Love and Life with Dr. Karin and Pastor Elliott

It’s sad, but true. Young girls can be very mean, but what can we do about it? Katie Hurley, LCSW, author of No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls joins me to discuss this and other important developmental concerns. In Part 2 of my conversation with Katie, we discuss the profound impact of sleep deprivation (spoiler alert: your kids may not have anxie...

Girls can be mean—very mean. And in this modern era, “mean girl” dynamics start in the primary grades—or even preschool! Katie Hurley, author of No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls, joins me to share practical strategies for empowering girls! Learn the cognitive distortions that affect self-esteem and how to teach girls more realistic and positive w...

According to US Census data, in the past 30 years there’s been a dramatic increase in the number of adult children (18-34) who remain living at home. Clearly, the path to adulthood proves somewhat daunting and circuitous for this generation. Dr. Brad E. Sachs, author of Emptying the Nest: Launching Your Young Adult Toward Success and Self-Reliance, joins me to discuss this “failure to launch” phen...

Getting back “out there” after a divorce can prove daunting and discouraging—but it doesn’t have to be! After a devastating divorce in her mid thirties, UK Dating Coach of the Year, Ané Auret, believed her life had veered horribly off course. But what seemed like her darkest hour, ended up transforming her life in every possible way! She rediscovered her identity, found true love, and embarked upo...

There’s a lot of drama out there, but does there have to be? This week I answer three questions from listeners regarding complications in their relationships. Jessica wonders why her ex-boyfriend craves so much drama. Amanda isn’t sure if she should wait for Mark to get his life together—especially since he keeps telling her she deserves better. And Becky’s in a complicated situation with her boyf...

Raising emotionally healthy kids is no easy task and according to Dr. Leonard Sax, it’s infinitely more difficult for American parents compared to parents in Western Europe. In part 2 of my interview with psychologist, physician, and author, Dr. Leonard Sax we discover: •Why American kids are exponentially more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than kids in Western Europe. •The brain da...

Psychologist, physician, and author Dr. Leonard Sax joins me to discuss the many challenges of modern parenting. Dr. Sax has spent over 30 years treating children in his medical practice and has written four books on parenting and child development. Find out which childhood trait—intelligence, social skills, conscientiousness, or adaptability—best predicts success and happiness in adulthood. Learn...

Why does it take so long for some of us to find The One? They say “timing is everything” but is that always the case? Or do some of us need to work through our "issues" before love will come our way? For Treva Brandon Scharf, getting married at age 50 revamped not only her love life, but her career identity as well. Her blog, The Late Blooming Bride, garnered her a book deal and radio show! We dis...

Will and Grace may be the most famous, but they weren’t the first and they won’t be the last! To celebrate this special bond, I’ve invited my manager and BFF, Chip Gregory, to the program to help me examine the beautiful nuances of gay boy-straight girl love. We dig into the psych research on the topic—yes, we have data on this—and discuss stereotypes and terminology (i.e. “fruit flies” and “beard...

Have you ever been ghosted? Or maybe you’ve been the one to ghost? In this episode, I examine the ghosting phenomenon and tackle the question, “Is ghosting the worst way to exit a relationship or is it perhaps, a kinder way to go?” I share how I responded to two times I was ghosted over my years of dating and bring in Dan and my 24-year-old niece, Amie, to share a millennial’s perspective on ghost...

How do you cope when tragedy strikes? According to Valerie Giglio, lawyer, vocalist, and stroke survivor (at the way-too-young age of 42!), you maintain hope in the midst of despair by taking charge of your mindset! Hear how Valerie reclaimed her life after the stroke robbed her of her ability to walk, talk, and sing. Her triumphant recovery underscores the truth that our state of mind is a very p...

A museum dedicated to heartbreak? Yes, it’s a thing and I had to learn more! In this episode, I interview Alexis Hyde, director and curator of the Museum of Broken Relationships in LA. Who came up with this idea? What’s the museum’s purpose and mission? How can you submit an artifact? Alexis answers these questions and more and also shares how a walk through a heartbreak museum can prove healing a...

Singles want to be in relationships, yet couples complain about how difficult relationships are. So why do we want relationships if they’re such hard work? But are they really all that hard? And do they have to be? This episode is the first in the occasional series called, “Let’s Get Real” in which I’ll dismantle relationship myths—starting with the bogus notion that relationships have to be hard!...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—so why don’t we always feel the holiday cheer? In this episode I discuss reasons behind the Christmas blues and what science says we can do to make our spirits bright! Find out the things you do every day which lead to depression—and learn small adjustments that bring a big boost to your mood! As always, I leave us with a Love & Life hack for taking charge...

Are we losing the war on love? To begin the program, Dan and I play the “War on Love” card game created by this week’s guest, Alex Merritt, “The Love Engineer.” Alex then joins us to share the inspiration behind the game and what she’s learned about male/female communication when hosting her live events, “Dessert & Discussion.” Alex’s mission is to help men and women call a truce in the battle of...

In America today more than 33% of children grow up without a father in the home. Many of these children are left with a “father wound” which continues to impact them throughout their lives—often times without their awareness. John Finch of The Father Effect joins me to talk about the father wound he endured due to losing his father to suicide when John was just 11 years old. John shares his journe...

Audrey Mann Cronin, creator of the LikeSo app talks with me about the importance of “saying it like you mean it!” We discuss how filler words (e.g. like, so, um, right) impede effective communication and we delve into the pitfalls of common speech tendencies such as up-talk and vocal fry. Find out what actress Lake Bell calls the “sexy baby voice” (even if you haven’t heard about it, you’ve defini...

Why is it that so many people seem to have anxiety, depression, ADHD, or some other psychological disorder? Are we in the midst of a mental illness epidemic? Or, is it possible we've shifted our perception of what's "normal" such that what was once called shyness is now called Social Anxiety Disorder and grieving the death of a loved one is labeled as Clinical Depression? To exam...

Dr. Shannon Warden, co-author of the book Things I’d Wish I’d Known Before We Became Parents, joins Karin to discuss solutions to today’s most pressing parenting challenges. We delve into the importance of boundaries in family relationships and examine ways to nurture your marriage in the midst of pressing parenting responsibilities. Dr. Karin’s Love & Life hack reveals the MOST important job of a...

Author Jon Birger joins Karin to delve into today’s most frustrating dating dilemmas. What’s going on with the “hook-up culture” and why is it so much harder to have a solid relationship in the new millennium? Jon’s book, Date-onomics, sheds light on these questions and provides suggestions for increasing the odds of finding love. As always, Dr. Karin leaves listeners with a Love & Life Hack—strat...

In this episode, Dr. Karin answers questions from all the single ladies! Listeners ask, "After being single so long, is it possible to become so independent that I'll end up stuck in my ways and unable to find love?" and "How do I get my mom to stop bugging me about my love life (or lack thereof)?" and "Why do I keep getting back with my ex even though I know we're not 100% right for each other?"...

We all want to be great parents—but how? Actually, science points us in the right direction! This week Dr. Karin and her husband, Dan, discuss a well-established theory of parenting from the developmental psych literature—Diana Baumrind’s parenting styles take the guesswork out of parenting. It’s simple! Not easy, but simple!

Dr. Karin welcomes Kira Sabin of The League of Adventurous Singles to the podcast. Kira shares her philosophy for thriving while flying solo and reveals methods from her coaching practice, The Owner’s Manual. Spoiler alert: you will NOT learn the mysteries of the male mind (because Karin and Kira are women, after all) nor will you discover the secret to finding The One (because sadly, there’s no m...

How do you grieve the loss of something you never had? This week Dr. Karin welcomes to the program Nichelle Polston and Alisha Jones of the blog, Give Me a Ring and a Baby. We discuss the pain associated with a life that refuses to play out as planned—whether we’re longing for a husband but flying solo to yet another wedding or receiving a baby shower invitation the day we learn our IVF cycle has...

Enduring the loss of a loved one is horribly painful, but experiencing a unique grief can prove difficult in unexpected ways. In this episode, Dr. Karin examines how we process loss when our culture provides neither protocol nor terminology for our distress. She interviews Christine Infanger of Thirty Roses about the tragic, sudden passing of her 30-year-old fiancé. In addition to the pain of losi...