Season 3, Episode 6: The Connection We’re Missing — Relationships, Technology & Being Real with Dr. Elise Vandamia

We have more ways to stay connected than ever before — so why does real connection sometimes feel harder to find?

In this episode of Unfiltered with Love, I’m joined by Dr. Elise Vandamia, a licensed professional counselor with more than three decades of experience in mental health, relationships, family dynamics, trauma, anxiety, and emotional well-being.

We talk about how technology has changed dating and communication, why ghosting can feel so intense, the role social media plays in comparison and insecurity, and how constant contact can still leave us feeling disconnected.

We also get into texting versus face-to-face conversation, how easily tone can be misread, the pressure social media can put on relationships, and what authentic connection actually looks like in everyday life.

Toward the end of the conversation, we talk about something both of us feel strongly about — the importance of women creating space to reconnect with themselves and with each other.

Dr. Elise will also be joining me as a guest speaker at my upcoming Return to Yourself — Unfiltered Retreat.

Return to Yourself is an intimate women’s wellness retreat at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida, created around rest, reflection, authentic connection, and reconnecting with yourself outside of all the roles and responsibilities you carry.

Dr. Elise will be one of the facilitators joining us for the experience.

🎟️ Podcast listeners can use code LOVE100 for $100 off.

Learn more and reserve your spot here:
https://www.lavenderlanesocialsolutions.com/uinfiltered-retreats/return-to-yourself

If you’ve ever wondered whether we’re truly connecting — or just constantly communicating — this conversation is for you.

🎙️ Unfiltered with Love — honest conversations about love, relationships, growth, and everything in between.

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Support the show

If this resonates with you, be sure to follow the show so you don’t miss future episodes of Unfiltered with Love.

If you’re looking for deeper support, I offer 1:1 Emotional Clarity & Guidance Sessions. Learn more here: unfilteredwithlove.carrd.co

What if love is the one thing we actually get to keep?

In this episode of Unfiltered with Love, I’m reflecting on love, loss, fear, presence, and the ways certain connections stay with us even when circumstances change.

A recent conversation with someone I had just met opened up a bigger question: what happens when we become so afraid of losing something meaningful that we never allow ourselves to find out what it could become?

We talk about the fear of changing a relationship, the weight of grief and loyalty, and why sometimes the hardest thing isn’t knowing how something ends — it’s being honest about what it means to you now.

I also share a line from Ghost that stopped me in my tracks: “It’s amazing, Molly... all that love... you take it with you.”

Because maybe that’s the real point.

Presence is temporary.

But love has a way of staying.

And maybe the question isn’t how to hold onto everything forever, but how fully we’re willing to love while we’re here.

🎙️ Unfiltered with Love — honest conversations about love, relationships, growth, and everything in between.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If this resonates with you, be sure to follow the show so you don’t miss future episodes of Unfiltered with Love.

If you’re looking for deeper support, I offer 1:1 Emotional Clarity & Guidance Sessions. Learn more here: unfilteredwithlove.carrd.co

Season 3 • Episode 4: Returning to Yourself — Embodiment, Yoga & Self-Connection with Liv

What does it really mean to return to yourself?

In this episode of Unfiltered with Love, Kerry sits down with Liv, a yoga instructor, social work professional, and facilitator for the upcoming Return to Yourself women’s retreat, for a conversation about embodiment, mindfulness, self-awareness, and reconnecting with who you are underneath expectations, productivity, and the roles you play for everyone else.

Liv shares her perspective on returning to your authentic self, the mind-body connection, breathwork, meditation, crystal sound healing, and the grounding effects of nature. She also talks about how yoga can become much more than physical movement — creating greater awareness of thought patterns, emotional habits, self-worth, and the way we relate to ourselves.

The conversation also takes an unexpected turn into confidence and being seen. Liv opens up about once struggling with stage fright and feeling uncomfortable being perceived by others, and how years of teaching helped her become more comfortable using her voice. That leads into a deeper discussion about self-empowerment, childhood conditioning, negative thought patterns, and becoming aware of the beliefs we carry without even realizing it.

Liv also shares how deeply she has explored the philosophy and history of yoga through Sanskrit study, meditation, and time spent learning from monks — and why she believes yoga and meditation can become a way of life rather than simply something we do for an hour in a class.

In this episode:

• What it means to return to yourself
• Embodiment and the mind-body connection
• Yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness
• Crystal sound healing
• Nature and grounding
• Self-worth and self-empowerment
• Becoming comfortable being seen
• Childhood conditioning and thought patterns
• Yoga beyond the physical practice
• Authenticity, self-discovery, and personal growth

Connect with Liv / Stargate Sessions
Liv shares upcoming yoga, breathwork, sound healing, and holistic wellness events through Stargate Sessions.

Instagram: @stargate.sessions
Phone: 239-204-7780

Return to Yourself — Unfiltered Retreat

Liv will be one of the facilitators at Return to Yourself, an intimate women’s retreat focused on connection, belonging, reflection, rest, embodiment, and creating space to reconnect with yourself.

Liv will be leading beach yoga, meditation, and crystal sound healing during the retreat.

📍 LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort
Vanderbilt Beach • Naples, Florida

Podcast listeners can use code LOVE100 for $100 off registration.

Learn more and reserve your spot:
https://www.lavenderlanesocialsolutions.com/unfiltered-retreats/return-to-yourself

🎙️ Unfiltered with Love — honest conversations about love, relationships, growth, and everything in between.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

If this resonates with you, be sure to follow the show so you don’t miss future episodes of Unfiltered with Love.

If you’re looking for deeper support, I offer 1:1 Emotional Clarity & Guidance Sessions. Learn more here: unfilteredwithlove.carrd.co