Brainwaves by Opus

In this episode of Brainwaves by Opus, we’re joined by Molly Halbrooks, founder of Restore Counseling & Therapy in Belmont, North Carolina.

Molly shares her journey from solo private practice to building a small group practice and why community matters, both for clients and therapists. We dive deep into trauma therapy, including why Molly chose EMDR, how it works in plain language, and why so many clients describe it as life changing.

We also explore how mindfulness, breathwork, and body based practices can help regulate the nervous system, why tech and social media can isolate us into echo chambers, and what therapists do to protect their own capacity while holding heavy stories for others.

In this conversation:

• Why Molly moved from solo work to a group practice

• What EMDR is and why it can be so effective for trauma

• Trauma and memory: why it can feel like you’re reliving it

• A simple EMDR explanation: from “VR” to a picture

• Breathwork and mindfulness as a real world tool, not just a concept

• When EMDR may not be the right fit and what options exist

• Thoughts on psychedelics in trauma treatment and why the research matters

• Therapist burnout, capacity, and why solo trips can be self care

• Social media, boredom, creativity, and connection for kids and adults

Learn more about Molly’s practice: restorecounselingtherapy.com

In this episode of Brainwaves by Opus, Shawn Rickenbacker sits down with Mark Nolte, co-founder and CEO of Start Talking, a virtual therapy platform helping people access counseling through secure remote sessions.

Mark shares how his own experience seeking help for depression revealed a major barrier: the fear of being seen, judged, or stigmatized. That insight sparked Start Talking’s mission to make therapy private, convenient, and easier to stick with.

The conversation covers how COVID accelerated teletherapy adoption years ahead of predictions, why online sessions often reduce cancellations, and how AI can remove documentation and administrative burdens so therapists can spend more time with patients.

We explore:

• Why privacy and stigma still stop people from getting help

• How teletherapy expanded access for rural and underserved communities

• Why online therapy can reduce cancellations (and make care easier to follow through on)

• The realities of scaling a nationwide therapist network

• Where AI fits into mental health, from clinical notes to journaling insights

• Why the future belongs to clinicians who adopt AI tools responsibly

Learn more: www.starttalking.io

In this episode of Brainwaves by Opus, we’re joined by Nafisa Obi, licensed speech-language pathologist and co-founder of Essential Speech & ABA Therapy.

What began as a single outpatient speech therapy clinic in 2017 evolved into a multidisciplinary autism care model offering speech, occupational, and ABA therapy under one roof. Nafisa shares how fragmented care was burning out families and clinicians alike, and why collaboration became central to their mission.

Today, Essential Speech & ABA Therapy operates 18 clinics across corporate and franchise locations, expanding access while staying grounded in empathy, integrity, and excellence in care.

Topics we cover:

• Why fragmented autism care creates burnout for families

• Delivering speech, OT, and ABA therapy under one roof

• Conducting shared assessments across disciplines

• Using a single documentation platform for alignment and transparency

• Scaling through franchising without compromising culture

• Leading with empathy while maintaining accountability

• Treating families as part of the care team

📚 Book recommendation:
Crucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny

In this episode of Brainwaves by Opus, we sit down with Alex Kurian, co-founder of NuroCoach, to explore why so many patients feel stuck cycling through the same mental health treatments, and how NuroCoach is working to change that.

Drawing from his own experience as a patient, Alex shares how repeated medication adjustments and disconnected care models often fail to address underlying trauma and long-term wellness. NuroCoach was built to offer a more structured, holistic approach by integrating psychiatry, therapy, coaching, and neuromodulation into a phased care journey.

The conversation also dives into mental health stigma, especially within immigrant communities, the realities of affordability and insurance access, and the challenges of building a mission-driven organization without compromising values.

Topics we cover:

• Why patients feel trapped in repetitive mental health care cycles

• Addressing root causes instead of surface-level symptoms

• NuroCoach’s structured, phased care model

• The role of trauma in ADHD, depression, and anxiety

• Reducing stigma and increasing access to care

• Choosing insurance participation to expand reach

• Building trust and empowering patients toward independence

In this episode of Brainwaves by Opus, we sit down with Brian Tierney, Executive Director of Cura West in Denver, part of the Guardian Recovery Network.

Brian shares his journey from property management into addiction treatment, driven by his own long-term recovery and a desire to help others. Over the past decade, he’s worked his way up from entry-level roles to leading one of Colorado’s top detox and residential treatment centers.

At Cura West, Brian helped transform the program from a struggling startup into a high-performing, expanding facility, improving staff culture, patient satisfaction, and financial stability along the way.

Topics we cover:

• Transitioning into addiction treatment and overcoming financial fear

• Why working in recovery is not the same as personal recovery

• The value of starting in entry-level roles before leadership

• Building leadership teams that collaborate instead of operating in silos

• How staff experience directly impacts patient outcomes

• Turning around KPIs across staff retention, patient satisfaction, and finances

• Scaling responsibly from detox to residential and virtual IOP

• Why sustainable growth starts with stabilizing culture and care

Learn more:

• Cura West: https://curawest.com

• Guardian Recovery Network: https://grncare.com

In this episode of Brainwaves by Opus, we sit down with Tim Lewandowski, CEO of MindLab, a tech-for-good company launched from the Mental Health Association of San Francisco.

Tim shares how MindLab was created to bridge nonprofit mission with scalable technology, bringing evidence-based mental health tools to people worldwide without geographic barriers.

We explore Pocket Kado, MindLab’s first product developed with Stanford Medicine, a gamified cognitive behavioral therapy app designed to improve sleep and mental wellbeing. With a staggering 43,000-to-1 patient-to-provider ratio for CBT-I in the U.S., Tim explains why insomnia is one of the most underserved areas in mental health care, and how technology can help close that gap.

Topics we cover:

• How MindLab emerged from the Mental Health Association of San Francisco

• Why sleep plays a foundational role in mental health

• The shortage of CBT-I providers and what it means for patients

• How Pocket Kado uses gamification and mindfulness to build healthy sleep habits

• Designing technology that encourages people to put their phone down

• Balancing nonprofit ethics with for-profit scalability

• Using tech innovation to sustain mental health services amid funding cuts

Learn more:

• MindLab: https://mindlabmh.com

• Pocket Kado: Available on iOS and Android (learn more)

In this episode of Brainwaves by Opus, we sit down with Jennie Marie Battistin, LMFT, trauma specialist, author of Mindfulness for Teens in 10 Minutes a Day, and founder of Hope Therapy Center, a multi-location practice integrating EMDR, brainspotting, psychiatry, and psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Jennie Marie explains the neuroscience of trauma, why memories become “stuck” in the amygdala, and how EMDR and brainspotting help clients reprocess overwhelming experiences so they no longer dominate daily life.

She also shares her journey into ketamine-assisted therapy, the surprising outcomes she witnessed, and what makes someone a safe candidate for psychedelic-assisted care.

Topics we explore:

-How she discovered trauma recovery work in high school by “holding the story” for friends

-Why trauma gets stored in the amygdala and how EMDR moves it into the prefrontal cortex for reprocessing

-Brainspotting: how “where we look determines how we feel”

-What EMDR treatment timelines look like and why beliefs like “I am to blame” often attach to trauma

-Why Hope Therapy Center has a 96% success rate helping clients taper off psychotropic medications

-Mindfulness practices that change the brain in 30 days, especially for teens dealing with anxiety and social comparison

📚 Books Jennie Recommends:⁠

Mindfulness for Teens in 10 Minutes a Day⁠ by Jennie Marie Battistin⁠

Mindfulness for Teens Journal⁠ by Jennie Marie Battistin

⁠The Queen’s Path ⁠by Dr. Stacy Simmons

In this episode of Brainwaves by Opus, we sit down with Robyn Pendleton, LCSW, a clinician whose work spans foster care, shelters, community mental health, and culturally responsive trauma therapy.

Robyn brings a rare blend of clinical experience, cultural perspective, and personal healing — including her own journey reframing and expanding beyond domestic violence — to help individuals break cycles of transgenerational trauma.

She explores how inner child work, cultural identity, community context, epigenetics, and even biohacking shape the future of mental health care.

Topics we cover:

• Why “we're just all overgrown, large children” and how inner child work shapes adulthood

• What transgenerational trauma looks like in families, communities, and systems

• How to “not mirror brokenness” when working with clients

• Reframing inherited beliefs vs. inherent identity

• How core beliefs are formed, reinforced, and healed

• Epigenetics and why trauma can alter gene expression across generations

• Biohacking practices (cold plunges, fasting, breathwork, meditation) as tools for reclaiming control of the mind and body

• Robyn’s personal practice: Reframe Within, Expand Beyond

📚 Books Robyn Recommends:

• The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

• Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy DeGruy

• Unraveling by Deanna Lorea

In this episode of Brainwaves by Opus, we sit down with Wade Muhlhauser, Founder and CEO of Plugged In Recovery, a rapidly growing recovery organization in Scottsdale, Arizona that is redefining what compassionate, client-centered addiction treatment looks like.

Wade shares his powerful personal journey, from two decades of opioid addiction and homelessness to building one of Arizona’s most innovative recovery networks.

His leadership is rooted in empathy, honesty, and lived experience, qualities that shape Plugged In’s model and culture.

Topics include:

• How Wade’s personal journey shaped Plugged In’s mission

• The issues with profit-first treatment models

• Scaling a recovery organization through empathy and transparency

• Why overstaffing for individualized care leads to better outcomes

• Building a team and culture anchored in honesty, accountability, and compassion

• Why listening to clients is the foundation for effective recovery

📌 Resources Mentioned:

• Good to Great by Jim Collins

• Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell

• Plugged In Recovery Website: https://pluggedinrecovery.com