Kara Loewentheil, a Master Certified life coach and founder of The School of New Feminist Thought, dives into her transformative book, exploring how sexism shapes women's thoughts. She shares practical thought-work exercises designed to reclaim mental autonomy. The conversation highlights the need to redefine success, emphasizing personal fulfillment over societal validation. Kara discusses techniques to build a positive self-relationship and encourages a mindset shift that links personal empowerment with broader societal change.
Kara Loewentheil emphasizes the integration of cognitive psychology with feminist theory to help women confront societal pressures impacting their mental health.
The podcast explores redefining success on personal terms for women, encouraging them to pursue authentic desires beyond societal validations and norms.
Deep dives
Feminism and Cognitive Psychology
The discussion highlights how feminist mindset coaching integrates cognitive psychology to address societal pressures that women face. The speaker emphasizes that traditional therapeutic methods often overlook the effects of societal treatment on a woman’s thought patterns. Many theories formulated predominantly by men do not account for the specific challenges women encounter due to systemic sexism. Therefore, the speaker's work seeks to fill this gap, helping women understand their thoughts through a more inclusive framework that acknowledges the influence of gender on mental health.
Redefining Success
The concept of success is explored in a way that challenges societal norms, especially for those socialized as women. Many women find themselves striving for external validations of success that remain ultimately unfulfilling; such as career achievements, appearance, and relationship milestones. The speaker narrates their personal experience of attaining a prestigious career but feeling unfulfilled, reinforcing the idea that societal standards may not equate to personal happiness. Therefore, the work encourages women to define success on their own terms and pursue what resonates with their true desires.
Thoughts, Feelings, and Self-Esteem
A key insight revolves around the relationship between thoughts and feelings, particularly how one’s self-perception can be drastically altered through cognitive behavioral techniques. The speaker argues that many women are conditioned to equate their self-worth with societal standards, leading to a negative self-image. By practicing 'thought work,' women can learn to differentiate between helpful and harmful thoughts and establish healthier self-relationships. This transformation not only empowers individuals but also enables them to engage more authentically with the world around them.
Activism Through Personal Liberation
The intertwining of personal growth and social justice is emphasized, as the speaker articulates that truly meaningful change comes from within. Individuals challenging societal narratives about themselves can create waves of transformation in their communities and beyond. By fostering a mindset that rejects harmful societal stereotypes, marginalized individuals become agents of change, capable of making an impact. Ultimately, the goal is to inspire women to cultivate self-awareness and courage, enabling them to pursue lives defined by their own aspirations rather than those dictated by external expectations.
Master Certified life coach Kara Loewentheil visits Google to discuss her book “Take Back Your Brain: How A Sexist Society Gets in Your Head – and How to Get It Out,” Her book weaves cognitive psychology and feminist theory with practical thought-work exercises to awaken new possibilities for all.
Kara Lowentheil is a founder of The School of New Feminist Thought, and host of the internationally top-ranked podcast “UnF*ck Your Brain: Feminist Self-Help for Everyone”, which has 50+ million downloads. A graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, Kara transitioned from being an Ivy League lawyer to a life coach. Eight years after she stepped down as director of a think tank at Columbia Law School, she created multiple-seven-figure businesses, taught millions of women how to identify the ways that sexist socialization impacts their brains, and helped women all over the world rewire their thought patterns to liberate themselves from the inside out.