It's that time of year! We’re turning our focus toward the future and setting our goals and intentions for 2022. Before we do that let’s plan to succeed by uprooting every form of self-sabotage that has tripped us up in the past. Self-sabotage isn’t really about what you do or don’t do. It’s rooted in the painful places in your heart but, with intentional work, we can burn away envy, fear and shame to transform self-sabotage into a life full of inspiration, purpose, and success.

Mental illness is real and on the rise. In the wake of the pandemic depression and anxiety disorders have soared but we are not helpless. In this episode, Dr. Anita shines a light on powerful insights about trauma and mental illness gleaned from some of her favorite guests and then takes us deeper as we prepare us to ask ourselves, and others, the hardest question of all: How are you? We can take good care of ourselves and the people that we love if we are willing to be honest about how we...

Dr. Anita is wrapping the year by gifting us some of In the Light’s best moments and there’s no better place to start than the heart. Having the right words to truly describe how we feel helps to protect us from the effects of stress. This episode is a vocabulary list of the best emotion words from our 2021 conversations to help you answer the all-important question - How do you feel?

After months and months of unexpected change, many of us are seeking fresh balance despite the ground still shifting beneath our feet. In this episode, Dr. Anita is speaking directly from her heart with one purpose: to affirm you. Whether anxiety’s grip seems relentless, or grief is showing up in new ways, or you are just feeling all the feels this holiday season, your heart needs to know that you are going to be okay. Spoiler alert–you are.

Dr. Anita is exhausted in the very best way possible! Listen in as she reflects on THEE moment that was the 2021 Woman Evolve conference. Then, stick around for some much-needed direction on building healthy relationships. Dr. Anita is joined by fellow therapist Danae Wheatley for this compelling conversation overflowing with education, insight, and auntie-flavored truth. In family, in friendships, and in love, we are recovering from CODEPENDENCY by naming our pain, healing our pain, and...

Ladies listen up! Our friendships are just as important as our romantic relationships (if not more)and sometimes, they are just as challenging (if not more) but when you find those special sister-friend bonds, it’s EVERYTHING. In this episode of In the Light, Dr. Anita is chatting with minister and life coach, Irene Rollins, who gets vulnerable about her own difficult friendship journey. She offers guidance on the roles that different friends play and sheds light on how to find sister-friends...

Relationships are challenging but romantic relationships can be EXTRA challenging! When it comes to dating and marriage questions, love is the answer! Literally. This week, Dr. Anita welcomes relationship expert Love McPherson back to In the Light. Love insists that “attachment styles” are key to deciphering the mixed messages that undermine healthy connections. She is here to teach us about each style and to help you identify yours. Knowing your attachment style will empower you to transform...

Speaker, teacher, pastor’s wife, and multiple-attempt suicide survivor Heather Palacios dedicates her life to helping those struggling against suicide.  In this conversation with Dr. Anita, Heather shares what dark days have taught her about living in the light. Whether you have ever contemplated suicide or not, Heather’s wisdom will inspire you to celebrate each and every day you get to spend in the amazing body that was created to house one very unique person — YOU!

The mother-daughter relationship is powerful. When our relationship with our mother is healthy, it supports our emotional wellbeing in countless ways. When that relationship is broken, the emotional impact can be devastating. In this episode, Dr. Anita and her daughter, Olivia-Grace open up about the personality conflicts that threatened their relationship from the start, and the hard work they did to grow and turn things around. It’s never too early to heal and it’s never too late!

In the Light Podcast is back and we are celebrating that! So many of us are feeling overwhelmed right now, so in this episode, Dr. Anita gives us a look at how she personally responds to challenges in her own life, while making room to celebrate the good stuff. This episode is packed with tools to increase your wellbeing–physically, emotionally, and spiritually–even under pressure and W.E. are here for it!

Anxiety. Insecurity. Perfectionism. Nervousness. Each of these emotional experiences is a form of fear. We can change its name, but it exhausts us just the same. Are you ready to finally get some relief? In this episode, blending faith and mental health as only she can, Dr. Anita is speaking rest to the deep water of your soul! No matter where you are in the process of birthing the new thing God has for your life, let this teaching guide you to a place of peace.

Dr. Anita admits that she doesn’t love strength training, but she does love the lessons it teaches us about getting stronger emotionally and spiritually. Building strength is a process, and even though there are no short-cuts, most of us try to find one anyway! In this episode Dr. A delivers mega doses of truth about using “spiritual bypassing” to avoid emotional pain and the toll it takes on our faith and wellbeing. Don’t fall for it! Emotional honesty strengthens us spiritually. It’s hard...

In this hurried culture, where we pride ourselves on multitasking, Dr. Anita is slowing us down this week. Even when the world is pulling us in any direction except “here and now” she urges us to be present on purpose. Reflecting on the moments that she’s gotten right and times when she’s dropped the ball, Dr. Anita offers tips to make sure you don’t miss a moment of this incredible blessing called life!

We’re leaning into the faith side of the faith and mental health conversation this week as Dr. Anita gets real about how hard it can be to consistently believe that God really does plan to give us the desires of our heart. Past disappointments can tempt us to sacrifice our dreams on the altar of anxiety we are saying no tothatself-sabotage! Listen in to learn how to evict anxietyfrom your prayer closet and rebuild your trust in God

Change IS possible, even if it doesn’t always seem that way. Whether you feel like giving up on achieving a change in your life or you’re looking for fresh insight as you chase your dreams, Dr. Anita is here to demystify the process of change. Turns out, there are only five steps between “here” and “there”. Grab your notebook and listen in to map your way to your next.

This one is for the perfectionists! Displaying the kind of vulnerability that we love her for, Dr. Anita shares her story of recovery from perfectionism. From the childhood wound that started it all, to the freedom she is determined to maintain, Dr. A teaches us how the power of humility can break the chains of perfectionism and lead us into a life overflowing with unconditional love.

Sometimes we are completely out of touch with the weight our heart is carrying. Past trauma, the effects of the pandemic, stress, and bad news can really add up! Too often we try to compartmentalize our pain only to end up disconnected from our deepest truths. In this episode, Dr. Anita invites you to construct your autobiography. Connecting the dots between past experiences and present pain positions you for a powerful future!

Summer is in full swing at In the Light, so Dr. Anita is shaking things up! For this episode she decided to be her own guest and she’s talking about living a life empowered by hope. Whether you have let go of a dream, feel challenged by the idea of living out your purpose, or you’re just a little tired, Dr. Anita is here to deliver the fresh dose of determination that you need.

This week, Dr. Anita sits down with Institutional Abuse expert, Dr. Wade Mullen to freely shine light into a very dark space: church abuse. Drawing from his personal experience, research, and work with faith communities, Dr. Mullen is sharing insights from his latest book – Something’s Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse and Freeing Yourself from Its Power. Listen in for the tools you need to call out abuse and support healing journeys.

Dr. Anita is back to share the conclusion of her conversation with chaplain, trauma survivor, author, and poet J.S. Park. The story of his decades long struggle with depression, the freedom he’s found in recovery and the elastic strength of his faith will stretch you in all the best ways! Darkness never wins...light always does.

This week, Dr. Anita sits down with poet and atheist-turned-chaplain, J.S. Park for a two-part interview, sure to leave you thinking more deeply about EVERYTHING. Drawing vulnerably from his experiences with childhood trauma, alcoholism, depression and the transformative love of God and armed with wisdom gleaned from hundreds of patients hovering at the edge of life, J.S. delivers the darkness-confounding light that we all need.

It’s been a long time coming but here we are! FOR every area of your life that has been on pause, it’s finally time to PRESS RESET! In this episode, Dr. Anita is talking about what she is doing to press reset in her own life AND she’s chatting with THE Latasha Morrison who is an author and the founder of Be the Bridge. Listen in for advice on letting go, moving into your next, riding out the hard parts, and flourishing each and every day of your life!

One year after the death of George Floyd, Dr. Anita sits down with Rev. Eugene Cho to explore the fragility of identity in a time of racial and religious upheaval. They are talking faith, racial righteousness, the richness of the AAPI community, and the power of diverse relationships to enrich our lives and enlarge our hearts. Justice work is hard work. We won’t give up, but weWILL take care ourselves spiritually AND emotionally. Wellness is non-negotiable!

What do poetry, trauma, love, and the dark side of San Francisco’s streets have in common? Spoken word artist and author, Hosanna Wong! Hosanna is joining us In the Light this week to show us how the most fragile moments of her youth have been transformed to become the most powerful elements of her ministry and mission. This superwoman is out to save the world and she knows exactly how NOT to do it! Listen. Learn. Heal. Grow.Hosanna will leave you inspired to step up to the microphone that’s...