Journals of a Love Addict Podcast

It's hard to be still sometimes, especially in a culture that constantly tells you to get moving, to achieve, to perform--plus being still often comes with all the feelings ...and feeling our feelings can be hard, too. In this episode Jodi talks about a few of the hard parts of recovery, including difficult conversations, how she views past shameful experiences, and the reality of joy in recovery....

Love addiction comes with a set of symptoms leading to a pattern of dysfunctional relationships; whether we tend to be more anxious or more avoidant (or both), we may find ourselves in the push/pull of addictive relationships more than once. Then, after each relationship we say "I'll never do that again", fully intending to make some changes, but... Even if we enter love addiction recovery and add...

The term 'love addiction' is often referred to in the context of romantic relationships, but did you know that the symptoms can apply to platonic relationships, too? In this episode, Jodi talks about her history with undervaluing herself in friendships and overlooking red flags in order to belong and be the "best friend". She's joined by her friend Brooke (from "A Breakup Story"), to discuss the c...

Have you ever needed to block someone? Maybe you ended a relationship and no longer wanted to see their social media activity, or maybe you found yourself needing to have a hard boundary with a former friend. In today's world, considering that most of us are accessible on multiple platforms, it's not uncommon to block another person...BUT, that doesn't mean it's always easy to do (for a number of...

You may have heard about the importance of your 'why'--that thing that motivates you and provides a sense of purpose in life and work. But what if that concept was broken down even further, into three parts that took you deeper into that 'why'? Nicole Lewis-Keeber (therapist, coach & author) has done just that, and she talks with Jodi in this episode of the podcast about The Three Whys. Jodi also...

If you're a listener of the podcast, then you've heard Jodi talk about 'that therapist'--the one she worked with in 2016, who taught her about love addiction, supported her through withrawal, and played a vital role in her in early recovery. That therapist is Dr. Lara Dye, a Pia Mellody-trained psychologist specializing in love & sex addiction, who also has personal experience with love addiction...

What is intimacy? If you Google the term you might find varying--yet similar--definitions...but what does it mean to YOU? In this episode, Kelly McDaniel (author of "Ready to Heal" and "Mother Hunger") is back to talk with Jodi regarding what intimacy really is, and the reason why in love addiction--although we might crave closeness--we struggle to tolerate authentic intimacy. Music by JD Pendley

Have you seen the Hulu documentary, "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields"? It paints a powerful portrait of Brooke's sexualization as a child actor, and brings attention to the waters in which young women swim from a young age. In this docuseries, Brooke Shields discusses the highs and lows of her career, and provides insight into the complex relationship with her mother. On this episode of the podcast, J...

In love addiction we often feel like we're in love, but is it really love? And what is genuine love, anyway? In this episode, Jodi discusses the concept of cathexis--the thing we often confuse with genuine love--and the role it played in her love addiction. She also shares a recent painful experience that forced her to slow down in order to examine (and accept) reality, and to embrace the grief th...

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... In this episode Jodi talks with Becky Vollmer about her new book, "You Are Not Stuck: How Soul-Guided Choices Transform Fear Into Freedom" which provides relatable steps for getting bac...

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. In this episode, Jodi talks with Dr. Kenneth Adams, therapist and author of "When He's Married to Mom", about mothe...

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? In this episode, Jodi discusses The Hero and Lost Child, and how these roles contribute to love avoidance or addiction. And she talks with London-based coach, Ma...

In love addiction recovery, we focus a lot on developmental trauma and what took place in our family of origin (because looking at our history is important). But there's something else that plays a role in love addiction: Cultural messaging. In this episode, Jodi's friend, Brooke, joins her to talk about the recent Victoria's Secret documentary; and how the company's marketing in the early 2000s l...

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: She not only tells her story, but she calls love addiction what it is. In this episode Jodi talks with Charlene about her personal experience with love addiction and recovery, as well as wha...

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, Jodi invited trauma therapist and boundaries expert, Jules Taylor Shore, to talk all about boundaries. Jules takes this complex topic and explains it in a user-friendly way, so we can better understand ourselves and others. Music by JD Pendle...

Love addiction gets messy. It's full of intensity, shame, and regression that leads us to behave regretfully--or as Jodi says, 'like a tornado of sticks and poo'. In this episode, Jodi celebrates six years in recovery by revisiting Pia Mellody's symptoms of love addiction; and by providing examples of how these symptoms looked for her during nearly three decades of addicted relationships. Music by...

What does it mean to 'feel stuck'? And, what exactly IS a feeling, anyway? In this episode, Jodi talks 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. Britt also shares her experience with addiction and recovery, as w...

If you listen to the podcast you've likely heard Jodi talk about Mother Hunger and the role it plays in love addiciton. But there's an extreme form of this attachment injury: Third Degree Mother Hunger--which happens when a daughter grows-up frightened of her mother. For this episode, Jodi invited fellow Mother Hunger facilitator and therapist, Jennifer Acker, to share her personal Third Degree Mo...

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, Jodi talks with therapist and betrayal trauma expert, Michelle Mays, about the complexity of this relational trauma, as well as recovery resources. Jodi also discusses her new awareness of the role that betrayal played in her love addiction....

We all have a story to tell, and when it comes to love addiction our stories are as unique as they are similar. It's as if love addiction comes with a script and how it plays out depends upon who's directing. In this episode, Jodi is joined by Kelly Henderson of the podcast, Velvet's Edge, to share her personal experience with love addiction and recovery--and they realize their stories are very si...

Love addiction and codependence come with patterns of dysfunction, as we unconsciously try to resolve (and act-out) the past through our current relationships.  In this episode, Jodi talks 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. Buck is also the...

There's lots of talk about adulting and being a 'mature adult', but what does all of that even mean? Are we adults because we have responsibilites, or we're parents, or (we think) we behave maturely? In this episode, Jodi invites Daniel Gowan back to discuss Pia Mellody's concept of the Functional Adult. They also cover Pia's five core symptoms of codependence (aka the five 'buckets'), reparenting...

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?" For those of us with a history of love addiction those 'what-ifs' can lead us into fantasy and obsession (and sometimes right back into a dysfunctional relationship). But not all relationships end badly...so why not try again...

What is 'enough' ? If you've struggled with codepedence 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. In this episode, Jodi talks about how the pandemic has shifted our concept of what it means to do and be enough, and the role that 'enough' played in her love addiction. She also talks about what's t...

Mental health is an important topic, and thanks to social media it's become a more widely discussed topic than in previous years. But while these platforms can provide lots of information, there's also misinformation --especially when it comes to how we talk about trauma and 'healing'. In this episode Jodi talks with Tyndal Schreiner, a fellow Texas therapist, about being a therapist on Instagram...