BeREAL

Welcome back to BeREAL! Diana and Ednesha are hopping on this week to talk a little bit about the importance of a break. In honor of this, BeREAL is also announcing a short hiatus until the end of March. 

 

The duo talks about how they are needing to pivot yet again after two year in the pandemic. When fatigue begins to set in, it is important to slow yourself down before your body makes you slow down. In honor of this, and her 40th birthday approaching, Ednesha announces that she needs a little vacation soon. Diana and her brainstorm where she could go on her Eat, Pray, Love adventure. They discuss different beaches and mountains around the globe that could make amazing destination spots. 

 

Diana talks about what she has learned about herself from traveling solo. She shares a story about her first trip by herself to Paris, and offers Ednesha many options of what to do on her solo trip. 

 

Lastly, the women discuss the break they will be taking until the end of March. We wish all the listeners an amazing few months until then, and want to express our deepest gratitude for tuning in for these past two years. 

 

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.beher-now.com 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/

 

Welcome back to the Indigo108 takeover for BeREAL. This week, Liz is joined by Shamina Rao to talk about the role of a full spectrum care throughout the journey of pregnancy and birth.

Shamina is a Full-Spectrum Doula, a Certified Lactation Counselor, & a very soon-to-be IBCLC (Board Certified Lactation Consultant), and a Prenatal Yoga teacher.

Shamina introduces herself as a full-spectrum doula, lactation consultant, and a prenatal yoga teacher. Full-spectrum work entails support through all parts of birthing and all forms of birthing. Full-spectrum doulas work with mothers by offering non-judgemental care in situations when the mother intends to keep the baby, and in situations when they don’t. Shamina looks to demedicalize parts of the birthing process, because overly medicalized births often overlook the mother’s needs. Demedicalizing birth also allows non-medical practices, like skin-to-skin, to have a space in the birthing room. 

 

Shamina next explains the importance of full spectrum care as a doula. Every mother is different. They have different values, different medical history, different life stories and their birth process should be respective of this. Holistic doulas look to know and treat the whole person, instead of treating every mother the same. Shamina’s goal is to help mothers move with the world around them, much like Ayurveda strives to do. 

 

Shamina also believes a part of being a holistic doula is helping those around the mother as well. This means helping partners, family, and friends through the pregnancy and birth which will in turn uplift the mother as well. Creating this strong support network for the mother is also important because things can change so quickly during birth. You can plan as much as possible for a birth and then everything changes at the last minute because the mother finds herself in a place she never expected while in labor. Doulas are there to acknowledge when changes occur during birth, because sometimes the mother cannot identify their own internal change in the moment. 

 

To finish off the episode, Shamina discusses the importance of the healthcare providers you choose. Some providers do not work holistically and then the mother’s wishes are not heeded in the birthing process and they are left out of their own pregnancy. It is important to find a provider that shares similar values and will not overshadow your desires during birth. Lastly, Liz guides listeners through a practice she picked up from Shamina.

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for more episodes in the new year. In the meantime, make sure to check out the previous episodes of the Indigo108 takeover. 

 

For more information on Shamina and her practice, visit the links below:

 

Website: https://www.shaminarao.com/

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaminarao/

 

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.beher-now.com 

 

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Liz is joined by registered nutritionist and women’s health expert, Emma Bardwell to talk about sleep and the Winter solstice. 

 

Emma begins the episode by introducing herself and her spiritual signs. She is a Pisces. She then proceeds to tell listeners about how she got into her work as a nutritionist. When she began, she noticed that women’s health was severely under researched. Lot of women coming into her clinic were not adequately helped by their previous doctors. This made them resort to googling their conditions, which never ends well.

 

Her current program looks to make nutrition easy and accessible to all women. Her program lasts at least three months, so she can start to create lifestyle changes with her patients. She also posts a lot of information on social media, so women who can’t afford a three month program have access to help as well. She makes sure to give a variety of information to her many clients because she realizes all women are not the same. She wants her clients to have options so they don’t feel constrained. 

 

Next, the women move onto talking about sleep and the Winter solstice. Emma highlights that there are no magic solutions to food and sleep. When crafting a healthy diet, make sure to consume an appropriate amount of aminoacyl tryptophanes. These are found in poultry, greek yogurt, etc. and are a precursor to melatonin. Meaning they will help foster a healthy sleep routine. Also, be sure to eat lots of B vitamins. If you are vegetarian, you can get them through supplements, however, Emma does not recommend supplements unless necessary. Lastly, magnesium aids with sleep as well. 

 

Outside of diet, there are other ways to craft a proper sleep routine during this Winter solstice. Taking epsom salt baths is one option. Also, listening to your body’s circadian rhythm. Emma recommends exposing your eyes to lots of light in the morning, and little at night. This means limiting screen usage at night. Instead, Emma recommends listeners journal before bed. This way they can set wellness goals and write about what they’re grateful for all while following their circadian rhythm. Emma believes these small changes will make big differences in sleep quality and mood. 

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this week. Make sure to check out an all new episode next week. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week’s episode with Tonie Warner. 

 

For more information on Emma or her work, visit the links below:

 

Website: https://www.emmabardwell.com/

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emma.bardwell/

 

Book: The Perimenopausal Solution

 

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.beher-now.com 

 

Welcome back to the Indigo108 takeover of BeREAL! This week, Liz talks to Tonie Warner, a Brooklyn-based yoga teacher, about wellness for Black women. 

 

Tonie found empowerment and refuge in Yoga in over 15 years of practice and teaching.  She believes that Yoga is a liberation practice, dependent on the liberation of BIPOC.  She did not see this tenet being upheld in dominant studio culture, and with the desire to extend her practice in alignment with her beliefs, she founded Yuja Soul, a dedicated space offering Yoga for Black Women.  Tonie also serves as one of the Practice Coalition’s Principals uplifting trauma-informed Yoga, and also devotes her offerings to The Connective, a cooperative, teacher-owned platform challenging the standards of the wellness industry. 

Her classes are known for their physical rigor and open brave space for self-inquiry at the intersection of Yoga philosophy and social justice. 

 

Tonie begins the episode by introducing her spiritual self. She is a Kapha/Pita dosha, as well as a libra sun. She is an immigrant from Dominica and works in Brooklyn as a career yoga teacher and career guide. Her goal is to offer people the bravery that she herself was never offered. She came to her work and her purpose while searching for mothering energy. She found a community through yoga, but also found that she was one of the only Black women in the wellness field. 

 

Tonie talks about how she lets her work “unravel her.” When Liz asks her what conditions make unraveling yourself possible, Tonie says that showing up as her full self means having her blackness and womanhood seen. However, she also highlights the importance that she should not be expected to announce Black excellence and instead she should be able to just be. Her practice allows this by offering silence in the yoga space for all the Black women who attend. She wants women to make sure their labels are authentically theirs and not placed upon them by others. 

 

Lastly, Tonie discusses a bit more about how her actual practice came to be. She traces her history back to working at a fitness clothing start-up that was not a great work environment. She found herself struggling and realized that if she was going to struggle she should at least do what she loves. So, she began teaching yoga. She wanted a space just to practice wellness for Black women and because there were none previously, she created it herself. To close off the episode, Liz leads listeners and Tonie through a meditation practice as always. 

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL. Be sure to check out a new episode next week. In the meantime, make sure to catch last week’s episode with Diana.

 

Find out more about Tonie through the links below:

 

Website: yujayoga.com

 

Instagram: @yogitones

 

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

Hello and welcome back to BeREAL! BeWELL’s Health and Wellness counselor, Liz Buehler Walker, will be taking over the podcast for the rest of 2021 to talk about the new wellness initiative Indigo108. For the first episode of the takeover, she will be interviewing BeWELL founder, and the usual host of BeREAL, Diana Gasperoni. 

 

Liz begins the episode by asking Diana about her spiritual chart placements. Diana explains that she is a double Virgo as well as a Pitta dominant guided by Vata. As a fun fact, Diana throws out that every room in her apartment has hot pink incorporated into the decor somehow. Liz picks up that color is a way to express our spirituality and the hot pink appeals to Diana because of the fiery nature of Pitta.

 

Liz continues by asking Diana to talk about why the two of them founded Indigo108. Diana traces the practice all the way back to when she was a yoga teacher in college. She is a big believer of “the body keeps score” and has always encouraged numerous ways through work through trauma both physically and mentally. In therapy sessions, she would ask patients about their pain and what the pain would say were it able to speak. Many patients had a hard time talking about experiences in their bodies. However, it is important for Diana that her patients can find freedom in both body and mind to help them expand their emotions and move forward with life.

 

Next, the two get into a conversation about how therapists usually just connect with psychiatrists outside of the office. However, there are so many types of wellness practitioners, yet they never communicate together if they are seeing the same patient. It is important for both Diana and Liz that their patients have a treatment team supporting them. Having the Indigo108 within BeWELL allows patients to engage in multiple forms of wellness care and have their practitioners actually communicate and work together for the patient. When you have a team behind you, BeWELL believes that you will notice that you “do” life much more often, instead of letting life be done to you or over-focusing on planning. 

 

To finish off the episode, Liz begins a new tradition: a portable practice. She leads listeners and Diana through an abridged version of what they can expect in Indigo108 sessions while on the journey to feel safe within themselves. 

 

Thank you so much for tuning into the Indigo108 takeover this week. Be on the lookout for another episode next Tuesday!

 

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.beher-now.com 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/

 

Instagram:

Welcome back to BeREAL! Diana and Ednesha come together for their final episode of the season to look back at all their favorite BeREAL 2021 Memories.

 

Diana starts off by telling her favorite episode, which is episode 59 with Vanessa Risetto. Diana really appreciated her views on diet culture and her holistic nutrition approach. Ednesha’s favorite was with Riana Milne. Riana spoke about love trauma. She outlined the top ten childhood traumas and spoke on addition and abuse within families. Don chimes in to tell Jess’ favorite episode which was with Dr. Carlton Green. She appreciated the way he bridged education, psychology, and religion. Diana adds on that she enjoyed how passionate and compassionate he was on the subject. 

 

Diana’s next favorite episode was with Michael Lee Scott. Michael came to celebrate Pride Month and talk about the work he does with Broadway Cares and Broadway Bares. Jess also really loved this episode because of her connection to the theatre world through her dance past. 

 

Another one of Diana’s favorites was with Michelle Kuei. Diana liked this episode because it highlighted how different she and Ednesha are. Ednesha was not there that day and Diana came completely unprepared. When Michelle began telling her amazing story, Diana was fascinated because she hadn’t done her research. Despite the lack of preparation, everything still turned out nicely. Another one of Ednesha’s favorites was with Melody Pourmoradi the founder of GiRLLiFE. Ednesha appreciated was Melody had to say about empowering woman, but also about empowering yourself. She resonated with Melody’s message to know what your services are worth. 

 

Lastly, Jess’s third favorite episode was her own episode in the “My First Time” series. She enjoyed promoting therapy to everyone. Diana and Ednesha join in to talk about how much they enjoyed the series as a whole because they heard a variety of reasons why people come to therapy for the first time. 

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this year and we hope you have your own favorite 2021 memories with us! Be on the lookout for Liz Buehler Walker’s takeover for the rest of the year. 

 

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.beher-now.com 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/

 

Instagram:

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week Diana and Ednesha recap the mental health trends of the year and talk about the learned lessons from 2021.

 

The two begin by talking about what they’ve been up to recently as New York gets colder. Both have been back to Broadway and talk about what that experience was like. Ednesha also tells listeners about the workbook she is in the process of making. 

 

When they begin to talk about lessons from 2021, the biggest topic is relationships. Over the pandemic people grew apart. As things slowly returned to normal many people still felt disconnected and began to question their friendships. It was hard making time to see others, especially if you were working from home and never got alone time. Ednesha acknowledges that keeping relationships felt like another burden on top of the already stressful year.

 

Working from home also posed issues to maintaining a healthy work/life balance. Without having a commute, there wasn’t time to shift mindsets from work to home and the two quickly became one. For some jobs, like therapists, it could also indefinitely remain a virtual service. Even though both Diana and Ednesha have returned to the office, they still see many of their clients online.

 

To remedy the work/life imbalance, people began picking up new wellness routines. Some people found new hobbies like baking or playing an instrument. Others, like Diana, began to meditate more and practice more yoga. Ednesha suggests a wellness app that hosts more trainers of color for those interested. Diana also talks about how influential her Peloton was to her mental health. 

 

To close off the episode, the women talk about what still could improve. They focus specifically on the importance of a good sleep schedule. Many people still aren’t sleeping enough even while working at home. The duo suggests some ways to practice both a better night routine and a better morning routine to make the most out of every day. 

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this week. If you haven’t already, go check out last week's episode on the mental health impacts of caregiving. 

 

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.beher-now.com 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week Diana and Ednesha pay tribute to a friend of the show, Rick. Rick sadly passed away this past week. Something very important to him was caring for his mother. So, Diana and Ednesha are here to talk about the mental health impacts of taking care of aging parents.

 

Ednesha begins the episode by talking about Black Woman Be Whole. The team is hosting their first in person event very soon. So, if you are interested in attending a Black Woman Be Whole brunch, visit the link here. 

 

Diana’s weekly update revolves around the passing away of her friend Rick. She tells stories about him, and how the suddenness of his passing is affecting her. She talks about how important Rick’s mother was to him, and how he devoted much of his time to her. This leads the women into talking about taking care of aging parents in general. Ednesha shares some statistics about how many hours Americans spend caring for their parents and/or relatives. Most of these people are also working other jobs, because caring for family is not a paid position. 

 

Diana shares her experience with caregiving in her family. Her parents are currently taking care of her uncle. She talks about how it has been difficult for her parents, because her uncle was a very social person and lately has been deprived of most social interaction. Ednesha joins in to talk about her experience caring for her father. She notes that needing assistance can lead many older people into states of depression. This places yet another burden on the caregiver, who is responsible for brightening their day regardless of their personal circumstances.

 

Next, Don joins the therapists to talk about the differences between raising a child and taking care of aging parents. Don points out that the elderly have already lived a life of freedom and therefore know what they are missing out on - children do not know this freedom yet. Diana adds on that the goal of raising a child is to prepare them for the world, while raising a parent is to give them a better life in the moment. 

 

To finish off the episode, Diana and Ednesha reflect that society is not currently set up for aging. The professional caregiving systems often fail the elderly. However, despite all this our live expectancy is growing. 

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this week. If you haven’t already, go check out the previous episode with our dear friend Rick. 

 

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.beher-now.com 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.

Welcome back to BeREAL and another installment of our “My First Time” series. Today, Ednesha interviews both Diana and her friend Marvin about their first time in therapy. 

 

Ednesha and Diana begin the episode by talking about the recent shift into Fall. They talk about how the cold weather has affected their daily routines (and their heating bills). Soon, Ednesha gets into asking Diana about what initially brought her into therapy. Diana says that her first time in therapy was because she was broken up. She found herself asking questions like “why would I let someone treat me that way?” So, at the suggestion of her roommate, she sought a therapist for clarity. She found therapists through the phone book, and met with a few until she found one that fit her style. 

 

Once with her therapist, Diana did not hesitate to spill everything to her clinician - nothing was off the table. She soon realized she was in a pattern of quitting things and had a hard time accepting compliments. She was looking for a big change in behavior through therapy, but had to realize that it is hard to make big changes. She acknowledged that it is still sometimes hard to go to therapy weekly nowadays. However, she took her own advice of sticking it out and has found lots of personal insight in the therapy office since. 

 

Next, Ednesha brings on her friend Marvin to talk about his first time in therapy. Marvin first went to therapy because he has always been interested in self improvement. In that period of his life he felt out of control and quick to anger and wanted to understand why. His first therapist was a white woman, and that relationship did not last long because he quickly realized she would “whitesplain” this to him. Now realizing that race and gender is important to him in a therapist, he is currently seeing a Black man therapist. He finds this relationship especially helpful because he can say what he wants without having to explain the meaning behind it that often. His therapist already understands.

 

Like Diana, nothing was off the table for Marvin. He also notes that a lot of therapy has been helping him realize an answer he already knew deep down. Ednesha asks him about the taboo in the Black community that seeking therapy means you’re crazy. Marvin says he used to feel that pressure on him, but upon seeing how beneficial therapy can be he doesn’t feel that anymore. Ednesha also asks if he sees therapy as a “want” or a “need.” Marvin says he sees it as a need because it is important to have a voice of reason in your life that isn’t a friend. Marvin concludes the episode by echoing Dianas advice, stick it out. Change won’t come with one session, it is a process that you should not be scared ro endure. 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for a new episode next week. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week's episode with Paige!

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.beher-now.com 

 

Facebook:

Welcome back to BeREAL! Continuing the series from last week, Ednesha brings on another member of the BeREAL team, Paige, to talk about her first therapist

 

Ednesha begins the episode with Diana, who recently got back from a trip to Philadelphia. Diana talks about how the vacation was very much needed and about how she spent her time relaxing. The duo also talk about Ednesha’s objection to get a PhD at the moment, and her sparse habit of listening to the podcast after it is recorded. Don joins in to close out the intro to ask some Halloween themed questions.

 

Paige joins in and immediately gets into the story of her first time in therapy. She outlines how she was pushed into therapy by her family after the passing of her grandpa. She was 18 and felt shame seeing a clinician because to her that meant she was “imperfect.” However once the shame subsided, Paige, a self-proclaimed “motor mouth” found it easy to talk to her therapist. Some topics were off limits, such as her relationship, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable being the center of focus. 

 

Paige compares her first therapist with the therapists she has seen since then. She explains that overtime she better understood what relationship she wanted with her clinician. She wanted to see her clinician almost as an “aunt figure” - one that is close to her but not overly involved in her life. She also notes that when she returned to therapy later in life, she was less motivated to do the work needed to succeed because she was in a bad place in life. However, once she put in the work her expectations of therapy were met. 

 

To close off the episode, Paige gives some advice to listeners. She says that during the process of finding a therapist and seeking wellness support, be kind to yourself. Times like these can be riddled with negative opinions of oneself, so limit critiquing yourself. 

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for an all new episode in this “The First Time” series next week. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week’s with Jessica!

 

For more information on Indigo108, BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast), and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.beher-now.com 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/