Learn from experts and hear real stories of recovery with the Journals of a Love Addict Podcast
Do you…
Continually find yourself in dysfunctional relationships?
Undervalue yourself while putting others on a pedestal?
Have a pattern of dating emotionally unavailable partners?
Yes? I can totally relate.
On my podcast, Journals of a Love Addict, I share my personal journey through love addiction recovery, and my experience as a therapist who works with love addiction.
I also talk with others who have struggled, as well as experts in trauma, addiction, and other areas of mental health.
My hope is to help listeners feel less alone as I spread awareness of what love addiction is really all about.
Music by JD Pendley
Episode 44: Most Codependable
Love addiction comes with a set of symptoms leading to a pattern of dysfunctional relationships. Then, after each relationship we say "I'll never do that again", fully intending to make some changes, but... In this episode, I discuss these cultural beliefs--how they fuel love addiction and how they can meddle with life in recovery, too.
Episode 35: When He's Married To Mom with Dr. Kenneth Adams
When we're enmeshed with a parent we might feel responsible for taking care of them emotionally, and guilty if we don't do what they expect of us. And while enmeshment is often uncomfortable, it may also come with feeling special and can be very challenging to recognize and overcome.
Episode 21: Talking Therapy & Trauma with Tyndal Schreiner
In this episode I talk with Tyndal Schreiner, a fellow Texas therapist, about being a therapist on Instagram and the importance of professional boundaries. We also discuss the process of becoming a therapist and a few valuable lessons they learned along the way.
Episode 20: An Interview with Guru Singh
What does 'home' mean to you? Is it a sense of safety? Belonging? Connection? In this episode, I talk with my teacher, Guru Singh, about our first meeting 24 years ago, and how it helped me create a new perspective of what home is and changed the trajectory of my life.
Episode 19: An Interview with Chris Marshall of Sans Bar
Sobriety is wonderful, but like lots of things in life, it's not always a pocketful of rainbows. And with nearly 15 years of sobriety, Chris Marshall, founder of Sans Bar in Austin, really gets this.
Episode 18: The Connection Between Trauma & How We Work with Nicole Lewis-Keeber
Do you love your work? And, equally, as important, does it love you back? This is a question that business therapist Nicole Lewis-Keeber asks readers in her book, "How to Love Your Business: Stop Recreating Trauma and Have a Business You Love- And That Loves You Back".
Episode 17: Brooke- A Breakup Story (Part Two)
Sometimes a breakup is The End, but sometimes we go back and try it again- especially when we're talking about love addiction and codependence.
Episode 16: Mother Hunger with Kelly McDaniel, Part Three
In Part Three, author and therapist Kelly McDaniel continue our conversation by defining Third-Degree Mother Hunger, as well as the steps involved in the healing process.
Episode 15: Mother Hunger with Kelly McDaniel, Part Two
Nurturance, guidance, and protection are three developmental needs for appropriate brain development in childhood; but what happens if any (or all) of these are inconsistently provided?
Episode 14: Mother Hunger with Kelly McDaniel, Part One
Mothers are valuable: they're our first love and the source of everything we need to survive. But what happens when a mother doesn't get the support she needs or is struggling with her own unresolved trauma?
Episode 13: Nothing Special
Why do we stay in co-addicted relationships, believing 'that one' person's validation is the key to our fulfillment? What drives us to pursue a fantasy, only to be disappointed when confronted by reality?
Episode 12: An Interview with Alex Katehakis
What is healthy sex? And intimate sex? And how about healthy sex in recovery? In this episode, we discuss the four cornerstones of intimacy, how stress interferes with desire, sex as a spiritual practice, and so much more.
Episode 11: Best Girlfriend Ever
Love addiction is rooted in codependence; it comes with boundary issues, dependency issues, and self-esteem issues, which leads us to look externally (often to our partners) for a sense of worthiness.
Episode 10: An Interview with Daniel Gowan
What’s it like to grow up as The Hero of the family? Hint: It’s not as awesome as it sounds.
Episode 9: Just So
Do you struggle with consistency? Does your desire to do All The Things - and do them perfectly - get in the way of actually DOING anything at all?
Episode 8: An Interview with Sarah Bridge: Part 2
What do seduction, fantasy, obsession, self-medicating and withdrawal have in common? They're all parts of the cycle of love addiction.
Episode 7: An Interview with Sarah Bridge: Part 1
In this episode (part one of a two part series), I talk with Sarah Bridge, LCSW, about the core symptoms of codependence, assigned family roles and post-induction therapy.
Episode 6: A Prefab Fantasy
Fantasy is a big part of love addiction; it’s what keeps us hooked in our co-addicted relationships as we try to make a partner into who we want them to be instead of accepting the reality of who they are.
Episode 5: Playing it Sexy
When a relationship ends, Love Addicts can spend a lot of energy trying to put it back together.
Episode 4: The Thing Is
Lots of people have a Thing - something that needs to be addressed in order to be the healthiest version of oneself; but sometimes that Thing is intertwined with another, much bigger Thing. In this episode, I talk about my experience with alcohol and how it was intertwined with my love addiction (AKA: The Big Thing) from a young age. My friend, Sondra Primeaux (The Unruffled Podcast), shares her history with her Things (codependence and alcohol) and how honesty, boundaries, and recovery have changed everything.