083 - Why Talking to My Dog Might Actually Be Good for My Brain

This week I share a few reflections that have been swirling around in my mind lately. Some of them were sparked by music I’ve been listening to. Others came from things I stumbled across online. And one comes from a realization about the people who shaped my life and continue to live on through me.

I begin by talking about a simple change I’ve made recently. I created a small morning meditation playlist and have been listening to it throughout my day. Just five songs so far, but the impact has been surprising. The words I’m feeding my mind on repeat are shaping my energy and perspective in a noticeable way. It isn’t that my mindset was negative before. It’s more like my mental energy got a little glow-up.

From there, I tell the story of how our dog Leo became part of the Ravenscraft family. For most of my life I was convinced I was not a “dog person.” That belief held strong until the moment I met Leo. What was supposed to be my daughter McKenna’s emotional support dog quickly became something different. Leo attached to me, and in many ways I became his emotional support human. During a season when I was adjusting to life after my kids began leaving home, that little 13-pound dog gave me purpose and companionship in ways I didn’t expect.

I also share a fascinating idea I recently heard about talking to pets. There is emerging research suggesting that when we speak to our pets in complete sentences, our brains activate in similar ways to human conversation. In other words, our brains don’t necessarily distinguish between those interactions. For people who live alone, talking with their pets has even been linked to lower rates of depression. It made me laugh, because I talk to Leo constantly, and now I feel even better about doing it.

Next, I reflect on a song lyric that hit me deeply this week from Rachel Platten’s song “I Don’t Really Care (Set Me Free).” The message about letting go of people-pleasing and living authentically resonated with the way I strive to live my life today. The lyrics reminded me how powerful music can be when it echoes truths we have already fought hard to discover about ourselves.

Finally, I share a story about Taylor Swift’s song “Marjorie,” which was written as a tribute to her grandmother. That song has long reminded me of my own grandmother, Betty Jane, and also of our dear friend Dan Miller. Both of them shaped who I am, and their legacy lives on through the people they touched. Recently I had a realization that took me by surprise. I discovered at age 47 that I never knew my other grandmother’s middle name. Learning that her name was Marjorie Evelyn brought a strange sense of completeness and reflection about the questions we don’t think to ask while people are still here.

The truth I keep coming back to is this: the people we love do not disappear when they die. Their influence, their lessons, their voice, and their character continue living through us.

What died didn’t stay dead.

They’re alive in our memories, our choices, and the way we move through the world.

If anything in this episode resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you and hold space for that conversation. And if not, that’s okay too. I’ll just keep talking to my dog. My brain doesn’t know the difference, and honestly, it works for me.