Still Talking About It

The holidays are coming, which means family gatherings, complicated in-law dynamics, and a whole lot of opinions that nobody actually asked for.

This week, Janelle is talking about unsolicited advice, why even the most well-intentioned comments can damage relationships over time, and how those seemingly harmless little remarks can eventually turn into death by a thousand cuts.

From commenting on how someone feeds their kids to questioning their bedtime routines, clothing choices, or parenting decisions, Janelle gets into why grandparents and extended family members need to learn when to keep their opinions to themselves.

This week, Janelle is joined by content creator Anna the Nurse, a labour and postpartum nurse with 14 years of experience and a knack for turning some of the wildest hospital situations into hilarious, relatable social media skits.

And if you thought entitled in-laws were bad at family dinners, just WAIT until you hear what happens in the delivery room.

Janelle and Anna talk about the family members who think they're entitled to a front-row seat during childbirth, grandparents who make the postpartum experience all about themselves, and why nurses are often th...

Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of sexual abuse, child abuse, and physical violence.

Madison Barbosa is BACK, and this time, she and Janelle are diving into some of the most disturbing in-law stories their followers have shared.

We're not talking about passive-aggressive comments or awkward family dinners anymore. These are situations where boundaries weren't just crossed… they were completely obliterated.

From wildly inappropriate behaviour involving children to in-laws weaponizing someone's past trauma, making deeply uncomfortable comments, and even getting physically aggressive, Janelle and Madison react to stori...

In case you missed the memo, Janelle is CANADIAN. As in, she lives in CANADA. Where Thanksgiving is celebrated in OCTOBER. On a Monday. (Or Sunday, depending on when your family chooses to get together). 

Apparently, some Americans in her comments section didn't get that memo after Janelle posted a Thanksgiving skit on social media… and they were VERY quick to try to correct her. Oops.

This week, Janelle is debriefing CANADIAN Thanksgiving and getting into the complicated expectations that come with family gatherings. Who's hosting? Who's expected to show up? And w...

By now, you’ve probably seen the viral video from the San Francisco Giants game. A mom walks back to her seat carrying her baby, a diaper bag, and an impressive amount of food… while her husband just sits there, watching her do it.

The internet IMMEDIATELY had thoughts.

This week, Janelle is talking about the video, the wife’s response defending her husband, and what happens when we decide we know everything about someone based on a few seconds of their life.

Because daughters-in-law know a little so...

How does a relationship with your in-laws go from manageable to strained, or even completely nonexistent? Usually, there’s a story behind it.

This week, Janelle asked her followers what finally changed THEIR relationships with their in-laws… and once again, you guys had a lot to say.

She’s getting into some of the moments that became breaking points, from in-laws who disappeared when their families needed them most to grandparents keeping score, ignoring health boundaries, refusing to take accountability, and sharing VERY personal announcements on social media before the parents had a ch...

This week, Janelle got an email from “Aunt Linda”… and there is A LOT to unpack.

Linda is worried about her 24-year-old nephew’s girlfriend. He’s spent roughly $35,000 of his savings since they started dating, his family recently came into some money, and Linda and her sister are starting to wonder whether this girlfriend sees their son as her “golden ticket.”

So… should they be concerned? Or should they mind their own business?

Janelle gets into the difference between genuine concern and inserting yourself into another adult’s relationshi...

Janelle has a few hills she’s willing to die on when it comes to mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, and complicated family dynamics… and apparently, so does the internet.

This week, she’s diving deeper into two recent viral posts and explaining WHY she stands so firmly behind some of her most talked-about opinions.

Stop scolding your adult children. 

Treat your grandchildren equally. 

Respect a boundary without arguing about it for three weeks first. 

And maybe, just MAYBE, the daughter-in-law who notices the unhealthy family dynamic isn’t automatical...

Janelle asked for your hottest takes about grandparents, in-laws, boundaries and family relationships… and boy did you DELIVER!

This week, Janelle is reacting to some of the hottest takes her followers and listeners shared on Instagram. Do good grandparents have to be good parents first? When family comes to visit, should they automatically get a hotel? Did you really “marry the family” when you married your spouse? And are fathers-in-law sometimes even worse than mothers-in-law?

Janelle also gets into grandparents who always seem to have an excuse for not showing u...

We spend a LOT of time talking about mothers-in-law around here… but apparently we’ve been sleeping on the sister-in-law drama! In fact, some of your sisters-in-law are giving the toxic mothers-in-law a run for their money.

This week, Janelle is digging into follower submissions about difficult sisters-in-law, and as usual, the stories range from mildly irritating to absolutely unhinged.

We’re talking wedding drama, sisters who REALLY struggle with the concept of personal space, family members who manipulate everyone around them, and some truly wild examples of what happens when sibling...

This week, Janelle is joined by fellow content creator Sam, who originally started sharing her story online anonymously after years of dealing with a mother-in-law who threatened her, crossed some pretty serious boundaries, and even attempted to pursue grandparents’ rights.

Janelle and Sam have something else in common now, too. Both of their mothers-in-law recently passed away, and the feelings that come with losing someone you had an incredibly difficult relationship with are… complicated.

They talk about grieving the relationship you wish you could have had, the relief that can come from k...

This week, Janelle is joined by content creator, birth and postpartum doula Bri Knight, who has built a following online sharing her own experiences with difficult in-law dynamics after becoming a mom.

They get into “pseudomutuality,” the idea of a family that appears incredibly close on the surface, but where authentic communication, accountability, and healthy boundaries are a whole lot harder to come by.

The conversation also gets personal as Bri shares how complicated in-law dynamics affected her marriage, why she and her husband ultimately separated, and what had to change before...

Gift giving is supposed to be nice, right? So why does it cause SO much drama in families?

This week, we’re Still Talking About… Gifts. Janelle gets into the surprisingly complicated role gifts can play in difficult family relationships, from overgifting and grandparent competition to gifts that feel like they come with some pretty big strings attached.

She also talks about the weird position parents can find themselves in when a grandparent is happy to shower the kids with presents but puts very little effort into actually building a relationship with t...

This week, Janelle hits ‘pause’ on her vacation to sit down in her cabin and talk about one of the most common pieces of advice people give when family relationships get complicated… "Just work it out."

Sounds easy enough. But what does "working it out" actually mean when one person is expected to do all the apologizing, all the compromising, and all the emotional labor?

Janelle shares her own experience with being told to repair relationships that lacked accountability, why so much advice comes from people who have never actually lived through...

This week, Janelle is answering your questions in another listener Q&A episode.

She shares her thoughts on everything from going no contact and explaining difficult family relationships to your children, to what happens when a spouse refuses to stand up for their partner. She also weighs in on guilt, healing, religion being used to justify unhealthy behavior, and whether you really have to call your in-laws "Mom" and "Dad."

Along the way, Janelle opens up about balancing work, motherhood, and content creation, reflects on her own healing journey, and offers pr...

This week, Janelle is joined by Melissa, a follower whose relationship with her own mother-in-law has been marked by years of subtle digs, impossible expectations, and what she describes as "death by a thousand cuts."

Melissa shares how the tension started almost immediately, the countless moments that chipped away at the relationship over the years, and the incident that ultimately led her husband to draw a line in the sand and ask his mother for an apology.

The conversation explores how small comments can have a lasting impact, why accountability matters, an...

This week, Janelle shares something deeply personal. After years of talking about difficult family dynamics online, inspired largely by her relationship with her own mother-in-law, she received the difficult news that her mother-in-law had passed away.

She opens up about what the last few weeks have looked like for her family, why a terminal diagnosis doesn't erase years of complicated history, and what it's been like watching her husband navigate grief, estrangement, and unanswered attempts to reconnect.

The conversation also explores the difficult decisions families sometimes face at the end of so...

This week, Janelle is talking about something she sees all the time in difficult family relationships… scolding.

Not giving feedback. Not expressing disappointment. Scolding.

She breaks down why so many parents continue speaking to their adult children the same way they did when they were kids, why that approach almost always backfires, and how shame and guilt can quietly erode relationships over time.

Janelle also shares a personal story from the early days of her social media journey, when her in-laws tried to pressure her into taking down...

This week, Janelle is chatting with someone listeners have heard her mention many times… her podcast producer, Robyn Flynn, owner of Le Studio Quinze in Châteauguay, Quebec.

The conversation starts with how the two met through social media and eventually teamed up to launch Still Talking About It, before shifting into Robyn's own experience navigating marriage, parenting, and a complicated relationship with her mother-in-law, including how that toxic relationship contributed to the end of her own marriage.

They talk about the subtle comments that add up over time, what happens when...

This week, Janelle welcomes Dr. Tracy Dalgleish back for Part Two of their conversation about family dynamics, boundaries, and what it takes to build healthy relationships in complicated family systems.

They talk about why honest feedback can be so difficult to hear, how to tell the difference between criticism and genuine concern, and why having people in your life who challenge you isn't always a bad thing.

The conversation also explores parenting, boundaries, and the pressure many adults feel when trying to balance their own needs with family expectations. Janelle and Dr...

This week, Janelle is joined by clinical psychologist and You, Your Husband and His Mother author Dr. Tracy Dalgleish for a conversation that gets to the heart of so many in-law struggles.

Like why daughters-in-law so often find themselves cast as either the victim or the villain, and what it looks like to step out of those roles and become the main character in your own life instead.

Janelle and Dr. Tracy also discuss the generational shifts that are changing family relationships, why younger generations are less willing to tolerate unhealthy dy...

This week, Janelle is tackling a topic that generated a lot of strong opinions from followers… What happens when your mother-in-law continues to maintain contact with your partner’s ex?

This all starts with a listener sharing how her mother-in-law has maintained a close relationship with her son's former partner, despite being told that it makes him uncomfortable. The listener wanted to know whether this is something you can set a boundary around… and the answers weren't nearly as straightforward as you might think.

Janelle also gets into the difference between a reques...

This week, Janelle is talking about some of the less obvious red flags and green flags that can show up in mother-in-law relationships.

Not the big, dramatic, easy-to-spot stuff. 

The smaller things. 

The comments that leave you feeling a little weird. 

The patterns that are easy to brush off individually, but start to paint a picture over time.

That includes figuring out what are those behaviors that might signal a relationship is heading in an unhealthy direction, along with the qual...

This week, Janelle is joined by licensed therapist, content creator, and mom of two Andrea Brambila to talk about modern parenting, family dynamics, and the pressure parents are under to do literally everything perfectly.

Andrea shares her thoughts on “90s-style parenting,” why kids don’t need parents acting like full-time cruise directors, and how independence, boredom, and lower screen time can actually create calmer family dynamics.

The conversation also gets into navigating difficult in-laws while raising kids, how to decide which parenting “hills” are actually worth dying on, and why flexibility matters… esp...

This week, Janelle is joined by a follower to talk about a situation that goes beyond awkward dynamics or difficult personalities… and into something much more serious.

What starts as uncomfortable, boundary-crossing behavior early in the relationship slowly builds into a pattern that becomes harder and harder to ignore. Moments that feel off. Comments that don’t sit right. Situations that make you question whether you’re overreacting… or finally seeing things clearly.

They talk about what it looks like when trust is broken, why some boundaries aren’t about preference but about sa...

If your adult kids, their spouses, or even their friends never seem to want to spend any time at your house… there’s usually a reason. And no, it’s not because they’re “too busy.”

This week, we’re Still Talking About Why They Won’t Come Over…. As in, why your adult children simply don’t want to come to your house. Janelle draws a parallel between parenting younger kids and navigating relationships with adult children and in-laws. Because just like kids naturally gravitate toward the houses that feel warm, welcoming, and easy to be in… adults do t...

This week, Janelle is talking about the kind of moments that make you pause and think… did that really just come out of your mouth?

It starts with a very real decision. Whether or not to invite extended family to her daughter’s dance competition, knowing there’s a history there, and knowing that what should be a fun, supportive event can easily turn into something else.

Because sometimes it’s not just about showing up. It’s about the energy people bring with them, the comments, the expectations, the way everything s...

This week, Janelle is joined by a follower to talk about what happens when you marry into a family that feels… completely different from your own.

What starts as a few uncomfortable dynamics quickly turns into something much bigger. Ongoing tension, unspoken rules, and the kind of behavior that everyone else seems to expect you to just accept.

They talk about what it looks like when setting boundaries creates conflict instead of resolving it, how quickly you can become “the problem” for simply refusing to play along, and why some families would ra...

This week, Janelle is talking about a concept she shared online recently… “yes ma’am moments.”

What does it actually mean? And why does it seem to hit such a nerve, especially when it comes to in-laws?

Janelle breaks down the idea of accepting feedback or instructions without pushback, and how this shows up in family dynamics, particularly once you have kids and step into your role as the decision-maker. Whether you’re talking about safe sleep or how you feed your kids, some things just aren’t up for debate… even if other pe...

This week, Janelle is joined by Erin Junker, mom and pediatric sleep consultant from The Happy Sleep Company, to talk about something that causes a surprising amount of tension in families… baby sleep.

Because why does it seem like everyone suddenly has an opinion on YOUR baby’s schedule? And does your MIL always insist “it’s fiiiiiiine” for your baby to skip a nap when it’s really not?!

Janelle and Erin talk about the importance of protecting your baby’s sleep routine, what actually happens when naps get skipped, and why consiste...

Hey, it’s April Fool’s Day! Janelle briefly considered pulling off some sort of elaborate April Fool’s prank on the pod… but decided instead to read some of the meanest, most unhinged comments she’s received across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube… and react to them.

From being called every name in the book, to being told that SHE’S the problem, Janelle reacts in real time and unpacks what’s really behind comments like these, why talking about in-law dynamics seems to hit such a nerve, and what it actually says about the people leaving th...

This week, Janelle is joined by another follower, Vanessa, to talk about something that comes up more often than people want to admit… low-effort grandparents.

What do you do when your kids want them at an event, like a birthday party, but your experience tells you they might not show up the way your kids are hoping?

They talk about the tension between protecting your kids from disappointment and giving them the space to form their own relationships, what it looks like when effort is inconsistent, and how to manage expectations with...

This week, Janelle is talking about something that happened in her own neighbourhood.

What started as a normal school pickup turned into a very uncomfortable interaction with a woman walking several dogs… and somehow ended with that same woman following Janelle home.

The experience got Janelle thinking about something bigger. How some people react when you set even the smallest boundary, and how quickly a simple situation can escalate when someone refuses to take the hint.

Because sometimes the issue isn’t the boundary… it’s the person who...

This week, Janelle does something a little different and invites a follower onto the podcast to share her own story. And, it’s one that so many women will quietly recognize…. What happens when you slowly pull back from your husband’s family group chat… and suddenly you’re blamed for “ruining” the family dynamic?

In modern families, there’s often a pressure to perform closeness in digital spaces. But in reality, busy seasons of life naturally shift priorities, and that sometimes looks like pulling back from surface-level interactions, which can be interpreted as rejection.

T...

This week, Janelle is talking about a word that keeps popping up in her DMs lately… enmeshment.

What does it actually mean? And how is it different from just being close with your family? Janelle breaks down what enmeshment can look like in adulthood, why boundaries often feel like personal attacks in enmeshed families, and how growing up feeling responsible for a parent’s emotions can quietly follow someone into their marriage.

She also answers follower questions about partners who can’t seem to separate their mother’s feelings from their own, what...

This week, Janelle is flying solo and talking about something that a lot of followers have been asking her about lately… “low-effort families.”

What happens when you marry into a family that doesn’t reach out, doesn’t anticipate needs, and doesn’t show up the way you expected extended family would? And what happens when those same people suddenly start complaining about not seeing you or your kids enough?

Janelle breaks down the difference between mismatched expectations and genuinely unhealthy behavior, why disappointment often comes from hoping people will change once grandkids...

This week, Janelle is flying solo and talking about something that a lot of followers have been asking her about lately… “low-effort families.”

What happens when you marry into a family that doesn’t reach out, doesn’t anticipate needs, and doesn’t show up the way you expected extended family would? And what happens when those same people suddenly start complaining about not seeing you or your kids enough?

Janelle breaks down the difference between mismatched expectations and genuinely unhealthy behavior, why disappointment often comes from hoping people will change once grandkids...

This week, Janelle is joined by her first-ever guest, Madison LeBlanc Barbosa, creator, mom of two with a third on the way, and the woman behind the viral Monster-In-Law series.

They talk about how Madison unexpectedly built an online community, why so many women feel isolated after becoming mothers, and how her Monster-In-Law stories completely took on a life of their own.

Janelle and Madison also get into some of the wildest themes that keep showing up in submissions, why in-law dynamics often go sideways long before kids enter the picture, an...

Before we get into this episode, trigger warning. Part of this conversation includes discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation.

This week, we’re still talking about emotional manipulation. Janelle answers a deeply layered follower question about misaligned expectations between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and how quickly things can escalate when boundaries are ignored.

The follower shares a situation where her soon-to-be mother-in-law invited herself over, berated her in her own home, and lashed out over not having the close, “best friend” relationship she expected. When the fiancé defended his partner, the conflict...

Okay, we HAVE to talk about the Beckhams.

Since EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER has been asking… What is going on with Brooklyn Beckham and his parents?!

After Brooklyn shared some very pointed messages about his relationship with his mom and dad, the internet exploded. And a lot of women immediately recognized the dynamic. A famous mom, a powerful family, and a daughter-in-law who suddenly becomes the problem.

Janelle talks about the tension between Brooklyn Beckham, his wife Nicola Peltz, and Victoria Beckham, including the wedding drama that peopl...