257. why you can be loved and still feel unlovable (feat. dr. marisa franco)

why do some people struggle to accept love?? today’s guest is dr. marisa g. franco— a psychologist, author, professor, and friendship expert. she writes about how to build relationships with yourself and others for psychology today and has been a featured connection expert for major publications like the new york times, the telegraph, and vice. in this episode, we talk about how our self-worth impacts our ability to love ourselves– and receive love from others.  we talk about: 01:38 how self-worth and relationships are tied together 05:16 how you can be loved but not feel loved 06:16 how memories become the database of your self-worth 08:50 external vs. internal validation 10:10 how to rewrite the memories that shaped you 14:20 supporting someone who can't accept your love 15:38 low self-worth and feeling misunderstood 18:46 how i found 1% of hope in recovery 20:50 what we get wrong about attachment styles 26:02 the one thing to take away from this episode mentioned: • dr. franco’s previous episode • dr. franco’s instagram • dr. franco’s website • pre-order worth ☕giveaway! want coffee on me? every month, i gift one listener a starbucks gift card to enter: 1. leave a review on apple or spotify 2. dm me a screenshot on instagram 📲 bonus entries for story or tiktok tags! @shepersistedpodcast shepersistedpodcast.com [e-mail]  © 2026 SHE PERSISTED LLC. all rights reserved.