A Bunch of Therapists Podcast

A Bunch of Therapists Podcast goes behind the doors of the therapy room, turning candid conversations with fellow therapists into powerful revelations about the human experience - from both sides of the couch.

Hosted by our CEO, Michaela McCarthy, and Dipti Solanki, each episode shares insightful and sometimes unexpected stories from people who’ve experienced counselling and psychotherapy – and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Whether you’re in therapy, considering it, or simply curious about how it works, this podcast offers real insight into the therapeutic journey – what it feels like, why it matters, and how it can change lives.

New episodes every other Thursday. Listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts.

The Awareness Centre

The A Bunch of Therapists podcast is sponsored by The Awareness Centre & The Awareness Centre Training School.

Subscribe, listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts

Season 2, Episode 17: Surviving a Narcissist – Kathleen Saxton

This episode discusses childhood trauma, parental violence, homelessness, narcissistic abuse, and relationship breakdown.

Join us for a warm, candid and eye-opening conversation with psychotherapist, writer and media personality Kathleen Saxton as she shares her difficult childhood in Gravesend, her journey from corporate career to therapy room, and the inspiration behind her powerful new book ‘My Parent The Peacock’.

This compelling discussion explores how growing up with a narcissistic parent shapes us, and why helping victims recognise and validate their experiences is such vital therapeutic work.

In this compelling episode, Kathleen openly shares:

  • Growing up in Gravesend, Kent with an absent father and a violent mother
  • Her family being made homeless when she was just 11 years old
  • How that turbulent childhood drove her to become a high achiever
  • Succeeding in education and building a successful corporate career
  • The decision to retrain as a psychotherapist
  • Becoming engaged during her training to someone she later recognised as a narcissist
  • How that experience led her to pursue specialist training in narcissism
  • Finding the clarity and strength to end the relationship
  • Recognising the number of children of narcissists appearing in the therapy room
  • Writing ‘My Parent The Peacock’ to help victims name and validate their experiences
  • Helping readers begin to reckon with the damage caused by a narcissistic parent
  • Her work as a presenter and media commentator, including appearances on ITV’s This Morning, The Times and Stylist

This essential conversation offers invaluable insight for anyone who grew up with a narcissistic parent, has experienced narcissistic abuse in relationships, or is seeking to understand the lasting impact of narcissism on family dynamics.

Key Topics Discussed:

  • The impact of a violent and emotionally unavailable parent in childhood
  • Homelessness and instability in early life
  • High achievement as a response to childhood trauma
  • Recognising narcissistic behaviour in close relationships
  • Specialist training in narcissism and its application in therapy
  • Children of narcissists in the therapy room
  • Validating the experiences of those raised by narcissistic parents
  • The healing power of naming what happened to you
  • Writing accessible, warm therapeutic resources for the public
  • Transitioning from a corporate career to a career in therapy
  • The overlap between personal experience and therapeutic specialism

Learn more about Kathleen Saxton.

Subscribe, listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts

More from A Bunch of Therapists

YOUR HOSTS

Michaela McCarthy

Michaela McCarthy

Michaela McCarthy is a psychotherapist, entrepreneur, and the creator and host of A Bunch of Therapists podcast. Born into a working-class Irish immigrant family, Michaela was exposed early to the realities of mental illness and addiction within her own home. Her personal experiences, including witnessing her mother’s psychiatric hospitalisation and her father’s struggle with alcoholism, shaped a deep commitment to understanding the human psyche.

Feeling different from a young age and struggling with her own issues, Michaela embarked on a long and transformative journey towards self-discovery, healing, and belonging. Years of personal therapy led her to train as a counsellor, psychotherapist, psychosexual & relationship therapist and clinical supervisor. Her mission has always been clear: to support others in navigating their own paths, allowing space to explore, heal and grow.

Michaela is the founder and CEO of The Awareness Centre, The Awareness Centre Training School, and Michaela McCarthy & Associates. Through these platforms, and now her podcast, she brings together insight, empathy, and unfiltered conversations to de-stigmatise therapy and empower others.

Grounded in lived experience and professional expertise, Michaela describes herself as a “person of knowing” who approaches life with honesty, grit, and a passion for connection.

Dipti Solanki

Dipti Solanki

Dipti Solanki is a therapist, grief coach, and founder of Grief Matters 4 All CIC, with 19 years of experience supporting people through life’s transition and emotional crossroads. Whether that’s loss, identity shifts, emotional overwhelm, or navigating complex relationships. Her work sits at the meeting point of therapy and coaching, helping people feel seen, supported, and reconnected to their own sense of self, even in the most difficult seasons.

Dipti brings a unique depth to her work, blending the insight of therapy with the action-oriented clarity of coaching. Whether she’s holding space one-to-one, facilitating group work, training organisations on grief and wellbeing, or speaking to larger audiences, her approach is grounded, inclusive, and always real.

She’s been featured in a range of media, including a BBC documentary ‘Living with Loss’, BBC London Radio, The Independent, The Observer, and OK! Magazine, and is the creator of ‘Grief, Heartbreak and Hope – There’s So Much More to Say’ a guided journal designed to help people gently process and make space for their grief after losing a loved one.

Dipti is passionate about creating emotionally honest spaces. She works at the intersection of emotional wellbeing, compassion, and cultural sensitivity, with a deep commitment to making mental and emotional support feel accessible and human.

On this podcast, Dipti brings all of that and more: therapist, coach, speaker, and human – offering honest, heart-led conversations about therapy, life, healing, and what it means to grow through the things that shape us.