Love and Life with Dr. Karin and Pastor Elliott

Latest Episodes:

Is My Anxious Attachment Style Keeping Me Single? Part 1 with Katherine Baldwin Ep. 205 Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

We’ve often spoken to Attachment Styles on the podcast, but in today’s episode we’ll hear a firsthand account from British author and coach, Katherine Baldwin. Katherine married in midlife and as she’s reflected on her dating history, she recognizes her attachment style—a mix of avoidant and anxious—caused her to repeatedly sabotage relationships and walk away from them.

But most importantly, in this two part series, Katherine shares how she found healing AND found her person—despite wrestling with unhealthy attachment dynamics from childhood wounds.

Learn from Katherine’s vulnerable account of her many years on the dating scene. She was certainly impacted by her attachment style, but she ultimately moved through the anxiety and toward love!

Katherine Baldwin

Website: https://www.katherinebaldwin.com/

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

How Do I Find the Love I Deserve? with Dr. Duana Welch Ep. 204 Sep 19, 2022

Show notes

It’s National Unmarried and Single Americans Week, and to kick things off, we’re bringing back Love & Life fan favorite, Dr. Duana Welch, to talk about the revised version of her classic book, Love Factually: 10 Proven Steps from I Wish to I Do.

From the very first time I read Love Factually, it became my go-to “how to date smarter, not harder” resource, because every recommendation Dr. Welch provides is grounded in psych research.

Other authors share their opinions. Dr. Welch shares the data!

In this episode, Dr. Welch gets personal and recounts how she recently followed her own advice and met her fiancé online in a matter of weeks! She lets us in on the key elements of her coaching practice and discusses how she’s helped hundreds of clients find their person.

Join us to learn how to date smarter with science! And, be sure to take advantage of Dr. Welch’s offer for a FREE 15 minute mini session to determine if you’d like to work with her.

Dr. Duana Welch

Website: http://lovefactually.co/

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

Never Settle in Love Ep. 203 Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

Breakups are hardest when the relationship is almost right. I should know—I almost married the “wrong man” (for me) because there was absolutely nothing “wrong” with him.

He was almost right.

But, is “good enough” good enough for marriage?

For me, it wasn’t.

I told my runaway bride story with Ané Auret and because I’d never shared the whole story with you, I wanted to post it on Love & Life.

We’ve all faced crossroads where we had to trust our gut or take the “safe” path. I took the risk of being along forever. But when faced with “good enough” vs. living solo, my gut told me what to do. And, after years of ignoring my intuition, I finally listened.

I had to let go of safe, in order to find epic.

Ané Auret

Website: https://aneauret.com/

Beauty Products: https://beautybyane.com/

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

My “Single Living” Book Recs! Ep. 202 Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

As most of you know, I wrote my book because I found so many self-help books for singles to be utterly UNhelpful! That being said, over the years, I did come across—thankfully!—several supportive and empowering books.

In a few weeks we’ll be celebrating National Unmarried & Single Americans week so I thought we’d kick off September with a review of some of my fav books for living single. They got me through the tough times and to this day, I recommend them to anyone who asks for advice about dating, dealing with single shaming, or recovering from a breakup.

I hope these books will be as helpful to you as they were to me!

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America with Beth Macy Ep. 201 Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

For the last year, people have been asking me, “Have you watched Dopesick? Karin, you have to see it!” So, I subscribed to Hulu and started the series and also read the book on which the series is based.

The true story is incredibly disturbing and tragic and heartbreaking.

Author Beth Macy exposes how Purdue Pharma, the makers of Oxycontin, convinced doctors their patients had virtually no chance of becoming addicted to their new “wonder drug.”

But, it wasn’t true.

I knew some parts of this horrific story from reading Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opioid Epidemic and interviewing Dreamland’s author, Sam Quinones in episode 95 of the podcast. He connects the dots between prescription medications and heroin addiction.

In Dopesick, we witness this play out in graphic detail.

Most of you know, I’m no fan of Big Pharma. Of course, I’m thankful for medical advances which have saved millions of lives. But, as we’ve talked about in prior episodes, pharmaceutical corporations exist to make profits for their shareholders—or, in the case of Purdue Pharma, to increase a family’s fortune.

We must take this reality into account when we consider pharma’s marketing and messaging—regarding psychiatric medications, of course. And, as Dopesick demonstrates—even when a doctor writes us a prescription for pain pills.

If you doubt this, if you think maybe I’m a bit hyperbolic when it comes to all this pharma stuff, please listen to this episode!

Beth Macy

Website: https://intrepidpapergirl.com/

Dope Sick on HULU

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

“Chemical Imbalance” Theory of Depression is Debunked. Plus, Where We’re Headed in Love & Life Ep. 200 Aug 19, 2022

Show notes

It’s our 200th episode—time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed!

My first thought is how grateful I am for the opportunity to share with you and our community. Your comments, emails, and dms mean everything to me. They let me know you resonate with Love & Life’s mission: “Conversations grounded in psych research to help us thrive in love and life.”

On Love & Life, we’re all about the research–which is why we’re so dismayed by the degeneration of science we’ve recently witnessed.

In this episode, we discuss 3 cases of faulty science which have just come to light, starting with an umbrella study by Joanna Moncrieff and colleagues which finds no connection between depression and serotonin levels. Although many psychiatrists have doubted the “chemical imbalance” explanation of depression for years, pharmaceutical companies continue to promulgate this unsubstantiated theory because it has, obviously, greatly boosted sales of antidepressants.

We examine two other instances of manipulated science including a shocking revelation that the last 16 years of Alzheimer’s research has been based on falsified brain images. And, the third example surrounds the bizarre and utterly unscientific response to the COVID pandemic over the last 2 ½ years.

We look to science to help us explore and uncover truth. When findings are misrepresented, it shakes our confidence, but it also reminds us we need to be discerning and savvy when consuming information—even information coming from sources we once believed we could trust.

What does all this mean for Love & Life? Ultimately, it reinforces our commitment to pushing back against Big Pharma and its efforts to medicalize our every emotion!

I’m so grateful for your support over these last 200 episodes. Thank you SO MUCH for being a part of the Love & Life family!

https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2021-067606

https://www.commonsense.news/p/tgif-debunked-edition

Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R., Stocmann, T., Amendola, S., Hengartner, M., & Horowitz, M. (2022). The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Molecular Psychiatry.

Whitaker, R. (2015). Anatomy of an Epidemic.

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

Have You Ever Been Told You’re Single Because You’re Too Picky? Ep. 199 Jul 30, 2022

Show notes

As many of you know, my book, Single is the New Black: Don’t Wear White ‘til it’s Right, resulted from my experiences as a single woman who read all the other books for single women and found them, in my estimation, to be lacking.

I resisted other books’ theses—that something must be inherently wrong with me and that’s why I was still single.

Also, so many self-help books for single women morph into dating “how to’s.” Which, I was never a really big fan of dating do’s and don’ts because I believe we need to date as our authentic selves. Sure, we can—and should—present the very BEST version of our authentic selves. We absolutely want to date with confidence, emotional maturity, kindness, and mutual respect—for those we date and for ourselves.

So, I wrote my own book about how to stay true to ourselves while dating, and how to manage the single shaming comments you likely hear from time to time. It’s a word of encouragement and empowerment and a reminder that you’re strong and courageous because–it’s easy to settle, but you’re not about that life!

One of the single shaming comments I often heard was, “Karin, don’t you think maybe you’re too picky?”

This comment drove me crazy. I know people meant well, but they clearly didn’t understand how insulting a comment like this is! Were they suggesting that everyone else gets to marry someone they’re crazy about, but since I’m over 35, now I need to just settle for someone mediocre?

It was infuriating!

So, I devoted a chapter in my book to the topic and it’s here for you in this week’s episode!

For more of Single is the New Black, you can listen to chapter 1 and chapter 11 in episodes 90 and 145 of Love & Life or, grab your copy on Audible or iTunes.

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

Instead of Boys, I Started Chasing My Goals: Singer-Songwriter Jenny Mallard Writes a Song Inspired by Love & Life! Ep. 198 Jul 22, 2022

Show notes

A little while ago, I received an email:

“Hey there! My name is Jenny Mallard and I’m a Canadian singer-songwriter and also a huge fan of your podcast. I actually just released my debut single, partially inspired by the themes of some of your podcast episodes and your book.

Basically, I’ve always wanted a man to write me a love song. Then one day, I realized, I’m a singer songwriter. I’ll just write one for myself.

It’s called, “I Do: The Self Love Song.”

This is a shot in the dark, however, I’m just a huge fan and I’d be honored for you to take a listen. Thanks!”

As you can imagine, I was so touched to receive this email. So, I immediately replied telling Jenny how honored I was to know she felt inspired by my work.

I knew the Love & Life family would resonate with Jenny’s journey, so I invited Jenny to share the themes of her song with all of us.

Join us as Jenny discusses how clarifying her values brought her life into focus. She left a 3 year relationship, got serious about her music career, and wrote a love song to herself!

Jenny Mallard

Instagram: @jennymallard

Listen to "I Do" on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3HNn46tj9Uzb1zeGLNtWY5?si=t_TJR3RAQmS2EeGcSg9uTQ

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

Bye Fiancé! When Empowered Evolving Means Calling Off Your Wedding with Kiley Schmitz Ep. 197 Jul 01, 2022

Show notes

In preparing for part 2 of our series called Empowered Evolving, I reflected on my own life—when have I evolved? How have I grown and changed—even when in doing so, I lost relationships and connection and security?

Of course, calling off my wedding came to mind…

When you break an engagement, you’ve evolved in a way that’s unexpected—unexpected to your fiancé, obviously, and also to your friends, your family, and even, yourself.

And it’s hard. Very, very hard.

Then again, we become stronger and empowered as we evolve in the direction we’re supposed to move—when we step toward authenticity, toward truth, toward hope, toward joy.

And, step away from FEAR.

As I thought about Empowered Evolving, my friend Kiley Schmitz kept coming to mind. Kiley also broke off an engagement. She’s in her 30s. Her life looks nothing like she once envisioned it.

And, she couldn’t be happier.

Join us to discuss empowered evolving as it pertains to dating, engagement, marriage, and relationships in general.

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes

Addicted to Love: Relationship Addiction and Single Shaming with Life Coach Nazra Peterson Ep. 196 Jun 16, 2022

Show notes

“Might as well face it, you’re addicted to love.”—Robert Palmer

Are you addicted to relationships? Many of us—even strong, independent women—feel unsettled, lonely, and anxious when we don’t have a partner.

Life coach Nazra Peterson believes single shaming is to blame—and often, we’re single shaming ourselves!

In our conversation, we dive deep into the following topics:

The 4 key relationships you have with YOURSELF!
How to desire partnership without appearing desperate.
How to determine if your beliefs about relationships are yours or if you’ve internalized them from others—and how to change them if they’re limiting.
The power in being blissfully dissatisfied.
Relationship addiction as evidenced by how we break up with someone—staying long past the expiration date.
Loyalty vs. commitment.
Freedom in intimacy i.e. When you’re in a relationship you CAN do whatever you want to do!
When your friends might be leading you astray when it comes to love!

Join us to determine if you’re addicted to relationships and if so, how to “kick the habit!”

Nazra Peterson

Website: https://www.heartmindfitnesstraining.com/

Instagram: @heartmindfitnesstraining / @iamnazramarie

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

Empowered Dating Playbook: smarturl.it/EmpoweredDatingBook

Instagram: @dr.karin

Single is the New Black:

Audiobook Audible: smarturl.it/SITNB-Audible

iTunes: smarturl.it/SITNB-iTunes