Podcast Summary:

Your Anxiety Toolkit – Practical Skills for Anxiety, Panic & Depression
Episode 472: How to Make Exposures FUN(ish) with Kimberly Leonte
Host: Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT
Guest: Kimberly Glazier Leonte
Date: February 11, 2026

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode explores practical ways to make Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)—the gold-standard treatment for OCD and anxiety—more approachable, engaging, and, yes, even fun(ish). Host Kimberley Quinlan and guest OCD therapist and researcher Kimberly Glazier Leonte share evidence-based ideas, clinical anecdotes, and creative approaches to shifting ERP from something feared and dreaded into an experience that can include lightness, playfulness, and personal meaning.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Challenging the Stigma of ERP as “Punishing”

[03:12]

• Kimberley Quinlan addresses the negative reputation ERP sometimes gets as “mean” or “abusive” and refutes this, emphasizing the transformative and life-saving potential of good ERP.
• She advocates for a compassionate, accessible, and even fun approach:

  “To get appropriate good treatment is literally the biggest gift in the world… to have a therapist who was cool to giggle and … put some light on it.” — Kimberley Quinlan [03:12]

2. The “Fun Theory”: Behavior Change via Playfulness

[05:53]

• Kimberly Leonte shares a study by Volkswagen where making stairs fun—by turning them into piano keys—led to a 66% increase in use:

  “If we can make things more fun, more playful, how does that help us want to make changes?” — Kimberly Leonte [07:30]

• The analogy: Just as fun increased healthy behavior, bringing playfulness into ERP can increase engagement and adherence.

3. Integrating Playfulness Without Losing ERP Efficacy

[09:07]

• Fun should not dilute the core exposure principles:

  “When we’re making something fun, we’re not taking away from the ERP principles… We’re trying to make it lighter, more playful, so I’m more open to doing this.” — Kimberly Leonte [09:07]

• Playfulness can transform the tone of exposures without minimizing the challenge or avoiding the discomfort.

4. Practical Methods for Making Exposures Fun(ish)

a. Games & Personal Interests

[12:02 – 15:20]

• Incorporate games: Turn exposures into challenges (e.g., tossing balls at targets, playing Battleship, using Mad Libs).
• Let the person design the rules, increasing their agency and comfort.

  “Instead of it being like, ‘Alright, here we go, we’re gonna do exposure,’ it was like this buildup of the game…” — Kimberley Quinlan [13:26]

• Integrate personal hobbies (sports, cross-stitching, cooking) to merge valued activities with exposure tasks.

b. Adding Competition and Collaboration

[14:34 – 15:28]

• Friendly competitions between therapist and client (Who scores more? Winner picks the exposure!)
• Collaboration on the “rules” makes the activity more personalized and empowering.

c. Use Humor and Social Connections

[16:28 – 17:39]

• Involving unexpected or playful people (like a serious parent making silly noises) to lighten the emotional weight.
• Use voice changers or sound machines to say feared words in cartoonish ways.

d. Creative Storytelling, Singing, and Silliness

[19:16 – 21:54]

• Create funny or exaggerated “scripts” about the feared scenario.
• Sing exposures to familiar tunes (“If you have no control over your life at all, clap your hands!”) — Kimberly Leonte [20:17]
• Write Mad Libs-style or creative stories with OCD-triggering content, reviewed in session for exposure.

e. Integrating Ritual Prevention with Fun

[18:43 – 19:15]

• Use singing not only as an exposure but also as a way to break compulsive rumination.

  “Even singing your fear as an exposure, but also as a form of response prevention instead of ruminating.” — Kimberley Quinlan [18:43]

f. Sensory and Physical Play

[26:04 – 30:17]

• Obstacle courses: Disrupt rigid thinking by rearranging steps or tasks mid-activity.
• Use environments creatively (writing feared words on rocks or in sand at the beach).

5. Staying Grounded in Exposure Principles

[22:26 – 23:19]

• Fun should not become a new compulsion or a means to neutralize discomfort.
• Continuously check: Is this still challenging my uncertainty/anxiety? Am I practicing not ritualizing?
• Mix harder exposures and fun(ish) ones, always aiming to support growth.

6. Letting Humor and Joy Be an Exposure

[34:34 – 34:57]

• Sometimes, letting go and seeking joy or laughter is itself an act of exposure, especially when OCD wants you to take things seriously.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If we add a little bit more lightness and playfulness to it, it can really help change people being more open to trying or being more open to following through outside therapy.” — Kimberly Leonte [10:04]
• “You can literally replace any fear in there… there’s something about singing it that feels so ridiculous that it feels doable.” — Kimberley Quinlan [25:02]
• “My passion is… helping people change how they’re relating to their thoughts, their behaviors… and seeing that freedom that comes with not getting sucked in.” — Kimberly Leonte [04:37]
• “Asking people, what do you find funny? … Not that we're trying to make jokes of someone's suffering, but learning what is funny to them.” — Kimberley Quinlan [30:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:12 – Dismantling the myth of ERP as “punishment”
• 05:53 – The “Fun Theory” study and its application to ERP
• 12:02 – Turning exposures into games and playful activities
• 16:28 – Utilizing humor, social connections, and voice changers in exposures
• 19:16 – Singing and storytelling for exposure and response prevention
• 22:26 – Ensuring playfulness doesn’t become avoidance or a compulsion
• 26:04 – Obstacle courses and experiential exposures
• 28:57 – Creativity with art, nature, and environment
• 31:26 – Advice on integrating play into personalized exposures
• 34:34 – Letting joyful activities themselves be exposures

Resources & Where to Find Kimberly Leonte

• Clinical Practice: Clearview Horizons Therapy
• Self-Help & Tools: Break the Cycle
  • Includes a guidebook on making exposures fun and a free OCD Awareness Scale

Closing Thoughts

The episode’s core message is one of hope and creativity: ERP can feel daunting, but play, humor, and collaboration are powerful ingredients for success. Making exposures FUN(ish) is not about diminishing the challenge but about empowering individuals to approach healing from a place of autonomy, imagination, and self-compassion.

“A beautiful life is possible!” — Kimberley Quinlan [Sign-off message]

This summary captures all critical clinical concepts and memorable, useful advice for listeners seeking fresh ways to approach their OCD/anxiety treatment, while honoring the engaging, compassionate style of the hosts.