The Season 6 finale of Going There with Dr. Mike is a powerful look back at the art of healing. In this special episode, host Dr. Mike Friedman revisits conversations with artists who have vulnerably shared their personal journeys, collectively showing that healing is not a single event but a continuous process of building a life that holds space for both our scars and our strength.

The episode highlights several key themes explored throughout the season. The journey often starts with finding belonging, as Kenny from The Head and the Heart shares how a welcoming community provided a crucial anchor that helped him become the person he wanted to be. The conversation also explores redefining grief, with Bishop Briggs offering a unique perspective, describing it as "glitter" that lives alongside us. Jordan Miller of The Beaches speaks honestly about the struggle of persona and finding a healthy balance, while Jim James of My Morning Jacket pinpoints the profound struggle of simply giving ourselves permission to heal. The episode culminates with Mon Rovîa's powerful philosophy of alchemizing what is broken, referencing the Japanese art of Kintsugi.

Dr. Mike also revisits his conversation with musician and social media personality Loren Gray, who speaks about her struggle with depression and the pressure of a public life. She discusses the stress of feeling like she had to exude a false sense of happiness and the importance of having the agency to heal on your own terms.

Listen to these powerful stories of hope and resilience in the Going There with Dr. Mike finale. Make sure to follow the podcast on your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows

Season 6 of Going There with Dr. Mike is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.

Singer-songwriter Mon Rovîa joins host Dr. Mike Friedman on Going There with Dr. Mike  to explore the profound and painful feeling of not belonging. The conversation begins with Mon unpacking the concept of reassuring ourselves that we are "meant to be here," set against the backdrop of his own life story. Born in the second Liberian Civil War and adopted by missionaries, Mon details his journey of navigating trauma and racism in America, which often led him to question his identity. The episode explores the weight of being a "token black kid," the silent anger that builds from microaggressions, and the danger of suppressing one’s feelings in an attempt to assimilate.

The conversation delves into Mon’s candid experience with finding a path toward healing and self-acceptance. He shares how music became a form of "alchemy"—a way to take the broken pieces of his past and glue them together into something beautiful and strong. Mon discusses how reconnecting with his history in Liberia and reading authors like James Baldwin helped him build the confidence to "wear the cracks" of his trauma. The episode explores how this journey is reflected in his "Afro Appalachian folk" music, which aims to take the "nutrients" from painful experiences to create a new, authentic identity.

Listen to Mon Rovîa talk with Dr. Mike about identity, racism, trauma, healing, and more. Then, make sure to follow Going There with Dr. Mike via your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.

Season 6 of  Going There with Dr. Mike is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.

On this archival episode of Going There with Dr. Mike, Dr Mike revisits a conversation with Bartees Strange. The Farm to Table artist joins host Dr. Mike Friedman for a discussion about the concept of validation and why it is so critical for maintaining strong mental health and emotional well-being.

Strange explains how he experienced the damaging effects of invalidation when dealing with racism, often feeling that some people in his life would either directly or inadvertently invalidate that experience. As an example, he describes growing up in Oklahoma and witnessing violence against black people and fearing violence against himself. When others told him he'd be "fine" or "safe," it didn't reassure him -- it only made him feel more frightened.

He also discusses the feelings of invalidation that came when others told him following his love of music was not a valid choice.

Listen to Bartees Strange talk with Dr. Mike about all this and more. Then, make sure to follow Going There with Dr. Mike via your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.

Season 6 of Going There with Dr. Mike is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.

Musician Luke Jenner, founding member of The Rapture, joins host Dr. Mike Friedman on  Going There with Dr. Mike to explore the profound experience of hopelessness, particularly in the context of coping with a family member's mental illness. The conversation begins with Luke unpacking the lyric, "I've seen no way out since I was a boy," and his journey of trying to save his mother, who lived with bipolar disorder and eventually died by suicide. The episode explores the intense internal battle of feeling unlovable, the weight of a family member's mental health struggles, and the various outlets—including baseball, music, and substance use—that provided a temporary escape. Please be advised this episode contains discussions of suicide and sexual abuse.

The conversation delves into Luke’s candid experience with finding a path to survival and recovery. He shares how the stage became a safe place to channel anger and how his band’s music was designed to give others permission to experience a transcendent release. Luke openly discusses his journey through 12-step programs and therapy, which led him to reframe his understanding of dependence and ultimately become a life coach. The episode explores how the DIY ethos of punk rock and the communal euphoria of rave culture merged to form The Rapture's mission: to create a space where people could forget themselves, enter their bodies, and experience the healing power of music.

Listen to Luke Jenner talk with Dr. Mike about hopelessness, family mental health, recovery, and more. Then, make sure to follow Going There with Dr. Mike via your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.

Season 6 of  Going There with Dr. Mike is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.

On this archival episode of Going There with Dr. Mike, Dr Mike revisits a conversation with Singer-songwriter Alessia Cara to share her struggle with anxiety and insomnia.

The “Scars to Your Beautiful” artist explains how she has struggled with insomnia throughout her life, and the vicious cycle by which her habitual sleeplessness is both fueled by and exacerbates her anxiety. In particular, she discusses how her catastrophic negative thoughts -- about frightening topics such as death -- will cause anxiety and keep her up at night. The resulting fatigue from poor sleep makes her vulnerable to future anxiety and negative thinking. Cara also talks about the various coping strategies she utilizes based on her experience in therapy.

Listen to Alessia Cara talk with Dr. Mike about all this and more. Then, make sure to follow Going There with Dr. Mike via your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.

Season 6 of Going There with Dr. Mike is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.

Musician Petey USA joins host Dr. Mike Friedman on Going There with Dr. Mike, to explore the debilitating experience of "the yips"—a sudden, unexplained loss of skill—and how that concept can apply to our mental health. The conversation begins with Petey’s experience of feeling that his brain was the source of his struggles, creating "self-inflicted" and "made up" barriers that held him back. The episode explores the intense internal battle between a traditional life path and a more authentic one, and how our own programming can trap us in a cycle of indecision and self-doubt.

The conversation delves into Petey’s candid experience with navigating his mental health, from the paradox of a "safe" job that felt risky in the long run, to the profound insight of how what we perceive as a safe choice can limit us. Petey openly shares the transformative moment he decided to go against his own programming, which was the catalyst for his professional and personal growth. The episode explores how the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic provided a moment of calm and clarity, and concludes with Petey’s "perfect day" routine and how Aaron Copeland’s "Billy the Kid Suite" helped him connect to the compelling story of an outlaw—someone willing to go against the grain.

Listen to Petey talk with Dr. Mike about the "yips," depression, self-doubt, and more. Then, make sure to follow Going There with Dr. Mike via your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.

Season 6 of Going There with Dr. Mike, is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.

On this archival episode of Going There with Dr. Mike, Dr Mike revisits a conversation with Musician Sarah Barthel of Phantogram who shares her struggle with devastating and traumatic loss in her life.

The Phantogram singer has been a fantastic mental health advocate over the years, and has been very forthcoming and outspoken about how she not only lost her sister, Becky, when she committed suicide, but also had previously lost her father to cancer, and coped with her mother and other friends having the disease. What the “You Don’t Get High Anymore” artist describes is years of different devastating losses one on top of another and how this repetitive loss can be traumatic to us. Such loss can be overwhelmingly horrible, not only because we lost people close to us, but also because it undermines our fundamental belief that we live in a safe and predictable world. And our sense that we are safe and that we have some level of control over our lives is critical to our own mental health and well-being. One of the things that Barthel talks about is how in the face of this loss, she tries to be a “superhero” who needs to be the one who says everything is ok, and tries to make it so. The problem is that often when we try to be strong for others, we inadvertently close off our own emotional processing, avoiding or suppressing the intense feelings that come from facing the suffering of others, or our own suffering. Barthel explains how she turned to music as a way of understanding, processing, and expressing her feelings in the face of devastating and traumatic situations.

Listen to Phantogram's Sarah Barthel talk with Dr. Mike about all this and more. Then, make sure to follow Going There with Dr. Mike via your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.

Season 6 of Going There with Dr. Mike is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.

Drummer for the acclaimed punk band PUP, Zack Mykula, joins host Dr. Mike Friedman on Going There with Dr. Mike to explore the debilitating experience of stage fright and its roots in generalized anxiety. Dr. Mike welcomes Zack to discuss his lifelong struggle with performance anxiety, which began with his very first show where he was "wrapped with fear." The conversation centers on the intense internal conflict between the body’s survival instinct and the mind’s desire to perform, and how this anxiety can be a rational, protective response to high-stakes situations. PUP's intense, high-energy music provides a resonant backdrop to the discussion, which delves into how we can learn to manage these powerful feelings by understanding their origins in our past.

The conversation delves into Zack’s candid experience with navigating his mental health, from the physical "armoring" and strain injuries caused by tension, to the exhausting internal battle of feeling trapped on stage. Zack openly shares the specifics of his healing journey, including the transformative power of therapies like DBT and IFS and the profound insight of learning to validate his own feelings rather than resisting them. The episode explores the long road from self-invalidation to self-compassion, the paradox of being unable to accept praise, and the universal challenge of accepting the person we are, anxiety and all.

Listen to Zack Mykula of PUP talk with Dr. Mike about stage fright, anxiety, self-talk, and more. Then, make sure to follow Going There with Dr. Mike via your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.

Season 6 of Going There with Dr. Mike is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.

On this archival episode of Going There with Dr. Mike, Dr Mike revisits a conversation with Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring who shares how he fell into the very dangerous and very common cycle of depression and addiction. Herring explains how this struggle has led to suicidal thoughts, a dependency on cocaine, and self-isolation, all of which have led to further depression and disconnection.

The As Long As You Are vocalist and songwriter states how he was able to explore his deepest and most frightening emotions by allowing himself to “touch the bottom” of his darkness. This, in turn, led him to accept his own negative feelings, helped him connect with people, and also express his love for others as part of his ongoing recovery.

Listen to Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring talk with Dr. Mike about all this and more. Then, make sure to follow Going There with Dr. Mike via your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.

Season 6 of Going There with Dr. Mike is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.

Singer, songwriter, and frontperson of the Grammy-nominated rock band My Morning Jacket, Jim James, joins host Dr. Mike Friedman on Going There with Dr. Mike to explore the profound challenge of trusting oneself while living with depression. Dr. Mike welcomes Jim to discuss his lifelong journey with what he calls an "error in his programming," a deep sadness that has been with him since consciousness. The conversation centers on how this depression can sever the connection to our inner truth and lead to a desperate search for external validation. My Morning Jacket's self-titled album provides a resonant backdrop to the discussion, which delves into how we can learn to listen to our own "soul's voice" amidst the noise of the world and our own self-doubt.

The conversation delves into Jim’s candid experience with navigating his mental health, from using alcohol as an "eraser" to escape the pain of being himself, to the exhausting rollercoaster of seeking self-worth through fame. Jim openly shares the specifics of his healing journey, including the transformative power of therapies like EMDR and the profound insight of becoming a "caretaker" for himself. The episode explores the long road from self-loathing to self-love, the cathartic power of music as a "life raft," and the universal challenge of finding the courage to love the person we are, right now, in this lifetime.

Listen to Jim James of My Morning Jacket talk with Dr. Mike about depression, self-trust, addiction, and more. Then, make sure to follow Going There with Dr. Mike via your favorite podcast provider to hear all the new episodes from Season 6. You can also follow the Consequence Podcast Network for updates on all our shows.

Season 6 of Going There with Dr. Mike is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson who believes that health is everything. Their strength in healthcare innovation empowers them to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through their expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, they are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com, on the JanssenUS and JNJInnovMed on X.