Talk To Me: The Debra Fileta Podcast

Today I'm joined by DFCN counselor Melissa, as we take an on-air call from Adrienne from Florida who asks: How should I navigate a relationship with my mom who doesn't invest/participate in a relationship with me and my sisters and hasn't in a long time. The only time she reaches out is when she needs something. She's not emotionally available with us and if we didn't reach out, we probably wouldn...

Today begins the Ask A Counselor Series! Over the next few weeks I will be joined by counselors from my team as we tag-team questions from callers and listeners all over the country and world! Today, we answer a question from Mark from Washington, wondering how to know the difference between porn addiction and porn struggles, and if it's possible to actually live free once and for all. Tune in to...

Today on the podcast, I'm joined by my friend Toni, in this on-air counseling session focused on the excruciating journey of her marriage coming to an end, and what it looked like to begin healing alone. She opens up about a really meaningful interaction we had, and how God used that conversation to convict her about her consumption of alcohol in the aftermath of her tragedy. We get a front row se...

Today is a really special session with a very special person, because today I sit down with my friend, and my "real life client", Levi Lusko. A few years ago, Pastor Levi Lusko went through a devastating season filled with unexpected anxiety, panic attacks, and "spiraling", and it hit him hard. We sat down for a raw, real, honest conversation about that difficult season, and processed his experien...

Today, I sit down for an on-air couples session with my friends Gabe and Rebekah Lyons, as we talk about the strain of feeling emotionally disconnected years into their marriage. What happens when marriage gets worse over the years, and not better? What do you do when you feel something is missing, an emotional disconnect between you and your spouse? Today we go there, and talk about what it meant...

Today I'm having an on-air counseling session with Ian Cron. You may have heard of him from his popular enneagram-focused podcast, but today you'll get to know him in a new way. In our conversation, today, we unpack his past history with alcoholism, what led him to that destructive place, as well as his journey to the point of relapse and then ultimate recovery. We also discuss where he is today,...

I'm having an on-air counseling session with Jinger Duggar, a member of the reality TV show family, the Duggars, whose show chronicled the everyday life of this conservative family of 19 children. She talks about growing up in a strict religious upbringing, how it impacted her life, her faith in God, and her people-pleasing tendencies. We talk about the extent of people pleasing she struggled with...

Justin called in to Talk To Me, because he's struggling with his self-worth and inner critic. The negative voices are loud, and seem to be controlling his life. He has a hard time tuning them out, and wants to know where they are coming from and what he can do about it. I help him get to the roots of where this strong negative self-worth might be coming from, and how to deal with his inner critic....

Why is it that some people have a harder time saying no, and setting boundaries than others? Today on the podcast, Ashley calls in to talk to me about her struggle with saying no. She has a really hard time, feels guilty, and ends up feeling drained and depleted. I help her dig into the reasons why she struggles to say no, and what to do about it. If you struggle with boundaries, and saying no - t...

Today on Talk To Me, I'm talking with Haven who has struggled in her life to feel and believe the false narrative that it's all on her. She has to do it all. She has to save everyone, help everyone, do everything - be all things to all people. It's all on her. This mindset has caused her to struggle over the years...and she's having to unlearn some of these unhealthy narratives and get to the root...

Today on Talk To Me, I'm joined by Chris (and his puppy!) who is on a journey to becoming emotionally healthy but needs some direction and help. He wants to take ownership and have insight on his emotional health and he's looking for some practical next steps on what that actually means. How do you define emotional health and how do you begin the journey? I help him unpack this concept and give hi...

Today on Talk To Me, I am joined by Russel, a businessman who doesn't know how to rest. He's starting to feel the symptoms and effects of burnout in his life, but doesn't understand why the act of resting seems so difficult for him. What do you do when you don't know how to rest? I help him get to the bottom of his struggle with rest, and offer him practical next steps to help him get to a healthi...

Content Sensitivity: This conversation refers to themes of suicide, overdose, and other content that some may find difficult to hear. Please use caution if this may be a trigger for you. Today on Talk To Me, I'm joined by my friend Davey Blackburn. Davey's story made national headlines when his wife was brutally murdered, and he was left to pick up the pieces of his broken life. Where was God in a...

Today on Talk To Me, I have a conversation with Junior who is struggling with his Anger issues...he finds himself quickly getting angry as his default emotional reaction, and he wants to get to the roots of his anger issues, so he can solve this problem once and for all. If you've struggled with anger outbursts or unexpected rage, and you're hoping to try and get some control of it, this episode i...

Today on the show I talk to Stephanie May Wilson, who after having twins, and moving to another country, is processing the fact that life has been harder than she expected it to be...and she's struggling. What do you do when life feels harder than you expected, and you start to question yourself? Is it supposed to be this hard? And is it this hard for others? What do you do when your personal inad...

Content Sensitivity: This conversation refers to themes of suicide, overdose, and other content that some may find difficult to hear. Please use caution if this may be a trigger for you.  Today on the show I talk to Daniel, who is asking how he should know when it's time to consider depression medication. As Christians, we believe in prayer, we believe that God can heal us, and we believe that He...

Today on the show, Alison talks to me about the fact that she finds herself saying "YES" to the needs and requests of others, when she really should be saying no, because she doesn't have the bandwidth or capacity to do it, and she finds herself bitter, burnout, and resentful. Why does she have this pattern and where does it come from? Today on Talk To Me, we dig deep and find out where this patte...

On this episode I have an on-air counseling session with Annie F. Downs who talks to me about a difficult season she faced after facing a breakup followed by the devastating loss of her nephew followed by physical health struggles all in the same time-period, dealing with grief upon grief upon grief. We talk about all the difficult feelings that come up during hard seasons when we're feeling overw...

What happens when you seem drawn to the same type of person, but that "type" is someone who is emotionally unavailable? Why are certain people drawn to these types of unhealthy cycles of relationships, and how do you break the cycle? Today I talk to Erica, who is tired of emotionally unavailable men, and wanting to understand her role in attracting these types of relationships. Listen into this po...

Is it possible to get attached to a relationship you made up in your mind? Today Denise calls in to talk to me, because she's struggling to let go of a relationship that she has been imagining in her mind, and wanting to embrace reality. After many years of casually interacting with someone that she has feelings for, she's ready to let it go and move forward into a realistic perspective of their r...

Katie comes to talk to me today about a breakup that she's second guessing. We processed why she broke up with him, and then talk through some of her regrets. What happens when you look back and realize you might have made a mistake in breaking up? Where do you go from there? How do you know whether or not it was the right decision? This episode is powerful for anyone who can relate to second-gues...

Today I'm joined by entrepreneur Anthony O'Neal, for this on-air counseling session where we process his feelings and desires as a successful, single, bachelor. He's building his life, his business, and his world...but he has no one to share it with, which takes a toll on him emotionally. We talk about what to do with the desires, how he's handling singleness, and so much more. It's a powerful con...

On this episode of Couples Therapy I talk with Brooke and Wiley, who are struggling with his over-reactive triggers to simple questions. Wiley is tired of her questions, but Brooke feels like she can't ask anything without it turning into a fight, and she's not sure how to deal with it. We turn the tables on Wiley and help him identify why this might be the case, and how to begin identifying the r...

On this episode of Couples Therapy, I sit down with my friends and pastors Irene and Jimmy Rollins who are in a seriously stressful season of life right now, which is starting to impact their marriage. The build-up of stress has caused new tensions, and without the old unhealthy coping skills of addiction to default to - they're having to pave a new path this time around. We talk through the stres...

Have you ever wondered, "Why do we keep having the same fight?" Today on Talk To Me, I have an on-air Couples Therapy session with Jeff and Michelle who don't understand why, after all of their years in marriage ministry and helping other couples, they can't seem to help themselves. They keep having the same fight over and over again (and you'll be surprised when you find out what it's about). I h...