Learn from experts and hear real stories of recovery on 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 story of 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 36: You Are Not Stuck with Becky Vollmer
Do you ever feel like what you're doing in the world isn't aligned with who you are? Like maybe you're going through the motions of 'supposed to' instead of living from your true purpose? If so, you're not alone...
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 34: All About the Scapegoat with Mary Toolan
Are you familiar with the concept of assigned family roles; roles assigned in childhood that are either falsely empowering or disempowering? Maybe you've heard of The Hero, The Lost Child, or The Scapegoat? But what does all of this mean?
Episode 33: Dirty Secrets
In this episode, my friend, Brooke, joins me to talk about the recent Victoria's Secret documentary; and how the company's marketing in the early 2000s led to confusing messages about beauty and furthered the cultural double bind women experience.
Episode 32: From Unlovable to Recovering with Charlene deGuzman
There are books and podcasts about love addiction, and people talk on social media about it… but there aren't many movies that address the topic. That's why Charlene deGuzman's film, Unlovable, is so unique.
Episode 31: All About Boundaries with Jules Taylor Shore
We hear a lot about "having boundaries" or "setting boundaries" or "respecting boundaries"... but what does any of this really mean? To answer this question, I invited trauma therapist and boundaries expert, Jules Taylor Shore, to talk all about boundaries.
Episode 30: Like a Tornado of Sticks & Poo
Love addiction gets messy. It's full of intensity, shame, and regression that leads us to behave regretfully, or as I say, 'like a tornado of sticks and poo'.
Episode 29: The Science of Stuck with Britt Frank
In this episode, I talk with Britt Frank, therapist and author of "The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward”, about the definition of stuck; the difference between feelings, emotions, and thoughts; fantasy and fairy tales.
Episode 28: Third Degree Mother Hunger with Jennifer Acker
For this episode, I invited fellow Mother Hunger facilitator and therapist, Jennifer Acker, to share her personal Third Degree Mother Hunger story.
Episode 27: All About Betrayal Trauma with Michelle Mays
We might think we know the meaning of the term "betrayal", but what actually happens when we're truly betrayed by the person closest to us?
In this episode, I talk with therapist and betrayal trauma expert, Michelle Mays, about the complexity of this relational trauma.
Episode 26: A Recovery Story with Kelly Henderson of Velvet's Edge
In this episode, I’m joined by Kelly Henderson from the podcast, Velvet's Edge, to share her personal experience with love addiction and recovery- and we realize our stories are very similar.
Episode 25: An Interview with Buck Dodson of Gay Men's Life Lab
In this episode, I talk with therapist and coach, Buck Dodson, regarding his personal experience with codependence and dysfunctional relationships, as well as his professional experience working with gay men's issues.
Episode 24: Functional Adulting with Daniel Gowan
In this episode, I invite Daniel Gowan back to discuss Pia Mellody's concept of the Functional Adult. We also cover Pia's five core symptoms of codependence (aka the five 'buckets'), reparenting, and how to live in action vs. reaction.
Episode 23: The Power of What-if
Have you ever looked back on a past relationship and wondered "What if?: what if things had worked out differently, or I'd been more this/that, or the timing had been better?"
In this episode, Brooke is back to share another dating experience--one that started with a 'what-if' and led to a lot of useful information.
Episode 22: Enoughing
What is 'enough'? If you've struggled with codependence or love addiction, you might catch yourself feeling 'not enough'; or maybe you're driven to DO more (and more) but it never feels like enough.
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.