Podcast Summary: “Actress Sarah Jeffery Opens Up About Living With OCD”

Podcast: Get to know OCD
Host: Dr. Patrick McGrath, NOCD
Guest: Sarah Jeffery (Actress: Descendants, Charmed, Shades of Blue)
Date: October 16, 2025

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and enlightening episode, actress Sarah Jeffery joins Dr. Patrick McGrath to discuss her personal journey with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), its impact on her life and acting career, and her ongoing recovery journey. Sarah shares evocative stories about her childhood, professional challenges, the importance of accurate diagnosis and specialized treatment, and her commitment to mental health advocacy. Together they unpack common misconceptions about OCD, the complexities of intrusive thoughts, and offer advice and hope to listeners navigating similar struggles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Sarah’s Early Life, Family, & OCD Origins

• Introduction & Background (03:43–05:00)
  • Sarah describes her upbringing in Vancouver, her supportive parents and siblings, and moving to New York and Los Angeles for acting. She credits her family’s understanding of OCD as fundamental:

    "It can be such a hard disorder for people to understand fully, and they've really put in the work to...to understand as best they can." (04:22)

• First Signs of OCD & Childhood Fears (06:34–12:12)
  • Dance was her first passion, but around 5th grade she developed intense anxiety about her parents’ safety and an obsessive fear of weather—sparked by a terrifying ferry boat ride during a storm:

    "I would refuse to go to school because I would be convinced it was the world ending or a natural disaster coming or I wouldn't be safe if I left the house." (08:06)

  • The event acted as a trigger, shifting her brain “from a neurotypical way of thinking” to being consumed by preoccupations with uncertainty and control.

OCD’s Evolving Manifestations & Career Impacts

• Transition Phases and Symptom Evolution (19:29–24:29)
  • Sarah underscores how OCD symptoms often shift during life transitions. In high school, obsessions morphed to “pure O” themes (intrusive thoughts without visible compulsions), particularly “relationship OCD” and existential worries about her identity, which became overwhelming:

    "It wasn't that I was concerned about being gay or not. It was the concern of, oh, I don't know if I know who I am. Like, I need to know for sure who I am." (21:09)

• Misconceptions & Misdiagnosis (24:30–26:37)
  • Her initial therapist failed to recognize relationship OCD, inadvertently reinforcing compulsive behaviors. A formal diagnosis (OCD, generalized anxiety disorder, major depression) brought validation but also highlighted the need for specialized knowledge in therapists.
• Finding the Right Treatment Approach (26:37–29:29)
  • Sarah found long-term success with a therapist skilled in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Her recovery is credited to this, her family, and the online OCD community:

    "She has genuinely just altered the course of my life in a way that is so meaningful and I'm beyond grateful for her." (26:37)

• OCD Targeting Her Acting Career (29:30–32:41)
  • Sarah describes her classic OCD theme:

    "One of my biggest themes to date is what if I forget how to act? What if I can't act anymore?" (29:55)

    • Before auditions or crucial meetings, her mind fills with doubts about being able to remember lines or perform.

Living With, Accepting, and Advocating About OCD

• The “Ultimate Liar” & Acceptance (14:02–34:45)
  • Both Sarah and Dr. McGrath highlight OCD’s relentless attempts to foster doubt, and the liberation found in learning to live without certainty:

    Dr. McGrath: "I always say that that's such a big part of the treatment, is that I don't have an answer for you, but I can help you live with not knowing." (30:03) Sarah: "Taking that leap of faith and deciding not to abide by OCD's rules...is the first step to recovery." (33:23)

• OCD Attacks What Matters Most (34:45–35:53)
  • Sarah observes that OCD targets whatever is most valuable—family, relationships, health, career:

    "Anything that matters to you is going to be tainted by OCD." (35:53)

Coping, Stigma, and Educating Others

• Navigating Health Anxiety & Setting Boundaries (35:53–38:20)
  • OCD’s compulsion to seek health-related reassurance resulted in frequent doctor visits. Sarah now uses clear boundaries to prevent compulsive behaviors.
• “But It Feels So Real!” – The Convincing Nature of OCD (38:20–40:20)
  • The lived experience of OCD feels intensely real, which makes it especially exhausting and difficult to challenge:

    "It just...feels like there is danger. Danger. Danger. The alarms are sounding in my brain. Yeah, it's exhausting." (38:43)

• Public Advocacy and Online Community (40:28–43:02)
  • In 2019, Sarah publicly disclosed her OCD to help break stigma, foster connection, and support others:

    "If I can share my story and have it affect one person...then it's worth it to me." (41:14)

• Challenging Misconceptions & Misuse of 'OCD' (43:44–48:00)
  • Sarah educates others who trivialize OCD by saying they are "so OCD" about cleanliness or order:

    "You don't go around saying I'm so diabetic about that...You can't be a little bit OCD about that. It's either full send or you're not." (45:47)

Advocacy, Representation, and Hope for Listeners

• Potential for Accurate Media Representation (48:02–48:51)
  • Sarah expresses a desire to help ensure future portrayals of OCD in media are authentic.
• Message to Those Considering Therapy (49:13–51:13)
  • Encourages listeners to seek specialized help:

    "You are not broken. You just...your brain just works differently. It's not you. It's just the way that your brain works." (50:40)

  • She discusses the value of ERP/ACT and online resources for those unable to access therapy.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On OCD’s impact:

  "It still, even now being...in recovery, it's still a day-to-day adventure." (14:12, Sarah)

• On the unpredictability of life and OCD:

  "OCD loves to jump in and say, ‘Well, I can give you predictable...if you just do these compulsions, you never have to worry about that.’" (13:00, Dr. McGrath)

• On creative minds and OCD:

  "We're very creative people...We are sincerely creative with the amount of scenarios we can come up with." (53:52, Sarah)

• On living one’s own values, not OCD’s:

  Dr. McGrath: "I want you to live the life you want to live and not the life that OCD wants you to live." (54:54)
  Sarah: "That's so profound. Yeah, it's perfect." (55:07)

• On stigma and education:

  "It's really not. It's actually life or death for a lot of people. So, yeah, just education is so important." (47:18, Sarah)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Sarah’s background and family: 03:43–05:00
• Childhood OCD onset & weather phobia: 06:46–12:12
• Transition to “pure O” themes & career challenges: 19:29–24:29
• Diagnosis, finding proper treatment: 24:29–29:29
• OCD’s interference with acting: 29:30–32:41
• Living with uncertainty & recovery process: 32:42–34:45
• OCD attacks on what matters most: 34:45–35:53
• Health anxiety, coping strategies: 35:53–38:20
• Stigma, “it feels so real”: 38:20–40:20
• Choosing public advocacy: 40:28–43:02
• Education & proper language around OCD: 43:44–48:00
• Advice for seeking therapy: 49:13–51:13

Where to Find Sarah Jeffery

• Instagram: @sarahmjeffery
• TikTok: @sarahmariejeffery

Tone & Takeaways

Sarah’s candor is heartfelt, validating, and educational. Dr. McGrath maintains a warm, lightly humorous, and insightful style, encouraging normalization and hope. The conversation spotlights the pain and confusion of OCD, the slow but powerful path to recovery, the importance of good support and accurate treatment, and the need for proper understanding and advocacy.

Key Takeaway:
Seeking specialized help, building support systems, and engaging with community are essential. OCD is a liar but recovery is possible. You are not alone, and you are not broken.