The Lost & Found Podcast with Amanda Powers

Episode 127: This solo episode is about self-doubt, perfectionism, and the story you tell yourself about yourself. So, what are you watering lately that doesn't deserve it? Because that is the story that decides what grows next.

I recently took a Peloton ride led by Jess Sims, and she shared a story I haven't been able to shake. The concept was something like this: Ask a room of little kids who's an artist and every hand goes up. Ask again a few grades later and the hands disappear. Somewhere along the way, we start believing what we've been told about who we "are" and who we "are not."

So I turned the question on myself and realized I have been watering the "not fast enough, not building quickly enough" loop and the perfectionist who keeps telling me I'm behind. But as I discusses the issue further, the real answer came out... I should have been watering a specific part of myself all along -- the real reason I needed to make this podcast so badly was to reach out to 25-year-old me. The girl who accepted the bare minimum from relationships and a career that made her feel so small. I couldn't stand up for her then, but I can now.

If you're deep in your own identity crisis, building something slowly and quietly convinced you're behind, this one's for you. I'm not leading from the front. I'm in the trenches with you.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why kids stop calling themselves artists, and what that does to adult self-belief
• How the story you tell yourself becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
• One question to carry into your week: what are you watering that doesn't deserve it?
• Why a slow season might be a season of repair, not failure
• How to stop letting your productivity stand in for your worth
• Where to point your limited energy so the right things actually grow

Resources Mentioned:

• Jess Sims on Instagram: the Peloton instructor whose ride inspired this episode
• Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie: the classic version of the "who here is an artist?" story

CONNECT WITH AMANDA:

Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self.

Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Send Amanda a message here!

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.podcastforthelost.com
• Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers
• TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost
• YouTube: @podcastforthelost
• Substack: podcastforthelost.substack.com

AFFILIATE LINKS:

ShopMy → Browse and shop the supplements, skincare, outfits, tech, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

**Until Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators platforms are able to share HSL Video, please watch the video version of this episode on Spotify or YouTube⁠**

Episode 127: This solo episode is about self-doubt, perfectionism, and the story you tell yourself about yourself. So, what are you watering lately that doesn't deserve it? Because that is the story that decides what grows next.

I recently took a Peloton ride led by Jess Sims, and she shared a story I haven't been able to shake. The concept was something like this: Ask a room of little kids who's an artist and every hand goes up. Ask again a few grades later and the hands disappear. Somewhere along the way, we start believing what we've been told about who we "are" and who we "are not."

So I turned the question on myself and realized I have been watering the "not fast enough, not building quickly enough" loop and the perfectionist who keeps telling me I'm behind. But as I discusses the issue further, the real answer came out... I should have been watering a specific part of myself all along -- the real reason I needed to make this podcast so badly was to reach out to 25-year-old me. The girl who accepted the bare minimum from relationships and a career that made her feel so small. I couldn't stand up for her then, but I can now.

If you're deep in your own identity crisis, building something slowly and quietly convinced you're behind, this one's for you. I'm not leading from the front. I'm in the trenches with you.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why kids stop calling themselves artists, and what that does to adult self-belief
• How the story you tell yourself becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
• One question to carry into your week: what are you watering that doesn't deserve it?
• Why a slow season might be a season of repair, not failure
• How to stop letting your productivity stand in for your worth
• Where to point your limited energy so the right things actually grow

Resources Mentioned:

• ⁠Jess Sims on Instagram⁠: the Peloton instructor whose ride inspired this episode
• ⁠Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie⁠: the classic version of the "who here is an artist?" story

CONNECT WITH AMANDA:

Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self.

Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? ⁠Send Amanda a message here!⁠

• Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠
• Website: ⁠www.podcastforthelost.com⁠
• Instagram: ⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠ & ⁠@amanda.k.powers⁠
• TikTok: ⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠
• YouTube: ⁠@podcastforthelost⁠
• Substack: ⁠podcastforthelost.substack.com⁠

AFFILIATE LINKS:

⁠ShopMy⁠ → Browse and shop the ⁠supplements⁠, ⁠skincare⁠, ⁠outfits⁠, ⁠tech⁠, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

**Until Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators platforms are able to share HSL Video, please watch the video version of this episode on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠**

Episode 126: I moved to Tampa in June, and I'm finally caught up enough to tell you what my "new life" actually looks like these days:

• The home podcast studio that failing on me
• Dierks getting scared by fireworks for the first time
• Trying out a run club that humbled me -- FAST.
• And a cool Seminole Heights drive-through coffee spot with a croissant panini I can't stop thinking about.

I also get honest about why the podcast has been so haphazard and randomly quiet this year, and about the strange mental gymnastics I deal with after spending a decade in national security trained not to share, then trying to publically build something that only works if I do. I am three years into this podcast and my progress still feels so jagged. So here are nine ways to measure progress when your career feels stuck, and not one of them shows up on a résumé.

In this episode, I'll talk about:

• Nine markers of progress that have nothing to do with your job title
• Why getting back up is the most underrated skill you have
• What your daily habits say about the life you're actually building
• How to tell a real boundary from a goalpost you keep moving
• Why emotional composure is something you build, not something you're born with
• What starting over in a new city looks like while you're still in the thick of it

CONNECT WITH AMANDA:

If you enjoyed this episode, leaving five stars on Spotify or a quick review on Apple is the single biggest way a new Wanderer finds the show. Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self.

Want to share your story or have a question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? ⁠Send Amanda a message here!⁠

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Website: ⁠www.podcastforthelost.com⁠

Instagram: ⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠ & ⁠@amanda.k.powers⁠

TikTok: ⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠

YouTube: ⁠@podcastforthelost⁠

Substack: ⁠podcastforthelost.substack.com⁠

AFFILIATE LINKS:

⁠ShopMy⁠ → Browse and shop the ⁠supplements⁠, ⁠skincare⁠, ⁠outfits⁠, ⁠tech⁠, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

Episode 126: I moved to Tampa in June, and I'm finally caught up enough to tell you what my "new life" actually looks like these days:

• The home podcast studio that failing on me
• Dierks getting scared by fireworks for the first time
• Trying out a run club that humbled me -- FAST.
• And a cool Seminole Heights drive-through coffee spot with a croissant panini I can't stop thinking about.

I also get honest about why the podcast has been so haphazard and randomly quiet this year, and about the strange mental gymnastics I deal with after spending a decade in national security trained not to share, then trying to publically build something that only works if I do. I am three years into this podcast and my progress still feels so jagged. So here are nine ways to measure progress when your career feels stuck, and not one of them shows up on a résumé.

In this episode, I'll talk about:

• Nine markers of progress that have nothing to do with your job title
• Why getting back up is the most underrated skill you have
• What your daily habits say about the life you're actually building
• How to tell a real boundary from a goalpost you keep moving
• Why emotional composure is something you build, not something you're born with
• What starting over in a new city looks like while you're still in the thick of it

CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome Back!

0:44 Why I started my podcast in the middle of an identity crisis

2:38 Why I moved to Florida to start over again

5:44 What starting over in a new city actually looks like

9:17 Why the podcast has been quiet this year

13:32 How do you tell your story when your career depends on privacy?

18:24 What if you’ve been measuring progress the wrong way?

19:52 What we give doesn’t always return

21:17 Progress you can’t see: love, loyalty, and work ethic

28:40 Progress you can’t see: grace, resilience, and daily habits

37:36 Progress you can’t see: composure, kindness, and boundaries

45:35 Questions to ask when you’re feeling behind in life

CONNECT WITH AMANDA:

If you enjoyed this episode, leaving five stars on Spotify or a quick review on Apple is the single biggest way a new Wanderer finds the show! Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self.

Want to share your story or have a question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Send Amanda a message here!

FOLLOW FOR MORE:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.podcastforthelost.com

Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers

TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost

YouTube: @podcastforthelost

Substack: podcastforthelost.substack.com

AFFILIATE LINKS:

ShopMy → Browse and shop the supplements, skincare, outfits, tech, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

**Until Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators platforms are able to share HSL Video, please watch the video version of this episode on Spotify or YouTube**

Episode 125: This episode explores uncertainty tolerance, decision paralysis, risk tolerance, fear of the unknown, and the big life transitions that define the Millennial Identity Crisis — including whether to move, change careers, leave a relationship, or start completely over. If you're looking for practical decision-making frameworks that don't require you to have all the answers first, this one's for you.

This week, Amanda explores her own uncertainty lately, and draws on the research of Simone Stolzoff — journalist, bestselling author of The Good Enough Job, and author ofthe new book How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World That Demands Answers. His work on uncertainty tolerance, decision-making science, and the psychology of risk is the backbone of the frameworks Amanda shares in this episode.

CONNECT WITH AMANDA:

Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Send Amanda a message here!

Website: https://www.podcastforthelost.com/

Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers

TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost

YouTube: @podcastforthelost

Substack: https://podcastforthelost.substack.com/

AFFILIATE LINKS:

ShopMy → Browse and shop the supplements, skincare, outfits, tech, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use

Episode 125: Your brain would rather take a guaranteed painful electric shock than sit with a 50/50 chance of getting one. That's not a personal failure. That's biology — and it might be the most validating thing you hear all week. In this solo episode, recorded live in-studio after an unexpected guest cancellation (which, honestly, felt like the universe assigning the homework), Amanda gets into one of the most paralyzing forces driving the Millennial Identity Crisis right now: uncertainty. Not a fluffy "lean into the discomfort" pep talk — the real,science-backed reason why big life decisions feel impossible, why watching someone you love stay stuck can make you quietly furious, and why your brain has been working against you this whole time.

Inspired by fellow podcaster Liz Moody and the journalist and bestselling author Simone Stolzoff's research on uncertainty tolerance, Amanda unpacks the science and makes it personal — including a raw, honest story about a close friend navigating a sudden breakup, and the moment Amanda realized she'd been projecting her own risk tolerance onto someone who needed something entirely different.

She also revisits a chapter from her intelligence analyst days — a White House job offer that unraveled in three weeks — and what living inside that kind of professional and personal free fall taught her about the millennial career pivot she didn't see coming.

If you've ever asked yourself "should I move?", "should I leave this relationship?", "should I change careers?" — and then immediately answered yourself with "but what if it doesn't work out?" — this episode was made for you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why your brain is literally wired to fear uncertainty more than actual suffering — and the study that proves it
• The difference between acute uncertainty and ambient uncertainty, and why it matters for every decision you're currently avoiding
• The "outsider looking in" trap — why being frustrated with someone else's indecision is actually about your own threshold, not theirs
• The Only Option Test: a deceptively simple tool to cut through decision paralysis
• One-way door vs. two-way door decisions — and how knowing the difference changes the stakes entirely
• Why you don't need certainty to commit — and what commitment actually is
• The most powerful mindset shift for when you're drowning in fear: how to trust your future self to solve problems that haven't arrived yet

RESOURCES:

Simone Stolzoff — How to Not Know: simonestolzoff.com/how-to-not-know

The Liz Moody Podcast ft. Simone Stolzoff — Part 1: Listen on Spotify

The Liz Moody Podcast ft. Simone Stolzoff — Part 2: Listen on Spotify

CONNECT WITH AMANDA:

Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Send Amanda a message here!

• Website: https://www.podcastforthelost.com/
• Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers
• TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost
• YouTube: @podcastforthelost
• Substack: https://podcastforthelost.substack.com/

AFFILIATE LINKS:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ShopMy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → Browse and shop the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠supplements⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠skincare⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠outfits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

**Until Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators platforms are able to share HSL Video, please watch the video version of this episode on Spotify or ⁠YouTube⁠**

Episode 124: This episode of The Lost & Found Podcast with Amanda Powers explores creative shame, comparison culture, career reinvention, self-worth, and the quiet fear that you're falling behind — the everyday textures of the Millennial Identity Crisis — including what it means to start something before you feel qualified, to grieve a career path you outgrew, and to keep showing up when you're still learning the skill. Amanda and her friend and fellow content creator Mika Carr get into the myth that you have to "batch content" or have it all figured out to be legit, the dreams we get shamed out of chasing, and why turning another year older isn't proof you're running out of time. If you're looking for permission to change your mind, stop comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel, and build something new without waiting to feel ready first, this one's for you.

Connect with Mika: @mikamcarr

Connect with Amanda: Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Email us at [email protected]

Website: https://www.podcastforthelost.com

Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers

TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost

YouTube: @podcastforthelost

Substack: https://podcastforthelost.substack.com

AFFILIATE LINKS:

ShopMy → Browse and shop the supplements, skincare, outfits, tech, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

Episode 124: Feeling behind because everyone else's content — or life — looks more put-together than yours? This episode is your permission slip to stop comparing and start posting anyway. If you're a creative with a full-time job and a side dream you can't let go of —the one-woman bands editing their own content at midnight, the people who were "the artsy kid" until somewhere around your late teens/early 20s that part got quietly shelved, and anyone caregiving so hard for someone else that their own career is idling in neutral — this is for you!

Our guest today is Mika Carr, a Nashville video producer, journalism major turned creative, and one of the original friends who pushed Amanda into podcasting. They trades stories in a looser, funnier, more behind-the-curtain episode that still lands hard where it counts. They talk about how you can only get good at something by getting in and doing it badly first: Mika's advice on video editing is to stop watching tutorials, open the software, and accept that you have to make a lot of bad edits before you make good ones — which is the same advice, exactly, for starting a podcast, a business, or a life.

She also dismantles the posting-cadence anxiety that eats creators alive, pointing out that all the old rules are nebulous now, that something you posted eight months ago can hit out of nowhere, and that judging yourself for not posting five times a day ignores the fact that you're already doing more than most people ever will.

The most quietly devastating stretch is Mika's answer about the experience shaping her that few people know: putting her own career on hold to help her single mother raise her 14-year-old brother, every homework assignment, every school night, wanting nothing more than for him to be confident enough to exist in a hard world.

Share this with the friend who's exhausted from carrying someone else, the one drafting captions they never post, or the person who keeps saying "I'm not really creative anymore" — because change is scary and you might fail and it's okay to fail because every experience is there for a reason.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why comparing your content (or your career) to someone else's is quietly exhausting you
• The forgotten career dream Mika had before content creation
• Why "post it anyway" beats chasing a perfect algorithm strategy
• Amanda's FBI story on standing your ground without losing yourself
• Mika's closing advice on embracing change, even when it's scary

CHAPTERS:

00:00 — Welcome Back!

01:32 — How did this podcast actually start?

06:07 — Why does comparing your content to everyon eelse's feel so exhausting?

10:20 — What career did Mika almost pursue before content creation?

20:29 — What does it mean to actually own the identity of “podcaster” or “creator”?

32:44 — Is free advice better than paid mentorship rightnow?

34:54 — What is the “millennial career crisis”everyone's talking about?

47:51 — Amanda's most humbling story from her FBI career

55:47 — What does it look like to pause your own career to help family?

59:31 — Who shaped you the most without knowing it?

1:05:06 — How do you stop being afraid of change?

CONNECT WITH MIKA: Find Mika on Instagram: @mikamcarr

CONNECT WITH AMANDA: Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Email us at [email protected]

• Website: https://www.podcastforthelost.com
• Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers
• TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost
• YouTube: @podcastforthelost
• Substack: https://podcastforthelost.substack.com

AFFILIATE LINKS:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ShopMy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → Browse and shop the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠supplements⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠skincare⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠outfits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

Episode 123: What if feeling lost isn't proof that you're failing — but proof that you're finally doing it right? That question is basically the whole reason this show exists, and it's exactly whatI dig into with my guest this week: Dr. Saidie Rodriguez, MD — physician, coach, speaker, and host of soulSHINE: The Art of Becoming. Dr. Saidie has a name for that specific ache so many of us hit somewhere in our late 20s, 30s, and 40s: authentic integration. It's the idea that our most disconnected, unmoored seasons — the ones that can feel like a full-blown Millennial IdentityCrisis — are actually the ones where an old identity is finally loosening its grip so a truer one can take shape.

Dr. Saidie built her career at the intersection of science and soul, helping high-achieving individuals move from performance to presence. We get into burnout, imposter syndrome, the “arrival fallacy,” and why self-awareness alone isn't enough to create real change — plus how to build the kind of self-trust that keeps you moving even when you're scared.

If you've ever felt like you're not living up to the future version of yourself you're chasing, or you've quietly wondered whether feeling this uncomfortable means something is wrong with you — this one's your permission slip to stop rushing the messy middle. In this episode, you'll learn:

• What “authentic integration” means and why identity loss can be a sign of growth, not failure
• How the arrival fallacy keeps high achievers chasing the next goal instead of feeling present
• Why self-awareness alone doesn't create transformation — and what actually does
• How survival mode blocks creativity, and how to build internal safety instead
• Why high-achieving women are especially prone to discounting their own pain and trauma
• Practical tools for moving through fear, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome
• Dr. Saidie's simple daily practice for living without regret

Chapters:

00:00 - What If Feeling Lost Means You're Doing It Right?

01:34 - Meet Dr. Saidie Rodriguez, MD

02:23 - What Does “Becoming” Actually Mean? (And What Is the Arrival Fallacy?)

05:50 - Her Story: Successful on Paper, Disconnected on the Inside

12:09 - Can Science and Soul Coexist? Why She Almost Rejected Her Own Method

15:31 - Where Does Healing Actually Start When You Feel Lost?

26:05 - Survival Mode vs. Creation Mode: How Do You Build Real Self-Trust?

32:26 - Why Do High-Achieving Women Discount Their Own Trauma?

38:03 - What to Remember When You're Scared to Become Who You're Meant to Be

50:21 - What Do You Actually Want Out of Life?

55:42 - Her #1 Piece of Advice If You're Lost and Don't Know Where to Start

CONNECT WITH SAIDIE:

Website: https://soulshine.global/

Instagram: @soulshine_global

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoulSHINE_global

Podcast (Apple): soulSHINE: The Art of Becoming

Podcast (Spotify): soulSHINE: The Art of Becoming

Free Gift: 10-minute self-trust activation

CONNECT WITH AMANDA:

Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send Amanda a message here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.podcastforthelost.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@amanda.k.powers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@podcastforthelost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcastforthelost.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

AFFILIATE LINKS:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ShopMy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → Browse and shop the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠supplements⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠skincare⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠outfits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

Episode 122: We're back from a short break and bringing you along the journey with some brand new guests! This week we are kicking things off with nomadic relationship expert and guide, Alissha Davis.

You're the most self-aware you've ever been. You've done the therapy, listened to the podcasts, read the books. So why do you keep making your worst dating decisions right now — in the middle of a career change, a move, a total reinvention?

In this episode — our very first conversation about love and relationships on the show — Amanda sits down with Alissha Davis, dating and relationship specialist and founder of Nomad Love Lab. Alissha has spent 11 years living abroad, from Thailand to Brazil, studying what actually happens to our love lives when our identity is in flux.

Her answer is equal parts science and soul: when you're in transition, your nervous system stops looking for compatible love and starts looking for anyone to hold onto. That dopamine hit, that sudden quiet, that feeling of "finally" — it isn't always destiny. Sometimes it's just your body finding a regulation source and dressing it up as fate.

Together, Amanda and Alissha get into the science of why "quieter" gets mistaken for "right," the red flags we can't see in ourselves, and Alissha's CED Method — Clarity, Emotional Regulation, and Discernment — for making grounded decisions in love. Alissha also shares her own raw story of grief, losing her father suddenly, and how she caught herself latching onto the wrong person while she was at rock bottom.

This one is personal, a little vulnerable, and exactly what you need if you're trying to find love and yourself at the same time.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why self-awareness doesn't protect you from bad dating decisions
• The "Anchor Effect" and what your nervous system does when your identity destabilizes
• How to tell genuine connection from someone who just makes the uncertainty feel quieter
• The CED Method: Clarity, Emotional Regulation, Discernment — and which one collapses first
• The myth of being fully "healed" before you're allowed to love
• How to determine when you're using dating as avoidance

Chapters:

00:00 Why We're Finally Talking About Love & Identity

02:42 Meet Alissha Davis

09:16 Why You Shouldn't Pause Your Love Life During a Transition

16:57 Why Self-Awareness Doesn't Stop Bad Dating Decisions

21:52 The CED Method: Clarity, Emotional Regulation & Discernment

24:01 How to Know What You Actually Need in a Relationship

25:29 Emotional Regulation: Calming Your Own Nervous System

27:38 Why Clarity Comes First (and What Happens When It Collapses)

29:44 Comfort vs. Compatibility: Is It Love or Just Relief?

32:59 When "Couple Goals" Is Really Emotional Anesthesia

34:28 The Anchor Effect: How Identity Loss Creates Codependency

35:26 Alissha's Story: Grief, Clarity & Walking Away

38:40 How Living Abroad Reshaped Her View of Love

43:01 How to Date in the Middle of a Major Life Transition

46:26 Take the Risk: Advice for Anyone Who Feels Lost

CONNECT WITH ALISSHA:

Website - https://www.nomadlovelab.com/

Instagram - @alisshagoesthere & @nomadlovelab

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CONNECT WITH AMANDA:

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Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Email us at [email protected]

• Website: www.podcastforthelost.com
• Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers
• TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost
• YouTube: @podcastforthelost
• Substack: podcastforthelost.substack.com

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