Do you feel like you need to make the best decision and maximize every single experience? Maybe you've felt like you're living life "wrong" and need to "get the most" out of everything...

In this solo episode, I talk about Optimization OCD, which as a reminder, is not a formal clinical term or separate diagnosis. It's simply a term used to describe how OCD can latch onto a desire or need to optimize multiple aspects of our lives.

From everyday decisions and routines to relationships, career choices, and major life milestones, OCD can create a sense of urgency and make it feel like we need the "best" answer before moving forward. These thoughts may also latch onto therapy, "healing," and self-development, leading to even more guilt, anxiety, and distress.

I share some examples of what this may look like, including an example of a thought train related to these thoughts and associated compulsions.

As always, this episode is not a replacement for therapy and is for educational purposes only. This episode does not reflect everyone's experience with OCD.

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Tom Smalley is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), Employee Success Manager for North America at NinjaOne, and founder of Struggle Into Strength Performance. His work focuses on performance psychology, leadership development, and helping individuals and teams build confidence, resilience, and mental skills.

Diagnosed with OCD at age 16, Tom became passionate about raising awareness and breaking down mental health stigma. He received the 2019 IOCDF Hero Award and became a Lead Advocate for the International OCD Foundation in 2021, where he co-founded the Anxiety in Athletes initiative. He regularly speaks about OCD and mental health advocacy and is also a three-time USA Weightlifting Adaptive Division Gold Medalist and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor.

In this episode, Tom shares about his personal experience living with OCD and his journey with OCD advocacy. We discuss the importance of OCD treatment, building resilience, navigating family dynamics, and understanding how OCD can impact both individuals and their loved ones. Tom also shares how his own experiences have helped influence his passion for breaking down stigma and openly speaking about OCD.

We explore the power of community, the importance of meaningful support, and what it can look like to embrace authenticity while navigating the challenges of OCD. We hope this episode can help you feel less alone.

*This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only and does not replace professional support.*

FOLLOW TOM:

INSTA: @s2s_smalls
WEBSITE: www.struggleintostrength.com
Struggle Into Strength x IOCDF Scholarship Fund

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Rev. Dr. Katie O’Dunne (she/her) is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and founder of Stick with the Ick, a virtual inclusive interfaith community app for those navigating faith and OCD, offering resources across traditions. She spent seven years as Academy Chaplain and Chair of Religious Studies at Woodward Academy in Atlanta while consulting on interfaith programming nationwide.

Katie now educates clinicians and clergy on culturally responsive treatment across religious/spiritual contexts, leads the IOCDF Faith & OCD Leadership Circle, and consults with OCDI Texas on Religion & OCD. She received Vanderbilt’s Doctor of Ministry Award for Distinction in Integrative Care Practices.

In this week's episode, we discuss how OCD attaches to faith, values, religion, and morality. Katie shares her experience with OCD as an ordained minister and chaplain, her involvement with the Internal OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and her journey navigating OD alongside her faith.

We discuss how moral and religious OCD can contribute to guilt, shame, and distress, how certain behaviors may be reinforced or praised from a young age, and the grief that can accompany OCD. We also explore religious trauma, ERP related to moral OCD, integrating faith into OCD recovery, and support resources.

We hope this conversation can be a reminder that faith and OCD treatment can coexist, and that navigating OCD does not have to mean abandoning your personal beliefs or values.

FOLLOW REV. DR. KATIE O'DUNNE:

INSTA: @stickwiththeick
WEBSITE: www.stickwiththeick.com
FAITH AND OCD CONFERENCE

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We're kicking off OCD Awareness Month with a solo episode. I open up about some of my childhood experiences with OCD, before I even had the language or understanding of what it was.

In this episode, I reflect on some of the thoughts, fears, behaviors, and patterns I experienced growing up, while normalizing how confusing and isolating OCD can feel.

As always, this episode is not a replacement for professional support. This episode reflects my own personal experience and is just the tip of the iceberg of my own OCD story.

I hope this episode can simply remind you that you're not alone and create a space for honest conversations about the many ways OCD can show up.

On the show, we'll be continuing the conversation throughout OCD Awareness Month with more episodes about OCD, including conversations with some wonderful guests. Coming soon!

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EMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

Gilly Kahn, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, writer, and mother with ADHD. She practices in Atlanta and specializes in neurodiversity. She is the author of Allow Me to Interrupt: A Psychologist Reveals the Emotional Truth Behind Women’s ADHD. You can learn more about Gilly and her work by visiting her website at https://www.drgillykahn.com

In this episode, we explore ADHD beyond the common stereotypes, including how it can show up in high-achieving adults and the ways neurodivergence can shape our experiences, relationships, and ability to pursue goals.

We also discuss emotional dysregulation related to ADHD, common misconceptions, ADHD and autism, navigating barriers to diagnosis and support, and the grief that can come with recognizing how ADHD has impacted different areas of your life.

We also explore rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD), along with overlaps and important differences between ADHD and OCD. We hope this conversation can offer a nuanced look at living with ADHD in adulthood.

FOLLOW DR. KAHN:

INSTA: @drgillykahn
WEBSITE: www.drgillykahn.com
BOOK: Allow Me to Interrupt

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Kathryn Hope Gordon, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Boston area who specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy. For the first 10 years of her career, she was a professor who taught classes and published research focused on eating disorders and suicide prevention.

Currently, she is the Director of Clinical Training for a virtual eating disorder treatment organization. Dr. Gordon is passionate about sharing science-informed therapy tools with as many people as possible through trainings, public speaking, and writing.

She is the author of The Suicidal Thoughts Workbook: CBT Skills to Reduce Emotional Pain, Increase Hope, and Prevent Suicide and The Suicidal Thoughts Guided Journal: CBT Practices to Soothe Emotional Pain, Build Coping Skills, and Find Hope.

In this episode, we share an open conversation about suicide prevention, including common misconceptions, warning signs, reducing stigma and shame, and the importance of talking about suicide openly. We discuss the importance of compassionate listening, meaningful support, and addressing broader societal factors, including access to care, discrimination, and unmet basic needs.

We also touch on how clinicians can approach suicide risk assessment with care, the importance of individualized support rather than responding out of anxiety, and considerations around hospitalization and avoiding further harm.

This episode, like with all episodes, is not a replacement for professional support or crisis care. We hope to remind you that you're not alone and that there is hope.

FOLLOW DR. GORDON:

INSTA: @drkathryngordon
WEBSITE: https://kathrynhgordon.com
WORKBOOK: The Suicidal Thoughts Workbook: CBT Skills to Reduce Emotional Pain, Increase Hope, and Prevent Suicide
JOURNAL: The Suicidal Thoughts Guided Journal: CBT Practices to Soothe Emotional Pain, Build Coping Skills, and Find Hope
CRISIS LINE: https://988lifeline.org/ - Please call or text 988 for support.

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FACEBOOK: bit.ly/FBtaramont
EMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

In this solo episode, I talk about Suicidal OCD, a subtype of OCD in which one may experience obsessions or intrusive thoughts related to suicide.

I also hold space for the importance of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and the importance of speaking openly about a topic that leaves many feeling isolated.

As a disclaimer, this episode is not a replacement for professional support or a place to differentiate between OCD thoughts and suicidal ideation. If you're experiencing thoughts of suicide or feel unsure of what you're experiencing, I encourage you to reach out to a qualified mental health professional who can provide individualized care and assessment or one of the resources below.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.)
Call or text 988 or chat through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Free and confidential support is available 24/7.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

International Crisis Support
If you're outside of the United States, Find A Helpline can connect you with verified crisis and emotional-support services in more than 150 countries.
Find A Helpline

International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
Information about OCD, evidence-based treatment, support groups, and a directory of clinicians who specialize in OCD and related disorders.
IOCDF Resource Directory

OCD & Suicidality
The International OCD Foundation also offers information about OCD and suicidality, including considerations for individuals with OCD, loved ones, and mental health professionals.
IOCDF: OCD and Suicidality

STAY CONNECTED:

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EMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

In this solo episode, I talk about what happens when Relationship OCD thoughts and patterns overlap with "real" relationship concerns. I share some of my own experiences and examples of how OCD can latch onto genuine concerns, disagreements, or areas of uncertainty and turn them into something that feels urgent and impossible to stop thinking about.

I also talk about the practice of recognizing when reflection may be shifting into rumination, the pressure to figure out what a concern "means" about your relationship, and the sense of urgency that can make it feel like you need an answer or decision right now.

I hold space for multiple realities: something can be worth addressing in your relationship while OCD or anxiety might also be amplifying the need for certainty around it.

As with all episodes on Relationship OCD, this episode is not intended to address relationships involving harm, abuse, or concerns about safety. Resonating with parts of this episode does not necessarily mean you live with OCD.

STAY CONNECTED:

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EMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com