Trust and Thrive

Jennifer Bohle, MS, LPC, is a trauma-informed therapist, content creator, and high-achieving creative based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She works with perfectionistic women to build self-trust, confidence, and worthiness while learning to relate to perfectionism as a strength. Through content creation, Jennifer blends humor, education, and real life - using creativity as a way to make therapy m...

Milestones like anniversaries, engagements, and other "big" moments can bring up pressure, doubt, and intrusive thoughts for those navigating relationship OCD. When there's a pressure of how a day "should" feel or look like, this can create an extra layer of meaning, making thoughts feel more urgent and significant than they really are.  In this episode, I reflect on recen...

Natasha Daniels has been an anxiety & OCD therapist for over two decades. She combines both her clinical expertise with her lived experience, raising her own three kids with anxiety and OCD. She is the creator of the website, Child OCD Therapist. She gives in-depth support to parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD through her books, courses in the AT Parenting Survival Online School and in h...

Dr. Kai Qiu, MD is an inner child healing guide who traded the path to psychiatry for something he believes the mental health space is missing. He’s the author of Emotionally Immature Parents: A Recovery Workbook and combines psychology, Buddhist practice, and his own lived experience as a second-generation Chinese-Canadian to help successful people heal the patterns they inherited but didn’t choo...

In this episode, I reflect on my identity as a child of immigrants during the week of Nowruz (Persian New Year). I share the range of emotions that have been coming up during this time, both personally and collectively. I also discuss the pressure that can exist to express or explain every single feeling one may be having, especially on social media. This episode focuses on holding space for nuanc...

Lily was a school psychologist for 12 years and served as the lead school psychologist in her district in Los Angeles. During that time, she also struggled deeply with anxiety, panic, and OCD. In 2018, Lily had a life-changing realization: she wasn’t broken and nothing needed to be fixed. She had been innocently overcomplicating her experience. She discovered it was safe to think less, that though...

Katie Pankonin is a mental health therapist out of Phoenix, Arizona specializing in grief and relationships. Katie is passionate about normalizing the grief experience and finding relatable ways to humanize the "grief club" we all inevitably join one day. Katie can be found on social media at @enkindle_mentalhealth where she enjoys creating community for those grieving and posting daily...

To wrap up this month's focus on relationships and OCD, I dive deep into how OCD and anxiety can show up in platonic relationships. In this solo episode, I talk about common friendship-based compulsions (including reassurance seeking, mental reviewing, confessing, avoidance), the fear of being seen as "too much," recognizing patterns of rumination, and practicing self-compassion ins...

Whether it's a partner, family member, or close friend, loving someone with OCD can feel confusing at times, especially when you want to be supportive but aren't sure how to respond to intrusive thoughts, anxiety, or repeated reassurance-seeking.  In this solo episode, I talk more about how OCD can show up in relationships, the difference between validating feelings and reinforcing compu...

To continue the theme of ROCD this month...in this episode, I talk generally about anxiety and OCD-related thoughts and behaviors in relationships. I lean into the importance of integrating self-compassion for yourself as you may experience these thoughts. I also share your responses from Instagram stories (anonymously, of course) to remind you that you're not alone. I also share some persona...

Valentine's Day is like the Super Bowl for Relationship OCD. It's the perfect opportunity for thoughts to creep in. There's pressure, comparison, thoughts that may feel louder.  In this solo episode, I talk about how Valentine's Day, especially social media posts, can amplify ROCD thoughts, even if you're not in a relationship. I dive deep into the importance of slowing do...

In this solo episode, I acknowledge how oppression and the systems we live in inherently impact mental health and one's sense of safety (if not directly), from what's happening in the US to the experiences of those living under oppression.  I hold space for all the emotions that come from witnessing harm caused by systems of power, including ICE and the US government, to those fighting f...

Alex Thomson (APC) is a therapist in Atlanta, Georgia. He specializes in OCD and anxiety. In his free time, he enjoys birding, cooking, and contributing to the @talktherapywithalex Instagram page, where he enjoys blending levity and humor with educational content.  In this episode, we both share our personal experiences toward becoming therapists, and normalize that there's no one path when i...

Kaylee Bullen is a licensed therapist specialized in treating high anxiety and OCD, including postpartum OCD. Her practice services clients virtually across California, Michigan, and Louisiana. In addition to therapy, she also creates educational and relatable therapy content on social media to help normalize the mental health experience. In this episode, we dive deep into postpartum OCD. We explo...

And we're back! The new year can definitely bring up a lot of pressure and expectations, including feeling the need to set resolutions and figure everything out right away. In this episode, I share how I've been working on slowing down instead. Taking things day by day. Not living by my internal sense of urgency. I also reflect on what it's been like to notice louder thoughts and an...

For those feeling mixed feelings around this time of year, for those feeling heavy and overwhelmed going into the new year, for those feeling the pressure to "do more"...this episode is for you. You made it through this year. Whether it was a wonderful year or a really difficult one where you felt like you were simply surviving, I'm so glad you're here. In this solo episode, I...

In this solo episode, I share my personal journey of becoming a therapist and a bit of background on what inspired me to go to grad school. I also share what the experience has been like while living with OCD and my own mental health struggles. I also share how I was originally diagnosed with generalized anxiety before understanding my OCD, and what it was like navigating grad school, practicum, a...

How is it December already? Time for a mental health check-in. Many of us are feeling overwhelmed right now, and I want to validate that now more than ever.  In this solo episode, I share my recent experience with OCD, and how my thoughts have been showing up related to the social media space. I validate how difficult and frustrating it can feel to live with these thoughts, while holding space for...

Dr. Sumi Raghavan is a cross-cultural clinical psychologist and former psychology professor who works with adults dealing with everything from trauma to burnout and chronic stress.  She believes everybody has a culture and strives to be affirming and curious in her work.  Beyond psychotherapy, she offers workshops and training to organizations looking to support the mental health and well-being of...

In this solo episode, I open up about my personal experience with OCD and the fear of being “found out." I talk about the constant worry many with OCD have that they're not as good, moral, or put-together as others might think. I share how this fear has shown up in both my personal and professional life, and how it connects to themes like moral OCD (or moral scrupulosity) and relationshi...

Dr. Audra Horney is a licensed psychologist and founder of a thriving private practice devoted to men’s mental health. Known online as “the therapist for men,” she helps men untangle the emotional, relational, and cultural pressures that keep them disconnected from their true selves. Her work blends clinical depth with cultural commentary, destigmatizing therapy for men and reframing vulnerability...

Dr. Carrie Jackson is a licensed psychologist who specializes in ADHD, and has ADHD herself. She’s passionate about supporting parents of kids with ADHD through both her clinical work and an online course she created just for them. Dr. Carrie is also a content creator who shares guidance and encouragement with parents of ADHD kids online, and she runs a private practice focused on helping families...

In this solo episode, I open up about my recent OCD flare-up and thoughts that have come up. I share details of my thoughts in this episode, not to engage with them, but to simply name them and normalize these experiences. Even today, I continue to work on my relationship to these thoughts and have compassion for myself as I go through ups and downs of living with OCD. I hope this episode can remi...

Nathan is a mental health specialist who transforms lives through his expertise in OCD, anxiety, tics, Tourette's, and Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs). With extensive clinical experience across inpatient hospitals, schools, and his thriving private practice in Allen, Texas, Nathan has pioneered innovative self-directed online programs that make specialized mental health care accessi...

Dr. Steven C. Hayes is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and President of the Institute for Better Health.  He is the founder of Contextual Behavioral Science, which includes Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His work has shaped modern understandings of psychological flexibility, process-based therapy, and human cooperat...