In this powerful soul-to-soul session, Dr. Spirit returns with love, wisdom, and practical healing tools to help listeners navigate the highs and lows of life. From anxiety in therapy to dating at 66, dealing with difficult co-workers, and confronting perfectionism, this episode meets you wherever you are on your mental wellness journey. With heartfelt listener Q&As, Spirit guides the audience through burnout, identity, love, communication, and internalized pride—all while encouraging deeper self-awareness and radical self-care. If you’ve ever struggled to feel like yourself, feared being seen, or stayed too long in the wrong relationship, this episode will remind you that your healing matters—and so do you.

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – 04:00 | ✨ Body Check-In & Emotional Naming
04:00 – 06:30 | 💌 How to Submit Anonymous Questions + Access Therapy Support
06:30 – 10:50 | 💑 Dating at 66: Self-Sufficiency, Sexuality & Companionship
10:50 – 14:30 | 👀 Attraction & Honesty in Relationships
14:30 – 19:30 | 😰 Therapy Anxiety: Why We Show Up Differently in Session
19:30 – 23:40 | 💔 Am I Ready to Date After Divorce? Understanding Your Relationship Intentions
23:40 – 28:40 | 🧍‍♀️ Pride vs. Perfectionism: How Trauma Hides in High Standards
28:40 – 34:20 | 🧠 Working With Someone With Mental Health Challenges
34:20 – 40:10 | 💆‍♀️ Still Not Feeling Like Myself After Medical Leave—What Now?
40:10 – 44:30 | 💞 The Fear of Being Seen: Why You Struggle to Connect
44:30 – 49:20 | ⏳ How Long Should Therapy Last? Why Time Alone Doesn’t Heal
49:20 – 52:00 | 💥 The Role of Therapy: Relief vs. Transformation
52:00 – 56:30 | 🪞 When You're in a Relationship With an Unhealed Critic
56:30 – 59:30 | 🎓 Future Therapists in Therapy: Why It’s Essential
59:30 – 01:05:00 | 🧘🏾‍♀️ Final Reflections: Choose Healing. Choose You.

Follow Dr. Spirit:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/talk2spirit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talk2spirit
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talk2spirit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talk2spirit/

In this transformative episode of #FreeAdviceFriday, Dr. Spirit guides listeners through the complexities of emotional healing with deep empathy and clinical insight. She answers real-time questions about anxious attachment, people-pleasing, choosing emotionally unavailable partners, and how to know when you’re ready for love. With compassion and clarity, Spirit teaches how to turn inward, honor your boundaries, and disrupt destructive relationship cycles. From healing therapeutic breakups to navigating grief, breakups, and trauma, this episode offers grounded advice, raw truths, and a powerful call to reclaim your wholeness—no matter what life throws your way.

Whether you're trying to love yourself better, let go of toxic ties, or figure out how to stop attracting chaos, Spirit gives you tools to choose differently and heal deeply.

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – 04:00 | ✨ Welcome & Body Check-in – Honoring your emotions beyond “fine”
04:00 – 07:00 | ❤️ Compersion & Provision – Finding joy in helping others
07:00 – 10:30 | 📩 Live Listener Q&A – Attachment, therapy, and early wounds
10:30 – 14:00 | 🧠 Burnout & Depression – Root causes and recovery through rest
14:00 – 20:30 | 🚘 Analogy of the Car – What depletion really looks like
20:30 – 26:30 | 🌍 Cultural Pressures – Balancing identity and emotional needs
26:30 – 33:30 | 🛑 Friendship & Boundaries – Turning confusion into clarity
33:30 – 39:00 | 💬 Communication Blocks – Therapy as the mirror for healing
39:00 – 46:00 | 💔 Exes, Parents & Priorities – When emotional needs go unmet
46:00 – 52:30 | 🔥 Relationship Readiness – Redefining “the one” through self-work
52:30 – 58:00 | 🧠 Therapy Betrayal – Navigating abandonment by your therapist
58:00 – 01:03:00 | 💌 Final Words – Rest, reflection, and reclaiming your peace

Follow Dr. Spirit:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/talk2spirit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talk2spirit
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talk2spirit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talk2spirit/

In this heartfelt episode of #FreeAdviceFriday, Dr. Spirit offers deep soul-level healing and practical advice for managing burnout, overcoming depression, navigating cultural identity, setting boundaries, and healing from breakups. She passionately reminds listeners to check in with their bodies, not just their thoughts, and highlights the importance of rest, discernment, and self-honoring decisions. Whether you’re struggling with friendship conflicts, first-time heartbreak, or figuring out how to communicate better—this episode brings therapy to your soul with actionable insights and love.

00:00 – 04:00 ✨ Welcome & Body Check-in: Spirit opens with a wellness check and the importance of naming true emotions, not just conclusions like “fine” or “bad.”

04:00 – 07:00 ❤️ The Gift of Compersion & Provision: Spirit talks about how helping others helps her, and defines "compersion"—joy from others' joy.

07:00 – 10:30 📩 Listener Q&A Begins – Psychology & Media: Spirit shares her journey into media, healing, and merging cultural relevancy with therapy.

10:30 – 14:00 🧠 Burnout vs Depression: A masterclass on how to tell the difference, understand symptoms, and why recovery must include rest.

14:00 – 20:30 🛑 The Cost of Not Resting: Spirit uses powerful car analogies to explain depletion, burnout, and the absolute necessity of slowing down.

20:30 – 26:30 🌍 Culture, Conflict & Returning Home: Advice to a listener navigating cultural obligations vs. emotional needs while visiting family abroad.

26:30 – 33:30 🔍 Friendship, Boundaries & Clarity: Spirit guides a listener in transforming confusion into clarity and setting intention-based boundaries.

33:30 – 39:00 💬 Becoming a Better Communicator: Why therapy helps you unpack emotional blocks and become a more effective communicator.

39:00 – 46:00 💔 Processing Past Hurt & Reclaiming Voice: Spirit links emotional trauma to fear of speaking and guides healing through comparison to physical pain.

46:00 – 52:30 🔥 Flirting, First Moves & Feminine Power: A vibrant response to whether making the first move appears “desperate.” Spoiler: it’s about authenticity.

52:30 – 58:00 👵 Healing a Broken Heart – For Your Granddaughter: How to comfort a grieving teen and help her see this breakup as the floor—not the ceiling—of love.

58:00 – 01:07:30 🧠 When Therapy Plateaus: Spirit breaks down when to switch therapists, how to assess progress, and why therapy should always move you forward.

01:07:30 – End 💌 Closing Blessings: Spirit ends with love, reminders to rest, contact info, and her heartfelt commitment to community care.

Follow Dr. Spirit:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/talk2spirit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talk2spirit
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talk2spirit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talk2spirit/

📌 Episode Summary:
In this powerful and emotionally charged episode of #FreeAdviceFriday, Dr. Spirit welcomes listeners into a vulnerable and transformative space of growth, healing, and self-discovery. She opens with a grounding conversation about how we label our emotions and encourages a deeper awareness of what we're truly feeling.

Through heartfelt listener questions, Dr. Spirit explores the complexities of emotional boundaries, the pain of betrayal, and how to process life-changing experiences like therapy “hangovers.” She dives into what it means to live alone for the first time at 57, navigate narcissistic relationships, and determine true compatibility in love.

Her bold and empowering advice is filled with compassion, clinical wisdom, and unshakable realness. Whether you're recovering from relationship trauma, questioning your path, or preparing for a new life chapter, this episode offers clarity, support, and hope.

⏱️ Timestamps + Highlights

• [00:00:00] – Welcome & Check-In
  "I’m good" isn’t a feeling. Let’s explore what you’re really experiencing.

• [00:03:50] – The Emotional Range We Live In
  You don’t have to live in joy or sadness forever — learn to reset and move between emotions with awareness.

• [00:08:00] – Setting Boundaries with Loved Ones
  What do we owe emotionally to those we love? Advice on guilt, boundaries, and honoring your own emotional safety.

• [00:15:40] – What is a Therapy or Vulnerability Hangover?
  Why deep emotional work can leave you exhausted — and why that’s a good sign that healing is happening.

• [00:24:20] – Starting Over at 57: Living Alone for the First Time
  Fear of the unknown is natural. But what if the best chapter of your life is just beginning?

• [00:32:10] – Betrayed by a Partner Who Had a Secret Baby
  Processing the pain of betrayal, defining your non-negotiables, and protecting your peace while co-parenting.

• [00:43:10] – Compatibility vs. Chemistry
  Are you two truly aligned, or are you forcing a fit? Understanding the blueprint for a lasting relationship.

• [00:56:30] – The Residual Impact of Narcissistic Personality Disorder
  How being in relationship with a narcissist affects your mental health, and how to recover from it.

• [01:05:20] – Why Some Men Expect Women to Stay After Infidelity
  Unpacking trauma, double standards, and why emotional processing isn’t optional for real healing.

• [01:16:00] – Closing Thoughts + Big News
  A call for new clinicians, and the announcement of a $200,000 grant to support mental health access in Atlanta.

✨ Episode Takeaways:

• Boundaries protect your peace — not everyone deserves access to your emotions.
• Therapy that “hurts” is often working — give yourself space to integrate the transformation.
• You’re never too old to start over — and never too young to walk away from what no longer serves you.
• Narcissistic abuse is real and leaves residue. Healing is possible — and necessary.
• Your relationship should feel like a home, not a battleground.
• Legacy is built in how we choose to care for ourselves and others, every day.

Follow Dr. Spirit:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/talk2spirit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talk2spirit
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talk2spirit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talk2spirit/

In this insightful episode of #FreeAdviceFriday, Dr. Spirit tackles a wide range of topics centered around mental health, relationships, trauma, and personal growth. She opens with a grounding reflection on resilience and self-care, emphasizing the importance of therapy, breathwork, and holistic wellness.

Throughout the episode, she provides in-depth advice on:

• Recognizing and managing anxiety and trauma responses
• Setting healthy boundaries with toxic family members
• Navigating romantic relationships, including dating lulls and long-term compatibility
• Understanding attachment styles and their impact on relationships
• Using therapy as preventative care rather than a crisis tool
• Handling friendship loss and social isolation
• How to tell when a relationship is no longer serving you

Listeners engage with real-life questions, from navigating generational trauma to the importance of self-worth in relationships. Dr. Spirit offers powerful insights and practical strategies to heal, grow, and build fulfilling connections.

• [00:00:00] – Opening reflection: The importance of resilience and finding joy in small victories
• [00:02:00] – The power of deep breathing and recognizing when your nervous system is dysregulated
• [00:05:00] – Engaging in therapy and holistic wellness beyond just talk therapy
• [00:07:00] – Dear Spirit: Managing mental wellness when dealing with toxic family members
• [00:11:00] – Setting boundaries with elderly loved ones while maintaining respect
• [00:12:00] – Navigating dating lulls and assessing compatibility in relationships
• [00:16:00] – Avoiding the mistake of treating dating like a marriage
• [00:17:30] – Breaking the habit of only going to therapy in times of crisis
• [00:22:00] – The importance of preventative mental health care
• [00:23:00] – Dealing with friendship loss and feelings of social inadequacy
• [00:28:00] – Healing intergenerational trauma and setting clear boundaries in family dynamics
• [00:35:00] – Understanding anxious and avoidant attachment styles in relationships
• [00:47:00] – Designing a structured relationship plan with your partner
• [00:53:00] – How to know when a relationship is no longer for you
• [00:58:00] – Managing trauma triggers when people don’t keep their promises
• [01:06:00] – Closing thoughts: Prioritizing your mental health and accessing support

Follow Dr. Spirit:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/talk2spirit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talk2spirit
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talk2spirit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talk2spirit/

In this episode of #FreeAdviceFriday, Dr. Spirit invites listeners to check in with themselves, offering guidance on emotional self-awareness and managing overwhelming feelings. She addresses anonymous questions on relationships, career growth, parenting, personal identity, and boundaries. Discussions include navigating dating after divorce, turning down a promotion without seeming unambitious, preparing teens for responsible decision-making, handling non-exclusive relationships, and overcoming childhood colorism trauma. Dr. Spirit also shares insights on high school application stress, accessing mental health support, and empowering children with healthy expectations in relationships.

[00:00:00] Opening & Emotional Check-In

• Encouragement to reflect on emotions
• Recognizing where feelings manifest in the body
• Understanding how to shift from negative emotions

[00:05:50] Dear Spirit: Dating After Divorce & Feeling a Void

• Increasing social engagement to find meaningful relationships
• Avoiding the trap of waiting for love rather than living fully
• Building a fulfilling life independent of a partner

[00:11:00] Career Dilemma: Declining a Promotion Without Seeming Weak

• Understanding the root cause of career stress
• Reframing a leadership decision as strength
• Negotiating job responsibilities to maintain balance

[00:16:30] Navigating Self-Discovery After a Long-Term Relationship

• Learning to listen to oneself and internal thoughts
• Dating yourself and rediscovering interests
• The role of therapy in post-relationship healing

[00:20:50] Parenting: Supporting a Teen's Curiosity About Substances

• Educating teens on safe and informed decisions
• Understanding modern drug risks, especially marijuana potency
• Setting up harm reduction and safety plans

[00:26:30] Facing Divorce & The Fear of Starting Over

• Recognizing when a marriage is no longer salvageable
• Planning an amicable exit strategy
• Utilizing therapy for smoother transitions

[00:29:50] Oversharing in Relationships: Is It a Trauma Response?

• Differentiating between transparency and oversharing
• Understanding personal expectations in relationships
• Identifying past experiences that drive communication styles

[00:38:00] Managing Stress in High School Applications

• Overcoming documentation barriers when one parent is uncooperative
• Strategies for appealing school requirements
• Finding alternative solutions for admissions

[00:44:00] Seeking Free Therapy & Early Autism Diagnosis for a Child

• Exploring employee assistance programs (EAPs) for free therapy
• Identifying community mental health resources
• Pushing for an early autism evaluation despite delays

[00:49:10] Expressing Emotions & Being Heard in a Non-Exclusive Relationship

• Identifying the root cause of communication frustrations
• Setting boundaries and expectations in open relationships
• Using therapy to strengthen relational dynamics

[00:55:50] Healing from Childhood Colorism Trauma

• Unlearning internalized negative narratives
• Recognizing societal influences on self-worth
• Integrating self-love practices

[01:00:50] Teaching Children Healthy Expectations in Relationships

• The dangers of teaching kids to expect nothing from others
• Setting boundaries to prevent exploitation
• Encouraging emotional intelligence and self-worth

[01:07:30] Closing Remarks & Podcast Availability

• Encouragement to set personal expectations for self-care
• Contact details for support and questions
• Announcement that #FreeAdviceFriday is now available as a podcast

Follow Dr. Spirit:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/talk2spirit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talk2spirit
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talk2spirit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talk2spirit/

In this engaging and insightful first episode of #FreeAdviceFriday, renowned psychotherapist Dr. Spirit is joined by therapists Jon Diggs and Lydia Johnson to provide real, unfiltered advice on relationships, mental health, and personal growth. Listeners submit their questions, and the panel tackles tough topics such as trust issues in relationships, setting boundaries, overcoming personal struggles, and breaking free from toxic patterns.

From dating dilemmas to the impact of addiction on relationships, this episode offers valuable perspectives on healing and self-improvement. Whether you're struggling with a toxic partner, navigating single parenthood, or trying to understand why you keep attracting the same relationship patterns, this episode is full of wisdom, tough love, and humor.

Tune in for candid conversations, therapeutic insights, and real-life advice that can help you transform your relationships and mindset.

🎧 Topics Covered & Timestamps:

• [00:00:00] Introduction & Technical Difficulties
• [00:00:30] Welcome to Free Advice Fridays – Meet the Therapists
• [00:02:40] How to Choose the Right Therapist
• [00:05:20] Relationship Red Flags: What to Do When a Partner Lies Early On
• [00:09:10] Boundaries & Trust: Is It Okay for Someone to Show Up Unannounced?
• [00:11:00] Breaking Up with a Spouse for an Ex – The Right Way to Handle It
• [00:14:30] Finding Yourself & Overcoming Past Trauma
• [00:19:10] When a Partner Moves in with Their Ex – What Now?
• [00:25:50] How to Leave a Toxic Relationship with an Addicted Partner
• [00:36:20] The Reality of Emotional Dependency & Why You Stay Too Long
• [00:44:20] The Cycle of Choosing the Wrong Partners – Understanding Relationship Patterns
• [00:52:40] Why Men Struggle with Vulnerability in Relationships
• [00:54:30] Creating Safe Spaces for Open Communication in Relationships
• [00:55:10] Closing Thoughts & Encouragement

Follow Dr. Spirit:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/talk2spirit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talk2spirit
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talk2spirit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talk2spirit/