Over the holidays we're encouraged to be grateful for what we have, and sometimes, that's not a request, it's a demand. While feeling sincerely grateful is good for mental health, no one ever feels gratitude by force. Liana goes through where the lines are, and why gratitude can become resentment when it's not freely given.

Sometimes life isn't fair. So what do we do? Liana takes listeners through the science of how the brain responds to unfairness, and how to deal with it like a hero instead of a villain!

Prejudice and bigotry are common human failings, even among those who have experienced both. Liana talks to Gila Munster, a Toronto drag performer and charity fundraiser, about how antisemitism in the LGBTQ+ community motivated her to develop a greater sense of self and desire to help others.

Howie Mandel, the star of TV's America's Got Talent and Canada's Got Talent has been open about his mental health challenges. Liana talks to Howie about normalizing caring for our mental health in the same way we care for our dental health. Plus, Liana goes in-depth on her Top 10 Rules for checking in with your best self.

Shame. It's something that touches, and damages, us all. Liana shares her raw, honest, personal battle with shame and its childhood origins and talks to Tina Schermer Sellers, PhD, author, licensed marriage and family therapist, and certified sex therapist about how to overcome shame that stunts our self-worth, infects our relationships and hurts our intimate and sexual connections.

Processing negative emotions is a learned skill... that a lot of people don't learn!
Liana talks to psychology researcher Richard Contrada, Ph.D. of Rutgers University about how to channel being sad, angry, disappointed, ashamed, or dejected into tools for positive change.

Vincent Van Gogh created many of his greatest masterpieces while in a psychiatric hospital. Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson wrote classic hits while dealing with mental illness. The list goes on. Some believe that the creative impulse and mental health challenges often go hand in hand. In this episode, Liana talks with James 'Grim' Desborough (https://post-mort.com/), UK tabletop game writer and artist, about how he manages the relationship between his depression and his creative work.

The first thing to understand about Autism - there is no one-size-fits-all way to understand Autism. It's called a 'spectrum' for a reason. It's a different way of viewing the world, not a disease, so Liana and Ingrid, an autistic friend, offer some primers to help you understand your neurodivergent friends, family, and colleagues.

"What if I F up?" It's a fear that stops conversations before they start. Beginning a conversation can stir up multiple "What if?" anxieties - but relax! Breaking the ice is easier than you think! Liana and Kevin Bennet, PhD, professor of social-personality psychology, talk about how you can overcome the pre-conversation jitters.

"So what?" Those two words have the power to free us from the anxiety, fear, and dread that keep our lives stuck in a bad place. Author and psychotherapist Richard Joelson joins Liana to relate how he helps his clients cope with and overcome obstacles and live happy, fulfilling lives.