About the Episode:
When we become doctors, lawyers, or teachers, there are exams, certifications, and years of preparation. But when we become parents, we’re handed a newborn and sent home.
Dr. Debbie Raphael—a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist—became a mother at the same time she began her child psychiatry fellowship. That unusual overlap gave her a rare opportunity: she was learning the science of child development at the exact moment she was living it. Over time, she began journaling about that experience, eventually turning those reflections into her forthcoming book, Carry My Strength, which explores the emotional and psychological layers of parenting.
In this episode, Dr. Whitney and Dr. Raphael talk about the emotional realities of parenting—from the identity shifts that happen when we become parents to the ways our own childhood experiences shape how we raise our kids.
About Our Guest:
Dr. Debbie Raphael, M.D. is a double-board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, clinical educator, and author whose work helps parents understand the emotional realities of parenting and build stronger, more secure relationships with their children.
Her forthcoming book, Carry My Strength (releasing January 2027), blends her rigorous clinical expertise with lived experience as a parent. The book draws on journals she kept while training in child psychiatry and raising her own children, offering parents a deeply human, psychologically grounded guide to navigating the emotional work of parenting, breaking cycles of trauma, and promoting relational health across generations.
Dr. Raphael’s voice has been featured in national outlets including Parents Magazine, and she has appeared on multiple podcasts discussing attachment, validation, and parent-child connection. She lives in California with her family and brings both professional insight and personal empathy to her work supporting parents and caregivers.
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