PODCAST · health
The EmotionAlly Podcast
by Kirk Voss
The Emotion Ally Podcast is a weekly conversation with a clinical therapist. You can expect to hear meaningful tools that will help you strengthen relationships and more clearly understand yourself and your closest people. You will hear weekly feedback from a therapist, conversations with real people discussing their lives, and learn perspectives on how to bring out your best self. Come learn why your emotions are not your enemy, but when channeled, actually one of your most powerful strengths.
Episodes
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Episode 131: Why Therapy Matters: Introducing Cori Lazarte
In this episode, I introduce our newest clinician on the therapy team, Cori Lazarte. I talk with her about why therapy is important, how it works, and what people can expect when they sit down with a therapist. Cori explains her approach to helping clients find meaningful change and strength, and...
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Episode 130: How to Generate Hope Despite Circumstances
In this episode, I describe how we can generate lasting hope despite our current life circumstances — both for ourselves and for those we love. I discuss the definition of hope and introduce 3 categories for creating substance upon which to build real hope. We dive into topics such as joy and...
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Episode 129: How Movement Dramatically Improves Learning
In this episode, Kirk interviews author and child development expert, Stefanie Hohl, about kinesthetic learning for kids of all ages, and specifically for young kids learning to read. She explains a reading program she has developed, titled "ABC See Hear Do," and how we can apply movement in...
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Episode 128: Understanding Mental Health Terms
In this episode, Kirk discusses common mental health terms that are often misunderstood and misused. He defines and describes worry vs. anxiety, sadness vs. depression, OCD, Bipolar, ADHD, gaslighting, boundaries, people-pleasing, and perfectionism. And he gives solid reason for hope as we each...
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Episode 127: Understanding Our Emotional Layers
In this episode, I discuss the concept of layered emotions, and why they matter in life and in our relationships. I explain Surface vs. Core emotional expression, what it means to become "emotionally fluent," and how we can apply that fluency to our closest relationships. In this episode, we're...
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Episode 126: Parenting Through Transitions
In this episode, I'm joined by Stefanie Chou, whose oldest son is about to graduate high school, to discuss the art of parenting through difficult transitions. We discuss the uncomfortable emotions of transition moments, what it means to let go, and how to make room for a new relationship. We…
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Episode 125: How to Handle Highly Emotional Parents: For Teens & Their Parents
In this episode, Kirk and Meg discuss what it means to be "highly emotional" in families, and, from the perspective of a teenager, how to handle it when our parents fit that description. Kirk explains 5 keys for teens (and family members) when handling a parent who is angry, sad, anxious, or...
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Episode 124: Did You Just Kiss the Microphone? A Conversation with My 8-year-old Daughter
In this episode, I am joined by my 8 year old daughter, Pepper, and I ask her about her views on friendship, kindness, and managing stress. I ask her what things she wishes grownups knew about kids, how she handles disappointments and frustrations, and what things she finds to be most important…
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Episode 123: How to Parent Adult Children without Being Overbearing
In this episode, my wife Meg & I discuss common misbeliefs and successful strategies for parenting adult children. We outline the difference between secure attachment and unhealthy bonds with our adult children, discuss when to give advice—or not, and chat about common parental beliefs that often...
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Episode 122: How to Respond to Grief in Ourselves and In Our Loved Ones
In this episode, I am joined by Cori Lazarte, a therapist who helps clients who grieve. Together we discuss different ways that grief may enter our lives, what to say (and not to say) to those who are grieving, and we explain how important it is to make it ok to "not be ok," and how it can be a...
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Episode 121: Holiday Traditions: Should I Keep Them or Let Them Go?
In this episode, I explain the purpose of traditions and rituals in our families and relationships, and why they serve as a medicine for resilience in our times of struggle. I discuss how to determine when we may need to add traditions, and when we should give ourselves permission to let them go…
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Episode 120: How to Help Your Partner FEEL the Love You Give
In this episode, I discuss why our love that we give sometimes gets brushed off, or goes unseen, or receives a lukewarm response. I explain how to help your partner feel the love you give. I describe the four rungs on the ladder of expressing love, how to access each step on that ladder, & why…
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Episode 119: How to Build Emotional "Teflon" and Resilience in Kids
In this episode, I explain how we can help our kids to find and keep their emotional resilience, and how to create a "Teflon" for the hardships that they face, like loss, bullying, correction, and personal life storms. I explain how building secure attachment fits into that resilience. I also...
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Episode 118: Understanding Helicopter Parenting and What Style of Parenting Works Better
In this episode, I am joined by my wife, Meg, as we discuss what helicopter parenting is and what it isn't. I explain the 4 commonly labeled styles of parenting, and we introduce a new parenting style that I'm excited to share with you, and which can help you focus your parenting efforts with...
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Episode 117: How to do a Self-Check for Mental and Emotional Health
In this episode, I explain why people fear and avoid addressing mental health. I explain the key questions that we can each ask ourselves so we can determine whether our state of mind warrants additional support from a therapist or physician. And I explain why there IS hope and a solid and clear...
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Episode 116: Why Men are Stronger With Emotions
In this episode, I discuss a popular YouTube episode I heard online that describes the world trying to make men soft and weak and brainwashed with emotion and emotional sensitivity. I discuss that popular mentality, and I explain the reality of emotional intelligence. I make the case for how...
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Episode 115: Parenting High-Emotion Kids
In this episode, my wife, Meg, & I talk about parenting high-emotion kids. We discuss origins of our kids' emotional outbursts, how our own reactions can calm or elevate those emotions, and the role of empathy in our parenting response. We'll dispel myths about emotion and offer hope for any…
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Episode 114: Keys to Undoing Loneliness
In a recent study, loneliness was declared a public health epidemic. In this episode, I summarize the main points of this study and I discuss how to foster deeper connection despite ongoing feelings of loneliness. I explain why we need to heal our attachment to ourselves, how to achieve the...
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Episode 113: Why Try Therapy? Q&A About How Therapy Works
In this episode, my producer, Richie T. Steadman, joins me to ask me the questions people often want to know about what therapy is, how it works, and what to expect. I talk openly about how to choose a therapist, how to bring a reluctant loved one to therapy, when to do therapy and when NOT to do...
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Episode 112: The Gift of Reconciliation
In this episode, I discuss the concept of reconciliation— what it means and why it's worth it. I describe the difference between proactive and reactive responses to emotion, why reconciliation is actually a gift, and how to extend empathetic invitations to restore connection. Give it a listen!
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Episode 111: The 7 Invisible Signs of Anxiety & Depression
In this episode, I discuss how depression and anxiety often may slide under our radar, in those we love, and even in ourselves, and why that happens so often. I explain the importance of emotional fluency to mental health, how to ask meaningful questions when our loved ones may be hurting, and 7...
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Episode 110: The Secret to Repairing Trust
In this episode, I'm discussing how to rebuild and repair trust that has been broken. Through several family and parenting examples with teens, I describe how these principles apply to intimate partnerships and other close relationships. I discuss common patterns of repair that ultimately…
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Episode 109: A Framework for Resolutions
In this episode, I introduce a framework to effectively guide healthy goal and resolution making, no matter when we get started on our goals. I discuss 4 key framework elements that allow us to focus on process and measure true, lasting growth. Then I'll dig into the whys behind our significant...
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Episode 108: Couples Communication: Struggles & Solutions
In this episode, my wife Meghan joins me as we discuss common communication struggles in long-term committed relationships. We talk openly about our own communication pitfalls, our personal relational needs, and our varying processing styles. Then we'll discuss how to harness vulnerability and…
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Episode 107: How to Undo Black & White Thinking Patterns
In this episode, I chat about "black and white thinking," or thinking in extremes. I discuss why we slip into patterns of polarized thought, and I give practical steps that can help us change these patterns. Give it a listen!
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Episode 106: How to Beat the Comparison Game
In this episode, I discuss why we play the comparison game, the many types of comparison we fall into, and how we can do better. I explain four underlying lies that accompany self-comparison and then give four key tools to free ourselves from its grip and feel true joy in our lives.
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Episode 105: Mom Guilt & the Power of Empathy
In this episode, my wife joins me to talk about mom guilt and how empathy helps both partners undo it. We discuss the thought patterns that can lead to spiraling, how to validate each other's struggles, and the role of empathy as we seek to help our partner feel through their overwhelm. Give it a...
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Episode 104: Productivity: What It Is and What It Shouldn't Be
In this episode, I discuss true productivity and how it relates to creating more meaning in our lives. I tackle cultural assumptions of what productivity is and redefine productivity as it relates to emotional health and happiness. I also give four key factors for harnessing our effort so that it...
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Episode 103: How to Feel Capable— Even when it Seems Out of Reach
In this episode, I discuss how we can find our hope, even in the face of overwhelm and emotional strain. I mention why our emotions matter, where our power and control really lie, and how to tap into that power to realize the exceptional capacity we already have. Give it a listen!
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Episode 102: Explaining Bipolar and Borderline
In this episode, I'm joined again by Dr. Michael Voss as we discuss the realities and misconceptions of two often-mislabeled diagnoses: Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder. We explain the core realities of both diagnoses, including origin, effective treatment strategies, and tips...
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Episode 101: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
In this episode, I'm joined by board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Michael Voss as we talk about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: what it is and what it isn't. We discuss signs & symptoms of OCD, as well as effective medical and therapeutic treatments, and we distinguish between Obsessive Compulsive...
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Episode 100: The Dangers of Mental Health Self-Diagnosis
For this 100th episode, I discuss why we need to be more cautious when it comes to self-diagnosis of mental health conditions. I discuss why teenagers can be particularly susceptible to mislabeling (and why that matters), why misdiagnosis impacts our ability to empathize, and how mental health in...
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Episode 99: Feeling Invisible & How to Feel Seen
In this episode, I discuss the experience of feeling invisible and how we can change it for ourselves and others. I explain why it's so common to feel unseen, suggest three ways in which we can help ourselves feel seen, and explain the importance of intentionally reaching out to those around us....
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Episode 98: The Science of Gratitude
In this episode, I chat with Dr. Ken Parnell about current research on the science of gratitude. We discuss the wide-reaching psychological benefits of gratitude, the role of gratitude in emotional & physical intimacy, and why flexibility is a pillar of psychological health. Give it a listen!
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Episode 97: Grief, Loss, & Meaning
In this episode, I'm joined by Monica, as we talk about grief & her journey. We discuss the many emotional sides of grief; how to navigate life & mitigate triggers associated with grieving; what to say (& what not to say) to support loved ones who carry the weight of loss; and where to find hope,...
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Episode 96: Talking Our Kids Through Disappointment
In this episode, I tackle how to talk our kids through the inevitable disappointments they will face. Watching our children suffer is never easy, no matter what age they are. I discuss common survival patterns parents fall into & why these patterns backfire. Then I outline a 6-step response…
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Episode 95: How to Be Direct without Being Reactionary
In this episode, I discuss how to speak out about important issues without falling into the pitfalls of being reactionary. I make a distinction between being direct & being blunt, I discuss the importance of allowing for redemption in our relationships, and I explain why empathy allows us to…
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Episode 94: How to Develop Closeness with Yourself & Others
In this episode, I'm talking about relationships: with others and with ourselves. I discuss 3 tools for bringing ourselves into better focus, and then I touch on the unintended distancing we create through people-pleasing and how we can invite closer relationships with the people around us. Give…
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Episode 93: Transitions & Vulnerability
In this episode, I discuss how exercising vulnerability can help us better manage difficult transitions we face in life. I explain the power of willful vulnerability and owning our emotional experiences, how to effectively deal with multiple stressors at once, and the importance of giving…
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Episode 92: Parenting Neurodiverse Children
Spoiler Alert!: Despite the title, this episode applies to ALL of us as parents and connectors. In this episode, I chat with Callie about her experiences as a parent of multiple neurodiverse children. She describes the varied ways in which her children received their diagnoses, her role as a...
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Episode 91: Undoing Emotional Triggers & Healing Addiction: The Waterfall Metaphor
In this episode, I explain the waterfall metaphor as a way to frame our feelings and empower better emotional wellness. I discuss the realities of addiction & how to heal our many kinds of survivalistic coping methods, how to effectively undo emotional triggers, and why treating emotions as our...
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Episode 90: FOMO & How to Get Past
It In this episode, I'm talking FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out, and how to utilize our time—and our summers—to our best advantage. I discuss the many consequences of a FOMO-infused culture, including varied ways in which it has affected my own life, and I outline how intentional connection can…
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Episode 89: 6 Ways to Build & Keep Momentum in Life
In this episode, I discuss how to move our lives forward in small, actionable steps that help us build and keep momentum. I chat about the importance of asking deeper questions & living by process, how to feel on purpose & get out of survival/superficial mode, and what true courage looks like.…
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Episode 88: When Extended Family Dynamics Affect Your Kids
In this episode, I discuss how to explain difficult (perhaps even impossible) extended family dynamics to your kids without throwing them into the fray. I explain the difference between reactivity and proactivity, how to avoid weaponizing our emotions, and why it's so important to model emotional...
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Episode 87: Adapting to Challenges by Leaning Into Them
In this Father's Day episode, I'm joined by Kolette Hall, Life Coach and co-author of the book, Messy Victories, to discuss her powerful story of married life and parenting with her quadriplegic husband, Jason Hall. We chat about the book that she and her husband wrote, and she describes from her...
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Episode 86: Reevaluating Our Estranged Relationships
In this episode, I discuss how to navigate relationships that may have gone sour over time or circumstance. I make a case for dismissing our internalized guilt, I discuss the role of empathy in boundary-keeping, and I give two key questions to ask yourself when faced with communicating through...
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Episode 85: Shedding Self-Destructive Paradigms
In this episode, I'm joined by singer/songwriter Cheri Magill to discuss letting go of destructive paradigms. We chat about undoing emotional fears, the importance of self-compassion, and how to model healthy emotional habits for our children. Give it a listen, and be sure to check out Cheri's…
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Episode 84: Self-Sabotage & How to Avoid It
In this episode, I discuss self-sabotage— what it is and how to root it out. I explain how to identify emotional triggers, the value of sitting with our emotions, and the importance of giving ourselves room to grow into healthier patterns. Give it a listen!
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Episode 83: Parenting Adult Children
In this episode, I chat with Jeanne about the inherent struggles of parenting adult children. We discuss the challenges of mentoring in this phase of parenting, how to make space for the lives and choices of our adult children even when they may not reflect our long-held expectations, and the…
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Episode 82: Forgiving the People We Don't See
In this episode, I discuss how to forgive those with whom we have limited or no contact. I review the staircase to forgiveness, explain how to effectively engage in empathy for long-term healing, and discuss how to take back our emotional control in healthy, meaningful ways. Give it a listen!
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Emotion Ally Podcast is a weekly conversation with a clinical therapist. You can expect to hear meaningful tools that will help you strengthen relationships and more clearly understand yourself and your closest people. You will hear weekly feedback from a therapist, conversations with real people discussing their lives, and learn perspectives on how to bring out your best self. Come learn why your emotions are not your enemy, but when channeled, actually one of your most powerful strengths.
HOSTED BY
Kirk Voss
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The EmotionAlly Podcast have?
The EmotionAlly Podcast currently has 131 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The EmotionAlly Podcast about?
The Emotion Ally Podcast is a weekly conversation with a clinical therapist. You can expect to hear meaningful tools that will help you strengthen relationships and more clearly understand yourself and your closest people. You will hear weekly feedback from a therapist, conversations with real...
How often does The EmotionAlly Podcast release new episodes?
The EmotionAlly Podcast publishes regularly with 131 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The EmotionAlly Podcast?
You can listen to The EmotionAlly Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The EmotionAlly Podcast?
The EmotionAlly Podcast is created and hosted by Kirk Voss.
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