In our next two episodes, we will explore a disorder affecting nearly one in five Americans - Substance Use Disorder (SUD). From knowing when your patterns are problematic, to building new neural pathways, to measuring success - we want to dig deep. And we’ve got the incredible expertise of Leah Young to show us why there’s so much reason for hope when dealing with addictive behaviors and substances. You can think of today’s podcast as Substance Use Disorder 101. It answers the questions,...

Close relationships set the tone for how we experience love and security. Yet, keeping those relationships healthy is rarely easy. Fortunately, Attachment Theory researchers have spent decades scrutinizing why we connect the way we do and what actions help make friendships, partnerships, and family bonds flourish. For therapist, mama, and author Eli Harwood - aka Attachment Nerd - her journey into understanding attachment patterns was deeply personal. Her early life programmed her to believe...

Today, we investigate Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) - a diagnosis that can be as confusing as its name suggests… But fear not! We are lucky to have Dr. Michelle Jones as our guide. As a clinical psychologist who studied ARFID since it first became a diagnosis, she's uniquely qualified to distill years of research into succinct explanations. Together, we unpack all the fascinating ways ARFID affects our relationship with food, plus what to do if you or someone you love is...

One chilly Maine morning, enveloped in a snowed-in cabin, musician DW sat at a piano recording a melody that had just popped into his brain. As he played, the phrase “I deserve to be well” tumbled out of his mouth in song.  He immediately broke down in tears asking, “Wow, do I really believe this?” That question, and the ensuing album he created with his band The Collection, fueled an artistic journey to make sense of depression, the stigma of psychiatric medication, and asserting...

The end of the calendar year packs a lot into a short amount of time and it can be easy to deprioritize your mental health in all that noise. One of the best ways to refocus on your values is to remember the ways you’ve grown this past year.  So to honor the journey of 2023, we created an audio mural using six short stories from listeners and past guests. Storytellers focus not only on specific challenges but also on how they have built resilience, fostered mental health, leaned on therapy,...

Today’s episode is all about giving you an incredibly practical tool for navigating emotion-focused conversations anywhere and with anyone. To do that, we’ve invited Dr. Allison Chase to walk us through Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT for short). Mostly, we will focus on Emotion Coaching - a skill that creates shortcuts between two very different parts of the brain. The results are powerful and can help you and your loved one feel connected and empowered rather than confused and...

Have you ever been told that you’re too emotional? Or felt the need to hide your heart in order to be accepted and productive? Community builder and writer Nōn Wels can relate. As a sensitive kid growing up in an environment that didn’t always feel safe, Nōn learned to guard his heart so that nobody could find their way in. This led to a lot of pain and struggle: substance abuse, an eating disorder, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and depression. Along the way, Nōn realized that empathetic...

Have you ever wondered why our culture treats fat and fat bodies with such vehement scorn? What about the experiences of people who are fat? What does it mean to exist in a thin-obsessed society?  With humor, personal stories, and research Aubrey Gordon & Kara Richardson Whitely - two fat authors and storytellers - explain how the world works differently for people depending on their size. Along the way, we talk about the unintended and sometimes deadly consequences of weight stigma in...

Have you ever noticed that you simply notice more? Therapist, author, consultant, and Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) April Snow wants you to know that you are not alone. In fact, the genetic trait responsible for Sensory Processing Sensitivity - aka what makes HSPs more attuned to the world around them - is present in 20% of individuals, regardless of gender. It can be both a superpower and an Achilles heel. And that’s why we are so excited to talk with April. April built her career by...

Have you ever felt like the real you - the one that exists deep, deep down - is not aligned with how you live your life? What would it be like to let the true you break free? That’s why we created today’s podcast. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Moe Ari Brown has spent his career helping others live their most authentic lives. He is one of the leading mental health experts in the realm of Transgender Identity, with a keen understanding of the intersectionality of race, gender...

Mario Gonzalez moved to the United States when he was only three years old as the son of undocumented immigrants who followed seasonal harvests up and down the West Coast. As a result, his childhood was filled with constant change, insecurity, & financial stress.  Determined to build a life of greater stability, Mario chose to focus on school and finding a legal foothold in the US. His path has been one of bravery, heartbreak, and determination. You won’t want to miss it! Today’s...

Dave Vrablik’s lifelong habit of emotional eating never felt like a serious problem. That is, until one heartbreaking phone call five years ago… Upon receiving news about the death of his beloved older brother, Dave’s occasional compulsive eating quickly morphed into uncontrolled binging. All of a sudden he was enveloped by Binge Eating Disorder. Dave’s discovery and treatment of the eating disorder sent him on a five-year journey - one that highlights the importance of community as well as...

For more than 10 years Kaylee Kron has walked alongside the bereaved, companioning them and honoring the memory of their lost loved ones. In a culture that treats death and grief like they are contagious, she is a wise guide prompting us to reevaluate that fear.   This compassion and insight did not come easy. It grew out of personal tragedy - the unexpected death of a partner and a tumultuous path back to peace. She now works tirelessly to showcase the rich world of grief and why we should...

Right as therapist KC Davis gave birth to her second baby, Covid-19 began shutting down normal life. Not only that, but KC had just moved to a new city, her husband began a demanding new job, and pandemic restrictions caused their carefully planned support system to crumble.  All of a sudden it was just her - and her two babies - home alone. Everyday.  In the chaos that ensued, KC began an unexpected new journey. From grappling with mental health barriers to becoming TikTok famous and...

American culture praises weight loss. A quick scroll of social media, magazine racks, or even the news will yield numerous “transformation” stories documenting how a fat person turned their life around by shedding pounds.  But at what cost? Today, we’re exploring an eating disorder so camouflaged, you probably didn’t even know it exists - Atypical Anorexia. Or, more accurately, anorexia in people with larger bodies. With our guide - recovery advocate Joanna Nolen - we will unpack how...

Beyond the rush and noise of the Holiday Season, hides an amazing treasure - the passing of stories and wisdom from our elders. And we're not just talking about tales of the good ol' days from grandparents! Because an elder is simply someone who’s gone before you, no matter their age. So, to celebrate this special time of year, we are featuring short stories from some of you - the elders in our community who have already walked the road of recovery. We wanted to know how you have integrated...

As a teenager, Kea Yamamoto’s behaviors transformed from being respectful, creative, and empathetic to ones that alienated the people she cared most about. Not only did she lash out, but she also stopped sleeping, began hallucinating, and felt immune to consequences.  Kea’s eventual diagnosis of Bipolar I Disorder proved to be both a relief and a frightening look into the unknown. Would she be able to enjoy the relationships and experiences that make life worthwhile? Or would she move deeper...

Discover how your personality can be both your biggest asset and greatest stumbling block on today’s fascinating episode.  When Dr. Laura Hill first encountered research showing that a person’s temperament - the baked-in personality traits dictated by their genes - dramatically influences the type and expression of their eating disorder, she was thrilled. For decades, she had felt that eating disorder treatment only focused on external behaviors, while ignoring root causes. But through...

Suicide is one of those words that stops us in our tracks. Often, we treat it tenderly — acting like saying it too loudly will inspire someone to do something awful. But the truth is that not talking about suicide is what actually increases the chance a person with suicidal thoughts will act on them.  So how do you have such a loaded conversation? Well, it helps to get advice from people who’ve been there before. September is Suicide Prevention Month and in recognition of that goal, we...

Researching anxiety and mood disorders can be daunting - and deciding who is credible and what research holds up under scrutiny is even harder. That’s why we made today’s episode! Welcome to our little one-stop-shop-overview of the basics for anxiety and mood disorders. We’ll spend this episode asking an expert in the field the most common questions about anxiety disorders, mood disorders, the treatment experience, and treatment methods. Sound good? Dr. Howard Weeks will be our gracious...

Four years ago Jayne Mattingly discovered something was seriously wrong with her health. Not only was she starting to see a loss of mobility, but physicians told her these physical limitations would only progress for the rest of her life. For this former dancer and self-described “doer,” losing mobility was devastating news. Jayne leaned heavily on the wisdom she'd cultivated earlier in life when recovering from anorexia to cope with her uncertain future. Today, we’ll talk with Jayne about...

Lor Sabourin knows a thing or two about resilience and the power of thoughtfully approaching a relationship - be it with a sport or gender. A professional rock climber who grew up in Detroit, they spent years figuring out how to not hide their queer identity in a very male, heteronormative, and competitive world. Lor now works to spread the wisdom they’ve gathered by creating affirming spaces in outdoor communities and also training other climbers on mental stability. They are also the...

Growing up, Carrie Zhang - the founder of The Asian Mental Health Project - felt as though she had no right to talk about her mounting struggles with sadness and anxiety. 
You see, her parents - two immigrants from China and Taiwan - could simply not understand why their child might be unhappy. After all, they had sacrificed so much in order to give her a chance at prosperity and success. As a result, Carrie did not find help processing trauma, depression, and anxiety until much later...

At the beginning of 2020 Mackenzie Carmichael flew to Eating Recovery Center in Denver, Colorado determined to finally overcome a persistent eating disorder. The plan was to slowly step down from residential treatment to an outpatient program where she would commute to therapy and meals several times a week as her healing progressed.  However, the growing pandemic soon placed extra restrictions on that traditional outpatient model. So, her treatment team pivoted and instead recommended...