I wanted to wrap up our celebration of National Unmarried & Single Americans week with a fan favorite and my favorite guest, of course, psychotherapist Elliott Anderson. When I was considering what I wanted Elliott to share, I thought about all the couples he’s worked with over the years. He’s seen it all—from those who just needed some tools to get through a rough patch, to couples who could barely stand to be in the same room together, to those who’ve become violent and abusive. I wondered, What would Elliott want to say to singles to help them avoid the pain he witnesses in his office every day? What do we need to know NOW as singles, to prepare ourselves for a solid lifelong partnership> What do we need to know NOW to prevent ourselves from marrying the wrong person?” Elliott answers this question and shares 5 relationship aspects you need to know to step into a great marriage! Elliott Anderson Work with Elliott, Books, & More: https://linktr.ee/pastorelliottanderson  Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

Have you ever wondered if fear is keeping you from love? Are you afraid of getting hurt? Afraid of being smothered? Afraid of both? Today’s episode is part 2 of my conversation with Katherine Baldwin, author of, How to Fall in Love:  A 10 Step Journey to the Heart. If you haven’t listened to part 1, please jump back to episode 205 to hear Katherine share how her anxious/avoidant attachment style caused her struggle as she tried to cultivate an intimate romantic partnership. In part 2 we discuss: How to date with courage, clarity, and confidence. The hurt that happens in relationships—and also, the healing that happens in relationships. The influence of our childlessness on our approach too dating. How our family of origin issues show up in our present-day relationships. How to discern if what we’re feeling is our fear or our intuition. We CAN move through fear and trust our intuition. Join us to hear Katherine’s inspiring journey to love! Katherine Baldwin Website: https://www.katherinebaldwin.com/ Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

What if being single isn’t about “waiting for The One” but rather, it’s about loving the life right in front of us? Can we be alone, but not lonely? How do we make peace with our single season? In her book, Single Shouldn’t Suck, Esther Marie asserts we CAN live life to the fullest—even when we’re single and desiring partnership. Esther joins us to celebrate National Unmarried & Single Americans Week! We discuss her book and the lessons she’s learned through her single years. Join us for a discussion around: How to romanticize our single life! Ways to embrace the here and now—through the various periods of our lives, including the times we desire partnership, as well as the times when we’re happy on our own. Honoring our journey—who we are and who we’re becoming. Challenging ourselves to get uncomfortable, take risks, and grow! Whether you’re in a single season or any other phase of life, you’ll find Esther’s story to be both encouraging and inspiring! Esther Marie Website: https://www.esthermarie.org/ Single Shouldn't Suck: https://www.esthermarie.org/shop/ Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

We’ve often spoken to Attachment Styles on the podcast, but in today’s episode we’ll hear a firsthand account from British author and coach, Katherine Baldwin. Katherine married in midlife and as she’s reflected on her dating history, she recognizes her attachment style—a mix of avoidant and anxious—caused her to repeatedly sabotage relationships and walk away from them. But most importantly, in this two part series, Katherine shares how she found healing AND found her person—despite wrestling with unhealthy attachment dynamics from childhood wounds. Learn from Katherine’s vulnerable account of her many years on the dating scene. She was certainly impacted by her attachment style, but she ultimately moved through the anxiety and toward love! Katherine Baldwin Website: https://www.katherinebaldwin.com/ Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

It’s National Unmarried and Single Americans Week, and to kick things off, we’re bringing back Love & Life fan favorite, Dr. Duana Welch, to talk about the revised version of her classic book, Love Factually:  10 Proven Steps from I Wish to I Do. From the very first time I read Love Factually, it became my go-to “how to date smarter, not harder” resource, because every recommendation Dr. Welch provides is grounded in psych research. Other authors share their opinions. Dr. Welch shares the data! In this episode, Dr. Welch gets personal and recounts how she recently followed her own advice and met her fiancé online in a matter of weeks! She lets us in on the key elements of her coaching practice and discusses how she’s helped hundreds of clients find their person. Join us to learn how to date smarter with science! And, be sure to take advantage of Dr. Welch’s offer for a FREE 15 minute mini session to determine if you’d like to work with her. Dr. Duana Welch Website: http://lovefactually.co/ Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

Breakups are hardest when the relationship is almost right. I should know—I almost married the “wrong man” (for me) because there was absolutely nothing “wrong” with him.  He was almost right.  But, is “good enough” good enough for marriage? For me, it wasn’t.  I told my runaway bride story with Ané Auret and because I’d never shared the whole story with you, I wanted to post it on Love & Life.  We’ve all faced crossroads where we had to trust our gut or take the “safe” path. I took the risk of being along forever. But when faced with “good enough” vs. living solo, my gut told me what to do. And, after years of ignoring my intuition, I finally listened.  I had to let go of safe, in order to find epic.  Ané Auret Website:  https://aneauret.com/  Beauty Products: https://beautybyane.com/ Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

As most of you know, I wrote my book because I found so many self-help books for singles to be utterly UNhelpful! That being said, over the years, I did come across—thankfully!—several supportive and empowering books. In a few weeks we’ll be celebrating National Unmarried & Single Americans week so I thought we’d kick off September with a review of some of my fav books for living single. They got me through the tough times and to this day, I recommend them to anyone who asks for advice about dating, dealing with single shaming, or recovering from a breakup. I hope these books will be as helpful to you as they were to me! Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

For the last year, people have been asking me, “Have you watched Dopesick? Karin, you have to see it!” So, I subscribed to Hulu and started the series and also read the book on which the series is based. The true story is incredibly disturbing and tragic and heartbreaking. Author Beth Macy exposes how Purdue Pharma, the makers of Oxycontin, convinced doctors their patients had virtually no chance of becoming addicted to their new “wonder drug.” But, it wasn’t true. I knew some parts of this horrific story from reading Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opioid Epidemic and interviewing Dreamland’s author, Sam Quinones in episode 95 of the podcast. He connects the dots between prescription medications and heroin addiction. In Dopesick, we witness this play out in graphic detail. Most of you know, I’m no fan of Big Pharma. Of course, I’m thankful for medical advances which have saved millions of lives. But, as we’ve talked about in prior episodes, pharmaceutical corporations exist to make profits for their shareholders—or, in the case of Purdue Pharma, to increase a family’s fortune. We must take this reality into account when we consider pharma’s marketing and messaging—regarding psychiatric medications, of course. And, as Dopesick demonstrates—even when a doctor writes us a prescription for pain pills. If you doubt this, if you think maybe I’m a bit hyperbolic when it comes to all this pharma stuff, please listen to this episode! Beth Macy Website: https://intrepidpapergirl.com/  Dope Sick on HULU Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

It’s our 200th episode—time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed! My first thought is how grateful I am for the opportunity to share with you and our community. Your comments, emails, and dms mean everything to me. They let me know you resonate with Love & Life’s mission:  “Conversations grounded in psych research to help us thrive in love and life.” On Love & Life, we’re all about the research–which is why we’re so dismayed by the degeneration of science we’ve recently witnessed. In this episode, we discuss 3 cases of faulty science which have just come to light, starting with an umbrella study by Joanna Moncrieff and colleagues which finds no connection between depression and serotonin levels. Although many psychiatrists have doubted the “chemical imbalance” explanation of depression for years, pharmaceutical companies continue to promulgate this unsubstantiated theory because it has, obviously, greatly boosted sales of antidepressants. We examine two other instances of manipulated science including a shocking revelation that the last 16 years of Alzheimer’s research has been based on falsified brain images. And, the third example surrounds the bizarre and utterly unscientific response to the COVID pandemic over the last 2 ½ years. We look to science to help us explore and uncover truth. When findings are misrepresented, it shakes our confidence, but it also reminds us we need to be discerning and savvy when consuming information—even information coming from sources we once believed we could trust. What does all this mean for Love & Life? Ultimately, it reinforces our commitment to pushing back against Big Pharma and its efforts to medicalize our every emotion! I’m so grateful for your support over these last 200 episodes. Thank you SO MUCH for being a part of the Love & Life family! https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2021-067606 https://www.commonsense.news/p/tgif-debunked-edition Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R., Stocmann, T., Amendola, S., Hengartner, M., & Horowitz, M. (2022). The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Molecular Psychiatry. Whitaker, R. (2015). Anatomy of an Epidemic. Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

As many of you know, my book, Single is the New Black:  Don’t Wear White ‘til it’s Right, resulted from my experiences as a single woman who read all the other books for single women and found them, in my estimation, to be lacking. I resisted other books’ theses—that something must be inherently wrong with me and that’s why I was still single. Also, so many self-help books for single women morph into dating “how to’s.” Which, I was never a really big fan of dating do’s and don’ts because I believe we need to date as our authentic selves. Sure, we can—and should—present the very BEST version of our authentic selves. We absolutely want to date with confidence, emotional maturity, kindness, and mutual respect—for those we date and for ourselves. So, I wrote my own book about how to stay true to ourselves while dating, and how to manage the single shaming comments you likely hear from time to time. It’s a word of encouragement and empowerment and a reminder that you’re strong and courageous because–it’s easy to settle, but you’re not about that life! One of the single shaming comments I often heard was, “Karin, don’t you think maybe you’re too picky?” This comment drove me crazy. I know people meant well, but they clearly didn’t understand how insulting a comment like this is! Were they suggesting that everyone else gets to marry someone they’re crazy about, but since I’m over 35, now I need to just settle for someone mediocre? It was infuriating! So, I devoted a chapter in my book to the topic and it’s here for you in this week’s episode! For more of Single is the New Black, you can listen to chapter 1 and chapter 11 in episodes 90 and 145 of Love & Life or, grab your copy on Audible or iTunes. Dr. Karin Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/ Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook Instagram: @dr.karin Single is the New Black: Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes