{"podcast":{"title":"Breaking Free from OCD, Anxiety & Stress with Matt Codde","slug":"breaking-free-from-ocd-anxiety-stress-with-matt-codde-1194100","podcast_index_feed_id":1194100,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/ef0923c/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://www.restoredminds.com","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/2406471/2406471-1744361311983-79e1f5d38f99e.jpg","author":"Matthew Codde LCSW","episode_count":538,"summary":"The Breaking Free from OCD, Anxiety & Stress Podcast is hosted by Matt Codde. Visit www.restoredminds.com/about to know more about Matt! In this podcast, you’re going to learn practical steps on the journey to recovery. In each episode, we will discuss common challenges and provide you with evidence-based strategies to help you overcome them. At Restored Minds, we believe that recovery is possible for everyone and it's our mission to give you the tools to help you build better mental health so you can become the best version of yourself.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T10:20:57.350764+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-free-from-ocd-anxiety-stress-with-matt-codde-1194100"},"episode":{"title":"Why Your Anxiety Won't Go Away: The Secret Payoff of Fear","slug":"why-your-anxiety-won-t-go-away-the-secret-payoff-of-fear","published_at":"2026-07-02T22:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-free-from-ocd-anxiety-stress-with-matt-codde-1194100/why-your-anxiety-won-t-go-away-the-secret-payoff-of-fear","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-free-from-ocd-anxiety-stress-with-matt-codde-1194100","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/restoredminds/episodes/Why-Your-Anxiety-Wont-Go-Away-The-Secret-Payoff-of-Fear-e3liq73","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/ef0923c/podcast/play/122300067/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-2%2F427239897-44100-2-ed0da26c2b517.mp3","summary":"The 5 Hidden Payoffs of Fear That Keep OCD and Anxiety Loops Running Most people assume fear is just something that happens to them. In this episode, Matt Codde, LCSW and founder of Restored Minds, explains why part of the mind actually believes it's benefiting from staying afraid, and why that belief is what keeps the fear loop running. Matt breaks down 5 "secondary gains", the hidden payoffs of safety, control, identity, pain avoidance, and self-justification that quietly convince you fear is protecting you. He walks through real examples (driving anxiety, health anxiety, relationship fears, money fears) showing how fear often creates the exact outcome it claims to prevent. If you've ever wondered why you can't just "stop worrying," this episode explains the piece that usually gets missed: you can't let go of fear until you're willing to let go of what you believe it's giving you. 🧭 What You’ll Learn in This Episode ✅ Understand the five secret "payoffs" your mind believes it's getting from staying afraid ✅ Learn why fear tends to create the very outcome it claims to prevent ✅ See why hypervigilance is the opposite of control, not a form of it ✅ Discover how pride and identity can quietly keep you attached to overthinking ✅ Recognize how staying in fear can be a shield against older, deeper pain ✅ Learn what "secondary gain" actually means and how to spot yours ✅ Understand the one shift that makes it possible to finally confront fear 🚀 Resources to Help You Heal: 📥 FREE Recovery Guide Start your journey to freedom from OCD and anxiety with expert tools and step-by-step guidance. 👉 Download now: https://www.restoredminds.com/start 📖 Get a Copy of Our Book: From Stuck to Unstuck Learn practical strategies to overcome fear and re…","meta_description":"The 5 Hidden Payoffs of Fear That Keep OCD and Anxiety Loops Running Most people assume fear is just something that happens to them. In this episode, Matt…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":823,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/breaking-free-from-ocd-anxiety-stress-with-matt-codde-1194100/episodes/why-your-anxiety-won-t-go-away-the-secret-payoff-of-fear/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-free-from-ocd-anxiety-stress-with-matt-codde-1194100/why-your-anxiety-won-t-go-away-the-secret-payoff-of-fear.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}