We Need To Talk with Dr. Darcy Sterling
Episodes
Can You Feel Desire if You Never Risk Rejection? — with Christine Emba
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Subscriptionhttps://weneedtotalkwithdrdarcysterling.supercast.com/If you’ve ever had sex that was consensual and respectful but still left ...
Why I Avoid Hard Conversations — And Why I’m Starting to Resent My Partner
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Subscriptionhttps://weneedtotalkwithdrdarcysterling.supercast.com/DESCRIPTIONWhy do I avoid hard conversations in my relationship — even wh...
Why Don’t I Feel Connected in My Relationship — Even Though We Talk All the Time?
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Subscriptionhttps://weneedtotalkwithdrdarcysterling.supercast.com/Why don’t I feel connected in my relationship — even though we talk all...
Why People Pay to Be Punished — And Leave Feeling Better
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Subscriptionhttps://weneedtotalkwithdrdarcysterling.supercast.com/DESCRIPTIONThis episode examines why high-functioning adults sometimes seek...
When “Protecting Your Peace” Quietly Becomes Avoidance
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Subscriptionhttps://weneedtotalkwithdrdarcysterling.supercast.com/You didn’t outgrow the drama. You outgrew the discomfort — and now your...
The Hidden Cost of Estrangement That No One Warns You About
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Subscriptionhttps://weneedtotalkwithdrdarcysterling.supercast.com/Estrangement can bring peace and still leave a mark — this episode names ...
I’m With Someone — So Why Do I Feel So Alone?
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener SubscriptionBeing partnered is often used as evidence that loneliness shouldn’t exist. In this episode, I talk about why that assumption ke...
You Understand Yourself. So Why Aren’t You Changing?
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener SubscriptionThis episode is about why insight creates clarity but not change — and what actually has to happen for your brain to stop knowi...
What Happens To Us When Mental Health Goes Viral?
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener SubscriptionMost of us assume that consuming mental health content is making us more emotionally intelligent. In this episode, I look at a di...
Weaponized Healing: How Emotional Language Became the New Avoidance
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Before sadness, guilt, or hurt canregister, accountability lands—and therapy language rushes in to protect how wesee ourselves instead of staying in...
The Part of You That Breaks the Relationship — And The Part That Can Fix It
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Listener SubscriptionIn the season opener of We Need To Talk, I sit down with bestselling therapist and founder of Relational Life Therapy, Terry Real...
Season 3 Trailer
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Season 3
Breaking Boundaries: Stewart Winter Redefines Modern Love in Part 2 Questioning Monogamy
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before we get into this, I want to name why this episode exists.A while back, I interviewedMolly Roden Winter about her book More. It became one of th...
Rethinking Monogamy: Why One Relationship Model Doesn’t Work for Everyone
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before we get into today’s episode, I want to take a moment to reintroduce one of the most important conversations I’ve ever had on this show.This...
Your Truth Isn’t Truth: How Certainty Sabotages Your Relationships
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I’m unpacking one of the most misunderstood dynamics in modern relationships: Certainty.Most people think relationship breakdown ha...
Why You Keep Choosing the Same Relationship in Different Packaging
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever looked at your relationship history and thought, “How am I here again?”Different person, different story, yet somehow the emotional ...
Feelings Aren’t Facts: How Therapy Culture Lost the Plot
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re pulling back the curtain on a cultural shift that’s been quietly reshaping how we function in relationships, work, and daily life. Som...
How to Have That Conversation You’re Avoiding
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, a lot of us are heading into family time, which can be beautiful, but it can also bring up old patterns, old roles, old emotions. And while...
Why Feeling Loved Isn't the Same as Being Loved
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I’m unpacking one of the most disorienting experiences in relationships: The disconnect between being loved and feeling loved. It’...
Why Emotional Flexibility Could Be The Most Important Skill You Learn
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Emotional flexibility is one of the most underrated skills we have — and one of the most powerful indicators of resilience. In this episode, I’m b...
Why Deleting Your Dating Apps Might Be Your Best Move Yet - from the former Global Ambassador of Tinder
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I never thought I’d say this — especially as someone who spent years shaping the online dating landscape — but here we are. Today, we’re askin...
Biohacking Alcohol: How Tech is Transforming Our Drinking Habits
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all know that changing a habit is hard — especially one that’s been socially accepted for generations. Alcohol is woven into how we celebrate, ...
5 Green Flags That Predict Lasting Love
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve all gotten pretty good at spotting red flags — emotional unavailability, inconsistent texting, the subtle (or not-so-subtle) signs that some...
How to Talk With Anyone About Anything — with Harville Hendrix (Most-Replayed Moment)
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Full episode here → Apple/ Spotify/ You TubeIn today’s world, sharing an opinion can feel like stepping onto a battlefield. We fear being judged, ...
Swipe Right! The Ultimate Online Dating Hacks No One Tells You
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Online dating shouldn’t feel like a full-time job. But for most people, it does — endless swiping, ghosting, and wondering why no one seems to cli...
Harm Reduction: The Breakthrough That’s Saving Lives in Addiction Recovery
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to addiction, most of us have been taught that success means total abstinence and failure means relapse. But that rigid framework leaves...
How to Read People at Every Stage of a Relationship—From an FBI Hostage Negotiator
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us step into dating and relationships hoping for the best, but hope isn’t a strategy. Reading people—really reading them—is a skill. It’...
AMA Men’s Edition: Your Burning Questions on Love, Women & Dating — Answered!
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every so often, I get requests from my male listeners to dedicate an episode to their questions—and today is that day. I’m joined by my friend, Ro...
Stuck in Therapy? DBT Could Be the Breakthrough You Need
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever felt like therapy isn’t moving the needle—like you’re talking, reflecting, and gaining insight, but your life still looks the s...
How Attachment Styles Shape Every Relationship You Have
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the hottest topics in mental health is attachment theory, which is a psychological framework that posits that the way we bond to our primary ca...
Are Your Dating Standards Keeping You Safe—or Keeping You Single?
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dating with standards is essential—it’s how we protect ourselves from repeating old mistakes and from settling for less than we deserve. But what ...
Where to Turn When Your Mental Health Is Unraveling
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us think inpatient psychiatric care is only for emergencies—when someone’s in immediate danger to themselves or others. But there’s a wh...
Dating as an Introvert: A Survival Guide for the Socially Drained
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dating shouldn’t feel like an energy drain—and yet, for many introverts, it does.Introverts often thrive in deep, one-on-one conversations, yet da...
Dating Fatigue Is Real: How to Keep Showing Up When You're Over It
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s be honest: Dating today can feel like a full-time job—with no benefits and no PTO.If you’ve found yourself endlessly swiping, mentally che...
What If One Question a Day Could Save Your Relationship?
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When couples tell me they’ve “lost the spark,” it’s rarely because of one major event. It’s the slow fade—the missed opportunities for con...
Why You Feel Addicted to Social Media—and How to Break Free
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You know that moment when you tell yourself you’ll scroll for just five more minutes… and somehow, an hour disappears?In this solo episode, I’m ...
The Real Reason Your Fights Never Get Resolved
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You know those relationship fights that keep coming up again and again? The ones that go in circles—never really getting resolved, just getting recy...
Signs You Were Raised by Emotionally Immature Parents—and How to Heal
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever found yourself walking on eggshells in relationships, struggling to set boundaries, or feeling like your emotional needs are too mu...
You Cut Off a Family Member—Now What?
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Holiday weeks always make me feel nostalgic, and that feeling tends to make me reflect on people who used to be in my life but no longer are… That’...
You’re Not the Problem—But You Might Be Dating One
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve worked with so many smart, successful people who keep finding themselves in relationships that just don’t work. They’re self-aware, they’...
Is Weed the New Wellness Tool—or Just the New Bottle of Wine?
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cannabis is having a wellness moment. But is it a legitimate mental health tool—or just a new way to avoid our feelings?Today’s users aren’t who...
How One Judge Became the Therapist 150 Survivors Never Had
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2018, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina made headlines around the world by doing something radical in a courtroom: She listened. During the sentencing heari...
What No One Tells You About Having Sex After A Betrayal
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We talk a lot about rebuilding emotional trust after infidelity. But what happens when it’s time to rebuild sexual trust—the kind that requires yo...
Everything You’ve Been Taught About Intimacy Is Wrong
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Everything You’ve Been Taught About Intimacy Is WrongToday’s episode is one I couldn’t wait to bring back. It’s a listener favorite that’s j...
I’m a Catch. So Why Am I Still Single?
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’m a Catch. So Why Am I Still Single?These days, “being a catch” has become its own kind of identity. Career? On point. Emotional intelligence...
This Is the Reason You’re Drawn to People Who Can’t Meet Your Needs
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all have a “type”—but what if your type is actually the problem?In this solo episode, I break down how the people we’re most drawn to often...
What We Get Wrong About Supporting a Struggling Friend
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us think we’d know how to help if someone we loved was struggling with their mental health.But here’s the truth: Mental health crises rare...
The Right Way to Show Up for Someone Who’s Grieving
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most people are going to want to skip this episode.I get it—grief is uncomfortable. It’s messy. It brings up stuff we’d rather avoid.But if you ...
Bad Therapy Is a Real Thing—And It’s More Common Than You Think
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trying to find the right therapist can feel like a job—especially when every Psychology Today bio starts sounding the same. And in a world where the...
How to Talk With Anyone About Anything—with Harville Hendrix & Helen LaKelly Hunt
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s world, sharing an opinion can feel like stepping onto a battlefield. We fear being judged, misunderstood, or canceled—so we stay silent...
How to Know If You’re the Problem in Your Relationships
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you keep ending up with the same type of partner—different face, same red flags?Are your relationships lopsided—with one of you craving emotion...
Instagram’s Leading Anxiety Influencer on What Actually Heals Anxiety
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety is the most common mental health issue in the U.S., affecting over 40 million adults each year. And yet, despite how familiar it is, we still ...
Boost Focus, Creativity, and Productivity with Dr. Jeff Karp
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if you could train your brain to work with you—not against you?In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Jeff Karp, one of the world’s leading bio...
How to Have That Conversation You’re Avoiding
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever find yourself replaying a conversation in your head—over and over—only to avoid it altogether? Maybe you want to tell a friend they hurt your...
United by Love, Divided by Beliefs: Why Relationships Have to Come First—with Chris Cuomo
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re feeling more anxious than ever about politics, you’re not alone. Nearly 70% of Americans believe the country is more divided now than at...
The Phobia Cure That Works in Hours, Not Years
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine missing out on dream vacations because you fear flying, or passing on career opportunities due to public speaking anxiety. Phobias don’t jus...
How To Support The Newly Sober
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever had someone in your life step into recovery, you know how profound—and fragile—that journey can be. It’s a moment of hope, cour...
Intimacy Hacks You’ve Never Heard
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Everything you thought you knew about intimacy? Michaela Boehm is here to challenge it.Michaela Boehm is a renowned intimacy expert and celebrity rela...
The Other Love Story: Honoring Friendship This Valentine’s Day
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Valentine’s Day is typically all about romantic relationships, but today, we’re celebrating a love that’s just as powerful—lifelong friendship...
Gaslighting: Can You Spot The Signs In Everyday Life?
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gaslighting is often framed as a one-way act or behavior—someone manipulates, and the other is manipulated. But in reality, gaslighting is a relatio...
New Year, Old Triggers: Why Resolutions Fail Without Emotional Healing
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s January, and everyone’s still buzzing about their New Year’s resolutions—promises to hit the gym, eat healthier, or finally start dating ...
Getting Personal with Dr. Darcy (and Steph!)
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Normally, I ask the questions, but this time, it’s your turn. To be honest, I’ve avoided doing an Ask Me Anything episode because I feel like I t...
Why Talking About Sex Is The Best Foreplay
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Talking about sex is one of the hardest conversations to have. It’s clumsy, it’s awkward, and for some, it’s completely off-limits.Research show...
The Anxiety Hack You’ve Never Heard Of with Dr. Jud Brewer
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety is the most prevalent mental health condition in the United States, affecting 1 in 3 of us at some point in our life. For many, it’s an all-...
From Secrets to Stories: Choosing When to Share Your Past
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Choosing when to share your past—and deciding how much to share—is one of the trickiest balancing acts in relationships. Whether it’s with a rom...
The Science of Female Desire with Dr. Lori Brotto
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For many women, sexual desire isn’t always spontaneous or readily available—it’s something that ebbs and flows, influenced by factors like stres...
Blinded by Love: Why We Ignore Red Flags
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've all been there—stuck in a relationship where red flags are hard to ignore, yet we find ways to dismiss them. We tell ourselves things will cha...
Navigating Polyamory with Attachment Theory
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our early experiences with our caregivers creates a blueprint that influences how we trust, connect, and build relationships in adulthood. We call tha...
The Passion Paradox in Long-Term Relationships with Dr. Emily Jamea
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There is nothing quite like the feeling you get when your new relationship becomes official. That shift from casual dating into knowing that you and y...
Meet The Breakup Therapist: Ginger Dean
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I have often fantasized that there should be a place where you can go for a week to heal from the devastating loss of a breakup. A place where people ...
Millennial Dating with Lindsey Metselaar
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dating in the digital age is a completely different game than it used to be. Swiping left and right, ghosting, breadcrumbing, and situationships have ...
Are We Ignoring the Role of Childhood Trauma in School Shootings?
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
School shootings have become part of the national dialogue in America, with much of the focus on weapons and security measures. But today I want to sh...
Porn, Partners, and Pleasure: Finding Balance in a Digital Age
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a world where access to explicit content is just a click away, pornography has become a significant part of our sexual landscape. For some, it’s ...
The Reality of Dating When You’re A Reality Star with Tiffany Pollard
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tiffany Pollard is a woman whose name has become synonymous with reality TV Royalty. She burst onto our screens with a big personality and an even big...
Mental Health In Dance & Competitive Sports
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Being a therapist wasn’t my dream job. Being a dancer was. But I came to dance late — just before my 18th birthday — ancient by dance standards....
Staying Close When You’re Far Away: Managing Long Distance Relationships
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an era defined by globalization and digital connection, long distance relationships have become increasingly common, but no less challenging. ...
How To Be An Ethical Fu*k Buddy
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re tackling a topic that is often shrouded in secrecy and misunderstanding: How to be an ethical fuck buddy. Navigating the frie...
Why You’re Asking Too Much Of Your Partner
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The modern marriage ideal suggests that we find a partner to help us become our best selves. But we also want a partner to make us feel loved, safe an...
Canceling Your Family with Dr. Joshua Coleman
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The threads that bind us to our families have begun to feel optional in recent years. And in our culture of social media — where anyone with a ...
Drunk In Love: Pacing A New Relationship
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The early stage of a new relationship is like nothing else. The excitement, the intense physical attraction, the space they take up in your mind — i...
You're Not Hysterical: Everything You Need To Know About Your Hormones with Karen Tang, MD
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Painful sex? Torturous periods?PMS that makes you feel like you should be wrapped in yellow caution tape?This episode is PACKED with answers to your ...
The Power of Attachment with Diane Poole Heller
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the hottest topics in mental health is attachment theory, which is a psychological framework that posits that the way we bond to our primary ca...
Commitment Phobes And The People Who Love Them
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all know someone who manages to avoid fully committing to a relationship, either because we’ve dated them, or someone we love has. They may ...
How Do I Know If I Need Therapy?
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s one of the most common questions people have about mental health: How do I know if I need therapy?How do you know if your problems are “norm...
Questioning Monogamy Part 2 with Stewart Winter
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A couple of months ago, I interviewed New York Times bestselling author, Molly Roden Winter. Her book, “More: A Memoir of Open Marriage” documents...
The B-Word: Mastering Boundaries with Nedra Tawwab
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When you think about boundaries, what emotions come up for you? Since you listen to this podcast, you probably think that the idea of boundaries is ap...
Social Media's Impact on Youth Mental Health
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I spent the first 15 years of my career working with teenagers, studying child and adolescent development. And what I can tell you is that throughout ...
Micro-Marriages: Because “till death do us part” isn’t great odds.
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marriage, today, is a very long partnership. Half a century or more, if you do it in your 20’s and you’re lucky enough to live out the average lif...
Why Some People Need To Hit Rock Bottom To Get Help, With Dr. Tamir Aldad
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I love a good redemption story.And few things epitomize redemption better than successful recovery from addiction. One of the fundamental aspects...
Secrets: The Price Of Keeping Quiet
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I keep secrets for a living. That’s more or less what a therapist does. But in my personal life, I don’t want anything to do with them. ...
“You’re Not Listening!” with Stephanie Sterling
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Guess who you get to meet in this episode? My WIFE, Steph Sterling. Today’s topic is all about communication.And in the spirit of walking the w...
How to stay in love for years, decades, or even forever.
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you have experience with long-term relationships, you probably expect the wild passion of the beginning to fade over time.It’s a bit of a trade o...
Surviving Divorce with Alex Kapp
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Divorce isn’t a topic I discuss regularly. It’s not that I’m in denial.But as a relationship therapist, people generally come to me to avoid the...
Questioning Monogamy with Molly Roden Winter
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the west, monogamy is our default relationship model. But, to be clear, monogamy is a social construct. It is not inherent to our biology. Tha...
How To Heal PTSD with Dr. Laurel Parnell
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What you may not know about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is that talk therapy is more likely to retraumatize you than to heal you. There’s a ...
You Will Pick The Wrong Partner — Here’s Why It Doesn’t Matter
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most people think they have a history of picking the wrong partner. They describe themselves as having a “bad picker.” The problem was in their ch...
Coming Out
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For members of the LGBTQ community, coming out isn’t a one-off conversation. It’s more like a series of discussions in which the person discloses ...
Why Your Life Sucks (and how to fix it)
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
People who are unhappy in their lives have common denominators. It doesn’t matter what area of life they’re unhappy with — the solve is the same...
Forgiveness Is A Choice
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Years ago, I was gutted by a falling out with one of my siblings. It quickly became clear that we were on the verge of estrangement, and that impendin...
The Parenting Episode You Wish Your Parents Had Heard
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all learn relationship skills in our formative years during childhood — for better or worse. As adults, it’s up to us to assess which of those ...