Podcasts about Avoidance

As Andrew puts it, Chief Justice John Roberts is “cherry-picking.” He's flying solo in this short edition of Main Justice (more to come with Mary in the next episode). Andrew gives a quick briefing on several of the Supreme Court's most consequential end-of-term rulings, starting with the decision not to hear an appeal in the E. Jean Carroll case. Andrew also touches on the Court's decision to uphold a Mississippi law to allow mail-in ballots that are sent by Election Day to be counted but saves his deepest analysis for two similar cases with opposing decisions: the firings of Lisa Cook and Rebecca Slaughter. While the Court ruled that the Trump administration must have cause to dismiss Cook from the Federal Reserve, it allowed the government to fire Slaughter from the Federal Trade Commission, a decision which Andrew calls deeply flawed showing the conservative majority's support for a “unitary executive.”  And finally, Andrew breaks down the Court's narrow decision to uphold birthright citizenship, and why the tight 5-4 split is the story. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We all have patterns we can see clearly…and still can't seem to stop. Dr. Rick and Forrest explore how avoidance fuels these patterns, and how we can break the avoidance loop by updating our expectations and predictions about the future. They discuss what avoidance coping is, how the brain works as a prediction machine, why that means insight alone usually isn't enough to break a pattern, and what the current science of exposure and expectancy violation says about how change actually happens.  This is the first of two episodes dedicated to this topic, the second will focus on how to brave our feared experiences and go from insight to action. Key Topics: 00:00: Intro: avoidance coping and mental predictions 8:07: Five types of avoidance behaviors 17:35: The invisible cage 23:50: Predictive processing 29:49: Identity and high confidence predictions 34:30: How avoidance can perpetuate painful experiences 40:01: Exposure and the Inhibitory Learning Model 52:00: Answering common questions 56:07: Recap Support the Podcast: We're on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Sponsors Go to Zocdoc.com/BEING to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at RocketMoney.com/BEINGWELL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(00:00:00) 222: A Tick Just Stole Your Steak. Here's How to Get Revenge (00:00:11) Welcome to the Itchy and Bitchy Podcast (00:00:42) Doc Itchy Medical Pet Supplements (00:01:13) Introducing Alpha-Gal Syndrome (00:04:51) The Tick's Deadly Spit (00:06:32) Symptoms and Diagnosis of Alpha-Gal (00:07:47) Dietary Avoidance and Prevention (00:12:56) Tick-Borne Diseases: The Scary Truth (00:15:09) Accurate Diagnosis and Treatment Challenges (00:21:39) Tick Prevention and Safety Tips (00:23:33) Isoxazolines: A New Era in Tick Prevention Ticked Off,The Tiny Bug That Could End Your BBQ ForeverTopic: Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) | Tick-Borne Food Allergy | Red Meat AllergyHost:What Is Alpha-Gal Syndrome?Alpha-gal syndrome is an IgE-mediated food allergy triggered by lone star tick bites. Symptoms  including hives, abdominal pain, and potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis, typically occur three to eight hours after eating meat, making the connection easy to miss.The Diagnosis ProblemAs of 2022, 42% of U.S. healthcare practitioners had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, meaning patients often suffer for years without answers. What You Can DoManagement focuses on avoiding mammalian meat and products containing alpha-gal, preventing future tick bites, and referral to an allergist for severe reactions. The good news: the syndrome tends to wane over time with strict avoidance. Itchy & Bitchy is the podcast for anyone who has ever felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health and hormone health to autoimmune disease and chronic pain, we investigate what science actually says. We examine functional medicine, holistic health, and alternative medicine with the same skeptical If it's pseudoscience, we'll call it. If it's medical gaslighting, patient advocacy failure, or misdiagnosis we'll call that too. For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers, and wellness skeptics WE OFFER  No filters. No BS. Just the truth your doctor didn't have time to tell you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support.Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we'll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS 

This week on New World Next Week: news avoidance is on the rise; Hollywood has-beens produce propaganda slop as masses yawn; and it's time for an update hoedown.

In this powerful episode of The Greatness Machine, host Darius Mirshahzadeh sits down with Tania Khazaal, founder of The Renewal Collective™, to discuss the growing trend of family estrangement and the path to reconciliation. Tania shares her personal journey from cutting off her own mother to becoming an expert in helping families navigate estrangement. The conversation explores the difference between healthy boundaries and "cutoff culture," the importance of rewriting family narratives, and how emotional healing requires facing triggers rather than avoiding them. In this episode, Darius and Tania will discuss: (00:00) Introduction and Background (02:41) The Impact of Estrangement and Healing (05:47) The Journey to Emotional Healing (08:36) Understanding the Role of Therapy (11:46) Rewriting Family Narratives (14:19) Navigating Difficult Conversations (17:21) The Importance of Emotional Awareness (23:34) Processing Emotions and Finding Inner Peace (25:33) The Journey of Self-Awareness and Growth (26:50) Breaking Cycles of Distraction and Avoidance (29:06) Victimhood in Society and Personal Accountability (30:55) Navigating Family Dynamics and Energy Vampires (33:52) Teaching Resilience and Compassion to Children (36:57) Setting Healthy Standards vs. Boundaries (38:18) Rebuilding Relationships Through Consistency (41:45) Confirmation Bias and the Impact of Social Media (45:34) Moments of Victory in Family Reconciliation Tania Khazaal is a family estrangement and emotional healing expert who helps parents rebuild connection with their adult children. Drawing from her own experience as a daughter who once cut off her mother and later repaired that relationship, Tania developed the Emotional Baseline Strategy, a methodology blending psychology, neuroscience, and communication to heal family disconnection. She is the founder of The Renewal Collective™ and a #1 bestselling author featured on The Oprah Podcast, Fox News, Yahoo News, and more. Her message is simple: cutoff doesn't have to be the end of your family's story. Connect with Tania: Website: https://taniakhazaal.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taniakhazaal/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taniakhazaal/  Connect with Darius: Website: https://therealdarius.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine  Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708 Write a review for The Greatness Machine using this link: https://ratethispodcast.com/spreadinggreatness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 567 Want to see how we can help you grow your business? Visit MMADemo.com to schedule your free strategy session and personalized game plan. Welcome to Loan Officer Freedom, the #1 podcast in the country for loan officers, hosted by Carl White. In this episode, Carl White sits down with Diane Ranger to unpack one of the biggest reasons loan officers struggle to grow their business: avoiding the very activities that create success. Using a memorable story from his time in the Air Force, Carl illustrates how people often spend far more time, energy, and creativity avoiding discomfort than they would simply solving the problem head on. Carl and Diane discuss why so many loan officers are attracted to shortcuts that promise to eliminate prospecting, sales calls, and relationship building, even though the industry's top producers consistently rely on those exact activities to generate referrals and grow their business. They explain why making phone calls, meeting with real estate agents, and asking for the business continue to be the highest-return activities a loan officer can perform. Throughout the conversation, they explore how this mindset extends beyond sales into every area of life. Whether it's avoiding difficult conversations, overworking to escape problems at home, or searching for the latest marketing gimmick instead of mastering the fundamentals, Carl shares why facing the challenge directly almost always leads to better results. They also discuss how accountability, proven scripts, and surrounding yourself with others taking consistent action can make prospecting far less intimidating. Carl explains how having the right support system helps loan officers build confidence, develop better habits, and finally stop avoiding the activities that create long-term success. If you've ever found yourself looking for an easier way instead of focusing on the proven fundamentals, this episode offers a powerful reminder that the shortest path to growth is often through the work you've been avoiding.

"There comes a time and a place when you're over intellectualizing, and you are actually trying to dig for problems. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy." In this episode, Heather explores the uncomfortable space between knowing something needs to change and actually being willing to change it. For high-performing women, that gap is often filled with overthinking, fixing, researching, controlling, and searching for the "right" answer instead of taking the actions that will move them forward. This conversation is an invitation to stop waiting for the perfect plan, the perfect feeling, or the perfect timing and start moving. Because growth, freedom, and alignment are rarely found inside your comfort zone (which is what therapy tends to become), they're uncovered once you're willing to face the discomfort of uncertainty, make the decisions you've been avoiding, and start trusting yourself enough to discover who you'll become on the other side. What to listen for:☑️ Why high-performing women try to patch and control when things go wrong ☑️ To get to the other side of newness, you're going to have to try something new ☑️ Your brain is wired to keep you alive, but not necessarily to help you thrive "This loneliness that you feel is because you are living a freedom-based life, and you're doing what's required to live financially in alignment with how you want to feel. And when you do that, it gets really uncomfortable because you begin to think differently." ☑️ Losing trust in yourself because you never had true self-trust to begin with ☑️ We create codependency through scarcity so that we don't have to feel ☑️ The reason why you can't see how much you're living from fear "Reading another parenting book, sending your child to therapy, or going to therapy is your comfort zone. You have to be ready to get emotionally uncomfortable. You have to be ready to go through the storm." ☑️ Differing outcomes require being held accountable for taking different actions ☑️ What actions do you need to take consistently based on your current goals? ☑️ How to know whether you're making the right decision for your life "If you don't move, something is going to explode in your life. But when energy is in motion and energy flows, it's healthy. It's vibrant and healing. So just get moving and take action." ☑️ How the unmade decisions inside of you are keeping you stagnant ☑️ Getting to that point where you can make a difficult decision with more ease ☑️ There's a time and a place for therapy, as well as for coaching *** For those of you who are ready to stop feeling drained, overextended, and out of alignment… join me inside the Energetic Time Management Accelerator, a focused experience designed to help high-achieving women uncover what's draining them, clarify what truly matters, and create a simple plan that fits their life. We'll pinpoint your biggest time + energy leaks, identify the top areas to focus on for quick momentum, and map out exactly what to let go of so you can reclaim your energy, your time, and your joy. Ready to make your time work for you without adding more to your plate? Join the Energetic Time Management Accelerator: www.heatherchauvin.com/time Explore the top episodes listeners come back to when they're stuck, burned out, or standing at the edge of a big shift: www.heatherchauvin.com/10 Follow Heather on Instagram: www.instagram.com/heatherchauvin_

There's a lot on the docket today. To pull apart the Iran “deal” framework, Mary and Andrew are joined by Tess Bridgeman, an international law expert who served as a legal advisor in the Obama administration through the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Tess lays out how President Trump's 14-point memorandum of understanding differs from what was brokered in 2015, and what to watch for as negotiations continue. Before she joins, the co-hosts begin by analyzing several examples of what Mary calls the Trump Justice Department's "consistent effort” to avoid judicial review: their refusal to put into a sworn declaration that they won't move forward with the “Anti-Weaponization” fund and a motion to dismiss a Clean Air Act violation lawsuit against Elon Musk's xAI data center in Mississippi. They also tackle a few instances where, contrastingly, the government has positioned itself “on the offense” this week, including an indictment of 15 protesters on a conspiracy charge against ICE and the DHS' intent to build a border wall through a holy landmark atop Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico. Further reading: Here is the New York Times piece, Mary referred to about the Las Cruces case: A Diocese Tries to Protect Its 29-Foot Jesus From Trump's Border Wall Here is the Just Security tracker that Mary and Andrew mentioned: Immigration Habeas Tracker: Government Obstruction, Judicial Trust, and Accountability Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You repack the bag after someone else packed it. You reread the email five times before you send it. Or you avoid the thing that matters most to you entirely, and call it not having the time.These look like three different problems. They're the same one.It's the Control Loop: the nervous system reflex that reaches for control any time it perceives a threat to your security or your sense of being good enough. It shows up as overfunctioning, perfectionism, and underfunctioning, and once you see it, you cannot unsee it.If you've ever wondered why you can't stop managing everything, or why the thing you most want to do is the thing you keep avoiding, this is the episode that explains it.What You'll LearnWhy your nervous system reaches for control even when the threat isn't realThe two types of perceived threats that trigger the loopWhy overfunctioning is a survival strategyWhy underfunctioning and avoidance are perfectionism running in reverseThe difference between values-driven and fear-driven behavior--

Avoidance feels like keeping the peace, but it's actually marital poison.On this episode, I talk about the fear underneath silence, what honest connection sounds like, and why communication and sex are more linked than most couples admit.This Wednesday, June 24th at 12 p.m. Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific, I want you to sign up for my masterclass titled "Sex & Talking; How to Stop Avoiding Both."Register here and either come live or get watch the recording - all for only $42What I cover in this class:✔️How avoidance is slowly creating disconnect in your marriage✔️Mindset tips for overcoming your fear of honest talking✔️Communication tips for a more intimate relationship✔️The connection between effective communication and satisfying sex✔️Getting in touch with what you want & like in bed✔️How to communicate to your partner your sexual needs✔️How to say no to sex without shutting your partner down✔️Creating a marriage you feel excited about again!*** If you're listening to this after the class takes place, register anyway to get the recording emailed to you! Learn the communication skills that will level-up your marraige in my 90 minute Masterclass: The Formula for Effective Communication for only $37FREE: 21 Questions That Will Bring You & Your Partner CloserIG:  @partnershipalignedElana@partnershipaligned.comInterested in private coaching? Book your free consult and start improving your relationship today!

I binged 2 seasons of the TV show Billions—24 hours straight—and walked away with a strategic business framework I now use in real estate, music, and corporate deals every single day.This isn't a TV review. This is a decoding session on business psychology, power moves, and why "thinking time" is your ultimate leverage.If you watch shows just to turn your brain off, you're leaving money on the table. Here is how to turn everyday entertainment into actionable business intel.The Psychology of Space: Why Bobby Axelrod's desk always faces the door (and why I rearranged my office furniture to match it).The Street vs. Wall Street: Why the corporate world and the street run the exact same playbook—just with different paperwork.The Bobby Axelrod Cheat Code: How successful people protect their "thinking time" and silence instead of just reacting.The Power of a Small Circle: Why having 2 or 3 people who will tell you the cold truth matters more than a massive network.Real Estate Application: How one night of sitting still and analyzing the data saved a major real estate deal in Las Vegas.0:00 - Why I Rearranged My Entire Office Setup1:15 - Binge-Watching Billions: Entertainment vs. Intel2:45 - The Corporate World and the Street Are the Same Game4:10 - The Bobby Axelrod Cheat Code: Protecting Thinking Time5:50 - Why Your Small Circle Overrules Your Network7:30 - How "Thinking Time" Saved a Las Vegas Real Estate Deal9:15 - Is It Wisdom or Avoidance? Leaving the Page10:40 - The Operating System for Long-Term Success11:20 - How to Get My Decoding Framework (Comment "MEMO")Everything you consume is either entertainment or intel. There is no third option. On this channel, we break down the mindset, money strategies, real estate plays, and quiet business moves that nobody talks about out loud.

There is something in your life that you have been pretending is not there. You have been walking around it. Designing your days around it. Making choices that accommodate it instead of choices that address it. And it has been shaping your life in ways you do not even see anymore because you have gotten so used to working around it. It is just there. Like a piece of furniture in a room that you have arranged your whole life around. You do not notice it anymore. You just live around it. But it is still there. And it is still affecting how you move. How much space you take up. How you sit in a room. It is still there. And tonight I want to ask you to look at it. To really look at it. To stop walking around it and actually see it.

Sam, Dylan, and Dark Smith are back to break down: Dylan's ongoing crusade against Sam's ravioli addiction, the show hitting #2 most-hyped podcast on all of YouTube, the war with Iran being "over" with a $300 billion rebuild bill for Iran versus the $34 billion we've sent Israel since October 7th, the CIA leaking that Iran won't actually agree to the terms and Sam defaulting to scumbag until pleasantly surprised, the Anchor Project leak claiming NASA quietly spent $80 million on anti-gravity research ahead of August 12th 2026, when two colliding black holes will send a wave through space that shuts off Earth's gravity for seven seconds and kills 40 million people in the third world deemed "acceptable," the secret 2020 construction projects tethering government sites to the ground, the deep history of anti-gravity suppression running through Thomas Townsend Brown's 1920s propulsion breakthrough, the Chapel Hill conference that buried it and replaced it with string theory, Dr. Ning Li vanishing for 12 years before dying in a fatal car crash, Bob Lazar and element 115, Huntsville Alabama as the real NASA and Nazi von Braun's hometown, the Great Attractor pulling thousands of galaxies toward a point hidden in the Zone of Avoidance, Sam's full denial of gravity and dinosaurs (they're dragons, and George Washington died not knowing dinosaurs existed) leading to the Bone Wars where rival paleontologists just made fossils up, Erika Kirk's parents allegedly running in Satanist Michael Aquino's circle and the MK-Ultra theory, Thomas Massie's glow-up after his wife's death, James Franco's bizarre cryptic TikTok and the Kevin Spacey accusers turning up dead, Clavicle's facial reconstruction at Dr. Miami and crashing out over a $2 donation, and whether Michael Jackson was a pedophile, framed by Israel, or both. Subscribe and give us that sweet brown hype.   Grab Tickets To Sam Tripoli's Live Shows At: https://samtripoli.com/events/ Austin, TX: 6/18 Miami, Fl: 7/31-8/1 Lawerence, KS: 9/17-9/19 Tulsa, OK: 10/9-10/10 Dallas, TX: 11/07 New Orleans, LA: 11/13 - 15 Austin, TX: DEC 11th-13th:   Buy Our Merch or Sam Will Fight You: https://conspiracy-social-club-aka-deep-waters.myshopify.com/   Subscribe to the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AkaDeepWaters   Check out Dylan's instagram - @dylanpetewrenn   Check out Deep Waters Instagram: @akadeepwaters   Check out Bad Tv podcast: https://bit.ly/3RYuTG0   THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:   BLUECHEW GOLD Go to BlueChew.com and use promo code "DEEP" to get your 3rd month free

Born in Toronto, Canada, Tim C is a member of SAA, SLAA, CoDA, and ITAA and he considers pornography and masturbation his most obvious addictions. He entered 12-Step recovery in 2013 and he has benefited from his fellowships' literature, The Big Book, his Christian upbringing, and from his Buddhist practice.Reco12 is an open-to-all addictions and afflictions organization, dedicated to exploring the common threads of the differing manifestations of alcoholism; sharing tools, and offering hope from those walking a similar path. So whether your “thing” is alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, food, … whatever… you are home here.  We gather from diverse backgrounds, faiths, and locations to learn from and support one another. Our speakers come from various fellowships and experiences, demonstrating the universal principles of recovery.  Reco12 is not allied or affiliated with any specific 12 Step fellowship.Donations:Support Reco12's 12th Step Mission! Help provide powerful audio resources for addicts and their loved ones. Your contributions cover Zoom, podcasts, web hosting, and admin costs.  Those costs are a little over $1000 per year.Monthly Donations: Reco12 SupportOne-Time Donations: PayPal | Venmo: @Reco-Twelve | Patreon | WISEYour support, whether financially or word-of-mouth, makes a difference—thank you!Outro music is "TAKIN BACK MY HEART", written and performed by Timber Masterson, a past Reco12 Speaker.  This song is used with full permission from Timber Masterson.  You may find more of his music on Spotify and Apple Music (https://open.spotify.com/track/5K7jzhSrbpSumYvML1NRzY )Information on Noodle It Out with Nikki M Big Book Roundtable Informational Seeking and educating on how to donate to Reco12.Support the showPrivate Facebook GroupInstagram PageBecome a Reco12 Spearhead (Monthly Supporter)PatreonPayPalVenmo: @Reco-TwelveYouTube ChannelReco12 WebsiteEmail:  reco12pod@gmail.com to join WhatsApp GroupReco12 Shares PodcastReco12 Shares Record a Share LinkReco12 Noodle It Out with Nikki M PodcastReco12 Big Book Roundtable Podcast

Send us Fan MailMost people do not stay stuck because the storm is too strong. They stay stuck because they keep running from what they need to face.In this episode of The Mindset Café, we break down the buffalo vs. cow mindset: the difference between avoiding hard things and running directly toward them. Whether it is your fitness, business, money, relationships, or mindset, avoidance does not remove the problem. It usually makes the problem more expensive.You'll learn why avoidance feels good in the moment, why it destroys confidence over time, and how to build a simple “storm protocol” for facing hard things faster. The goal is not to be fearless. The goal is to be honest fast, move with intention, and stop letting discomfort control your life.Run toward the storm.Support the showThanks for listening & being part of the Mindset Cafe Community.----------------------------------------------Follow On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/devan.gonzalez/Let me know what topics or questions you want covered so we can help you achieve your goals faster.----------------------------------------------Are you taking the right supplements to maximize your mind and body in fitness & health. Take a FREE Quiz to see if you are.> FREE QUIZ

How to stop procrastination from ruining your dreams?Josh Trent welcomes Mark Manson to the Wellness + Wisdom Podcast, episode 821, to reveal why the gap between who you are and who you want to be is the engine behind every form of procrastination, and how authentic joy cannot be deferred until after we've achieved our goals.In this episode, Mark Manson uncovers:(01:00) The Procrastination Paradox(03:55) The Law of Avoidance(06:50) Playfulness Is The Key(17:30) Successful And Deeply Depressed(22:05) Authentic Joy Doesn't Depend On Your Achievement(31:50) The Goose and the Golden Egg(38:15) The Internet Makes You Informationally Obese(43:50) Train Your Algorithm(45:30) What Discipline Actually Is(51:00) The AI Productivity Illusion(56:45) Privacy and the Sacred Container of The Purpose App(01:01:20) AI Is Pushing Us Back to Analog(01:05:25) How To Create a Container

What Your Body Archetype Reveals About Your Core Wounds, Self-Care Patterns, and Emotional Survival StrategiesIn this powerful episode, JJ shares one of the most eye-opening exercises from her beta Eight-Week Body Reset program—an assessment designed to uncover the hidden archetypes that sabotage self-care, health goals, and personal growth. What participants discovered wasn't simply why they struggle with exercise, nutrition, or consistency. They uncovered the emotional survival strategies running beneath their behaviors.JJ reveals the most common archetypes identified by participants—including the Avoider, Perfectionist, Overachiever, Emotional Eater, and Information Collector—and explains why these patterns are rarely about food, fitness, or willpower. Instead, they're often rooted in fear, abandonment, rejection, shame, and unmet emotional needs.You'll learn why procrastination is often nervous system protection rather than laziness, how perfectionism masks deeper fears of criticism and failure, and why so many people continue gathering information instead of taking action. JJ also connects these archetypes directly to her Core Wound framework, showing how self-care struggles often mirror the ways we unconsciously abandon ourselves.The episode explores four major themes that emerged from the exercise:"If I can't do it perfectly, I won't do it at all."Avoidance as emotional protection.Why self-care feels selfish.The real cost of neglecting yourself isn't weight gain—it's losing freedom, confidence, trust, and opportunities.JJ explains how true transformation isn't about becoming thinner, more disciplined, or more productive. It's about becoming someone who trusts themselves, keeps promises to themselves, feels worthy, and no longer needs survival strategies to feel safe.In This Episode:The five most common body archetypes and what they revealHow fear disguises itself as perfectionism, procrastination, and information gatheringThe connection between self-care and abandonment woundsWhy weight is often a symptom, not the real problemHow emotional avoidance creates anxiety and physical symptomsThe role of feelings, needs, and nervous system regulation in lasting changeWhy accountability is one of the most powerful forms of self-loveAn introduction to the upcoming Metabolic Transformation Studio membershipKey TakeawayYour health habits are not character flaws. They're often emotional protection strategies created to keep you safe. When you identify the wound beneath the behavior and begin meeting your deeper needs, self-care becomes less about willpower and more about self-love.Resources Mentioned:Body Archetype Assessment: jjflizanes.com/archetypeFeelings & Needs ListEight-Week Body ResetRewiring Your Core Wound PatternsMetabolic Transformation Studio https://jjflizanes.com/studio

What Your Body Archetype Reveals About Your Core Wounds, Self-Care Patterns, and Emotional Survival StrategiesIn this powerful episode, JJ shares one of the most eye-opening exercises from her beta Eight-Week Body Reset program—an assessment designed to uncover the hidden archetypes that sabotage self-care, health goals, and personal growth. What participants discovered wasn't simply why they struggle with exercise, nutrition, or consistency. They uncovered the emotional survival strategies running beneath their behaviors.JJ reveals the most common archetypes identified by participants—including the Avoider, Perfectionist, Overachiever, Emotional Eater, and Information Collector—and explains why these patterns are rarely about food, fitness, or willpower. Instead, they're often rooted in fear, abandonment, rejection, shame, and unmet emotional needs.You'll learn why procrastination is often nervous system protection rather than laziness, how perfectionism masks deeper fears of criticism and failure, and why so many people continue gathering information instead of taking action. JJ also connects these archetypes directly to her Core Wound framework, showing how self-care struggles often mirror the ways we unconsciously abandon ourselves.The episode explores four major themes that emerged from the exercise:"If I can't do it perfectly, I won't do it at all."Avoidance as emotional protection.Why self-care feels selfish.The real cost of neglecting yourself isn't weight gain—it's losing freedom, confidence, trust, and opportunities.JJ explains how true transformation isn't about becoming thinner, more disciplined, or more productive. It's about becoming someone who trusts themselves, keeps promises to themselves, feels worthy, and no longer needs survival strategies to feel safe.In This Episode:The five most common body archetypes and what they revealHow fear disguises itself as perfectionism, procrastination, and information gatheringThe connection between self-care and abandonment woundsWhy weight is often a symptom, not the real problemHow emotional avoidance creates anxiety and physical symptomsThe role of feelings, needs, and nervous system regulation in lasting changeWhy accountability is one of the most powerful forms of self-loveAn introduction to the upcoming Metabolic Transformation Studio membershipKey TakeawayYour health habits are not character flaws. They're often emotional protection strategies created to keep you safe. When you identify the wound beneath the behavior and begin meeting your deeper needs, self-care becomes less about willpower and more about self-love.Resources Mentioned:Body Archetype Assessment: jjflizanes.com/archetypeFeelings & Needs ListEight-Week Body ResetRewiring Your Core Wound PatternsMetabolic Transformation Studio https://jjflizanes.com/studio

What Your Body Archetype Reveals About Your Core Wounds, Self-Care Patterns, and Emotional Survival StrategiesIn this powerful episode, JJ shares one of the most eye-opening exercises from her beta Eight-Week Body Reset program—an assessment designed to uncover the hidden archetypes that sabotage self-care, health goals, and personal growth. What participants discovered wasn't simply why they struggle with exercise, nutrition, or consistency. They uncovered the emotional survival strategies running beneath their behaviors.JJ reveals the most common archetypes identified by participants—including the Avoider, Perfectionist, Overachiever, Emotional Eater, and Information Collector—and explains why these patterns are rarely about food, fitness, or willpower. Instead, they're often rooted in fear, abandonment, rejection, shame, and unmet emotional needs.You'll learn why procrastination is often nervous system protection rather than laziness, how perfectionism masks deeper fears of criticism and failure, and why so many people continue gathering information instead of taking action. JJ also connects these archetypes directly to her Core Wound framework, showing how self-care struggles often mirror the ways we unconsciously abandon ourselves.The episode explores four major themes that emerged from the exercise:"If I can't do it perfectly, I won't do it at all."Avoidance as emotional protection.Why self-care feels selfish.The real cost of neglecting yourself isn't weight gain—it's losing freedom, confidence, trust, and opportunities.JJ explains how true transformation isn't about becoming thinner, more disciplined, or more productive. It's about becoming someone who trusts themselves, keeps promises to themselves, feels worthy, and no longer needs survival strategies to feel safe.In This Episode:The five most common body archetypes and what they revealHow fear disguises itself as perfectionism, procrastination, and information gatheringThe connection between self-care and abandonment woundsWhy weight is often a symptom, not the real problemHow emotional avoidance creates anxiety and physical symptomsThe role of feelings, needs, and nervous system regulation in lasting changeWhy accountability is one of the most powerful forms of self-loveAn introduction to the upcoming Metabolic Transformation Studio membershipKey TakeawayYour health habits are not character flaws. They're often emotional protection strategies created to keep you safe. When you identify the wound beneath the behavior and begin meeting your deeper needs, self-care becomes less about willpower and more about self-love.Resources Mentioned:Body Archetype Assessment: jjflizanes.com/archetypeFeelings & Needs ListEight-Week Body ResetRewiring Your Core Wound PatternsMetabolic Transformation Studio https://jjflizanes.com/studio

What Your Body Archetype Reveals About Your Core Wounds, Self-Care Patterns, and Emotional Survival StrategiesIn this powerful episode, JJ shares one of the most eye-opening exercises from her beta Eight-Week Body Reset program—an assessment designed to uncover the hidden archetypes that sabotage self-care, health goals, and personal growth. What participants discovered wasn't simply why they struggle with exercise, nutrition, or consistency. They uncovered the emotional survival strategies running beneath their behaviors.JJ reveals the most common archetypes identified by participants—including the Avoider, Perfectionist, Overachiever, Emotional Eater, and Information Collector—and explains why these patterns are rarely about food, fitness, or willpower. Instead, they're often rooted in fear, abandonment, rejection, shame, and unmet emotional needs.You'll learn why procrastination is often nervous system protection rather than laziness, how perfectionism masks deeper fears of criticism and failure, and why so many people continue gathering information instead of taking action. JJ also connects these archetypes directly to her Core Wound framework, showing how self-care struggles often mirror the ways we unconsciously abandon ourselves.The episode explores four major themes that emerged from the exercise:"If I can't do it perfectly, I won't do it at all."Avoidance as emotional protection.Why self-care feels selfish.The real cost of neglecting yourself isn't weight gain—it's losing freedom, confidence, trust, and opportunities.JJ explains how true transformation isn't about becoming thinner, more disciplined, or more productive. It's about becoming someone who trusts themselves, keeps promises to themselves, feels worthy, and no longer needs survival strategies to feel safe.In This Episode:The five most common body archetypes and what they revealHow fear disguises itself as perfectionism, procrastination, and information gatheringThe connection between self-care and abandonment woundsWhy weight is often a symptom, not the real problemHow emotional avoidance creates anxiety and physical symptomsThe role of feelings, needs, and nervous system regulation in lasting changeWhy accountability is one of the most powerful forms of self-loveAn introduction to the upcoming Metabolic Transformation Studio membershipKey TakeawayYour health habits are not character flaws. They're often emotional protection strategies created to keep you safe. When you identify the wound beneath the behavior and begin meeting your deeper needs, self-care becomes less about willpower and more about self-love.Resources Mentioned:Body Archetype Assessment: jjflizanes.com/archetypeFeelings & Needs ListEight-Week Body ResetRewiring Your Core Wound PatternsMetabolic Transformation Studio https://jjflizanes.com/studio

What Your Body Archetype Reveals About Your Core Wounds, Self-Care Patterns, and Emotional Survival StrategiesIn this powerful episode, JJ shares one of the most eye-opening exercises from her beta Eight-Week Body Reset program—an assessment designed to uncover the hidden archetypes that sabotage self-care, health goals, and personal growth. What participants discovered wasn't simply why they struggle with exercise, nutrition, or consistency. They uncovered the emotional survival strategies running beneath their behaviors.JJ reveals the most common archetypes identified by participants—including the Avoider, Perfectionist, Overachiever, Emotional Eater, and Information Collector—and explains why these patterns are rarely about food, fitness, or willpower. Instead, they're often rooted in fear, abandonment, rejection, shame, and unmet emotional needs.You'll learn why procrastination is often nervous system protection rather than laziness, how perfectionism masks deeper fears of criticism and failure, and why so many people continue gathering information instead of taking action. JJ also connects these archetypes directly to her Core Wound framework, showing how self-care struggles often mirror the ways we unconsciously abandon ourselves.The episode explores four major themes that emerged from the exercise:"If I can't do it perfectly, I won't do it at all."Avoidance as emotional protection.Why self-care feels selfish.The real cost of neglecting yourself isn't weight gain—it's losing freedom, confidence, trust, and opportunities.JJ explains how true transformation isn't about becoming thinner, more disciplined, or more productive. It's about becoming someone who trusts themselves, keeps promises to themselves, feels worthy, and no longer needs survival strategies to feel safe.In This Episode:The five most common body archetypes and what they revealHow fear disguises itself as perfectionism, procrastination, and information gatheringThe connection between self-care and abandonment woundsWhy weight is often a symptom, not the real problemHow emotional avoidance creates anxiety and physical symptomsThe role of feelings, needs, and nervous system regulation in lasting changeWhy accountability is one of the most powerful forms of self-loveAn introduction to the upcoming Metabolic Transformation Studio membershipKey TakeawayYour health habits are not character flaws. They're often emotional protection strategies created to keep you safe. When you identify the wound beneath the behavior and begin meeting your deeper needs, self-care becomes less about willpower and more about self-love.Resources Mentioned:Body Archetype Assessment: jjflizanes.com/archetypeFeelings & Needs ListEight-Week Body ResetRewiring Your Core Wound PatternsMetabolic Transformation Studio (coming soon)

Self-improvement becomes a problem not when you want to grow, but when you can't stop — when the pursuit of better shifts from something you choose to something that's running in the background whether you want it to or not. The growth trap is what happens when self-improvement stops being a tool and starts being a treadmill, and the difference between the two can be almost invisible until you know what to look for. What You'll Learn in This Episode Why the growth trap looks exactly like motivation from the outside — and often from the inside too The distinction between "becoming" (moving toward something you want) and "escaping" (moving away from something you're not ready to feel) Six specific signs that self-improvement has crossed into avoidance Why self-worth that rises and falls with productivity is one of the clearest warning signals What presence, acceptance, and integration actually mean — and why all three are required for sustainable growth Why integration is the most overlooked piece of personal development A practical 15-minute invitation for this week that costs nothing and reveals a lot Episode Timestamps [0:00] Introduction [1:00] What the growth trap actually is [3:00] Why self-improvement is not the problem [5:00] How growth becomes avoidance [8:00] Becoming vs. escaping — the key distinction [11:00] Six signs self-improvement has become another way to run [13:00] The emotional cost of constantly trying to fix yourself [15:00] Presence, acceptance, and integration [17:00] Integration: the missing piece [18:00] Closing questions and weekly practice Episode Summary Most high-achievers don't have a growth problem — they have a relationship problem with stillness. The growth trap Brett describes in this episode isn't about ambition or discipline. It isn't even about the specific habits or goals someone has. It's about the engine underneath: whether growth is moving you toward something you genuinely want, or whether it's keeping you busy enough that you don't have to feel something you're not ready to face. The trap is hard to spot because from the outside — and often from the inside — avoidance-driven growth looks identical to healthy, motivated self-improvement. Same morning routine. Same workout schedule. Same reading list. The difference isn't the activity. It's the relationship to stillness. As Brett puts it: one person's running toward a finish line they actually want to cross; the other is running because something's chasing them. Two people can have the exact same workout schedule and the exact same reading list. For one of them it's fuel. For the other it's flight. A key framework in this episode is the distinction between becoming and escaping. Becoming is movement toward — driven by curiosity about who you could be. Escaping is movement away from — driven by not being able to stand who you are right now. The practical difference: becoming can hold ambition and acceptance at the same time. Escaping can't. In escaping, growth becomes conditional — you don't get to feel okay until you've hit the next goal, and once you do, the goalposts move, because the goal was never really the goal. The goal was relief. Brett names six signs worth paying attention to. You feel anxious or restless without a goal to chase. Your sense of self-worth rises and falls with your productivity. You're constantly consuming — more books, more frameworks, more podcasts — but rarely pausing to actually live what you've already learned. Rest feels like something you have to earn or recover from guilt about. When something painful happens, your first move is always to fix it before you've let yourself feel it. And there's a quiet background sense that you'll finally be okay once you get there — except "there" keeps moving. The emotional cost Brett describes is specific: it's not the tiredness of hard work. It's the tiredness of never being allowed to just be a person, of never getting to clock out from the project of yourself. Over time, that kind of growth makes your relationship with yourself adversarial — always evaluating, always finding the gap, always pointing at what's next. No amount of external achievement can resolve an internal belief that you're fundamentally not okay as you are. The alternative isn't to stop growing. It's to make sure growth has three things alongside it: presence, acceptance, and integration. Presence means being able to be where you are — including in discomfort or stillness — without immediately needing to fix or improve it. Acceptance means being fully okay with who you are right now and still wanting to grow. These aren't opposites. As Brett says, you can plant a garden because you love the land, not because you hate how it looks right now. And integration — the most overlooked piece — means actually living what you've learned, letting an insight change how you show up instead of collecting it and moving on to the next thing before it's had time to settle. This episode is a natural companion to everything on the Growth & Self-Becoming pillar — particularly the question of what it actually means to grow into who you want to be, rather than just optimizing further and faster. Brett closes with five reflection questions and a simple weekly practice: one day, 15 minutes, nothing productive. No podcast, no journaling prompt, no plan. Just sit. And when the discomfort shows up — don't fix it. Notice it. That's the whole practice, because if growth is going to be sustainable, it has to be able to coexist with moments of doing nothing at all. Keep Exploring If this episode resonated, be sure to check out: Growth & Self-Becoming Guide — The full framework for growing into who you actually want to be, not just who you've been optimizing toward → optyoumize.com/growth-and-self-becoming Enjoyed This Episode? The best way to support optYOUmize is to subscribe and leave a review — it takes about two minutes and makes a real difference in helping more people find the show. Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Amazon Music · YouTube Leave a Review →  

“Until we consciously choose the beliefs that affect our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, we will be driven by the unconscious, fear-based part of the brain.” ~ Bill Crawford, PhD (https://www.billcrawfordphd.com/quote-video-blog/)

News avoidance has reached its highest ever level, with 47 per cent of people saying they actively avoid the news, up 6 per cent from last year. That's according to Coimisiúin na Meán's Digital News Report being launched later today. With Anton to discuss more is Dr Niamh Sammon, Assistant Lecturer and Programme Chair of the BA in Journalism at TU Dublin and former Producer on Channel 4 News.

Why is it so hard to do things that should be easy?In this episode, I unpack a pattern that has followed me for as long as I can remember: putting off even the simplest tasks until they build into a mountain of overwhelm.From shaving and grocery shopping to university commitments, podcast episodes and launching Resilient Roadways, I explore what happens when ADHD and Generalised Anxiety Disorder collide. For me, anxiety isn't something that appears only during stressful moments. It's a constant companion. A handbrake that never fully releases.I talk about living in freeze mode, the exhausting cycle of avoidance and panic, and the frustration of knowing exactly what needs to be done while feeling unable to do it.Along the way, I reflect on trucking life, the challenge of finding balance, why anxiety follows me even into some of the greatest moments of my life, and how these struggles continue to shape the purpose I'm pursuing through mental health advocacy.If you've ever looked at a simple task and felt completely overwhelmed, this episode is for you.--Follow The Dysregulated Podcast: Instagram – @elliot.t.waters Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast YouTube – The Dysregulated Podcast (Official Channel)Created by Elliot Waters — Inspired by lived experience. Mental health insights, real stories, real conversations.

Here is a pattern I've seen play out hundreds of times with high-achieving women: the more capable you are, the more convincing your avoidance becomes. Not the obvious kind — procrastination, distraction, scrolling. The sophisticated kind. The kind that looks exactly like doing something. Researching instead of starting. Refining the plan instead of executing it. Finding the most articulate explanation for why this particular moment isn't quite the right one. Intelligent avoidance doesn't feel like hiding. It feels productive. It generates a genuine sense of forward motion. And it keeps you exactly where you are. This episode is for the woman who is very smart, deeply self-aware in many ways, and still hasn't done the thing she knows she needs to do. It's not a judgment. It's an invitation to look at the pattern clearly — because the moment you can see it, it loses most of its power. Ready to go deeper? Grab my book, The Consistency Code: A Midlife Woman's Guide to Deep Health and Happiness, at https://theconsistencycode.com #GraceAndGritPodcast #MidlifeWomen #Avoidance #MidlifeHealth #WomenOver40 #HealthMindset #HighAchievers #TheConsistencyCode #MidlifeWellness #WomensHealth #Procrastination #SelfAwareness #SecondAct #WomenOver50 #OverthinkingWomen  

Boundaries are often presented as the answer to difficult relationships, workplace stress, and emotional well-being. But what happens when a boundary is actually avoidance in disguise? In this episode, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner explore the complicated space between protecting yourself and limiting your growth. They discuss how rigid boundaries can sometimes create new problems, why flexibility matters, and how anxiety can influence the decisions we make about work, relationships, and personal fulfillment. Through clinical examples and practical insights, they examine how to recognize when a boundary is serving you, when it may be holding you back, and how to make thoughtful decisions that align with your values. This conversation offers clinicians and listeners a fresh perspective on balancing self-protection, growth, and meaningful connection.Brightminds AdPAR Ad This episode is brought to you by PAR.Explore the AI Report Writer here:https://www.parinc.com/product/ai-report-writer?utm_campaign=38111624-Psyched%20to%20Practice%202026&utm_source=P2P%20Podcast&utm_medium=Related%20PodcastsLearn more about the RIAS-2 NU here:https://www.parinc.com/product/groups/rias-rist-assessments?utm_campaign=38111624-Psyched%20to%20Practice%202026&utm_source=P2P%20Podcast&utm_medium=Related%20PodcastsTo hear more and stay up to date with Paul Wagner, MS, LPC and Ray Christner, Psy.D., NCSP, ABPP visit our website at: http://www.psychedtopractice.com “Be well, and stay psyched"

In this episode of Talk Dizzy To Me, vestibular physical therapists Dr. Abbie Ross, PT, NCS and Dr. Danielle Tolman, PT sit down with neurologist Dr. Kristin Steenerson to unpack Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness, also known as 3PD or PPPD.If you feel dizzy, floaty, rocking, disoriented, or visually overwhelmed most days — especially in places like grocery stores, airports, busy restaurants, or while scrolling screens — this episode explains what may be happening in the brain and nervous system.Dr. Steenerson breaks down the diagnostic criteria for 3PD, why symptoms can continue even after the original vestibular problem improves, how 3PD overlaps with vestibular migraine, and why treatment often requires a combination of education, vestibular therapy, medication, cognitive strategies, lifestyle support, and gradual exposure.This conversation also addresses why 3PD is sometimes misunderstood, how hypervigilance plays a role, and why there is real hope for recovery and improved quality of life. Hosted by:

Get The 1.6:1 Ratio System: https://go.justinegliskis.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=book_funnelApply to work 1:1 with me: https://calendly.com/egliskiscapital/90-day-gameplan-sessionEmail: hey@justinegliskis.com to get in contact with meNew episodes out every Monday and Thursday at 10 AM Eastern TimeAddiction is attachment to a feeling you're afraid to lose. Every compulsive behavior is masking unprocessed pain.Alcohol, pornography, work, achievement—all versions of the same avoidance. Drew's quote: "Increase sacrifice or reduce desire." I've tried to quit tobacco so much—the over-obsession with quitting ruins me. I don't sit there enjoying tobacco thinking shamefully. There's no shame here. You identify the feeling you're chasing and the pain you're running from by creating space to be present with it.You can hear Satan more clearly when you're still. Satan communicates and traps in the littlest of moments—that's why small things are big things. You can't get free without knowing you're chained. Some seeds fall on good soil but the sun will be too strong. Here and now is present, here and now is a gift.Listen if you're ready for the healing path: feeling what you've been numbing instead of medicating it away. God will change your heart. I love you.Discover a podcast designed for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship, offering insights on stress management, health and wellness, and overcoming imposter syndrome, while emphasizing work-life balance, energy alignment, and inner peace; explore topics like burnout recovery, business automation, scaling a business, business growth strategies, client management, mental resilience, overcoming anxiety, and achieving clearer thinking for sustainable success, using the blade of awareness, solving emotional dysfunction and unveiling the trickster within. Experience transformative solitude for entrepreneurs who seek to overcome loneliness while embracing spiritual isolation as a pathway to energy alignment and emotional clarity; learn to thrive alone and awaken in solitude through purposeful mental reset practices that cultivate an abundance mindset and build emotional resilience rooted in inner peace and deep self-inquiry, enabling mindful business growth through productivity that flows from peace rather than pressure, offering essential burnout recovery and healing alone strategies with specialized alignment coaching focused on deep listening skills that unlock success in silence and develop a resilient entrepreneur mindset capable of sustainable achievement.

"Avoiding Wounds Becoming Your Story" - Listen to my Morning Monologue: I'm sharing my take on pressing issues, enlightening research on human behavior, answering questions I get by email, and my favorite, most instructive interactions with callers. Everything you'll hear is designed to help you become a better spouse, parent, family member, co-worker, friend, and human being. It's the free therapy you need!  Got a dilemma? Call 1-800-DR-LAURA / 1-800-375-2872 or make an appointment at DrLaura.com Follow on social media: Facebook.com/DrLaura Instagram.com/DrLauraProgram YouTube.com/DrLaura Join the Dr. Laura Family!! >> Receive my weekly newsletter, perks, and more! Sign up now, it's FREE > DrLaura.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For many couples, sex becomes loaded. Pressure. Expectation. Avoidance. Performance. Resentment. And once that dynamic sets in, even love can start to feel tense. In this episode of Reignite: Love, Sex & Truth for Conscious Couples, we explore how sexual dynamics become shaped by pursuer-withdrawer patterns, obligation, performance anxiety, shame, and unspoken needs… and what it actually takes to move back toward pleasure, connection, and erotic aliveness. They share their own experiences, challenge some of the cultural narratives we've inherited around sex, and offer a new possibility… one where intimacy feels nourishing instead of stressful.   What You'll Hear in This Episode: How pressure slowly builds in relationships through pursuer-withdrawer dynamics and emotional disconnection Why obligation, sex, fear of rejection, and performance anxiety create tension for both partners The essential ingredients pleasure actually needs: emotional safety, presence, honesty, and vulnerability What happens when you take orgasm off the table and focus on connection instead How shame, conditioning, and early experiences shape the way we relate to our own pleasure Why learning your body's unique experience of pleasure matters… and why your partner isn't a mind reader The connection between nervous system regulation, pelvic floor tension, and painful sexual experiences Why it's never too late to rewrite your sexual dynamic, no matter how long you've been together   Intimacy was never meant to feel like pressure. It wasn't meant to be a performance. Or an obligation. Or another item on the to-do list. It was meant to nourish. To connect. To awaken. And when couples learn how to slow down, communicate honestly, and create emotional safety…   ✨ Save your spot for our July and September Group Couples Retreat: A sacred, guided experience for five couples ready to reconnect, heal, and reignite. Reserve your retreat spot here:

Anxiety, Avoidance, Defensiveness, and Overreacting in the Anxiety Response Loop Avoidance, defensiveness, and overreacting are all expressions of the anxiety response loop at work in Christian women leaders. Each behavior is rooted in a dysregulated nervous system. Each one is driven by the same biological survival mechanism. And each one, when chronic, erodes relationships, diminishes leadership effectiveness, and ultimately contributes to burnout. When you break through anxiety, however, you shift the pendulum and can lead with calm, confidence, and consistency. Three Anxiety-Driven Behaviors in the Loop Overreacting: The Fight Response in Leadership Clothing Overreacting is the fight response. When your nervous system detects a threat — real or perceived — cortisol and adrenaline flood your body within seconds. Defensiveness: When Justifying Yourself Feels Like Survival Defensiveness is also rooted in the fight response. However, its origins are often more personal and more painful than overreacting. People-pleasing and defensiveness are woven together. Lack of trust Furthermore, defensiveness often signals a lack of trust in one's own judgment. Avoidance: The Flight and Freeze Response in Disguise Avoidance is the fight-or-freeze response. When your nervous system decides that fighting is too costly, it chooses a different strategy: avoid the threat entirely. Relationship of indecision and avoidance How These Behaviors Connect to the Rest of the Anxiety Response Loop None of the behaviors in the anxiety response loop exists in isolation. Avoidance, defensiveness, and overreacting are deeply connected to every behavior explored in this series. Faith, Strength, and Responding with Grace Instead of Reacting with Fear How Christian Women Leaders Can Break Free from Avoidance, Defensiveness, and Overreacting 1. Identify Your Default Response 2. Create a Gap Before You Respond. 3. Regulate Your Nervous System Daily, Not Just in Crisis 4. Trust the Holy Spirit with Your Decisions and Your Defense 5. Face What You Have Been Avoiding 6. Replace the Harsh Word with the Gentle Answer What This Looks Like in the Calm, Confident, Consistent Loop When you move out of avoidance, defensiveness, and overreacting and into the calm, confident, consistent leadership loop, your relationships begin to heal. The people around you relax because they are no longer bracing for an outsized reaction or waiting for the conversation you keep postponing. REFLECTION QUESTIONS Which of the three behaviors — overreacting, defensiveness, or avoidance — shows up most in your leadership right now? When you trace it back, what situation or relationship is most likely to trigger that response? What does your nervous system believe is threatening? What would it look like to trust the Holy Spirit's leading in the specific situation you have been avoiding or reacting to this week? Check out the FAQs on the blog. Read the full show notes and access all referenced links.

A lot of us are tired in a way that sleep doesn't fix. We're doing the things — the work, the list, the showing up — and still, something is pulling at us. A low hum of unfinished. For years, Robin Quinn Keehn thought that hum was a personal failing: not disciplined enough, not organized enough. It wasn't any of that. It was Open Loops. This is the backbone episode of the show — the one to send anyone who's new. Robin defines an Open Loop plainly (a commitment, promise, or agreement that's unfinished, incomplete, or outdated, quietly draining your time, energy, and peace), then walks through the three kinds almost all of us carry: Relational Loops with other people, Self-Loops — the promises we break to ourselves — and Unspoken Brokens, the things that needed to be said and never were. You'll hear why loops stay open (it's avoidance, not discipline), what they actually cost — especially what broken self-promises do to your confidence — and the three ways to close any loop: end it, evolve it, or recommit to it, on purpose. This is also where Robin introduces the free 5-Day Detox Your To-Do List Challenge, starting June 29. In this episode: What an Open Loop actually is — and why it stays quiet The three kinds: Relational Loops, Self-Loops, and Unspoken Brokens Why broken promises to yourself quietly erode your confidence Why open loops are an avoidance problem, not a discipline problem The real cost: time, energy, peace — and belief in yourself The three ways to close any loop: end it, evolve it, recommit to it An invitation to the free 5-Day Detox Your To-Do List Challenge (starts June 29) If this episode resonated with you, you might enjoy our free People Skillz community — a structured space to practice steadier, more intentional communication. We also created a short Communication Patterns Quiz to help you identify how you respond under pressure. You'll find both here.

Let's Think About "Emotional Avoidance" With Special Guest Michelle Maidenberg In this thoughtful episode of Mitzi, Let's Think About It, we explore emotional avoidance with special guest Michelle Maidenberg. Together, we unpack what it means to avoid difficult emotions, why so many people disconnect from what they feel, and how learning to embrace our emotions can open the door to healing, clarity, and deeper self-awareness. Michelle shares a powerful reminder: we are emotional creatures who think, not just thinking beings who occasionally feel. This conversation invites listeners to slow down, reflect, and consider how emotional avoidance may be shaping their relationships, choices, and everyday lives. We also talk about how short life is, how meaningful moments can arrive unexpectedly, and why being present with both heart and mind matters so much. If you are interested in emotional health, self-awareness, personal growth, mindfulness, mental wellness, and deeper thinking, this episode offers an honest and compassionate space to reflect. Whether you have struggled to sit with hard feelings or simply want to understand yourself and others more fully, this episode is designed to help you think, feel, and grow. Tune in to Let's Think About “Emotional Avoidance” with Michelle Maidenberg for a warm, insightful conversation about emotions, healing, personal growth, and the significance of being fully present in your life.         To stay in touch, please visit Michelle's website at https://michellemaidenberg.com/ to learn more about her.

In this solo Ask Me Anything episode, Ryan Michler tackles some of the most common challenges men face in midlife: complacency after success, leading a family without becoming controlling, overcoming conflict avoidance, dealing with regret, and building meaningful male friendships. Ryan shares practical frameworks for finding purpose after you've achieved your goals, developing conviction without coercion, stepping into leadership at home, and letting go of past mistakes through accountability and changed behavior. He also offers candid advice on creating deeper connections with other men and why meaningful struggles are essential for growth and fulfillment.  SHOW HIGHLIGHTS 00:12 - Introduction and Iron Council Preview Call 01:20 - Staying Sharp After Success and Comfort 07:09 - Passing Faith to a Teenage Son Without Control 12:32 - The Midlife Emptiness Many Men Experience 15:28 - Overcoming Conflict Avoidance and People-Pleasing 30:50 - Leading Your Family Without a Power Grab 44:18 - How to Deal with Real Regret and Move Forward 55:32 - Why Men Struggle to Build Deep Friendships 01:05:30 - Where to Find Strong Male Relationships 01:06:55 - Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks   Battle Planners: Pick yours up today! Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto. For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood. Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready

Zach sits down with James and Molly Christensen, a married couple and fellow therapists based in Sacramento, who spent more than six years in couples therapy before it actually worked. They burned through eight therapists, logged over a hundred sessions, and came within reach of a marriage that had been quietly failing for years. The fact that they are now both practicing couples therapists themselves makes this conversation something rare: a behind-the-curtain look at what the struggle actually looks like from inside.The conversation gets honest fast. James names what he had to face: narcissism, manipulation, a sense of superiority, and an inability to take feedback without it threatening his identity. Molly describes her own side of the dynamic, a deeply people-pleasing, avoidant woman who had been raised to see relationships as transactional, and who spent years wondering whether her instincts about James were accurate or whether she was the one losing her mind. The turning point for both of them came in the form of an intensive with a therapist who was finally skilled enough to hold them both, call them both out in the moment, and care enough about James to be blunt with him without losing him. James started recording every session and listening back four times. By the fourth listen, he could hear himself clearly. That's when things shifted.What runs underneath this whole episode is a conviction that most couples are doing "recovery lounge" therapy, showing up, going through the motions, and feeling okay about it, without ever actually growing. James makes the case that conflict is not the problem in most marriages. Avoidance is. The goal, for both of them as clients and now as clinicians, is more conflict with less anger, which means developing the capacity to say what you actually think, to your spouse, with genuine care behind it, and to hold your ground when they push back. That's differentiation. That's the work. And if you get through it, Zach notes, the intimacy on the other side is real.Key TakeawaysFiring your therapist is sometimes the right call. If you're not making progress after significant time, the fit may be the problem, not the process.Being resistant to therapy is often not about therapy. Molly's refusal to engage was partly a refusal to let James dictate her path. Understanding the resistance tells you a lot about the relationship dynamic.Narcissism has four components worth knowing: fragility (inability to take criticism), a sense of superiority, indifference to others, and manipulation as a means of protecting a false self.The breakthrough often requires a therapist who combines genuine care with genuine bluntness. Truth without love is abusive. Love without truth is just convenient. Both together is what actually moves people.Conflict is not the enemy. Avoidance is. Couples who never fight aren't at peace, they're just not saying what they really think, and it costs them.Differentiation is the ability to stay grounded in yourself when your partner is not okay. It's not about getting them to back down. It's about whether you can hold your own truth without crumbling under pressure.The tools from research-based approaches like Gottman are only as useful as the people holding them. If underlying traits like narcissism or avoidance are untreated, the tools won't stick.When couples heal, families heal. James and Molly both note that their children have noticed the difference, and that the work they've done has changed the floor their kids are jumping from.Guest InfoJames Christensen Licensed couples therapist based in Sacramento, California. Former Air Force pilot with 22 years of military service before transitioning to therapy. Specializes in high-conflict couples using the Crucible approach. Brings his own history as a client, over six years in couples therapy, to his clinical work.Website: https://jamesmchristensen.com/Molly Christensen Associate therapist (currently under supervision), working at a nonprofit and accepting sliding scale and insurance clients. Followed James into the field after their shared experience in therapy. Brings her perspective as a former people-pleaser and avoidant partner to her work with couples.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What to listen for:"If you are not doing search and rescue for the right reasons, you need to look in the mirror. Because it is not about you, and it's not about your dog."Today, our hosts, Stacy Barnett and Robin Greubel, have set the dogs aside (mostly!) to talk about something that affects every handler who has ever posted a training video, shown up to a webinar, or scrolled too far down a comment thread. They're calling it the “toxicity tax,” and they've come to argue it's being paid at every level of the canine world, from nose work titling to search and rescue callouts.The online world, particularly on social media, strips away tone, facial expression, and social consequence, leaving text that people read with whatever emotional state they're already carrying.Robin references the book Don't Feed the Elephants! when she explains that “Avoidaphants” are everywhere in teams that have never sat down to agree on how they want to communicate.Stacy offers sport as a mirror for SAR. The moment you start watching other dogs instead of your own, you've already lost the run. Comparing your dog's time, your team's reputation, your cert against someone else's is a fast road to a distracted, ineffective search.The mission has to be bigger than the handler.Robin and Stacy agree that training is not a recipe. Dogs are individuals, methodology debates serve nobody, and a perfect run every time is evidence of stagnation.What serves the dog, and the missing person, is efficient, effective teamwork built inside a culture that gives grace when the wheels come off. Key Topics:●      Why We Eat Our Own: Social Media in the Canine Community (02:40)●      Staying Humble, Hungry, and Smart (08:32)●      Why Watching Other Dogs Costs You Your Own (15:29)●      Posting Mistakes: Safe Groups vs. the Public Feed (24:25)●      Principles Over Methodology (32:59)●      Constructive Feedback vs. Criticism (37:28)●      Coaching Someone Who's a Hot Mess (41:49)●      Protecting the Volunteer Pipeline (46:30) Resources:·      Don't Feed the Elephants: Overcoming the Art of Avoidance to Build Powerful Partnerships https://amzn.to/4wFYFlk (affiliate link)·      Be the Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues https://amzn.to/4tJq8jq (affiliate link)We want to hear from you:Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer's Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don't forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

Damon Flowers joins me to unpack something most founders and operators only discover after repeated failure: the real battle isn't in the market—it's in the mind.We started with a simple but uncomfortable pattern.People don't usually fail because they lack skills.They fail because they can't consistently use them when it matters.Under pressure, fear shows up. Avoidance kicks in. Old identity patterns take over. And the business reflects it back almost immediately.What looks like a strategy problem is often an inner alignment problem.Damon shares his own path—from early confidence and corporate success to building businesses, getting hit by reality, and realizing that skills alone don't solve execution breakdowns.That realization led him into a deeper exploration of mindset, subconscious programming, and the hidden internal systems that actually drive decisions.Not in theory.In real behavior.We go deep into what actually changes when someone starts doing the inner work—and why it doesn't show results instantly, even when it's working.Key themes from the conversation:Most execution problems are identity problems in disguiseSkills don't matter if fear blocks consistent actionVictim mindset quietly shapes business outcomesAvoidance is often disguised as “strategy switching”The subconscious drives behavior more than conscious planningInner change creates delayed but compounding external resultsWillpower is not a long-term operating systemConsistency matters more than intensityMemorable lines:“You're not controlled by your thoughts—you're controlled by what you believe your thoughts mean.”“Most people aren't stuck because they don't know what to do. They're stuck because they don't do what they already know.”“Fear doesn't stop action directly—it just makes avoidance feel rational.”“Your business is often just a reflection of your internal operating system.”“You don't rise to your goals. You fall to your identity.”GuestDamon Flowers — Entrepreneur, operator, and mindset-focused business mentorHe works at the intersection of business execution and internal alignment, helping operators understand why performance breaks down even when the strategy is clear.Why this mattersMost people assume business failure is tactical.Wrong hires. Wrong offer. Wrong marketing. Wrong timing.But over time, a different pattern shows up.People know what to do—but don't do it consistently under uncertainty.They restart instead of iterate.They avoid discomfort instead of building tolerance for it.They confuse emotional resistance with strategic signal.And slowly, the gap between knowledge and execution becomes the real constraint.Not intelligence.Not opportunity.But internal conditioning.The uncomfortable truth is that:If your inner game doesn't support the action, no strategy survives contact with reality for long.Final takeawayThis isn't about motivation.It's about operating systems.Because once the internal pattern shifts, the external results don't require forcing anymore.They start to follow naturally—but only after enough repetition for the system to actually change.And that's the part most people underestimate:change is simple to understand, but slow to install. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dougutberg.com

If your planner, routine, or fresh system starts to feel weirdly heavy the moment you sit down with it, you're not alone. So many of us with ADHD brains quietly carry a performance frame over our follow-through built on a "pass fail" mindset, where every slip up turns into evidence of failure. In this episode, we explore a simple reframe that helps make sticking with our habits and routines feel lighter, more doable, and more in line with how our brains actually work. In Episode 357, You Will Discover: The sneaky way the performance frame turns planning, routines, and new systems into high-stakes situations for ADHD brains The one-word shift that helps follow-through feel lighter and builds real self-trust over time Why a rough day becomes useful information instead of evidence that something's wrong with you Three reflection questions to help you find the places where a practice frame might bring more freedom this week Work With Me: Learn more about private coaching here Join We're Busy Being Awesome (group coaching) Enroll in Overwhelm to Action - step by step course for ADHD Brains More ADHD Resources: Discover Your ADHD Overwhelm Type - Free Quiz! Get the I'm Busy Being Awesome Podcast Roadmap Free course: ADHD Routine Revamp Learn my Top 10 Tips to Work With Your ADHD Brain Discover my favorite ADHD resources Access the I'm Busy Being Awesome Planning System Stay focused with brain.fm and get a 30-day free trial* This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure info here. Leave IBBA A Rating & Review! If you enjoy the podcast, would you be a rockstar and leave a review? Doing so helps others find the show and spreads these tools to even more people. Go to Apple Podcasts Click on the I'm Busy Being Awesome podcast Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you see the reviews. Simply tap five stars; that's it! Bonus points if you're willing to leave a few sentences sharing what you enjoy about the podcast or a key takeaway from the episode you just heard. Thanks, friend! Chapter Outline 00:00 Why Planning Feels Heavy 02:41 Performing vs Practicing 05:26 All or Nothing Trap 06:59 Inside the Performance Frame 10:25 Avoidance and Perfectionism 12:02 What Practice Really Means 15:03 Reps Build Self Trust 17:48 Real Life Practice Examples 22:50 Questions to Apply This 27:06 Community and Next Steps 28:15 Wrap Up and Resources  

Send us Fan MailIf you've been trying to stop a behavior, break a pattern, or change something about yourself but it keeps coming back, this episode is for you.Maybe it's people-pleasing.Over-explaining.Avoidance.Anger.Perfectionism.Shutting down.Or a behavior you keep promising yourself you're done with.But no matter how much you understand it, hate it, or try to force it away, a part of you still goes back to it.In today's solo episode of Alison Answers, Alison Lager breaks down the psychology behind why some behaviors are so hard to stop, and why what looks like self-sabotage may actually be a protector part trying to keep you safe.This episode invites you to stop asking, “What's wrong with me?” and start asking a deeper question:What is this protecting me from?Alison explains why certain behaviors become survival strategies, how the nervous system can mistake change for danger, and why trying to remove a coping strategy too quickly can cause another pattern to take its place.You'll learn why your body may choose protection over happiness, why willpower alone often isn't enough, and how to begin meeting these parts of yourself with curiosity instead of shame.By the end of this episode, you'll understand:- Why “bad behaviors” can be hard to stop even when you want to change- How protector parts form around pain, shame, rejection, and fear- Why your nervous system may resist letting go of old patterns- How people-pleasing, over-explaining, anger, avoidance, and perfectionism can become protection- Why attacking the behavior can make shame worse- Why removing a coping strategy too early can backfire- The question that can help you understand what the behavior is really protecting- How to let your adult self, higher self, or grounded self lead instead of the scared part- Why healing begins with safety, not self-attackIf you've been beating yourself up for the same pattern over and over, this episode will help you see it differently.Maybe the behavior is not the whole story.Maybe the pattern has a purpose.Maybe the part of you you keep fighting was once the part trying to save you.Watch the full episode of Alison Answers to understand the psychology behind why you can't just stop bad behaviors, and what your nervous system may be trying to protect.In this episode00:00 Intro01:05 What protector parts are02:36 Why attacking the behavior can backfire03:26 What happens when a protector is removed too soon05:49 Why coping strategies need to be understood first06:26 Why the protector part is rarely the enemy06:53 Protector parts as exhausted bodyguards09:04 How unhealthy behaviors can regulate the nervous system09:27 Perfectionism, anger, people-pleasing, over-explaining, and dissociation10:32 Why there may be nothing “wrong” with you11:20 What to do instead of attacking the behavior12:23 Questions to ask your protector part13:15 Why the goal is not to destroy the protector14:51 Using visualization to understand younger parts16:03 Letting the adult self lead18:07 Why the behavior is not the whole story18:40 Getting out of the thinking brain and into the body20:29 Awareness without judgment21:20 Learning to ask yourself better questions21:45 Becoming steady, grounded, and peacefulConnect with Alison:Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounselingWebsite: LagerCounseling.comYouTube: Alison AnswersFacebook: Alison Lager Lcsw CasacPurchase Alison's book: “The Wake Up Call”Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HEREWomen of Excellence FB group: Join HERE⚠️ Crisis Resources:Lager Counseling ServicesCall: 516-221-2123Text: (914) 363-0381Wantagh: 3408 Park Ave. Wantagh, NY 11793988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (24/7, free, confidential)Call or text 988 | Visit 988lifeline.org

A listener is looking for help creating accommodations for a first grader. How can the adults help without reinforcing the fear through avoidance? The key is to focus on supporting with skills…and it requires a paradigm shift and collaboration. WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EPISODES TO HELP YOU FIND RESOURCES ON SPECIFIC TOPICS. Here is our first: For those brand new to the podcast, we suggest starting with this playlist featuring Lynn Lyons and the 7-part anxiety disruptor series as well as a 3-part series on the skills most helpful in managing anxious kids: flexibility, problem solving, and autonomy. Consult our Spotify profile for the most up-to-date selection. We will select two listeners who complete our listener survey. We hope it is you! FOLLOW US Join the Facebook group to get news on the upcoming courses for parents, teens, and kids. Follow Flusterclux on Facebook and Instagram. Follow Lynn Lyons on Twitter and Youtube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most people don't actually have a communication problem.They have a relationship with conflict problem.In this powerful episode of Mindset Mastery Moments, Dr. Alisa Whyte sits down with global speaker, leadership facilitator, and author Anna Lecat for a transformational conversation about conflict, intimacy, emotional triggers, and human connection.Anna shares why avoiding conflict destroys relationships faster than disagreement itself — and how learning to “fight kindly” can create deeper trust, stronger leadership, healthier teams, and more meaningful relationships.Together, they unpack:Why most people fear difficult conversationsThe connection between intimacy and being truly seenHow childhood experiences shape adult emotional triggersThe difference between reacting and respondingWhy conflict is a practice — not a failureHow leaders can build trust instead of emotional distanceThe surprising leadership lessons hidden inside tangoAnna also explains how embodiment, emotional awareness, and intentional listening can transform the way we communicate at home, in relationships, and in the workplace.If you've ever struggled with hard conversations, emotional triggers, boundaries, or feeling misunderstood… this episode is for you.Exclusive Resources for ListenersStart turning everyday tension into trust with Anna's curated resources:Free Practical Email Series: Sign up for a short, powerful email series packed with tools, stories, and reflection prompts to help you master intimacy and conflict at home and work. Register at www.annalecat.com.Connect with Anna LecatOfficial Website: www.annalecat.comLinkedIn: Connect with AnnaInstagram: @anna_lecatYouTube: Anna Lecat Official"Conflict is simply the energy of two different perspectives meeting. When we learn to handle that energy with kindness, we create intimacy where there was once division."Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Have you ever watched your child melt down before a project even begins, refuse to try unless they're sure they'll succeed, or abandon something halfway through? If so, you're not alone—and it's not laziness or stubbornness. This week on the podcast, we're unpacking the hidden side of perfectionism in our neurodivergent kids, especially when it shows up as avoidance.   Key Takeaways Normalize Beginnerhood: Let your child see you start new things and make mistakes—show them it's okay not to be perfect right away. Shrink the Entry Point: Break projects into tiny, manageable steps so getting started feels less intimidating. Praise Effort, Not Perfection: Celebrate risk-taking, persistence, and trying—mistakes are experiences, not identity. Model Emotional Safety: Remind your child that progress matters, mistakes are allowed, and their worth isn't tied to performance. Collaborate & Scaffold: Offer body-doubling, share in tasks, and provide extra support when needed—support is not failure.   Links and Resources from Today's Episode Thank you to our sponsors: CTC Math – Flexible, affordable math for the whole family! The Learner's Lab – Online community for families homeschooling outside-the-box learners! The Lab: An Online Community for Families Homeschooling Neurodivergent Kiddos The Homeschool Advantage: A Child-Focused Approach to Raising Lifelong Learners Raising Resilient Sons: A Boy Mom's Guide to Building a Strong, Confident, and Emotionally Intelligent Family The Anxiety Toolkit Sensory Strategy Toolkit | Quick Regulation Activities for Home Affirmation Cards for Anxious Kids Tackling Perfectionism | A Conversation with Lisa Van Gemert Managing Perfectionism | Strategies for Parents Anxiety vs. Stress vs. Perfectionism: Helping Our Children Cope Perfectionism And Gifted Children: What You Need To Know Managing Perfectionism: 10 Tips for Helping Your Gifted Child RLL #81: [Audioblog] Managing Perfectionism: 10 Tips for Helping Your Child RLL #55: Helping Your Child Manage Perfectionism RLL #52: Overcoming Perfectionism and Finding Joy in Homeschooling Homeschool Testing | Helping Your Perfectionist Do Hard Things  

Celebrating 300 episodes with one of the hardest relationship skills: feedback. Sue and Ann reflect on a decade of podcasting and dive into one of the the most challenging parts of any relationship: giving and receiving feedback. Through candid personal stories, humor, and clinical insight, they explore how attachment history, defensiveness, trauma, and vulnerability shape the way we handle conflict and communication. This conversation explains why feedback can feel so threatening, how couples get stuck arguing facts instead of feelings, and why repair—not perfection—is the foundation of healthy relationships. “Feedback is a bid for connection.” – Sue Marriott, LCSW CGP Time Stamps for 300 Episodes In: Why Feedback Is So Hard (300) 01:56 The challenge of feedback: Giving and receiving 07:29 Understanding the difficulty of giving feedback 11:06 The fear of feedback: Avoidance and anticipation 16:15 The overestimation of awareness: Why we hold back 26:32 Navigating the receiving end of feedback 32:34 Impact over intent: The key to effective communication 34:54 Navigating feedback and racial sensitivity 41:08 Defensiveness in relationships 52:09 The role of trauma in relationships Please support our sponsors – they keep our podcast free and accessible to all!  A coffee alternative with 4 adaptogenic mushrooms and ayurvedic herbs. With only a fraction of caffeine as a cup of coffee, you get energy without the anxiety, jitters, or crash of coffee Go to mudwtr.com/tu to support the show and use code TU for 15% off   Beyond Attachment Styles course is available NOW!   Learn how your nervous system, your mind, and your relationships work together in a fascinating dance, shaping who you are and how you connect with others. Online, Self-Paced, Asynchronous Learning with Quarterly Live Q&A’s! Earn 6 Continuing Education Credits – Available at Checkout As a listener of this podcast, use code BAS15 for a limited-time discount.     You are invited!  Join our exclusive community to get early access and discounts to things we produce, plus an ad-free, private feed. In addition, receive exclusive episodes recorded just for you. Sign up for our premium Neuronerd plan!! Click here!!    Get your copy of Secure Relating here!!

Marriage was never promised to be easy, light, or always enjoyable—but when both spouses are committed wholeheartedly, it can endure even the hardest seasons. In this episode, Dr. Kim unpacks the foundational truths that help build a healthy, lasting marriage: honest communication, emotional safety, gratitude, faith, and learning how to work through conflict instead of avoiding it. He also shares what it looks like to start fresh without carrying the weight of past mistakes and why the struggles couples face—especially in the early years—don't mean something is wrong. Whether you're newly married or decades in, this episode offers practical encouragement to help you strengthen your relationship and build a marriage grounded in a foundation that lasts. Episode Highlights: "Becoming" is a process and it doesn't happen at the altar.  The decisions that shape a marriage most aren't the big dramatic ones.  Keep having fun together, year after year. If this is your second marriage- things don't have to be the same! Quotes from this episode: When faith is at the center of your marriage it changes the source of your security. You're no longer looking to your spouse to provide what only God can provide. The first year is not the best year- and that's ok. The friction you feel is not a sign that something is wrong. It's a sign that you are doing the real work of two becoming one. Avoiding the conversation doesn't make the problem disappear. The conversations you tend to avoid are the ones that can make or break a marriage.  Your spouse is not a mind reader and neither are you.  Communication is not a failure of love. It's an expression of it.  The cultural model asks "what am I getting out of this?" The biblical model asks "what am I bringing to this?" Avoidance builds walls. Couples who pray together, seek wisdom together, and bring God into the center or their disagreements have a resource that other couples just don't have.  Your spouse should feel like they can be honest with you without being punished for it. If they feel like they have to manage your reactions before they can be truthful, you've built a marriage where honesty is not safe.  Life administration isn't connection.  Gratitude is a muscle and in marriage it needs regular exercise.  Time to talk about it?  What do we expect from each other sexually? Are we spiritually moving in the same direction?  How was conflict handled in your home growing up?  Have we let anything go unaddressed? Are we protecting our time together? Mentioned in this Episode: Awesome Marriage is on Instagram! Make space to talk about the marriage itself with our FREE Weekly Marriage Check in Guide! Want an opportunity to dig into God's Word with your spouse? Find Awesome Marriage on YouVersion. Dr. Kim takes everyday 'traffic signs' that we all encounter and applies them to growing your marriage relationship in this plan: Traffic Signs and Your Marriage - Part 1 If you haven't browsed our site, you've GOT to check out the marriage resources we have over at AwesomeMarriage.com, and browse our online courses at AwesomeMarriageUniversity.com !  It's the perfect time to become a Marriage Changer! When you become a Marriage Changer you'll receive exclusive content from Dr. Kim and Mrs. Nancy as well as our resource of the month! Become a Marriage Changer today!  

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 4026: David Cain explores how our attempts to avoid uncomfortable emotions like embarrassment, uncertainty, and boredom often give those feelings more power over our lives. By learning to experience difficult emotions directly, rather than resisting or overanalyzing them, we become more resilient, emotionally free, and less controlled by fear-driven habits. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.raptitude.com/2017/02/how-to-keep-emotions-from-running-your-life/ Quotes to ponder: “You experiment, a bit at a time, with letting yourself feel the things you're afraid to feel, and watch them lose their power over you.” “Avoidance has a way of empowering the thing you're avoiding.” “When you stop trying to ban certain feelings from your experience, they tend to pass through relatively easily, in a matter of minutes or even seconds, and nothing is harmed.” Episode references: Meditation: https://www.mindful.org/how-to-meditate/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1. Government Fraud Crackdown (Trump/Vance Initiative) The administration is prioritizing eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs. A federal fraud task force claims: 186,000+ deceased individuals are still receiving SNAP (food stamp) benefits via identity fraud. 400,000+ people are allegedly receiving duplicate benefits (“double dipping”). Its a taxpayer protection effort with stronger enforcement expected. 2. Policy Actions and Consequences Threats to withhold Medicaid funding from states that fail to investigate fraud. Proposal for stronger penalties (e.g., jail, loss of benefits), though current deterrence is described as weak. Politically positioned as a major accountability push tied to reducing government spending. 3. Hospice and Healthcare Fraud Allegations Major focus on California (Los Angeles): Claim: a disproportionate number of hospices located there (about one-third nationwide). Allegation: up to half may be fraudulent. Actions taken: 800 hospices suspended, cutting off ~$1.4 billion in payments. Nationwide moratorium on new hospice and home health care licenses. Rationale: Fraud operations allegedly relocate to other states when cracked down locally. 4. Political Divide Republican perspective: Fraud crackdown is necessary and widely supported by voters. Seen as long-overdue accountability. Democratic criticism: Concerns about overreach, rushed investigations, and harm to legitimate services. Public sentiment (per the document): Broad agreement that fraud should be eliminated regardless of party. 5. CIA Whistleblower Allegations (COVID Origins) A whistleblower claims: CIA scientists initially favored a lab-leak theory for COVID-19. The official position shifted to “inconclusive/neutral.” Accusation: Anthony Fauci influenced intelligence discussions and expert selection. His involvement may have shaped the narrative away from the lab-leak conclusion. Evidence cited: Meetings and communications in 2020–2021. Internal disagreements within intelligence agencies. 6. Conflict of Interest Concerns Raised in questioning: Fauci allegedly had connections to Wuhan-related research funding. Concern he may not have been an objective contributor. Whistleblower suggests: Influence was indirect but significant, through shaping expert input. 7. Hearing Controversy No Democrats attended the Senate hearing with the whistleblower. Avoidance of scrutiny or accountability. Used to reinforce a broader narrative of political bias or cover-up. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.