Becoming Real with Dr. Lori offers real conversations in a world full of noise.
Fake is everywhere.
Curated lives. Performative confidence. Quick answers that promise easy fixes but rarely lead to real change.
And after a while, all that pretending disconnects us — from each other and from ourselves.
This is a podcast for anyone hungry for something more honest, and especially for women who are tired of carrying so much and having so little space to say what is real.
I’m Dr. Lori Stevic-Rust, a board-certified clinical health psychologist, author, and speaker, and here we explore mental health, physical health, caregiving, grief, women’s health, brain health, stress, relationships, the hard conversations we avoid, and the courage it takes to live more honestly.
Drawing on more than forty years in the therapy room, I share what I’ve learned from listening closely to real human stories. Some episodes are solo reflections. Others feature expert guests. All of them are rooted in one core belief: real healing begins with real conversation.
Over the years, many patients have said to me, “Sometimes I hear your voice in my head when I’m trying to sort something out.”
So maybe that’s what this podcast actually is.
A little therapeutic guidance and healing in your ear.
Pull up a chair.
Loneliness and Mental Health: Why We Weren't Built to Face Hard News Alone
My husband Jay doesn’t open his MyChart unless we’re sitting together, holding hands. We made that agreement after the morning he found out, alone on the couch in the dark, that his prostate cancer had returned.
In this episode, I look at what connection actually does in the brain and body when we’re afraid, including a hand-holding study that explains exactly what happens on our couch.
We also talk about why loneliness makes reaching out feel riskier than it really is, and why so many of us hint at needing help instead of simply asking for it.
If there’s a hard moment coming for you, this conversation is for you.
4 Oct 2026
Why Intergenerational Relationships Matter: Loneliness, Ageism, and Belonging
“I have a voice in my head, and I want you to hear it.”
The voice belongs to my Nana—a four-foot-eleven, blue-eyed, raspy-voiced Polish woman who was my soulmate. Her voice is why I wrote Greedy for Life, why I led a TEDWomen workshop on intergenerational relationships and why I started Nana’s Tribe Foundation.
In this solo episode, I share Nana’s story, our family’s love of Cleveland Guardians baseball and the lessons my grandparents taught me through the Quick Lunch: feed people, protect their dignity and create places where conversation and connection can happen.
We also explore why intergenerational relationships matter. Our brains prefer familiarity and predictability, but that instinct can divide us by age, race, gender, religion and experience. Genuine relationships help us question assumptions, reduce loneliness and ageism, and see people as individuals rather than stereotypes.
Nana left me her voice, a passion for Guardians baseball and a belief that human connection can move the needle on bias and isolation.
Pull up a chair. Let’s talk about how we carry that legacy forward.
Show Notes: https://drloristevic.com/why-intergenerational-relationships-matter/ (https://drloristevic.com/why-intergenerational-relationships-matter/)
27 Sept 2026
Self-Care for Women: Why Functioning Isn't the Same as Being Well
Self-Care for Women: Why Functioning Isn't the Same as Being Well
I'm recording this one from a road trip, and if you know me at all, you know driving is not my idea of relaxing. I spend most of the ride working an imaginary brake from the passenger seat.
But I chose to make this trip because there are people at the other end of it who matter to me, and somewhere along the highway I started wondering when we decided self-care only counts if it feels good in the moment.
In this episode, I invite you to think about self-care as something bigger and a little more honest than a bubble bath or an afternoon off, though I'm a fan of both.
We talk about why so many women say "I'm fine" when what they really mean is "I'm still getting everything done," and what it might look like to care for ourselves before a crisis forces us to.
I also return to a question from my book Put On Your Big Girl Shoes and share how my understanding of the strong woman has changed in the ten years since I wrote it.
If you've been grading yourself on how well you do self-care, or quietly wondering why it never seems to be enough, come ride along with me.
Show Notes: https://drloristevic.com/self-care-for-women-functioning-vs-being-well/ (https://drloristevic.com/self-care-for-women-functioning-vs-being-well/)
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
15 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
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