Unlonely with Dr. Jody Carrington

Loneliness isn’t just uncomfortable - it’s costly. And the scariest part? Most of us are living it without calling it what it is.

Dr. Jody talks with Ken Stern (*Healthy to 100*, *Century Lives*) about the loneliness epidemic and the link between social isolation and mortality risk - plus the practical shift that changes everything: building your social life with the same intention you’d bring to nutrition or exercise.

They get into what “lonely” actually looks like in real life, why we’re spending less time with friends than we did a generation ago, and how proximity, community design, and technology have quietly pulled us apart.

This is a call back to connection - with a plan, not just a wish.

Links & Resources:
ABOUT CENTURY LIVES The Longevity Project: https://www.longevity-project.com/centurylives
Healthy to 100: Secrets from Countries Where Retirees Age Best: https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/happy-retirement/healthy-to-100-secrets-from-countries-where-retirees-age-best
Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review (PLoS Medicine, 2010): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2910600/
Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon Generals Advisory (May 3, 2023): https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf
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If you’re exhausted by the tension - at work, online, even with people you love - this episode is for you.

Dr. Jody and Rachel DeAlto talk about what’s driving the empathy dip (and the “why is everyone so mean lately?” vibe), how social media trains us out of critical thinking, and why more options in dating/work/friendship can actually make us choose worse.

This is a real-talk episode about rebuilding emotional intelligence, finding your way back to the kind of connection that actually regulates your nervous system, and learning when to dig in and do the work - versus when it’s time to go.

Links & Resources:
Unlonely with Dr. Jody Carrington (podcast page): https://www.drjodycarrington.com/podcast
Dr. Jody Carrington (official website): https://www.drjodycarrington.com/
Rachel DeAlto (official website): https://www.racheldealto.com/
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If you’ve built your whole life around being capable, dependable, and “fine”… what happens when your body says otherwise?

Dr. Jody talks with Malaysia Harrell about the hidden cost of being the helper—how childhood trauma can fuel achievement, how high-stakes service roles stack layer upon layer of vicarious trauma, and why so many women stay in fight-or-flight until something finally forces a reckoning.

This episode connects the dots between:
Overfunctioning and emotional shutdown
Repeating patterns in work and relationships
Trauma that’s neatly “packed away”… until it isn’t
That unsettling moment of success without satisfaction

Content notes: childhood abuse, death row/corrections, murder of a family member, severe illness/sepsis, near-death experience.

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Links & Resources:
• Malaysia Harrell | Sepsis Alliance: https://www.sepsis.org/faces/malaysia-harrell/
• 413: Rising from the Ashes with Malaysia Harrell - The PBT Institute: https://thepbtinstitute.com/risingfromashes-malaysiaharrell/
• HOME | Malaysia Harrell: https://www.malaysiaharrell.com/
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Is ADHD really a "superpower"? Or is that just a toxic label that sets high-performers up for a massive crash?

In this episode, Dr. Jody sits down with executive coach Cathy Rashidian (aka The Candid Empath) to dismantle the popular "superpower" narrative. They unpack the visceral reality of leading with a "fast brain"—from the dopamine-fueled highs of hyper-focus to the crushing "hangover" that inevitably follows.

They also tackle the "Accidental Leader" trap: why so many of us are promoted eight years before we’re actually trained, why we become "self-appointed fire marshals" just to get our dopamine hits, and why "resilience" has become a dirty word for leaders who are tired of bouncing back.

In this conversation
The "Superpower" Trap: Why Cathy views her brain as a "messy roommate" rather than a superhero—and why that distinction matters.
The Hyper-Focus Hangover: The biological cost of flow states and why you need a "body budget."
The 8-Year Gap: The "peer-to-boss" transition and why you’re likely DIY-ing your leadership style.
Marination vs. Procrastination: Why doing nothing is actually when the real work happens.
Toxic Resilience: Why we need to stop proving we can handle it all and start setting boundaries that fuel us.

If you’ve ever felt like your "genius" comes with a heavy price tag, or if you are tired of being the most resilient person in the room, this conversation is the permission slip you didn’t know you needed.

🔗 Links & Resources:
Cathy Rashidian, ACCG, PCAC, PCC - ADD Coach Academy (Coach Directory): https://addca.com/adhd-coach-directory/coach/cathy_rashidian/
From Peer to Boss: How New Managers Overcome the Challenges: https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en/insights/management-tips/from-peer-to-boss-how-new-managers-overcome-the-challenges
How to Prevent Burnout in Leaders | DDI: https://www.ddi.com/blog/prevent-burnout
Leadership Fatigue: Burned Out Leaders Are Quiet Quitting At Work Too: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dianehamilton/2025/02/03/leadership-fatigue-burned-out-leaders-are-quiet-quitting-at-work-too/
ADHD Coaching for Professionals | Ready Set Choose: https://www.readysetchoose.com/
Cathy Rashidian - PAAC: https://paaccoaches.org/cathy-rashidian/

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If you’ve done everything “right” and still feel anxious, disconnected, and like you’re somehow failing…this one is for you.

Dr. Jody and Grace Emmons unpack good girl conditioning burnout: how patriarchy, perfectionism, and people-pleasing can make high-achieving women look fine on the outside while quietly falling apart on the inside. Grace shares her own rock-bottom (including why she felt stuck in a toxic relationship) and the surprising moment that reignited her sense of aliveness.

They also get practical about what it means to “wake up” again: intuitive vision, how intuition actually shows up (it’s not one-size-fits-all), and why reconnection to yourself might be the most important antidote to the disconnection we’re living in.

In this episode:
Why “doing it all” became the new impossible standard
The hidden cost of people-pleasing + perfectionism
How to tell intuition from anxious mental chatter
Five ways intuition can communicate (and how to find yours)
Spiritual connection without the pressure of organized religion
Why technology can deepen loneliness—and what to do instead

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Links & Resources:
• About | Forward with Grace: https://forwardwgrace.com/about
• Forward with Grace | A Spiritual Consultancy: https://forwardwgrace.com/
• Why Good Girl Conditioning Keeps Women Stuck | Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/self-made/202506/why-good-girl-conditioning-keeps-women-stuck
• Podcasts | Forward with Grace: https://forwardwgrace.com/podcasts
• Unlonely with Dr. Jody Carrington (show page) | Acast: https://shows.acast.com/everyone-comes-from-somewhere

Follow Grace Here:
@forwardwgrace
@topangacanyonoasis
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