Jeanne Bunker

Jeanne Bunker I help brave seekers liberate themselves from toxic beliefs to have richer lives and relationships.

Every year, I hear it: “I love the holidays, but I also dread them.”The holidays can hold both joy and tension. We gathe...
12/24/2025

Every year, I hear it: “I love the holidays, but I also dread them.”

The holidays can hold both joy and tension. We gather hoping for warmth, but sometimes we find old dynamics, multiplied expectations, and very little breathing room.

If connection feels complicated right now, you’re not failing at family or friendship, you’re just noticing what’s real.

Boundaries don’t block closeness; they preserve it. They’re allow relationships to stay honest, respectful, and sustainable.

So if you need the reminder: it’s okay to say no, leave early, or protect your peace without guilt. That’s not withdrawal, it’s wisdom.

What boundary brings you a little more peace this season?

12/24/2025

I am excited to share with all of you my recent article published by the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, “Aggression, the Often Maligned Life Force Crucial in Healing Internalized Misogyny: Implications for Group Psychotherapy”! Find the link in comments to download it from the Journal’s website.

Peace that costs your voice isn’t peace, it’s performance.Avoidance can feel safer in the moment. But over time, it chip...
12/18/2025

Peace that costs your voice isn’t peace, it’s performance.

Avoidance can feel safer in the moment. But over time, it chips away at connection. The longer we stay silent, the heavier the truth becomes.

Brave communication doesn’t always sound calm or polished. Sometimes it shakes, sometimes it stumbles, but it builds something real.

Honesty doesn’t destroy relationships. Pretending does.

What’s one truth you’ve been holding back that deserves a voice?

The holidays can pull us in every direction — plans, people, pressure, emotions.But peace doesn’t come from keeping up; ...
12/16/2025

The holidays can pull us in every direction — plans, people, pressure, emotions.

But peace doesn’t come from keeping up; it comes from slowing down.

You don’t have to earn your rest, perfect your presence, or meet every expectation.
The people who love you don’t need your performance, they need your presence.

Sometimes the most meaningful moments happen when you stop trying to create them.
When you exhale. When you let “enough” be enough.

✨ You are enough. Even in the pause.

Share this as a quiet reminder for the friend who forgets to breathe this time of year.

Before you plan the next thing, pause.Look back on where you were brave this year. What truths you told, the boundaries ...
12/10/2025

Before you plan the next thing, pause.

Look back on where you were brave this year. What truths you told, the boundaries you held, the moments you chose growth over familiar patterns.

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it whispers, “I’m still here.”

Maybe this year stretched you more than it rewarded you. If so, honor that. You grew in ways that may not show, but they matter.

Your bravery counted. Every. single. time.

Tell me, what’s one brave thing you did in 2025, even if no one else saw it?

You know that mental checklist that never stops running… remembering birthdays, refilling prescriptions, managing logist...
12/08/2025

You know that mental checklist that never stops running… remembering birthdays, refilling prescriptions, managing logistics, smoothing tension, holding space?

That’s labor. It’s emotional, cognitive, and often invisible.

Just because it doesn’t show up on a to-do list doesn’t mean it’s not work. It’s the kind of effort that keeps families, teams, and relationships functioning, but it comes with a cost when it’s carried alone.

You don’t have to do it all to prove your worth. Naming what you carry is the first step toward sharing the weight.

Take five minutes today to name one thing you do that no one sees, but you wish others noticed? Awareness is where balance begins.

In a culture that glorifies busyness, rest can feel rebellious.But rest isn’t a luxury, it's the leadership of your nerv...
12/03/2025

In a culture that glorifies busyness, rest can feel rebellious.

But rest isn’t a luxury, it's the leadership of your nervous system. It’s how you regulate, reset, and return to yourself.

Rest says:
✨ “I am not a machine.”
✨ “I can lead with clarity, not chaos.”
✨ “I refuse to measure my worth by my output.”

You don’t have to earn it. You just have to remember it’s part of the work.

Save this post as your permission slip to rest before you crash.

“I’m fine.” It sounds polite. Manageable. Easy. But “fine” can also be the mask we wear when we’re anything but okay.“Fi...
12/02/2025

“I’m fine.” It sounds polite. Manageable. Easy. But “fine” can also be the mask we wear when we’re anything but okay.

“Fine” keeps us safe from follow-up questions, but it also keeps us from connection. It’s the conversation stopper that protects us in the moment and isolates us over time.

You don’t owe everyone full transparency, but you deserve spaces where “fine” isn’t your default.

When’s the last time you said “I’m fine” and meant something else?

Gratitude is powerful, but it’s not a bypass.You can be thankful and tired. Grateful and grieving. Hopeful and honest ab...
11/27/2025

Gratitude is powerful, but it’s not a bypass.

You can be thankful and tired. Grateful and grieving. Hopeful and honest about what’s hard.

Today, as we gather (or don’t), let gratitude be real, not rehearsed.
Let it make space for joy and struggle to coexist, not cancel each other out.

True gratitude doesn’t silence the hard parts; it helps us carry them with perspective.

What’s one thing you’re genuinely grateful for this year, even if it came with some struggle?

Let’s talk about vulnerability. Real vulnerability isn’t about spilling everything, it’s about showing up with honesty, ...
11/25/2025

Let’s talk about vulnerability. Real vulnerability isn’t about spilling everything, it’s about showing up with honesty, courage, and care.

It’s the willingness to be seen, even when you can’t control how it’s received. It’s sharing what’s true and holding space for what others might need, too.

Vulnerability builds trust because it honors both authenticity and boundaries. It invites connection instead of demanding it.
It’s less about exposure, more about presence.

When we practice grounded vulnerability, we create space where truth can land gently and where others feel safe to be real, too.

What helps you stay open while staying grounded?

One-on-one work is powerful, but some breakthroughs only happen in community.Here’s why:✨ Groups normalize your struggle...
11/20/2025

One-on-one work is powerful, but some breakthroughs only happen in community.

Here’s why:
✨ Groups normalize your struggles — you realize, “I’m not the only one.”
✨ They nudge you forward — “If they can do it, maybe I can too.”
✨ They expand your support network — because healing and growth don’t happen in isolation.

When you show up in a group that’s safe, curious, and honest, something shifts. You stop performing. You start connecting and momentum begins to build — the kind that lasts long after the session ends.

Because momentum loves company.

Curious about Brave Seeker groups? DM me “group” and I’ll send you the details.

Dear colleagues from the Austin Group Psychotherapy Society Reel Connection, Real Resistance Conference on November 1! I...
11/18/2025

Dear colleagues from the Austin Group Psychotherapy Society Reel Connection, Real Resistance Conference on November 1! It was wonderful to be with everyone. And what a treat to spend time with Elliot Ziesel, one of the drivers - and stars - behind the film project.

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