people-pleasing, dependency, cynicism, avoidance, difficulty with criticism, and trouble taking risks.

Low self-esteem is not just about feeling bad about yourself. It can shape what you tolerate, what you avoid, who you choose, and whether you feel able to act in your own best interests.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

In this episode of The Thinking Mind, Dr. Alex is joined by Michael Cohen and Jonathan Kirschner, hosts of That ’70s Movie Podcast, to discuss Woody Allen’s 1988 film Another Woman, starring Gena Rowlands, Ian Holm, Mia Farrow and Gene Hackman.

Another Woman is a quiet but devastating psychological drama about Marion Post, a philosophy professor whose life begins to unravel when she overhears the therapy sessions of a younger pregnant woman.

Dr Alex, Michael and Jonathan discuss why the film feels like such an “adult” movie, how it explores introspection, repression, memory, regret and the possibility of change. This is a conversation about cinema, psychology, middle age, missed possibilities, and the strange kind of hope that can come from finally seeing yourself clearly.

Check out That '70s Movie Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-70s-movie-podcast/id1832034357

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you are interested in working with Alex for focused psychological coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

This is an excerpt from E174 about LooksMaxxing.

Looksmaxxing has become one of the most talked-about trends among young men online — but what does it actually mean, and when does self-improvement become harmful?

This conversation looks at the deeper psychological forces behind the looksmaxxing trend: fear of rejection, low self-esteem, the desire to become more attractive, the pressure to “ascend,” and the belief that changing your face or body will solve your dating life.

We also ask what a healthier alternative might look like — one based on confidence, social skills, resilience, real-world relationships, self-worth and learning how to tolerate rejection.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi and Dr. Rosy Blunstone. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Dr. Paul Eastwick is a Professor at UC Davis where he runs the Attraction and Relationships Research Laboratory. Dr. Eastwick’s research investigates how people initiate romantic relationships and the psychological mechanisms that help romantic partners to remain committed and attached. He is one of the hosts of the Love Factually podcast.

Today we discuss his 2026 book Bonded by Evolution - to explore the science of romantic attraction, dating, compatibility and long-term relationships.

We discuss why the idea of “mate value” can be misleading, how dating apps encourage us to judge people too quickly, why looks and status matter less than many online dating gurus suggest, and why real attraction often develops slowly through repeated interaction, shared experience and emotional connection.

The Love Factually Podcast: https://www.lovefactuallypod.com/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

This is an excerpt from E172 of the Thinking Mind Podcast.

Emmy van Deurzen, one of the leading figures in existential therapy in the UK and internationally. Emmy has over fifty years’ experience as a psychotherapist, has published more than thirty books, and was the first chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy when it was created in 1993.

In this conversation, we discuss existential therapy, what it means to be truly free, how to face life’s difficulties without turning away from them, and how we might begin to live more courageously.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.
Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Today Dr. Alex is joined by neuroscientist and author Dr Dean Burnett for a wide-ranging conversation about the strange, flawed and fascinating human brain.

Dr Dean Burnett is the author of The Idiot Brain, The Happy Brain and several other books exploring neuroscience, psychology and the weird ways our brains shape our lives.

They discuss why the brain is not the perfect machine we often imagine it to be, why intrusive thoughts don’t define who you are, why anxiety and self-sabotage are often normal features of the mind, and why happiness is not something we are designed to feel all the time.

Dean also explains what we do and don’t know about depression, antidepressants, SSRIs, brain chemistry, neuroplasticity, withdrawal effects, and why mental health is far more complicated than simple slogans like “chemical imbalance” or “just think positive”.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

For the final episode of our Sleep Series, Dr. Anya welcomes back Dr Hugh Selsick, consultant psychiatrist and lead for the UCLH Sleep Clinic in London. This episode covers sleep disorders we didn’t discuss previously on the last episode with Hugh (E128).

They discuss the different stages of sleep, strange things can happen during sleep such as sleep paralysis (parasomnias), narcolepsy, sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome and much more.

If you haven't already check out episodes 1-3 of our Sleep Series where we explore how sleep works, the psychology of insomnia and sleep in children.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova. Dr. Borissova is an academic psychiatry registrar at the South London and Maudsley Trust.

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast