On this episode of Finding Your Bliss, Celebrity Interviewer and Bliss Coach Judy Librach is joined by Tonya Lester, Brooklyn-based psychotherapist, couples counselor, and author of the new book “Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself!”
According to author Tonya Lester, at a time when their rights and voices are under increasing scrutiny and challenge, it’s more important than ever for women to be able to speak up for what they believe in. Too often, women are encouraged to be nurturers and peacemakers, which carries the implied message that they shouldn’t rock the boat — when in fact, being assertive is often exactly what’s required to create the life they truly want.
In Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself (New World Library, October 21, 2025), popular psychotherapist, Psychology Today blogger, and go-to relationship expert Tonya Lester offers conflict-averse women a bold directive: It’s OK to be difficult. Not mean, not rigid, not a bully — but the kind of difficult that makes the people in their lives see them and understand what they need. “I want to help you learn that seeking harmony for its own sake is a trap. That there’s no winning in making everyone else happy at your own expense. And that in nearly every situation, it is within your power to make positive changes,” writes Lester “Truly intractable situations are rare. But to change your circumstances, you must be willing to push back.”
Push Back challenges advice telling women they should smooth out interpersonal struggles and equips readers with the tools to build a life that works better for everyone in it, starting with themselves. The book is filled with real client stories, powerful self-assessments, sample dialogues, and practical tools to help readers: Express their needs and set boundaries Engage in honest, productive conflict Deal calmly with backlash from spouses, coworkers, family, and friends Stand firm in their convictions “Focusing on what we can control — how we move through the world — is how we meaningfully change our situation and set a healthy example for those in our lives,” writes Lester. “Even if we’ve been overaccommodating in the past or our needs have changed, we can still learn to assert ourselves. Our pasts don’t have to determine our futures. We’re allowed to change”
Tonya Lester, LCSW, is the author of Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself and a Brooklyn-based psychotherapist and writer known for her work with relationships and communication. Her essay “Couples Therapist, Heal Thyself” was published in the Modern Love column in The New York Times, and she has been writing the popular Staying Sane Inside Insanity blog for Psychology Today since 2020. She has been featured as an expert in The Guardian, Newsweek, Well+Good, HuffPo, Fatherly, and the Bumble site The Buzz. Visit her online at http://www.TonyaLester.com.
Join us every Saturday at 1 PM on Finding Your Bliss. You can follow us @theblissminute on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Or you can visit our online magazine at findingyourbliss.com and take one step closer to finding your bliss.
Listen live every Saturday at 1pm on Zoomer Radio
All content for Finding Your Bliss is the property of Zoomer Podcast Network and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
On this episode of Finding Your Bliss, Celebrity Interviewer and Bliss Coach Judy Librach is joined by Tonya Lester, Brooklyn-based psychotherapist, couples counselor, and author of the new book “Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself!”
According to author Tonya Lester, at a time when their rights and voices are under increasing scrutiny and challenge, it’s more important than ever for women to be able to speak up for what they believe in. Too often, women are encouraged to be nurturers and peacemakers, which carries the implied message that they shouldn’t rock the boat — when in fact, being assertive is often exactly what’s required to create the life they truly want.
In Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself (New World Library, October 21, 2025), popular psychotherapist, Psychology Today blogger, and go-to relationship expert Tonya Lester offers conflict-averse women a bold directive: It’s OK to be difficult. Not mean, not rigid, not a bully — but the kind of difficult that makes the people in their lives see them and understand what they need. “I want to help you learn that seeking harmony for its own sake is a trap. That there’s no winning in making everyone else happy at your own expense. And that in nearly every situation, it is within your power to make positive changes,” writes Lester “Truly intractable situations are rare. But to change your circumstances, you must be willing to push back.”
Push Back challenges advice telling women they should smooth out interpersonal struggles and equips readers with the tools to build a life that works better for everyone in it, starting with themselves. The book is filled with real client stories, powerful self-assessments, sample dialogues, and practical tools to help readers: Express their needs and set boundaries Engage in honest, productive conflict Deal calmly with backlash from spouses, coworkers, family, and friends Stand firm in their convictions “Focusing on what we can control — how we move through the world — is how we meaningfully change our situation and set a healthy example for those in our lives,” writes Lester. “Even if we’ve been overaccommodating in the past or our needs have changed, we can still learn to assert ourselves. Our pasts don’t have to determine our futures. We’re allowed to change”
Tonya Lester, LCSW, is the author of Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself and a Brooklyn-based psychotherapist and writer known for her work with relationships and communication. Her essay “Couples Therapist, Heal Thyself” was published in the Modern Love column in The New York Times, and she has been writing the popular Staying Sane Inside Insanity blog for Psychology Today since 2020. She has been featured as an expert in The Guardian, Newsweek, Well+Good, HuffPo, Fatherly, and the Bumble site The Buzz. Visit her online at http://www.TonyaLester.com.
Join us every Saturday at 1 PM on Finding Your Bliss. You can follow us @theblissminute on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Or you can visit our online magazine at findingyourbliss.com and take one step closer to finding your bliss.
Listen live every Saturday at 1pm on Zoomer Radio
On this episode of Finding Your Bliss, Celebrity Interviewer and Bliss Coach Judy Librach is joined by parenting expert Alyson Schafer for the sixth annual Back To School Special.
Alyson Schafer is an internationally acclaimed parenting expert, speaker, bestselling author, and media personality. Armed with years of research and clinical experience, Alyson presents concepts from ‘depth psychology’ on stages around the world. Alyson is
able to break down complex ideas and present them in ways that are easy for parents to understand and more importantly, implement. Parents seek solutions and Alyson’s forte is delivering actionable tactics that arm parents with the skills and confidence they need to face modern life challenges. Using humour and relatable storytelling, she provides a fresh and positive understanding of family dynamics. “The end goal is to raise resilient, caring and capable kids – and have fun along the way!” - Alyson Schafer Selected as a presenter at the inaugural TEDx Kids in Belgium, she is now a three-time TEDx presenter, and author of three bestselling parenting books with Harper Collins Canada: Breaking the Good Mom Myth; Honey, I Wrecked the Kids; and Ain’t Misbehavin’ – each of which have been translated into multiple languages including Russian, Korean, Bulgarian, and Turkish.
Media loves Alyson. She is the resident parenting expert with regular segments on several national TV and radio outlets and is often quoted in such notable publications as Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, Parent Magazine, Reader’s Digest, The Washington Post,
HuffPost Parents and more. Besides guest appearances, Alyson also created and hosts TV’s “The Parenting Show” and the popular podcast “Parenting The Adlerian Way”, which has been voted #1
parenting podcast by FeedSpot. Brands call on Alyson for her insights into family life. She has worked with such notables as Bank of Montreal, L’Oréal, Huggies, Kijiji, Kellogg’s’, Ronald McDonald House, Earth
Rangers, Facebook, Labatt’s and more. Alyson is a parent of two grown daughters and resides in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Join us this Saturday at 1 PM on Finding Your Bliss. You can follow us @theblissminute on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Or you can visit our online magazine at findingyourbliss.com and take one step closer to finding your bliss.
Finding Your Bliss
On this episode of Finding Your Bliss, Celebrity Interviewer and Bliss Coach Judy Librach is joined by Tonya Lester, Brooklyn-based psychotherapist, couples counselor, and author of the new book “Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself!”
According to author Tonya Lester, at a time when their rights and voices are under increasing scrutiny and challenge, it’s more important than ever for women to be able to speak up for what they believe in. Too often, women are encouraged to be nurturers and peacemakers, which carries the implied message that they shouldn’t rock the boat — when in fact, being assertive is often exactly what’s required to create the life they truly want.
In Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself (New World Library, October 21, 2025), popular psychotherapist, Psychology Today blogger, and go-to relationship expert Tonya Lester offers conflict-averse women a bold directive: It’s OK to be difficult. Not mean, not rigid, not a bully — but the kind of difficult that makes the people in their lives see them and understand what they need. “I want to help you learn that seeking harmony for its own sake is a trap. That there’s no winning in making everyone else happy at your own expense. And that in nearly every situation, it is within your power to make positive changes,” writes Lester “Truly intractable situations are rare. But to change your circumstances, you must be willing to push back.”
Push Back challenges advice telling women they should smooth out interpersonal struggles and equips readers with the tools to build a life that works better for everyone in it, starting with themselves. The book is filled with real client stories, powerful self-assessments, sample dialogues, and practical tools to help readers: Express their needs and set boundaries Engage in honest, productive conflict Deal calmly with backlash from spouses, coworkers, family, and friends Stand firm in their convictions “Focusing on what we can control — how we move through the world — is how we meaningfully change our situation and set a healthy example for those in our lives,” writes Lester. “Even if we’ve been overaccommodating in the past or our needs have changed, we can still learn to assert ourselves. Our pasts don’t have to determine our futures. We’re allowed to change”
Tonya Lester, LCSW, is the author of Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself and a Brooklyn-based psychotherapist and writer known for her work with relationships and communication. Her essay “Couples Therapist, Heal Thyself” was published in the Modern Love column in The New York Times, and she has been writing the popular Staying Sane Inside Insanity blog for Psychology Today since 2020. She has been featured as an expert in The Guardian, Newsweek, Well+Good, HuffPo, Fatherly, and the Bumble site The Buzz. Visit her online at http://www.TonyaLester.com.
Join us every Saturday at 1 PM on Finding Your Bliss. You can follow us @theblissminute on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Or you can visit our online magazine at findingyourbliss.com and take one step closer to finding your bliss.
Listen live every Saturday at 1pm on Zoomer Radio
