Heather discusses how she discovered the #1 Rule to a Healthy, Successful Relationship, how she uses that rule to achieve personal fulfillment, and how you can use that rule to achieve personal fulfillment.

Heather discusses what it means to have a boundary, the two main types of boundaries, how boundaries are violated, and how to establish healthy boundaries. UPDATE: It is also important to take responsibility for your emotions...I forgot to mention that.

Heather describes the narcissistic boyfriend who changed her perspective on dating from naïveté to discernment.

Heather defines ‘roadmap’ and applies the concept as a personal success strategy for psychology-based healing. Heather also explains ‘roadmap’ in terms of her own journey. ........Ideas to Research: Erik Erickson - Psychosocial Stages of Development; William Glasser - Choice Theory; Abraham Maslow - Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid; and Stoicism

Guest-host, Michal Lehman, and me, Heather Blackwell, discuss a.) why people feel pressured to get married b.) the benefits of single life c.) what it means to “self-date“. If you would like to join the conversation, check out Michal’s IG @mblwrites *HEADS-UP: This episode has a couple of five second pauses.

Heather discusses how people who desire positive life change can overcome common obstacles related to fear, anxiety, and alienation as it relates to change. Heather also discusses how to choose the right mental health counselor fit for you.

Heather discusses her first dating encounter after a two-year hiatus from dating. Key points of this segment are narcissistic behavioral red flags, progression from codependent to independent, and do/don't dating behaviors. (Please share with your network or leave a 5 Star Review!). Correction: Natasha Sattler’s book “Shit Adults Never ‘Taught’ Us” is available now!

Special Thanks to Paul Simard, IG Compatriot and Men’s Mental Health Advocate, for inspiring me to speak on this topic. Check out Paul’s IG @paul_sim17 ..... Heather explores the ideas of psychological brokenness, the effects of child abuse and cortisol on the brain and body, behavioral modification, and factors for psychological healing. Also, the psych-based therapeutic modalities cited are CBT, REBT, DBT, and MBTI. Links to read are: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3548359/ ....... Lara Boyd and Neural Plasticity ...... https://youtu.be/LNHBMFCzznE ...... https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-cortisol ...... http://howtopreventalzheimers.com/chronically-elevated-cortisol-kills-brain-cells/ ........ https://www.livescience.com/18453-child-abuse-brain.html ..... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3548359/

Heather discusses the definition and origin of Psychological Trauma-related Hypervigilance PTrH (a key factor in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)), emotions related to PTrH, behaviors related to PTrH, and therapeutic PTrH-reduction techniques. Also, special thanks to my Instagram Compatriot, Cesca, for suggesting this podcast topic. Check out Cesca’s motivational IG @beauty_and_the_dark ......... If you find value in this podcast, please consider leaving a Thousand First Dates review at Apple podcast, and please consider sharing my Thousand First Dates content with your social network. Thank you for your support.

Heather and guest-host, Jeff Meltzer, discuss the origin of and distinction between personality disorders, as well as the idea of codependency. Correction: In the podcast, I say “Episode 12”, but it’s actually episode 14. And the end part got cut-off, but Saturday will be an episode about covert narcissism.

Heather discusses a term — first identified by Eric Berne — called “Ego States”. Eric Berne wrote a book called “Games People Play.” Heather discusses how ego states affect your personality, your independence, and your relationships. Heather discusses how you can use ego states to develop your self-identity, your self-confidence, your inner peace, and your leadership ability. (If you value my podcast, please share with your network, and PLEASE consider leaving me a 5-Star Review via Apple podcast! : )

Please share this podcast with your network and leave an Apple podcast Five-Star review! ....... James and Heather discuss how they each overcame personal struggles using life-coping strategies related to self-esteem, self-image, and goal-setting. Check James out on Instagram @realjpmentality ... James recommends two books for self-improvement, which are "How Successful People Think" by John C. Maxwell and "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. Additional book recommendations are "Failing Forward" by John C. Maxwell and "The Speed of Trust" by Stephen M. R. Covey. Also, for those struggling with codependent behavioral tendencies, check out "Codependent No More" by Melodie Beattie.

Natasha guest-hosts with Heather to discuss Natasha's new book, "Shit Adults Never Taught Us". Natasha discusses topics from her book from  'saving for early retirement' to 'managing anxiety' to 'managing expectations'. Find Natasha on Instagram @shitadultsnevertaughtus (Please share with your network or leave a 5 Star Review!)

Heather describes her dating experience with a man challenged with identity diffusion. Heather also discusses alcoholism, substance abuse, and codependency. (Please share with your network or leave a 5 Star Review!)

Krystal and Heather discuss dating disasters related to narcissism, codependency, and what they learned in terms of self-worth and self-love. (Please share with your network or leave a 5 Star Review!)

(Explicit-Content) Heather discusses dating red flags in terms of both personality clashes and maladaptive behavior to include personal experiences. Also, take your free personality assessment at https://www.16personalities.com/ (Please share with your network or leave a 5 Star Review!)

Heather discusses a.) how childhood abuse created psychological obstacles that impacted her ability to achieve success as an adult b.) how to remove those obstacles by reparenting with the goal of creating a cohesive self-identity. (Please share with your network or leave a 5 Star Review!)

Do you secretly feel unlovable? Do you compare your worth to the worth of others? Heather and Jeff discuss empowerment techniques designed to create unconditional acceptance using the cognitive behavioral therapeutic approach. To enlist Jeff's counseling services for adolescents or parent-training, Jeff Meltzer can be contacted at drquintal.com or find his Instagram @therapy.jm (Please share with your network or leave a 5 Star Review!)

Heather discusses how listeners can resolve past traumatic events in order to have successful, positive relationships. Topics discussed are therapeutic healing techniques to resolve emotional trauma and toxic behaviors to look out for. (Please share with your network or leave a 5 Star Review!)

Heather discusses her motivation for going on 1000+ dates. (Please share with your network or leave a 5 Star Review!)