On this final episode of Season 1, Cali and Katie answer some of the questions that you sent in. We also kept it very candid by not cutting out some of the excess dialogue to keep it loose and fun for the last episode of the season. Thank you so much for listening and we can't thank you enough for your support.
In this episode, Cali and Katie reflect on their podcast journey and discuss the stigma behind OCD and anxiety. They debunk misconceptions and share personal experiences to educate listeners. They also address the difference between OCD and generalized anxiety disorder, emphasizing the importance of accurate diagnosis and treatment. The episode ends with a message of hope and encouragement to share personal experiences to create awareness and support others.
In this episode, Katie and Cali discuss the topic of uncertainty and its role in OCD. They explain what uncertainty means and provide examples of living with uncertainty. They emphasize the importance of embracing uncertainty and how it can lead to progress and freedom. They also share their personal experiences of navigating uncertainty in their own OCD journeys. The conversation highlights the need to differentiate between accepting uncertainty and accepting the scary thoughts as true. They discuss the challenges they faced in their early treatment days and how their understanding of uncertainty has evolved over time. They also touch on the concept of moral injury and the empathy it has cultivated in them. Overall, the episode explores the transformative power of embracing uncertainty and the resilience that comes from navigating it.
Ericka Graham, a mother, co-founder of Project 88 and preacher at Ecclesia Houston, join Katie and Cali to discuss the intricacies of parenting. They dive into how the mental health journey in parenthood can be both terrifying, yet beautiful at the same time. As parents, the goal isn't to show children how to be perfect, but instead how to work through and embrace the imperfections as fuel towards resilience.
In this episode, Katie and Cali discuss the feeling of being overwhelmed and how it relates to anxiety and intrusive thoughts. They share personal experiences and analogies to illustrate the importance of not giving too much energy to intrusive thoughts and allowing them to just be. They emphasize the need to focus on behavior change and lean into discomfort in order to move forward and live a fulfilling life.
In this episode, Cali and Katie discuss their struggles with comparison, body image, and perfectionism. Along with personal stories of how they have worked through these challenges and offer insights on building confidence and self-worth, they emphasize the importance of embracing one's unique body and focusing on values rather than external appearance. They discuss the role of resilience and the power of reframing negative thoughts. Overall, the episode provides valuable takeaways on navigating body image issues and finding balance in self-perception.
When life makes us anxious, we often respond with urgency. We don't like feeling discomfort and so we do everything in our power to feel immediate comfort again. However, the message we send to our brain any time we try to get rid of anxiety is that we cannot handle the discomfort it brings! Instead, we should get comfortable being uncomfortable! In this episode, Katie and Cali discuss ways to build distress tolerance without feeding anxiety exactly what it wants. Tune in now!
Cali and Katie have their husbands as guests this week, Tyler, and Ethan. They discuss how anxiety can impact relationships. They discuss the importance of open and honest communication, seeking outside support, and understanding each other's needs. The conversation highlights the need for grace, patience, and understanding in relationships affected by anxiety. The participants also share personal anecdotes and insights into how anxiety has made their relationships stronger. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of accepting and supporting each other through the ups and downs of mental health challenges.
n this conversation, Cali and Katie discuss their personal experiences with anxiety, OCD, and body image. They explore the unhealthy coping mechanisms and the concept of comparison that often accompany these struggles. They emphasize the importance of reframing thoughts, working through guilt and shame, and embracing self-compassion. They also discuss the role of exposure therapy and the need to find joy and fulfillment in activities beyond the ones that trigger anxiety. Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of self-acceptance and finding beauty in uniqueness.
We often label success as moments we handle somewhat perfectly. For example, “I succeeded because I had a great day” or “I was successful because I didn’t feel anxious”. We forget that the majority of our growth happens when things don’t actually go perfectly. We learn and grow when we face unexpected turns and persevere anyways. In this episode, Katie and Cali redefine what it means to have success when living a life staying ahead of anxiety. They discuss how shifting one’s perspective on what it means to succeed actually make
Hillary McBride once said “We heal when we can be with what we feel.” We often avoid tough feelings because that seems like the easiest path to take. What we don’t realize is that when we avoid it, we miss out on the sweet stuff, too. Doing the hard work and facing/ feeling things head on allows us to fully be… with loved ones… with our thoughts… and with all the things that matter most.
In this episode, Katie and Cali discuss what letting anxiety win can do to negatively impact our personal lives. They share personal experiences and examples of times when they could have let anxiety win but chose to step forward towards their values instead. They emphasize the importance of not letting anxiety dictate life decisions and the power of facing fears. The conversation highlights the journey of recovery and the possibility of living a fulfilling life despite anxiety. They encourage listeners to take one step at a time and embrace uncertainty.
If we let it, anxiety will attack our character making it challenging to trust ourselves or see ourselves for who we are. In this episode, Katie and Cali discuss the importance of moving away from certainty in order to obtain freedom and clarity. The more we try to convince ourselves that we are not our OCD or "I am a good person", the more we feel like we aren't. The freedom comes from choosing to move forward anyways without the certainty. We get clarity by taking the risk to live our lives instead of fulfilling the desires of anxiety.
This week the girls give a recap on their girls weekend in Atlanta. They talk about traveling with OCD and anxieties, learning to go with the flow and trying to remember that things don’t have to always be perfect. They also discuss the ins and outs of dealing with scrupulosity and reassurance seeking.
*Emetophobia Warning Episode*
On this week’s episode of Obsessions and Confessions Cali and Katie discuss navigating the unexpected turns life can take with OCD.
They discuss getting sick on a cruise ship, finding skeletons in San Antonio, becoming an international fugitive and Wilson disappearing never to be seen again.
Anxiety disorders can come in an array of different shapes and sizes. OCD, specifically, leads to unwanted thoughts and compulsions performed in an attempt to relieve anxiety from distress caused by the thought. People without OCD often describe it incorrectly - labeling it as someone with type A personality. In reality, it is a chronic and debilitating disorder when left untreated. Education of the different OCD subtypes helps prevent stigma and raise awareness. In this episode, Katie and Cali debunk stigma and talk about the taboo subtypes of OCD such as harm OCD and sexual intrusive thoughts. Even if you are familiar with these subtypes, we can guarantee you will learn a thing or two from this episode you didn’t already know. So tune in!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=prN6_Lt1VZg&pp=ygUTTWFyayBmcmVlbWFuIGJhbmFuYQ%3D%3D
On this episode Katie and Cali discuss the value running plays in both of their lives, both figuratively and physically. They discuss what “Running Towards Your Values” looks like and how even though they can still get tripped up by their own anxious thoughts, they make the conscious choice to keep “running” forward. Whether you are a runner, a hobby jogger, or hate exercise, these takeaways are applicable to anyone that has tried to avoid feeling anxious. So don’t miss it!
Welcome to Obsessions and Confessions!
Welcome to Obsessions and Confessions! In this episode Katie and Cali discuss the origins of wanting to create a podcast, and share their stories from when they were younger living with OCD to getting answers and being diagnosed with OCD. It ends with some great back and forth questions to get to know some of the dreams, pet peeves and other fun facts about them. Thank you for being here for the beginning of this exciting first chapter, where they unveil the struggles that can become strengths with evidence based treatment, community, and lots of laughs!