Dr Karin Love & Life

All too often women look to other women to help them figure out what’s going on in guys’ heads. But shouldn’t we get the guys’ perspective from an actual guy? Well, now we CAN because, whether you know it or not, you have a fairy godfather looking after your love life! With over 40k Instagram followers, The Fairy Godfather has already helped thousands of women and he’s here for you, too! In my conversation with TFG we dig deep—learning how he earned the nickname, The Fairy Godfather, and what sets him apart from other “experts ”in the dating/relationship field. He also delves into the neurology behind texting and why typical dating advice rarely works!

Sometimes the ticking gets so loud it’s deafening. We try to “beat the biological clock,” but even if we beat it, do we actually win? Psychotherapists Brunnie Getchell and Alison Seponara dive into this question, sharing therapeutic techniques to help us adjust and adapt when life hasn’t played out as planned. Join us for a lively discussion on:•Mindfulness practices for easing anxiety (about the future) and depression (due to past regrets).•How reframing the pain of “missing” life’s milestones facilitates emotional healing. •Recognizing when we give away our power—and how to take it back!•Ways to cultivate intimacy in our lives—even when love has yet to arrive.•Why the option to settle isn’t really an option—and how settling is related to dysfunction in families. Brunnie and Alison offer insight from their therapeutic expertise and encouragement from their personal journeys as single women who’ve had to navigate circuitous routes and make peace with the ticking of their own biological clocks.Music: https:

“Just be yourself!” It should be so easy, but for most of us, the quest for authenticity proves an ongoing struggle. Mindset coach Leisse Wilcox joins me to delve into vulnerability, pain, and finding our true self. Leisse shares how the agony of her divorce led to her become “unapologetically clear” regarding who she is and what she’s about. We discuss the challenges we all face when pursuing authenticity—including insensitive comments from others and what these responses actually mean. Leisse discusses how her background in child development not only helped her explain her divorce to her three young daughters, but also helped her process the experience herself. We wrap up part one of our conversation with an authenticity mantra courtesy of Sex and the City’s Charlotte York Goldenblatt!

Are you struggling to meet quality people online and via apps? Maybe it’s time to try a different approach—like I did! After years on the dating scene and no success online, I figured there had to be a better option, so I joined It’s Just Lunch and let a matchmaker do the work for me. In this episode, Dan and I talk about our experience with a dating service and what it’s like to have a professional pick out your dates. Then Melissa Brown, CEO of It’s Just Lunch, joins the conversation to share how IJL could help you meet someone special!www.drkarin.me

We all know that exercise benefits both physical and emotional health. But there’s more to the story! Author William Pullen joins me to discuss his book, Running with Mindfulness: Dynamic Running Therapy (DRT) to Improve Low-Mood, Anxiety, Stress, and Depression. We talk about so much good stuff including:How DRT addresses isolation in an age of hyper-connectedness.The step too many therapists overlook when treating depression.What Prince Harry needs to incorporate in his “End the Stigma” campaign.The listening skill that will enhance your relationship with everyone in your life.How therapeutic techniques help the FBI negotiate with kidnappers—and how this relates to your ability to deeply connect with others.Pullen leaves us with practical tools to elevate your mood from Dynamic Running Therapy and spoiler alert—you don’t need to be a runner to utilize them! www.drkarin.me

We hear it all the time—strong relationships start with loving yourself first. And while this advice seems reasonable in theory, it’s not always especially useful in practice. What does it really mean to love yourself and how exactly do you do it? Katherine Baldwin, author of How to Fall in Love: A 10-Step Journey to the Heart, joins me to talk about her lifelong quest for self-love and how she finally found peace (and love) after years of restlessness and self-sabotage. We talk about the dangers of being “in deficit” and discuss strategies and tools to help us fall in love . . . with ourselves!

CBD oil—everyone’s talking about it and many claim it cures a wide array of conditions—anxiety, ADHD, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and polycystic ovarian disease, just to name a few! But does it really work? And if so, how can does it treat both psychological and physiological problems? Jen Kerr of HempWorx joins me to provide answers to these questions and more. She addresses the controversies surrounding CBD oil—spoiler alert, yes, it’s legal and no, you won’t get high from it—and shares the research she’s uncovered, along with personal testimonials of CBD success—including her own!www.drkarin.me

Hospice nurse Amber Runyon visited Ethiopia and witnessed little girls being sold into prostitution. Appalled and discouraged, she returned to the U.S. only to realize her hometown, Columbus, Ohio, had an enormous problem with human trafficking as well. She decided to shine a light in this darkest domain by starting Eleventh Candle Co. to provide jobs for those trying to leave the sex trafficking industry. Amber joins me to share her story and inspire us all to make a difference in whatever way we can—even something as simple as buying a candle, can combat human trafficking!www.drkarin.me

Dating apps—most of us have a love/hate relationship with them. Yes, they help us connect, but do these connections ever go anywhere? Too often the answer is no—until now! The good news is, a new option has hit the scene—Cove Dating App! Charles Messow, creator of Cove, joins me to discuss the radically different approach Cove offers. As Charles says, “People are starving for more depth. We’ve put together a product with a lot of love and thought behind it.” Listen to find out how a dating app CAN facilitate deep, meaningful relationships!www.drkarin.me

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 70% of remarriages involving children from a previous relationship end in divorce. Clearly, blended families face unique challenges. To further complicate matters, in some cases a husband brings children to the marriage while his new wife struggles with infertility. Kelly Palmquist, MSW, joins me to talk about raising his kids, while desiring our own.www.drkarin.me

It’s sad, but true. Young girls can be very mean, but what can we do about it? Katie Hurley, LCSW, author of No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls joins me to discuss this and other important developmental concerns. In Part 2 of my conversation with Katie, we discuss the profound impact of sleep deprivation (spoiler alert: your kids may not have anxiety or ADHD, they may actually just be sleep deprived!), the uber competitive nature of sports today, the “culture of busy,” and the three most important needs of the developing brain. We also delve into the debate surrounding praise (are kids receiving too much or too little praise?) and why you need to assess your child’s “self-esteem baseline.”www.drkarin.me

Girls can be mean—very mean. And in this modern era, “mean girl” dynamics start in the primary grades—or even preschool! Katie Hurley, author of No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls, joins me to share practical strategies for empowering girls! Learn the cognitive distortions that affect self-esteem and how to teach girls more realistic and positive ways of thinking. Find out what Katie believes is behind “girl drama” and what parents can do to equip their daughters to thrive in a variety of social contexts. We delve into research on SEL (social and emotional learning) and discover how it impacts not only social skills, but academic achievement as well! Finally, Katie provides the latest research on combatting bullying—we learn what really works!

According to US Census data, in the past 30 years there’s been a dramatic increase in the number of adult children (18-34) who remain living at home. Clearly, the path to adulthood proves somewhat daunting and circuitous for this generation. Dr. Brad E. Sachs, author of Emptying the Nest: Launching Your Young Adult Toward Success and Self-Reliance, joins me to discuss this “failure to launch” phenomenon. We look at the family dynamics related to a young person’s reluctance to leave home (spoiler alert: both the child and parents play a part!) and learn strategies for encouraging and supporting families as they navigate this developmental transition.

Getting back “out there” after a divorce can prove daunting and discouraging—but it doesn’t have to be! After a devastating divorce in her mid thirties, UK Dating Coach of the Year, Ané Auret, believed her life had veered horribly off course. But what seemed like her darkest hour, ended up transforming her life in every possible way! She rediscovered her identity, found true love, and embarked upon a new career as a dating coach. In this episode, we discuss how your “confirmation bias” affects your love-life and delve into the unique challenges of post-divorce dating in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. Ané provides encouragement for divorcées—and others—who strive to maintain hope and belief in love!www.drkarin.me

There’s a lot of drama out there, but does there have to be? This week I answer three questions from listeners regarding complications in their relationships. Jessica wonders why her ex-boyfriend craves so much drama. Amanda isn’t sure if she should wait for Mark to get his life together—especially since he keeps telling her she deserves better. And Becky’s in a complicated situation with her boyfriend of three years. We delve into the reasons behind each “it’s complicated” scenario and discuss ways to extricate ourselves from unsatisfying, nebulous connections!www.drkarin.me

Raising emotionally healthy kids is no easy task and according to Dr. Leonard Sax, it’s infinitely more difficult for American parents compared to parents in Western Europe. In part 2 of my interview with psychologist, physician, and author, Dr. Leonard Sax we discover:•Why American kids are exponentially more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than kids in Western Europe.•The brain damage that occurs from ADHD medications.•Sleep deprivation and how it affects kids’ cognition and motivation. •Why adult ADHD recently became a “thing” and why it’s not a legitimate diagnosis.•How boys and girls interact with social media differently and the impact on their emotional development.Dr. Sax provides research-based strategies for raising happy and successful kids in the midst of the collapse of American parenting. www.drkarin.me

Psychologist, physician, and author Dr. Leonard Sax joins me to discuss the many challenges of modern parenting. Dr. Sax has spent over 30 years treating children in his medical practice and has written four books on parenting and child development. Find out which childhood trait—intelligence, social skills, conscientiousness, or adaptability—best predicts success and happiness in adulthood. Learn proven parenting strategies (grounded in psych research) and discover why parenting is unquestionably more difficult today than it was 30 years ago (spoiler alert: it’s not just about technology!) Finally, hear why Dr. Sax believes we should not try to make our kids happy!www.drkarin.me

Why does it take so long for some of us to find The One? They say “timing is everything” but is that always the case? Or do some of us need to work through our "issues" before love will come our way? For Treva Brandon Scharf, getting married at age 50 revamped not only her love life, but her career identity as well. Her blog, The Late Blooming Bride, garnered her a book deal and radio show! We discuss these questions with Chip Gregory, my producer and late blooming groom, and share the challenges—and benefits!—of meeting The One with a few years under your belt.

Will and Grace may be the most famous, but they weren’t the first and they won’t be the last! To celebrate this special bond, I’ve invited my manager and BFF, Chip Gregory, to the program to help me examine the beautiful nuances of gay boy-straight girl love. We dig into the psych research on the topic—yes, we have data on this—and discuss stereotypes and terminology (i.e. “fruit flies” and “beards”). We close out the show with a question from Jared who’s had his heart broken so many times, he’s afraid he’ll never be able to trust anyone again. Join Chip and me as we delve into the unique dynamics of the gay boy-straight girl love affair!www.drkarin.me

Have you ever been ghosted? Or maybe you’ve been the one to ghost? In this episode, I examine the ghosting phenomenon and tackle the question, “Is ghosting the worst way to exit a relationship or is it perhaps, a kinder way to go?” I share how I responded to two times I was ghosted over my years of dating and bring in Dan and my 24-year-old niece, Amie, to share a millennial’s perspective on ghosting.www.drkarin.me