In this episode, I chat with my BumbleBFF friend, Gwen. We discuss her history of depression and disordered eating, her gender transition from the beginning to now, and how she is currently balancing the emotions of excitement from her transition progress with the sadness from the loss of her marriage. 

In this episode, I chat with my cousin, Nicole. We discuss the term matrescence also known as the transition to motherhood. Nicole has three young children; one son who is diagnosed with Autism and thirsty for knowledge and two twin girls who are curious and filled with energy. We discuss Nicole’s journey through matrescence including her dive into learning more about Autism, advocating for her son’s supports, and the dark times she experienced while trying to balance care for her three children and herself as a stay at home mother.   

In this episode, I chat with my friend, Nikki. We discuss her history of alcohol abuse, how she struggled with identifying if she had an alcohol problem or not, and how she found her recovery program, Recovery Dharma. We also discuss parenting challenges and ADHD. The parenting book I reference and highly recommend in this episode is “Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful, Little Humans” by Michaeleen Doucleff. For those interested in learning more about Recovery Dharma, you can check out www.recoverydharma.org. Should you want to reach out to Nikki, you can contact her on Instagram at barnsiosauras. 

In this episode, I chat with my cousin, Ben. If you didn’t check out last week’s episode, I highly recommend doing so before or after this episode. In last week’s episode, I chatted with Faith about how her mental health impacts her life where Ben is mentioned several times as being an amazing and supportive partner. We continue the story of this dynamic duo as Ben shares about his journey of learning more about mental health, how he supports his wife in her struggles, and his acknowledgement of his own struggles with self-care and emotion expression all with a twist of humor. 

In this episode, I chat with my cousin’s wife, Faith. We discuss how bipolar disorder impacts her life, her experience with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), how medical marijuana has changed her life, and how she has turned one of her many coping skills into a unique small business. If you’re a pop culture fan, I highly recommend that you check out her creations at FeelinStabby on Etsy. She can also be found on Facebook at FeelinStabby or on Instagram at feelinstabbybyfaith.  

In this episode, I chat with my childhood friend, Tanialee. We discuss how she took a leap of faith and moved across the country, how she got into photography, how we are all our own worst critics, and how photography helps her to process difficult emotions. If you want to connect with Tanialee or check out her photography, you can reach out to her on Instagram at catchstars (personal) or tanialee.photo.

In this episode, I chat with my aunt-in-law, Dottie. We discuss my gram-in-law’s history with dementia and Alzheimer’s, Dottie’s experience of caregiving for her mother, how a daycare program changed their lives, and the importance of living in the moment and creating lasting memories.    

In this episode, I talk with my coaching client, Rickie. We discuss her father’s suicide, their relationship, her understanding of his mental health struggles, her struggles and breakthroughs regarding her own mental health, and how stigmatizing mental health can deter individuals from seeking help when needed.   

In this episode, I chat with my former client, Ryan. We discuss how people pleasing can keep us from knowing our true selves, how challenges help us to grow, how love found him when he was least expecting it, how his experience as a runner helps him to tackle other challenges in his life, and so much more. If you want to connect with Ryan, you can reach out to him on Instagram at ryan.vanvugt or via email at [email protected].

In this episode, I chat with my friend, Justin. We discuss his chaotic last three years, how he was impacted by childhood abuse and neglect, how as an adult he helped his mother to escape abuse, and how he went from being viewed as a “slow kid” in school to earning his PhD degree. This is a true story of overcoming.