The Terri Cole Show

Why do we keep repeating the same relationship patterns, even when we know better? In this episode, bestselling author Sabrina Zohar joins me to unpack why we confuse chemistry with compatibility, how childhood wounds shape our relationships, and what it really takes to break the cycle. Get the full show notes at terricole.com/872

In this episode, I explore why growing up with a narcissistic parent can lead to repeated relationships with narcissistic partners, how childhood conditioning can cause us to mistake familiarity for compatibility, and what we can do to break the cycle. Get the full show notes at terricole.com/871

I sit down with John R. Miles, host of the Passion Struck podcast and author of The Mattering Effect: Creating a Life of Meaning and Worth , to explore what it truly means to feel valued and know that we matter. We discuss how the science of mattering can help us find greater meaning, create more balance, build reciprocal relationships, and develop a deeper sense of belonging and connection in bot...

In this episode, we explore the hidden costs of "good girl syndrome"—the people-pleasing, conflict-avoiding patterns that leave so many women overextended and underappreciated. Learn how these childhood survival strategies become adult liabilities, and practical affirmations and boundary-setting tools to help you reclaim your authentic self without apology. Get the full show notes at terricole.com...

The relationship you had with your father may be influencing your career, earning potential, and financial confidence in ways you have never considered. In this episode, I explore the connection between father wounds, authority figures, and money, helping you recognize how early family dynamics can continue to shape your relationship with success and financial security. Uncover the patterns operat...

In this episode, psychotherapist and debut novelist Jessica Ann Pressler joins me to explore the concept of the "Traitor Within," the part of us formed in childhood that self-sabotages our adult relationships and emotional wellbeing. Drawing on nearly four decades of clinical experience, Jessica unpacks narcissistic abuse, trauma bonding, and why intelligent, self-aware people still stay in toxic...

The coping strategies you developed as a child were brilliant and necessary at the time, but they may now be quietly controlling your adult life in ways you have never examined. In this episode, I walk you through six powerful childhood adaptation archetypes, helping you identify which patterns are keeping you isolated, exhausted, or disconnected from what you truly want. This is an invitation to...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Shefali, a clinical psychologist, founder of the Conscious Parenting Movement, and New York Times bestselling author, to discuss her two newly released books:  Raising Conscious Daughters and Raising Conscious Sons . Dr. Shefali shares her origin story, growing up in India under a rigid patriarchy before arriving in America at 21 with $300 and one year to build...

Are you the one who handles everything for all the people? Are you the fixer? The one who rarely needs or asks for help? Are you the one who does all the things for all the people? Be honest with yourself. If so, you may have a father wound that is hiding in plain sight — because the very capability you have keeps this unhealed wound hidden. That is exactly what this episode is about: why the fath...

Build an Empowered Blended Family with Cameron Normand In this episode of The Terri Cole Show, I sit down with nationally recognized stepfamily expert Cameron Normand to explore the unique challenges stepmoms face and why traditional parenting advice often doesn't work for blended families. Cameron shares practical guidance on building relationships with stepchildren, navigating parenting and disc...

Having an unhealed father wound impacts your ability to create emotional safety in your relationships. If you grew up in a house where emotional safety was not part of your relationship with your father, calm can feel weird or unfamiliar, and vulnerability can feel risky. Trusting another person to be there for you, if that wasn't your experience, may feel  counterintuitive. In this episode, we're...

What if the key to better sleep and less stress wasn't doing more, but moving less? In this episode, I sit down with Liz Tenuto, aka The Workout Witch, to talk about somatic exercises, nervous system regulation, and why so many of us can't sleep or relax. Liz teaches tiny, lazy movements that release stored tension from the body, and she demonstrates three of them during our conversation. We also...

If setting a boundary feels like you're risking the whole relationship, your unhealed father wound might be why. When the person who was supposed to protect you didn't, you can grow up without the sense that you're even allowed to say no. In this episode, I'm walking through how the father wound shapes your boundaries, the different father archetypes and the specific boundary struggles each one cr...

What if surrender could help you reconnect with pleasure, heal emotionally, and feel fully alive again? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Regena Thomashauer to explore surrender, pleasure, self-healing, and emotional healing. We talk about why high-functioning women can become exhausted from trying to control everything, how surrender is different from submission, and what happens whe...

Let's say you have a rough interaction with someone, a disappointing outcome, or you get bad news–what do you do to help yourself feel better? Do you have a couple of drinks? Maybe smoke a little weed? Or eat a tub of ice cream? No judgment here, but I want to invite you to think about it because many of us confuse self-numbing with self-soothing.  In this episode, you'll learn my favorite self-so...

What if beauty could change the way you experience life? In this conversation, I sit down with visionary filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg to talk about gratitude, nature, beauty, wonder, and mental health—and why paying attention to the natural world can help us become more present and connected. Louis shares the story behind his breathtaking films Fantastic Fungi, Gratitude Revealed, and Moving Art,...

Do you find that you attach unusually quickly to people, whether in friendships or romantic relationships? Do you stay in relationships that you know are bad for you because the thought of being alone scares you more than staying in a bad relationship? Or do you repeatedly find yourself in relationships with unavailable people? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might have abandonm...

Are you a nice person? Do you think it's possible to be too nice? Or that wanting to be nice is an excuse some high-functioning codependents hide behind to avoid conflict? In my personal and professional experience, it is possible to be too nice, and it's not great for your relationships.  In this episode, we'll explore what it means to be nice, what being too nice looks like, why it matters, and...

Anxiety doesn't always look like fear — sometimes it looks like control, perfectionism, people pleasing, and doing everything "right." In this episode of The Terri Cole Show, I explore the types of anxiety that often hide beneath high-functioning behaviors, codependency, and the struggle to set healthy boundaries. I sit down with anxiety expert Noelle McWard Akino to explain how anxiety can show u...

Do you ever feel responsible for the feelings of others? Do you overgive and overfunction? Do you suffer from chronic indecision? If any of those things resonate, today's episode is for you. I am going to share with you five signs that your emotional boundaries need help. Read the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/853

ADHD nervous system regulation may be the missing piece behind ADHD paralysis, overwhelm, and executive dysfunction. What if many ADHD symptoms aren't just ADHD—but signs of a nervous system stuck in fight or flight? In this episode, I sit down with therapist and ADHD expert Jenna Free to explore a different way of understanding adult ADHD. We discuss why ADHD nervous system regulation can be more...

When you're upset with someone about something, do you: Say nothing, but silently keep score? Talk to other people about it? Ice the person out? Send them a passive-aggressive or sarcastic text?  If any of those rang a bell, you are not alone which is why in this week's episode, I'm breaking down the top 10 indicators that you might be suppressing and/or unconsciously repressing your anger.  Raisi...

Conflict resolution isn't about avoiding arguments—it's about learning how to repair them. In this conversation, I explore why couples keep having the same fight, how attachment styles affect relationships, and why emotional regulation matters even more than communication when conflict arises. If you've ever wondered why arguments keep repeating or how to repair after an argument without feeling m...

Have you ever been in an argument with someone and before the end of the argument, even though they have done something quite egregious, you find yourself apologizing? Have you ever been in a heated exchange with someone and they straight up deny the thing you know they did? This could sound like, "What are you talking about?"; "I never said/did that."; or, "I'm worried about you." If you are nodd...

What happens when the father you needed never showed up? In this episode, I sit down with filmmaker Tracie Laymon, creator of Bob Trevino Likes It, to explore how growing up with an emotionally unavailable father shaped her life, relationships, and sense of self. We talk about the father wound, people-pleasing, self-abandonment, healing through safe relationships, and why chosen family can become...