While Mental Health is a topic that is increasingly talk about, there is still a stigma associated with it.  We still look at Mental Health through the lens of illness and miss the wellness piece.  We forget that mental health applies to every human on the planet.  In this episode, Dan discusses ways to destigmatize mental health by exploring some facts we would be better served to embrace and some language we could benefit from examining.

Life seems to come at us at a fast pace and from all different angles. It is human of us to get caught up in the storm of a given day.  We forget how helpful it can be to transition ourselves from where we have been to where we are presently.  In this episode, Dan talks about a simple practice that we can all use to be more connected and present in our daily experiences.     

Welcome back to Season 2 with a bit of a shift in format and content.  Season 2 will incorporate more practical ways to help individuals navigate this crazy thing called life.  In recognition of the difficulties that some are having finding mental health care, I wanted to bring some tools, skills, and discussion that might help others better navigate some of the challenges the last several years have thrown our way.  


In this first episode, we look at ways to improve emotional well-being.  It is common for people to feel as though they are engaged in self-care, but not finding the same benefits as they once did.  I take a look at some ways to take care of our emotional or feeling self to hopefully enhance the value of the self-care you are already engaged in.  

In this episode Dan talks about the importance of acknowledging the feelings we experience and work to welcome them.  We tend to ignore our feelings, which leads to us carrying them from one experience to another.  Through externalizing our feeling experience we can begin to see them as less scary or overwhelming and may even begin to understand them a bit more.   This practice helps us to cultivate a relationship with our feelings rather than pretending they aren't there.     

If you struggle to show yourself kindness, understanding, and/or compassion this episode is for you.  In this episode Dan shares some ways to practice self-compassion through seeing yourself as having potential rather than the labels and judgements of self-criticism.  Dan opens up about some personal experiences of self-compassion and how we can look at our success and lack of success to better see our potential.  

Please provide feedback on what you would like to hear or ways to improve to [email protected]. 

This episode features Brandy who shares her story of navigating the pandemic with two school age children with her husband deployed for military duty.  Brandy shares her own mental health story, her ongoing mental health wellness journey, and how she did her best to manage all things pandemic and deployment.  The bravery, vulnerability, resilience Brandy shares in this episode really paints a great picture of the importance of working every day at our mental health.   Brandy shares how being mindful and accepting of her experience and her emotions helps her find a way through an understandably challenging  year and so much more.  Huge thank you Brandy for your courage in sharing your story! 

In this episode, Dan talks about ways for us to support others when they are struggling.  Dan calls us to confront the notion that we can help others with their struggles and instead encourages us to create a helping environment.  Dan talks about the power of empathy and validation as ways to truly connect with others and how it leads others to feel empowered to find the solutions that they need.  This episode seek to challenge us to look at human struggle from a different paradigm.  

In this episode Dan talks about the importance of taking a different view of anxiety.  Dan challenges the notion that anxiety is something to avoid or control, but rather an experience to better understand.  Dan discusses some ways to offer yourself and others empathy and acceptance about our anxious experiences.  This episode explores the neuroscience of anxiety, how to acknowledge our feelings that underlie our anxious experience, and the importance of not allowing anxiety to define us.  

In this episode Dan talks with retired Brigadier General Chris Lawson about his years of service from and enlisted soldier to being a General working in the Pentagon.  In this episode guest Chris Lawson talks about his life serving in the military and the things that stuck out to him leading to a great dialogue about the role of mental health in leadership.  The episode dives into the importance of investing in others, seeing and believing in the potential of others, and how to create an environment where success can grow.   

In this episode we talk about the importance of taking care of yourself so you can be a more present and available parent.  This episode features Jon Eck, a parent educator, who shares his professional and personal experiences to help take a look at what makes managing emotions and parenting so hard a times.  Jon and I talk about some practical tips and tools that will hopefully get your mind thinking about some ways to take better care of you to improve your experience of parenting. We hope you enjoy!