Hi, friend:

It's 2 a.m. and you're lying in bed, heart racing, running through tomorrow's to-do list for the hundredth time. School supplies. New clothes. Making sure everything looks perfect. But it's not really about the supplies, is it? It's about that voice in your head—your ex's voice (in my case)—judging every decision, questioning every choice, finding you lacking. Even though he's miles away, he's right there stealing your peace. You've become an invisible puppet, and you didn't even realize someone else was pulling the strings.

In this deeply personal episode, I share my journey through five stages of anxiety following my breakup with Mr. Conditional—from the puppet master stage where I didn't realize he still controlled my decisions, through the anxiety spiral of trying to prove I was enough, to finally finding the freedom ...