Heartbreak & Hope with Pat Barbarito

Ready to explore the essential essence of human connection and the pursuit of true love? Join show host Pat Barbarito and featured guest Beatty Cohan , nationally recognized psychotherapist and sex therapist, for an enlightening conversation on why romantic relationships are so challenging.   As Pat points out: Connection of the heart goes way beyond being physically present. And Beatty reveals –...

Dating can often feel like a game – one where too many of us have played the fool. But what if you could spot the red flags before wasting time on the wrong person?  In this episode, host Pat Barbarito welcomes show favorite Dr. Duana Welch , relationship expert and author of Love Factually, to discuss the red and green flags of dating. From spotting deal breakers early to understanding the differ...

It’s the third anniversary of Heartbreak & Hope! How fitting, then, that host Pat Barbarito takes our annual moment of reflection to discuss the complexities of what has been coined the third act of life.  In her typically candid fashion, Pat shares the lessons she’s learned about many gifts of aging, the challenge of professional evolution, the benefit of simple joys, the value of multi-gener...

If mastering money is one of your 2025 goals, this episode of Heartbreak & Hope is a must-listen! Podcast host Patricia Barbarito welcomes featured guest Stacy Francis , President & CEO of Francis Financial and founder of Savvy Ladies , and, together, they explore how financial literacy can help break cycles of abuse, build confidence, and prepare for a brighter, more secure future. Pat an...

Do you wish your love life had that little something extra, but find yourself avoiding true connection like vampires sidestep garlic? Or does your dating profile showcase a version of you only Dr. Frankenstein would believe was real? If you keep going on dates but secretly believe the dating pool is a dystopian wasteland, host Pat Barbarito and featured guest love coach Junie Moon want you to know...

Whether you’re approaching 50, or that particular birthday has been in the rearview mirror for a while, we all recognize the half-century mark as a pivotal moment in life. Host Pat Barbarito invites featured guest Maria Leonard Olsen to share just how transformative her own milestone was and how she overcame personal struggles to begin navigating the next chapters of life with intentionality and h...

Do you think women of a certain age are no longer interested in sex? Think again!  Host Pat Barbarito welcomes featured guest and sexual health changemaker Dr. Anika Ackerman to share the latest data, research, and anecdotes that clearly debunk this myth, and, instead, offer information about the numerous options that promote stellar sexual health – regardless of the number of candles on this year...

Happy Valentine’s Day; we’re TWO!!! Host Pat Barbarito celebrates the second anniversary with her usual blend of frankness and fearlessness, offering a little no-nonsense insight into: the financial and emotional costs of divorce,  the justice delivered (or not) through the divorce court,  the ripple effect of your divorce on your longtime definition of family,  how to reinvent, redefine, and redi...

Love means never having to say you’re sorry, right? Not according to our featured guest Dr. Jennifer Thomas , co-author of the critically acclaimed book, The 5 Apology Languages . Instead, she tells host Pat Barbarito , the ability to offer a heartfelt apology, using an individual’s preferred communication style, can result in an even deeper connection with those most important to you.   In this e...

Is it possible for an individual to take charge of his/her own happiness at work? And, if so, where does one begin? Host Pat Barbarito , who knows a thing or two about navigating the challenging path to partnership and law firm ownership while raising a family and serving her community, welcomes Dr. Traci Cipriano to answer these questions and more.  Using the guiding principles of workplace well-...

Welcome to a special mini-episode of the show, one that features a series of soundbites just too good to leave on the cutting room floor. We hope you enjoyed the long-form conversation between Pat Barbarito and Dr. Mitchell Chasin that was released earlier this week, but if you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, don’t worry! These clips are standalone questions and answers about – as the title sa...

Divorce, the death of a loved one, milestone birthdays, cancer treatment and other major life changes can sometimes result in a drastically altered self-image – which can then undermine even the most positive person’s confidence and hopeful outlook. If that’s the case, wonders host Pat Barbarito , could simply improving one’s physical appearance with a visit to the local plastic surgery center res...

This episode is for the dogs…and cats…and, really, any animal friend that has ever impressed you with its resiliency and capacity for love, forgiveness, and silliness. Host Pat Barbarito welcomes veterinarian oncologist, cancer survivor, wife, boy mom, pet parent, and featured guest Dr. Renee Alsarraf and invites her to share the inspiration behind Renee’s debut memoir, Sit, Stay, Heal: What Dogs...

As we close out Mental Health Awareness month, host Pat Barbarito explores the idea of systemic humanity through the extraordinary life story of featured guest, Dr. Michael Libertazzo .  From the heartbreak of a misspent youth to the hope of completing a nontraditional educational path at the highest level, from serving among September 11th’s first responders to facing a seemingly unbeatable cance...

Host Pat Barbarito is convinced that the secret to healthy relationships is rooted in scientific research and credits our good friend Dr. Duana Welch with showing her empirical evidence that explains – and can often predict – the behaviors of humans seeking lasting connection. In this ‘best of’ retrospective, we highlight some of Dr. Welch’s research and recommendations featured in our trilogy of...

Happy Valentine’s Day! Heartbreak & Hope celebrates its first anniversary AND launches its fourth season with a look back – not over the past 18 thought-provoking episodes, but on the hindsight lessons that host Pat Barbarito and some of her bravest clients have learned throughout their own marriages and divorces.  Anecdotes from first surviving, then healing, their heartbreak include:  How mu...

Parental alienation has a devastating effect on both children and the targeted parent – but is it always malicious?  What does an alienator tell themselves to justify the aggressive separation of child and parent? At what age are children most susceptible to the manipulation of one parent against another? Can alienated parents and children ever re-establish a healthy connection? Host Pat Barbarito...

Did you know that heartbreak can be a very dangerous medical condition? Leading New Jersey cardiologist Aaron Feingold tells Pat Barbarito that broken-heart syndrome has all the painful and terrifying symptoms of an actual heart attack – and diagnosing this condition requires open communication between doctor and patient.  Conversation highlights:  How only an echocardiogram shows the difference b...

Host Pat Barbarito and featured guest Francine Russo , author of Love After 50: How to Find It, Enjoy It & Keep It , join considerable forces to dispel the myth that dating is only for awkward teenagers, non-committal college students, and young professionals with babies on the brain. Instead, they claim that (1) dating is actually MORE fun, (2) sex is MORE enjoyable, and (3) partnerships have...

When you take someone’s hand, you never let it go until they can stand on their own two feet.” Monseigneur Puma, Founder, Eva’s Village Nothing demoralizes a person or destroys their relationship to self, family or friends quite like addiction. But, as featured guests Joey Mazza and Angelica Alicea tell host Pat Barbarito , there is always hope for the addict committed to recovery. It just might t...

Family values are a top topic in the U.S. media and its electoral campaigns, but have you ever wondered about the very real people behind those headlines? Host Pat Barbarito invites Matthew Coleman and Brendan Sullivan   to share the story of how their family came to be – from young Irish Catholic boys trying to stay out of trouble in New Jersey and Rhode Island, to graduate students navigating th...

“What is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” These words from poet Mary Oliver are particularly meaningful to featured guests Tony Tambasco and Anne Stewart , a couple whose unconventional love story is equally rooted in the romantic and the practical. They reveal to host Pat Barbarito how their life experience, including losing their first spouses to debilitating disease...

For many, aging is an uncomfortable aspect of life, and the very idea of retiring or entering an assisted living facility produces feelings of dread, sadness, and despair. But not so for featured guest Rob Liebreich , CEO & President of Goodwin Living. Instead, he is quick to tell host Pat Barbarito how his career spent in service to seniors has given him insight into just how rich life can be...

What is family? Whether you envision a traditional (two parents of different genders with biological offspring) or expanded (parents that include single, adoptive, step, foster, grandparents, siblings, or other kin, same-sex couples, etc.) model, the ties that bind families together are varied and complex. Host Pat Barbarito and featured guest Matheu Nunn examine the legal definition of family and...

Host Pat Barbarito invites her own OBGYN – Dr. Matthew Iammatteo – to talk about the many paths to parenthood that modern medicine has made possible for women approaching or over the age of 40.  From the physical realities to emotional hurdles, “old eggs” and new mindsets, this conversation explores:  The importance of a compassionate partnership between a woman pursuing pregnancy and her OBGYN; H...