The Lemon Tree Coaching

Dr. Allison Sucamele
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Welcome to The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast—where emotional depth meets grounded psychology. Hosted by Dr. Allison Sucamele, this podcast is a sanctuary for anyone ready to do the inner work, face their shadow, and cultivate a life that feels authentic, aligned, and alive. Each episode explores the psychology behind emotions, relationships, nervous system healing, and self-awareness. Whether you're navigating heartbreak, burnout, betrayal, people-pleasing, or the desire for deeper meaning, you'll find thoughtful reflections, symbolic storytelling, and powerful insights to help you bloom—one truth at a time. Grab a cup of tea, tune in, and come home to yourself. Follow along on Instagram @thelemontreecoaching and explore free resources on Teachers Pay Teachers at The Lemon Tree by AKS.

  1. 14 HR AGO · BONUS

    Bonus Episode: If Love Costs You Your Nervous System, It’s Too Expensive

    Ask The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast a Question. Text the TLT Pod today. This Valentine’s Week, we’re pausing the roses and grand gestures for something steadier, deeper, and more honest. In this short bonus episode, Dr. Allison Sucamele offers a gentle but clear reality check: not all chemistry is connection, and not all intensity is love. Many of us were taught to equate butterflies with depth and unpredictability with passion. But what if what we’re calling “spark” is actually dysregulation? We explore the physiological cost of the wrong love - the sleep disruption, the hypervigilance, the emotional whiplash, and the constant bracing. Because when your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, that isn’t romance. It’s exhaustion. Healthy love doesn’t require you to override your body. It doesn’t demand chronic stress in exchange for closeness. It feels steady. Repairable. Sustainable. It feels like exhaling. This Valentine’s week, instead of asking “Do we have chemistry?” ask: Does my body feel safe here? A compassionate reframe for anyone untangling intensity from intimacy, and choosing regulation over chaos. 🌹 Love & Relationship Resources Books Attached by Amir Levine & Rachel HellerHold Me Tight by Dr. Sue JohnsonThe Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der KolkWired for Love by Stan TatkinThe Betrayal Bond by Patrick CarnesPodcasts & Voices Esther Perel’s conversations on desire and attachmentDr. Sue Johnson on attachment sciencePolyvagal-informed work from Dr. Stephen PorgesJournal Prompts When I imagine staying in this relationship long-term, my body feels…Do I feel regulated more often than rattled?Am I drawn to this person’s steadiness, or their unpredictability?What does “safe love” look like in my nervous system?🧠 Mental Health Support If this episode brings up intense emotions, you do not have to process that alone. In the United States, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.If you are in immediate danger, call 911.If you are outside the U.S., please seek your country’s crisis hotline or local emergency services.Consider reaching out to a licensed therapist, especially one trained in attachment or trauma-informed care.⚖️ Brief Disclaimer This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical or mental health treatment. Please consult a qualified professional for personal guidance specific to your situation.

    7 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    # 152 - Romanticizing Potential is Still a Form of Self-Betrayal

    Ask The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast a Question. Text the TLT Pod today. In this episode of The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast, Dr. Allison Sucamele explores the quiet heartbreak of loving who someone could be instead of who they consistently are. We unpack why romanticizing potential often masquerades as hope, loyalty, or emotional depth, and how it slowly asks us to silence our own needs in the process. Drawing on attachment theory, nervous system science, and concepts like fantasy bonds and intermittent reinforcement, this episode examines why inconsistent relationships can feel intoxicating, why hope can become a coping strategy, and how self-betrayal enters through small, repeated acts of self-erasure. This is a conversation about clarity over fantasy, grief over avoidance, and choosing honesty as an act of self-respect. If you’ve ever stayed because the story felt meaningful, even when the relationship didn’t, this episode invites you to ask a different question: Is this nourishing me now? You don’t have to betray yourself to be loved. Referenced Resources & Reflections Attached by Amir Levine & Rachel HellerWomen Who Love Too Much by Robin NorwoodThe Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice MillerFilms: Blue Valentine, Revolutionary Road, 500 Days of SummerPsychological concepts: fantasy bonds (Robert Firestone), attachment theory (Mary Ainsworth), nervous system regulation, intermittent reinforcementTeacher Resources The Psychology of Courage and Boundaries in A Doll’s HouseThe Princess Bride – A Psychological Film Study GuideCasablanca Movie Study Guide | Psychology & SEL FocusMovie Study Guide: I Love You Forever (2025) – A Psychological ExplorationLetting Emotions Move Through Your Body (In a Healthy Way)Support Note If this episode brings up intense emotions or distress, support is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for free, confidential support 24/7. If you’re outside the U.S., please check your local crisis resources. Disclaimer This podcast is for educational and reflective purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy or professional mental health care. Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and honor your own pace.

    12 min

  3. 5 FEB · BONUS

    Bonus Episode - Timeline Grief: Mourning the Love You Thought You'd Have by Now

    Ask The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast a Question. Text the TLT Pod today. In this short bonus episode of The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast, Dr. Allison Sucamele names a kind of grief that often goes unspoken: the grief of the love you thought you’d have by now. Not the loss of a specific person, but the loss of a timeline. A season. A future you carried quietly alongside your growth, healing, and becoming. This episode gently explores what it means to mourn an imagined life without turning that grief into self-blame, failure, or doubt about your worth. If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, I’m ready… so why hasn’t it happened yet? -this episode offers permission to grieve without rushing to fix, reframe, or explain the ache away. Because grief doesn’t need logic. It needs acknowledgment. This is an episode for anyone holding both hope and sadness at once, for those learning that love is not a reward for doing everything “right,” and for the version of you who is still waiting, and still believing.

    4 min

  4. 4 FEB

    # 151 - The Sorrow of Music’s Touch

    Ask The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast a Question. Text the TLT Pod today. When that one song comes on that destroys your soul in a way that can’t be explained . . .  Have you ever been going about your day when a song suddenly comes on and unravels you in seconds? Your throat tightens, your chest aches, and before you know it, you’re standing inside a memory you didn’t plan to visit. In this tender episode of The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast, Dr. Allison Sucamele explores the psychology behind why certain songs carry such profound emotional weight. We talk about how music bypasses logic and moves straight into the emotional brain, why sorrow can surface before the mind has words, and how songs become emotional time capsules for love, loss, longing, and meaning. This episode is not about fixing your feelings or “getting over it.” It’s about understanding why music touches something so deep, why sorrow is not the same as sadness, and how these moments reveal the depth of what once mattered. If you’ve ever felt quietly undone by a song you can’t explain, this episode is an invitation to listen gently, and let meaning unfold. Mental Health Note: If this episode brings up heavy emotions, support is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. If you’re outside the U.S., please seek local crisis or mental health resources. This podcast is for educational and emotional support purposes and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Be gentle with what still aches . . . and let that song play.

    17 min

  5. 29 JAN · BONUS

    Bonus Episode: Afraid You’ll Never Meet Someone Who Can Swim in Your Depths?

    Ask The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast a Question. Text the TLT Pod today. What if the fear isn’t that you’ll never meet someone like them again, but that you’ll never be met at that depth again? In this short bonus episode, Dr. Allison Sucamele explores the tender fear that often follows deep connection: the worry that the person who once recognized your complexity, emotional range, and inner world was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. Together, we gently reframe that fear - separating depth from scarcity, intensity from safety, and recognition from true capacity. This episode is a soft pause for anyone grieving not just a person, but the feeling of being deeply seen. A reminder that depth is not something another person gives you - it’s something they notice. And that sustainable connection isn’t about someone who can dive into your waters, but someone who can breathe there. This is a reflection on emotional intimacy, nervous system safety, and trusting yourself to wait for alignment and not settle for short-lived instant gratification.

    5 min

  6. 28 JAN

    # 150: Top Gun - Psychology, Identity & the Nervous System

    Ask The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast a Question. Text the TLT Pod today. In this episode of The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast, Dr. Allison Sucamele unpacks Top Gun as more than an adrenaline classic - it’s a psychological portrait of identity foreclosure, attachment wounds, grief, and a nervous system that learned intensity = safety. We explore Maverick’s drive to be exceptional as a survival strategy, the Iceman dynamic as competing regulation styles, and Goose’s death as the moment the “performance self” collapses into trauma grief, shame, and survivor’s guilt. Through attachment theory and polyvagal theory, we ask the deeper question: Is it love, or is it activation? and What are you chasing… and what are you running from? Follow along on Instagram: @thelemontreecoaching Film page (Top Gun, Paramount - 1986) Gentle note: This episode is educational/coaching content and not a substitute for therapy. If you’re in the U.S. and need immediate support, you can call/text/chat 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).

    34 min

  7. 22 JAN · BONUS

    Bonus Episode: The Art of Starting Over - Again

    Ask The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast a Question. Text the TLT Pod today. Sometimes the bravest thing we do isn’t starting over… It’s starting over again. In today’s five-minute bonus episode, Dr. Allison Sucamele offers a gentle guided meditation for anyone in a season of rebuilding, recalibrating, or beginning again - not because you failed, but because your life is calling you back to honesty. This is a quiet place to land if you’re tired, tender, and still willing to try. Together, we explore: why resilience is a process, not a personality traithow perfectionism often shows up as protectionwhy renewal isn’t an interruption -  it’s a cycleand a simple 3-breath ritual to help you release, forgive, and begin again gentlyIf you’ve been carrying pressure to “do it right this time,” let this episode remind you: growth is allowed to be messy… and you are allowed to be human. Resources Mentioned / Related Listening & Reading 📚 Books The Gifts of Imperfection — Brené BrownSelf-Compassion — Dr. Kristin NeffMindset — Dr. Carol DweckAtomic Habits — James Clear (for gentle rebuilding, identity-based change)🧠 Psychology & Nervous System Polyvagal Theory work — Dr. Stephen PorgesAnchored — Deb Dana (nervous system regulation + safety cues)🎧 Supportive Practices Breathwork for grounding + regulation“Rupture and repair” reflection: Where can I return to myself with gentleness?Gentle Disclaimer This podcast is for educational and supportive purposes and is not a substitute for mental health treatment. If you are struggling or in crisis, please contact your local emergency services. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).

    7 min

  8. 21 JAN

    # 149 - The Psychology of The Seven Year Itch: When Fantasy Becomes a Cry for Growth

    Ask The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast a Question. Text the TLT Pod today. The Seven Year Itch is often remembered as a playful 1950s comedy, but psychologically, it’s something much deeper. In this episode, Dr. Allison Sucamele explores what the film reveals about repression, fantasy, projection, and the emotional restlessness that can arise when identity stagnates inside a life that feels too small. We unpack how postwar gender roles created “contained” lives where desire wasn’t discussed, only displaced, and how fantasy can become a coping strategy when agency and self-expression feel unsafe. Through a psychodynamic and Jungian lens, we explore projection and the loss of personhood, especially in how Marilyn Monroe’s character becomes a symbol rather than a fully seen human being. This episode also reframes the cultural concept of the “seven-year itch” through developmental psychology, exploring Erikson’s generativity vs. stagnation and how the psyche often demands movement when growth has been postponed. Ultimately, this isn’t an episode about judging desire - it’s about listening to what desire is trying to say beneath the surface. Because sometimes the real temptation isn’t another person. It’s the version of you that wants to come alive again.  📚 Resources Mentioned / Aligned Books (Identity, Desire, Meaning) Untamed — Glennon DoyleThe Gifts of Imperfection — Brené BrownMan’s Search for Meaning — Viktor FranklWomen Who Run With the Wolves — Clarissa Pinkola EstésPsychological Frameworks (Referenced in Episode) Psychodynamic theory (repression, unconscious conflict)Jungian psychology (projection, shadow, disowned self)Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development (generativity vs. stagnation)Attachment theory (especially avoidant patterns + fear of vulnerability)Existential psychology (authorship, responsibility, meaning-making)Extra Depth Donald Winnicott — False Self / True Self conceptsObjectification + trauma-informed perspectives on identity erosion⚠️ Brief Disclaimer This podcast episode is for educational and reflective purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you are struggling or in emotional distress, please reach out to a licensed mental health professional or a trusted support resource. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. International listeners can visit findahelpline.com for local support.

    12 min
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About

Welcome to The Lemon Tree Coaching Podcast—where emotional depth meets grounded psychology. Hosted by Dr. Allison Sucamele, this podcast is a sanctuary for anyone ready to do the inner work, face their shadow, and cultivate a life that feels authentic, aligned, and alive. Each episode explores the psychology behind emotions, relationships, nervous system healing, and self-awareness. Whether you're navigating heartbreak, burnout, betrayal, people-pleasing, or the desire for deeper meaning, you'll find thoughtful reflections, symbolic storytelling, and powerful insights to help you bloom—one truth at a time. Grab a cup of tea, tune in, and come home to yourself. Follow along on Instagram @thelemontreecoaching and explore free resources on Teachers Pay Teachers at The Lemon Tree by AKS.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Allison Sucamele
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    198
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Lemon Tree Coaching
  • Show Website
    The Lemon Tree Coaching