We Need To Talk with Dr. Darcy Sterling

We all know that changing a habit is hard — especially one that’s been socially accepted for generations. Alcohol is woven into how we celebrate, relax, and connect. But what if technology could help us drink more consciously, instead of forcing us into an all-or-nothing mindset?

In this episode, I sit down with Nick Allen, CEO and co-founder of Sunnyside, an app that helps people make more mindful choices about alcohol — without th...

We’ve all gotten pretty good at spotting red flags — emotional unavailability, inconsistent texting, the subtle (or not-so-subtle) signs that someone’s not ready for real intimacy. But what about the other side of the spectrum? The green flags — the behaviors that quietly signal emotional maturity and long-term potential.

In this episode, I’m flipping the script. I’ll walk you through the 5 green flags that predict lasting love — th...

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In today’s world, sharing an opinion can feel like stepping onto a battlefield. We fear being judged, misunderstood, or canceled—so we stay silent. Or worse, we speak at each other instead of with each other. But real connection isn’t about having the perfect words. It’s about showing up with curiosity, intention, and presence—even when it’s uncomfortable.

In this powerful conversation, I’...

Online dating shouldn’t feel like a full-time job. But for most people, it does — endless swiping, ghosting, and wondering why no one seems to click. The truth? You’re not doing it wrong. You’ve just never been told how the system actually works.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the unwritten rules of dating apps — from the psychology behind a high-performing profile to the hidden algorithms that influence who you see (and who see...

When it comes to addiction, most of us have been taught that success means total abstinence and failure means relapse. But that rigid framework leaves a lot of people behind. Harm reduction offers a different approach—one rooted in compassion, science, and meeting people where they are.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Sheila Vakharia, Deputy Director of Research and Academic Engagement at the Drug Policy Alliance, to talk about...

Most of us step into dating and relationships hoping for the best, but hope isn’t a strategy. Reading people—really reading them—is a skill. It’s about spotting truth in the details, hearing what’s not being said, and learning how to navigate tension without blowing things up.

In this episode, I sit down with Chris Voss, former FBI hostage negotiator and author of Never Split the Difference. Chris has spent decades facing high-stake...

Every so often, I get requests from my male listeners to dedicate an episode to their questions—and today is that day. I’m joined by my friend, Robert Mack, for a very special Ask Me Anything: Men’s Edition.

This is your front-row seat to an unfiltered, honest conversation about what men really want to know when it comes to love, dating, women, and relationships. Nothing was off the table. From decoding mixed signals, to handling re...

If you’ve ever felt like therapy isn’t moving the needle—like you’re talking, reflecting, and gaining insight, but your life still looks the same—this episode is for you. Traditional talk therapy can be powerful, but sometimes insight alone isn’t enough to shift patterns that have been running your life for years.

That’s where DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) comes in. Unlike traditional therapy, DBT is structured, skills-based, a...

One of the hottest topics in mental health is attachment theory, which is a psychological framework that posits that the way we bond to our primary caregivers creates a template for how we’ll move through relationships as adults.  It goes like this: 

We learn how to love and how to get our needs met through the care we received from our primary caregivers. The extent to which they fulfilled our needs informs how we will then express...

Dating with standards is essential—it’s how we protect ourselves from repeating old mistakes and from settling for less than we deserve. But what happens when those standards start to feel less like safety rails and more like walls keeping people out?

In this episode, I sit down with Ashtyn to explore the fine line between boundaries that serve you and expectations that may be unintentionally working against you. Together, we look a...

Most of us think inpatient psychiatric care is only for emergencies—when someone’s in immediate danger to themselves or others. But there’s a whole other side to it that rarely gets airtime: Choosing inpatient treatment before things hit rock bottom.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Andrew Gerber, President and Medical Director of Silver Hill Hospital, about what elective, voluntary inpatient care looks like when it’s design...

Dating shouldn’t feel like an energy drain—and yet, for many introverts, it does.

Introverts often thrive in deep, one-on-one conversations, yet dating apps, noisy bars, and rapid-fire banter can leave them completely drained. And if you’re not aware of what’s happening, that exhaustion can be mistaken for disinterest—or worse, rejection.

In this episode of We Need to Talk with Dr. Darcy Sterling, I sit down with Dr. Laurie Helgoe, p...

Let’s be honest: Dating today can feel like a full-time job—with no benefits and no PTO.

If you’ve found yourself endlessly swiping, mentally checked out on first dates, or dreading another round of small talk with someone who’ll probably ghost you by next week, you’re not alone—and you’re not doing it wrong.

You’re just burnt out.

In this episode of We Need to Talk, I’m talking about what so many people feel but don’t say out loud: D...

When couples tell me they’ve “lost the spark,” it’s rarely because of one major event. It’s the slow fade—the missed opportunities for connection, the routine that replaces curiosity, the conversations that revolve more around logistics than intimacy.

But here’s the good news: Rekindling connection doesn’t require a massive overhaul. Sometimes, the smallest shift can open the biggest door.

In this episode, I’m joined by Aly Bullock, ...

You know that moment when you tell yourself you’ll scroll for just five more minutes… and somehow, an hour disappears?

In this solo episode, I’m digging into the psychology behind why we feel addicted to social media—and what we can do about it. Because this goes way beyond distraction. For many of us, the endless scrolling becomes compulsive. Especially after a breakup or during times of heightened insecurity, our feeds start to fe...

You know those relationship fights that keep coming up again and again? The ones that go in circles—never really getting resolved, just getting recycled?

My guest this week is Julie Mennano—licensed therapist, author of Secure Love, and host of The Secure Relationship Podcast. Julie has a rare gift for helping couples identify the deeper emotional patterns driving their relationship conflict. She doesn’t just teach attachment theory...

If you've ever found yourself walking on eggshells in relationships, struggling to set boundaries, or feeling like your emotional needs are too much, this episode is for you.

I sat down with clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Lindsay Gibson—whose groundbreaking work has helped millions of adult children of emotionally immature parents understand the long-term effects of childhood emotional neglect. We’re talking ab...

Holiday weeks always make me feel nostalgic, and that feeling tends to make me reflect on people who used to be in my life but no longer are… That’s why, this week, we’re re-releasing our most popular episode of all time—on family estrangement.

Clearly, this topic resonates. So many of us live in the tension between missing someone we’ve cut off, and fearing that reconciliation would just reopen the same wounds that caused the break...

I’ve worked with so many smart, successful people who keep finding themselves in relationships that just don’t work. They’re self-aware, they’ve done the therapy, and on paper, they’re a catch. So why do they keep picking partners who can’t meet them where they are?

In this episode, I’m joined by psychologist and “Love & Life” podcast host Dr. Karin Anderson Abrell to talk about why high-functioning people so often end up in low...