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The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club

The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club

By: The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club
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The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club — the podcast where we dive into fantasy and dystopian novels to explore the psychology behind the magic, the mayhem, and the mind games.

Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
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Episodes
  • Episode 15: So Let Let Them Burn: Pt 3-"If you go, I go" -The Reeve Episode
    May 19 2026

    In this episode, we continue our conversation on So Let Them Burn, focusing on the character Reeve and his role as a supportive friend to both Elara, but more specifically to Faron.

    Reeve’s strength lies in his quiet presence. He consistently “shows up” for others, especially Faron and doesn't try to fix her or tell her she is being too much, or leaves her alone. Instead, he meets her where she is emotionally, allowing her to feel anger, pain, and confusion without judgment.

    We talk a little bit about colonization, Deanna brings up Star Trek again and we talk about the crumbs of "spice" we were given with the one kiss scene between Faron and Reeve! We drink our themed cocktail-"The Ally" and have fun chatting about how Reeve is such a good model for how to show up for our friends and family members when they have been through something scary or traumatic.

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    Get your books while supporting the podcast and local bookstores!

    Physical & E-books: https://bookshop.org/shop/thenerdypsychologistbookclub

    Audiobooks: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=25361&awinaffid=2879789&platform=dl&ued=https%3A%2F%2Flibro.fm%2F

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    The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club is produced by Brandi Hawk, Ph.D. and Deanna Boys, M.A.

    Photography-Lighting-Audio Mixer: Matthew Kadi

    Original Animation-Foley-Bartender/Mixologist: Lee Klemens

    Original Music-Editing: Deanna Boys, M.A.

    Follow us on the socials!

    YouTube

    Instagram

    Facebook

    Want to be a guest on The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club? Or want us to be a guest on yours? Send Brandi Hawk a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thenerdypsychologistbookclub

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    41 mins
  • Episode 14: So Let Them Burn Pt 2: People Pleasing
    May 12 2026

    Episode 14: So Let Them Burn Pt. 2: People Pleasing

    In this episode of the Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, we welcome back our friend and colleague, licensed marriage and family therapist Shayla Allen for a continuation of So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole; this time, focusing on the character Elara and the psychology of people pleasing. We explore Elara’s role as the dependable older sister living in the shadow of her divinely chosen sibling, Faron, and how her self-sacrificing nature reflects classic people-pleasing patterns: overcommitment, fear of disappointing others, and postponing her own needs in the hopes of approval and stability.

    Well...we used her as a starting point to talk about our own people pleasing tendencies. So, actually, we are now the recovering people pleasers book club. All people pleasers welcome; no worries if not, whatever works best for you!

    Join us as we unpack our own issues a tiny bit, drink our fun drink, "The People Pleaser" and find out what happens when people stop being polite and start being real....with themselves. (You know we had to get that real world reference in there!).

    ...........

    The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club is produced by Brandi Hawk, Ph.D. and Deanna Boys, M.A.

    Special Guest: Shayla Allen, LMFT

    Photography-Lighting-Audio Mixer: Matthew Kadi

    Original Animation-Foley-Bartender/Mixologist: Lee Klemens

    Original Music-Editing: Deanna Boys, M.A.

    Follow us on the socials!

    YouTube

    Instagram

    Facebook

    Want to be a guest on The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club? Or want us to be a guest on yours? Send Brandi Hawk a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thenerdypsychologistbookclub

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    48 mins
  • Episode 13: So Let Them Burn Pt 1: Egocentrism
    May 5 2026

    In this episode of The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club, we are joined by our friend and colleague Shayla Allen LMFT to start our conversation about So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole. So Let Them Burn is a fun fantasy novel with dragons, magic, and teenagers going to war imbued with god like power-it is a pretty cool story.

    We pick apart the main character, Faron, who has a direct line to the gods, can channel their power but also starts making risky and dangerous choices. With Faron as our representative of the book, we talk about a very big part of adolescent development: Egocentrism. We explain about two big parts of egocentrism: the “imaginary audience,” and the “personal fable.”

    We talk about our own risky teen behaviors, the current impact of social media, parenting dynamics, and the challenge of forming identity during adolescence. We also explore deeper themes of truth, shame, and accountability, questioning what it means to “live in your truth” when you’ve been shaped by conflicting narratives.

    Come along with us while we sip our themed cocktail, "The Expert Liar" and chat with us about the psychology of growing up, making mistakes, and learning who you are. Oh! And Deanna did finish the book in time-just barely though!

    ...........

    The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club is produced by Brandi Hawk, Ph.D. and Deanna Boys, M.A.

    Photography-Lighting-Audio Mixer: Matthew Kadi

    Original Animation-Foley-Bartender/Mixologist: Lee Klemens

    Original Music-Editing: Deanna Boys, M.A.

    Follow us on the socials!

    YouTube

    Instagram

    Facebook

    Want to be a guest on The Nerdy Psychologist Book Club? Or want us to be a guest on yours? Send Brandi Hawk a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/thenerdypsychologistbookclub

    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
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