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 9: Food, Love and Attachment: The Psychology of How We Eat – Dr Andrea Oskis

This episode contains discussion around grief, loss, relationships, attachment, and food psychology.

Join us for an entertaining and enlightening conversation with academic, cook, Financial Times Book of the Year Author and psychotherapist Dr Andrea Oskis as she shares insights from her new book ‘The Kitchen Shrink: How the food we eat is the key to how we love’, exploring how food stories from therapy reveal the deeper truths about our relationships and psychological wellbeing. This thought-provoking discussion explores how food is fundamental to our emotional lives, profoundly affecting how we deal with life’s big challenges – love, loss, separation and jealousy.

In this compelling episode, Dr Oskis openly shares:

  • How food stories told by clients in therapy explain how we form and sustain relationships
  • The ‘fried egg theory of grief’ and what it reveals about loss
  • The ‘hot sauce paradigm’ and its connection to relationship dynamics
  • Combining storytelling, recipes and Attachment Theory in therapeutic practice
  • How food affects our psychological wellbeing beyond basic nutrition
  • Understanding the emotional connection between what we eat and how we love
  • Practical insights for grieving partners and parents of picky eaters
  • Why there’s a lot of discussion about eggs in this episode
  • How academic research, cooking and psychotherapy intersect
  • Recognising food as more than just sustenance in our emotional lives

This essential conversation offers valuable guidance for anyone interested in the psychology of food, attachment patterns in relationships, or understanding how our eating habits reflect our emotional world.

Key Topics Discussed:

  • The intersection of food, psychology and relationships
  • Attachment Theory and how we form connections with others
  • The ‘fried egg theory of grief’ explained
  • The ‘hot sauce paradigm’ and relationship dynamics
  • How food stories reveal deeper psychological truths
  • Using recipes and storytelling in therapeutic practice
  • Food as a lens for understanding love, loss and separation
  • The emotional significance of what and how we eat
  • Consoling grief and supporting parents through food psychology
  • Why eggs feature so prominently in food and relationship narratives

Learn more about Dr Andrea Oskis

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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.