Codependent Doctor
Podcast focusing on codependency. Learning how to create healthier relationships, healthier self and healthier lives.
Episodes
In this episode of The Codependent Doctor, I’m sitting down with Emotional Freedom & Transformation Coach Jason Johnson to talk about what he calls detrimental kindness, that sneaky pattern of being “too nice” at your own expense. We explore how overgiving, people-pleasing, and chronic guilt quietly erode your health, identity, and relationships, and how to begin practicing kindness in a way that actually includes you. Jason wa...
In this episode, I sit down with speaker and coach Kelly Parker to talk about what it really means to break the script — those old stories and childhood beliefs that quietly shape how we show up in life, work, and relationships. Kelly shares how to recognize limiting beliefs, where they come from, and practical ways to rewrite them so you can live more authentically and confidently. If you’ve ever struggled with people-pleasing, pe...
In this episode, Dr. Wendy Schofer joins me for a conversation that’s part personal story, part wake-up call. As a dual-board certified pediatrician, lifestyle physician, and trauma-informed coach, she’s learned firsthand how burnout, people-pleasing, and emotional disconnection can show up in our careers, relationships, and even our relationship with food and our bodies.
We talk about what it means to live boldly instead of shrinki...
What if helping someone you love is actually hurting you? In this episode, Donna Marston shares her journey as a mother of a child in active addiction—and how she learned to set boundaries, release shame, and reclaim her life.
We talk about the difference between support and enabling, the grief of parenting through addiction, and how healing begins when you choose yourself.
Learn more at www.sharingwithoutshame.com
Jenn Fredericks, Personal Resilience Practitioner and founder of The Carewell Circle, joins us to talk about Prosilience, a proactive approach to resilience, and why managing your energy (not just your time) is the key to staying afloat. Jenn shares powerful stories from her own journey as both a two-time kidney transplant recipient and a caregiver for her daughter with a brain tumor, and offers practical strategies to help you pau...
Ever feel stuck even when you’re motivated and ready to change? In this episode, Kam Knight breaks down the hidden force behind that feeling: internal resistance. We talk about how it shows up as procrastination, overthinking, and self-doubt, plus simple ways to start moving forward.
Grab Kam’s freebie 5 Ways to End Procrastination and Sabotage at kamknight.com, and find him on Instagram and Facebook.
In this episode, I sit down with Michelle Butt, founder of Face Talk™ and expert in Facial Intelligence, to explore how our facial features can act as a mirror to the mind and spirit. Michelle shares how understanding our own face can reveal patterns, improve communication, and help us break free from cycles of people-pleasing and conflict. It’s a powerful conversation about stepping into self-awareness, connection, and personal po...
Neuroscience researcher and wellness coach Samantha Stoltz joins me to talk about what burnout really is, why it’s more than just exhaustion, and how the mind-body connection shapes our health in powerful ways. Samantha shares her own journey through burnout and the science-backed, soul-centered practices that helped her rebuild balance. From breaking limiting beliefs to creating small sustainable shifts through habit stacking, thi...
In this episode, I sit down with psychotherapist and mindful life coach Elizabeth Mintun, host of The Calming Ground podcast. We talk about navigating life transitions — from leaving toxic relationships to moving through grief and midlife shifts — and how to embrace the discomfort of change as part of growth. Elizabeth also shares practical tools for holding space for yourself.
Click here for a free Morning Ritual Guide to support ...
Your nervous system—not just your mindset—holds the key to healing. In this powerful conversation, Elizabeth Kipp shares how she recovered from 40 years of chronic pain and why codependent patterns are actually survival strategies, not flaws. You’ll learn simple breathing techniques to shift from stress to safety in minutes, plus holistic tools for releasing trauma, breaking cycles, and finding true regulation.
Website https://Eliza...
Feeling lost in people-pleasing and emotional caretaking? You’re not alone. Psychotherapist and author of Love Smacked, Sherry Gaba, joins us to unpack codependency. We explore how early relational trauma wires us to abandon ourselves for connection.
Learn to spot the subtle signs of codependency: resentment, overgiving, chronic guilt. Sherry explains the link between love addiction and the pull toward unavailable partners.
We dive i...
Breakups hurt! In this episode, Dr. Downey unpacks why heartbreak can feel like withdrawal, especially for those with codependent tendencies. When your identity is wrapped up in caring for someone else, losing the relationship often means losing your sense of self. From the brain chemistry behind those late-night texts to the quiet signs it’s time to leave a draining relationship, this episode is a deep dive into the real pain of l...
In this episode of The Codependent Doctor, I introduce the powerful yet simple tool that’s helped me stop people-pleasing on autopilot: the three-second authenticity pause. Through personal stories and practical tips, we explore how this tiny moment of mindfulness can help you reconnect with your body’s wisdom, set boundaries without guilt, and honor your truth—because real self-care starts with choosing yourself.
Have you ever thought, “My parents really tried their best… but I still got hurt”? This episode dives into that exact truth—the emotional complexity of being raised by loving parents who lacked the tools to meet all your needs.
Dr. Angela Downey shares her story from both sides:
- As a child with unmet emotional needs
- And as a mother navigating burnout while trying to give her kids everything
We explore how:
- Childhood coping ...
Have you ever felt the quiet pressure to “just get over it” after someone broke your trust?
Maybe they apologized. Maybe they didn’t. But something inside you still feels unsettled.
Trust doesn’t rebuild overnight. It takes consistency, accountability, and the slow return of emotional safety—not just a quick “I’m sorry.”
In this episode, we explore:
- Why trust feels like emotional debt, not a switch you can flip
- How codependent patte...
Do Father’s Day celebrations leave you feeling hollow instead of happy? You’re not alone.
In this raw, candid conversation, we explore the grief that comes with having a father who was physically present but emotionally absent—a special kind of loss that often goes unspoken.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- The lasting impact of emotional neglect on self-worth and relationships
- How we internalize the absence of emotional warmth ...
Codependency doesn't just affect romantic relationships—it can appear in our friendships too, creating anxiety, over-functioning, and emotional entanglement that feels just as intense without the relationship label. Emotional intimacy is emotional intimacy, regardless of whether it's with a friend or partner, and our attachment patterns don't discriminate.
• Friendships lack the clear definitions and expecta...
Mental health and codependency intersect in profound ways that affect how we treat ourselves, not just our relationships with others. We explore four key patterns that keep us stuck in cycles of burnout, guilt, and emotional exhaustion while providing practical steps toward healing.
We will explore how:
• People-pleasing isn't just politeness but a nervous system survival response developed in childhood
• Self-abandonme...
In this bonus episode for Mental Health Awareness Month, Dr. Angela Downey shares five powerful mindset shifts that challenge how we think about healing and self-care:
- Healing isn’t linear — Growth often looks messy, not perfect.
- You can struggle and still be strong — Vulnerability is courage, not weakness.
- Feeling your feelings isn’t weakness — Emotions are messengers, not problems to fix.
- Rest is productive — You don’t need to ea...
If you’ve always been “the strong one,” this episode on emotional neglect may explain why relationships still feel hard.
Emotional neglect isn’t about what happened, but what didn’t.
- Your needs were likely invisible
- You learned to be low-maintenance to feel loved
- You felt “too much” for having emotions
This early conditioning creates:
- Codependency
- People-pleasing
- Attraction to emotionally unavailable partners
At the root i...
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