Send us a text Can one relationship meet all your needs? In this eye-opening episode of Therapist Unplugged , married couple Leland and McKenzie share how their connection evolved from a casual Tinder hookup to a deeply committed polyamorous marriage. With raw honesty and humor, they explore what it takes to build trust, communicate openly, and challenge traditional relationship norms. From navigating jealousy to redefining intimacy, their story is full of insights for anyone curious about ethic...
May 29, 2025•53 min
Send us a text When was the last time you had an honest conversation about sex after 60? In this episode of Therapist Unplugged , host Laurie Poole is joined by sex therapist Edita Ruzgyte for a candid look at aging, desire, and intimacy in later life. They challenge the idea that good sex requires a perfect body and explore how deeper emotional connection can lead to more fulfilling sexual experiences as we grow older. You’ll hear: How to talk about sex and boundaries—at any age What changing b...
May 15, 2025•56 min
Send us a text Ready to reset your nervous system? In this calming episode, therapist Laurie Poole leads you through a guided Progressive Relaxation practice designed to release physical tension, quiet your mind, and bring your body back to a state of balance. Progressive Relaxation is a simple yet powerful technique that helps reduce stress, improve sleep, and build long-term emotional resilience. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or just need a moment to breathe—this session is yo...
May 15, 2025•9 min
Send us a text Feeling overwhelmed? Press play and pause the chaos. In this brief but powerful guided meditation, therapist Laurie Poole walks you through a calming mental reset—designed to help you relax your body, quiet your thoughts, and reconnect with the present moment. Whether you're new to meditation or just need a quick reset, this practice offers a gentle invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and return to yourself. Meditation can help: Reduce stress and anxiety Increase emotional aw...
May 15, 2025•16 min
Send us a text What happens when two therapists get real about men in therapy? This candid conversation delivers profound insights about why men struggle with emotions and how therapy can create transformative spaces for authentic expression. Therapists Laurie Poole and Rhett Smith explore how boys receive messages as early as age five that emotions aren't safe to express, creating lifelong patterns that emerge in relationships and personal identity. They candidly discuss the challenges men face...
Apr 02, 2025•53 min
Send us a text What if the key to mental well-being starts in your gut? In this episode, holistic nutrition consultant Morgan Lewis shares her journey from debilitating stomach pain to discovering the powerful link between digestion and mental health. We explore how 90% of serotonin—the "happy hormone"—is produced in the gut, why the vagus nerve plays a crucial role in stress resilience, and how small changes in diet and lifestyle can transform your energy and mood in just days. Morgan also shed...
Mar 19, 2025•38 min
Send us a text How do early experiences shape the way we connect as adults? In this episode, Licensed Professional Counselor Courtney Strull from The Montfort Group unravels the mysteries of attachment styles and their profound impact on mental health, from anxiety to relationship struggles. Through Courtney's insights, we explore how attachment influences issues like depression, anxiety, intergenerational trauma, and how family dynamics influence who we choose as partners. Learn more about the ...
Feb 05, 2025•35 min
Send us a text Adolescence is a time of transition, where peer influence begins to shape identity and self-worth. In this episode, therapist Heather Caballero explores the power of group therapy in providing teenage girls with a safe space to express themselves, navigate societal pressures, and build confidence. Listen to Heather discuss the pressing issues faced by teenagers, including body image, academic pressures, and family dynamics and the importance of open dialogue and support. Join us a...
Jan 29, 2025•22 min
Send us a text Have you ever wondered how past experiences shape your present relationships, especially when it comes to something as deeply personal as sexual trauma? In this follow-up to our previous episode, Heather Caballero returns to delve deeper into the intricate ways past experiences shape our present relationships, particularly in the wake of sexual trauma. Drawing inspiration from Gabor Maté’s transformative work, we explore how trauma isn’t just about what happened but how it’s proce...
Jan 07, 2025•30 min
Send us a text What holds couples back from true connection? In this episode, sex therapy expert Heather Caballero dives deep into the challenges of intimacy and sexual trauma, offering tools to foster deeper, more fulfilling relationships. From tackling sexual disconnect to empowering therapists with essential skills, Heather sheds light on the often-overlooked dynamics of sexual communication. Discover the dual control model, a framework that unravels the complexities of arousal and inhibition...
Dec 17, 2024•32 min
Send us a text What if you could navigate the toughest moments of your life without reliving the pain? Join us for an enlightening episode as we welcome Gergana, a seasoned expert in EMDR therapy, who unravels the transformative power of this groundbreaking approach. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has emerged as a beacon of hope for those grappling with trauma, PTSD, and phobias. Through Gergana's thoughtful insights and personal anecdotes, we uncover how EMDR helps shift p...
Dec 06, 2024•25 min
Send us a text Dating in the modern world comes with its challenges, from missed red flags to navigating toxic traits that can surface in relationships. In this episode, Laurie Poole and Monica Miller discuss the subtle signs of imbalance in dating and how they can erode self-esteem and trust. From bleaching red flags to suppressing intuition, Monica shares intimate anecdotes of self-doubt and boundary violations, offering insights into why recognizing these behaviors early is so important. Tune...
Nov 20, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Send us a text Is there anything more painful than heartbreak? The end of a relationship can plummet us to the depths of grief and sadness in a way that few other experiences ever will. It’s an unavoidable part of life that leaves us feeling truly untethered when it does! Unlike physical pain, the roadmap to recovery isn’t always clear nor is it one size fits all. In this episode of Therapist Unplugged, hosts Laurie Poole and Cory Montfort explore sadness and loss after a break up, share stories...
Apr 08, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Send us a text Between the fear of fake dating profiles, commitment, and the sheer time and expense it takes to find a match, it’s no wonder that dating today is hard. Not to mention adding an ongoing pandemic to the mix. With ghosting becoming the new normal, it’s not out of the ordinary for a romantic interest to disappear with no reply for what feels like no reason at all. Dating apps and sites make it difficult to navigate the world of dating. Listen in for expert insight on the biggest issu...
Feb 27, 2023•24 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Send us a text The words "I'm sorry" play a big part in our daily lives. You might apologize while squeezing through a crowd or spilling something at dinner. We tend to easily say the words in these circumstances, but genuine apologies are a different story. Even if you feel guilty for hurting someone, you might have trouble finding the right way to express your regret. How do you give a meaningful and sincere apology? How do you ask for one? With these tips, you’ll find that "sorry" doesn’t hav...
Jan 21, 2023•17 min
Send us a text In this episode of Therapist Unplugged, host Laurie Poole interviews two long-time friends, who have known one another over 30 years, about the joys of life over 60. No topic is off limits as they share perspectives on sex, marriage, motherhood and careers. All three women share how their friendship has carried them through some of the most challenging times in their lives. This podcast is a true celebration of life over 60! 🎙️ Therapist Unplugged is produced by The Montfort Grou...
Apr 26, 2022•48 min
Send us a text People’s sense of social belonging, or their sense that they have good relationships with others, is a fundamental human need. That is, having solid social connections can be as important to human health and happiness as having food, water, and shelter. Indeed, there is research to support this idea, including the finding that having social relationships can increase your odds of survival by 50%. To put this in perspective, this effect is comparable to the effects of smoking and e...
Feb 02, 2022•44 min
Send us a text People have a lot of ideas and thoughts about what adoption looks like today. They might have seen things on television or in movies or heard stories about what the adoption process entails. Unfortunately, there are some common misconceptions about adoption. On this episode, Laurie Poole welcomes Laura Summers, LMFT to unpack what some of these are and discuss the truth about the family-building option that is today’s modern adoption. 🎙️ Therapist Unplugged is produced by The Mon...
Dec 20, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Send us a text Do you have a roadmap for defining a good relationship with your partner? At its core, we all want and long for secure adult attachment. That’s when partners have total trust in each other, which creates a safe haven knowing that your partner will always stand by you no matter what. This episode of Therapist Unplugged has it all! Hear more on how infidelity, the birth of a first child, and chronic illness can create attachment wounds that couples struggle to address. You will lear...
Dec 09, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Send us a text 🎙️ Therapist Unplugged is produced by The Montfort Group , a boutique therapy practice based in Plano, Texas, helping individuals, couples, and families build emotionally intelligent, connected lives. Subscribe for real conversations with real therapists—because healing doesn’t happen in perfect soundbites. To learn more about our team or schedule a session, visit: www.themontfortgroup.com Follow us on Instagram: @themontfortgroup...
Nov 23, 2021•38 min
Send us a text Often times people suffocate the growth of a relationship by defining a destination for a date. Have you thought of dating without a destination? On this episode, Laurie sits down with Cory Montfort for a quick chat about how to date your partner by focusing on the feeling instead of the destination. 🎙️ Therapist Unplugged is produced by The Montfort Group , a boutique therapy practice based in Plano, Texas, helping individuals, couples, and families build emotionally intelligent...
Nov 10, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Send us a text While being pregnant or having a baby is a happy occasion, it can also be a time of overwhelming stress for many women. Joining me for straight talk on postpartum wellness and mental health is holistic psychiatrist and neurologist Dr. Aparna Iyer . Dr. Iyer completed her residency training in psychiatry at Albany Medical Center in New York, where she was selected as a chief resident and continued on to work as an Assistant Professor and faculty member. Dr. Iyer also served as an a...
Oct 29, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Send us a text Relationships do change when kids become a part of the picture—there's no way around that. Typically, the joy and excitement that come with being a new parent outweigh the frustration or disappointment. However, the relationship tension that often comes up under this added stress cannot be ignored. Similarly, the focus on the new child is critically important, but it isn't selfish to tend to your own needs, too. Good parents aren't necessarily the ones who sacrifice themselves ent...
Oct 13, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Send us a text For those of you who have been cheated on, you know what we're talking about. The constant, gnawing, gut-wrenching awareness that you’re not special anymore, that you’ve been abandoned for someone prettier, smarter, sexier than you. It sends the betrayed into a spiral of self-doubt, wondering about their worth, unable to completely trust well until healed. And it sends the betrayer into a similar whirlwind in their struggle to come to grips with how they’ve hurt another (usually a...
Sep 23, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Send us a text Our host, Laurie Poole, LPC discusses common myths and misconceptions about going to therapy and being a therapist with co-host, Cory Montfort, LPC-S on this inaugural episode of Therapist Unplugged. Each episode will feature the unplugged views of guests and fellow therapists as we navigate hot topics, therapy trends and the world around us. We’ve got a big lineup of hot topics and all kinds of things for future episodes, but this will be a fun opportunity for listeners to get to...
Sep 11, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 1
