December 19, 2025

163. Relationship OCD, Shame, and Recovery: Learning to Live With Uncertainty

26 minutes

💔Can OCD convince you that you’re incapable of love?

In this episode of The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova speaks with Zack Tucker, OCD advocate and creator of OCDestigmatize. Together, they explore relationship OCD, health anxiety, shame, and what real recovery actually looks like when OCD never fully disappears—but stops controlling your life.

Zack opens up about:

• Relationship OCD and the fear of “not really loving” partners

• How intrusive thoughts destroyed past relationships and self-esteem

• Promiscuity, avoidance, and using control to cope with emotional pain

• ERP, exposure, and redefining what recovery truly means

• Living with OCD long-term while still building love, confidence, and meaning

Whether you’re navigating OCD yourself or supporting someone who is, this episode offers hope, perspective, and reassurance that you can live fully—even with uncertainty.

📲 About Zack Tucker (guest):

• popular mental health Instagram page owner

• OCD survivor

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ocdestigmatize/

✂️ TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] – Meet Zach & Why He Started Speaking Publicly About OCD

[01:22] – Relationship OCD: Believing You’re Incapable of Love

[02:42] – How OCD Destroys Relationships Without Anyone Seeing It

[04:22] – Real Doubt vs OCD Doubt: Why Relationship OCD Feels So Convincing

[05:57] – The First Breakup That Wasn’t Caused by OCD

[08:17] – What Recovery Actually Looks Like (Thoughts Still Exist)

[10:12] – From POCD to Health OCD: When Themes Shift but Fear Stays

[12:12] – Living With Real Risk: Health OCD, Rabies, and Uncertainty

[15:32] – Vietnam as Exposure Therapy: Facing Every Fear at Once

[17:42] – Why Recovery Isn’t Cold Turkey (And Why Self-Compassion Matters)

[20:07] – Ending Shame by Putting OCD on the Internet

[22:02] – What He’d Tell His Younger Self About OCD and Recovery

✅ Free Resources & Links

🎁 Free OCD Survival Kit & Classes → www.shorturl.at/KcTxM

📖 OCD CBT Journal → www.shorturl.at/7pUxB

🌐 Website → www.korresults.com/

✍️ OCD Academy→ www.ocdacademy.thinkific.com/

📲 Stay Connected

Facebook: www.facebook.com/korresults

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ocdwhisperer/

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ocdwhisperer

Twitter (X): www.x.com/korresults

Website: www.korresults.com/

📩 Business Inquiries: [email protected]

✅ About OCD Whisperer

Welcome to OCD Whisperer! Each episode shares tools and insights for OCD recovery, managing intrusive thoughts, ERP therapy, CBT techniques, anxiety relief, and mindfulness practices. Join me for expert interviews and personal insights into overcoming OCD. Subscribe to find support, strategies, and hope for your OCD journey.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Please note while the host is a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in OCD and anxiety disorders in the state of California, this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for therapy.

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By Kristina Orlova

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