Air-Check Your Life

Difficult Emotions are Not Dangerous with Dr. Regine Galanti, PhD

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Why anxiety exists in our bodies and how it's been evolutionarily necessary

In this episode, Mathew, Dr. Bevacqua, and Dr. Regine Galanti discuss emotions, highlighting how even uncomfortable emotions are valid. They dive deep into the often challenging emotion of anxiety, talk about how to differentiate between helpful and unhelpful anxious thoughts and explore practical ways to manage kids' anxiety. Dr. Galanti also shares the importance of setting limits on discussing anxieties, including her rule of only talking about it once, and she explains the three ways anxiety manifests in kids: thoughts, physical reactions, and behaviors. Finally, they discuss the value of failure and how some parental actions may unintentionally interfere with their children's ability to learn this crucial skill.

Dr. Regine Galanti, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist specializing in treating anxiety, OCD, and behavioral issues in children, teens, and adults. She is an expert in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Dr. Galanti is the founder of Long Island Behavioral Psychology, a therapy practice in Nassau County, Long Island. She is also a mother and the author of Parenting Anxious Kids, Anxiety Relief for Teens, and When Harley Has Anxiety.

“You can’t have anxiety without having it in your body too.”

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• Dr. Regine Galanti on Instagram 

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by IMS LLC

The Bi-Polar Buck Stops Here with Mequell Buck

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The difference between a normal slump and a mental illness 

In this episode, Mathew, Dr. Dave, and Mequell discuss the advances in understanding and treating bipolar disorder over the past 20 years. They dive into the complexities of diagnosing bipolar, the challenges around distinguishing typical negative feelings from mental illness, and the gray areas in between. Mequell shares her personal journey with bipolar type 2, including the difficult process of navigating misdiagnosis, and how she eventually learned to help herself after feeling helpless for so long. She offers insights on how her medication gave her the strength to implement other positive changes in her life, like improving her sleep, diet, and exercise.

Mequell Buck is a mental illness warrior who was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 nearly 20 years ago. At the time, she had no one to turn to for guidance and felt uncertain about her future. In this episode, she opens up about the impact that medication had on her recovery and the trade-offs she faces to maintain balance. Mequell also provides practical advice for those dealing with bipolar disorder, as well as tips for how the people around her helped—or unintentionally made things harder—during her healing process.

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• Dr. David Leicken, MD

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Overcoming Addiction and PTSD with Ketamine Therapy Featuring Charles Patti from MY Self Wellness

In this episode, we explore:

• Charles's journey through addiction and how psychedelics played a role in his recovery

Charles Patti is the Chief Brand Officer and Co-Founder of MY Self Wellness, a leading ketamine clinic, and innovator in the psychedelics space After losing his father at a young age, Charles struggled with overwhelming anxiety and a fear of death. To cope, he turned to alcohol and drugs, leading to years of substance abuse and a painful cycle of rehab and relapse. It wasn’t until a transformative psychedelic experience that Charles was able to break free from this destructive loop, ultimately shifting his perspective on life and healing.

For the past five years, Charles has dedicated himself to helping others find that same transformative healing.

In this episode, Mathew, Dr. Dave, and Charles dive into the profound effects of parental loss, the unique power of ketamine therapy, and how Charles knew his most recent ketamine session would be his last. They also discuss the stigma surrounding ketamine treatments, its broad medical applications, and Dr. Dave shares critical insights into the potential risks of psychedelic therapy and who should approach it with caution.

Additionally, Charles highlights how MY Self Wellness operates differently from other clinics, the cost of care, the drawbacks of at-home ketamine treatments, and shares an inspiring success story from a veteran.

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• Come to a Ketamine Treatment with Me

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Integrity Media Solutions LLC

It’s Time to Heal Your Inner Child with Kelly Zaragoza, LPC

Kelly is the owner and Clinical Director of Via Counseling + Consulting. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in working with individuals and couples. Her counseling style focuses on using her clients' strengths to achieve their desired outcomes. Kelly emphasizes a collaborative therapist-client relationship to truly understand her clients’ needs. She believes that each person has a unique story to tell, and by working together, Kelly and her clients develop strategies to achieve emotional and mental health goals.

In this episode, Mathew and Kelly discuss how healing inner child wounds is the key to unlocking the life you truly want to live. Kelly explains what reprocessing is, why it’s important to examine triggering events from a new perspective, and the work that follows this realization. This work will look different for everyone, but it leads to a deeper understanding of patterns and ultimately illuminates the path forward. From the day we are born, everything we experience gets recorded, and we have to learn to live with the impact it has on us.

Mathew and Kelly explore childhood wounds, the defense mechanisms we developed around them, why they formed, and ways to start the healing process. They also discuss how to manage the inevitable and complex emotions that arise around the people who raised us, with compassion. Kelly offers advice on dealing with individuals in our lives who may be resistant to change when we decide to heal ourselves.

Once we stop pointing fingers outward, we can realize that both our problems and our power come from within.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What reprocessing is, who should do it, why it’s important, and how to do the work

“There is a way to live the life you want to live.”

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• ViaCounselingServices.com 

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Ken Honda is known as the "Happy Money Guy," "Money Healer," and the "Zen Millionaire." His journey into financial wisdom began nearly 20 years ago when he witnessed a mother and daughter cut their playdate short because of work. This moment inspired him to start writing about the importance of financial freedom, with a focus on helping people ease their pain, frustration, and stress around money. Ken believes that, regardless of one’s circumstances, the distance to happiness is the same for everyone, and through introspection and gratitude, we can break free from financial struggles. He is passionate about healing money trauma and helping people find peace with their finances while living a life of generosity and abundance.

In this episode, Mathew and Ken discuss how to heal money wounds and shift from a scarcity mindset to a space of abundance without being reckless. Ken explains the root causes of financial stress, sharing his insights on why most money issues stem from either making too little or spending too much. They explore how money wounds are passed down through generations and the importance of healing these wounds before passing them on to our children. Ken also addresses the dangers of a scarcity mindset, offering practical advice on how to break free from it while maintaining balance. He emphasizes the power of generosity, encouraging listeners to understand that what we give often comes back to us in multiple ways. Additionally, Ken provides tailored money advice for people at different stages of life, from their teens to their 50s, and shares thought-provoking questions to help individuals uncover their unique gifts and talents.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The two main money problems and how to fix them 

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• KenHonda.com 

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Becoming Blind at 17 and Finding Purpose with Kevin Lowe

In 2003, Kevin Lowe's life changed forever. At just 17, as he began his junior year of high school, everything seemed to be going perfectly. But that same year, he was diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor the size of a plum, located in the center of his brain, pressing against his optic nerve and carotid artery. His doctors warned him that without surgery, he had only six months to live. They reassured him the procedure was routine, with nothing to worry about, and he would be back in school within weeks. However, on October 3rd, when Kevin went into surgery, he had no idea it would be the last time he'd ever see the faces of his loved ones. For the next 10 years, Kevin fought every day to accept the fact that he would be completely blind for the rest of his life.

The first year after losing his sight was all about survival. But after that, Kevin was determined to rediscover his love for life. Through this process, he grew incredibly close to his family, who supported one another in healing from the shared trauma. Kevin worked through his anger, relied on his faith, and leaned on his family as he chose to live life to the fullest. He pursued a radio career, learned to navigate the world using echolocation, started a travel agency, and eventually transitioned into podcasting. Podcasting became a way for Kevin to help the sighted world understand what it’s like to "see" through his perspective. Throughout his journey, Kevin has learned that we are all on our own unique timelines and that there’s always a rainbow after the rain.

“Sometimes God answers our prayers in ways we don’t expect.”

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Kevin’s story of losing his sight at 17 and what it’s like to live with blindness

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• Dr. David Leicken, MD

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Get Unstuck through Movement Therapy with LCPC Erica Hornthal

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How dance and movement therapy connects us to the present and disconnects us from the worry

Erica Hornthal is known as "The Therapist Who Moves You." She is a board-certified dance and movement therapist, a licensed clinical professional counselor, and the founder and CEO of Chicago Dance Therapy in Chicago, Illinois. Erica grew up in New Jersey and is an only child who has been independent and wise beyond her years. She was also a rather anxious child who fell in love with dance at a young age. That love of dance taught her how to be in her body rather than ruminate in her thoughts. 

On July 4, 2022, a mass shooter targeted a parade in downtown Highland Park, Illinois, killing seven people and physically wounding 48 others. During this time when Erica was offering crisis counseling services to survivors and those impacted by the tragedy, she found the devastation, terror, and utter disbelief on people’s faces were surpassed only by the rigidity, constriction, and tension present in their bodies. It became clear to her that people seeking emotional support, as well as the volunteers, had one thing in common that nobody was addressing—their nervous systems were in utter distress. They needed to relearn how to feel safe in the moment and safe in their bodies. This realization led her to create her 52 Movement Therapy cards, which can be incorporated into a daily somatic ritual or pulled as needed in times of stress, worry, or dissociation. Movement precedes thought patterns and therefore can help us create new thought patterns. It can teach us how to stop overthinking and start deeply feeling, allowing us to move through those feelings. If you are stuck, metaphorically or literally, the only way to get unstuck is to move. 

In this episode, Mathew and Erica discuss the story of the body and why the way we move has such an impact on how we feel and how we act. Erica tells us what movement therapy looks like in her practice, how she helps people overcome their insecurities, and how becoming more aware of your body empowers you to develop a better understanding of your feelings. Erica explains movement therapy is for anyone who feels like they have reached a plateau in traditional forms of psychotherapy, don't know how to find the words to express how they are feeling, or do not have access to formal language. 

 “If you want to change the way you think, you have to change the way you move.”

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• EricaHornthal.com 

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Get a vision that is bigger than your story with Carey Conley and Jill McMahon

In this episode, Mathew, Jill, and Carey discuss why we are moving away from the phrase “committed suicide” and towards “died by suicide,"  harmful myths around suicide, and how the surviving family members are impacted. Carey lost her husband, Ross, in 2014 and just three years later lost her son, Cole, at age 26 - both to suicide. She tells us about her feelings towards them then and now, the time leading up to their passings, and the similarities and differences in her husband's and son's struggles. Mathew and Carey also talk about how their lost loved ones still show up to them, how loss changes purpose over time, and practical tips to feel and then cycle through tough emotions. 

After the conversation with Carey, Mathew and Jill talk about her upcoming book, Bulletproof: Healing After Gun Violence and Trauma. When Jill was 6 years old, she was a victim of gun violence when she and her mother were carjacked. This experience, as well as her work with other trauma victims, has led her to compile this guide to what works for healing, how to survive it, and how great life can be on the other side. Jills also talks about the political, societal, and physiological factors that make gun violence trauma so unique, the solutions for healing that she puts forward in the book, and how to start healing.

Jill McMahon is a licensed professional counselor focusing on grief, trauma, and loss due to suicide. She had been working with families and survivors of suicide for 20 years. Jill owns a private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona, and spends her time providing suicide prevention presentations and training around the community, as well as speaking about survivors of suicide and complicated grief, both nationally and internationally.

Carey Conley is a vision expert who has taught her exercises to thousands of people. Alongside her daughter, Laurel, Carey is focused on helping people find vision and purpose through their books, Vision is Victory and Keep Looking Up, and her podcast, Mental Health Breakthroughs For Young Adults & Families.

“Time doesn’t heal. Making meaning does.”

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How and why are we changing the language we use when discussing suicide?

Later in this episode, you'll also hear:

• Jill's personal experience with gun violence

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• CareyConley.com 

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

What Does YOUR Body Need? Dietary Changes to Find Healing with Kim Shapira

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The connection between trauma and weight struggles 

Kim Shapira is a celebrity dietitian, nutritional therapist, and author. As a child, she was very sick, and later in life, she heard from a mentor that “food can make you sick or healthy." So from that moment on, she dove into her passion for helping people get healthy through their diet and never looked back. Through her work, she soon began to recognize that dietary habits are often symptoms of larger emotional or psychological issues. Now, she is able to help her clients identify their emotional triggers, understand how those triggers impact their dietary habits, and figure out ways they can achieve their goals healthily and sustainably, but getting back to the baseline understanding that food is fuel and nothing more or less. 

In this episode, Mathew, Dr. Dave, and Kim discuss how feeling unsafe impacts our dietary behaviors in unexpected ways, how to identify and overcome emotional triggers, and how learning to sit in discomfort can empower us to overcome all addictions. Kim also outlines her Six Simple Rules to Transform Your Relationship with Food to Become Your Healthiest Self, tells us what most people are really hungry for, and gives us tips on how we can satisfy that hunger. 

“We really can survive in discomfort; we just have to remember that we’re safe.”

Follow the podcast: 

• Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h) 

Resources:

• Dr. David Leicken, MD

Connect with Mathew Blades: 

• Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades

Additional Credits:

• LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Yesterday, my wife and I watched the new movie It Ends with Us. It's based on the book of the same name. If you've read the book or seen the movie, I invite you to check out this episode of my podcast. BTW, my new book, "How to Talk to people you don't like talking to," is out now; download your copy here. BOOK LINK

Thanks for checking out our podcast. 

Mathew