306. The Truth of OCD: Therapist Alegra Kastens on Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Therapist Alegra Kastens shares the truth about her lived experience with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) that is vital for all of us to understand. Detailing her own struggle, and work as an OCD specialist, Alegra helps demystify the relentless cycle of ego-dystonic, intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and compulsions that define this often-misunderstood and under-diagnosed disorder – sharing why so many people have OCD and do not know it, and ways to support people with OCD without enabling and reinforcing the compulsions.

CW: Discussion of intrusive sexual and violent thoughts as well as suicidal ideation.

About Alegra:
Alegra Kastens is a licensed therapist, OCD specialist, writer, and the founder of the Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Eating Disorders in New York City. Fueled by lived experience with a lesser-known manifestation of OCD, education and advocacy about OCD are at the forefront of her career.

IG: @AlegraKastens
TikTok: @AlegraKastens
 
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The Truth of OCD: Therapist Alegra Kastens on Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Life is freaking hard. We are all doing hard things every single day – things like loving and losing; caring for children and parents; forging and ending friendships; battling addiction, illness, and loneliness; struggling in our jobs, our marriages, and our divorces; setting boundaries; and fighting for equality, purpose, freedom, joy, and peace.
On We Can Do Hard Things, Glennon Doyle, author of UNTAMED; her wife Abby Wambach; and her sister Amanda Doyle do the only thing they’ve found that has ever made life easier: Drop the fake and talk honestly about the hard things including sex, gender, parenting, blended families, bodies, anxiety, addiction, justice, boundaries, fun, quitting, overwhelm . . . all of it.
We laugh and cry and help each other carry the hard so we can all live a little bit lighter and braver, free-er, less alone.

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310. Amanda’s Diagnosis & What’s Next (Pt. 2) 

In Part 2, Amanda shares more from the messy middle of her breast cancer diagnosis. She talks candidly about her hopes, fears, and what she has realized really matters. 

To listen to the first part of our conversation with Amanda, click here: Amanda’s Diagnosis and What’s Next (Pt. 1)
 
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Amanda’s Diagnosis & What’s Next (Pt. 2)

309. Amanda’s Diagnosis and What’s Next (Pt. 1) 

Amanda shares the news about her health and what’s next for her healing. Amanda, Glennon, and Abby go into the tactical, philosophical and emotional aspects of this diagnosis and all share how they’re feeling about it and working through it at this moment.
 
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Amanda’s Diagnosis and What’s Next (Pt. 1)

308. Brittney Griner On Coming Home & Recovering From Trauma 

Glennon and Abby talk with athlete, humanitarian, activist–and one of the bravest people they’ve met–Brittney Griner. Brittney discusses her harrowing experience in the Russian prison system, as well as her basketball career, recovering from trauma, and her excitement over becoming a parent. 

Discover: 
-Why she went to Russia in the first place – and the gender pay gap in women’s sports; 
-Her first thought as she stepped foot on American soil after her time in a Russian penal colony;
-How she feels about America now that she’s back; and 
-How she reconciled her relationship with her dad after having a tough time coming out 

About Brittney: 
BRITTNEY GRINER is a pioneer, humanitarian, and activist and was named as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2023. Griner is an NCAA champion, a WNBA champion, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Winner of the Best Female Athlete ESPY Award, and a nine-time WNBA All-Star, Griner is one of the most decorated and influential athletes of this generation.

IG: @brittneyyevettegriner
 
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Brittney Griner On Coming Home & Recovering From Trauma

307. Healing From Complex PTSD with Stephanie Foo

Abby, Amanda and Glennon are joined by author and radio producer, Stephanie Foo. They discuss Stephanie’s memoir, What My Bones Know, and her journey healing from Complex PTSD. 

Discover: 
-The difference between Trauma, PTSD and complex PTSD; 
-What “THE DREAD” is and how to know if you have it; 
-Why if the trauma is relational, the healing has to be relational, too, and what that means, in-action; and 
-Whether you can ever truly give what you never got as a parent. 


CW: Discussion of physical and verbal abuse and neglect.

About Stephanie:
Stephanie Foo is a writer and the author of the New York Times bestseller, WHAT MY BONES KNOW: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. She is also a radio producer, most recently for This American Life. Her work has aired on Snap Judgment, Reply All, 99% Invisible, and Radiolab. A noted speaker and instructor, she has taught at Columbia University and has spoken at venues from Sundance Film Festival to the Missouri Department of Mental Health. She lives in New York City.

IG: @foofoofoo
 
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The Truth of OCD: Therapist Alegra Kastens on Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

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