Mental Health Momentum

You can have the Ph.D. You can have the patents. You can even be a rocket scientist, and still walk into a room wondering whether you belong there.

Dr. Angela Trego knows that feeling firsthand.

On this episode of Mental Health Momentum, Silicon Slopes Director of Mental Health Awareness and licensed psychologist Dr. David Morgan sits down with Dr. Trego, a rocket scientist turned confidence and communication expert and #1 bestselling author of Squashing the Imposter Syndrome.

Early in her engineering career at Boeing, Trego found herself as the only woman among roughly 200 men. Her credentials said she belonged. Her internal voice sometimes told a very different story.

That experience eventually became part of a much larger professional mission: understanding why capable, accomplished people doubt themselves—and helping them develop the confidence to contribute at their full potential.

“Too often, the internal feelings don't match that external reality,” Trego tells Morgan.

In this conversation, Morgan and Trego explore the connection between imposter syndrome, self-doubt, confidence, mental health, leadership, and professional performance. Trego explains why imposter syndrome isn't limited to executives, highly educated professionals, or women. Her research has included people across genders, cultures, professions, and ages, and she has seen the same fundamental question surface again and again:

Do I really belong here?

Trego argues that when talented employees lack the confidence to speak up, share ideas, take risks, or contribute their expertise, organizations lose some of the very talent they worked so hard to hire.

In this episode:

• What imposter syndrome actually feels like

• Why accomplishments don't automatically eliminate self-doubt

• Trego's experience as the only woman on a large engineering team

• The difference between our internal perceptions and external reality

• How confidence affects professional performance

• Why talented employees sometimes stay silent

• Imposter syndrome among men and women

• Confidence, communication, and leadership

• Moving from technical expertise into a completely different career

• Why organizations should care when employees don't believe they belong

The conversation also explores Trego's unconventional career journey from mechanical engineering and aerospace to professional development, communication, leadership, and confidence and why technical expertise alone doesn't always prepare people to recognize their own value. 

Don’t miss this fascinating conversation with one of the most authentic voices in business leadership today. 

What does a parent do when a child says, “I want to die”?

In this episode of Mental Health Momentum, Silicon Slopes Director of Mental Health Awareness and licensed psychologist Dr. David Morgan sits down with Aimee Winder Newton, founder and principal of AWN Strategies, to talk about youth mental health, suicide prevention, social media, and the urgent need to support families before they reach a crisis point.

As a Salt Lake County council member, Aimee brings years of experience in public policy, family advocacy, and community leadership. And as the inaugural director of the Utah Office of Families, she helped advance initiatives involving youth mental health education, social media protections, home-visiting programs, family-friendly policies, and resources designed to improve outcomes for children.

But her commitment to this work is also deeply personal.

In this episode, Aimee recounts the night her son came to her and said he wanted to die. With her husband out of town and no clear understanding of where to turn, she took him to an emergency room and began navigating a behavioral health system that felt confusing even to someone serving in county government.

That experience helped shape her advocacy for clearer crisis resources, including Utah’s work surrounding the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and strengthened her conviction that families need simple, accessible information before an emergency occurs.

Together, Aimee and Dr. Morgan discuss:

• What parents can do when a child expresses suicidal thoughts.

• Why families need clearer pathways to mental health crisis support.

• How Aimee’s family experiences shaped her public policy work.

• Why youth mental health requires prevention as well as treatment.

• The connection between social media use, anxiety, depression, and loneliness among young people.

• Why communities cannot rely solely on therapists and hospitals to solve the youth mental health crisis.

• How open conversations can reduce shame and help families seek support sooner.

Dr. Morgan and Aimee also explore the growing strain on the mental health system. As more young people recognize that they need help, families frequently encounter therapist shortages, long waiting lists, and uncertainty about which level of care is appropriate.

That reality makes upstream prevention increasingly important. Rather than waiting until children reach a breaking point, Aimee argues that parents, schools, healthcare providers, technology companies, and policymakers must examine the conditions contributing to declining youth mental health.

Finally, Aimee discusses efforts to protect children from online harms and encourages families to look honestly at how screen time may be affecting sleep, relationships, self-image, anxiety, and depression. Her previous work included social media education and policy efforts intended to protect Utah children and strengthen family connections.

In this episode of Mental Health Momentum, host Dr. David Morgan, licensed psychologist and Director of Mental Health Awareness at Silicon Slopes, welcomes James Brown, Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, media executive, and Executive Director of Living and Aging with Pride, for an inspiring conversation about aging, communication, and why genuine human connection remains one of the most powerful forms of mental health care.

With decades of experience in television, journalism, and community advocacy, James reflects on how society's conversations about mental health have evolved and why older adults are too often left out of them. 

James argues that today's epidemic of loneliness isn't simply about being alone; it's about no longer feeling seen, heard, or valued.

Together, Dr. Morgan and James explore:

• Why communication is one of the most overlooked tools for improving mental health.

• How technology has changed the way we connect—and what may have been lost along the way.

• Why older adults face unique emotional and mental health challenges.

• The importance of creating purpose, dignity, and belonging later in life.

• How Living and Aging with Pride is changing the conversation around healthy aging.

James also shares the deeply personal story that inspired Living and Aging with Pride. After experiencing divorce, financial hardship, and moving into a community filled with isolated seniors, he recognized a troubling reality: too many older adults felt forgotten. That experience became the catalyst for creating a platform dedicated to celebrating aging with purpose, connection, and hope.

Whether you're caring for aging parents, planning for your own future, working in healthcare, or simply interested in building stronger relationships, this episode offers practical wisdom and timeless reminders that meaningful conversations still matter.

Adolescence has always been challenging, but today's teens are navigating a level of emotional complexity unlike any previous generation.

In this episode of Mental Health Momentum, host Dr. David Morgan, licensed psychologist and Director of Mental Health Awareness at Silicon Slopes, welcomes Brent Esplin, LMFT, Executive Director of OASIS Ascent, for an honest conversation about adolescent mental health, residential treatment, and what families need to know when a teenager is struggling.

Drawing on more than 25 years of experience working with teens and their families, Brent shares how a talent for listening led him into a career helping adolescents through some of life's most difficult moments. He also explains why he chose residential treatment over private practice and how creating the right therapeutic environment can make all the difference in a young person's recovery.

Together, Brent and Dr. Morgan discuss:

• Why adolescence is one of life's most vulnerable stages.

• What residential treatment really looks like—and how it differs from psychiatric hospitalization.

• The importance of creating safe, home-like environments that support healing.

• How therapists develop their expertise through supervision, experience, and specialized training.

• Why listening is one of the most powerful tools in mental health care.

Whether you're a parent, educator, therapist, or simply passionate about improving youth mental health, this episode offers practical insights from two experienced clinicians dedicated to helping young people thrive.

Every parent hopes they'll never receive that phone call.

For Britany Davies, it came from her son's school counselor. An algorithm had flagged private journal entries that suggested her 12-year-old was struggling emotionally. In an instant, the accomplished HR executive, people leader, and mother found herself confronting one of the most frightening moments a parent can experience.

In this heartfelt episode of Mental Health Momentum, host Dr. David Morgan, licensed psychologist and Director of Mental Health Awareness at Silicon Slopes, welcomes Brittany Davies, former Chief People Officer at Fullcast, workplace culture strategist, and creator of The At Will Economy podcast.

Brit shares her family's deeply personal journey navigating anxiety, ADHD, and the unique mental health challenges that often accompany Type 1 diabetes. She explains how the constant demands of managing a chronic illness—from interrupted sleep to relentless responsibility at a young age—can quietly affect emotional well-being, even in children who appear happy, resilient, and thriving. 

Throughout the conversation, Brit reminds us that mental health struggles are often invisible until someone feels safe enough to share them.

The discussion also explores Brit’s own experience with anxiety and ADHD, her passion for creating healthier workplaces, and the importance of recognizing that behind every employee, leader, and child is a human being carrying experiences we may never see.

Since this conversation was recorded, Brit has moved on from her role as Chief People Officer at Fullcast and is cultivating her next season of professional growth. Like any well-tended garden, careers evolve through changing seasons. Sometimes growth requires pruning what no longer serves us, planting new ideas before we can see the harvest, and trusting that today's quiet season is preparing tomorrow's opportunity. 

Brit’s thoughtful leadership and people-first philosophy continue to influence those around her, and this next chapter promises new ways to help individuals and organizations flourish.

In This Episode

• A parent's perspective after discovering a child's hidden mental health struggle

• The connection between Type 1 diabetes and anxiety

• Why chronic illness affects emotional well-being

• Supporting children through mental health challenges

• Living with anxiety and ADHD as an adult

• Creating psychologically healthy workplaces

• Leading with empathy during uncertainty

• How career transitions create space for new growth

• Why every season—even difficult ones—has something to teach us

Whether you're raising children, managing a team, living with chronic illness, or navigating your own career transition, this episode is a reminder that growth rarely happens all at once. It happens one conversation, one challenge, and one season at a time.

Success stories usually begin with the moment everything worked.

This one begins with rejection, identity, divorce, and learning how to rebuild.

In this episode of Mental Health Momentum, host Dr. David Morgan sits down with entrepreneur Chrisi Hammer, Co-Founder and CEO of Sunshine Buns, to explore the deeply personal experiences that shaped the resilient leader she is today.

Known for building one of the fastest-growing emerging brands in the baked goods industry, Chrisi reveals that her greatest lessons didn't come from fundraising, product launches, or retail expansion. They came from navigating adoption, becoming a single mother after divorce, and learning to embrace difficult conversations that previous generations often avoided.

With remarkable honesty, Chrisi explains how being adopted as a newborn left her wrestling with questions of identity and belonging for decades. She shares how meeting her birth mother transformed her understanding of herself, while also bringing healing to every branch of her family tree. Along the way, she discusses why resilience isn't something you're born with—it's something you build by choosing to face life's hardest moments instead of running from them.

In This Episode

• How adoption shapes identity long after childhood

• The emotional journey of reconnecting with a birth parent

• Why previous generations rarely talked about mental health

• How divorce and single parenthood can become catalysts for growth

• The relationship between resilience and entrepreneurship

• Why doing hard things changes who you become

• Building confidence after rejection and uncertainty

• How difficult experiences can become your greatest competitive advantage

Whether you're an entrepreneur, parent, adopted child, or someone navigating your own search for identity, this conversation is a reminder that our greatest challenges often become the foundation for our greatest purpose.

What if the anxiety, burnout, or self-doubt you've carried for years isn't who you are but the result of experiences your nervous system never had the chance to process?

In this episode of Mental Health Momentum, host Dr. David Morgan welcomes licensed clinical social worker, trauma therapist, speaker, and Healing Feathers founder Ronda Davis to discuss her unique journey trauma, resilience, grief, and the science of healing.

Drawing from both her early personal experiences and now her professional expertise, Ronda understands that trauma isn't limited to catastrophic events. Sometimes it's growing up in chaos, being bullied, losing someone you love, navigating divorce, or living with years of chronic stress. 

David and Ronda share how these experiences shape our nervous systems, influence our relationships, and quietly affect how we perform at work and show up in everyday life.

Losing her father became the catalyst for Ronda to open her own practice and help others move beyond survival mode. Together, she and David break down common misconceptions about trauma, discuss why therapy isn't a life sentence, and offer hope that healing is possible for anyone willing to begin the work.

In This Episode

• Why trauma isn't always one catastrophic event

• How childhood experiences shape adult relationships and behavior

• The connection between trauma, anxiety, burnout, and workplace performance

• Why your nervous system matters more than you realize

• The misconceptions that keep people from seeking therapy

• Why healing is about moving beyond survival—not becoming someone new

• How businesses can create healthier, more resilient workplaces

• Why your story deserves to be told, no matter how "big" or "small" it feels

Whether you're navigating grief, anxiety, burnout, childhood adversity, or simply trying to better understand yourself, this conversation offers practical insight and compassionate encouragement that healing is never out of reach.

In this episode of Mental Health Momentum, host Dr. David Morgan sits down with Chris Yadon, Managing Director of the nonprofit organization Saprea and author of the forthcoming book Numb: Learning How to Feel in a Disconnected World.

Chris shares a personal story of growing up amid family instability, emotional pain, and uncertainty and how those experiences taught him to disconnect from his feelings in order to survive. 

For years, emotional numbing helped him cope. But when he found himself unable to grieve the loss of his beloved grandfather, he realized the protective wall he had built had become a prison.

Together, Chris and Dr. Morgan explore:

• Why emotional numbing is often an adaptive response to childhood trauma

• How emotional disconnection impacts relationships, leadership, and mental health

• The hidden costs of "feeling fine"

• Why loneliness and disconnection are rising despite unprecedented digital connectivity

• Practical ways to reconnect with your emotions and build deeper relationships

• Lessons from Chris's work helping survivors of child sexual abuse heal and recover

• The surprising connection between emotional awareness and effective leadership

• And much more. 

Chris also shares how his career evolved from managing tech startups to leading Saprea, a global nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors heal and preventing child sexual abuse. Along the way, he discovered that his personal journey and professional mission were more connected than he ever imagined.

Whether you're a leader, parent, entrepreneur, mental health advocate, or someone trying to better understand yourself, this conversation offers research-backed insights and heartfelt wisdom on what it means to truly feel again.

What happens when life falls apart, and you have to rebuild it from scratch?

In this episode of Mental Health Momentum, Dr. David Morgan sits down with Cierra Clayson, Brand Manager at Minky Couture, Utah Valley BusinessQ 40 Under 40 honoree, and a mother whose journey has been shaped by profound loss, resilience, and reinvention.

After spending a decade as a stay-at-home mom, Cierra unexpectedly found herself navigating divorce, re-entering the workforce, and rebuilding her identity. What followed was a remarkable career transformation that helped grow Minky Couture into a nationally recognized brand through partnerships with organizations including the NBA, Paramount Pictures, Crumbl, BYU, UVU, and more.

But behind the professional success is a deeply personal story.

Cierra opens up about losing her five-day-old son, Jack, and the lasting impact that grief has had on her life. She shares how she spent years trying to stay strong for everyone around her, only to discover that true healing comes from allowing yourself to sit with pain rather than avoiding it.

Together, Dr. Morgan and Cierra discuss grief, divorce, motherhood, social media, comparison culture, resilience, and why some of life's hardest experiences become the foundation for our greatest growth.

In This Episode

• Re-entering the workforce after 10 years as a stay-at-home mom

• Building a successful career after divorce

• The loss of Cierra's infant son, Jack

• Why grief never completely disappears

• The importance of sitting with difficult emotions

• Raising resilient children through life's challenges

• How service can help us heal

• Social media's impact on mental health

• Comparison culture and women in leadership

• Finding joy and purpose after devastating setbacks

This conversation is candid, hopeful, and ultimately a reminder that healing doesn't mean avoiding hardship; it means learning how to move through it.

In this episode of Mental Health Momentum, host Dr. David Morgan sits down with Nicole Davis, founder of Inland Sea and one of Utah's most respected brand strategists, for a candid conversation about mental health, identity, work, social media, and the importance of personal agency.

Nicole talks about her first experience with therapy as a young teenager struggling through high school. Rather than viewing herself as broken, she began questioning whether the environment around her was contributing to her distress. That realization sparked a lifelong curiosity about resilience, self-awareness, and finding solutions that actually work.

This discussion explores the challenges many people face when they feel trapped by expectations, whether in school, the workplace, or society at large. Nicole and David discuss how empowerment, purpose, and meaningful contribution can have a profound impact on mental well-being.

They also tackle one of the most pressing issues of modern life: social media. Drawing from her decades of experience in branding and communications, Nicole offers an honest perspective on both the benefits and dangers of digital platforms, including the ways algorithms shape perception, fuel division, and influence self-worth.

In This Episode

• Nicole's first experience with therapy at age 13

• Why high school felt "diminishing and hostile"

• The surprising lesson she learned about personal agency

• How empowerment impacts mental health outcomes

• What workplaces can do to help employees thrive

• The hidden mental health costs of social media

• Why marketers have a complicated relationship with digital platforms

• The role AI is playing in communication, branding, and human connection

• How to stay grounded in an increasingly digital world

If you've ever questioned whether the systems around you are helping you thrive—or simply teaching you how to survive—this episode will challenge you to think differently.