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The Feeling Beneath Rejection July 16, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Alex, Jamie, Sandra Reischus
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Armand DiMele argues that rejection is not a feeling but a perception of someone else’s behavior, and that the real emotional work begins when you ask what you actually felt underneath it. The episode ranges from the psychology of giving and receiving gifts to sexual withdrawal, childhood conditioning, and callers navigating depression and family pressure.

Loneliness Is Needing Yourself July 10, 2014

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

Loneliness is not about needing someone else but about needing yourself. Armand DiMele examines this through caller stories, statistics on elderly isolation, and a discussion of how online communities, television, and spiritual connection serve as substitutes for genuine self-acceptance.

Does Anybody Really Know You July 9, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello
Category: Identity & The Self, Love & Romantic Relationships

Most people are never truly known by anyone, often because they hide their fears and frailties to avoid rejection. Armand DiMele leads listeners through a personal exercise in mapping who knows them best, and co-host Giullian Gioiello reflects on his twin sister as his one relationship free enough from fear to allow real intimacy.

The Hidden Forces Behind Every Decision June 24, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello, Lisa Arnone
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Emotions quietly hijack our choices before we even know it. Armand DiMele, joined by Lisa Arnone, LCSW, and co-host Giullian Gioiello, walks through a catalog of cognitive and emotional biases, from anchoring and the bandwagon effect to choice-supportive thinking, showing how pausing to reflect remains the most practical corrective.

When Love Becomes Need May 22, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Albert Pesso, Audrey Clark, Barbara Katz Nelson, Giullian Gioiello, John Coltrane, Kevin O'Donoghue, Linda Vanella
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Love & Romantic Relationships

Love is supposed to be the prize, so why is it so painful? Armand DiMele unpacks the psychology of neediness in relationships, arguing that desperation itself can poison a partnership. Drawing on Albert Pesso, Co-founder of Pesso Boyden Therapy, he explores how men and women become needy at different stages, how betrayal trauma differs from fear-based PTSD, and why the drive to make a relationship work can doom it.

How Birth Order Shapes Your Personality with Stephanie Ross April 15, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello, Stephanie Ross
Category: Family & Parenting, Identity & The Self

Birth order predicts more about your personality and relationships than most people realize. Armand DiMele and researcher Stephanie Ross break down how being an only child, firstborn, or later-born shapes anger triggers, confidence, and compatibility, while noting that adoption, remarriage, and loss can shift everything.

Breaking Bad Habits April 2, 2014

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

We think we knew it all along, but hindsight bias distorts judgment and fuels overconfidence. Armand DiMele and co-hosts Linda and Julian explore the psychology of bad habits, including why elimination is harder than replacement, and how scheduling, rewards, and physical interruption techniques can help.

The Madness of Falling in Love March 26, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello, Linda Vanella
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Love & Romantic Relationships

Falling in love may be less sanity than neurosis. Armand DiMele and co-host Giullian Gioiello, joined by Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, work through why romantic love so often fills a psychological hole, how mirror neurons shape emotional connection, and why couples in trouble can describe what a partner thinks but not what they feel.

The Roots of Betrayal and Self-Betrayal January 22, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

Why do we betray ourselves before others ever get the chance? Armand DiMele traces betrayal to the childhood choice between love and power, arguing that submitting your authentic self to win approval sets up every relationship for eventual breakdown. Co-host Giullian Gioiello adds a younger generational lens on peer groups and digital belonging. Callers bring the theory to life.

Betrayal and Self Betrayal January 21, 2014

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Trauma & Healing

Betrayal almost always involves a choice by the betrayed person, Armand DiMele argues, and the deepest wound is the one we inflict on ourselves by ignoring warning signs. With co-host Giullian Gioiello, Armand traces betrayal from Judas to war to infidelity, and takes calls from listeners working through deception in their own lives.