Love and Life with Dr. Karin and Pastor Elliott

With the election now behind us, Elliott and I wanted to share thoughts on how to navigate love and life post election—especially concerning our relationships. Because half the country is really happy with the results, while the other half feels angry, demoralized, and even afraid. Specifically, we consider: How do we build unity in the midst of so much divisiveness?  Can we find common ground? Wh...

On a day when many Progressives will go to the polls to vote for a “woman,” I’d like to share a few thoughts around the misogyny inherent to Leftists’ ideology. Their logic breaks down immediately as they can’t define what a woman is. So, how can they get excited about voting for a woman hoping she’ll be the first woman president? 🤷‍♀️ They’ve already established that womanhood is meaningless!!!...

I know most people want to move on from COVID. And, maybe you’re ready to move on from the election.  But, it’s all related—COVID, the election, and our platform of mind, body, & spirit.  I have some thoughts.  Plus, I’d like to explain why I’m voting for “literal Hitler” and his MAGA + MAHA team of courageous dissidents—RFK, Jr., Tulsi, and Elon.  To do so, I respond to 3 current bits of news...

It’s such a heated issue—and people on each side believe those who disagree with them are abusing children. In the last 10 years, we’ve witnessed an exponential increase in the number of kids who feel as if they’re the wrong sex. Although Gender Dysphoria Disorder remains a psychiatric illness per the DSM-5-TR, it currently is viewed quite differently when compared to other mental conditions. We d...

We’re in the midst of a series on masculinity, so I had to weigh in on this one, and I looped in Producer Tim to get a Millennial male’s take.  You’ve probably seen the clip of Jen Psaki interviewing Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff.  Psaki claimed Emhoff has, “reshaped the perception of masculinity.” Really? Psaki then called him a “wife guy.”  Okay . . .  And sure, maybe Doug Emhoff is a supe...

Elliott and I didn’t grow up with a lot of political discourse. Our family delved into a wide array of topics, but as educators and musicians, we tended to discuss chord charts and pop tunes more than public policy.  In fact, as most of you know, our father was a lifelong Democrat and our mother is a lifelong Republican. Yet, they possessed the same core values, had a strong 57 year marriage, and...

Psychiatric nurse and friend of the program, David Wayne, is back to discuss what he recently shared on Children’s Health Defense’s CHD.TV. In addition to nursing, Dave has a background in data analytics. Throughout the COVID era, he tried to make sense of the vaccinated vs. unvaccinated hospitalizations—the numbers weren’t adding up. Databases weren’t talking to each other. Default modes labeled...

Growing up is tough. Growing up with a father wound is even tougher. As we continue our series on masculinity, we’re addressing the complexities of father wounds on sons.  How do boys grow into men when their model for manhood has been abusive or absent? One of Elliott’s mentees, Bradley Oberrieder, joins us to share his journey—how his father abandoned his family just as Bradley was moving from a...

Dan and I are heading to Rescue the Republic in DC this weekend! I wanted to share Rescue the Republic’s 8 pillars with Elliott to hear his thoughts.  War is always the last resort vs. Military Industrial Complex Sanctify/recodify informed consent vs. Medical Industrial Complex Banish state media control, surveillance and propaganda vs. Censorship Industrial Complex Enact a rational boarder policy...

Recently, I heard a term, “testosteroni.” It was used in a pejorative manner to describe “testosterone-laden” men. In the conversation, these testosterone-laden men were pitted against a kinder, gentler model of manhood. I wasn’t sure just what they were getting at. But, I had questions. Is testosterone inherently a bad thing?  Does it cause problems for men? How does it impact our perception of m...

Q:  I’m 34 and dating a 44-year-old man who rents out a room to a cutie 21-year-old for a very fair price and sometimes, he goes out with her and her friends and buys their drinks.  I’m not sure how I feel about that. He believes it’s socially acceptable but I disagree and see it as predatory. But I also want to be understanding and I’m unsure if I’m being insecure and unreasonable about the situa...

As a psychiatric nurse, David Wayne believed wholeheartedly in the veracity of medical research and the necessity of pharmaceutical interventions—until he saw how ineffective and at times, harmful, these “treatments” were.  He began to question his profession—especially psychiatry’s pharmaceutical “solution” for every mental health concern. Then COVID descended, and because he chose not to inject...

The election is upon us and the political divide—well, it’s probably better described as a chasm.  So, we weren’t surprised to receive this question from a listener: “I’ve seen this rhetoric start to pop up on social media, leading into the election:  ‘Don’t tell someone you love them, and then vote for someone who will hurt them.’ How do we deal with this type of divisive statement?” Our listener...

Elliott didn’t know about this—I’m way more into current events than he is—so I decided to inform him during our episode. I wanted him to share his thoughts as a therapist, husband, father, and perhaps most importantly, as a pastor. Abortion is a heavy, sensitive, and painful, subject—at least, it used to be. Clinton claimed it should be, “Safe, legal, and rare.” Now women are encouraged to, “Shou...

Today Pastor Elliott and Producer Tim continue our series on "What is a Man?" In his work as a counselor and pastor Elliott has developed a thesis for what he believes makes up the theology of a man based on the book of Genesis. Specifically Elliott dives into the following topics: Accountability Responsibility Sacrifice Interdependence And how men facility all of these topics into their...

As you’ve likely heard, last week Olympic boxer Imane Khelif beat Angela Carini in a bout that lasted only 46 seconds. Carini said of Khelif’s punch to her nose, “I’ve never been hit so hard in my life.” Controversy ensued because just last year, Khelif had been disqualified from competing in the World Boxing Championships in the women’s category because of testosterone levels that were higher tha...

Our world feels increasingly chaotic and morally inverted. And for those who remain skeptical and endeavor to think critically and rationally, it’s extremely overwhelming. As you know from episode 294 “COVID Trauma:  How to Move Through Post COVID Stress Disorder,” Elliott and I have lost trust in many, if not most, of the institutions we once thought were at least somewhat honorable. Who can we t...

My father-in-law passed away a month ago. We knew his death was imminent, so we weren’t caught off guard, but I was definitely surprised by the depth of my grief. I’d only known Max for 14 years and because I was in my 40s when I joined the Abrell family, I hadn’t had the years of connection with him. Yet my grief was significant and multifaceted. My mom, Elliott, and our brother, Warren, attended...

As psychotherapists, Elliott and I obviously view love and life through a psychological lens. We take a holistic approach to love and life—underscoring the interaction of our mind, body, and spirit. Elliott takes this approach in his role as a pastor, too.  He reads the Bible and interprets scripture through this lens. God designed psychology—meaning, how God created human thinking and behaving. W...

Please enjoy this conversation Dr. Karin had on the Single and Not Settling podcast! A note from Vanessa of Single and Not Settling: "This is absolutely a dream come true. I was so nervous throughout this interview as I could have pinched myself, achieving this goal of mine. You see in 2020 after I was ghosted and the world shut down, I found a podcast by Dr Karin. Her advice on dating and re...

Recently, I read an article in Time Magazine titled, “America Has Reached Peak Therapy. Why Is Our Mental Health Getting Worse?” Obviously, the content was quite sobering. How is it that mental health awareness is up, stigma is down—and yet, we’re more depressed and anxious than ever!?! I knew I wanted to discuss the article with Elliott and share it with the Love & Life community. Specificall...

No surprise, Elliott and I had plenty to say on this topic so we broke up the debate into two parts. In part 1 (ep. 304), Elliott and I tackled 3 questions: Are younger couples more at risk of codependency because they marry before their identities are sufficiently formed? Do older couples struggle to adjust to the division of labor and day to day norms because they’re “stuck in their ways?” What...

Recently Dr. Karin appeared on the Odyssey Resilience podcast to discuss dating and anxiety!  From Odyssey Resilience:  “Dr. Karin Anderson Abrell is a psychologist, author, podcast host, and musician. Her book, Single is the New Black: Don't Wear White 'Til It's Right is a word of empowerment to singles—encouraging them to stay strong amidst “single shaming,” live life on their own te...

Elliott and I have been meaning to debate this question for a while now—so here it is! Elliott married at the tender age of 22 and, as for me, I was 42 before Dan and I tied the knot. We both have strong, loving marriages. We’re both incredibly happy. But, we took very different paths. Over the years, we’ve had fun taking sides—with Elliott proclaiming the benefits of marrying young and me asserti...

Imagine this: you’ve worked your whole life to swim at the collegiate level. You make the team at an Ivy League school. All those sacrifices paid off—you’re competing at the elite level! And then, before your sophomore year, a guy joins the team. His name is Will, but he now goes by Lia because during his junior year, he decided he was a woman and started hormone therapy. You don’t think it’s righ...