40: Brave Together Podcast - Jessica Patay, Susanna Peace Lovell and Dr. Zoe Shaw - Episode 40

40: Brave Together Podcast - Jessica Patay, Susanna Peace Lovell and Dr. Zoe Shaw - Episode 40

From the start, they name what many are afraid to say: “I think I've had pent up anger my entire 52 years on this earth.” They chat about being judged for their parenting, having their children’s disabilities minimised with lines like “aren’t we all a little bit on the spectrum?”, and the emotional whiplash of people’s pity – or as one of them jokes, the need to say, “Can you fix your face?” when someone looks horrified by their child’s diagnosis.

How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? While this conversation isn’t about alcohol directly, it speaks straight to anyone in recovery who knows what it’s like to carry too much, for too long. Jessica Pate, Susanna Peace-Lavelle and Dr. Zoe sit down as caregiving mums to talk about anger – the kind that builds quietly under medical paperwork, social services, sleepless nights and the constant advocacy their children need. Dr.

Zoe breaks down how women are trained to avoid anger, and what happens when that feeling gets pushed down into resentment, passive-aggression or even depression. She offers a simple framework – “name, need, choose” – to help mums identify what their anger is telling them, whether it’s asking for acceptance, grief, boundaries, or bold advocacy. The trio also talk about the brutal gaps in care and the way society quietly normalises the extra emotional and admin labour of disability parenting.

They mix hard truths with humour – rage rooms and all – while reminding each other that “anger tells us something’s going wrong.” If you’re on any kind of caregiving or recovery path and feel bad for feeling mad, this conversation might help you breathe out, laugh a bit, and ask yourself: what is your anger trying to tell you today?