Let's talk about what we don't talk about.

Just in time for my memoir’s late-fall debut, I’m bringing you this eye-opening conversation with Terrence Shulman — attorney, addictions therapist, and Founder/Director of The Shulman Center for Compulsive Theft, Spending and Hoarding.

Confession: I first interviewed Terrence back in 2023, when I launched The Serial Shopper Show, and knew right away that this whopper of an episode was worth saving for something special. That something is the launch of At My Limit, coming this fall from RE:BOOKS.

Terrence knows this terrain from the inside — he’s been in recovery from his own addiction for more than three decades, which is exactly what led him to build a practice around the behavioral addictions almost no one specializes in: compulsive stealing, spending, and hoarding.

Tune-in to hear why shopping addiction gets treated as the “smiled-upon” addiction — totally legal, culturally encouraged, easy to wave off — when the damage underneath is anything but.

We talk warning signs, why “once an addict, always an addict” isn’t the whole story, and his belief that recovery isn’t about a cure, but about acceptance. As he puts it, surrender is acceptance.

His book Bought Out and $pent! got a cameo in my memoir — fitting, since it was required reading during my own reckoning.

Find Terrence: theshulmancenter.com · shopaholicsanonymous.org

Being physically fit has always been essential for maintaining my mental health. However, something equally as important that I’ve avoided my entire life is the importance of being financially fit. Now that we’ve rung in the New Year, I just might be ready to put an end to impulse shopping and overspending for good. Truth be told: I’m tired of living paycheck to paycheck, having an overdrawn bank account coupled with constant feelings of stress, guilt and anxiety that ensue with this self-sabotaging behavior.

That’s why I reached out to Paige Pritchard – Founder of OvercomingOverspending.com, money coach, Podcaster and social media master, who has helped thousands of female over-spenders turn their financial mess into financial success. Having once shopped away her $60K salary, Paige understands first-hand what’s it’s like to be deep in debt and lose control over your life, not to mention your dwindling self-esteem – all of which I can relate to. Sound like you? Do yourself a favor and listen to my candid conversation with Paige to hear her story along with life-altering tips for transforming your mindset and relationship with money – something I clearly need to get a handle on.

Be sure to sign up for Paige’s Overcoming Overspending Membership to get your life and finances back on track. You can find Paige at overcomingoverspending.com, paigepritchard.com and her weekly Money Love Podcast. Paige’s work has been featured in publications like NBC News, The Washington Post, The Daily Mail, BuzzFeed, The Guardian, and the Dr. Phil Show. Enjoy the show!

Black Friday madness is here and my anxiety levels are clearly off the charts. If you’re like me and millions of other compulsive shoppers who suffer from stress, shame and guilt as a result of money avoidance, then you need to tune-into my candid chat with Amanda Clayman. Amanda is a Financial Therapist – one of the few experts I found who smartly married the fields of wellness, therapy and finance in a holistic way. She’s beyond brilliant and has a “wealth” of knowledge and personal experience to share on the subject of debt (a.k.a. the $19,000 haircut!), money avoidance and how it impacts our overall well-being and health. Enjoy the show!

Meet Alison Lumbatis, entrepreneur, best-selling author, empowerment influencer and Founder of OutfitFormulas.com. Listen to this week’s chat with Alison to learn why she never spends more than $200 a month on shopping (insanity!) and how she empowers thousands of women across the country to adhere to her fashion philosophy which is essentially to STOP SHOPPING! I repeat… STOP SHOPPING! Tune-in for insanely helpful tips for building your everyday wardrobe essentials and how to put a stop to impulse purchases for good. You can’t afford to miss this week’s episode. Enjoy the show!

During stressful times like these, the only thing that brings me comfort is #shopping. For anyone who suffers from #addiction, be it #overeating, #gambling, #sex, #socialmedia, #drugs, #alcohol or #overshopping, elevated #stress can cause a major spike in cortisol levels (our brain’s built-in alarm system), often triggering self-sabotaging behavior. With #anxiety and #stress levels at an all time high, it’s essential to identify those #triggers early so you can put a stop to #destructive behavioral patterns. That’s why I had to chat with Carrie Rattle, a former Wall Street executive-turned-financial-therapist and #OverShopping specialist. A 30-year veteran executive of the financial industry and CEO of BehaviorialCents.com, Carrie has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to #finance and #shoppingaddiction. I first connected with Carrie back in 2021 when she was working alongside Dr. April Benson, a nationally known psychologist and author who specialized in the treatment of compulsive buying disorder. I was seeking #therapy for my #compulsiveshopping problem but never had the #courage to do something about it… until now. Listen to this week’s #episode to hear more about my journey with @carrierattle’s new #stoppingovershopping #groupcoaching #program on serialshopper.com, #applepodcasts and #spotifypodcasts. Enjoy the show!

I’m honored to have NYC-based journalist and author, Carla Sosenko back on this week’s #serialshoppershow Podcast. We had so much to kibitz about regarding our #struggles with #overshopping that I had to share a second episode with even juicier insights and #copingstrategies that just might help you on the #roadtorecovery. Do yourself a favor and check out this this eye-opening article Carla penned for #Cosmopolitan and #HarpersBazaar (which clearly went viral) about her personal struggles with compulsive buying disorder. Listen to last week’s candid chat with Carla for the inside scoop about why she spent almost $100,000 on Instagram Shopping… in 6 months. Be sure to order Carla’s memoir, Such a Pretty Face: Good Lessons From Bad Moments in an Unconventional Body, which will be published by Dial in spring 2025. Enjoy the show! Carla Sosenko Photo Credit: Kathryn M. Sheldon.

I’m honored to have NYC-based journalist and author, Carla Sosenko on this week’s #serialshoppershow Podcast. I couldn’t help but stalk Carla after coming across this eye-opening article she penned for #Cosmopolitan and #HarpersBazaar (which clearly went viral) about her personal struggles with compulsive buying disorder. Listen to my candid chat with Carla for the inside scoop about why she spent almost $100,000 on Instagram Shopping… in 6 months. Wait… why isn’t my name on that #HarpersBazaar byline? All joking aside, this week’s jaw-dropping episode is not-to-be-missed. In fact, we had so much to discuss about our dysfunctional buying behavior that I’m posting a second episode with even juicer nuggets the following week. Be sure to order Carla’s memoir, Such a Pretty Face: Good Lessons From Bad Moments in an Unconventional Body, which will be published by Dial in spring 2025. Enjoy the show! Carla Sosenko Photo Credit: Kathryn M. Sheldon.

Meet Amber Gentile, the Founder and CEO of Fashion Lux Finds. When you suffer from #shoppingaddiction like me, cramped closets, #hoarding and overdrawn bank accounts become a major problem. That’s where Amber comes in. Her amazing luxury designer consignment services will help you turn your closet castoffs into cold hard cash – and who doesn’t need a little extra $ in their pocket? Tune into this must-listen episode for expert tips and tricks for selling and scoring coveted luxury designer handbags from the likes of #Hermes, #Chanel and #Louisvuitton, to name a few. Amber gets real about her past struggles with #debt and why positivity is her daily mantra. Be sure to check out Fashion Lux Finds on Instagram @fashion_lux_finds_2 and sign up for her newsletter for more info. Enjoy the show!

Meet Janine – my partner in crime when it comes to shopping. Find out why I have a love hate relationship with Janine on this week’s episode. I adore her because she’s an amazing person who always tells me when I’ve gone too far and purchased too many pairs of well, Golden Goose sneakers. I hate her for introducing me to CantyBoots.com – kick ass custom designer luxury cowboy boots that I clearly don’t need but had to have. Find out how I met Janine (it’s a crazy story) and why we quickly bonded over our love of well, shopping along with some candid stories about how compulsive spending can quickly spiral out of control.

Meet Jennifer Hoffman Rosenberg, founder of Jennifer Reed Designs, a stunning line of eye-popping jewelry and luxe handcrafted and embroidered Italian cashmere sweaters and sweatshirts. Jennifer and I met at FASHION Magazine in Toronto (St. Joseph’s Media) over 25 years ago and recently reconnected over our infatuation for Golden Goose sneakers. Now that we’ve rekindled our relationship, we discovered our mutual love of well, shopping, and DM each other daily on Instagram over the latest sneaker drops, luxury cowboy boots and SMYTHE blazers. Tune into this episode to hear what Jennifer thinks about her impulsive shopping habits and how things have changed since becoming an entrepreneur. Spoiler alert: this episode is a tear-jerker.

Welcome to my Podcast! My name is Dara Fleischer and I’m a serial shopper. Shopaholism (a.k.a. Oniomania) has been present in my life for as long as I can remember. Just like alcohol and gambling for some, compulsive buying is an addiction and can be destructive to you and those around you… just ask my husband!

I’m guilty of buying and returning (a.k.a. shopping bulimia), often hide how much I spend from my spouse, split clothing payments on multiple credit cards and Buy Now, Pay Later sites, yet continue to shop compulsively for Golden Goose sneakers and Batsheva dresses despite my dwindling savings account.

I created the Serial Shopper Show because I needed an unfiltered outlet for sharing my personal struggles with shopping addiction. If you can relate and are tired of feeling overspent, in debt and out of control, then you need to be a part of the Serial Shopper Show community! Tune-in weekly for interviews with other serial shoppers, experts and my daily shopping obsessions.

I’m so excited to introduce you to my Mom, Eileen – without a doubt, the most fashionable person on the planet. I clearly inherited her overshopping addiction and write more about our shopping shenanigans in my published essay, “I Saw It First,” as featured in this Chicken Soup For The Shopper’s Soul book. In this eye-opening Podcast, I’m taking you back to my childhood and how my earlier years clearly triggered my compulsive shopping behavior. Sorry Mom… I love you more than you know and take full responsiblity for my reckless financial behavior. Hope you enjoy the show!

My name is Dara Fleischer and I’m a serial shopper. I created this Podcast because I needed an unfiltered outlet for sharing my personal struggles with shopping addiction. Tune-in weekly for interviews with other serial shoppers, experts and my daily shopping obsessions.