The Yearning Heart Podcast: Real Stories of Love, Relationships and Emotional Growth
The Yearning Heart Podcast is a soulful show where people tell real stories about love, heartbreak and healing. Hosted by licensed marriage and family therapist Jennifer Lehr, episodes explore relationship dynamics, emotional intelligence, attachment styles and self-love. Listeners navigating breakups or wanting deeper intimacy will find honest stories and expert guidance to help them change patterns and build secure, lasting love. The podcast blends personal experiences with therapeutic insights for personal and relational growth.
Episodes
Parenting Neurodivergent Children & The Work of Marriage | Dr. Nicole Dolan
Parenting sensitive, neurodivergent children can be both sacred and overwhelming.In this heartfelt conversation, Jennifer J. Lehr, LMFT, speaks with Dr. Nicole Dolan—depth psychologist, author, and mother of three—about the profound challenges and transformations that come with parenting complex children and sustaining a conscious marriage.Together, they reveal how healing our own emotional imprin
Healing The Mother Wound - Episode 16
In this episode (16) of The Yearning Heart Podcast, Jennifer J. Lehr, LMFT, speaks with Willow Light, an esthetician, herbalist, and intuitive healer, about her powerful journey of healing from childhood trauma and toxic relationships.Willow shares openly about growing up in foster care, the impact of her mother’s mental illness, and how these wounds shaped her choices in love. From a stable but s
Therapist Insights: Mindfulness, Attachment Styles & Core Values in Love
In this episode (15) of the Yearning Heart podcast, Jennifer J. Lehr, LMFT delves into the insights shared by Dennis regarding mindfulness, relationships, and personal growth. She emphasizes the importance of mindfulness in therapy,how it can be used to enhance self-awareness and emotional regulation, and the potential pitfalls of using mindfulness defensively. She also explores how mindfulness ca
From Shame to Mindful Love: Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones on 32 Years of Conscious Relationship
What does it take to create a 32-year relationship grounded in deep presence, personal growth, and unwavering commitment?In this powerful conversation, Jennifer J. Lehr, LMFT welcomes renowned author and spiritual teacher Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones to share the inner journey behind his long-term marriage and the mindfulness tools that helped himtransform a shame-based upbringing into a conscious, lo
Therapist Insights: Falling Out of Love, Codependency, and Rekindling Connection
In this Therapist Insights episode of The Yearning Heart Podcast, Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, unpacks the deeper emotional themes from Episode 12, where Samantha shared her story of reconnection after separation.Jennifer explores the emotional and psychological dynamics of falling out of love, the role of postpartum depression in creating disconnection, and how couples can rekindle intimacy by learning t
How We Saved Our Marriage After Divorce: A Story of Healing, Separation, and Partnership
From emotional pain to true partnership — in this heartfelt episode of The Yearning Heart Podcast, Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, speaks with certified life coach Samantha Shoemaker about her powerful journey through postpartum depression, separation, and ultimately, reconnection with her husband.Samantha shares how the weight of parenting, mental health struggles, and unresolved attachment patterns challen
Therapist Insights: Tools and Knowledge for Anxious Attachment Style
n this Therapist Insights episode, Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, unpacks the emotional complexity of the anxious attachment style and offers therapeutic tools to support healing, regulation, and deeper connection.Jennifer explores how early emotional wounds manifest in anxious relational behaviors — from fear of abandonment to heightened sensitivity and emotional reactivity. She shares strategies for self-
What Makes a Relationship Healthy: Compassion, Triggers, and Mutual Care
n this heartfelt episode, Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, speaks with Kristina about the emotional complexities of building healthy relationships. Kristina shares her personal experiences navigating early relationship challenges, recognizing narcissistic patterns in past partners, and learning the value of emotional safety, compassion, and self-awareness.Together, they explore how generational trauma, anxiet
I Put Up With Emotional Abuse Because I Grew up With Alcoholic Parents (Includes Therapist Insights)
In this episode of The Yearning Heart Podcast, Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, speaks with Janet about the long-lasting emotional impact of growing up in a household with alcoholic parents.Janet shares how her early experiences led her to tolerate emotional abuse in adult relationships, and how the journey toward healing required deep personal growth, therapy, and self-awareness. Together, they explore the c
How To Heal From Childhood Trauma (Includes Therapist Insights)
In this couragous and vulnerable conversation, Elaine shares her personal experiences with relationships, trauma, and the journey towards healing. The discussion delves into the impact of childhood trauma on adult relationships, the search for love and connection, and the challenges of setting boundaries. Elaine reflects on her love addiction and the importance of safety in relationships, while al
Healing the Past: From Anxious Attachment to a Secure Love (Including Therapist Insights)
In this powerful episode, Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, speaks with Wynn Austin — founder of Wynn's Kitchen — about her journey from a difficult childhood and painful divorce to finding a deeply secure, loving relationship.Wynn shares how her early attachment style influenced her relationships and how, through self-reflection, therapy, and intentional growth, she began to transform her patterns.Together, t
Therapist Insights: People Pleasing and Self-Love — Healing Family Wounds in Relationships - A Deeper Dive into Episode 3
In this Therapist Insights episode, Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, offers a deeper exploration of themes raised in Episode 3 with Kirsten — focusing on how people-pleasing behaviors and struggles with self-love are rooted in early family dynamics.Jennifer examines how childhood experiences influence our ability to set boundaries, communicate needs, and choose emotionally available partners. She shares thera
Therapy Insights: How Your Personal History Shapes Love: High Drama, Trust & Self-Worth - A Deeper Dive Into Episode 2
In this short solo episode, Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, builds on the themes from Episode 2 with Janice — exploring how our personal histories shape our relationship patterns, sense of self-worth, and ability to experience emotional safety in love.Jennifer dives into why so many of us are drawn to high-drama relationships, how unresolved childhood dynamics keep us repeating pain, and what it takes to cre
Therapist Insights: Healing Attachment Wounds: Emotional Safety, Trust, and Childhood Roots - A Deeper Dive into Episode 1
In this solo episode, Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, expands on the powerful themes from Episode 1 — diving deeper into the roots of attachment wounds, emotional safety, and the lasting effects of narcissistic parenting on our ability to trust and connect.Drawing on her experience as a licensed therapist and her conversation with Miette, Jennifer explores how early emotional injuries shape our adult relatio
Trailer: Welcome to The Yearning Heart Podcast — Stories of Love, Healing & Growth
Welcome to The Yearning Heart Podcast, a space for real stories of love, heartbreak, healing, and personal transformation. In this short trailer, host Jennifer Lehr, LMFT, shares the inspiration behind the podcast — and why our emotional journeys in love and relationships are too valuable to stay hidden.Whether you're seeking a life partner, healing from a breakup, or navigating a long-term re
From Divorce to Self-Love: Kirsten’s Journey Through Codependency and Healing
In this raw and insightful conversation, Kirsten opens up about the deep impact her parents’ divorce — and her own — had on her sense of self, relationships, and emotional patterns.She shares how childhood dynamics led to people-pleasing, codependency, and emotional attunement that became survival tools in adulthood. But through reflection, therapy, and inner work, she has begun to shift toward em
From Chaos to Connection: Rewiring Drama-Based Love for a Secure Marriage
In this heartfelt conversation, Janice shares her transformative journey through love — from early relationships shaped by family dysfunction to the grounded, emotionally safe marriage she now experiences.Together, we explore how drama and chaos were once mistaken for passion, and how her understanding of love evolved through boundary-setting, healing past wounds, and learning to embrace differenc
Blended Families & Trust Issues: A Journey Through Long-Distance Love and Emotional Growth
In this heartfelt conversation, Jennifer speaks with Miette about the emotional complexities of love, trust, and family. Miette opens up about her experiences in a long-distance relationship, the challenges of navigating trust issues rooted in her upbringing, and the impact of blended family dynamics on her ability to feel emotionally safe.Together, they explore how self-awareness, emotional suppo
