The OCD Confessional

Send us Fan Mail James Stanley has spent much of his life making people laugh. But behind the comedy is a mental health story that became anything but funny. James grew up with severe OCD, autism, anxiety and Tourette syndrome , and his struggles with OCD became so debilitating that he was hospitalized multiple times. In this episode of The OCD Confessional , James takes us inside those experience...

Send us Fan Mail Before Tommy Dwyer became a filmmaker, actor and stand-up comedian, he was the kid who couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. In this episode of The OCD Confessional , Tommy opens up about growing up with a complicated mix of OCD, ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) — long before he fully understood what was happening inside his brain. Tommy shares stories from childh...

Send us Fan Mail Danielle Jhiani knows OCD from both sides: as someone who has lived through it herself and as the founder of My OCD Coach , where she now helps others navigate OCD and anxiety. In this episode of The OCD Confessional , Danielle opens up about experiencing multiple OCD themes, including Relationship OCD (ROCD), Harm OCD, Health OCD, Somatic OCD, and Just Right OCD — and what she le...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode of The OCD Confessional , we're sharing the keynote address that Liam Martin and his wife, Dr. Lia Martin, delivered at the International OCD Foundation's Global OCD Conference . Together, we reflect on what it was like to build a marriage while OCD was quietly shaping nearly every part of our lives. We talk openly about the fear, confusion, reass...

Send us Fan Mail What makes the International OCD Foundation's Global OCD Conference (OCDCon) so special? In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we're joined by Stephanie Cogen , Program Director at the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) , for a behind-the-scenes look at the world's largest conference dedicated to obsessive-compulsive disorder and related conditions. Stephanie...

Send us Fan Mail What does OCD really sound like? In this special episode of The OCD Confessional , we traveled to the International OCD Foundation's Global OCD Conference in Seattle and handed the microphone to members of the OCD community. The prompt: "What's your OCD confession?" What followed were honest, vulnerable, heartbreaking, hopeful—and sometimes surprisingly funny—s...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we're joined by Anah Pignatelli , OCD advocate, educator, and creator of Key to OCD . For more than 20 years, Anah has navigated OCD in its many forms, including Relationship OCD (ROCD), Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), and Contamination OCD . Today, she uses her platform to help others understand OCD, break free from shame, and move...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Lukas S. Snear , therapist at NOCD , to discuss one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized forms of OCD: POCD (Pedophilia OCD) . POCD is not about desire or intent. It is a subtype of OCD characterized by unwanted, intrusive thoughts, fears, and doubts that can create overwhelming shame, anxiety, and isolation. Because t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Steven Poskar, MD , psychiatrist, Clinical Director of OCD NYC , member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation , and one of the country’s leading experts in the treatment of OCD and related disorders.  This conversation focuses on one of the most debated and misunderstood topics in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Rachael Mathews , OCD advocate and creator of the Hold Space community, to talk about living with health OCD and anxiety . Rachael shares her experience navigating intrusive thoughts and constant fear around her health. We talk about what health OCD actually feels like, why reassurance never quite sticks, and how anxiety ca...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Ryan Judd , Clinical Director of the OCD Institute Texas , a residential treatment program specializing in OCD and anxiety disorders. Ryan brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to the conversation, giving him a unique perspective on what it actually takes to recover from OCD. We start with his OCD confession a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Connor Stout — psychiatric rehabilitation specialist, mental-health advocate, and founder of @stillgood_wellness — for a powerful conversation about living with OCD, panic disorder, and depression . Connor shares how his journey began with contamination OCD as a child, when his parents first noticed changes in his behavior...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Tori Peyton (@growithtori), creator, advocate, and host of the Keep Growing podcast, for an incredibly honest and powerful conversation about OCD, trauma, and eating disorder recovery . Tori shares her story of experiencing sexual abuse at a young age and how that trauma later manifested as harm OCD , intrusive thoughts, an...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Alix Behar (@recoverocd), OCD advocate and content creator, to talk about relationship OCD (ROCD) — and how it nearly cost her the relationship she’s now built a life around. Alix shares how OCD first showed up for her, how intrusive doubts and constant questioning took over her mind, and what it’s like when your brain conv...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Chris Trondsen , licensed marriage and family therapist at The Gateway Institute and longtime advocate with the International OCD Foundation . Chris brings a rare and powerful perspective to the conversation — not only does he treat OCD professionally, he has also lived through severe OCD himself. Chris shares how intrusive...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Hussain , OCD advocate and founder of The Struggling Warrior , a platform dedicated to helping people understand and navigate obsessive-compulsive disorder: https://thestrugglingwarrior.com/ Hussain shares his personal journey living with intrusive thoughts and OCD , how the disorder targeted the things he cared about most,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by writer and mental-health advocate Lisa McCarty to talk about postpartum OCD, intrusive thoughts in motherhood, infertility anxiety, the stigma surrounding maternal mental health, and being a caregiver while struggling with OCD . Lisa shares her personal experience navigating fertility struggles, pregnancy, and postpartum me...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode of The OCD Confessional is just us. No guest. No expert. Just Alicia and Liam getting real about our own OCD journeys — the worst intrusive thoughts we’ve had, Liam’s ongoing struggle with health OCD , how this podcast has changed us, and the feedback from listeners that’s meant the most. We talk about:  • The most ridiculous (and terrifying) OCD thoughts we’ve exp...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Zachary James — known on Instagram as @ocdestigmatize — to talk about living with some of the most misunderstood and stigmatized forms of OCD: Relationship OCD (ROCD), POCD, and health OCD . Zachary shares how OCD targeted his relationships, his identity, and his health — creating relentless doubt, fear, and intrusive thoug...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Kristina Orlova , OCD therapist and creator of The OCD Whisperer , who brings a powerful dual perspective — both as someone who has lived with OCD and as a clinician who now helps others treat it. Kristina opens up about her own experiences with morality OCD , relationship OCD (ROCD) , and “just right” OCD — themes that qui...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re honored to be joined by Dr. Nathaniel Van Kirk , licensed clinical psychologist and Program Director at McLean Hospital’s OCD Institute, to explore one of the most distressing and misunderstood forms of OCD: contamination OCD .  Nathaniel shares what his own experience with OCD looked like — including early memories of compulsions —...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Jeff Bell — author, mental-health advocate, and longtime spokesperson for the International OCD Foundation — for an honest conversation about living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder , uncertainty, and how personal struggle can become purpose. Jeff opens up about what OCD looked like before he had a diagnosis, the constant...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The OCD Confessional , we’re joined by Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” McIngvale — OCD expert, director of the OCD Institute of Texas , former national spokesperson for the International OCD Foundation , and someone who has also live with OCD herself. Liz shares what it was like to be diagnosed with OCD at a young age, her stay in residential treatment, how severe compulsio...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful and deeply human episode of The OCD Confessional , we sit down with Chrissie Hodges — writer, advocate, and founder of OCD Gamechangers — to talk about some of the most misunderstood parts of living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder . Chrissie has been candid about experiencing taboo intrusive thoughts , the kind of thoughts many people with OCD are afraid to spe...

Send us Fan Mail In this important episode of The OCD Confessional , we sit down with Becky Deusser and Dr. Sanjaya Saxena of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) to discuss their newly released white paper on America’s OCD care crisis . The report highlights a sobering reality: millions of people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are unable to access timely, evidence-based treatment —...