Free Resource
Unstuck: The Podcast
Two psychologists. One long friendship. And the conversations most of us only have at 2 am.
Ever said yes when every part of you was screaming no?
Ever had the same argument with your partner for the fourth time this month and thought, how on earth are we here again?
Ever caught yourself in a pattern you can see perfectly clearly, and still can't seem to stop?
That's what we talk about on Unstuck.
Two HCPC-registered psychologists. Real clinical training, real conversations, no jargon. Completely free!
Unstuck is the free video podcast from 2 Together, hosted by Dr Tanya Petersen and Dr Lisa Corbett — two psychologists who met at 18, lived next door to each other in halls, and have been in each other's lives ever since. Twenty-odd years later they're still talking late into the night, only now there's a camera on and rather a lot of clinical training behind it.
Every week we take one of the things that quietly wears people down - going grey, feeling invisible, friendships that have quietly run out of road, saying yes when you mean no - and unpick the psychology underneath it. Think of it as a glimpse behind the therapy door, without the waiting list or the fee.
What is the Unstuck podcast?
What we actually talk about
We're not here to hand you a five-step plan or tell you to romanticise your morning routine. We're here for the messier bit: why the same thing keeps happening, and what you can do differently once you can see it.
Each episode tends to move through three gears:
The real conversation. We start where most of us start — with something one of us is genuinely wrestling with. A decision about hair dye. A job that ended. A friendship that changed shape.
The psychology underneath. Then we look at what's actually going on: the early patterns, the unmet needs, the coping styles that made complete sense once upon a time and are now quietly running the show.
Something to take away. Not homework. Just a question worth sitting with, or a different way of noticing what you do when you're triggered.
We disagree sometimes on air. We think that's part of the point.
The lens: schema psychology,
in plain English
Most of what we talk about comes back to schemas — the emotional blueprints we build in childhood when our core needs for safety, connection, or acceptance aren't quite met. They're not flaws. They're not diagnoses. They're patterns, and patterns can change.
One idea you'll hear us come back to a lot is what we call SOS — the three things most of us do when a schema gets triggered:
Submit. You go along with it. You agree to the extra duty, the extra weekend, the thing you didn't want.
Opt out. You go quiet, scroll, pour a glass of wine, and put a bit of distance between you and the feeling.
Storm in. You take charge, get sharp, control the situation before it can control you.
None of these are character defects. They're all sensible survival strategies that have outstayed their welcome. What we're aiming for instead is the lifeguard — the calm, capable part of you that can look at the situation, work out what's actually needed, and act from there.
Learn more about our jargon-free interpretation of Schema Therapy →
Who Unstuck is for
You'll probably recognise yourself in this if you're:
Holding a lot together — work, kids, ageing parents, a household — and quietly wondering how much longer you can do it at this pace
Somewhere in midlife, dealing with perimenopause, changing identity, and a body that's decided to renegotiate its terms
Capable and coping on the outside, and much harder on yourself than anyone would guess
Tired of being the one who says yes
Curious about psychology, but done with being talked down to
You absolutely don't need a diagnosis, a therapist, or any prior knowledge of psychology. Just headphones and a commute.
Episodes
Taking the first step into therapy can feel daunting, so we keep the process as simple and transparent as possible.
Here is what you can expect when you decide to work with us:
Episode 0
Introduction
Why You Keep Repeating the Same Patterns
(and How to Get Unstuck)
The one where we explain what we're doing here and why now. We talk about the year that pushed us to make something good out of something hard, why Tanya walked away from the NHS after burning out, and why midlife conversations with friends have shifted so sharply towards menopause, grief, changing careers, and the sheer weight of holding everything together. Plus the big one: why the coping styles you built on autopilot keep running long after they've stopped helping.
Episode 2
The Invisible Woman
Why You Keep Repeating the Same Patterns
(and How to Get Unstuck)
The one where we explain what we're doing here and why now. We talk about the year that pushed us to make something good out of something hard, why Tanya walked away from the NHS after burning out, and why midlife conversations with friends have shifted so sharply towards menopause, grief, changing careers, and the sheer weight of holding everything together. Plus the big one: why the coping styles you built on autopilot keep running long after they've stopped helping.
Episode 1
Grey Matters
Going Grey: Visibility, Ageing, and Choosing for Yourself
What happens when you stop dyeing your hair at 48? Spoiler: rather more than you'd expect. We talk about the friends who cheered, the strangers who assumed she was decades older, the time she was mistaken for her friend's mother — and the double standard that lets men be "distinguished" while women are quietly reclassified. This one's less about hair and more about how to tell the difference between a choice you've made and a choice fear made for you.
Episode 3
Midlife Friendships: Cull or Recession
Friendship, Loneliness, and Letting Go:
Navigating Changing Social Worlds
Two friends reflect on a previous discussion about visibility and how they can voice opposing views, then explore times their long friendship has been strained, including an argument sparked when one announced she might move to Gibraltar due to loneliness. They discuss how adult friendships change with age, shrinking social circles, and reduced time because of work, children, partners, and responsibilities, while relationships may deepen in quality.
Meet Your Hosts
Your Hosts
Dr Tanya Petersen is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, HCPC-registered, and an ISST Advanced Accredited Schema Therapist and Supervisor.
She qualified in 2008, spent many years in NHS forensic services, and first met schema therapy in 2004 — which, in her words, felt like coming home. She thinks about food more than is strictly reasonable.
Dr Lisa Corbett is an HCPC-registered Counselling Psychologist who took the scenic route into psychology, via corporate jobs she didn't much want and a stint volunteering with children's charities in South Africa.
Her work is strongly schema-informed. She has a dog who makes sure she goes outside.
Want to go a bit deeper?
Casual Listening
Join us for friendly conversations about the stories we tell ourselves. Free, relatable, and easy to watch on your commute, during a walk, or in a quiet moment.
Deeper Reflection
Want to explore your recurring themes with more structure? Our self-guided mini courses help you notice patterns, understand schemas, and make more conscious choices.
Personal Support
Ready for one-to-one support? Tanya and Lisa offer professional online therapy to help you explore patterns safely, personally, and at your own pace.
Things we've been thinking about
Short pieces from Tanya and Lisa. Some psychology, some real life, quite often both at once.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
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Unstuck is a free weekly video podcast from 2 Together, hosted by Dr Tanya Petersen and Dr Lisa Corbett, two UK psychologists and lifelong friends. Each episode takes an everyday struggle — people-pleasing, ageing, changing friendships, feeling invisible — and explores the psychology underneath it, using schema therapy as the main lens.
Episodes are conversational rather than clinical, and are designed for anyone curious about why they repeat the same patterns.
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Unstuck is made for adults who feel capable on the outside but stuck on the inside — people juggling work, family and everything else, who are tired of people-pleasing, self-criticism or repeating the same relationship patterns.
Much of the content speaks to women navigating midlife, perimenopause and shifting identity, though the psychology applies far more widely. No prior knowledge of schema therapy or therapy in general is needed.
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Yes. Every episode of Unstuck is completely free to watch or listen to, with no subscription.
2. Together also offers paid self-guided mini-courses and one-to-one online therapy for people who want to go deeper, but the podcast itself will always be free.
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Not at all. Unstuck explains schema psychology in everyday language as it goes, using real conversations rather than clinical terminology.
Concepts like schemas, coping styles and core emotional needs are introduced naturally through the topics being discussed, so you can start with any episode.
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New episodes of Unstuck are released weekly. You can subscribe on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or sign up for email alerts on the 2 Together website to be notified when each episode goes live.
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No. Unstuck is educational and reflective, not a substitute for individual therapy or clinical advice. It's designed to give you language, insight and practical ideas you can apply yourself.
If you're struggling with your mental health, we'd encourage you to speak to your GP or a registered practitioner. 2 Together also offers one-to-one online therapy for adults aged 18 and over.
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Unstuck is the name of the podcast from 2 Together — the brand founded by Dr Tanya Petersen and Dr Lisa Corbett.
The name reflects what the show is about: understanding the patterns that keep people stuck and finding a way to move.