What happens when a concert becomes more than entertainment: it becomes an experience that makes people feel seen?

In this episode of Beyond the Window, hosts Sharon Wner and Jennifer Enriquez sit down with Carrie Simmons, LMFT, a clinician-turned-musician whose story blends recovery, creativity, and self-mastery in a way that’s both raw and inspiring.

Carrie shares her journey from a rebellious, angry teen searching for belonging to navigating addiction, reinvention, and sobriety: all while building a creative life in Los Angeles. Along the way, she recounts a bold Hollywood moment that says everything about her personality: pulling over on Sunset Boulevard to rap for Dr. Dre.

The conversation also explores how Carrie uses music and performance to create a safe, welcoming space where people can feel connected, drop the mask, and remember they’re not alone. This is a powerful episode about turning pain into purpose, embracing vulnerability, and building a life rooted in truth, community, and hope.

In This Episode, We Cover

• Clinician to musician: how Carrie’s path evolved
• The Whiskey a Go Go show that felt “therapeutic” to the audience
• Identity, belonging, and finding your voice
• Addiction, sobriety, and the work behind long-term change
• Why vulnerability, community, and spiritual discipline matter in healing
• Turning pain into purpose, and using creativity to give back

Guest Links: Carrie Simmons
Instagram: @carriesimmonsofficial
Website: carriersimmonsofficial.com
YouTube: Carrie Simmons Channel

About Beyond the Window
Beyond the Window is a podcast from La Ventana Treatment Programs, featuring conversations about mental health, recovery, and real stories of transformation.

La Ventana Treatment Programs
Learn more: loveatreatment.com

Disclaimer
This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.

What does it really take to support men's mental health? In this episode of Beyond the Window, we go inside La Ventana Treatment Programs with the people on the front lines.

Hear from Clinical Directors Bryce Colvard, LMFT and Carla Fernandez, LCSW, Staff Trainer Allison Silipigni, and Mental Health Technician Joshua Peraza as they pull back the curtain on their work. They share raw stories about breaking down stigma, why "anger is just the surface emotion," and the transformative power of holding a boundary with empathy.

This is a candid look at the challenges, breakthroughs, and human connection that define modern mental health treatment.

Listen to discover:

• How to see past surface-level behaviors (like anger) to the real issues.
• The unique experience of women and men working in men's mental health.
• Why a "safe space" is built on structure and boundaries, not just comfort.
• The powerful, reparative work that helps clients rewrite their stories.

#MensMentalHealth #MentalHealthPodcast #Therapy #BreakTheStigma #LaVentana

Why do our children's actions trigger us so deeply? Our CCO, Sharon Volner, LMFT sits down with renowned clinician Dr. Bahareh Talei, Psy.D. for a game-changing conversation that flips the script on parenting. We explore the profound idea that our kids' behavior is often not a personal attack, but a mirror reflecting our own unmet needs and childhood wounds.

Dr. Talei offers her direct, compassionate wisdom on how to break the cycle of projection, stop taking things personally, and learn to parent the child you actually have—not the one you're trying to heal through. We tackle tough topics like setting boundaries without guilt, why doing your teen's homework (or college applications) hurts them, and how to move from reactive parenting to responsive understanding.

This episode is a must-listen for any parent, guardian, or caregiver who wants to build a healthier, more resilient relationship with their child—whether that child is 15 or 50.

Key Topics:

• Why we take our children's behavior personally
• Healing your own wounds so you don't pass them on
• The danger of over-involvement (helicopter parenting)
• The importance of letting kids fail (especially in middle school!)
• How to model emotional regulation and accountability
• Practical steps to parent from a place of understanding, not reaction

Find Dr. Bahareh Talei, Psy.D.
https://www.centerdcs.com/
https://www.hiveofhope.org/

Learn more about our treatment programs:
https://laventanatreatment.com/

What if your struggles aren’t entirely your own? In this raw and revelatory episode of Beyond the Window, Clinical Directors Carla Fernandez, LCSW and Jennifer Enriquez, LMFT and Steve Zamarripa, MBA, President and CEO of La Ventana, discuss how to unpack how generational trauma shapes addiction, mental health, and family dynamics. From personal stories of survival to groundbreaking science (like the "cherry blossom mouse study"), they explore:

• How trauma embeds itself in our DNA—and behaviors.
• Why breaking cycles requires more than willpower.
• The cultural stigmas that keep families silent.
• Practical steps to heal and reclaim your narrative.

Whether you’re navigating your own legacy or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers compassion, clarity, and a path forward.

🔹 Follow Beyond the Window for more on mental health and addiction recovery.
🔹 Visit [La Ventana’s Website] for resources.

#GenerationalTrauma #BreakTheCycle #MentalHealthPodcast

What if everything you’ve been told about addiction is incomplete—or even wrong?

In this profound episode of Beyond the Window, La Ventana Clinical Director,  Sharon Volner, LMFT, sits down with TJ Woodward—author, recovery expert, and creator of Conscious Recovery—to challenge the myths of brokenness and explore seven transformative principles for healing.

From “There is nothing wrong with you” to “The only prayer is thank you,” TJ shares how his own journey from addiction to ministry reveals a path back to wholeness. You’ll hear:

• Why addiction is a “brilliant strategy” (not a life sentence)
• How to heal trauma without retraumatizing yourself
• The shadow side of the treatment industry—and what’s changing
• Why connection, not willpower, is the antidote to shame
For those tired of “fixing” themselves and ready to remember their inherent worth.

🔗 Explore TJ’s work:

www.consciousrecovery.com
www.tjwoodward.com

💬 Join the conversation: What’s your “brilliant strategy”? Share in the comments below.

#AddictionRecovery #TraumaHealing #ConsciousRecovery #BeyondTheWindow

In this unfiltered episode of Beyond the Window, Director of Detox Gwendolyn Casella and La Ventana Alumni Laurie Sigelman go toe-to-toe with recovery’s hardest truths:

💊 Gwen’s hospice analogy: Why treating patients like "rock stars" is non-negotiable
🔗 Laurie's Ferragamo betrayal: How selling her husband’s shoes for pills became her turning point
🧠 The lie of ‘living clean’: Laurie's year of faking sobriety—and what finally broke her
👊 Jailhouse redemption: “I tell women behind bars: I was you. The difference? I surrendered.”

This isn’t a recovery podcast. This is a war story.

CONNECT:
🔗 Share this with someone fighting their own battle
🔔 SUBSCRIBE for raw conversations every Tuesday

#RockBottomToRecovery #AddictionAndRedemption #NoFilterRecovery

"Dead is dead. There's nothing glamorous about a box of ashes on your bedside table." - Sheila Scott

Nine years after losing her son Luke to an overdose, Sheila Scott has since founded the LukeLove Foundation to prevent other families from experiencing this pain. In this raw conversation on Beyond the Window, she reveals:

🔹 Why EVERY family needs naloxone (yes, even yours)
🔹 How 3 grains of fentanyl can be fatal
🔹 Why "good kids" are just as at risk
🔹 How teens are becoming overdose first responders

Sheila's story will change how you think about:
• The opioid crisis
• Teen drug use
• Grief that transforms into action

Take action today:
1️⃣ Get free naloxone training: www.lukelove.org
2️⃣ Share this video to break the stigma
3️⃣ Leave a comment with your thoughts

#OverdosePrevention #NarcanSavesLives #AddictionRecovery #HarmReduction #GriefAndHope

Subscribe to Beyond the Window for more conversations that challenge perspectives and create change.

When you hear 'psychiatric hospital,' what comes to mind? Straight jackets? Screaming patients? Hollywood has painted a terrifying picture—but the reality is far different. In this eye-opening episode, La Ventana’s Chief Clinical Officer Sharon Volner, LMFT sits down with Carla DiCandia, Director of Business Development at Oceanview Psychiatric Facility, to pull back the curtain on modern mental health care. They debunk the biggest myths (no, you won’t be ‘locked away forever’), reveal what treatment actually looks like, and share why psychiatric hospitals are just healthcare—with a lot more compassion. Whether you’ve considered treatment for yourself or a loved one—or just want to replace fear with facts—this conversation will change how you see mental health care forever.

For more information, visit www.ovphf.com

What if a piece of candy could pull you out of a panic attack? In this episode of Beyond the Window, La Ventana's Chief Clinical Officer Sharon Volner, LMFT sits down with team member Danielle Tilton, creator of Coca Candies—the first candy intentionally designed for mental health. From its origins in trauma therapy to its explosive sour-fizzy-sweet formula, discover how texture and flavor are revolutionizing grounding techniques. (Spoiler: Even our Chief Clinical Officer carries them on cliffside hikes.) Listen now—your toolkit is about to get sweeter.

"They’re in a better place" and other things we say to avoid sitting with grief. Debi Jenkins Frankle, M.S., LMFT, a grief specialist with 30+ years of experience, joins La Ventana Clinician Isabelle Pilato to dismantle myths about loss—including why it’s not a problem to solve, but a landscape to navigate. Learn how grief hides in your body, strains relationships, and reshapes your identity long after the world expects you to "move on."