Life's Dirty Little Secrets Podcast | Breaking Silence Around the Secrets We All Carry

Recommended Episodes
Secret #62: The Connection Paradox with James Cordova
Secret #64: Moral Outrage with Kurt Gray 
Secret #70: So Many Paradoxes with Dr. Emma Waddington and Dr. Chris McCurry
Many of us are going about our daily lives while quietly feeling that something is deeply wrong in the world. We say we are fine. We scroll. We joke. We compartmentalize. And yet there is a sinking feeling that things are not normal.
In this conversation, Jonathan Kanter explores the disconnection paradox and the concept of hypernormalization. Why do we pretend everything is okay when it is not? When does normalcy protect us, and when does it shrink our lives? Together, we unpack avoidance, helplessness, activism, values, and what it means to pivot toward action without collapsing into hopelessness.
Topics Discussed:
 hypernormalization and pretending everything is fine
 emotional avoidance and shrinking behavioral repertoires
 accept, grieve, and pivot toward new goals
 values based action in times of social crisis 
View extended shownotes here
Struggling with your child’s big feelings? Our new children’s workbooks are here to help kids and parents handle worry, disappointment, and anger using practical, compassionate tools. Follow the journeys of Justin Case, the Glumm Twins, and Max Cross as they learn that tough emotions are normal and manageable. Find all three workbooks at bookstores everywhere and give your family the support they deserve.
ORDER Max Cross Gets Unstuck from Anger: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook series for kids)
ORDER Justin Case Sits with Anxiety: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)
ORDER The Glumm Twins Unhook from Sadness: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)

Recommended Episodes:
Secret #58: Raising a Self-Driven Child with Dr. William Stixrud & Ned Johnson
Secret #61: Reimagining Anger with Russell Kolts
Secret #70: So Many Paradoxes with Dr. Emma Waddington and Dr. Chris McCurry
Most people believe confidence is something you either have or don’t have. In this episode, confidence coach Michael Herold explains why confidence is actually built by doing hard things while anxiety is present — not after it disappears.
Key Takeaways
confidence grows through action, not mindset
anxiety signals what matters, not what must be avoided
competence follows confidence, not the other way around
values-based action builds real psychological flexibility
View extended shownotes here
Struggling with your child’s big feelings? Our new children’s workbooks are here to help kids and parents handle worry, disappointment, and anger using practical, compassionate tools. Follow the journeys of Justin Case, the Glumm Twins, and Max Cross as they learn that tough emotions are normal and manageable. Find all three workbooks at bookstores everywhere and give your family the support they deserve.
ORDER Max Cross Gets Unstuck from Anger: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook series for kids)
ORDER Justin Case Sits with Anxiety: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)
ORDER The Glumm Twins Unhook from Sadness: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)

Recommended Episodes
Secret #5: Body Shame with Emily Sandoz
Secret #7: Parental Guilt with Dr. Yael Schonbrun
Secret #26: Victim Blame with Dr. Amy Beddows
 Guilt and shame often linger long after trauma, quietly shaping how we see ourselves and our relationships. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Carolyn Allard explains why guilt and shame can be adaptive—and how they become harmful when they overstay their welcome. 
Key Takeaways
Trauma-related guilt and shame can begin as survival strategies but become non-adaptive over time
Non-adaptive guilt and shame (NAGS) fuel avoidance, people-pleasing, and self-blame
Hindsight bias intensifies guilt by judging past actions with information we didn’t have at the time
Values-based decision making helps replace guilt-driven choices with intentional living
View extended shownotes here
Struggling with your child’s big feelings? Our new children’s workbooks are here to help kids and parents handle worry, disappointment, and anger using practical, compassionate tools. Follow the journeys of Justin Case, the Glumm Twins, and Max Cross as they learn that tough emotions are normal and manageable. Find all three workbooks at bookstores everywhere and give your family the support they deserve.
ORDER Max Cross Gets Unstuck from Anger: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook series for kids)
ORDER Justin Case Sits with Anxiety: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)
ORDER The Glumm Twins Unhook from Sadness: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)

Recommended Episodes:
Secret #68 — Secrets of Rest with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Secret #30 — Wise Effort with Dr. Diana Hill
Secret #69 — No One Is “Self-Made” with Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon
A tender, practical conversation about how a terminal diagnosis can sharpen priorities, deepen connection, and teach the rest of us how to live on purpose—today.
Psychologist Dr. Ray Owen and Sam Stroud, recently diagnosed with MND/ALS, join Emma and Chris to talk about presence, priorities, and building a life that stays wide—even when options narrow. Sam shares what helped in the first weeks after diagnosis (stay engaged with life, ask for real support), while Ray maps compassionate skills for meeting pain without letting it shrink your world. Together, they show how practices like meditation can hold difficulty and meaning at the same time, and why honest community is a lifeline for patients and families alike. You’ll leave with grounded tools for navigating illness—and for living more fully even if you’re well. 
Topics Discussed in this Episode:
Staying engaged with life after diagnosis
First-person stories as antidotes to fear
Meditation as capacity-building (not escape)
Compassion skills for making room for pain
Community and honest conversation as lifelines
Mortality as a focusing practice for priorities
View extended shownotes here
Struggling with your child’s big feelings? Our new children’s workbooks are here to help kids and parents handle worry, disappointment, and anger using practical, compassionate tools. Follow the journeys of Justin Case, the Glumm Twins, and Max Cross as they learn that tough emotions are normal and manageable. Find all three workbooks at bookstores everywhere and give your family the support they deserve.
ORDER Max Cross Gets Unstuck from Anger: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook series for kids)
ORDER Justin Case Sits with Anxiety: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)
ORDER The Glumm Twins Unhook from Sadness: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)

Recommended Episodes:
Secret #68: Secrets of Rest with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang 
Secret #61: Reimagining Anger with Russell Kolts 
Secret #62: The Connection Paradox with James Cordova 
Secret #69: No One is "Self-Made" with Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon 
Secret #55: Belonging with Meg McKelvie 
Secret #48: The Tree That Bends with Ross White
 Secret #60: There is No Normal with Dr. Steven C. Hayes 
Secret #54: The Reign of Pain with Howard Schubiner 
Secret #67: Living with Death with Dr. Robyn Walser and Dr. Manuela O'Connell
What happens when we look back on a year of conversations and discover the recurring themes that shape our lives? In this special year-in-review episode, hosts Chris McCurry and Emma Waddington reflect on the surprising paradoxes they've encountered throughout their podcast journey—the uncomfortable truths that keep emerging despite our be
Struggling with your child’s big feelings? Our new children’s workbooks are here to help kids and parents handle worry, disappointment, and anger using practical, compassionate tools. Follow the journeys of Justin Case, the Glumm Twins, and Max Cross as they learn that tough emotions are normal and manageable. Find all three workbooks at bookstores everywhere and give your family the support they deserve.
ORDER Max Cross Gets Unstuck from Anger: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook series for kids)
ORDER Justin Case Sits with Anxiety: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)
ORDER The Glumm Twins Unhook from Sadness: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Ages 8-12 (ACT Workbook Series for Kids)