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Strengthening Your Spiritual Core - Practices to Create a Fun and Fulfilling Life: Interview with Kate Eckman | Episode 94

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Strengthening Your Spiritual Core - Practices to Create a Fun and Fulfilling Life: Interview with Kate Eckman | Episode 94

In this conversation I speak with Kate Eckman, an elite college athlete, broadcast journalist and TV personality and recent author of “The Full Spirit Workout: A Ten-Step System to Shed Your Self-Doubt, Strengthen Your Spiritual Core, and Create a Fun and Fulfilling Life.” We talk about the neuroscience behind our understanding of well-being — and what gets in our way of achieving and maintaining well-being. We discuss the curious versus the anxious brain and the learning versus the judging brain. We explore the questions of “when is enough, enough?” and “who do we really want to be?” We close with specific strategies on how to tip the scales from immobilizing fear to the ability to “stretch the comfort zone” and “build the emotional muscles.”

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Coping with Suicidal Thoughts -- A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach: Interview with Dr. Katie Gordon | Episode 92

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Coping with Suicidal Thoughts -- A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach: Interview with Dr. Katie Gordon | Episode 92

In this episode, I interview Dr. Katie Gordon, a clinical psychologist and the author of the recently published book “The Suicidal Thoughts Workbook.” We talk about her H.O.P.E. approach to helping people cope with and learn from suicidal thoughts.

Grant Us the Serenity -- The Gifts of Long-Term Recovery: Interview with Dennis Berry | Episode 93

Grant Us the Serenity -- The Gifts of Long-Term Recovery: Interview with Dennis Berry | Episode 93

In this interview, I speak with Dennis Berry, a man 18 years sober. He defines serenity as “not drinking today.” In our conversation he shares his story of he transitioned from his addiction to being on a life mission to help others “shorten their learning curve” to recovery. We talk about the brain science behind addiction and the “H.O.W.” approach to achieving a healthy vibrant life.

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Healing is More than Talk Therapy -- Expanding Our Models of Care as We Look to Better Serve Our AAPI Communities: Interview with Dr. DJ Ida | Episode 91

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Healing is More than Talk Therapy -- Expanding Our Models of Care as We Look to Better Serve Our AAPI Communities: Interview with Dr. DJ Ida | Episode 91

In this conversation, I meet with a nationally recognized expert, Dr. DJ. Ida, Executive Director of the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association about how these issues and many more impact the wellbeing of the AAPI communities, and what are some additional approaches -- beyond traditional talk therapy — that may promote healing.

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On Being Fearless -- Intimate Partner Violence, Women Empowerment & Well-Being: Interview with J'Anmetra "JoJo" Waddell | Episode 90

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On Being Fearless -- Intimate Partner Violence, Women Empowerment & Well-Being: Interview with J'Anmetra "JoJo" Waddell | Episode 90

“I can breathe. I can think.”

When J’Anmetra was imprisoned in her home under the threat of her husband, this was her mantra. One that kept her alive and ultimately allowed her the ability to escape.

According to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration) survivors of intimate partner violence are twice as likely to have multiple suicide attempts, according to a study published in the Journal of Injury & Violence Research, intimate partner problems were identified as a precipitating circumstance in 30% of all suicide cases in the National Violent Death Reporting System. And yet, the connection between intimate partner violence and suicide is under-addressed on many fronts.

In this episode, we bear witness to the inspiring story of J’Anmetra Waddell and her courage to break free from the bonds of her abuser — her husband and the Pastor of her church. She shares her how her near-miss with suicide transitioned to her journey to becoming an advocate for other survivors of domestic violence.

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Unplugged -- How to Reconnect with Nature in the Digital Age: Interview with Sebastian Slovin | Episode 89

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Unplugged -- How to Reconnect with Nature in the Digital Age: Interview with Sebastian Slovin | Episode 89

There is a growing scientific field called “ecotherapy” that has demonstrated a strong connection between time spent outside in nature and improved well-being. Shifting our attention to the sounds, smells, and beauty is calming for many. On brain scans we can actually see reduced activity in. the parts of the brain that are linked to rumination — or repetitive negative thoughts. In this episode, I speak with Sebastian Slovin, author of Experience Nature Unplugged: A Guide to Wellness in the Digital Age, a new book on how connecting with nature helps reset our brains. We discuss the ways our digital lives are negatively impacting our mental health and how nature is the perfect antidote.

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Train the Brain -- Daily Practices to Disrupt Negative Thoughts and Build Healthier Pathways: Interview with Johnny Crowder | Episode 88

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Train the Brain -- Daily Practices to Disrupt Negative Thoughts and Build Healthier Pathways: Interview with Johnny Crowder | Episode 88

When it comes to overcoming mental and emotional challenges, we have a problem. In fact, according to Cope Notes we have several:

  1. PROVIDERS: Our mental health providers are often overwhelmed with demand, that accessing services in a timely way can be challenging. Once we find an available provider, we often can’t afford the level of service we need, and, even if we can, we find that many providers are not culturally or linguistically aligned with the people who need the support the most. Medicalization, jargon and pathologizing can keep us in a mindset of “sickness.”

  2. PEOPLE IN NEED: In many instances the process of finding the right services is overwhelming, confusing, and exhausting. This level of perseverance is difficult for people who are functioning well, let alone for people who are feeling hopeless, unseen and unknown. Once people do find their way to support services, they often worry about privacy, judgment, and losing control.

  3. COMMUNITIES: Generally speaking we seem to be focused more on responding to crises than we are on preventing them in the first place. Our approaches, therefore are reactive instead of proactive and big splashes of effort instead of slow drips over time.

In this conversation I speak with the brilliant and inspiring Johnny Crowder. We talk about how we can gain the upper hand on our complex and mysterious brains by short-circuiting negative thoughts. We explore how faith, creativity and community helps us gain new perspectives and forms of expression. We discuss the questions of how do we replace old thought patterns with healthier ones? How do we build a better brain? Stronger friendships and families? More resilient communities?

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Historical Trauma and Historical Healing: Interview with Abigail Echo Hawk | Episode 87

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Historical Trauma and Historical Healing: Interview with Abigail Echo Hawk | Episode 87

Historical trauma is often understood to be multigenerational wounding caused by the cumulative impact of major events inflicted upon a specific cultural, racial or ethnic group. When it comes to research about health and well-being, Western modalities of understanding human experience are limited and biased, further driving disparities and truncated views that can cause even more harm. By contrast, a strength-based, Indigenous framework of understanding resists the narrow view and on-going trauma of colonialism and focuses on restoration and healing. In this interview I speak with a “Storyteller of Health” and epidemiologist Abigail Echo Hawk about her vision of an anti-racist approach to data collection and recovery among tribal communities.

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The Gaming Community and Suicide Prevention: Interview with Fenway Jones | Episode 86

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The Gaming Community and Suicide Prevention: Interview with Fenway Jones | Episode 86

While many non-gamers might have only heard of some of the potential negative consequences of excessive (mostly video-based) gaming (e.g., desensitization, sleep deprivation, and neglect of other life priorities like academics, work and exercise), those inside the gaming community (especially board and role play-based games) have come to realize there are many well-being benefits:

  • Often radical acceptance and unconditional regard

  • A virtual community that is highly accessible and inclusive

  • A reprieve from the toxicity of bullying, harassment and discrimination

  • Opportunities to learn and excel in problem-solving and communication

  • A chance to envision and experiment with ideal versions of themselves

In this episode, I speak with the amazing Fenway Jones, a high school student who is changing the world. We talk about the psychological benefits of being a part of a positive gaming community. We also discuss how she has made meaning after losing two friends by engaging the gaming community in suicide prevention.

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Suicide Research to Practice -- Closing the Gap: Interview with Prof. Nav Kapur | Episode 85

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Suicide Research to Practice -- Closing the Gap: Interview with Prof. Nav Kapur | Episode 85

When it comes to the field of Suicidology, we often work in silos. The researchers, clinicians, public health practitioners, advocates, and crisis service stakeholders often focus primarily in their own communities, finding comfort and validation in joining with others who share similar culture, values and priorities. When it comes to groups implementing best practices, collaboration with researchers is essential. In this interview I speak with internationally renowned expert on suicide and self-harm, Prof. Nav Kapur from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. We discuss some of the tensions and opportunities that we face as we bridge research to practice.

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Transformational Leadership in Suicide Prevention -- Lessons Learned from the Construction Industry: Interview with Jerry Shupe | Episode 84

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Transformational Leadership in Suicide Prevention -- Lessons Learned from the Construction Industry: Interview with Jerry Shupe | Episode 84

Transformational leadership happens when people come together to rise for a daunting challenge to benefit the common good. Transformation leaders focus on impact and empower others to reach for higher and higher levels of motivation and morality. Transformational leaders are:

  • Bold

  • Idealized influencers

  • Creativity encouragers

  • Role models for a compelling vision

  • Process challengers

  • Purpose AND people driven

Today’s podcast is about transformational leadership in the area of construction suicide prevention. I interview Jerry Shupe, the Corporate Director of Safety and Health for Hensel Phelps, one of the nation’s largest construction contractors.

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Couple Care -- Tools to Rock Your Relationship: Interview with Lisa Stull | Episode 83

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Couple Care -- Tools to Rock Your Relationship: Interview with Lisa Stull | Episode 83

“Falling in love is easy. Falling in love with the same person repeatedly is extraordinary.”

Every so once in a while, many of us in long-term relationships find we need to reboot our relationship — routines may have made relationships go stale and perpetual conflicts breed resentment. In this episode I speak with Marriage and Family Counselor Lisa Stull, an expert in the Gottman method of relationship transformation. She shares what differentiates “master couples” from “disaster couples,” teaches about the four horseman and their antidotes, and gives us tools on how to build a sound relationship house.

Suicide is the Untold Story of Gun Violence in the US -- Why Gun Safety is Suicide Prevention: Interview with Dr. Michael Anestis | Episode 82

Suicide is the Untold Story of Gun Violence in the US -- Why Gun Safety is Suicide Prevention: Interview with Dr. Michael Anestis | Episode 82

According to Everytown for Gun Safety, nearly 2/3 of all gun deaths in the US are suicide fatalities. A surge in firearm purchases during the last year have many in the suicide prevention field concerned about increasing suicide rates long term, because the research is clear — easy access to lethal means for suicide increases risk for people when suicidal intensity surges.

In this podcast, I speak with one of the worlds leading experts on guns and suicide. Dr. Mike Anestis shares concrete action steps we can take as we work toward a collaborative solution to keep our homes safer from suicide.

Finding Opportunities in Conflict -- How to Communicate Effectively When Friction Disrupts High Stakes Relationships: Interview with Lisa Stokes Nicholas | Episode 81

Finding Opportunities in Conflict -- How to Communicate Effectively When Friction Disrupts High Stakes Relationships: Interview with Lisa Stokes Nicholas | Episode 81

In today’s world, we are set up for polarization. How do we turn our 5-alarm fights into something more constructive?…

In this episode I speak with culture and nonviolent communication expert Lisa Stokes Nicholas. She shares tools you can use in your work and personal life to move from conflict to curiosity.

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A Thriving Hive -- How to Cultivate Employee Engagement and Workplace Well-Being: Interview with Mari Ryan | Episode 80

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A Thriving Hive -- How to Cultivate Employee Engagement and Workplace Well-Being: Interview with Mari Ryan | Episode 80

Overwork. Burnout. Resentment. Churn. Bullying. Exclusion. Gossip. These qualities define the toxic work conditions that Mari Ryan calls a “dive hive.” She makes the argument that personal and community resilience are highly influenced by the cost-saving and life-saving preventative care we cultivate at work. Instead of a ‘“dive hive,” we need an “alive hive” filled with purpose, joy and impact. In this podcast Mari outlines a strategy on how companies can advance worker well-being and thrive.

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Turn Off the Alarm Bells -- How to Prioritize Civility in a Divisive World: Interview with Sejal Thakkar | Episode 79

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Turn Off the Alarm Bells -- How to Prioritize Civility in a Divisive World: Interview with Sejal Thakkar | Episode 79

At the heart of civility is respect. Respect and dignity are essential for psychological safety, especially when others have diverse experiences and viewpoints. Civility is not about complacency or placating. It’s not about denying or pushing away strong feelings that can emerge when conflict emerges. It’s about temporarily suspending our alarm bells for a period of time so we can do the hard work of “climbing the empathy wall” to better understand the deep stories behind those we see as “the other.”

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Intersectionality & Historical Trauma -- 3 Insights for Resilience: Interview with Dr. Tammy Sanders | Episode 78

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Intersectionality & Historical Trauma -- 3 Insights for Resilience: Interview with Dr. Tammy Sanders | Episode 78

How we see ourselves often is shaped by the many voices of our experience —- intersecting identities, some which may be aligned, others in conflict with one another. The voices we internalize may come from our parents or other influential adults from our childhood, or our religions and cultures more broadly. Still, other voices may be those of our ancestors, whom we have never met, but whose experiences have been imprinted in our bodies.

In this conversation I speak with the inspiring Dr. Tammy Sanders, a self-identified, Black, gay woman raised in the Black Baptist Church of the deep South. She realized at an early age that in order to survive, she needed to escape parts of herself or perish. Come listen to her incredible journey to wholeness — a holistic approach towards uncomfortable growth surrounded by deep connection with others.

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From Toxicity to Tranquility -- Prioritizing Personal Peace: Interview with Reggie Hubbard | Episode 77

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From Toxicity to Tranquility -- Prioritizing Personal Peace: Interview with Reggie Hubbard | Episode 77

When we face adversity or toxic environments, how we respond makes all the difference. Breathing helps us create space in between the stimulus and our response, and in that space we can sometimes find calm, gratitude and possibilities. In this podcast I chat with Reggie Hubbard, a man who found yoga as he tried to cope with workplace toxicity and transition. His three criteria for finding tools too help him cope:

  1. Does it enhance creativity?

  2. Does it lower my blood pressure?

  3. Does it make me smile?

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"What Do You Do?" -- Reflecting on Work, Identity & Well-Being: Interview with Scott Mason | Episode 76

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"What Do You Do?" -- Reflecting on Work, Identity & Well-Being: Interview with Scott Mason | Episode 76

When we ask “What do you do?”, what we often mean is “What WORK do you do?” In many ways — at least in the United States — our culture tells us, “You ARE what you do for a living.” Not only as a provider for your family and a meaningful contributor to society (and “meaningful” is often defined by the paycheck and the status") but as someone who is earnestly chasing the “American Dream.”…

On the positive side, when work is working well, it gives us a sense of belonging and a sense of being a part of something larger than ourselves. Work gives us structure to our lives and the satisfaction that our skills and talents are contributing to the world in some way. This positive aspect of our identity protects us against depression, anxiety and loneliness. In this interview with Scott Mason, we explore the role of our work in our identity and well-being. We argue that we all need to cultivate a multifaceted identity where our personal worth is based on being loved for who you ARE not just on being admired for what you DO.

5 Ways to Help Grieving Children Cope During the Holidays: Interview with Dr. Micki Burns | Episode 75

5 Ways to Help Grieving Children Cope During the Holidays: Interview with Dr. Micki Burns | Episode 75

When we look at developmental needs and abilities across the lifespan, we are aware of the need for different approaches to support our children. Our youngest children ages 0 to 2 are often preverbal but still very aware that something is not right when a family experiences a major loss. School-aged children are often concrete thinkers and don’t always have the language to express their emotions fully. Teens are more existential thinkers and turn to their peers more often than not. And young adults, often due to their independence can sometimes fall through the cracks.

For most of us, our losses are exacerbated during the holiday season, when we experience the empty chair around the table. In this episode, Dr. Micki Burns and I discuss five ways we can support kids who are grieving at the holidays:

  • Plan

  • Communicate

  • Reflect

  • Remember

  • Cope