This is a time of unprecedented stress regarding racial justice, police brutality, the election of 2020 and of course the Coronavirus. With all that is surrounding us, I wanted to bring you a special episode between seasons 1 and 2 (hence CIC EpS1.5). I am so excited for this special episode of my podcast called, "You Are Elegant: A Special CIC Episode w/Super Producer Mark "King" Batson" (on IG at @markbatsonrocks).

Mark has just dropped a new album of uplifting and affirming songs and I'm here to tell you it is awesome (you can find it right here) and on @ITunes / AppleMusic. Just so you know, in its first week, the album was #1 on the ITunes charts.

I had the honor of hosting my fellow @howard1867 Bison on my podcast where we discuss the impetus for his album, what he hopes people will gain from it and why he feels the time is now for an album like this. I really hope you will take a moment to download and listen; Mark is supporting #mentalhealth for #BIPOC communities with his work and I promise, you will find something in this new album to uplift and inspire you.

Enjoy this special episode (go hop on over to @youtube and @applepodcasts, subscribe, rate and share you can start here) and stay tuned for Season 2 of my #videopodcast coming very soon!

As always, you can find us across all social media at @couchedincolor (on Twitter) and @couched_in_color (on Instagram).

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble is a psychologist, author, founder of mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project and host of the mental health podcast "Couched in Color with Dr. Alfiee,"

(Part 2 of my conversation with the shining light Nikki Webber Allen)

This final episode of the season, part 2 of 2 parts, is particularly powerful and remains relevant for me and the CIC crew. Nikki Webber Allen is an Emmy award winning producer with a Ted Talk (yes THE TED Talk), currently at 2.3 million views and counting. Nikki talks openly about her own experiences with mental health, she describes her devastating loss of a loved one to mental illness and she openly shares with our audience her coping strategies, means of support and efforts to empower other through her nonprofit, I Live For...

In my closing thoughts for the season, I thanks loads of people which you'll hear and see on this episode (namely my family). I also promised, however, to name the woman who encouraged me to go for it and start my podcast. I only know her by her IG handle @rachaelroyds but I love her because she is the person who gave me the courage to press forward. Also thanking Ron Funches and Halston Ray because they both believe in me and went out of their way to get me set up. Wow! It makes me teary just to think about how kind so many strangers and new friends have been to me.

We'll be back for Season 2!! Stay with us ya'll!

You can Find I Live for on the web at www.ilivefor.org.

As always, you can find us across all social media at @couchedincolor (on Twitter) and @couched_in_color (on Instagram).

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble is a psychologist, author, founder of mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project and host of the mental health podcast "Couched in Color with Dr. Alfiee."

Earlier this week, I took a moment to reflect on Black women, our mental health, trauma, grief and recovery. I thought about Megan Thee Stallion and her traumatic experience with gun violence; the horrifying impacts of COVID-19 on Black women caring for children, spouses/partners, aging parents and working in essential professions (sometimes without PPE or other critical safety measures).

My teen daughter brought it all home for me when she told me, "mom I feel like Black women are the most unprotected women in the world". It was heavy and I felt sad that even my teen, with all of the energy I and my family pour into her, still sees so much in this work that leaves her weary.

So, this final episode of the season, part 1 of 2 parts, is particularly powerful for me and the CIC crew. Nikki Webber Allen is an Emmy award winning producer with a Ted Talk (yes THE TED Talk), currently at 2.3 million views and counting. Nikki talks openly about her own experiences with mental health, she describes her devastating loss of a loved one to mental illness and she openly shares with our audience her coping strategies, means of support and efforts to empower other through her nonprofit, I Live For...

I left this conversation feeling inspired and validated (and that wasn't even my goal going in!) As a bonus in this episode, I share how Nikki fundamentally changed my life (not even kidding) and if you listen to her story, she will fundamentally change yours too, so please take a moment to listen and subscribe.

You can Find I Live for on the web at www.ilivefor.org.

As always, you can find us across all social media at @couchedincolor (on Twitter) and @couched_in_color (on Instagram).

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble is a psychologist, author, founder of mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project and host of the mental health podcast "Couched in Color with Dr. Alfiee,"

Given recent news about Kanye West, his very public concerns related to his bipolar disorder and his family's public battle to support him, this episode could not be more timely. I am joined today by Mr. James Harris, a therapist (with a masters in clinical mental health counseling) a trauma survivor, author and mens mental health expert.

James very openly shared his lived experience as a ward of the state, a survivor of early childhood trauma, his military experiences and all of the life events that led him to want to heal and share his healing with others to teach them better ways to live. He authored a workbook called "Man, Just Express Yourself (which you can find online here: https://www.mentoheal.com/#the-book) and he tours the globe speaking with men seeking healing practices, the women and men who love them, boys and communities.

He offers many practical tips for men and women on how to support the men in your life in their journey to mental health.

I hope you enjoy the show.

Learn more about James, donate to his cause and buy his merchandise here www.mentoheal.com

As always, you can find us across all social media at @couchedincolor (on Twitter) and @couched_in_color (on Instagram).

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble is a psychologist, author, founder of mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project and host of the mental health podcast "Couched in Color with Dr. Alfiee".

Dr. Helen Hsu, a Stanford clinical psychologist, grief expert and expert consultant on the popular Nextflix show "13 Reasons Why" sat down with me to discuss mental health across cultures. Our conversation ranged from a vivid and enlightening discussion of how grief may look different in (what we know to be a highly diverse population) Asian and Asian American culture, to helping college students and their families manage mental health to the very popular TV show she consulted on and her thoughts on how we can be more honest, open and realistic about the mental health concerns of young people today.

Having lost my own mom when I was pregnant with my second child, I listened intently to Dr. Hsu describe a beautiful grief tribute that she witnessed in a colleague which reflected his Eastern perspective (which is very different from how we are socialized to grieve in Western culture).

As always, you can find us across all social media at @couchedincolor (on Twitter) and @couched_in_color (on Instagram).

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble is a psychologist, author, founder of mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project and host of the mental health podcast "Couched in Color with Dr. Alfiee".

This week, I sat down with Dr. Bowen Chung, a psychiatrist at UCLA Harborview Medical Center to discuss psychiatric science, health disparities research, socioeconomic status and their intersections with mental health for people of color (specifically African American and Latinx underserved communities).

Just a note: The video produced for this episode did not do Dr. Chung justice so when I received it, I decided it was best to not include it. This will be my only episode this season to not have both audio and video and I apologize to my audience for this.

Dr. Chung and I have known each other for over 15 years and we met just after we'd both completed training and were starting out as brand new researchers with a passion for justice in the mental health space. Dr. Chung has treated many children, adolescents and families over the years and still funds time to conduct research to both understand and eradicate mental health disparities in access to care and in the quality of care received.

So you can probably guess why he was a wonderful guest for me to have on the show. Pardon me as I dive into my nerdy self for a bit :). I really hope you enjoy the show and check out Dr. Chung's research here.

As always, you can find us across all social media at @couchedincolor (on Twitter) and @couched_in_color (on Instagram).

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble is a psychologist, author, founder of mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project and host of the mental health podcast "Couched in Color with Dr. Alfiee,"

This week, we had a really timely discussion about what it means to be both in the fight for social justice and an ally. Our guests, Sam Bissonnette and Andy Riemer are 2 creatives and trailblazers using media, early childhood education, Asian American studies, masculinity and women's studies along with a wealth of lived experience and passion to make a difference in our world.

Their work reflects the idea that we can never know a person's story just by looking at them and that we are all both person's impacted by social injustice and allies at the same time. They teach us to use our gifts and talents and most importantly, #privilege, in ways that benefit all. They also teach us that we should always strive to grow, be empathic and serve in our own way.

Sam and Andy inspire me and I know they will inspire you too.

As always, you can find us across all social media at @couchedincolor (on Twitter) and @couched_in_color (on Instagram).

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble is a psychologist, author, founder of mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project and host of the mental health podcast "Couched in Color with Dr. Alfiee,"

This week, we focus on global mental health in the African Diaspora. Our guest, Vanessa Adebayo, imagined and created a nonprofit focused on the health (including mental health) of our brothers and sisters in Africa. She implements conferences throughout the continent to raise awareness and stress the need for caring for our mental health. she also deploys health ambassadors as part of her Africa's Health Matters nonprofit initiative. Her work is essential and reflects the worldwide need for culturally relevant, accessible care. One of Vanessa's goals is to teach people that seeking care for yourself (so that you may become the best you that you can be) is not a selfish act.

(This is Ep 14 because we have 2 special mixes of Ep 12)

Learn More about Vanessa's organization Africa's Health Matters (and buy cool merch) at https://www.africashealthmatters.org/

As always, you can find us across all social media at @couchedincolor (on Twitter) and @couched_in_color (on Instagram).

In 2016, thirty-nine unarmed Black people were murdered at the hands of the police - 34% of them were Black men. Our founder, Jason Rosario - a product of a single-parent home in the Bronx, New York - created The Lives of Men as a vehicle to help change the narrative around Black and Latinx masculinity, and to combat the negative stereotypes of Black men perpetrated by law enforcement and mainstream media.

Angel White, Community Manager at Industrious, tells Dr. Alfiee about the additional pressures and expectations as a Black woman forging a business career.