Life's Dirty Little Secrets Podcast | Breaking Silence Around the Secrets We All Carry

Recommended Episodes Secret #80: The Anxiety Advantage with Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary Secret #65: The Self-Help Paradox with Joe Oliver Secret #79: Fierce Compassion with Dr. Dennis Tirch Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to sleep? From sleep trackers and wellness trends to headlines warning us about the dangers of poor sleep, many of us have come to believe that sleep is something we shou...

Recommended Episodes Secret #72: Transforming Guilt and Shame with Carolyn Allard Secret #79: Fierce Compassion with Dr. Dennis Tirch Secret #65: The Self-Help Paradox with Joe Oliver Why are we so much harsher with ourselves than we are with the people we love? In this episode, Holly Yates and Shawn Costello-Whooley join Chris and Emma to explore the powerful role of the inner critic. Together, t...

Recommended Episodes Secret #12: Imposter Syndrome with Dr. Jill Stoddard Secret #73: Confidence with Michael Herold Secret #80: The Anxiety Advantage with Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary Why is asking for help so hard? For many people, needing support feels like failure. Whether it's therapy, medication, weight loss surgery, or asking others for assistance, we often carry the belief that we should b...

Recommended Episodes Secret #50: Happy High Achievers with Dr. Mary Anderson Secret #57: Conflict Resilience with Bob Bordone and Dr. Joel Salinas Secret #73: Confidence with Michael Herold What if anxiety isn’t the enemy we think it is? In this episode, Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary challenges the modern belief that anxiety is something to eliminate, suppress, or “fix.” Instead, she reframes anxiety as...

Recommended Episodes: Secret #56: Spirituality with Dr. Matthieu Villatte  Secret #65: The Self-Help Paradox with Joe Oliver   Secret #72: Transforming Guilt and Shame with Carolyn Allard What if compassion isn’t about being kind or soft, but about becoming stronger and more courageous? In this episode, Dr. Dennis Tirch challenges common misconceptions about compassion and introduces a more powerf...

Recommended Episodes Secret #26: Victim Blame with Dr. Amy Beddows  Secret #74: The Cost of Pretending with Jonathan Kanter  Secret #72: Transforming Guilt and Shame with Carolyn Allard Why are people drawn to horror, especially those who have experienced trauma? In this episode, Dr. Amy Beddows explores the surprising connection between horror films and healing. What seems counterintuitive at fir...

Recommended Episodes Secret #76: Ageism Secret #75: Impossible Masculinity Secret #72: Transforming Guilt and Shame Why does it feel like no matter how much we do, it’s never enough? In this episode, Kerry Makin-Byrd breaks down the paradox of overwhelm and why so many of us feel stuck between doing too much and still feeling like we’re falling behind. We explore the difference between stress, bur...

Recommended Episodes Secret #72: Transforming Guilt and Shame Secret #74: The Cost of Pretending Secret #75: Impossible Masculinity What if aging isn’t the problem—but our beliefs about aging are? In this episode, we discuss ageism with Dr. Claudia Drossel. Together, we explore how aging is often misunderstood as decline, when in reality many of the challenges we associate with aging are shaped by...

Recommended Episodes Secret #73: The Confidence Paradox Secret #72: Transforming Guilt and Shame Secret #74: The Cost of Pretending What does it actually mean to raise boys in a culture that both expects masculinity and criticizes it? In this episode, journalist and author Ruth Whippman joins Chris McCurry and Emma Waddington to explore the pressures boys face in the age of “impossible masculinity...

Recommended Episodes Secret #62: The Connection Paradox with James Cordova Secret #64: Moral Outrage with Kurt Gray  Secret #70: So Many Paradoxes with Dr. Emma Waddington and Dr. Chris McCurry Many of us are going about our daily lives while quietly feeling that something is deeply wrong in the world. We say we are fine. We scroll. We joke. We compartmentalize. And yet there is a sinking feeling...

Recommended Episodes: Secret #58: Raising a Self-Driven Child with Dr. William Stixrud & Ned Johnson Secret #61: Reimagining Anger with Russell Kolts Secret #70: So Many Paradoxes with Dr. Emma Waddington and Dr. Chris McCurry Most people believe confidence is something you either have or don’t have. In this episode, confidence coach Michael Herold explains why confidence is actually built by...

Recommended Episodes Secret #5: Body Shame with Emily Sandoz Secret #7: Parental Guilt with Dr. Yael Schonbrun Secret #26: Victim Blame with Dr. Amy Beddows  Guilt and shame often linger long after trauma, quietly shaping how we see ourselves and our relationships. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Carolyn Allard explains why guilt and shame can be adaptive—and how they become harmful whe...

Recommended Episodes: Secret #68  — Secrets of Rest with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang Secret #30  — Wise Effort with Dr. Diana Hill Secret #69  — No One Is “Self-Made” with Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon A tender, practical conversation about how a terminal diagnosis can sharpen priorities, deepen connection, and teach the rest of us how to live on purpose—today. Psychologist Dr. Ray Owen and Sam Stroud , recently...

Recommended Episodes: Secret #68: Secrets of Rest with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang  Secret #61: Reimagining Anger with Russell Kolts  Secret #62: The Connection Paradox with James Cordova  Secret #69: No One is "Self-Made" with Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon  Secret #55: Belonging with Meg McKelvie  Secret #48: The Tree That Bends with Ross White  Secret #60: There is No Normal with Dr. Steven C. Hayes ...

Recommended Episodes Secret #60: There is No Normal with Dr. Steven C. Hayes Secret #56: Spirituality with Dr. Matthieu Villatte Secret #55: Belonging with Meg McKelvie What happens when we stop glorifying the “self-made” myth and start honoring the power of community?  Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon —educator, entrepreneur, and founder of The Village Market and Our Village United —joins hosts Emma Waddingt...

 Recommended Episodes:  Secret #62: The Connection Paradox with James Cordova  Secret #67: Living with Death with Dr. Manuela O’Connell and Dr. Robyn Walser   Secret #56: Spirituality with Dr. Matthieu Villatte  Rest is not the opposite of work. It is the partner that makes great work possible. In this conversation, best-selling author and strategist Alex Soojung-Kim Pang shows how rest is a learn...

Recommended Episodes Secret #56: Spirituality with Dr. Matthieu Villatte Secret #51: New Thinking on Grief with Dr. Ray Owen Secret #62: The Connection Paradox with James Cordova  What happens when we stop running from mortality and let it guide how we live now? Chris and Emma sit down with Dr. Robyn Walser and Dr. Manuela O’Connell to explore death as a teacher, not a terror. They unpack cultural...

Recommended episodes: Secret #20: There is No Normal with Dr. Steven C. Hayes Secret #47: Living a Meaningful Life with Jenna LeJeune Secret #30: Wise Effort with Dr. Diana Hill   When life feels too heavy, should we fight our thoughts or learn to carry them? In this grounded, compassionate conversation, clinical psychologist and author Ben Sedley joins Emma Waddington and Chris McCurry to explore...

 You’ll also love… Secret #30: Wise Effort with Dr. Diana Hill . Secret #22: Perfectionism with Dr. Z   Join hosts Emma Waddington and Chris McCurry as they explore the surprising truth behind the booming self-help industry with psychologist and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) expert Dr. Joe Oliver . Despite the $13 billion self-help market, anxiety, depression, and loneliness are skyrocke...

Are you ready to unravel the hidden psychology of moral outrage and discover practical tools for turning intense conflict into genuine understanding? In this eye-opening episode of Life’s Dirty Little Secrets, social psychologist and author Dr. Kurt Gray joins the hosts to reveal how our sense of right and wrong shapes everything from social media disputes to personal relationships and political d...

Living with food allergies brings a daily struggle of anxiety, uncertainty, and real risk—but it also offers powerful lessons about courage, resilience, and managing fear. In this revealing episode, we’re joined by Tamara Hubbard, a licensed clinical professional counselor and leading expert on the psychological impact of food allergies. Tamara draws on her personal journey and professional expert...

What happens when connection feels both necessary and terrifying? In this intimate episode, Dr. James Cordova explores how warmth, authenticity, and mindful space shape human relationships. With wisdom from Chris McCurry and Emma Waddington, you'll hear how vulnerability, presence, and self-compassion create space for healing — whether in therapy, family life, or personal growth.  Topics Disc...

We often treat anger like a villain, but what if it’s simply trying to tell us something important? In this episode of Life’s Dirty Little Secrets , Dr. Russell Kolts, clinical psychologist and compassion-focused therapy pioneer, joins hosts Emma Waddington and Chris McCurry to reimagine our relationship with anger. He shares powerful insights into how anger is often a response to threat, helpless...

In this thought-provoking conversation, Dr. Steven C. Hayes challenges the idea that mental health care should follow rigid, one-size-fits-all models. He explores why our obsession with efficiency, like the standard “8 session” treatment plan, can miss the mark and even harm those it is meant to help. Instead, Steven invites us to sit with uncertainty, discomfort, and even panic, recognizing that...

It’s never been a more promising yet complicated time to raise boys, as shifting stereotypes and societal pressures redefine what it means to grow up male. In this lively and insightful roundtable, host Emma Waddington is joined by leading experts including adolescent nurse Ana Waddington, parenting author Jennifer Fink, clinical psychologist Emily Edlynn, and men’s health counselor Nike Oruh to r...