Explore the messy, imperfect road of life with Dr. Carla while you exercise, relax, and go about your daily routine.
“I deeply appreciate Dr. Carla’s Imperfect Love podcast. As I drive home in traffic from Los Angeles, rush hour becomes wise hour. Instead of being frustrated, I am in the good doctor’s wise, caring, and compassionate company.”
–Wendy
Tired of striving to be perfect? Looking to find perfect love or trying to give perfect love? Let go of the impossible! No one is perfect. It’s giving and receiving our very best imperfect love that brings joy, success, and fulfillment.
Join Dr. Carla Marie Manly on the Imperfect Love podcast and discover how to transform love’s struggles and flaws into uplifting growth. Dr. Carla, renowned psychologist, author, and self-fulfillment expert, guides you with wit and ease using her empowering, loved-based approach. Each episode leaves you stronger and more capable of accepting your imperfections and those of others while you grow from these challenges. Find the power to break free from whatever holds you back. Discover how to channel your worries and self-criticism into positive energy. Give and receive the love that is right for you–with all its human imperfections.
No subject is off-limits including boundaries, dating, red flags, toxic dynamics, dead-end relationships, emotional intelligence (EQ), hookup culture, sex, attachment issues, emotional health, self-esteem, body image, anxiety, depression, infidelity, betrayal, marriage, divorce, LGBTQIA2S+, situationships, parenting, empty nesting, grandparenting, burnout, shame, conflict, and everything in between.
Welcome Imperfect Love into your life by tuning in now at https://www.drcarlamanly.com.
Disclaimer: This podcast is purely educational and is not a replacement for professional psychological support. In case of emergency, contact your nearest hospital or emergency hotline such as “911” (US), “999” (UK), or “112” (EU).
Send Your Confidential Podcast Questions to Dr. Carla
We naturally want to believe that we are living consciously and engaging in practices that foster optimal health and well-being. However, challenges and stressors…
Frazzled? Unfocused? Emotionally dysregulated? Although we want to be stable and caring partners, parents, employees, bosses, and friends, it’s easy to get stuck in…
Emotional vampires specialize in sucking up your energy, joy, and inner peace. At their core, emotional vampires are empty, and their self-centered behaviors take…
Are you plagued by thoughts of school shootings, terrorism, or other acts of violence? If fear, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts about violence permeate your…
Emotional eating can be difficult to cure due to an often confounding mixture of emotional, psychological, physiological, and societal factors. We often expect ourselves…
We want—and expect—family ties to last forever. From infancy forward, we naturally seek lasting bonds that will make us feel safe and loved. Yet,…
We’re told that we should be happy and that we deserve to have it all. And we often feel that we’ve failed ourselves if…
We never expect—much less want—to find ourselves caught up in abusive relationships or toxic dynamics such as trauma bonding or gaslighting. In fact, traumatic bonding,…
We often expect ourselves to be everything, everywhere, all at once for everyone, yet such high expectations can lead to being mentally, emotionally, physically,…
We’re constantly learning more about the world of neurodiversity and how to appreciate that every person’s brain works differently. Yet, given the pressure to…
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when aging was honored and seen as a natural part of life. Yet in today’s world, we’ve…
If your childhood was traumatic, you might expect yourself to have forgotten or moved past the difficulties and challenges you endured. Yet, from my clinical…
We want to believe that our healthcare system will be there for us when we need it. And we rightly expect that those entrusted…
We often believe that we need to change who we are to be loved and accepted. Yet, in the process of shape-shifting to meet…
We want those we care about to feel safe, loved, and secure, and we naturally want the same for ourselves. Yet in today’s chaotic…
When life feels stressful, dark, or challenging, we often tell ourselves–or are told by others–that we should just toughen and carry on. Yet, from…
Division between generations is not a new issue, yet the disconnect between Gen-Z and older generations can lead to social alienation, interpersonal conflict, and even…
Love. Addiction. Sobriety. Trauma. Death. Grief. Each of these six seemingly simple words holds vast meaning and power, yet – when absorbed collectively – they…
We often crave to be loved perfectly, yet human love is naturally imperfect. And while it’s normal for us to unintentionally let each other…
We often believe that if we try harder and harder to be the perfect partner, parent, friend, or employee, we will somehow create a…
Gaslighting. It’s an increasingly common term that dates back to a 1938 British Play, Gas Light, and subsequent movies focused on the power of…
Anxiety has a way of weaving itself into our bodies, brains, and lives. Struggles with anxiety often begin in childhood and, by adulthood, can become…
Secrets. Lies. Truth. Confessions. We often learn to hide parts of who we are–including the mistakes we’ve made along the way. Yet, I’ve found…
It can be easy to fall into indifference, hopelessness, or despair when we’re met with roadblocks over and over again. Yet I’ve found that–even…
PTSD and children—it’s a critical topic. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is increasingly common in our challenging world, and while it’s often difficult to recognize…
Every day, millions of women struggle in their new (or existing) roles as mothers. No matter how much a woman desires to be a…
Motherhood is wonderful, yet, as any mom can tell you, it’s not always sunshine, roses, and smiles. From the challenges of physiological changes, self-doubt,…
Tired of endless chaos? Stressed? Overwhelmed? Burnt out? Exhausted? If you’re nodding along, you’re likely feeling the effects of the hustle culture. The cure…
LOVE is the greatest gift we are ever given. It brings us purpose, joy, connection, and life itself. Yet because we love, we also…
We want to believe that love will last forever, and perhaps it does. Yet, as imperfect humans, we sometimes let down others—and even ourselves—in…
Eco-anxiety is on the rise. We see and feel the effects of climate change at every turn. From natural disasters to increasingly unpredictable weather…
Real love takes work! It’s easy to believe that healthy relationships should “just happen.” Our happily-ever-after fairy tales perpetuate the myth that love relationships…
Imposter syndrome haunts many of us. For those who suffer from this self-defeating dynamic, I’ve found that feelings of being an imposter stay entrenched…
Feeling stressed and powerless in today’s chaotic world? At every turn, we are faced with important concerns: political turmoil, global warming, environmental disasters, wars, pollution,…
Are your eating habits bringing you down? We often believe that what we eat has little, if any, impact on our psychological health. Especially…
Looking for an antidote to stress? If you feel constantly out of balance, anxious, or stressed, you’re not alone. When life feels challenging or…
We are often expected to stay happy—to be cheery and upbeat no matter what is going on in our lives. As a result of…
Are you a prisoner of your past? Is it possible to access your inner child to heal the wounds that keep you stuck? Can…
The pressure to look perfect–and be perfect–is exhausting and expensive on many levels. In the quest to live up to impossibly high beauty standards,…
We often have scripts running in our heads that tell us we should be more, do more, and obtain more. These inner narratives work…
If you’re a sensitive person, you may have been told that you are the problem—that if only you weren’t “so sensitive,” everything would be…
People-pleasing tendencies tend to begin in early childhood and often stem from insecure attachment. From childhood forward, we often learn to please others to obtain…
Body image. Food. Perfectionism. The relationships we have with our bodies and the food we eat are shaped by factors such as childhood environments…
Manifesting! This singular word is magical to some and cringe-worthy to others. Yet, when manifesting is mindfully embraced, it can become a powerful tool…
Balancing family, marriage, work, and at least a touch of self-care isn’t easy. Sometimes, the harder we strive to get it all done perfectly, the…
Healthy friendships are food for the soul. Indeed, the best relationships are rooted in mutual kindness, honesty, and respect. With loneliness at epidemic levels, it’s…
Neurodiversity—the idea that each person experiences and interacts with the world around them in different ways—is a truly empowering concept. When we remove labels…
The power of sisterhood can be amazing despite—and sometimes because of—the imperfections each person brings to the relationship. When sisters unite in heart, soul, and…
From the norms that push people-pleasing behaviors to the influences of patriarchal households, it’s easy to end up feeling small and boundaryless. In our natural…
Anxiety. It’s a powerful force that can take hold of us and control every aspect of our lives. Anxiety, which is a form of fear,…
We often believe that families are based on shared genes—that biology itself creates family. Yet in my professional and personal experience, I’ve surely found that…
Discover your power, joy, and purpose! If we let others’ expectations dictate our lives, we run the risk of never discovering our true purpose.…
Love. Music. Passion. Creative Genius. Chronic Depression. Success. Those who live with chronic depression are often deeply misunderstood. Recent research shows that nearly 1…
Looking for ways to create equality and balance at home? It’s exhausting when household responsibilities aren’t divvied up fairly. Even in today’s world, women often…
We often have secret dreams that we want to pursue but are fearful of taking the next step. All too often, we find ourselves…
Manipulators and predators are everywhere! Unfortunately, most of us have found ourselves in the hands of a manipulator at least once in our lives.…
Discover the Joy Factor! Boost your mental health and improve your resilience through the practice of summoning joy. The negativity bias—the natural, protective tendency…
Parenting is challenging, and as hard as we try to avoid making mistakes, we muck it up sometimes. Even when our hearts are in…
Toxic positivity can erode our mental, emotional, and physical health. When we feel forced to appear happy, even when we’re exhausted, sad, or crumbling inside–the…
It’s easy to get out of balance. All too often we get stuck in a cycle of giving too much to work, family, and…
Sex and sexual intimacy can bring couples together or tear them apart. Our sex lives are rarely perfect, but, as imperfect humans, we often…
Afraid of failure? Tired of not getting it “right”? The idea of failure looms dark and large in our heads and hearts. We tend to…
Narcissists! Given the masks they wear, you often can’t spot a narcissist until you’re knee-deep in the relationship. Sadly, a relationship with a true narcissist…
If you’re suffering from anxiety, panic attacks, or obsessive thoughts, you’re not alone! Anxiety can get the better of us and lead to downward spirals…
Betrayal takes many forms, but all of them can be exceedingly painful. Sadly, we are sometimes betrayed by the very people we count on most…
Life isn’t perfect, and sometimes we get lost along the way–or never had the opportunity to find our authentic selves. This uplifting episode is…
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“Fear Has The Ability To Bring Us To Our Knees In Self-Doubt. It Also Has The Capacity To Bring Us To The Greatest Heights Of Who We Are.”
–Dr. Carla Marie Manly, Joy from Fear –
© 2024 All Rights Reserved by Carla Marie Manly, PhD, Psychology, Inc.