In this episode, multicultural marketing strategist and founder of aam creative, Afshan Nasseri, joins Alice to unpack a quietly growing crisis among expats: the rise of loneliness in Dubai and the emotional reality of why it’s hard to make friends as an adult. Whether you’ve just moved to the UAE, you’re struggling to build community, or you feel disconnected despite being surrounded by people, Afshan brings language to something so many feel but rarely admit.

Afshan’s story spans Boston, Montreal, India, Iran, and now Dubai. She grew up in a home overflowing with culture, community, and connection—yet found herself starting from zero when she moved here. From questioning who she could call when things went wrong to navigating a social landscape that can feel transactional, Afshan shares the truth most expats whisper only to themselves.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make new friends as an adult, why Dubai can feel emotionally isolating even when it’s exciting, or what it actually takes to build deeper relationships here, this episode will resonate deeply.

Afshan walks Alice through:

• Why so many people in Dubai feel lonely even when they “shouldn’t”

• How transient expat culture erodes community-building instincts

• The difference between coffee friends vs. friends you can rely on

• Why adult friendship requires intentional vulnerability—and why that feels risky

• How making friends in Dubai often requires going first, being open, and allowing others in

• The cultural pressures that make people hide their loneliness, especially in appearance-driven cities

• What Afshan learned from teaching in rural India at 14—and how that shaped her identity today

• How her multicultural upbringing led to founding aam creative and advocating for authentic representation

• Why showing up unfiltered online unexpectedly helped her form deeper offline friendships

• How to spot the early signs of people you can build real connection with in Dubai

Afshan also speaks candidly about the fear of being judged, the myth that everyone else has a thriving social circle, and the surprising truth: almost everyone is looking for meaningful connection… they’re just waiting for someone to go first.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating expat life, rebuilding their social world from scratch, or trying to understand why adulthood friendships require more courage—and more honesty—than we ever expected.

Resources & Links
📸 Instagram: @afshannasseri
🌐 AAM Creative: https://www.aamcreative.co/

In this episode, high-conflict divorce strategist and advocate Lisa Johnson joins Alice to unpack one of the most overwhelming and destabilizing experiences anyone can face: navigating divorce with a narcissist. Whether you're trying to divorce a narcissistic husband, divorce a narcissist wife, or find your footing after divorce after abusive marriage, Lisa offers clarity that is both deeply validating and strategically life-saving.

Lisa’s story is astonishing: a 20-year relationship built on hidden lives and deception, a $100,000 divorce in year one, and nearly a decade of court battles where she eventually represented herself more than 100 times. Her testimony even helped pass Jennifer’s Law, expanding Connecticut’s legal definition of domestic violence to include coercive control.

If you’ve ever wondered what actually happens when you divorce a narcissist, why a narcissist during divorce behaves in ways that defy logic, or how to survive divorce mediation with a narcissist who lies, gaslights, and retaliates, this episode will finally make the chaos make sense.

Lisa walks Alice through:

• The early grooming patterns that pull intelligent, grounded people into unhealthy bonds

• Why those coming from religious environments face a unique layer of shame — especially in Christian divorce narcissist situations where community pressure insists you “stay no matter what”

• How coercive control erodes your authority, self-trust, and sense of reality

• What to expect in a divorce trial with a narcissis

• The psychological fallout of emotional abuse divorce, including the self-blame, shock, and confusion that linger long after the separation

• How to protect your children if you must divorce a narcissist with kids or divorce an abuser with kids,

• What to do if you’ve ended up with a divorce attorney narcissist who escalates conflict instead of reducing it

Lisa also reveals the hidden truth about high-conflict separation: the moment you leave is statistically the most dangerous.

She offers a grounded path forward for anyone attempting to divorce a narcissist husband, divorce a narcissist wife, or rebuild themselves after decades of coercive control. She explains why you must be strategic—not emotional—and why the goal is not to “win,” but to get out with your sanity and safety intact.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating divorce after abusive marriage, preparing for divorcing an abusive husband, or trying to understand how to make it out of a high-conflict situation with clarity, protection, and a plan.

Resources & Links

🌐 Find Lisa Johnson: https://beentheregotout.com
📘 Been There, Got Out: Toxic Relationships, High Conflict Divorce and How to Stay Sane Under Insane Circumstances
📘 Been There, Got Out: When Your Ex Turns the Kids Against You
🧠 Legal Abuse Support Group, Courses & Strategic Communication Training
📸 Instagram: @been_there_got_out

Chapters:

00:00 Lisa’s Story: A 20-Year Marriage Built on Secrets

02:00 How Smart People End Up in Abusive Dynamics

05:30 Coercive Control, Grooming & Denial

08:10 Faith Communities & Christian Divorce Narcissist Pressures

11:30 Emotional Abuse Divorce: The Invisible Damage

15:00 When You Divorce a Narcissist: Why Everything Escalates

18:40 Divorce a Narcissistic Husband / Divorce a Narcissist Wife

22:00 Narcissist Divorce Strategy: Money, Kids, Court

25:20 Divorce Mediation With a Narcissist: What Actually Works

28:00 Divorce an Abuser With Kids: Safety, Threats & Manipulation

31:10 Divorce a Narcissist With Kids: Protecting Them From Loyalty Warfare

34:00 When Your Divorce Attorney Narcissist Makes Things Worse

38:00 Divorce Trial With a Narcissist: Reality vs Fantasy

41:40 Building Your Team (Therapist, DV Center, Strategist, Attorney)

45:10 Leaving Safely: Exit Planning & Community Resources

48:00 Negotiating Without Feeding Their Ego or Rage

51:00 Divorce After Abusive Marriage: Rebuilding Yourself

55:00 Lisa’s Resources for Anyone in High-Conflict Divorce

In this episode, human relations professor and author Dr. Sterlin Mosley joins Alice to break down one of the most confusing and destabilizing experiences anyone can face: what happens when you reject a narcissist — romantically, sexually, emotionally, or otherwise.

If you’ve ever wondered how to reject a narcissist safely, what narcissists do when you reject them, or why even highly intelligent people end up trapped in cycles of love bombing, self-doubt, and psychological whiplash, this conversation is going to hit with startling clarity.

Sterlin opens with a statistic that flips the entire narrative on its head: while official numbers say 1–2% of people have Narcissistic Personality Disorder, the real number of people with significant narcissistic traits is likely closer to 8–10%. From there, he explains why NPD is so often undiagnosed, how narcissists take rejection, and why denial (“I’m not a narcissist!”) is often the most predictable response.

Alice and Sterlin go deep into the relational fallout of setting boundaries — including when you reject a narcissist hoover and they attempt to pull you back, when you reject a narcissist sexually, and why narcissists often escalate, punish, or retaliate when their supply is cut off. Sterlin also breaks down the neurology behind the love bombing narcissist meaning — why it feels euphoric, addictive, and impossible to leave — and what to do when you're involved with a love bombing narcissist husband, partner, parent, or friend.

For listeners dealing with covert narcissists, Sterlin explains why covert personalities are harder to identify, how they use vulnerability as manipulation, and how to reject a covert narcissist without getting caught in the guilt–shame–blame cycle.

Most importantly, Sterlin offers grounded, non-sensationalized guidance on the best way to reject a narcissist, the emotional withdrawal that follows, and how to rebuild honesty, clarity, and safety in your own body again.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone in a confusing relationship, navigating the aftermath of narcissistic rejection, or trying to understand why even the strongest people can get trapped in dynamics that erode their confidence, intuition, and well-being. It’s for anyone who’s ever wondered: If you reject a narcissist, what happens next — and how do you protect yourself in the process?

Resources & Links

🌐 Explore Dr. Sterlin Mosley’s work at http://sterlinmosley.com/
📚 Read Center of the Universe: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/center-of-the-universe-9781538186435/
📰 Subscribe to Sterlin’s Substack for deeper case studies and essays on narcissism: https://substack.com/@sterlinmosley

Chapters

00:00 Why So Many Narcissists Go Undiagnosed
02:00 What Happens When You Reject a Narcissist
05:00 Do Narcissists Deny Being a Narcissist?
08:20 Why the DSM Gets Narcissism Wrong
11:40 How Narcissists Take Rejection in Relationships
14:00 The Reality of Rejecting a Covert Narcissist
18:10 “Love Bombing” Explained — Neurology, Addiction & Fantasy
22:30 When You Reject a Narcissist Sexually
25:00 What to Do When You Reject a Narcissist After Betrayal
28:40 The Narcissistic Hoover: Why They Pull You Back
32:00 The Best Way to Reject a Narcissist Safely
35:20 Trauma, Armoring & the Roots of Narcissistic Personality
40:00 What Narcissists Do When You Reject Them (and Why)
45:30 Breadcrumbing, Gaslighting, and DARVO
50:00 Rebuilding Reality After Emotional Manipulation
53:10 Why You Blame Yourself — and Why You Shouldn’t
56:30 Choosing Yourself Again
59:00 Sterlin’s Advice for Anyone Living in Narcissistic Chaos

In this mini replay episode, therapist and bestselling author Whitney Goodman joins Alice for an unflinchingly honest conversation about toxic positivity — what it is, how it shows up, and why so many of us default to forced optimism instead of honest connection.

Whitney Goodman, known online as @sitwithwit and the author behind the viral toxic positivity book, breaks down toxic positivity explained in a way that finally feels human. She talks about how social media has turned everyday life into a public performance, why people feel pressure to appear happy even when they’re not, and how positivity becomes harmful when it’s used to deny the full emotional experience.

Alice and Whitney walk through the central question: what is toxic positivity, really? Whitney explains why phrases like “just stay positive,” “everything happens for a reason,” or “you’ll learn from this one day” often make people feel worse, not better. They discuss how these responses are usually rooted in fear — fear of uncertainty, fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of sitting with someone else’s pain.

The conversation also explores the nuanced difference between toxic positivity vs optimism — and why healthy positivity leaves space for grief, frustration, and disappointment instead of covering them with a motivational bow.

Drawing from stories in Whitney’s book, Alice and Whitney discuss how early childhood messages around “not being sensitive,” “not crying,” or “being strong” can lead adults to suppress emotions, over-function, or rely on cheerfulness as a shield. Whitney explains how toxicity and positivity often intertwine when people are taught that expressing negative feelings is dangerous or shameful.

You’ll hear Whitney break down the science of emotional suppression — how unprocessed feelings often show up in physical symptoms like sleep issues, irritability, or trouble concentrating. She also shares why some people fear joy, why others numb sadness, and why emotional awareness is a skill, not a personality trait.

They also explore the subtle ways people use work, productivity, travel, or “keeping busy” as a socially rewarded form of avoidance, and how to check in with yourself to know if you’re genuinely thriving or simply distracting yourself.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt guilty for struggling, pressured to be grateful in the middle of something hard, or frustrated by the “good vibes only” culture online. If you’ve ever wondered why forced optimism feels empty — or why suppressing your feelings only makes them louder — this toxic positivity podcast episode will feel grounding, compassionate, and clarifying.

Resources & Links:

Visit Whitney’s community Calling Home: callinghome.co
Find Whitney on Instagram: @sitwithwit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sitwithwhit

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whitneygoodmanlmft

Chapters:

00:00 The Pressure to Look Happy
02:00 Why We Rarely Share the Hard Parts Online
05:45 The Problem with “Everything Happens for a Reason”
08:40 Why Meaning-Making Only Works When It Comes From Within
11:00 Positivity as a Defense Mechanism
13:30 When Optimism Becomes Denial
16:00 The Hidden Cost of Suppressing Emotions
18:40 Using Work or Productivity to Avoid Hard Feelings
21:00 Why Some People Fear Joy
23:30 Our Fear of Uncertainty
26:00 What We Can and Can’t Control
28:00 How to Support Others Without Dismissing Their Pain
30:00 Whitney’s Work, Book, and Where to Find Her

In this episode, novelist and writing instructor Eva Langston joins Alice to break open one of the most under-discussed truths in publishing: sometimes your book dies even after you’ve done everything “right.”

After years in the query trenches, eight manuscripts, and dozens of literary agent queries, Eva finally landed representation — the milestone so many writers dream of. But what happened next wasn’t the success story she expected. Her agented novel went out on submission and became what the industry quietly calls a rejected book. Then the next one died on submission, too.

Eva shares the emotional toll of spending years querying an agent, fighting through inbox silence, and learning the real book deal meaning after rejections from many publishers. She traces the shame spiral that followed — the week she couldn’t eat, couldn’t smile, and seriously wondered if she would ever see her work in print — and the surprising statistic that changed everything: only 5% of agented manuscripts get picked up by publishers.

What looks like failure from the outside was, for Eva, the beginning of a creative rebirth. She talks about the sculpture garden visit that sparked her next novel, how she wrote it in a burst of catharsis, and why she believes the books rejected by publishers often contain the seeds of better ones.

Eva and Alice also dive into the power of building a writing community — both offline and through an online writing community like Substack — and why being a “good literary citizen” is one of the most sustaining forces in the book writing community. From reaching out to debut authors, to creating her new podcast The Long Road to Publishing, to finding critique partners through workshops, Eva shows how connection can hold you steady when querying book agents threatens to break you.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone querying an agent, drafting a novel, navigating rejection, or searching for an honest look at what it means to query agents and publishers in today’s saturated market. It’s for every writer who has wondered if their dream is taking too long — and for anyone who needs the reminder that you haven’t failed if you’re still trying.

Resources & Links:

🌐 Listen to Eva’s podcast The Long Road to Publishing
📬 Subscribe to Eva’s Newsletter for Writers on Substack
💻 Connect with Eva at evalangston.com
🎧 Listen to This Mama Is Lit, where Eva is co-host

Chapters:

00:00 Why We Don’t Talk About Dead-On-Submission Books
02:00 Eva’s Earliest Rejection & Her Mother’s Brutal Honesty
06:30 Entering the Query Trenches—Writing Eight Novels
10:20 When Literary Agent Queries Go Nowhere
12:40 Querying a Book vs. Querying Your Worth
15:30 Landing an Agent After 90 Queries
18:00 The First Book Dies on Submission—And Then the Second
21:40 The 5% Statistic That Changed Everything
24:00 Publisher Silence, Rejection Emails, and Mental Health
27:05 Rebuilding Confidence Through a Writing Community
30:10 Substack, Online Writing Community, and Literary Citizenship
34:00 The Sculpture Garden Breakdown → Breakthrough
37:20 Writing a New Novel in Two Months
40:15 Exciting Developments (She Can’t Share Yet…)
41:40 Why She Started The Long Road to Publishing
46:10 AI Manuscripts, Inbox Saturation & Querying Book Agents Today
50:00 Champagne Rejections & How to Keep Going
52:30 How to Build Your Own Book Writing Community
57:00 Eva’s Parting Words: “You Haven’t Failed If You’re Still Trying.”

In this episode, keynote speaker and former litigator Kim Bolourtchi joins Alice to unpack what happens when following all the rules still leaves you feeling hollow.

After building a high-powered legal career, Kim realized that the very traits that made her “successful” — discipline, control, and achievement — were also keeping her small. She opens up about the moment her two worlds collided: arguing before the Missouri Supreme Court when her husband revealed her secret life as a Latin dancer. What felt like career sabotage became the spark that changed everything.

Kim and Alice dive deep into the invisible rules we inherit — from childhood conditioning to workplace norms — and how these rules shape our sense of belonging, respectability, and self-worth. Kim shares her journey of strategic unruliness: identifying the beliefs that no longer serve you, learning to trust your own desires, and taking small, courageous steps toward a more authentic life.

From losing a national dance competition in a catsuit to redefining what success looks like beyond external validation, Kim’s story is a masterclass in breaking patterns without burning down your life.

This episode is for anyone who’s done everything “right” and still feels like something’s missing — anyone who’s ready to stop performing success and start embodying it.

Resources & Links:
📘 Strategic Unruliness: Break the Rules, Build What’s Next by Kim Bolourtchi
🌐 Take Kim’s “Which Rule Is Running Your Life?” quiz at kimbolourtchi.com
💬 Connect with Kim on LinkedIn

Chapters:
00:00 The Ache of Doing Everything Right
01:10 Arguing Before the Supreme Court—and Being Outed as a Dancer
06:20 Integrating the Parts of Yourself You’ve Hidden
10:45 The Rules We Inherit From Childhood
15:00 When People-Pleasing Stops Serving You
20:00 Taking Small Steps Toward Alignment
26:30 The Catsuit Story: Breaking Convention and Rediscovering Joy
33:00 The Keynote Flop That Taught Her Conviction
41:00 Resentment, Envy, and the Signals of Misalignment
47:00 Redefining Security and Success on Your Own Terms
50:00 Building a Strategically Unruly Life

In this episode, I bring together four of the smartest, funniest, most relatable ADHD creators I know to unpack one of the trickiest topics in business: self-promotion.

We talk about everything from the executive dysfunction that makes “just post it” feel impossible, to the dopamine desert that hits after you finally do. There’s a lot of laughter, a lot of honesty, and a few mic-drop strategies that had me replaying the conversation for days.

You’ll hear from:

• Meredith Carder, ADHD educator and author of It All Makes Sense Now, who breaks down the emotional toll of visibility for neurodivergent creators—and why we so often ghost our own ideas.

• Jesse J. Anderson, author of Extra Focus, who shares his “pretend your friends and family don’t exist” strategy for posting content without panic.

• Diann Wingert, host of the ADHD-ish podcast and a business coach for ADHD entrepreneurs, who offers a brilliant reframe on negativity bias and visibility fear.

• Tayla Blaire, writer, journalist, and creator of the We Are Made of Stories writing course, who opens up about ghosting, grief, and the inner conflict of wanting to be seen while simultaneously hiding.

Whether you’re navigating public speaking with ADHD, wondering how to succeed in business with ADHD, or just trying to post consistently without spiraling, this conversation is for you.

If you’ve ever Googled things like “self-promotion ADHD” or “ADHD and executive functioning”—or you’ve been paralyzed by the thought of sharing your work—this episode will leave you feeling a lot less alone.

Meredith Carder
📘 It All Makes Sense Now
📰 Subscribe to Meredith’s Substack
📲 @hummingbird_adhd on Instagram

Jesse J. Anderson
📘 Buy Extra Focus
📝 Sign up to his newsletter
📲 @adhdjesse on Instagram and X

Diann Wingert
🌐 Business coaching services
🎧 Listen to ADHD-ish
🧠 Take her “What’s Holding You Back?” quiz
💼 Connect on LinkedIn

Tayla Blaire
✍️ Courses & writing mentorship
📲 @scribblingsidehustlers on Instagram
💼 Connect on LinkedIn

In this episode, bestselling author and former Hallmark executive Tara Jaye Frank joins Alice to talk about the messy, courageous process of letting go—of careers, of marriages, and of identities that no longer fit. From leaving a long-term marriage to walking away from a lucrative book deal, Tara opens up about what it means to choose yourself when everything in you has been wired for people-pleasing behavior.

She shares the subtle shifts that whisper when to leave a marriage—and how she found peace in deciding to leave, even when it meant stepping into uncertainty. Tara also reflects on burnout at work, the identity unraveling that followed her departure from Hallmark, and how she rebuilt her life through what she calls a transformation after midlife.

This is an episode for anyone standing at the crossroads of should I leave my marriage or when to call it quits in a marriage, wondering how to move through the end of a marriage or prepare to leave a good marriage without losing yourself in the process.

Tara’s story is a reminder that growth doesn’t always look like winning—it often looks like walking away.

If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “When should you leave a marriage?” or felt like you’re outgrowing the version of yourself who once fit so neatly into your life, this conversation is for you.

Resources & Links:
📘 The Waymakers by Tara Jaye Frank: https://www.thelwaymakers.com
🌐 Subscribe to Tara’s LinkedIn newsletter You Are Before the World: Tara J. Frank on LinkedIn`

Chapters:
00:00 The Shy Child Who Learned to Listen
03:40 Leaving a 21-Year Career at Hallmark
10:02 Preparing to Leave a Marriage—and Trusting Yourself Again
17:45 The Law of Least Effort and Accepting What’s True
26:50 When the Pain of Staying Outweighs the Fear of Leaving
31:40 I Left My Marriage: Learning to Let Go Without Losing Yourself
36:10 Publisher Rejection, Creative Alignment, and After 40 Transformation
43:00 Burnout, Boundaries, and the Helper’s Dilemma
50:00 Knowing What Matters So You Can Do What Counts

What if success takes longer than expected?

In this reflective and empowering episode, writer and creative entrepreneur Jamie Varon joins My Rejection Story to talk about the uncomfortable space between effort and outcome. We dig deep into the psychology of delayed gratification vs instant gratification, what it means to stay motivated when the world isn’t watching, and how to keep creating even when the payoff is years away.

Jamie shares how she rebuilt her creative process around trusting herself first—detaching from results, resisting the urge to quit too soon, and embracing the art of delayed gratification. She shares raw personal stories, including how she almost walked away from writing entirely—and what brought her back.

If you’ve ever burned out from hustle culture, doubted your work after one rejection, or felt crushed when something didn’t “go viral,” this episode will shift how you think about success. It’s a masterclass in delayed gratification motivation and creative resilience, especially for those building something meaningful.

In this episode, we discussed:

• Delayed gratification explained: why it’s harder than ever and how to build it

• The emotional cost of creating in a world obsessed with overnight success

• Why Jamie no longer ties her worth to her metrics (and how she made that shift)

• How to reframe “rejection” as a signal—not a stop sign

• Instant and delayed gratification in the context of writing, publishing, and marketing

• Learning to love the process more than the praise

• The role of delayed gratification in business and why short-term wins can sabotage long-term growth

• Her viral essay on Main Character Energy—and how the world twisted it

• Jamie’s new approach to creativity: aligned action, not panic performance

• What most people get wrong about motivation—and how she reclaimed hers

• One of our favorite Jamie Varon quotes: “You can’t rush what you want to last.”

  
  

Quotes:

💬 "You might spend two years for a one-minute result. So why not make those two years joyful?"
💬 "Trying is brave. And trying again is revolutionary."
💬 "Detaching from results isn’t giving up—it’s finally breathing."
💬 "Rejection doesn’t mean you were wrong. It might mean you’re early."

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro
02:00 – Delayed gratification motivation and what’s changed in the digital age
05:30 – The moment Jamie almost quit writing
09:00 – Navigating rejection and rebuilding self-trust
12:45 – The fork in the road: believe the rejection, or believe your vision
16:20 – How Jamie Varon books have evolved alongside her inner world
21:10 – Jamie Varon main character energy—and the backlash
25:30 – Letting go of hustle for alignment
29:00 – Why we confuse feedback with fact
32:00 – Creative longevity and delayed gratification in business
36:00 – Writing for soul, not sales
40:00 – What she tells herself now when things don’t take off
44:00 – The secret to finishing what you start

Resources:

• Jamie Varon books: Radically Content, Main Character Energy

• Website: www.jamievaron.com

• Instagram: @jamievaron

• Explore more Jamie Varon quotes and essays at Radically Content

What if the fear of rejection is actually a fear of being fully seen?

In this poetic and soul-searching episode, author and spoken word artist Arielle Estoria opens up about what it means to grow beyond who the world expects you to be—and how devastating, liberating, and cyclical that journey can be.

Best known for her viral Arielle Estoria poems, her book The Unfolding, and her ability to speak straight to the soul, Arielle shares the deeply personal story behind her own “unfolding.” She discusses the grief of leaving behind old identities, the risk of becoming someone new, and the human need for belonging—especially when you no longer fit the roles that once made you feel loved.

We talk about how her relationship with her husband gave her the courage to question inherited beliefs, why creativity is a core value in her life, and what it means to trade approval for truth. Whether you're in the middle of your own unfolding story or afraid to let go of the identity you’ve outgrown, this conversation is a balm for anyone who's ever felt the sting of having no sense of belonging.

What We Cover:

• The awakening: What it feels like to outgrow the life that once felt safe

• How Arielle’s husband became a catalyst for growth and authenticity

• Grief as part of growth: What we don’t talk about when we talk about becoming

• Letting go of people, labels, and spaces that no longer reflect who you are

• Why creativity as a value is about healing, not performance

• The cost of honesty: Losing gigs, friends, and familiarity—and choosing truth anyway

• What it means to rewrite your “too much” narrative

• How her book The Unfolding and her album The Art of Unfolding were created for her own healing first

• The one Arielle Estoria quote every creator needs to hear

• How rejection became redirection—and why the work always finds who it’s meant for

• Using art to create belonging, not applause

• Why even non-artists can use creativity for healing

Quotes That Hit Hard:

💬 "I’d rather have friends who love me whole than love me half."
💬 "That’s the old story. Now, what’s the new one?"
💬 "Creativity is not about sounding good—it’s about speaking soul to soul."
💬 "Rejection isn’t a dead end. Sometimes, it’s a reroute to yourself."

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro
01:30 – Awakening vs autopilot living
04:45 – How her husband gave her permission to explore
08:30 – The grief of growing and letting go
12:00 – Rejection, community loss, and spiritual dissonance
15:10 – Redefining self-worth and belonging
18:20 – How Arielle Estoria poems became a healing practice
22:45 – Why her writing isn’t for the ears—but for the soul
26:10 – Her response to low book sales and how she redefined success
30:45 – Can anyone access healing through art? (Yes.)
35:00 – The raw vulnerability of publishing your truth
40:00 – What rejection taught her about audience, ego, and trust
43:00 – Rewriting the unfolding story in real time

Resources:

• 📚 Arielle Estoria books: The Unfolding

• 🎧 The Art of Unfolding – Spoken word album (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)

• 🔗 Website: www.arielleestoria.com

• 📲 Instagram: @arielleestoria

What happens when the dream ends and you're left with nothing?

In this raw and powerful episode of My Rejection Story, former NFL player turned motivational speaker Marques Ogden shares his incredible journey through identity loss, business collapse, and ultimately, self-reinvention.

At one point, Marques was at the top: running a $25 million construction company, driving luxury cars, and living the life of a successful ex-athlete. But behind the scenes, ego, poor financial decisions, and misplaced trust led to a devastating fall. He lost it all—his home, his cars, and his sense of purpose.

What followed was even harder: a humbling stint as a night-shift custodian, addiction recovery, and facing the painful truth about his role in it all. This episode doesn’t just explore rejection. It unpacks what happens when you stop blaming the world and start taking ownership.

Marques shares openly about grief, addiction, bankruptcy, and the moment he decided to rebuild his life—this time on truth, not illusion. If you've ever asked yourself “What is entrepreneurial ego?” or wondered how to bounce back from failure, this one’s for you.

What We Cover:

• Life after the NFL: Why 78% of athletes go broke and how Marques found himself spiraling

• Grief, addiction, and the tattoo that became his wake-up call

• Building a $25M company from scratch—and the early cracks he ignored

• Business debt meaning: how undocumented deals led to financial ruin

• The fine line between confidence and arrogance in entrepreneurship

• Losing it all: how one client’s handshake deal cost him everything

• Hitting rock bottom as a custodian—and learning to tell the truth

• How he became a full-time Marques Ogden speaker and keynote coach

• His current relationship with external validation and humility

• How gratitude and discipline helped him reclaim purpose

• The importance of listening to your team and trusting the right people

• The role of Marques Ogden’s wife and daughter during his hardest seasons

• Why rejection is often the best data point we can get

Chapters

00:00 – Intro
02:00 – Life after NFL: Expectation vs reality
04:30 – Rock bottom: Addiction, grief, and survival mode
08:00 – The tattoo incident that changed everything
12:30 – From redemption to arrogance: Building and losing the biz
18:45 – The phone call that ended everything
23:00 – Repossession, foreclosure, and starting over
26:00 – Ego and ignored advice: What Marques would do differently
30:00 – The moment he realized he was a “fake and a phony”
34:00 – The spilled milk story: Rock bottom reenacted
37:00 – Becoming a speaker and rebuilding his reputation
41:00 – The discipline myth: You don’t need to be gifted
43:00 – Gratitude, ego, and redefining success

Resources Mentioned:

• Marques Ogden podcast: Get Authentic with Marques Ogden

• Website: www.marquesogden.com

• The Marques Ogden App (with exclusive content and coaching offers)

• Instagram & LinkedIn: @marquesogden

• Email: marques@marquesogden.com

Ever heard of defensive failure? What about productive failure?

In this deeply honest and psychologically rich episode, cognitive psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Amanda Crowell unpacks what it means to do the work that truly matters. We explore the Great Work framework, the emotional toll of overachievement, and the quiet sabotage of “defensive failure”—a pattern that stops us from even attempting the things we care about most.

Amanda shares her own story of striving for approval, hitting burnout, and experiencing a health collapse that forced her to radically rethink her life. From panic attacks and autoimmune flare-ups to a TEDx talk viewed by 1.7M+ people, her story is a roadmap for finding meaning at work, rediscovering your voice, and finally choosing yourself.

This conversation is for anyone yearning to feel more alive—whether by finding purpose at work, outside of work, or figuring out how to enjoy work again after years of burnout. It’s also a must-listen if you’ve ever doubted your potential, or convinced yourself you’re “not that kind of person.”

What We Cover:

• Why most people fail before they even start—and how to spot “defensive failure” in your own life

• The pressure to overachieve: How childhood patterns, trauma, and external validation drive burnout

• Amanda’s breaking point: a panic attack that led to an unexpected health crisis and major life reset

• What “great work” really means—and how to spot your own great work thread

• The surprising way intrinsic motivation works (and why competitive goals often backfire)

• How to build momentum in the smallest ways—and stop self-rejection in its tracks

• Reframing rejection as data, not defeat

• Finding purpose at work worksheet (included in Amanda’s book!)

• How to do less, enjoy more, and feel alive again

  Why burnout recovery requires joy, not just rest

What if the thing that hurts the most isn’t rejection itself, but how your brain processes it?

In this emotionally resonant solo episode, host Alice Draper unpacks the lived experience of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): a lesser-known but deeply felt condition experienced by many, especially those with ADHD. Through childhood memories, Reddit stories, and peer-reviewed research, she explores why RSD feels like a punch in the gut, and what we can do to cope with it.

Alice shares a painful moment from her teenage years that still echoes today: being excluded by a close friend in front of others, and the full-body shutdown that followed. It’s a familiar story for many people with rejection sensitive dysphoria ADHD, particularly rejection sensitive dysphoria women navigating friendships, love, and work in a world that often mistakes sensitivity for weakness.

You’ll hear from others too: Stories pulled from rejection sensitive dysphoria Reddit communities that reveal just how common and debilitating these experiences are. Alice also walks through evidence-backed strategies pulled from a rejection sensitive dysphoria workbook by Neurodivergent Insights, and introduces a free rejection sensitive dysphoria test that listeners can use to assess their own experience.

Whether you're searching how to cope with rejection sensitive dysphoria, how to overcome rejection sensitive dysphoria, or curious about rejection sensitive dysphoria ADHD treatment options, this episode offers understanding, science, and self-compassion in equal measure.

If you’ve ever felt “too sensitive,” this conversation will help you feel a little more seen, and a lot less alone.

What We Cover:

• What rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) actually is—and why it’s not just about being overly sensitive

• The neuroscience behind why social rejection activates the same part of the brain as physical pain

• A deeply personal story from Alice’s teenage years and how those feelings still show up today

• Raw, relatable Reddit posts from people living with RSD

• The staggering statistic that children with ADHD hear 20,000 more negative messages by age 10 (via Dr. William Dodson)

• A reputable, expert-backed rejection sensitive dysphoria test you can take to assess your symptoms

• A resource-rich article from Neurodivergent Insights that doubles as a rejection sensitive dysphoria workbook

• Tools and strategies for emotional regulation, black-and-white thinking, and self-compassion

  When (and how) to seek professional help—and what to know about ADHD treatment for rejection sensitive dysphoria

What happens when success becomes a prison?

In this candid and soul-baring episode, bestselling author and branding expert Jessica Zweig opens up about the emotional cost of staying in a business that no longer aligned with her truth. She shares the moment she realized it was more painful to stay than to leave—and what followed was a journey of healing, identity loss, and radical self-reinvention.

Jessica speaks about the real-life complexities of leaving a business partnership without an agreement, navigating debt in entrepreneurship, and the slow unraveling that comes when you’ve built something that no longer serves your growth. Through her story, we unpack what it really means to change your life—not through hustle, but through alignment.

This episode will resonate deeply with anyone feeling stuck, burnt out, or silently questioning the cost of their own ambition.

What We Cover:

• Why Jessica left her first company, even though it looked like a dream from the outside

• The emotional and financial aftermath of splitting a business partnership with no formal exit plan

• The toll of chronic burnout and situational depression—despite outward “success”

• How to begin healing when your identity has been tied to achievement

• The meaning of spiritual entrepreneurship and how Jessica integrates it into her life today

• Practices that supported her transformation and helped her change her life for the better

  What sovereignty means—and why it’s not a luxury, but a necessity

In this short and powerful replay, ADHD coach, creator, and author Meredith Carder explains why masking happens, what ADHD masking symptoms look like, and how to make strategic choices about when to mask and when to unmask. Many people with ADHD mask their symptoms (at work, with friends, or in public) to fit in and avoid judgment. But masking comes at a cost, and for some, it can lead to ADHD masking burnout.

Meredith shares practical ADHD masking examples and her “low-reward masking” approach for reducing the energy drain of constant self-monitoring. We also talk about finding masking accommodations that help you function without burning out, and how community can ease ADHD friendship struggles, ADHD friendship issues, and help you build genuine ADHD friendship groups.

The conversation then shifts to ADHD rejection sensitive dysphoria (also called ADHD rejection sensitivity disorder), including what’s happening in the brain during perceived rejection, why rejection sensitive dysphoria in ADHD women can feel especially intense, and how emotional regulation and ADHD are connected. Meredith shares tools for increasing rejection tolerance, the role of executive functioning in ADHD women, and how to apply these strategies in daily life.

If you’ve ever looked up an ADHD masking questionnaire, searched for ways to prevent burnout, or wondered how to deal with RSD in a relationship, this episode will give you practical insights and compassionate perspective.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The risks of constant masking and signs of ADHD masking burnout

• How to identify ADHD masking symptoms in yourself

• Real-life ADHD masking examples that can actually help

• Meredith’s “low-reward masking” approach to conserving energy

• How to find masking accommodations that support your needs

• Navigating ADHD friendship struggles, ADHD friendship issues, and building ADHD friendship groups

• Understanding ADHD rejection sensitive dysphoria and ADHD rejection sensitivity disorder

• Why rejection sensitive dysphoria in ADHD women can feel different

  Tools for emotional regulation and ADHD

• The connection between executive functioning in ADHD women and rejection tolerance

• How to deal with RSD in a relationship and practical steps to reduce its impact

• 
  

  Links & Resources

  • Follow Meredith Carder on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hummingbird_adhd/

• • Read Meredith’s book on adult ADHD: It All Makes Sense Now: Embrace your ADHD brain to live a creative and colorful life
  • Subscribe to Meredith's Substacks: Meredith Carder Substack and It All Makes Sense Now Substack
• • Take an ADHD masking questionnaire to explore your own masking patterns: https://www.bhcsmt.com/aamm

  
  

  Chapters:
  01:33 The dangers of masking
  03:35 How masking can be beneficial
  04:10 Meredith’s “low-reward masking” approach
  06:30 Finding masking accommodations
  07:35 ADHD friendship struggles and friendship groups
  09:06 Understanding ADHD rejection sensitive dysphoria
  11:31 What’s happening in the brain during perceived rejection
  12:46 Emotional regulation and ADHD
  14:10 Executive functioning in ADHD women and cognitive inflexibility
  16:07 Why self-awareness matters for managing RSD
  18:33 How to deal with RSD in a relationship and improve rejection tolerance
  20:30 Lifestyle factors that increase emotional resilience

Christine Platt boldly embraces the power of less. She has written more than two dozen books, and spent more than 20 years advocating for social justice and the environment in academia, governments, non-profits and the private sector. After writing The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living with Less,she became widely known as the Afro-minimalist, a black woman who started a movement. In the book, she radically revisions minimalism, integrating it with history and heritage.

In this episode, Christine Platt explores how rejection can lead us to tell self-limiting stories about ourselves. By reframing these rejection stories, we can open up opportunities for personal transformation. She reflects on the development of self-awareness and resilience, and highlights the role of self-talk, and language in letting go of limiting beliefs. She describes the discomfort of learning to “be” instead of constantly “doing” which had led her to a state of overwhelm.  She touches on the pandemic and proposes that we are still going through an unspoken cycle of collective grief - that needs attention.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Christine Platt and Her Journey

01:00 The Gift of Parental Support and Career Freedom

03:04 Transitioning from Doing to Being

06:09 Navigating Uncertainty and Life Cycles

10:04 Rejection Stories and Their Impact

12:01 The Power of Reframing Rejection

17:53 Finding Meaning in Lowest Lows and Highest Highs

33:03 Understanding Rejection Stories

38:01 The Journey of Self-Discovery

42:17 The Importance of Introspection

45:53 Navigating Collective Grief

56:30 Building Community and Connection

Resources and Links:

Her new book “Less Is Liberation: Finding Freedom from a Life of Overwhelm” will be released in October 2025 and you can pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/Less-Liberation-Finding-Freedom-Overwhelm/dp/153875830X

Instagram: @iamchristineplatt

Subscribe to Christine’s Substack: https://christineplatt.substack.com/

To find out more about Christine Platt visit: https://www.iamchristineplatt.com/

This episode is personal, vulnerable, and messy — for a reason.

Alice reflects on the fear of saying the wrong thing, the rejection that often follows speaking up, and what happened when influencer Jenna Kutcher finally broke her silence on Palestine.

This is a conversation about rejection, shame, activism, and the paralysis of perfectionism in the age of public scrutiny.

Chapters:

00:00 Opening — fear, paralysis, and why this episode feels scary
01:23 Jenna Kutcher’s post on Gaza
03:00 Background information on Palestine
04:40 Silence after October 7 and influencer inaction
06:32 Why some people don’t speak up
08:40 The impossible expectations around speaking out
10:50 The science of rejection and how it relates to activism
12:36 Self-affirmation theory and how it helps us take action
14:03 Personal reflection on sharing imperfect thoughts
15:42 Final thoughts — rejection, risk, and showing up anyway

Resources & Mentions:

Jenna Kutcher’s Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMmA5sbOYG5/?igsh=MTRyOTBpZnR3eHFndw==

Alice’s interview with Sarah Rice on This Changes Everything:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/learning-to-reject-rejection/id1640548625?i=1000708545091

Scientific American: Study on why rejection activates the same brain regions as physical pain:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-are-wired-to-connect/

APA article on self-affirmation theory:
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-19538-004

Your loneliness isn't weakness, it's love without a home.

In this raw and reflective episode, writer and mindset coach Katie Horwitch joins Alice to explore the emotional roots of identity, self-talk, loneliness, and healing. Katie shares her journey from childhood eating disorders to building a platform that helps others shift their inner narratives—without sugarcoating the messiness of that process.

Together, they dive into the stories we tell ourselves when we’re rejected, the parts of us we learn to perform, and why so many high-functioning people are secretly lonely.

You’ll hear:

• Why Katie says “loneliness is love with nowhere to go”

• How eating disorders were a way to create control and connection

• The cost of being the “good girl” in every room

• Why self-love isn’t the same as self-like

• What happens when recognition doesn't feel like belonging

• How to break fluency in negative self-talk—and learn a new emotional language

This episode is a compassionate and cutting look at how we reject ourselves before anyone else can—and what it takes to stop.

Chapters:

00:50 Intro
03:02 When Katie realized her dream no longer fit
07:44 How eating disorders became a survival strategy
10:55 Performing perfection and the cost of control
14:20 “I was fluent in shame”
16:12 Loneliness as a side effect of masking
18:49 Rebuilding identity after letting go of the stage
23:03 Self-talk as a learned language
26:57 What happens when we stop performing healing
30:14 Why recognition felt hollow without real connection
34:30 Holding high standards and self-compassion
38:08 Katie’s approach to rebuilding community and belonging
42:10 Where to find Katie and her work

Resources & Links:

• Katie’s book: Want Yourself

• Website: katiehorwitch.com

• Follow Katie on Instagram: @katiehorwitch

Heartbreak doesn’t just feel like withdrawal. It is withdrawal.

In this short, powerful replay, psychologist and author Guy Winch explains why breakups hurt so much and why trying to “stay friends” with your ex might be sabotaging your recovery.

He breaks down the neuroscience of heartbreak, compares it to addiction, and shares why going cold turkey - unfollowing, muting, and cutting contact - isn’t dramatic. It’s necessary.

You’ll hear:

• Why heartbreak activates the same brain regions as physical pain

• The science behind why you’re obsessively thinking about your ex

• How heartbreak mimics the brain patterns of drug withdrawal

• Why unfollowing your ex is a psychological intervention, not a petty move

• What to do instead of re-reading old messages or checking their feed

This is a must-listen if you, or someone you love, can’t stop going back to the ghost of a relationship.

Resources & Mentions:

• Guy Winch’s TED Talk: How to Fix a Broken Heart, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0GQSJrpVhM&pp=0gcJCfwAo7VqN5tD

• Book: How to Fix a Broken Heart, https://www.amazon.com/How-Fix-Broken-Heart-Books/dp/1501120123

• Podcast: Dear Therapists, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dear-therapists-with-lori-gottlieb-and-guy-winch/id1523340696

• Website: guywinch.com

What if every tiny criticism (real or imagined) felt like a full-body betrayal?

In this validating and deeply personal episode, ADHD educator and author Jesse J. Anderson joins Alice to unpack what rejection-sensitive dysphoria (RSD) really feels like, and how it’s shaped his relationships, self-perception, and emotional responses.

Jesse shares how RSD used to hijack his nervous system, leading to blow-ups in conversations with his wife and shame spirals that lasted for days. But over time, he’s learned to pause, name what’s happening, and create space for a different response.

You’ll hear:

• How RSD distorts emotional cues and triggers emotional overwhelm

• Why Jesse used to “blow up” and what he does differently now

• The therapist phrase that helped him access logic in the middle of a spiral

• What happens when ADHDers interpret normal conflict as deep rejection

• Why emotional regulation looks different for ADHD brains, and why it matters

• How Jesse’s layoff pushed him to lean on community instead of hiding

This episode is a must-listen for anyone with ADHD—or anyone who loves someone with it.

Chapters:

00:50 Intro
02:21 Jesse on being the “bad kid” with undiagnosed ADHD
05:33 What rejection-sensitive dysphoria (RSD) actually feels like
10:10 The therapist phrase that changed everything
13:55 ADHD and marriage: how Jesse nearly blew it
17:42 Learning to pause before blowing up
21:05 Jesse’s “hand over mouth” moment
23:18 Getting laid off and going public
26:50 The healing power of community
31:45 Why ADHD friendships often fall apart
35:22 Jesse’s app idea for remembering friends
38:10 Grieving the ADHD kid you were
41:03 How Jesse shows up differently now
45:12 Where to find Jesse and his work

Resources & Links:

Jesse's book, Extra Focus: https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Focus-Quick-Start-Guide/dp/B0CGKL5FGF

Follow Jesse on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhdjesse/

Follow Jesse's Substack: https://substack.com/@adhdjesse