In this deeply personal and enlightening episode of the OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova sits down with Crystal Propes—a wife, mother of three, and passionate mental health advocate. Crystal shares her lifelong experience with emetophobia (fear of vomiting), OCD, ADHD, and PTSD, offering a raw and honest look at what it’s like to live with intersecting conditions—and how healing is possible. Crystal opens up about the early onset of emetophobia and how it later intertwined with health...
Jul 01, 2025•22 min•Ep. 140
Living with OCD isn’t just about managing anxiety—it’s about reclaiming your life through your values. In this powerful episode of the OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova welcomes OCD therapist Lennon Jones, founder of Golden Hour OCD and Anxiety, to explore how personal values bring clarity, purpose, and resilience to Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy. ERP, first line treatment for OCD treatment, can often feel grueling, especially when it’s reduced to simply "sitting with ...
Jun 24, 2025•28 min•Ep. 139
🧠 Episode Summary: Struggling with feeling ugly, ashamed, or alone? In this episode, Dr. Sony Khemlani-Patel shares insights from 25+ years of treating OCD and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). Discover how BDD affects self-worth, why it’s often misunderstood, and what real recovery looks like. 🔍 What You’ll Learn: • How Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) differs from body image issues and eating disorders • Why people with BDD often suffer in silence—and what keeps them from speaking up • The impac...
Jun 10, 2025•24 min•Ep. 138
🧠 Episode Summary: What if your own mind was the biggest mystery you ever had to solve? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova sits down with writer and director Dillon Tucker, creator of the narrative feature film PURE O. Diagnosed with OCD himself, Dillon shares how the chaos, fear, and obsessive spirals of his own mind became the raw material for a deeply personal and groundbreaking movie. Together, they explore the power of storytelling to humanize OCD, break stigma, ...
Jun 03, 2025•23 min•Ep. 137
Episode Summary: Do you feel trapped in endless loops of “what if”? Like your brain is constantly playing out worst-case scenarios, you can’t prove, but can’t ignore either? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Frederick Aardema, clinical psychologist, OCD researcher, and co-creator of Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT). Together, we unpack how faulty reasoning and imagination, not just intrusive thoughts, drive OCD. Dr. Aardema shares how ICBT offers ...
May 27, 2025•32 min•Ep. 136
🧠 Episode Summary: In this podcast episode, two close friends delve into a journey of battling OCD, confronting alcohol dependency, and the transformative power of support. They discuss the daily challenges of living with obsessive-compulsive disorder, the spiral into substance use, and how a steadfast friendship became the cornerstone of recovery. 🔍 What You’ll Learn: The difference between mental compulsions and real problem-solving Response prevention and OCD limits Strategies that helped m...
May 20, 2025•24 min•Ep. 135
You wash your hands… but did you really get them clean? You wiped down the package… but what if something invisible is still there? You tell yourself it’s fine, yet your brain won’t let it go. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In this episode of the OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova welcomes back Mike Parker, licensed clinical social worker and creator of the OCD Space YouTube channel, to explore the obsessive doubt that drives contamination fears—and the path out of its grip. Toge...
Apr 29, 2025•26 min•Ep. 134
There’s a quiet tension in love when you live with OCD—an unshakable feeling that something’s off, followed by crushing doubt: Is this real, or is it just my disorder? You learn to second-guess yourself, to dismiss your instincts, to stay in places that feel unsafe because your brain tells you fear is always a lie. But what if it isn’t? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova talks with marine biologist, Antarctic researcher, and Braving the Waves author Ally Kristan a...
Apr 15, 2025•34 min•Ep. 133
In this riveting episode of the OCD Whisperer podcast, host Kristina Orlova sits down with Mike Parker, a licensed clinical social worker and the creator of the popular YouTube channel OCD Space. Together, they embark on a deep dive into the world of OCD and the transformative power of Inference based cognitive-behavioral therapy (ICBT). But what happens when doubt becomes the driving force behind every thought? And how can someone trapped in the cycle of obsessional doubt ever learn to trust th...
Apr 01, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 132
Imagine struggling with intrusive thoughts that feel unbearable, unshakable, and all-consuming. You try to fight them, suppress them, or rationalize them away, only to find that they persist, growing stronger with every attempt to resist. But what if the key to managing OCD wasn’t in pushing these thoughts away, but rather in changing your relationship with them? In this thought-provoking episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova, LMFT, welcomes Naomi Matlow, a writer, educator,...
Mar 18, 2025•27 min•Ep. 131
Imagine this: A bright, capable adult, full of potential, yet paralyzed by the invisible grip of OCD. They live at home, rely on their parents for everything, and seem unable to take the first step toward independence. The parents, heartbroken and exhausted, wonder, “Where did we go wrong? How do we help without hurting?” It’s a delicate dance, a tightrope walk between support and enabling, between love and letting go. In this compelling episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova...
Mar 04, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 130
How well do we really understand the full spectrum of OCD? Many people—including professionals—struggle to recognize the various ways OCD can manifest beyond the commonly known themes. In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova welcomes Dr. Kimberly Glazier Leonte, PhD and Dr. Jacquelin Gouniai, PsyD, LPC, co-founders of The OCD Academy. They introduce the OCD Awareness Scale, a new tool designed to bridge the gap in OCD education by providing a more comprehensive look at...
Feb 18, 2025•27 min•Ep. 129
Many people struggle to speak up about their mental health needs, even when their treatment isn’t working. Why does self-advocacy feel so daunting? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova welcomes Jonathan Teller, a third-year clinical psychology PhD student at Northern Illinois University. Together, they explore the challenges of self-advocacy in healthcare and why it’s such an important skill for navigating mental health treatment. Jonathan shares thoughtful insights...
Feb 04, 2025•26 min•Ep. 128
Did you know that many people with OCD still turn to medication as a first option, even though psychotherapy could be just as effective, if not more so? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina is joined by Dr. Amy Huberman, a psychiatrist specializing in OCD, anxiety, and trauma. Dr. Huberman discusses her journey from prescribing medication to focusing solely on psychotherapy as a way to treat OCD. In their conversation, Dr. Huberman shares how her initial belief in the nece...
Jan 21, 2025•25 min•Ep. 127
Ever had a moment where you felt like something bad would happen unless you did a specific thing—like touching a door handle just right or counting to a certain number? Now imagine that feeling controlling your every action, from the smallest decisions to the biggest ones. This is what life is like for those with magical thinking OCD. But how can you tell the difference between these intense fears and harmless superstitions? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina sits down w...
Jan 07, 2025•29 min•Ep. 126
What if the secret to overcoming OCD and mental health challenges isn’t just about managing symptoms, but truly understanding the whole person—mind, body, and spirit? Can therapy that treats us as a complete individual really lead to healing? Ever considered the role psychedelics, like ketamine, could play in mental health care? Or maybe a holistic approach to therapy is the game-changer you’ve been looking for but didn’t know you needed? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we’re excit...
Dec 17, 2024•28 min•Ep. 125
When we think about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), common themes like contamination fears or checking rituals often come to mind. However, there is another form of OCD—"Just Right OCD"—which centers on achieving an elusive sense of balance or correctness. In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, host Kristina Orlova sits down with Andrew Cohen, a licensed marriage and family therapist and OCD specialist, to explore the nuanced experience of Just Right OCD. Andrew draws from both his p...
Dec 03, 2024•34 min•Ep. 124
When we think about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), our minds often go straight to the difficulties it brings—the obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions that can disrupt daily life. But what if there’s a side of OCD that’s rarely discussed, one that offers unique strengths? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Dr. Michael Alcée, a clinical psychologist and mental health educator at the Manhattan School of Music, helps us rethink our view of OCD. Through insights from his forthco...
Nov 19, 2024•28 min•Ep. 123
Have you ever struggled with feelings of guilt, shame, or an overwhelming need to "do the right thing"? For individuals experiencing moral scrupulosity, a subset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), this focus on morality can become a debilitating cycle of self-doubt and fixation on being a "good person." In this episode, host Kristina Orlova welcomes Dr. Rachel LaFleur, a licensed psychologist specializing in OCD and telehealth services, to explore this often misunderstood OCD theme. Togethe...
Nov 05, 2024•23 min•Ep. 122
Are you aware that the struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and eating disorders often go hand in hand, creating a complex web of challenges for those affected? Imagine grappling with the relentless pressure to control your environment while simultaneously battling intense fears surrounding food and body image. How does this intricate interplay shape the experiences of individuals living with these conditions? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we sit down with Elian Beat...
Oct 15, 2024•17 min•Ep. 121
Have you ever had thoughts so disturbing they make you doubt yourself? Pedophilia OCD (POCD) can bring intrusive fears that aren’t reflective of who you are—so let’s clear the air: having POCD isn’t the same as having pedophilia. Curious how this all works and how you can break free from its grip? In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Rachel Tombaugh, a psychotherapist who specializes in OCD and anxiety. Today, we discuss the complexities of Pedophilia OCD (POC...
Oct 01, 2024•23 min•Ep. 120
People with OCD often feel trapped by strict rules in their daily lives. These unwritten rules might mean always trying to control their thoughts, constantly seeking certainty, seeing anxiety as a sign of immediate danger, feeling personally responsible for preventing harm, analyzing every thought meticulously, striving for perfection in everything, and keeping their struggle with OCD hidden from others. In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Kim Rockwell Evans, a ...
Jul 23, 2024•29 min•Ep. 119
Is it possible that the meticulous and often relentless nature of OCD could fuel the creative genius behind some of the most iconic music in the industry? In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Tyler Falcoa, an indie pop artist, music producer, and mixed engineer, discusses the intricate relationship between creativity and obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD). Tyler, who has managed OCD since the age of ten, shares his journey, coping mechanisms, and the impact of OCD on his creative pr...
Jul 09, 2024•23 min•Ep. 118
Have you ever considered the impact of accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and community advocacy on the well-being of individuals struggling with mental health conditions such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder (DPDR)? Understanding the significance of these factors can make a profound difference in the lives of those grappling with these conditions. In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we are joined by Elysse Lescarbeau, known a...
Jun 25, 2024•23 min•Ep. 117
Parenting can be really hard when your child is dealing with anxiety or OCD. Ever stayed up late worrying about them? It feels like a big, confusing maze, doesn't it? But don't worry, you're not alone. In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we are thrilled to sit down with Dr. Stephen Whiteside, a renowned clinical psychologist and a beacon of hope for families grappling with childhood anxiety and OCD. During the conversation we talk about his book "Anxiety Coach" and his specialized a...
Jun 11, 2024•24 min•Ep. 116
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a loved one - your sister, brother, or daughter - battling with intrusive thoughts and engaging in relentless rituals due to OCD? How can families effectively provide the necessary support to help them navigate OCD's grip on their daily lives? In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we have the pleasure of conversing with an extraordinary young author, Ella Kim, whose personal story and literary contributions are making waves in the w...
May 28, 2024•19 min•Ep. 115
Imagine this: your ten-year-old son is diagnosed with OCD, and you witness the daily struggles he faces. Through the transformative power of proper treatment, you see him begin to thrive. Yet, in a world where many are lost and unsure how to find resources, access care, or even recognize the signs, you're compelled to take action. In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we sit down with Kim Vincenty. Kim is a remarkable woman whose personal experience with OCD has led her to become a st...
May 14, 2024•22 min•Ep. 114
Can you imagine a nightly battle where the battleground isn't just your bed, but your own mind? Welcome to the sleepless world of individuals wrestling with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), where intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and the haunting spectre of false memories turn the quest for rest into a Herculean task. In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we sit down with mental health counsellor Alnardo Martinez to discuss the difficulties people with OCD encounter when trying to ...
Apr 30, 2024•21 min•Ep. 113
Have you ever considered the profound impact of justice-oriented treatment in the context of OCD, particularly when it intersects with sensitive issues like race-based OCD? How do we create an environment where individuals, especially those from BIPOC communities, feel safe to openly discuss their fears and intrusive thoughts without the burden of judgment or dismissiveness? In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we are delighted to welcome Bianca Simmons and Erin Nghe from ERP Kaleido...
Apr 16, 2024•27 min•Ep. 112
In a society that is gradually breaking down the barriers surrounding mental health, it's disheartening to witness the lingering shadows of stigma that continue to hinder progress. Marginalized communities often struggle to access support and treatment for OCD despite the fact that it affects people from all walks of life. In today’s episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, we are excited to speak with Alexandra Reynolds, a mental health graduate student and IOCDF Advocate. During our conversation,...
Apr 01, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 111
