FWD JOY by Chrissy Rutherford

How do you decenter men when you’re still a lover girl? In this episode of Forward Joy, I share how a painful situationship sparked a decade of growth and what I’ve learned about healing anxious attachment, building self-worth, and creating a life I love.

We’re talking about taking rejection less personally, validating your own beauty, prioritizing your pleasure, and refusing to abandon yourself just to be chosen. You can desire partnership deeply and still know that your life is full, your needs matter, and your worth was never up for debate.

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What if your cravings aren’t a lack of willpower, but your body trying to tell you something?

This week, Chrissy sits down with somatic therapist, trauma educator, nutritionist, and Food Therapy author Luis Mojica for a deeply personal conversation about the connection between food, trauma, and the nervous system. Luis shares how his own 25 year experience with binge eating ultimately led him to somatic healing and a completely different way of understanding our relationship with food. Together, he and Chrissy unpack why cravings can be adaptive responses to stress, what it actually means to feel safe in your body, and how fear can become attached to food in ways we may not even realize.

Chrissy also opens up about her own relationship with food and anxiety, while Luis offers a new framework for moving beyond “good” and “bad” foods and toward curiosity, body trust, and awareness. They also get into blood sugar, intuitive eating, food noise, GLP 1s, and the simple practice Luis uses to understand what a craving might really be asking for. Because sometimes the question isn’t “Is this food healthy?” It’s “How does my body actually feel?”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, bestselling author, actress, and producer Robinne Lee joins Chrissy for a conversation about creativity, reinvention, and writing women as complex, fully realized people.

From growing up with Jamaican immigrant parents to navigating Hollywood, attending Columbia Law School, and becoming the author of The Idea of You, Robinne reflects on the unexpected path that shaped her career. She also discusses her new novel, Crash Into Me, exploring themes of identity, desire, motherhood, race, sexuality, and belonging.

Together, they dive into the realities of pursuing creative work, the importance of telling stories that challenge cultural expectations, and why it's never too late to choose the life that's most authentic to you.

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This week on FWD JOY, Chrissy sits down with licensed clinical social worker Alyssa Mancao for an honest conversation about therapy, trauma, anxiety, and the modalities people can’t stop talking about right now: CBT, EMDR, brainspotting, and trauma-informed therapy.

Together, they unpack why your relationship with your therapist matters more than any trendy modality, what EMDR actually feels like in practice, and how unresolved experiences can quietly shape the way we move through the world for years. Chrissy also opens up about her own experiences with anxiety, panic attacks, fear of flying, emetophobia, and the evolving nature of her healing journey.

If you’ve ever wondered whether therapy is “working,” struggled to find the right therapist, or questioned whether your experiences are “bad enough” to count as trauma, this episode is for you.

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This week, Chrissy sits down with therapist, relationship expert, and returning guest Vienna Pharaon Pharaon for an honest conversation about modern dating, anxious attachment, limerence, nervous system regulation, and what it actually means to keep your heart open in a dating landscape that can feel increasingly bleak.

Together, they unpack the emotional patterns that keep us stuck, why awareness alone isn’t enough to change behavior, and the difference between someone who won’t show up for you versus someone who genuinely can’t. They also explore the internet’s favorite dating phrases like “if he wanted to, he would,” detachment culture, and why so many people are struggling to balance hope with self-protection.

From fantasy spirals and situationships to flirting in Milan and learning how to self-regulate through heartbreak, this episode is a compassionate deep dive into love, capacity, healing, and the courage it takes to stay openhearted anyway.

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On this episode of FWD JOY, Chrissy sits down with astrocartography expert Helena Woods for a conversation about place, identity, and how where you are can shape who you become.

Helena shares her journey into astrology, from early curiosity to building a business around mapping people’s lives through location. They get into the fundamentals of astrocartography, what it means to have planetary lines across the world, and how different places can activate different parts of your chart.

Together, they explore how to think about travel with intention, the difference between Venus, Mars, and Saturn lines, and why finding love or success in a new city isn’t always as simple as booking a flight. Helena also breaks down the role of timing, relocation charts, and why some places feel instantly familiar while others push you to grow.

Plus, Chrissy reflects on her own experiences living between New York and London, unexpected connections to Sweden, and what it really means to find a place that feels like home.

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On this episode of FWD JOY, Chrissy sits down with CNN anchor and senior political correspondent Abby Phillip for a conversation about ambition, anxiety, identity, and what it really takes to stay grounded in an overwhelming world.

Abby opens up about growing up as the child of Trinidadian immigrants, why she didn’t always have a clear vision for her future, and how she found her way from pre-med at Harvard to one of the most visible roles in journalism. They talk about career pivots, risk-taking, and why building skills matters more than clinging to a rigid five-year plan.

Plus, Abby shares her honest thoughts on self-care, meditation, acupuncture, motherhood, and the everyday practices that help her release stress and protect her peace.

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• Venus just moved into Pisces, and the timing feels intentional. In this solo episode, Chrissy shares her personal dating philosophy through the lens of her 12th house Pisces Venus, exploring karmic relationships, fate, boundaries, sex, and the difference between chemistry and nervous system safety.

This is not a how-to guide. It is a reflection on navigating dating without a handbook. Through therapy, astrology, lived experience, and years of self inquiry, she has built a framework that feels aligned with who she actually is.

In this episode, she covers:

• Her dating app strategy to avoid burnout
• Why she doesn’t believe in constant texting in the early stages
• Her low-stakes move for meeting someone in real life
• The 12 Date Rule
• How she thinks about sex and emotional attachment
• Luck versus alignment
• Why the spark is not the goal

For anyone dating, healing, questioning old patterns, or trying to build something that feels safe and expansive at the same time, this conversation offers an honest, grounded perspective.

Take what resonates. Leave the rest.

Stories referenced in this episode:

• Losing My Virginity Taught Me to Trust The Timing of My Life
• The Summer I Slept with My Ex
• My Boyfriend and I Had A Closing Ceremnoy for Our Relationship
• What Keeps A Situationship From Turning into A Relationship

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In this episode, Chrissy sits down with astrologer Colin Bedell for a wide-ranging conversation on astrology, uncertainty, power, and what it really means to stay engaged in hard times.

They explore how astrology has shifted in the age of social media, the dangers of fear-mongering and prediction culture, and why astrology is meant to contextualize uncertainty rather than control it. Together, they unpack the major astrological themes shaping 2026, including the Saturn Neptune conjunction, the North Node entering Aquarius, eclipses in Virgo and Pisces, Jupiter’s move into Leo, and what all of it asks of us on a personal and collective level.

This conversation moves through cycles, courage, community, relational intelligence, and the responsibility of showing up, even when things feel overwhelming. At its core, it’s about learning how to tolerate uncertainty, tell better stories about ourselves, and take small, meaningful action in our own lives.

A grounding, expansive episode for anyone seeking clarity without shortcuts and hope without bypassing reality.

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