The Hardcore Therapist

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A lot of people first discovered Jonah through Far, particularly records like Tin Cans With Strings to You and Water & Solutions, but Jonah's creative life has never really fit neatly into one band or one genre. Jonah went on to make deeply personal music as onelinedrawing, fronted New End Original and Gratitude, and has spent decades building a career around vulnerability, experimentation, and an incredibly DIY relationship with the people who connect with Their work.

What has always stood out to me about Jonah’s music is how emotionally direct it is. There is very little hiding behind the performance. Whether the songs are loud or stripped down, there is this willingness to talk about loneliness, love, identity, fear, connection, and all the complicated stuff that comes with being a human being.

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What does it actually mean to be intentional in a relationship?

In this episode of The Hardcore Therapist, I break down the difference between having good intentions and actually changing your behavior when you’re triggered, defensive, hurt, or overwhelmed.

We’ll talk about Wise Mind, values, nervous-system reactions, people-pleasing, control, boundaries, and the gap between intention and impact. I’ll also share a simple framework—Intention. Action. Impact.—to help you turn insight into something your partner can actually experience.

Because wanting to communicate better isn’t the same as knowing what to do in the moment.

Relationship insight matters. But insight without behavior change can keep you stuck.

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In this episode, I sit down with Jessica Tierney to talk about growing up in Detroit, navigating autoimmune disease, and the tenacity it takes to keep moving forward when life and health do not go as planned. We also discuss her involvement with xSisterhoodx, her connection to the straight edge community, and her journey into entrepreneurship with Inked, her new tech company serving the property management industry. This conversation is about resilience, reinvention, community, and building something meaningful from the experiences that shape us.

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What does it mean to serve your partner without abandoning yourself in the process?

In this episode, I talk about the difference between loving, supporting, and showing up for your partner—and overfunctioning, people-pleasing, or sacrificing your own needs to keep the relationship stable. We’ll look at how to give from a place of choice instead of fear, communicate your needs without guilt, and create a relationship where care goes both ways.

Healthy partnership isn’t about losing yourself in service to someone else. It’s about choosing each other without disappearing.

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In this episode of The Hardcore Therapist, I talk with Kevin Doss, best known as the voice of the legendary hardcore band Downcast.

Kevin shares about hardcore, purpose, intensity, community, and what it means to carry that same heart into a life of service as a firefighter and paramedic in Los Angeles. We talk about the emotional power of music, the connection between hardcore and helping others in crisis, and how trauma, resilience, responsibility, and compassion can all live in the same story.

This conversation is about more than music. It is about what shapes us, what grounds us, and how a life built around intensity can also become a life rooted in care, survival, and service.

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Why do some relationships feel impossible to stop thinking about—even when they leave you anxious, confused, or constantly wondering where you stand?

In this episode, we unpack the difference between intensity and intimacy and explore why uncertainty, chemistry, longing, and emotional highs and lows can feel so compelling. You’ll learn why being consumed by someone doesn’t necessarily mean you’re deeply connected, what real intimacy actually looks like, and how to tell whether a relationship is built on trust, consistency, and responsiveness—or on the thrill of the chase.

If you’ve ever mistaken butterflies for compatibility or wondered why healthy relationships can sometimes feel “too quiet,” this episode will give you a new way to look at connection.

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Today I’m joined by Matt Fisher, vocalist of Contact, a Richmond hardcore band whose music confronts empire, xenophobia, nationalism, consumerism, and the false gods that shape modern life. Contact’s sound is urgent and confrontational, but there is also a spiritual and introspective depth to what they do a belief that hardcore can still be a real-life community in an increasingly disconnected world.

Matt is also a pastor, spiritual director, Enneagram coach, and co-host of the Stay Curious podcast. I’m excited to talk with him about hardcore, faith, anger, spiritual direction, emotional honesty, and what it means to stay human in a world that constantly pulls us away from ourselves and each other.

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Trigger Notice: This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse, sexual trauma, kink, and trauma-related sexual responses.

When trauma and kink overlap, what are we actually looking at? In this episode, I dig into the research, the nervous system, consent, repetition, agency, and the difference between trauma reenactment and consensual sexual exploration. This is not about pathologizing kink or reducing someone’s sexuality to what happened to them. It’s about asking better questions—with nuance, sensitivity, and room for complexity.

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Today I’m joined by Daryl Taberski, vocalist of the legendary Buffalo hardcore band Snapcase. Snapcase helped shape the sound and evolution of 90s hardcore with records like Progression Through Unlearning, Designs for Automotion, and End Transmission, bringing together intensity, precision, emotion, and a willingness to push beyond the expected boundaries of the genre.

But Daryl’s work didn’t stop with music. He is also a clinical counselor and social worker with years of experience in the mental health field, which gives him a rare perspective on hardcore, emotional expression, identity, healing, and what it means to keep evolving as a person.

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Money fights are rarely just about money.

In this episode of The Hardcore Therapist, I explore how money can become connected to trust, safety, freedom, resentment, power, and control in relationships. I talk about financial intimacy, financial infidelity, differing money stories, rebuilding trust, and how couples can communicate without turning each other into the problem.

Because the real question isn’t just how you manage money—it’s whether you’re building a life together.

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