The Mark Groves Podcast

Themes: Politics, COVID, Individualism, Fear, Health, Government, Accountability, Truth, News & Media, Misinformation, Authenticity, Belonging, Transformation, Conflict, Mental Health Summary: In this solo episode, I share my thoughts and grief on what has occurred over these last few years as a result of the pandemic. I believe in having open and honest discourse and avoiding inflammatory language that only pushes us further apart. I want to invite curiosity back into our experiences and encourage us to hold manipulative and dishonest individuals and groups accountable while keeping in mind that love and truth always win in the end! Let’s come together to change this world. Discover: Alternative viewpoints on how information as delivered to us during the pandemic The usage of “misinformation” labels, nudge tactics, divisiveness, gaslighting, narcissism, and other abusive tactics Why we must stand up as a village to hold the media and governing bodies accountable and demand truth and change 00:00 Intro 00:53 Nudge tactics 02:45 Misinformation 03:56 You’re not free to choose if your freedom is at stake 07:22 There wasn’t enough data 10:16 They turned us against each other 13:34 Divisiveness, gaslighting, and narcissism 16:30 The importance of discourse without inflammatory language 21:52 We need to come together to make change Links: Emails referenced - The Virality Project: Twitter Files revealed that the US government and major social media companies worked hand-in-hand with Stanford University to censor or limit true information about Covid-19, suppress “true vaccine side effects” and “true posts which could fuel [vaccine] hesitancy.” The emails and documents were provided to Matt Taibbi by Twitter CEO Elon Musk. The documents, dubbed the "Twitter Files" and retweeted by Musk, were selected from "thousands of internal documents obtained by sources at Twitter." Matt Taibbi is an award winning author, journalist, and contributing editor for Rolling Stone. (Sources: New York Post, The Maine Wire, TRT World) Join me on Felt! Sign up for my newsletter here Follow me on Substack here Instagram | @createthelove Facebook | @createthelove Sponsors: Create the Love Cards | Use code CTLCARDS15 for 15% off at createthelove.com/cards

One of the most popular videos I’ve ever recorded was ‘why do men follow Instagram models?’ So I wanted to dive deeper into a topic that is so complex and often controversial. This week I introduce my good friend Dr. Laura McNally who is a psychologist that has been writing on this topic for some years. We discuss the entire life cycle — how children are socialized and shaped by their environments, how this impacts young adults and their ideas about beauty and sex, how sexual arousal changes the way we think and how monitoring our body image shifts our cognitive function. Why is it that sex and porn addiction most often impact men, while body image and eating disorders almost exclusively impact women? It turns out this isn't a coincidence. Importantly, this is not a discussion that aims to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do with their Instagram or social media, it is an exploration of the research that will hopefully leave you feeling better informed about what works for you. ~ Discover: You can't change anything you don't take responsibility for The root of the problem Porn, triggers and responses Dissecting the questions that come up around IG models Where does it all start? Growing up on the apps and the issues they create for children Anti-sex vs. anti-women Sexuality and religion How we cheat ourselves out of connection How we buy into "you'll never be hot enough" You can find Laura’s work on Instagram @actualpsychology https://www.instagram.com/actualpsychology/

Themes: Relationships, Romantic Relationships, Relationship Struggles, Couples Therapy, Communication, Healing, Conflict Summary: Back for the second time is my good friend, Nick Solaczek. Nick is a relationship coach and teacher specializing in romantic relationships with an emphasis on safe conversations, conscious relationship principles, mindfulness, authenticity and boundary setting. Nick works closely with IMAGO theory in his practice, believing that the image we project has a significant influence on who we are attracted to and how we show up in our relationship. In this episode, we jam on how to create stronger romantic relationships, how our childhood experiences are responsible for many of our triggers in our adult relationships, the influence of fear and how it guides our actions, and more juicy relational truths. Tune in to hear Nick share mic-drops on how to communicate more clearly to ask for what we want and how to use struggle to strengthen our partnerships instead of drive us apart. Nick also teaches us about his relational theory, The Developmental Mountain, which he shares in depth in his new course: Romantic Relationship Reset. Get the link and a discount below! Discover: Core relational dynamics of romantic relationships and which ones you and your partner relate to How and why opposites attract when it comes to romantic relationships The power of fear and its presence in our interactions with our partners The benefits of both individual and couples therapy when it comes to long term relationships The power of IMAGO dialogue as a powerful method of communication for couples 00:00 Intro 02:12 How we have historically approached couples work 06:34 Romance is propagandized by culture 10:14 We all have conflicts in the kitchen 18:24 Relational dynamics of the Seeker, Maximizer, Minimizer 25:40 How childhood experiences show up in adult relationships 26:48 We show and respond to emotion differently 29:56 The power of fear 34:54 The struggle is normal 41:47 Ways to ask for what you want 48:01 Why we deal with things the way we do 50:35 The Developmental Mountain 57:32 The Relationship Reset Links: Special offer: $50 off Nick’s course "Romantic Relationship Reset" with promo code: CREATE50 Website: www.nicksolaczek.com Course: www.nicksolaczek.com/mark Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicksolaczek/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coachingwithnick Sponsors: Cozy Earth | Use code GROVES for 40% off sitewide at cozyearth.com Cymbiotika | Use code GROVES at checkout for 15% off your first purchase at cymbiotika.com. (Save up to 45% off when you buy a bundle!)

Themes: Childhood Wounds, Family Systems, People-Pleasing, Relationships, Self-Worth Summary: I think it’s safe to say that none of us had a perfect childhood, and we all carry around behaviours and unhealed pain that doesn’t serve us. But it doesn’t have to be that way: our past may have created our patterns, but we can change them with some self-awareness and the right tools. Join my bestie Vienna Pharaon and me as we dive into understanding and overcoming wounds from our Family of Origin, so you can move beyond your frustrating patterns in life and love and into a more liberated way of being. Vienna is a licensed marriage and family therapist and one of New York City’s most sought-after relationship therapists. She has practiced therapy for more than fifteen years and is the founder and owner of the group practice Mindful Marriage and Family Therapy. Her first book, The Origins of You, hits shelves on February 21st, 2023. Discover: How unhealed pain or “wounds” from our Family of Origin manifest in our adult behaviours Why it’s so difficult to hold the paradox of being both disappointed with and grateful for our upbringing Five common “origin wounds” and how they show up in our adult lives How to identify and start to heal the origin wounds that hold you back 00:00 Intro 02:10 How childhood wounds impact us today 13:57 You don’t need to have a traumatic childhood to have wounds 18:19 Being both disappointed with and grateful for aspects of your upbringing 29:23 Examples of origin wounds 32:35 The belonging wound 36:53 The prioritization wound 45:15 Safety and trust wounds 55:42 How to begin healing Links: Website | viennapharaon.com Instagram | @mindfulmft Book | The Origins of You 6 Week LIVE Coaching Experience with Vienna Sponsors: Cozy Earth | Use code GROVES for 40% off sitewide at cozyearth.com Open | Try Open for 30 days free! Go to withopen.com/createthelove and use code CREATETHELOVE to sign up Create the Love Cards | Use code CTLCARDS15 for 15% off at createthelove.com/cards