Facing Big Feelings and Life Challenges: A Reintroduction of Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs

After a much-needed pause, Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs is returning with a new sense of purpose (and, for the first time ever, a camera).

Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or you’re tuning in for the first time — I’m so glad you’re here.

My mission for these new episodes has been inspired my by new book, Wrestling a Walrus: For Little People with Big Feelings.

I’m here to make big feelings less scary, make approaching them feel possible, and to laugh as much as possible.

Facing Fear and Big Feelings When You Start Again

When I transitioned from working as a ballroom dance instructor to becoming a therapist — and through all the zigzags that came in between — I was constantly surrounded by uncertainty and self-doubt.

And honestly? That feeling still shows up every time I start something new that matters to me.

Whenever I get close to something I really want — something right on the edge of my comfort zone — my mind kicks up the same soundtrack: “I don’t know if I can do this. This is going to be hard. Maybe I shouldn’t.”

Then I do a little dance of procrastination — I research, I overthink, I binge-watch Parks and Rec or Gilmore Girls.

But that quiet inner knock always comes back: “Hey, are you going to come play with us?”

And eventually, inch by inch, I find my way forward.

That’s how I got here — sitting in front of a camera, hitting record, and realizing that once you start doing the thing you’ve been afraid of, it’s almost never as scary as you thought.

What Big Feelings Teach Me About Life Challenges

This new chapter of Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs is rooted in everything I’ve learned through therapy, parenting, and simply being human — that big feelings and life challenges are often our greatest teachers.

Every emotion, no matter how messy, holds a message. Fear says you care. Frustration means you’re growing. Sadness asks you to slow down.

That’s what this podcast is all about — noticing, feeling, and moving through the moments that make us who we are.

How I Learned to Embrace Big Feelings Instead of Avoiding Them

As Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs steps into a new season, I’m bringing a few things with me — lessons from my therapy practice, stories from real life, and a renewed curiosity about what it means to grow through change.

Here’s what you can expect:

Solo episodes: honest, reflective conversations between you and me about growth, self-discovery, and emotional healing.
Guest interviews: with people I admire, including returning guests I can’t wait to catch up with.
Real-life insights: the kind that remind us we’re not alone in our big feelings or our life challenges.

The goal? To make big feelings feel less scary, easier to understand, and more possible to approach.

And — whenever possible — to laugh.

Life Challenges Behind the Mic: What’s Been Happening Off-Camera

Since I last recorded consistently, life has been…a lot.

I became a mom of two.
I wrote a children’s book — Wrestling a Walrus: For Little People with Big Feelings.
I moved houses.
And I even had to fight to protect this podcast when someone tried to launch a copycat version.

Key Takeaways

Big feelings aren’t bad. They’re reminders that you’re alive and connected to what matters.
Fear means you care. It’s not a stop sign; it’s a signal to keep going.
You can hold joy and discomfort at the same time. Both belong.

Quotes to Remember

When I allow myself to feel instead of fix, I start to hear what those emotions have been trying to tell me all along.

👉 If this episode resonates, share it with a friend who might also need this reminder. And don’t forget to subscribe so new episodes find you—no chasing required.

RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE TO “DON’T CUT YOUR OWN BANGS”

Like your favorite recipe or song, the best things in life are shared. When you rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast, your engagement helps me connect with other listeners just like you. Plus, subscriptions just make life easier for everybody. It’s one less thing for you to think about and you can easily keep up to date on everything that’s new. So, please rate, review, and subscribe today.

DANIELLE IRELAND, LCSW

I greatly appreciate your support and engagement as part of the Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs community. Feel free to reach out with questions, comments, or anything you’d like to share. You can connect with me at any of the links below.

CONNECT WITH DANIELLE

Follow me on: Instagram

Check out: The Treasured Journal

Buy my children’s book: Wrestling a Walrus

Download: Free Essential Meditations audio series

Facing Big Feelings and Life Challenges: A Reintroduction of Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs – Full Episode Transcript

Hello, hello! This is Danielle Ireland, and you’re listening (or watching!) Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs.

I wanted to take this opportunity with this new video format to reintroduce myself. Whether you’re joining for the first time or have been a longtime listener since the podcast began, I just want to say: welcome back. And also—welcome to me, to the video podcasting space.

I put this off for a long time. Honestly? Because I didn’t know if I could figure it out. I was afraid.

But that’s also what this podcast has always been about—facing fear and growth head-on.

When I transitioned from being a ballroom dance instructor to becoming a therapist—and through all the twisty zigzags in between—there was so much uncertainty and self-doubt.

Every time I approach something new that excites me, something I really want, but that’s sitting right on the edge of my comfort zone, I feel the same way:

“I don’t know if I can do this. This is going to be hard. Maybe I shouldn’t.”

Then I do the dance of procrastination. I’ll learn a little, freeze, and distract myself by rewatching Parks and Rec or Gilmore Girls.

But that little knock on the inside—“Hey, are you going to come play with us?”—always comes back.

So inch by inch, I find my way forward. And here I am: on video, doing this podcast again. And honestly? It feels great.

That’s the beautiful thing—once you start doing the thing you’ve been afraid of, you realize it’s almost never as scary or as hard as you thought.

I wanted to take this first episode back to reintroduce myself and give you a peek at what’s coming next.

Moving forward, we’ll have a mix of solo casts—episodes like this one where it’s just you and me—and interview episodes with guests I love and admire.

The solos will dive into key lessons and emotional insights that come from my work as a therapist. (Don’t worry—no client secrets!) But what I’ve learned over and over is this: the more specific a moment feels to one person, the more universal it actually becomes.

Those stories are how we connect, learn, and grow together.

We’ll also bring back some of my favorite past guests—people who were part of the early chapters of Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs. I want to know where they are now, what’s changed, and what they’ve learned since. Because growth isn’t just about starting something new; it’s about learning how to sustain it.

What I really want to do in this next wave of the podcast is make big feelings feel less scary and more approachable.

I want to help you understand them, navigate them, and even—whenever possible—find ways to laugh at them.

Because when we’re faced with undeniable truth—those moments that hit us right in the gut—we usually respond by either crying or laughing.

And since I hold a lot of space for tears in my work, here in this space, I want to make more room for laughter too.

When we can turn challenges into something that amuses or delights us, that’s a real power move. That’s growth.

Since the last time I recorded consistently, a lot has happened.

I wrote a children’s book called Wrestling a Walrus: For Little People with Big Feelings.

I’m a parent of two—my four-year-old and my one-and-a-half-year-old both have big freaking feelings. (Still deciding if I’ll curse on camera yet!)

The book was such a creative spark for me. It’s a little book with a big idea: when we face something that feels impossible—whether that’s a walrus or a wave of emotion—the way through isn’t about changing the obstacle. It’s about changing ourselves.

Emotions are energy in motion. They want us to move. They have something to teach us.

And that’s exactly what we’ll keep exploring here.

So what else has been going on?

I moved houses. I grew my family. I fought (successfully!) to protect the Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs name when someone tried to launch a copycat. That experience made me pause and ask myself:

“Am I fighting for this because I don’t want someone else to have it, or because I still love it?”

And the answer was clear: I still love this.

That little push was the nudge I needed to come back.

If you’ve been here since the beginning—thank you.
If you’re brand new—thank you.
If you’ve just stumbled in from the internet—thank you.

There are 172 episodes in the Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs archive, and I’ve curated the top 50 most downloaded and most loved ones for you to revisit. Those are the gems—the heart of what this podcast has been.

But this new season? It’s about what it can be.

My goal is to add value to your life, help you feel less alone, and remind you that whatever you’re facing—you’re not the only one.

We all deserve to delight in our lives.
We all deserve laughter, softness, and joy.

Thank you for being here.
And whatever you do… don’t cut your own bangs.