The OCD Whisperer Podcast with Kristina Orlova

🧠What If OCD Isn’t About Uncertainty—But About Doubting the Wrong Things?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova, LMFT shares her personal journey living with OCD and how her understanding of treatment has evolved over time. Drawing from both lived experience and nearly a decade of clinical work with OCD, Kristina breaks down ERP, ICBT, ACT, and why learning how OCD actua...

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Is your child’s OCD hiding behind good behavior and perfectionism?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Katherine Schooland, LMFT, founder and director of Raising Brave Kids, a multi-state practice specializing in child and teen anxiety and OCD. Together, they explore how childhood OCD can quietly hide in high-functioning, compliant, and “well-beha...

🤰These Thoughts Don’t Mean You Want to Harm Your Baby   In this second of two episodes about perinatal OCD on The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova is joined again by Betty Flores, LCSW, a perinatal mental health specialist and founder of Perinatal Wellness, for an honest and deeply needed conversation about perinatal OCD, intrusive thoughts, pregnancy, and postpartum mental health. Betty sh...

🤰Are these protective instincts… or is it postpartum OCD?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Betty Flores, LCSW, a perinatal mental health specialist from Perinatal Wellness. Together, they explore how postpartum and pregnancy OCD show up, why intrusive thoughts feel so convincing during this stage of life, and how parents can tell the difference between n...

💔Can OCD convince you that you’re incapable of love?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Zack Tucker, OCD advocate and creator of OCDestigmatize. Together, they explore relationship OCD, health anxiety, shame, and what real recovery actually looks like when OCD never fully disappears—but stops controlling your life.   Zack opens up about: • Relationship OCD...

🧠Can social media trigger your OCD without you even realizing it?   In this solo episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova explores how social media interacts with OCD, compulsions, and obsessive thoughts. She shares strategies for scrolling with intention, not on autopilot, and how to reclaim control over your digital habits.   Kristina opens up about: • How a quick scroll can spark...

🧠 Can grief and OCD completely change your sex drive, intimacy, and connection with your partner?   In this powerful episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Krista Reed, licensed therapist and trauma specialist, about how grief, trauma, cortisol, and the nervous system directly affect sexuality, desire, and emotional intimacy in people with OCD.   ❤️This episode explores...

🧠 Can you grieve “correctly” when you have OCD?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Krista Reed, clinical social worker and specialist in OCD, BFRBs, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Together, they explore how grief, loss, and real-life emotional pain interact with OCD — and how deeply the experience can impact identity, relationships, and recovery.   ❤️Krista...

🧠 *Can self-compassion really help you recover from OCD?*   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Lukasz, known online as Intrusive OCD Memes. Together, they explore how humor, community, and self-awareness play a role in managing OCD, and how sharing personal experiences can help both yourself and others.   Lucas opens up about: • First symptoms of OCD as a ch...

🧠 Can self-compassion really help you recover from OCD?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova speaks with Kimberley Quinlan, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, creator of CBT School, and author of The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD. Together, they explore how learning to treat yourself with kindness can transform your relationship with OCD and emotional suffe...

🧠 Do you ever feel like something is wrong — even when nothing happened?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Heather Brown, LCSW, OCD and trauma specialist. Together, they explore Just Right OCD, magical thinking, somatic anxiety, and how OCD can sometimes feel like trauma.   Heather opens up about: • Her personal experience living with Just Right OCD • Sen...

🧠 Could Your Child’s Sudden OCD Be Something Else? Understanding PANS & PANDAS   In this powerful episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Angela Henry, therapist and PANS/PANDAS specialist, and Lindsay Forsyth, a mother and advocate who has navigated this journey with her own child. Together, they shed light on how sudden-onset OCD, tics, and anxiety in children may...

Is everything you’ve been told about OCD wrong?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova sits down with Elysse Lescarbeau, writer, advocate, and author of OCD Exposed: 10 Myths and Misconceptions About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Together, they uncover the hidden sides of OCD—from misunderstood symptoms to the powerful truth about recovery.   Elysse opens up about: • Bein...

What happens when your mind turns against you — and fills you with thoughts you can’t control?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Maurice, creator of the Obsessless app — a powerful new tool designed to support people living with OCD. Maurice opens up about his terrifying first intrusive thoughts, years of misdiagnosis, and how ERP therapy and mindset work...

Have you ever felt ashamed of a habit you couldn’t control?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Aneela Idnani, co-founder of HabitAware and mental health advocate. Aneela opens up about living with trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder), how shame kept her silent for decades, and how awareness and acceptance transformed her recovery journey.   Aneela share...

What is Response Prevention and why is it the most important part of ERP?   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with therapist Natalia Aiza. Together, they explore Response Prevention (the RP in ERP therapy)—why it’s the most crucial step in breaking free from OCD cycles, and how to actually apply it in daily life.   Natalia opens up about: • Why exposures without...

What if the story that makes you feel most ashamed… is the exact story you need to face?   This episode includes some words that platform may flag as problematic. We have muted them to prevent issues with the platform. These edits are purely for compliance and do not change the meaning or therapeutic purpose of the script.   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova continues h...

What if the scariest story your mind tells… could actually set you free?   *This episode includes a live imaginal script. Some words that algorithm may flag as problematic have been muted to prevent issues with the platform. These edits are purely for compliance and do not change the meaning or therapeutic purpose of the script.*   In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova sits...

Can ERP really help you face your biggest fears? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Natalia, a therapist specializing in OCD treatment. Together, they explore the foundations of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy and why it is considered first line treatment for OCD.   Natalia opens up about: The basics of ERP and how it actually works in practice...

What does it mean to succeed while living with OCD? In this episode, Kristina Orlova sits down with Scott Stirret, founder and CEO of Venture for Canada and author of The Uncertainty Advantage, to explore how OCD and uncertainty intersect with ambition, business, and personal growth. Scott opens up about his diagnosis during the pandemic, how OCD shaped his thoughts and rituals long before he had...

Pregnancy and postpartum bring a unique set of challenges, especially for those struggling with OCD. How can you navigate the overwhelming changes while managing intrusive thoughts? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova, LMFT, is joined by Gina Abbondante, MSW, LCSW, C-NDAAP, a therapist specializing in OCD and anxiety disorders in the perinatal and postpartum periods....

What does it feel like when your mind gets stuck on a loop, telling you again and again that you’re a bad person? That’s the reality of Pure OCD. In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova sits down with Sah D’Simone, spiritual teacher, humanitarian, and creator of the Somatic Activated Healing method, for an open and heartfelt conversation.   Sah shares his journey with intrusi...

Is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) the only way to treat OCD? What if there’s another evidence-based approach that works differently and might even feel more intuitive to some?   In this episode of the OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova brings together a panel of seasoned OCD clinicians: Mike Heady, Christina Ennabe, Mike Parker, Carl Robbins, and Bronwyn Shroyer. Together, they un...

What if the most powerful way to help your anxious child isn’t to fix them—but to change you? In this episode of the OCD Whisperer podcast, host Kristina Orlova welcomes licensed therapist and anxiety expert Robyn Isman to discuss the SPACE protocol (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions). Robyn, certified in SPACE, explains how this evidence-based approach helps reduce childhood anx...

Have you ever caught yourself picking at your skin, biting your nails, or pulling out a hair—then wondered why you can’t seem to stop? You’re not alone.   In this eye-opening episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova sits down with Juliet Gustafson , a Michigan-based OCD therapist and professor, to explore the often-misunderstood world of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs)—...