Mel talks with Casey (@caseythereader) about her experience living with anxiety and depression. They discuss Casey's coping skills and living with a partner who is a therapist, and the progress she's made over time.  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Mel talks with Mix (@enbycalledmix) about being a therapist who is specializing in queer issues, specifically working with trans and non-binary individuals. They chat about some common themes that come up in therapy, finding a therapist you trust, and lots of other good stuff! 

Mel talks with Mags (@books_and_mags) about burn out, how to manage that, etc. Co-produced by @loslibrary. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

*Content warning for this episode on discussion of suicidal ideation and self harm. Mel talks with Quinn (@theromanticace) about their experience with mental illness (depression and generalized anxiety disorder) and how stigma has affected them throughout their life. Quinn talks about their experience with taking medication, and symptoms they've experienced over time. They discuss how difficult and frustrating it can be at times to find the right medication combination and the right provider...

Mental Health with the BIPOC community with Laura!! "Struggle is a part of life, but it shouldn't have to be" Mel talks with Laura (@overbookedlife) about mental health stigma and accessibility in the BIPOC community. They talk about Laura's personal experiences with being taught to deal with things on your own rather than share how you're feeling, the issues with accessibility and costs of mental health care, especially for people of color, and the lack of representation in providers. Mel...

Mel talks with Phoebe about the mental health impacts of unexpected life changes. "I'm no longer afraid to say, 'I'm not okay.'" They discuss Phoebe's experience as an actor during COVID and needing to make major career shifts without having planned to, along with Phoebe's experiences with anxiety.  Phoebe shares about her first time in therapy, some books that made her feel seen in her healing journey, and ways she's coped and things she's learned from this experience. You can find...

Social Media boundaries and mental health with Autumn!!  "I don't need random strangers messaging me" Mel talks with Autumn (@theliteraryheroine) about the importance of setting boundaries on social media both for yourself and for others. Co-produced by @loslibrary --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Mel talks with Caro, (@sanjariti on bookstagram) to discuss Caro's experience with depression and suicidal ideations. Content warnings include: suicdality and depression, mental health stigma, domestic violence, including emotional and financial abuse, self harm, and fatphobia.  Caro talks about her experiences as a teenager, and how that influenced her depression, growth in terms of being able to get through things and recognize progress, and her experiences with therapy. Caro recommends the...

Mel talks with Steven Salvatore, author of Can't Take That Away!  "You shouldn't have to explain yourself everyday." They discuss mental health/therapy rep in the book, Steven's experiences that inspired Carey and their journey, and how important it is for people, especially young people, to be able to see themselves in literature.  Steven mentions some other queer books they have loved including, Reverie and Bedazzled by Ryan LaSala and Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey...

Mel chats with Alex (@thebookadvocate) about different places they've both worked, and different types of facilities that you may find a social worker. While a social worker is not the only option to receive mental health services from, Mel and Alex are both social workers and discussed their own experiences in this episode. (This episode was co-produced by @loslibrary) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Mel talks with Jess, a fellow social worker/therapist, about different types of therapy, and how the different therapeutic modalities are used for different diagnoses and situations. Mel & Jess both specialize in trauma, and while a lot of different therapeutic modalities are covered, this episode is not a comprehensive list. They both recommend researching and asking questions when you're trying to find a therapeutic approach that is the right fit for you.  

Mel talks with Elisa about the process of starting therapy. [content warnings include mention of financial issues & discussion of insurance stress] They discuss ways to find a therapist, questions to ask before starting, insurance stuff, and much more.  Mel and Elisa are both licensed professionals, Mel a Social Worker, and Elisa a Marriage and Family Counselor. This episode is meant to be educational and helpful for someone considering starting therapy, but is in no way us telling you...

Mel talks with Jamie, who is a yoga therapist, and Mel's amazing teacher, to talk about benefits of therapeutic yoga, how Jamie got into the field, who could benefit from different types of yoga, how to create safer spaces, mental health, and book recs!! You can find Jamie on instagram @jamiehanley_ and find the list of books we talked about there!  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Mel talks with Allison Feehan, owner of Integrative Healing and Wellness in Bayhead, NJ. Allison is a Reiki Master and teacher, a medium, and so much more. They discuss Reiki and Energy healing, some ways to protect and take care of your energy at home, even if you're not reiki trained, mental health, some books to read if you're looking to learn, and more! Allison can be found at integrativehealingandwellness.com and @integrativehealingandwellness on instagram!  --- This episode is...

Mel speaks with Tristan (@tristankatzcreative) about creating more inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ+ community in wellness spaces, and much more! They answer questions from listeners, discuss what they do to encourage change and educate others, and talk about mental health (of course). Tristan gives us some book recs, and good info for how educate ourselves better on these important topics!!  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Mel talks with Mira (@mirandabythebook) and Katelyn (@whatiskatelynreading) about being an empath, feeling auras, intuition, tarot, and more. They answer some questions from followers (@thebookadvocate mostly, thanks Alex) and talk about the differences between being empathetic and being empathic. Mel discusses the psychology behind intuition and the connection to the theories of Carl Jung. Are you an empath too? Have questions that weren't answered? Let us know!  --- This episode is...

Mel & Tyler answer questions about toxic gender roles and stereotypes, and how these things are discussed and worked through in their relationship. They discuss gender norms and expectations that they feel are harmful, ways in which they communicate with each other, parenting goals, and more.  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, Mel steps back as the interviewer and has Sam (@staxsonstaxs) take over! Mel (@shelf.acceptance), Alex (@thebookadvocate), Molly (@mollyrosereadsalot), & Elisa (@lovinglyread) are all therapists, answering questions about therapy. Discussing that what therapy looks like varies drastically based on many different circumstances. Mel, Alex, Molly, & Elisa talk about what led to them becoming therapists, boundaries, time frames/length of therapy, modalities that are used,...

Mel talks with Kyl, author of Raising Them about the book, gender creative parenting, & mental health!! Kyl can be found on Instagram @kyl_myers --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This episode urges you to be mindful with your vote. Mel talks to a lot of friends, and reads statements from others, about how a vote for Trump directly harms them individually. Mel asked some friends to talk about how they're taking care of themselves this week with the election and the anticipation of waiting to find out the results. If you haven't voted already, we hope this episode will help you consider who you're voting for more carefully, and if you have voted, we hope you find some...

Mel is joined by author, Christie Tate to discuss Christie's debut memoir, Group! Mel and Christie discuss Christie's process of writing, all about group therapy, and of course, mental health and books. Group is out now, anywhere you can buy books. You can find Christie at her website christietate.com and on instagram @christieotate!  The Shelf Acceptance Book Club will be discussing Group for the month of November, so be sure to check in with Mel @shelf.acceptance on instagram or via email...

Mel talks with Mira from @mirandabythebook about all things thrillers and of course mental health. Listen to hear thriller queen, Mira, give us all of her thriller recs and talk about what she loves most about thrillers. We discuss the importance of accurate mental health rep, specifically in this genre and Mel mentions one of the only thrillers she's read!  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

For this episode, Mel is joined by Autumn from @theliteraryheroine to discuss invisible illnesses. They talk about living with a disability, labels & diagnoses, how to be a good friend to someone with a disability or invisible illness, the importance of self care & so much more!! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Mel is joined by Hannah from @thepaperbackbruncher and host of the Brunch Babes Book Club! Mel & Hannah discuss some favorite things about Book Clubs, Bookstagram, Buddy Reads and how Hannah came to create her own book club! As always, they discuss the importance of mental health and some exciting things coming up! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app