BeWELL

Welcome back to BeREAL! Ednesha is back this week, and she joins Diana in welcoming Lynn Hazan to the show today. Lynn joins today to discuss social media and building an authentic brand.

Lynn Hazan is the founder of LynnHazan.com (formerly known as ChicpeaJC). She is a mom, business owner, and lover of life and her community. She started ChicpeaJC.com in 2014 as a hobby and creative outlet, and the rest is history. She prides herself on being an open book and an inspiring person in the community and to her daughter. Lynn is also the founder of AIM Media, a full-service social media and content management company to help small businesses promote themselves to the community. 

 

Diana and Ednesha start the episode by talking about the summer. They discuss returning to in-person therapy sessions along with the rest of the world reopening. They talk about the new BeWELL Psychotherapy Hoboken office, and the grand opening that happened over the weekend. 

 

Lynn joins the call and starts talking about her life as an Instagram blogger. Diana praises her for her rawness and realness that she shows on her account, and Lynn adds on about her journey to where she is today. She started her career in a corporate job in Manhattan. However, she found that she was ot connecting with people the way she would like to. She started on Instagram more as a hobby, but she quickly grew. 

 

Of course, social media comes with some pitfalls. Lynn discusses the hate she receives and more importantly what she does with it. She says that she uses hate to propel her forward. However, sometimes it gets to be too much. She tells about times where people have reached out to her to address local politics in Jersey City. She finds that occasionally her following will hold her to a higher standard then they will their own mayor, and that is because she is simply more easily accessible. 

 

After a short break, Lynn returns to discuss being a mom and an entrepreneur. She talks about how her work allows her to see her children more often then she would have had she stayed in finance. She does reflect on the hardships of being a single mother, but she also shares about the amazing partner she has now. Sticking to her goal of building an authentic brand, Lynn talks about vulnerability and social media. She explains what parts of herself are hard to share, and the lengths she must go when people attack her identity. 

 

To close out the episode, Lynn talks about how mental health is part of building an authentic brand. She uses mental and physical wellness to keep moving forward even when hate stands in the way. Lastly, she talks about how she doesn’t have much planned for the summer as she wants to spend the time enjoying life. 

 

Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for an all new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week’s episode with the BeWELL team about Mental Health Awareness Month.

 

For more information on Lynn Hazan, visit the links below:

 

Website: https://www.Lynnhazan.com/

 

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

 

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

 

Welcome back to BeREAL! While Ednesha is on a vacation, Diana brings in some friends on the BeWELL team. Suhailey Nunez, Victoria Rodriguez, Tamika Covington, Arianna Eisenberg, and Susan Miller all call in today to talk about Mental Health Awareness Month. 

The therapists begin the episode by talking about what mental health means to them. Tamika talks about the importance of maintaining both your mental and physical health and how both are equally important. They then talk about the first time they thought about mental health. Through this conversation, the women begin to discuss the generational differences between views on mental health. They realize that mental health came to prevalence at different points in each of their lives greatly because of generational differences.

 

After a short break, the clinicians all return to discuss how the pandemic has changed people’s view of mental health. They discuss the extreme increase in anxiety experienced by people during the pandemic. Tamika brings up the idea that many people have reached out to therapists during the pandemic because they were experiencing crisis. However, she wants listeners to know that therapy doesn’t always have to be an end result; it can be important to talk to a clinician during periods of good mental health as well.

 

Lastly, the clinicians address the weening out of COVID restrictions. Although you may want to rush out and do it all ASAP. The BeWELL team stresses that you go at your own pace. It will be important that you discuss new boundaries with those around you. More importantly, you must be honest about your boundaries with yourself. To finish off the episode, the team tells what they will miss about work from home and what they’re excited for about going back to in person life. 

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL for Mental Health Awareness Month. Make sure to be on the lookout for a brand new episode next week. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week’s episode with Monica Reinagel about childhood trauma.

 

For more information on 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 are joined by nutritionist Monica Reinagel to discuss all things about dietary nutrition.

Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, CNS is a board-certified, licensed nutritionist and a professionally trained chef. Widely regarded as one of the most authoritative voices in nutrition, Monica’s expert advice is regularly featured on television, radio, on the web, and in the nation’s leading newspapers and magazines. She's the creator of the Nutrition Diva podcast, which has been in the Top 10 of health and nutrition podcasts since its debut in 2008. She is also co-host of the Change Academy podcast, which focuses on the art and science of behavior change. 

 

Monica begins the episode by discussing how she got into the field of dietary nutrition. She initially was training to be an opera singer, but after discovering a love for nutritional science, she changed her career path. She talks about her podcast (The Nutrition Diva Podcast) and how it is her primary platform to spread information on dietary nutrition. She also touches on the fact that there are loads of bad information out there about nutrition and dieting and how she hopes to debunk a lot of false beliefs people have about food and health. 

 

Monica continues by explaining her work. She says that her work doesn’t revolve around telling people what foods are good for them, that information is already well known and easily googled. Instead, she focuses on turning that knowledge about nutrition into action. She recognizes that trying something new introduces the possibility of failure. She looks to minimize the fear of failing that holds many people back from changing their diet. Instead, she tries to show that even though new diets might not always work out, you can always start again. Ednesha hops in to talk about her experience with a nutritionist and how through that journey the way she viewed food and dieting changed drastically. 

 

After a short break, the women return to discuss Monica’s work as a chef. Although she did attend culinary school, she hasn’t worked in a restaurant as a chef. Instead, she works with restaurants to make their menus more nutritional. 

 

Monica finished off the episode by talking a bit more about her two podcasts (The Nutrition Diva and The Change Academy). She tells listeners where they can find her and how they can start on their journey of changing their maladaptive eating habits.

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for an all new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week’s episode about love trauma and childhood trauma.

 

For more information on Monica and her work, visit the links below:

 

Change Academy Podcast: https://changeacademypodcast.com

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nutritiondiva

 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nutritiondiva

 

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

 

For more information on 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 

 

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Diana and Ednesha are joined by relationship coach Riana Milne to discuss childhood and love trauma.

Riana Milne is a Global Cert. Life, Dating & Relationship Coach, CCTP, LMHC, LCADC, CAP, SAC, Certified Mindfulness Coach, Educational Speaker, and #1 Bestselling Author. She has completed over 20 years of research at the core of the Dating to Mating System for Singles and the Relationship Rescue Coaching program for Couples. With the “Mindset for Success,” you will gain the necessary confidence and essential skills to attract and keep an emotionally healthy, evolved and conscious partner. She uses a holistic, individualized coaching approach designed to help every woman, man and couple better understand themselves both emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.

 

Riana begins the episode by giving listeners insight into her backstory and accomplishments. She explains always wanting to go to counseling as a teenager, but not being allowed to. She gives details on her own experience with love trauma, and shares how that helped shape her career later on in life. She talks about studies that have been done around childhood trauma and how she realized certain groups were excluded. She wasn’t seeing studies done around foster children, LGBTQ+ children, and other marginalized groups of children that she was seeing in her practice. 

 

Seeing this, Riana expanded on these studies with her own work and developed her list of top 10 childhood traumas:

Addiction Among Caretakers or Parents 

Verbal Issues

Emotional Abuse or Neglect 

Physical Abuse 

Abandonment (“fault” and “no fault” abandonment) 

Displacement from Family Home

Personal Trauma

Sibling Trauma 

Community Trauma/Family Trauma 

Mental Health Issues in Parents 

 

After a short break, Riana returns to discuss her work with couples’ love trauma. She walks listeners through scenarios in which a couple would need to claim responsibility for their own feelings. She makes sure couples address issues at an appropriate time, but nothing goes unspoken about for long periods of time. She even throws in some examples of public figures who have faced the issues discussed in this episode today.

 

Lastly, Riana tells listeners about her coaching practice. She explains how coaching is a bit different than regular therapy and what circumstances it would be best fit for. She says that clients can expect to be with her for about six months, and that she does not do individual sessions. 

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this week! Be on the lookout for a brand new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure you caught last week’s episode with the team at More Joy Parenting.

 

For more information on Riana Milne and her work, visit the links below:

 

https://RianaMilne.com

https://flow.page/rianamilne/

 

For more information on BeREAL (our wellbeing podcast) and BeWELL (our psychotherapy practice in Midtown Manhattan and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:

 

To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today 

 

www.

Welcome back to the BeREAL Podcast! Continuing on from last week, Diana and Ednesha are once again joined by the team at More Joy Parenting. Dr. Marcella Runell Hall, Nicki Henry, Annaliese Kittrell, Michelle Van-Ess Grant, Dr. Keisha L. Green, and Eden Jeffries call in to discuss the More Joy Parenting Workshops and Coaching Sessions. 

More Joy Parenting is a collective of like-minded parents and caregivers interested in creating space to share resources, ideas and support. The passion for centering marginalized, and in particular youth experiences, stems from the lived experiences of all the More Joy Parenting (MJP) team members. The intellectual and creative work to formally create MJP began in early 2019 with a seed of an idea, and the website launched on December 1, 2020. But in many ways, MJP is a culmination of personal and professional work that has been lifelong for most of us. There is a synchronicity of minds, professional experience and shared narrative that creates the heartbeat for this work.

 

Marcella starts off the episode by outlining all of More Joy Parenting’s offerings. She goes over the free resources available on their website, the coaching sessions they offer that focus on support and accountability, and the parenting workshops which fall into three categories. The categories are life changes (trauma, etc.), race and intersectionality, and classes on how to find your parenting voice. The team also highlights the reading material that is available on the More Joy Parenting website through Dreamland with Aaliyah.

 

To finish the episode, the team explains the ways in which they make their workshops accessible to people of all backgrounds. And after, they close out the episode with one big last hoorah all about reality TV.

 

Thank you so much for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for an all new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure you check out last week’s episode which is the first part of our conversation with More Joy Parenting.

 

For more information on More Joy Parenting and their team, visit the links below:

 

Website: www.morejoyparenting.com

 

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

 

Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/morejoyparenting/

 

For more information on 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! In the first episode of this two part special, Diana and Ednesha are joined by the whole team at More Joy Parenting. It’s founder, Dr. Marcella Runell Hall calls in along with Nicki Henry, Annaliese Kittrell, Michelle Van-Ess Grant, Dr. Keisha L. Green, and Eden Jeffries.

More Joy Parenting is a collective of like-minded parents and caregivers interested in creating space to share resources, ideas and support. The passion for centering marginalized, and in particular youth experiences, stems from the lived experiences of all the More Joy Parenting (MJP) team members. The intellectual and creative work to formally create MJP began in early 2019 with a seed of an idea, and the website launched on December 1, 2020. But in many ways, MJP is a culmination of personal and professional work that has been lifelong for most of us. There is a synchronicity of minds, professional experience and shared narrative that creates the heartbeat for this work.

 

Dr. Hall begins the episode by highlighting the dynamic of the More Joy Parenting team. She points out that they have all been students, mentors, and caretakers of one another in some way and through their history deep bonds have grown. This was integral in the founding of the practice, because much of the work depends on being vulnerable and trusting. The practice was founded during the pandemic last December, and Marcella discusses how being at home with children inspired the women to take action. They had noticed that a lot of discussion about being a parent during the pandemic was around the  things parents lost (alone time, private workspace, etc.). However, More Joy Parenting wants to shift the conversation to be about what you gain from spending much of the day with your kids. 

 

The women all open up about how the joy of parenting was taken away from them when they were stressed about their kids invading Zoom calls or their workspaces. However, they realized that by hiding their kids away from their life at home on Zoom, they were denying that part of themselves. The women want to encourage other parents to own that being a parent is part of your identity, and if a kid interrupts work from home, that is not something that should be criticized or punished. 

 

Eden hops into the conversation to discuss her role as a caretaker to her father. She talks about More Joy Parenting’s scope that goes beyond just mothering. The team realizes that it is not always biological parents who raise children. Sometimes it is a biological family, but other times your caretakers could be your chosen family or professionals. These roles must also be uplifted and celebrated so that they can instill joy among all. 

 

After a short break, the women come back to discuss the fears of being a parent. Some of the fears parents are facing around COVID are the debates around whether they should send their child back to in-person learning. A few of the women give anecdotes about their children voicing fears related to going back to school. There is a fear in change and also a fear about one’s safety. Another fear that is brought up that is separate of COVID is the fear of raising POC children during the epidemic of police brutality. Michelle talks about finding her parenting voice in moments like these to be there for her son so he can continue to find joy by her side.

 

To finish off the episode, Eden discusses what you can learn from the people you care for. Diana adds on the idea that children don’t hold back their opinions so listening to them could shed light on how you function as a caregiver and as an individual. Thus, showing that More Joy Parenting teaches life curriculum and not solely parenting practices.  

 

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Diana and Ednesha are joined by Dr. Carlton Green to discuss diversity training, racial trauma and mental health.

For more than 25 years, Dr. Carlton Green (he/him) has held various roles in higher education settings. More specifically, he has worked in student activities, multicultural services, residence life, academic affairs, athletics, and counseling services in both public and private institutions. Dr. Green’s dedication to diversity and inclusion facilitated his appointment as the Multicultural Post-doctoral Fellow in Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Houston. 

Currently, Dr. Green is the Director of Diversity Training & Education in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Prior to taking on this role, he served as a Staff Psychologist at the University of Maryland (UMD) Counseling Center.

Dr. Green begins the episode by explaining how he got into his work around racial trauma and mental health. He originally wanted to be a lawyer, but through his university studies he realized that diversity training was a field that interested him more. As a proud Christian he blends his psychology training into the religious space. He has hosted pastoral counseling sessions in the past and other mental health services available to the church goers. 

Dr. Green continues by comparing what he has observed about mental health in colleges versus churches. He notes that while they are both institutions that would like to believe they are not places where harm occurs, both places can deal a great bit of mental health harm, especially for people of color. He uses this idea to discuss how he organizes his racial trauma and mental health workshops. He begins by discussing how racism plays out in the outside world, and then brings the conversation into the space where the audience exists. 

After a short break, the three therapists return to talk about the therapist-client relationship. The idea that the therapist is always the expert in the room inhibits the therapist’s ability to learn and grow from their client’s experiences. Other dynamics of the mental health field also create standards that are not optimal for minority clients. For example, the idea that the therapist should be a blank slate is not wanted by a lot of Black clients that Ednesha has seen. Ednesha continues by explaining that sometimes when she breaks the norm (made by white people) to accommodate her minority clients she feels guilty. However, Ednesha points out that it is important for minority therapists to affirm to themselves that they are good clinicians even when they break the traditional rules.

Lastly, Diana talks about what she learned from supervising Ednesha for so long. One thing she touches on is that the social work school institution needs to change to accommodate different traditions and cultural differences. The three therapists brainstorm some ideas of what a change in social work school would look like. 

Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week! Be on the lookout for a brand new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week’s episode with Vanessa Rissetto about holistic nutrition coaching.

For more information on Dr. Green and his work, visit the links below:

 

Website: www.carltonegreen.com

 

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

 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/drcegreen/

 

For more information on BeREAL (our

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Diana and Ednesha are joined by Vanessa Rissetto, a dietitian here to discuss holistic nutrition coaching and diet culture.

Vanessa received her MS in Marketing at NYU and completed her Dietetic Internship at Mount Sinai Hospital where she worked as a Senior Dietitian for five years. She is certified in Adult Weight Management (Levels I & II) by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her work in private practice also includes treatment of GI disorders, bariatric surgery, weight management, PCOS, and family nutrition. She is mostly interested in helping clients to take an active role in their health journey, any of her clients can tell you she motivates and ensures that they always achieve success. Vanessa was named by Essence magazine as one of the top 5 black nutritionists that will change the way you think about food and currently serves as the Dietetic Internship Director at New York University.

 

Vanessa begins the episode by explaining what a dietitian does and how one becomes a dietitian. She stresses how different the job is from a nutritionist. She has gone to through copious amounts of schooling and and training and is hold a degree instead of a certificate (like nutritionists do). Ednesha adds to the conversation by discussing her own experience with a nutritionist (again, not the same as a dietitian). Ednesha describes herself as a fad dieter, and in her work with a dietitian, she was asked to grade her diet each week. Vanessa disagrees with practices like this because it makes people feel guilty for going out and having a good time with friends. And, she adds, it's a practice made by thin white women to dictate how everyone else eats. 

 

Vanessa continues by emphasizing how she doesn’t want her clients to be extremely hung up on what they’re eating that it takes away from their social lives. More importantly, being an obsessive dieter can make you a burden to those around you. Vanessa is especially concerned about how guilt will manifest after COVID and people start going out to eat more. A sudden change in eating habits can create guilt and unhealthy habits, especially in a social setting. 

 

Vanessa finishes off the episode by outlining what a consultation with a dietitian looks like. She goes over the initial session, what homework clients can expect, and how clients can expect their relationship with food and their dietitian to change over time. Lastly, she addresses the importance of making healthy eating available to all socioeconomic classes. Right now, the dietitian field is very elitist and promotes food lifestyles that not everyone can afford. Through her work she looks to make holistic nutrition coaching available to all people.

 

Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week! Be on the lookout for an all new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week’s episode with Kasey Compton about entrepreneurial confidence.

 

For more information on Vanessa or Culina Health, visit the links below:

 

Website: www.culinahealth.com

 

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

 

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

 

For more information on BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast) and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken,

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Diana and Ednesha are back for another minisode with BeWELL’s very own, Susan Miller. Susan is here to discuss graduating from college in a pandemic. The episode explores the scenario from both the graduate and the parent’s perspective.

Susan has extensive experience working with individuals, couples, and families who may struggle with anxiety, depression, life transitions, grief & loss, and their relationships. She believes that therapy is a collaborative process and works together with her clients to strengthen their ability to reflect upon and cope more effectively with their current concerns, conflicts, and pain. Her long held view that each person has the ability to change until they take their last breath supports her fluid approach to therapy. She is committed to building a meaningful therapeutic relationship, one that facilitates emotional and behavioral growth for her patients.

Susan starts off the episode by explaining her background in the mental health field. She has worked with both parents and children for a while, and today is here to discuss the phenomenon that is graduating in a pandemic. Susan explains how emerging adults can be rational, but are often hyper rational. That means that they look at narrow facts without paying attention to the larger context. This can lead to partaking in dangerous activities or acting against their parent’s will. Both these scenarios can create conflict when a graduate's life is intertwined with their parents after graduation. 

Susan continues by addressing the shame that many graduates may be feeling at the moment. They may have had a job and an apartment lined up for the coming summer, but due to COVID, they find themselves back in their parent’s house. There is a balance that must be found if this is the case. Graduates must ask themselves how they would like to be parented, while also acknowledging that in their parent’s home there are certain rules they must follow out of respect. 

After a break, the women return to discuss the rift that can occur when emerging adults move in with their parents. Parents may be stuck seeing their children as teenagers and hold them to similar standards as they did in high school. However, their children are young adults now this means that major conversations must be had. Some of these conversations are about finances. If the graduate had an apartment ready for the summer after graduation, they are most likely financially capable to help around the house. If not, what are other ways they can contribute to life at home during the pandemic. These are all important questions parents must consider when their child is graduating from college in a pandemic. 

Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode of BeREAL! Be sure to check out the previous episode with Kasey Compton about entrepreneurial confidence, and stay tuned for a new episode next Tuesday!

For more information on Susan, her upcoming talk, 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 

 

Susan’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanbewell/

 

Susan’s upcoming talk:

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Diana and Ednesha are joined by Kasey Compton to discuss entrepreneurial confidence in business and therapy practices. 

Kasey Compton is on a mission to help business owners find entrepreneurial confidence. She went from bankrupt to Boss Babe when she took her first company from zero to three million in less than three years without ditching her life to do it. She owns three other businesses that have accumulated assets of over three million and growing by the day.

 

Ednesha begins the episode by telling Diana all about her survivalist camping weekend that is coming up. Diana is shocked to hear all about Ednesha’s new “Naked and Afraid” style era, and also fearful of Ednesha’s desire to be “comfortable” while learning to survive the elements. 

 

Then, Kasey comes in to begin talking about entrepreneurial confidence. She retells the story of how she got into business from the therapy field. As a therapist, she specialized in anxiety and panic disorders and her knowledge of fear plays heavily into her work as a business consultant. She has noticed that people have two ultimate fears: failure and being alone. Both of these fears play heavy into people’s views of themselves as employees and as entrepreneurs.

 

Next, Kasey walks Diana and Ednesha through a typical day in her life. She explains how she incorporates her business teachings into her own day-to-day. She emphasizes the importance of taking time for yourself after work and on the weekends. People tend to feel obligated to bring work home with them, but creating a healthy work/home balance is crucial to maintaining wellness within the workplace. 

 

After a short break, the women return to discuss Black Woman Be Whole. Kasey uses Ednesha’s business as a case study on what to do as a business owner as your business grows. Kasey asks if Ednesha wants the future of Black Woman Be Whole to be independent of her identity or not. Ednesha says she does, and Kasey advises she distances herself from some of the programming from the beginning of the business. She also explains to Ednesha the concept of currency correlation, and the seesaw of time and money balance. Lastly, Kasey tells listeners about the programs she is currently running that they can be partake in. 

 

Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week! Be on the lookout for a new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure you check out last week’s episode with Jolene Blackbourn on mental health in the legal field. 

 

For more information on Kasey or her practice, visit the links below:

 

Website: www.kaseycompton.com

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hikaseycompton

 

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

 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/KaseyCompton

 

For more information on 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