We've never had a comic who is also a former law professor married to a Rabbi before. Liz Glazer http://www.dearlizglazer.com/ is all of that and so much more. She's funny and real and talks about the grief and loss of her baby daughter, and all that surrounded the experience, including the comedy that came out of the horror.

If that's not enough for you, I don't know what to tell you.

Find my partner, the amazing Jennifer Kolari here: https://www.connectedparenting.com/

and visit us here: http://makelightmedia.com/podcast

Diana Chao is a real leader on a mission to create a connection and awareness of global mental health. At 24 years old, she is a climate scientist and the founder of https://www.letterstostrangers.org/, the world's largest youth run mental health organization. Check out her amazing Ted Talk at 19 https://youtu.be/qDstuXvsJTE

We talk about her life at 13, dealing with so many personal and family issues, that for a time she lost her sight. Diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, she decided to start writing letters, reaching out to strangers. And then inspired fellow students to do the same. Clubs formed at schools all over the world. Jennifer also gives tips about how to write to yourself, how to connect and get help through your own writing, how to get your brain out of survival mode. Diana was an immgrant from China and she talks about the importance of educating people about the mental health of immigrants, here in The U.S. and around the world. Find Diana on Instagram @dizzodin and @l2smentalhealth, and find jennifer here https://www.connectedparenting.com/

Find us everywhere and here at http://makelightmedia.com/podcast

Almie Rose is a talented writer and voice actor. No one can speak with authority on American Girl Doll Lunches and do guided meditation for cryin' out loud. She has a unique perspective as a pop culture journalist and voice over actor for guided meditation which you can hear at places like Insight Timer. We talk about everything from how to deal with obsessive thoughts to how she started working doing guided meditations. And Almie take us through a 1 minute guided meditation that will change your day. Jennifer also has tips and practices on how to use your imagination to change the direction of your thinking. As she often says "where thoughts go, energy flows." Almie has an amazing blog, and the best name for a blog I've ever heard, go to Apocalypstick.com. And listen to her podcast Something About Astrology, which she co-hosts with comic and actor Chris Dotson who happens to be her husband. Find Almie on Instagram @apocalypstick and check out all of Jennifer's amazing work, media, classes and services at connectedparenting.com

Erin is a leading expert in Eating Disorder Therapy and Treatment. She's also a clinical psychologist and an innovator who is the co-founder of Equip Health. https://equip.health/ Equip is a ground breaking virtual treatment center. This allows families to get help and stay in their homes rather than have to travel thousands of miles away from where they live to get help for their kids and themselves. In this episode, Erin talks about Family Based Treatment and Equip takes insurance, they have a special arrangement with insurance companies so kids can get the care they need. This is about mental health, not some rare disease. Eating disorders are a mental health issue, and it involves something we all face, how to relate to our thoughts and feelings. Find all our shows here http://makelightmedia.com/podcast. Look for the good.

It's a new season and everything's brand new except for my brain wiring from the mesozoic era. Had a really great talk with Patton about an incredible range of stuff he's experienced in his life, especially the last few years. He's real, open and clear about things that could kill most people. I especially loved his show Annihilation, so moving, it woke me up, laughing and crying for real. Many years ago, along with a few other comics, Robin Jones who was running The Nuart in LA, had a midnight screening of It's a Wonderful Life for us. I will never forget the looks on our faces. Great conversation. Happy, Healthy New Year to you!

Actress/Comic/Writer/Producer Kellye Howard joins Jennifer and I. The life traumas that she's been through would destroy most people. From being diagnosed with Bipolar Mania to the loss of her young daughter and son. (can't even begin to imagine this) Rather than go under, she gets curious, explores her own childhood traumas and the patterns of her life. And then goes on to create a solo show "Crazy or Nah" which ran at Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theater. Find Kellye's amazing work, TV and Films, podcast and much more here: https://www.kellyehoward.com/ Brilliant, brave and bold! And then I stop crying long enough to

have a question from our friend; actress and writer Cathy Ladman about how to stop negative spiraling in our heads. Jennifer and I role play it; it's an honor just being nominated. That this negative voice is actually there to protect us, an ancient program, and we can respond; a two way conversation between thoughts, feelings and me. (not me, just saying this for a friend). Find Jennifer's classes, podcasts, services, video and audio here: https://connectedparenting.com/

Find my stuff; content, programs, services and podcasts here: http://makelightmedia.com/

Lookforthegood!

Two multi-talented people; Karen and Francis have collaborated on a number of books and we talk about their latest WISE UP https://wiseupstoic.com/wise-up/ It’s about building a life worth living inspired by ancient philosophy, and told in letters to Duff’s teenage son Jack. What does modern day Stoicism look like? How does it relate to parenting, to self talk, helping and connecting with others? Asking for a friend. When you’re in survival mode, it can be a challenge to think about these things. To boldly going beyond survival in today’s world, it’s the new Star Trek. Duff also talks about living with pain from a chronic illness. We talk about parenting and how this kind of philosophy finds it’s way into Duff’s home and Francis with his daughter. Jennifer tells us “When kids learn from a phone, they’re getting Dopamine, when they learn from their parents, they’re getting Serotonin.” Serotonin, makes you feel more focused, emotionally stable, happier and calmer. Dopamine, gives you a sense of pleasure, and when it fades, you want to do something to get it again. A little background: Karen has been a model, MTV VJ, actress, correspondent for the Emmy-winning TV Nation, host of HBO’s “The Buzz,” Community Emergency Response Team member, a creator of the Tell a Joke to the Pope campaign, movie producer, and Buddist hospital chaplain. None of it prepared her fully for motherhood. Raising her son Jack, she drew on reserves of wisdom she found in the strangest of places–in the ancient Greek Stoic philosophers. Duff lives with her husband John Lambros, her son Jack Lambros, and her donkeys Jake and Mason. Francis has been a writer for more that 30 years and has worked with Karen Duffy for most of that time. With Duff, he’s written the New York Times bestseller “Model Patient,” “Backbone,” and now “Wise Up.” He’s also had extensive experience in documentary film and television. He has worked with documentarians including Michael Moore, RJ Cutler, Davis Guggenheim and many others. His films have premiered at Sundance and SXSW. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Jennifer, daughter Maria Lucia, and a crazy dog named Petunia. More Karen here: @duffynyc More Francis here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1007061/ and all the skills and thrills of Jennifer and her amazing org https://connectedparenting.com/ #Lookforthegood 

What a pleasure it is to have a conversation with Martin Olson. We’re talking Hell and Comedy, the Comedy of Hell and back, the psychology of twisting wicked humor, childlike silliness and imagination. Martin is one of the most respected comedy minds around, one of the founders of the Boston comedy scene and has done so much on shows like Adventure Time, Phineas & Ferb, Rocko’s Modern Life and collaboration with Bobcat Goldthwaite, Kevin Nealon, Steven Wright and many more. No one has such kindness and wicked imagination. Listen for his description of his books The Encylopedia of Hell volumes 1,2 and 3. Jennifer wasn’t present for this talk, but we recorded our chat about the shadow side of us and how we label emotions as good or bad and how emotions are information that send us signals; that what we call negative emotions are signals that we’re off the road, the brain is telling us something’s wrong and needs to be different. But we look at these emotions as the problem, instead of as the information or the symptom of the problem and we ignore them. How do we listen, feel it and let go? That, hell, comedy and how a little kid watching a character comic named Brother Theodore on The Merv Griffin Show, inspired Martin Olson’s brilliant work. Check out some of Martin’s work here https://www.martin-olson.com/adventure-time and his amazing books here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GJZM562/ref=dp_kinw_strp_2, and check out all of Jennifer’s amazing work, services, media, classes, books and community for skills, resilience, parenting, self parenting here: https://connectedparenting.com/ #LOOKFORTHEGOOD

Sam Demma is a 22 year old Ted Talker, a Youth Motivational Speaker an Entrepreneur and more. He inspires Students, Schools, Teachers, Companies everywhere. At 22 I knew a guy named Ted; that’s where I was at 22. On this episode Sam talks about the power of Small Consistent Actions. His goal was to play pro soccer and he was on his way as a teenager who played at a very high level, being invited to live with the pros in Europe over a summer. To find out what happened between that time and starting a movement based on picking up trash, listen to Sam. Also, Jennifer and I also explore motivation, changing your thinking, rewiring your brain, how your brain talks to you and how you talk to it. We talk about having a growth mindset, possibilities and how the word “yet” can change the way you approach life, to imagine possibility, to use “ladder” thinking. Thinking in very small steps. When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, he didn’t start with the words “That’s One Giant Leap for Mankind.” And we explore a skill of how to build community around a purpose, something that you value, that’s important to you, something that you love. Even in conversation, you can hear what a great speaker sounds like. Also interesting to me; was the way he pauses before he speaks. Find out all about Sam here: https://samdemma.com/ and if you haven’t seen it, check out his Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/sam_demma_small_consistent_actions and check out all of Jennifer’s amazing work, services, media, classes, books and community for skills, resilience, parenting, self parenting here: https://connectedparenting.com/ #LOOKFORTHEGOOD

Lorenzo Lewis is the founder of The Confess Project; an organization that trains Barbers to become Mental Health Advocates. They are committed to building a culture of Mental Health for Black Boys, Men and their Families. The project has trained over 1,300 barbers all over the country. It’s working in a big way and changing people’s lives in underserved communities. This whole movement; A Mental Health Barbershop Movement is personal to Lorenzo. It comes right out of his life. As a youth, he was incarcerated, suffered from all kinds of mental health issues. He learned about the power of confession and that we’re at our best when we are vulnerable. He also had an Aunt who had a beauty shop, and ther he saw this community come together and share their problems, while getting their hair done. This is where it all comes from. The idea of putting advocacy and mental health support where people congregate, where they go, that’s where a movement can happen. And if Barbers can be trained to become mental helath advocates can other groups? With this work, Lorenzo and the members of The Confess Project are teaching the world, that Mental Helath is not only a personal issue, it is a community issue. Find out more and help here https://www.theconfessproject.com/ and find out about Jennifer’s community of classes, services, podcasts and support groups here https://connectedparenting.com/ #LOOKFORTHEGOOD