Emily Swearingen LCSW PLLC

10/22/2026

06/01/2026

✨ahem✨ Is this thing on??

I’m breaking silence again to report that the Unbroken Woman: Mothered was an absolute success. And honestly? I think I needed this retreat just as much as the women who attended it. 🙏

This was year three. SHEEEEEEEEEW.

Our first year was our showing year. Our second year was our growing year. But this year? This is our glowing year.

Y’all, these women did really HARD work. I mean, it’s the kind of work that leaves mascara on t-shirt sleeves and makes you genuinely question your sanity! At the same time! 😂 Everyone’s nervous systems completely tapped out, people laughing so hard one minute they can barely breathe… then crying the next because somebody finally said the thing they’ve carried alone for years.

We talked attachment styles, mother wounds, vulnerability, resiliency, shame, identity formation, emotional labor, and what it means to spend your life mothering everyone else while still grieving the ways you may have never been fully mothered yourself. You name it and we probably talked about it…

And whew. The vulnerability in that space was nothing short of magical.

Women who walked in guarded left hugging each other like old friends. Walls came down. Stories came out. Shame loosened its grip a little. There were moments where the room felt so emotionally attuned and psychologically safe that you could nearly feel everyone exhale at the same time. It’s almost like holding space with other women is good for you or something… Check out that science here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301051121000508

Which feels especially meaningful because if I’m being real for a second, last year stretched ya girl a little beyond her own limits. Yes yes yes, I overshot my dreams. I bit off more than I could chew trying to make everything bigger, better, more impressive, more polished, blah blah blah.

Anyways. Some things went beautifully. Some things absolutely did not. 😂

But I think that season taught me something way more important: the magic is never found by doing more. It’s found by doing this work well; somewhere along the way, I think I forgot why I started doing retreats in the first place… and listen, if your jam is some hyper-curated “wellness” experience where everyone takes aesthetic pictures (while holding green smoothies), pretending they’ve transcended human suffering, then that is super awesome. YAY!

But for The Unbroken Woman, the goal is to create spaces where women can tell the truth about themselves, wholly and in a contained environment. I wanted spaces where women could rest without guilt, and be cared for through food made by someone else. Where laughter and grief are allowed to coexist in the same breath, and invited in like friends. Where someone can ugly cry at 2:00pm, laugh until they p*e their pants by dinner, and still know they are deeply loved by bedtime.

(Although to be clear, we still very much support weighted blankets, emotional support snacks, and cozy ambiance. We just wanna eat more than granola and green tea on retreat… Which is why we have Chinnu. 😂)

So, as a therapist, getting to witness the bonds that formed that weekend through both grief and joy was one of the greatest honors of my professional life. There is something profoundly moving about watching women recognize themselves in one another’s stories and realizing, often for the first time in a very long time, that they are not alone in what they carry.

So to every woman who trusted me with your hearts: thank you.

You made this retreat glow. 🩷🙏✨

02/14/2026

There aren’t a lot of things I break radio silence for… But I’m going to allow myself a moment to say this out loud, with my full heart, because building something from nothing is something to shout about.

The Unbroken Woman Retreat Curriculum is now officially registered and protected intellectual property. YA GIRL HAS HER COPYRIGHT!

There were a lot of moments of doubt, stress, financial risk, and wondering if I was completely out of my mind for trying to build something this big while also running a practice, being a mom, and figuring it out as I went. There were hiccups. There were sleepless nights and a bunch of crying. There were plenty of moments where quitting would have been easier.

What started as a little idea that came to me randomly has turned into real work that has helped real women understand themselves differently; they speak differently to themselves, set better boundaries, and walk back into their lives with more clarity and confidence. Watching that happen has been one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done professionally.

Knowing this copyright is in place makes my heart soar, especially when there are so many big things on the horizon for The Unbroken Collective! Protecting the integrity of this curriculum and the structure of the retreat felt essential for whatever comes next… And I’m proud of that.

I’m so proud that I kept going even when it felt uncertain. I’m so thankful to Nicole, who keeps believing in me despite everything. I’m so deeply grateful to every woman who trusted me enough to show up and do the work. Finally, I’m thrilled to explore what’s on the horizon for The Unbroken Woman… I’m just getting started. 🙌

01/22/2026

Hi friends! I'm super excited to share that I’m now offering Couples Intensives for couples who need more structure and direction than a standard 60-minute therapy session can provide; especially when conflict escalates quickly or communication shuts down under stress.

These are 90–120 minute sessions focused on skills, real-time coaching and intervention, plus guided repair with a clear plan for implementation. Y'all, this is not a vent session and it’s definitely not for couples who aren’t willing to do the work. I realize that this is a financial investment, however my ultimate goal is to provide couples with immediate, meaningful progress, without having to come back week after week.

These sessions are private pay only, limited monthly openings. If you’d like more information or to book, feel free to email me at [email protected] or click this link: https://www.swearingenlcsw.com/intensives

01/14/2026

Hi Mom's! This is Emily 👋🏼 Therapist + retreat host + professional over-thinker of women’s issues. I wanted to remind you of The Unbroken Collective's May retreat, The Unbroken Woman: Mothered.

Mothered was born out of necessity from The Unbroken Woman because the theme of mothering shows up everywhere: how we were mothered, how we mother others, and why we’re so bad at mothering ourselves without guilt.

But wait, there's more! It’s not just for moms. It’s for anyone who has a mother and is dealing with… a lot. You know. That s**t. 😂

You’re going to like what we’re doing here, so you should come! It’s thoughtful, structured, and genuinely impactful. Plus, it’s also pretty damn luxurious because I’m a Ta**us and I refuse to create an experience that's anything less than extraordinary. (Think chef-prepared meals, yoga, a beautiful space, and the kind of support that actually feels like support.)

✨ Registration is open
✨ Payment plans exist because adulthood is ruuuude as hell
👉 Details + apply here:

01/03/2026

I’m going to say this as plainly, and lovingly, as possible: if the word “mother” sparks love, grief, guilt, resentment, pressure, tenderness, or the sudden impulse to say “it’s fine” when it is absolutely not fine… Then congratulations! You are exactly who The Unbroken Woman: Mothered is for. 😅

But it’s important to know that this retreat isn’t just for moms. It’s for anyone who has a mother and is still lugging around an invisible emotional carry-on labeled “how I learned to be cared for, how I care for others, and why I’m so bad at caring for myself without feeling like an absolute asshole”.

I created Mothered because I kept watching women (including myself) perform emotional gymnastics in the name of being capable, nurturing, and “good,” while quietly wondering why rest feels so unbelievably wrong and self-compassion feels suspiciously like self-sabotage.

Spoiler: it’s not a personal failure. It’s a learned pattern. And it’s learned from a very early age.

This is not a spa weekend with the girlies. It’s not a trauma-dump free-for-all. It’s a small, guided, intentionally structured space to unpack the theme of mothering (past, present, and internal) without spiraling, oversharing, or pretending it hasn’t shaped you.

Different ages. Different stories. Same “why am I like this?” vibes, just expressed with varying levels of politeness. 😂

If you’ve been lurking, saving posts, or feeling personally attacked in the most respectful way… Here’s your sign, sis.

✨ Registration is open
✨ Payment plans exist because adulthood is rude
👉 Apply here: https://www.wetravel.com/trips/the-unbroken-women-s-retreat-mothered-may-6-9-2026-emily-swearingen-lcsw-pllc-83886907

Bring your mom stuff. I’ll handle it with care, intelligence, and just enough humor to keep it from feeling like emotional whiplash. Trust me on this one.

12/19/2025

If you’ve been wondering what a therapist would say about your holiday stress… Consider listening to our latest podcast episode, where we talk about all things holiday: family stress, expectations, boundaries, and simply enjoying the holiday for what it is 🎄🙌

Welcome to "How Are You, Really?" a podcast by therapists, for therapists…and everyone else who's just trying to figure it all out.In this episode Emily and...

12/04/2025

Listen up, girlies! If you’ve been hunting for a Christmas gift that won’t collect dust, disappoint, or quietly judge you from a drawer, allow me offer a far better alternative: give yourself (or a woman you love, ie: sister, mom, auntie, bestie) the kind of experience that actually rearranges something internally, instead of just rearranging closet space.

The Unbroken Woman: Mothered is a four-day, clinically informed retreat designed for women who are finally ready to deal with the emotional inheritance they’ve been lugging around. Your trauma isn’t a family heirloom, ma’am, you don’t need to keep it if you don’t like it. We’ll be examining the ways we were mothered (or not mothered) and how those early patterns still run the internal monologue that keeps so many of us over-functioning, overthinking, and chronically “fine.”

Don’t get me wrong though, this isn’t a fluffy weekend away with the girlies where y’all trauma-dump and sing “Kumbaya”; it’s structured, grounded therapeutic work wrapped in good food (by our beloved Chinnu Thomas), restorative yoga, and a deeply therapeutic environment where you don’t have to pretend you’re okay just to keep the peace. It’s the gift that says, “I want you to feel like yourself again”, which is far more meaningful than another crappy robe or journal that will never be written in.

Dates are May 6-9, 2026. Screening is now open. Treat yourself, treat your sister, treat your bestie. Don’t be the girl who’s been holding it all together with a hair tie and a prayer - come hang with us, let us love you, and learn a thing or two while you’re at it. And if you’re still not convinced, click the link and check out the reviews past participants have left… Let them convince you.

👉

The goal: to remind women that they are inherently worthy, unbroken, and loved, despite the stories they tell themselves.The application process is designed to mirror the integrity of the retreat itself—deliberate, discerning, and clinically sound. Your responses help us determine readiness, not w...

11/21/2025

Here’s the latest episode of “How Are You, Really?” where we gently call out the trend of “online diagnosing”… Just because there was a TikTok that said you have OCD because you like to have a clean kitchen, doesnt mean you have OCD… Love y’all, but that ain’t it. Come check it out. 😂

Welcome to "How Are You, Really?" a podcast by therapists, for therapists…and everyone else who's just trying to figure it all out.In this episode Keeley an...