This Feels Familiar with Minaa B.

In this episode, Minaa B. explores why siblings drift apart in adulthood—a question she's asked constantly as a therapist specializing in sibling relationships. Drawing from research on sibling dynamics, she breaks down the complex factors that create distance: childhood closeness that was really just proximity, personality and temperament differences, the impact of mental illness and addiction, poor family cohesion, unresolved childhood conflict, and how life transitions pull siblings in different directions. She also addresses the painful reality that some sibling alienation starts in childhood—long before adulthood makes it obvious. With compassion and clarity, Minaa offers practical strategies for navigating sibling distance, whether you want to rebuild connection or make peace with letting go. Resources Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Website: minaab.com Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe here Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. explores why it’s so easy to carry old relational wounds into new relationships—and how those unresolved patterns can quietly shape the way you connect, communicate, and respond to conflict. If you’ve ever felt like your reactions in relationships are bigger than the moment, struggled to trust even when someone shows up consistently, or noticed yourself repeating the same patterns with different people, this episode is for you. Using The Siblinghood Theory as a framework, Minaa breaks down how your earliest relational experiences influence your expectations of belonging, and how those patterns can show up in ways that sabotage connection. This episode will help you: Understand why past relationship experiences still affect you Identify signs that old wounds are showing up in your current relationships Recognize how these patterns impact trust, communication, and emotional safety Learn practical ways to respond differently and build healthier connections Because the goal isn’t to erase your past—it’s to understand when it’s shaping your present, so you can choose something different. Resources Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Website: minaab.com Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe here Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. breaks down why rejection while dating can feel so much deeper than it “should”—and why it often has less to do with the moment and more to do with your relational history. If you’ve ever found yourself overanalyzing what went wrong, questioning your worth, or feeling like rejection hits harder than expected, this conversation will help you understand why. Through the lens of belonging, conflict, and relational patterns, Minaa explores how rejection activates old wounds, what it reveals about your need for connection, and how your past experiences may be shaping your present reactions. This episode will help you: Understand why rejection feels so intense Recognize the patterns it triggers Stop internalizing rejection as a reflection of your worth Navigate dating with more clarity and emotional grounding Because rejection isn’t just about someone else’s decision—it’s about what that experience taps into within you. Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Website: minaab.com Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe here Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. explores the situationship you know you're in—not the confusing kind, but the one where you're fully aware it's not going anywhere, and you're stuck anyway. With warmth and zero judgment, she breaks down why you stay even when you know better: the need for connection over loneliness, the fear of conflict and rupture, scarcity thinking around relationships, and the real emotional safety some situationships provide. Minaa offers compassionate strategies for moving forward when you're ready—not shame tactics, but real understanding of what's keeping you there. If you're in a situationship and can't seem to leave, this episode is for you. Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Website: minaab.com Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe here Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. challenges the idea that self-love is enough to stop you from choosing the wrong person. She breaks down why relationship choices are driven by unconscious patterns, not just self-worth—exploring how your brain seeks familiarity over health, how early sibling and peer dynamics create blueprints for attraction, and how external pressure (the financial and social cost of being single) pushes people toward relationships that aren't right for them. Minaa offers practical strategies for recognizing when you're repeating old patterns and for making different choices. If you've ever wondered why you keep choosing emotionally unavailable people despite doing all the work on yourself, this episode is for you. Resources Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Website: minaab.com Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe here Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. speaks directly to the friend who struggles with envy—the one whose chest tightens when someone shares good news, who can't quite bring themselves to celebrate a peer's success. She explores how sibling dynamics and peer relationships taught us that success is limited, and why your friend's win can feel like your failure. Minaa breaks down where envy comes from, why adult experiences reinforce scarcity thinking, and offers practical strategies for processing the feeling without letting shame ruin your friendships. If you've ever been the jealous friend and felt too ashamed to admit it, this episode is for you. Resources Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Website: minaab.com Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe here Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. tackles the polarizing discourse around family estrangement—is it a trend or survival? She breaks down what estrangement really is, why people choose it, and what's missing from the social media conversation: the grief, the ambivalence, the cost, and the complexity that a 60-second video can't capture. Drawing on concepts like little t traumas and "death by a thousand paper cuts," Minaa explains how estrangement is rarely about one incident but rather years of unmet needs and unrepaired harm. If the online discourse has left you confused about whether cutting off family is brave or giving up, this episode brings the nuance that's been missing. Work with me Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Resources Website: minaab.com Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe here Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. explores what it means to have an emotionally immature sibling and why it feels different from dealing with an emotionally immature parent. She breaks down what emotional immaturity actually looks like—the defensiveness, the manipulation, the inability to take responsibility—and examines why some siblings develop emotional maturity while others stay stuck. Using The Siblinghood Theory framework, Minaa reveals how poor conflict navigation, power dynamics, and lack of emotional attunement create exhausting one-sided relationships. If you're the sibling who's always managing everyone else's emotions, this episode validates your experience and offers practical strategies for protecting your peace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. unpacks the silent treatment—not as someone needing space, but as a power move rooted in manipulation. she explores why people use silence as a weapon, how it shows up across sibling relationships, friendships, romantic partnerships, and workplace dynamics, and the psychological toll it takes on the person being shut out. Minaa offers practical strategies for recognizing the pattern, setting boundaries around silence, and protecting yourself from relationships where communication is weaponized. If you've ever been frozen out by someone you care about, this episode will help you see it for what it really is. Resources Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Website: minaab.com Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe here Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you ever have that weird feeling that says, "I've been in this situation before?" The same conflict. The same feeling that no matter what you do, the pattern repeats. That familiar feeling isn't a coincidence–it's a pattern. And This Feels Familiar can help you change it. Your patterns aren't personal failures—they're relational. They were shaped by early experiences with siblings, peers, and family. And on this show, therapist, author, and creator of The Siblinghood Theory, Minaa B., explores how belonging, conflict, and relational patterns shape your life—and how to change them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. explores why so many people feel trapped in the roles they were assigned growing up—the responsible one, the peacekeeper, the funny one, the invisible one. Drawing from The Siblinghood Theory's Role Rigidity dimension, she breaks down how sibling and peer dynamics create fixed identities that follow us into adulthood, showing up in friendships, romantic relationships, and workplace dynamics. Minaa explains the psychological and systemic reasons roles become so hard to change, and offers practical strategies for recognizing when you're performing a role versus being yourself. If you've ever felt like you can't break free from who your family expected you to be, this episode will show you that your role doesn't define you—and you can opt out. Resources Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Resources Website: minaab.com Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe here Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. explores friendship trauma—often called little T traumas—and examines how microaggressions in friendships can cause people to drift apart. Resources Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation Website: www.minaab.com Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Mindful With Minaa⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. explains why friendship in today’s society feels disposable and difficult to maintain compared to romantic relationships. She discusses social hierarchy and how friendship tends to land at the bottom of the hierarchy, and shares tips on what we can do to strengthen our friendships. Resources Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation. Website: www.minaab.com Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Mindful With Minaa⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Minaa B. shares her insights on how TV and media have distorted our perception of what healthy friendship and community look like. We’ve all been sold an inaccurate idea of what connection is supposed to be, and in this episode, Minaa B. breaks down those myths while providing useful tools on how to cultivate healthy, realistic friendships. Resources Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation Website: www.minaab.com Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Mindful With Minaa⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected! ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Belonging is a universal need, but conflict can hinder building community. This episode explores the new direction of Mindful With Minaa and reveals the obstacles that prevent belonging, while providing you with the tools to strengthen the relationships you want. Work with me: Book a 1:1 therapy consultation Resources Website: www.minaab.com Order my book: Owning Our Struggles⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Mindful With Minaa⁠⁠⁠ Stay Connected ⁠Instagram LinkedIn⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices