Inside OCDCon: Why the IOCDF Global OCD Conference Changes Lives | Stephanie Cogen

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when someone who once needed inpatient treatment for OCD becomes a therapist helping others through the same struggles?In this episode of The OCD Confessional, Liam Martin and Alicia Hill sit down with Paul McCarroll of Be Free From OCD to discuss his remarkable journey from struggling with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder as a teenager to becoming an OCD therapist at the very facility where he was once hospitalized.Paul opens up about his personal experiences with OCD, the challenges that led to inpatient treatment, and how those experiences ultimately shaped his career and approach to helping others.We also dive into two important approaches to OCD treatment: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Paul explains how he combines these approaches in his work and why learning to respond differently to intrusive thoughts, anxiety and uncertainty can be such an important part of OCD recovery.It's a conversation about the realities of severe OCD, the possibility of recovery, and what it means to help others navigate something you've experienced firsthand.Whether you're living with OCD, supporting someone who is, or working in mental health, this episode offers a powerful perspective on treatment, resilience and hope.Topics include: OCD hospitalization, severe OCD, intrusive thoughts, OCD recovery, exposure and response prevention (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and becoming an OCD therapist.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan MailSeason 2 of The OCD Confessional is here.After a full first season of honest conversations about OCD, recovery, intrusive thoughts, ERP and everything in between, Liam and Alicia are back behind the microphones together to talk about where things stand now — both with the podcast and with their own OCD.In this Season 2 premiere, we look back at what surprised us most about our first season, the conversations that stayed with us, and what we've learned from the incredible guests and listeners who've shared their stories with us.We also check in on our own OCD journeys. What's gotten better? What's still hard? And what are our latest OCD confessions?With International OCD Awareness Week underway, we also talk about what we wish more people understood about obsessive-compulsive disorder — from what OCD actually looks like to the misconceptions that can keep people from recognizing it and getting appropriate help.And finally, we look ahead to Season 2: the conversations we want to have, the stories we want to tell, and where we hope The OCD Confessional goes from here.In this episode:• What we learned from Season 1 • Where Liam and Alicia are in their OCD journeys today • Our latest OCD confessions • What we wish people understood about OCD • International OCD Awareness Week • What we've learned about recovery • Our hopes and plans for Season 2Whether you've been with us since Episode 1 or you're discovering The OCD Confessional for the first time, welcome to Season 2.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan MailJames Stanley has spent much of his life making people laugh. But behind the comedy is a mental health story that became anything but funny.James grew up with severe OCD, autism, anxiety and Tourette syndrome, and his struggles with OCD became so debilitating that he was hospitalized multiple times.In this episode of The OCD Confessional, James takes us inside those experiences: what OCD looked like when he was young, how severe the disorder became, what it was like to need hospitalization, and what helped him eventually get his life back.We also explore the complicated intersection of OCD, autism and Tourette syndrome—three conditions that can overlap in ways that aren't always easy to untangle—and what it's like to navigate all three while pursuing a career in stand-up comedy.And then there's the comedy itself.James started performing stand-up when he was just 16 years old and has gone on to become a regular feature at Minneapolis's Acme Comedy Company, opening for comedians including Stavros Halkias, Dusty Slay, Kelsey Cook, Chad Daniels and others. He's also appeared on the PBS series Roots of Comedy. Today, James doesn't hide his OCD from audiences. He talks about it onstage.We discuss what it's like to turn some of the darkest periods of your life into comedy, whether humor has helped change his relationship with OCD, and why laughing about mental illness doesn't mean minimizing how devastating it can be.It's a funny, candid and at times very serious conversation about severe OCD, hospitalization, autism, Tourette's, recovery—and finding humor in a brain that has put you through hell.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan MailBefore Tommy Dwyer became a filmmaker, actor and stand-up comedian, he was the kid who couldn't seem to stay out of trouble.In this episode of The OCD Confessional, Tommy opens up about growing up with a complicated mix of OCD, ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) — long before he fully understood what was happening inside his brain.Tommy shares stories from childhood about questioning authority, getting into trouble at school and feeling different from the kids around him. We explore what those early diagnoses meant to him, what may have been OCD hiding in plain sight, and how his understanding of his own mental health has changed as he's gotten older.We also talk about the complicated overlap between OCD and ADHD, what it's like to have a brain that can feel pulled in completely different directions, and the role humor and creativity have played throughout Tommy's life.Today, Tommy is a Massachusetts-based filmmaker and stand-up comedian — and some of the traits that once got him sent to the principal's office have become part of the creative mind behind his work.In this episode: Tommy's earliest memories of OCD  Growing up with ADHD  Being diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder  Getting in trouble at school and questioning authority  Recognizing childhood OCD in hindsight  OCD and ADHD existing together  Comedy, filmmaking and creativity  How Tommy understands his brain differently today It's a funny, candid conversation about what can happen when the kid everyone thinks is “difficult” is actually struggling with things no one else can see.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan MailDanielle Jhiani knows OCD from both sides: as someone who has lived through it herself and as the founder of My OCD Coach, where she now helps others navigate OCD and anxiety.In this episode of The OCD Confessional, Danielle opens up about experiencing multiple OCD themes, including Relationship OCD (ROCD), Harm OCD, Health OCD, Somatic OCD, and Just Right OCD — and what she learned when she realized that while the content of OCD can change, the underlying cycle often looks remarkably similar.We spend a lot of time on Relationship OCD: the relentless questioning, analyzing and search for certainty about your relationship, and how difficult it can be to distinguish an OCD-driven need for answers from what feels like genuine intuition.Danielle also shares her experience with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), what it taught her about recovery, and how her own journey eventually inspired her to create My OCD Coach and develop her coaching approach.We talk about:• What Relationship OCD actually feels like • “Is this OCD or is it my intuition?” • How OCD can jump from one theme to another • Danielle’s experience with ERP • What recovery looks like beyond simply eliminating anxiety • The approach she now uses in her OCD coaching work • What she wishes she'd understood when her OCD was at its worstIf OCD has ever made you question your relationship, your feelings, your health, your body — or yourself — this conversation is for you.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan MailIn this special episode of The OCD Confessional, we're sharing the keynote address that Liam Martin and his wife, Dr. Lia Martin, delivered at the International OCD Foundation's Global OCD Conference.Together, we reflect on what it was like to build a marriage while OCD was quietly shaping nearly every part of our lives. We talk openly about the fear, confusion, reassurance-seeking, and moments when OCD threatened to pull us apart—and the lessons we learned as we found our way through it together.Liam also shares his personal journey with OCD, including the years he spent searching for answers, how Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) transformed his life, and why discovering the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) became one of the biggest turning points in his recovery.In this keynote, we discuss: How OCD affects romantic relationships and families  The hidden impact of reassurance and accommodation  Liam's journey from diagnosis to recovery  Why ERP remains the gold-standard treatment for OCD  The life-changing role of the OCD community  Finding hope—even when OCD tells you there isn't any Whether you're living with OCD, supporting someone who is, or simply looking for hope, we hope this conversation reminds you that recovery is possible—and that no one has to face OCD alone.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan MailWhat makes the International OCD Foundation's Global OCD Conference (OCDCon) so special?In this episode of The OCD Confessional, we're joined by Stephanie Cogen, Program Director at the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), for a behind-the-scenes look at the world's largest conference dedicated to obsessive-compulsive disorder and related conditions.Stephanie shares how OCDCon brings together people with lived experience, family members, clinicians, researchers, and advocates from around the world to learn, connect, and realize they're not alone.We also discuss: What first-time attendees can expect  Why the conference is valuable for both individuals and mental health professionals  Exciting new research on pediatric OCD How the IOCDF shapes the future of OCD treatment and education  Why OCDCon 2027 in New York City is an event you won't want to miss Whether you've attended before or have always wondered what it's like, this episode offers an inside look at one of the most meaningful gatherings in the OCD community.Learn more about the International OCD Foundation and future conferences at iocdf.org.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan MailWhat does OCD really sound like?In this special episode of The OCD Confessional, we traveled to the International OCD Foundation's Global OCD Conference in Seattle and handed the microphone to members of the OCD community.The prompt:"What's your OCD confession?"What followed were honest, vulnerable, heartbreaking, hopeful—and sometimes surprisingly funny—stories from people living with obsessive-compulsive disorder.These aren't polished interviews. They're real voices sharing real experiences with intrusive thoughts, compulsions, recovery, shame, resilience, and hope.Whether you've lived with OCD for years or are just beginning to understand it, we hope these confessions remind you of one simple truth:You are not alone.Thank you to everyone who trusted us with your story.If you'd like to learn more about the International OCD Foundation, visit iocdf.org.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The OCD Confessional, we're joined by Anah Pignatelli, OCD advocate, educator, and creator of Key to OCD.For more than 20 years, Anah has navigated OCD in its many forms, including Relationship OCD (ROCD), Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD), and Contamination OCD. Today, she uses her platform to help others understand OCD, break free from shame, and move toward recovery.Anah shares her personal journey from being consumed by uncertainty and intrusive thoughts to becoming an advocate who helps thousands of people better understand what OCD really is.In this episode, we discuss:• What Relationship OCD actually feels like • How SO-OCD creates doubt about identity and attraction • Contamination OCD and fear-based compulsions • Why reassurance keeps OCD alive • The role of ERP in recovery • Building Key to OCD and finding purpose through advocacyThis conversation is honest, hopeful, and full of practical insights for anyone struggling with intrusive thoughts and uncertainty.🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The OCD Confessional, we’re joined by Lukas S. Snear, therapist at NOCD, to discuss one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized forms of OCD: POCD (Pedophilia OCD).POCD is not about desire or intent. It is a subtype of OCD characterized by unwanted, intrusive thoughts, fears, and doubts that can create overwhelming shame, anxiety, and isolation. Because the topic is so taboo, many people suffer in silence and are afraid to seek help.Lukas helps us unpack: • What POCD actually is • How intrusive thoughts become obsessive fears • Why reassurance never solves the problem • The difference between OCD fears and genuine desires • How Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) helps people recover • Why so many people with POCD feel alone — and why they aren'tThis conversation is educational, compassionate, and filled with hope for anyone struggling with intrusive thoughts they don't understand.🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you get your podcasts.Support the show🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube & everywhere podcasts live.📲 Instagram & TikTok: @theocdconfessional📺 YouTube: The OCD Confessional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LpIFjdtZQSupported by NOCD If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD, check out NOCD — a leading virtual health platform that connects people with licensed therapists specially trained in Evidence-Based ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) therapy. NOCD offers live video sessions, between-session therapist messaging, access to in-app therapeutic tools, and a global peer community. Their goal: make expert OCD treatment accessible, effective, and affordable.➤ Visit https://learn.nocd.com/ocdconfessional to learn more and get matched with an OCD-trained therapist.🧠 The OCD Confessional is hosted by Liam Martin & Alicia Hill — real stories, intrusive thoughts, and the tools we use to cope (with plenty of laughter).Disclaimer: The OCD Confessional is intended for education, awareness, and community support only. It does not provide therapy or professional mental-health advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek help from a licensed mental-health professional. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.