The I AM Podcast

Hey Folks! I’m Dave Kydd, and this is Episode 12 of The I Am Podcast — where we build our Internal Art Museum one image at a time. These are the pictures and metaphors I use in therapy to help people understand themselves and live more meaningful lives.In this episode, we explore the most important question of all:What is the meaning of life?Using a simple image — two hands — we break down the idea that meaning comes from alignment between who you are and who you feel called to be. When those don’t match, something feels off. When they do, life feels right.We also reflect on the story of Viktor Frankl and how he found purpose even in extreme suffering — and what that means for us today.You’ll learn:What your “internal standard” isHow to identify your core valuesWhy meaning is always available to you, no matter your situationA meaningful life isn’t something you find someday.It’s something you can start living today.Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube!Find us on Instagram and TikTok @the_iam_podcast

Hey folks!In this episode of the I AM Podcast, I explore why couples often fall into the same unhealthy communication patterns without even realizing it.Using ideas from transactional analysis, I break down the three ego states we all move between Parent, Adult, and Child, and how these roles shape the way we interact in relationships.When partners unconsciously fall into Parent–Child dynamics, arguments can start to feel scripted, predictable, and impossible to escape. But when we learn to recognize the roles we're playing, we can begin shifting toward healthier adult-to-adult communication.If your relationship conflicts sometimes feel like the same conversation on repeat, this episode will help you understand why and how to change the pattern.If you want to watch the full video version, check us out on YouTube 🎥Join me as we fill the walls of our internal art museum, one image at a time.

In Episode 10 of the I AM Podcast (Internal Art Museum), I explore The Truman Show as a powerful metaphor for false narratives and the illusions that keep us stuck.What if the story you believe about yourself… isn’t real?Using the image of Truman standing at the edge of his artificial world, I unpack how our “problem villains” (see episode 2) can create an entire alternate reality that feels convincing but isn’t true.In this episode, you’ll learn:-How negative self-talk acts like the director of your life- What narrative therapy calls “sparkling moments”- Why leaving an illusion can feel scarier than staying stuck- How to recognize the clues that your inner critic might be lying- Why reality may be closer than you thinkI also do something a little different — a live therapy roleplay with AI as a 28-year-old client who believes he’s a failure. You’ll hear how the “director” (low confidence) keeps trying to pull him back into the illusion — and how therapy gently pushes back.If you’ve ever felt trapped, behind in life, or like life is living you instead of you living life… this episode is for you.And if you prefer the full video experience, check us out on YouTube for the visual version of this episode.

👋 Hello folks! In this episode, we explore anxiety and why it can be understood as “fake fear.”Using the image of an imaginary bear chasing you, I unpack how anxiety convinces us we’re in danger when we’re not. Unlike animals who leave fear behind when the threat is gone, humans can carry fear with us , replaying it, projecting it into the future, and letting it shape our choices.We’ll look at how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, and exposure each work to uncover anxiety’s central illusion — and how I bring them together in my own approach to help clients stop running and start seeing clearly.If you’ve ever felt chased by your own thoughts, this episode is for you.🎥 You can also check us out on YouTube for the full video version and the artwork that goes along with this episode.Join me as we keep filling the walls of our Internal Art Museum — one image at a time.

Hey folks, I’m Dave Kydd, and this is the eighth episode of The I Am Podcast — where we build our Internal Art Museum one image at a time. Each week, we take a simple image from my psychotherapy practice and use it to make sense of everyday stress, emotions, and problems.In this episode, we talk about stress — yours, mine, Lily’s, Charlie the dog’s (not Billy the cat, he’s fine) — and we picture it like a barrel. As stressors pour in, the barrel fills up, and when it overflows, coping stops.We walk step by step through a practical way to understand and manage stress, using a familiar example: Ross from Friends. By breaking stress into pieces, we look at what’s filling the barrel, how full it really is, and what you can actually do about it.You’ll learn:What stress really is and why it feels so heavyHow to identify what’s actually filling your stress barrelWhy you don’t need zero stress — just manageable stressHow to reduce stress coming inHow to increase stress going out using your own “taps”As always, we add a new image to the Internal Art Museum — a drawing of me inside a stress barrel — to help make this idea easy to remember when life starts piling up.Join me as we continue filling the walls of our internal art museum — one image at a time.Check out the video version of this episode on Youtube.Find us on Instagram and Tik Tok @the_iam_podcast

Hi, I’m Dave Kydd, and this is the sixth episode of The I Am Podcast — where we build our Internal Art Museum one image (and now one movie) at a time. These are the pictures, metaphors, and now moving pictures I use in my therapy practice to help people understand life more clearly and grow into who they were always meant to become.Welcome to the new series called Moving Pictures! Moving Pictures is a new gallery where we use well-known movies to explain therapy concepts. In this episode, we explore one of the most famous illusions in movie history: The Wizard of Oz. Is your problem really all-powerful… or just a booming voice with a microphone behind a curtain?We’ll look at how many of our “villains” — anxiety, depression, anger, low self-esteem, the need for approval — use the same strategy as the Wizard: intimidation, illusion, and selective storytelling. I’ll talk about how these internal villains convince us they’re stronger than they are, why their power is mostly bluff, and how to pull back the curtain in your own life to see the truth.You’ll learn:Why your problem feels huge even when it isn’t.How your villain uses “selective spotlights” to rewrite your past.What happens when you refuse to believe the illusion and push back.How to shrink your villain by doing exactly what it doesn’t want you to do.Join me as we continue filling the walls of our internal art museum — one image at a time.Check out the video version of this episode on youtube!Find us on Instagram and Tik Tok @the_iam_podcast

👋 Hello folks. In this episode, we’re talking about parenting — and why it helps to picture it like swimming lessons.We’ll explore what it means to start with your kids in the shallow end, holding them close, and slowly guide them toward the deep end — where they can swim on their own.Along the way, I’ll share how parents can balance encouraging with challenging, and why every child’s journey down the pool looks a little different.This is also a special one — our first guest episode — featuring my two daughters, Rosie and Lily. Together, we’ll talk honestly (and laugh plenty) about what worked, what didn’t, and how we all grew up along the way.It’s a heartfelt conversation about learning to let go, trust the process, and celebrate the beautiful, messy art of raising humans.Join me as we keep filling the walls of our Internal Art Museum — one image at a time.Check us out on Youtube and all social media platforms @the_iam_podcast

Hello folks. In this episode, we’re talking about marriage — or any long-term relationship, really — and why it helps to picture it like building a house.I’ll walk you through the “foundation” every relationship needs: seven non-negotiable needs that form the base of a healthy partnership. Then we’ll climb up to the walls and roof — the daily choices and habits that keep your relationship standing strong, even when things feel messy or unfair.We’ll also look at why sometimes, the best question you can ask isn’t “What’s best for me?” but “What’s best for my marriage?”It’s a practical, hopeful conversation about how two people can keep building something solid and beautiful — one small repair, one brave choice, one day at a time.Join me as we start filling the walls of our internal art museum — one image at a time.Check out the video version of this episode on Youtube!Find us on Instagram and Tik Tok @the_iam_podcast

Hello folks! In this episode, we’re diving into one of life’s hardest experiences — grief. I want you to imagine your grief like a storm: unpredictable, powerful, and at times, impossible to see through.I’ll share a bit about my own losses, and how those experiences shaped the way I understand grief in my work as a psychotherapist and as a person.We’ll talk about what it really means to “move through” grief instead of trying to outrun it, how to start healing by accepting a new reality, and why you can move through any storm, no matter how big.It’s a heavier one today, but if you’ve ever felt lost in your own storm, my hope is that this conversation helps you find a little direction — and a little light — as you keep rowing forward.Join me as we start filling the walls of our internal art museum — one image at a time.Check out the video version of this episode on Youtube!Find us on Instagram and Tik Tok @the_iam_podcast