Little Helpers, this is a new era for this community: This is my first episode as the solo host of "A Little Help For Our Friends." It's Dr. Kibby and we're saying goodbye to my beloved co-host, Jacqueline Trumbull as she moves on from this podcast. This will be a new phase focused on what made this community matter from day one: centering caregivers, loved ones, people-pleasers, and supporters who carry the unseen weight of mental illness and addiction.

I revisit the show’s roots in evidence-based tools and how it grew into something braver—real stories about dating, divorce, near-death experiences, and the messy work of healing. I cover ethical storytelling, protecting privacy, and navigating the fallout when personal narratives collide with public platforms, including (gasp!) a legal threat.

To open Season 6 with a bang, we start where most hot takes end: with a self-aware narcissist describing his collapse, the shame behind the mask, and the painstaking choices that made empathy real. Jordan Monroe, a former tech founder turned emotional healing coach, joins us to explore a grounded path out of grandiosity, defensiveness, and reality wars—without dismissing the deep harm survivors endure.

We dig into what actually shifts behavior. Jordan explains why many narcissists don’t lack empathy so much as defend against it, and how guided “heart-opening” experiences help clients feel another person’s pain without spiraling. That visceral “ow” moment rewires daily habits: listening before defending, noticing a partner’s needs without being asked, and choosing small acts of care that build trust. 

What happens when the hamster wheels we've been running on suddenly stop spinning? In this raw and deeply personal Season 5 finale, we pull back the curtain on our own mental health journeys over the past year, revealing the profound transformations that occur when life forces you to confront your deepest wounds.

Dr. Kibby shares her post-cancer emotional reckoning, describing how surviving treatment was just the beginning of her healing journey. The conversation turns to our viral self-hatred episode, exploring what happens when you finally see the wounds that have defined your life- and the grief that comes with that awareness.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jacqueline reflects on her transformative year completing psychology internship in New York, finding healing and validation after years of feeling misaligned in the public eye.

What happens when two skeptical psychologists take a deep dive into the world of manifestation? In this episode, we take a look at what "manifestation" is, what is actually based in science...and then we try manifesting for real. 

We start by acknowledging our initial skepticism about the idea that you can get everything you want just by thinking about it- a practice that became popular from the book "The Secret." But as we peel back the layers, we discover powerful psychological mechanisms that explain why some manifestation practices genuinely work.

Do you have a family member, friend or roommate whose relationship to food is a little...concerning? Eating disorders hide in plain sight, often disguised as diet culture, fitness goals, or "healthy eating." But beneath these socially acceptable lifestyles lie deadly mental health conditions that claim more lives than almost any other psychiatric disorder.

In this episode, we break down the clinical realities of various eating disorders while exploring the profound ways they impact both individuals and their loved ones. We examine anorexia's deadly grip and how it combines food restriction with a distorted body image so powerful that even severely underweight individuals see themselves as fat. The disorder's perfectionism and need for control create a psychological prison that's hard to escape.