Therapy Thursdays | The Inner Work Behind Healthy Relationships

Therapy Thursdays | The Inner Work Behind Healthy Relationships

What does it actually take to build healthy relationships? In this Therapy Thursdays episode, John Kim answers some of the most common questions about love, healing, attachment, and personal growth. From redefining what it means to fall in love to understanding why peace is something you give yourself - not something you find - this episode explores the inner work that shapes the way we connect with others. John shares practical insights on anxious attachment, healing after toxic relationships, rupture and repair, emotional safety, and why the healthiest relationships are built through daily choices rather than fleeting feelings. He also explores the importance of studying yourself, accepting impermanence, and living a "through me" life instead of feeling like life is happening to you. In this episode: • Why peace is something you can give yourself • What it means to live a "through me" life • Why self-help is really the lifelong study of self • How fear of impermanence fuels suffering • The qualities that should never be negotiable in relationships • The difference between falling in love and choosing to love • Signs you're in a healthy, secure relationship • Whether emotional attraction alone is enough • Why every relationship requires rupture and repair • Understanding anxious attachment when you're apart from your partner • How healthy relationships can help support emotional healing • What your nervous system needs after a toxic relationship • Two questions that can help guide your life and relationships 🎙️ More about John: 📘 My latest book, Love Hard On Purpose. Toss the blueprints. Build something honest. HERE [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/love-hard-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=44339801227298] John’s book publishing company: Soulprint https://www.soulprintmedia.co [https://www.soulprintmedia.co] 📘 Read John’s book in progress Sh*t Your Therapist Would Never Tell You on John’s SubStack ⁠HERE⁠ [https://substack.com/@theangrytherapist] If you’re ready for deeper work, the Secure Self course is available HERE [https://theangrytherapist.thrivecart.com/secure-self-bundle/] Order John’s book, Break Up. On Purpose,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/break-up-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=42305553956898] Follow John on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/theangrytherapist/?hl=en] Find out more about John⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.theangrytherapist.com/] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Personal Notes on Love, Masculinity and Growth

In this solo episode, John Kim shares a collection of personal notes written over coffee in Costa Rica, exploring what he's learning about wholeness, love, masculinity, ambition, and personal growth. Through honest reflections and stories, he challenges the idea that we need to keep proving ourselves and offers a different path rooted in presence, curiosity, and living more fully. In this episode: • Why the goal isn't balance, but wholeness • What it means to "feed the other wolf" • How healthy love can feel unfamiliar after chaos • Why life's "B-sides" often become the most meaningful chapters • How to break free from rumination and reconnect with the present • Why staying unfinished may be the key to continued growth If this episode resonated with you, follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need to hear it. 🎙️ More about John: 📘 My latest book, Love Hard On Purpose. Toss the blueprints. Build something honest. HERE [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/love-hard-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=44339801227298] John’s book publishing company: Soulprint https://www.soulprintmedia.co [https://www.soulprintmedia.co] 📘 Read John’s book in progress Sh*t Your Therapist Would Never Tell You on John’s SubStack ⁠HERE⁠ [https://substack.com/@theangrytherapist] If you’re ready for deeper work, the Secure Self course is available HERE [https://theangrytherapist.thrivecart.com/secure-self-bundle/] Order John’s book, Break Up. On Purpose,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/break-up-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=42305553956898] Follow John on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/theangrytherapist/?hl=en] Find out more about John⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.theangrytherapist.com/] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

What Every New Dad Needs to Know About Intimacy

When sex changes after having a baby, what happens to the relationship? Becoming parents changes everything, including intimacy. In this episode, John Kim explores what happens when a new father feels disconnected while a new mother is navigating recovery, exhaustion, and the demands of caring for a newborn. He shares his own experience and explains why protecting the relationship is more important than trying to get back to "normal." In this episode: • Why intimacy often changes after having a baby • How empathy can replace resentment during the postpartum season • What it means to redefine sex, connection, and partnership • Why building a full life beyond sex matters for new fathers • How honest communication helps couples navigate this major transition • Why protecting the relationship creates space for intimacy to return If this episode resonates with you or someone you know who is navigating life after having a baby, share it with them. Follow the podcast for more conversations on relationships, growth, and emotional health. 🎙️ More about John: 📘 My latest book, Love Hard On Purpose. Toss the blueprints. Build something honest. HERE [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/love-hard-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=44339801227298] John’s book publishing company: Soulprint https://www.soulprintmedia.co [https://www.soulprintmedia.co] 📘 Read John’s book in progress Sh*t Your Therapist Would Never Tell You on John’s SubStack ⁠HERE⁠ [https://substack.com/@theangrytherapist] If you’re ready for deeper work, the Secure Self course is available HERE [https://theangrytherapist.thrivecart.com/secure-self-bundle/] Order John’s book, Break Up. On Purpose,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/break-up-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=42305553956898] Follow John on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/theangrytherapist/?hl=en] Find out more about John⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.theangrytherapist.com/] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Redefining the Promises We Make in Love

What if the promises we make in love are setting us up to fail? In this episode, John Kim is joined by his wife, Vanessa Bennett, to explore how redefining the promises we make in relationships could change the way we love. Instead of focusing on "forever," they discuss commitments rooted in personal growth, accountability, respect, and the willingness to keep doing the inner work, even when relationships evolve or come to an end. In this episode, you'll hear about: • Why "forever" may not be the healthiest relationship promise • How unspoken agreements contribute to betrayal and resentment • The importance of owning your own patterns and projections • Why love requires growth instead of staying the same • What it means to create corrective love experiences • How new promises can lead to healthier relationships If this conversation resonated with you, follow the podcast, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others discover the show. 🔗 Resources & Links 👉 Apply to Inner Compass Academy: https://www.vanessabennett.com/inner-compass-academy [https://www.vanessabennett.com/inner-compass-academy] 👉 Follow Vanessa on Instagram @vanessasbennett [https://www.instagram.com/vanessasbennett/] 👉 Author of “The Motherhood Myth” Buy the Book Here: https://www.amazon.com/Motherhood-Myth-Reimagining-Expectations-Partnership/dp/1649633416 [https://www.amazon.com/Motherhood-Myth-Reimagining-Expectations-Partnership/dp/1649633416] 🎙️ More about John: 📘 My latest book, Love Hard On Purpose. Toss the blueprints. Build something honest. HERE [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/love-hard-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=44339801227298] John’s book publishing company: Soulprint https://www.soulprintmedia.co [https://www.soulprintmedia.co] 📘 Read John’s book in progress Sh*t Your Therapist Would Never Tell You on John’s SubStack ⁠HERE⁠ [https://substack.com/@theangrytherapist] If you’re ready for deeper work, the Secure Self course is available HERE [https://theangrytherapist.thrivecart.com/secure-self-bundle/] Order John’s book, Break Up. On Purpose,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/break-up-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=42305553956898] Follow John on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/theangrytherapist/?hl=en] Find out more about John⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.theangrytherapist.com/] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

The Medicine Isn't the Healing. You Are with Sarah Williams

Curious about psychedelic medicine but unsure what it actually does? In this conversation, John Kim sits down with Sarah Williams to explore how medicines like MDMA and psilocybin can support healing, self-discovery, and personal growth when approached with intention, safety, and integration. Sarah shares her journey from her first ayahuasca experience to becoming a medicine guide, including the near-death experience on Denali that changed the course of her life. Together, they unpack why medicine isn't a shortcut to transformation, but a tool that can help people reconnect with themselves and create lasting change. In this episode: • Sarah's path into medicine work and what drew her to MDMA • Why integration matters more than expecting one ceremony to change your life • The lessons Sarah learned after surviving a life-threatening experience on Denali • How MDMA can help people access difficult emotions and conversations • The differences between macrodosing and microdosing • Why intention, safety, and the right support are essential John and Sarah also share details about their upcoming two-month microdosing program which you can find out about HERE [https://www.theangrytherapist.com/dose-feel-change] Connect with Sarah: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahskyann [https://www.instagram.com/sarahskyann/] Website: https://www.terraalinea.com [https://www.terraalinea.com%20] 🎙️ More about John: 📘 My latest book, Love Hard On Purpose. Toss the blueprints. Build something honest HERE [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/love-hard-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=44339801227298] John’s book publishing company: Soulprint https://www.soulprintmedia.co [https://www.soulprintmedia.co] 📘 Read John’s book in progress Sh*t Your Therapist Would Never Tell You on John’s SubStack ⁠HERE⁠ [https://substack.com/@theangrytherapist] If you’re ready for deeper work, the Secure Self course is available HERE [https://theangrytherapist.thrivecart.com/secure-self-bundle/] Order John’s book, Break Up. On Purpose,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/break-up-on-purpose-john-kim?variant=42305553956898] Follow John on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/theangrytherapist/?hl=en] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]