In this episode, Nick speaks with KaRon Spriggs-Bethea to explore themes of self-expression, the impact of trauma on personal growth, and the importance of listening in therapeutic settings.

What to listen for:

• Self-expression can be tied to personal experiences and trauma

“Even if you can or cannot open that door, the choice to sometimes isn’t right”

• Just because a door is there doesn’t mean it’s the right time—or the right one—to walk through

“What am I feeling around that? Now that I look back at what was going on, what do I feel about that?”

• Looking back with curiosity—not judgment—helps reveal what truly mattered in past experiences.

About KaRon Spriggs-Bethea

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea is a licensed clinical social worker in Pennsylvania and social work professor at Herzing University. He recently received his Doctorate in Social Work from Capella University. In addition to teaching, KaRon provides therapy at his private practice, Let’s Talk Solutions, where he works with individuals from all walks of life.

• https://letstalksolutions.org/

Resources:

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Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show”

Nick McGowan (00:01.778)Hello and welcome to the Mindset and Self-Mastery Show. I’m your host, Nick McGowan. Today on the show we have Karan Spriggs-Bethea. Karan, how you doing?

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (00:04.956)I’m doing well. How are you?

Nick McGowan (00:15.025)I’m good. I’m good. I’m looking forward to this conversation. We were joking and laughing with each other a little bit before we hit record. So I think it’s gonna be a good one. And why don’t you get us kicked off? Tell us what you do for a living. And what’s one thing most people don’t know about you that’s maybe a little odd or bizarre.

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (00:17.612)Yes.

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (00:28.142)Maybe a little odd or bizarre. Yeah, so let’s see. So I’m a social worker. So I am a licensed clinical social worker in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I have my own private practice. And I also am a social work educator. So I teach at a university full time at this point. And yeah, I love it. And in thinking about.

What is something that most people don’t know that’s weird or bizarre? I’ve been thinking about this question ever since you brought it up and thinking, like I am a pretty open book. there’s not a lot of things that people don’t know about me. But let’s see, what?

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (01:18.19)I guess it’s not weird or bizarre, but I really like the art form of drag for the longest time. But when I first started, or for when I first moved to Pittsburgh, I should say, I wanted to actually go into drag and do drag. But I never, like that,

The spark never blossomed from that. Yeah. Yeah, like I said, it’s not weird or bizarre, I don’t think a lot of people know that I like drag, but I don’t think people know that I actually wanted to do drag.

Nick McGowan (01:50.894)okay

Nick McGowan (02:05.168)Well, this point, cat’s out of the bag, man. Like, you got to do it. You you’ve brought it up. This is the thing that sounds like it’s there. And, know, a part of the reason why I asked that question is to find out some things that, yeah, you might have like your immediate circle or the people that you talk to often. And then there’s also the people that don’t know you at all, that don’t know anything about you. So anything you say could potentially be out of bizarre. But there’s also, there’s also the things of like, what are the things that don’t typically come up?

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (02:06.678)Right.

Hahaha

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (02:23.566)Right?

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (02:28.718)True.

Nick McGowan (02:35.054)because I often see that those can be tied into our character. They can be tied into something that happened when we were younger. So even with that, like the fascination, the impression of things, the thought of it, the want, all of that, there’s something to it. And I think that probably ties into some of the work that you do. It certainly ties into who you are as a person. But then I also think there are certain things like,

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (02:36.374)Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Yeah

Nick McGowan (03:01.614)I’m not trying to call you out at all. But you’re like, Look, I thought about this thing. I haven’t done it yet. So we as the mental health side can then say, Well, what is that some of my timing, you know, like, well, I’m going to do it on Tuesday or something. But also just saying, Well, why do we hold ourselves back from things? Why is it that we want things that we hold ourselves back from? And how does that all tie into everything? So I appreciate that you brought that up. I think that’s a cool thing to be able to say where it’s like,

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (03:19.278)Why is it that we want things if we hold ourselves back from? And how does that all tie into everything? So I appreciate that you brought that up. think that’s a cool thing to be able to say.

Nick McGowan (03:29.55)would you just naturally bring it up? You know, unless somebody asked you that sort of question, we’re like, well, yeah, here’s this. But let’s actually get into that a little bit of like, there’s that fascination, the want to the excitement for, but still not moving with and then the work that you do within your social work that some of that stuff with those people, what they go through, abuse,

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (03:31.63)Right, Yeah.

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (03:40.595)Yeah

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (03:50.508)Yes.

Nick McGowan (03:54.97)different traumas, things of that sort that they’re like, I can’t, I don’t know what to do next. I don’t know how to do this. There’s similarities within that, aren’t there?

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (04:02.414)Absolutely, absolutely. And that’s, think that is what has drawn me to this work is that I saw myself not allowing myself to do the things that I wanted to do. Expressing myself in certain ways, being able to really sit with some of trauma or anything.

Really, even giving myself the space to be happy growing up, I did not allow myself to do it because there were thoughts of, should you be happy? Are you supposed to be happy? Or you deserved that to happen. So you have to stay in that space. And so thinking about when I’m working with my clients,

Nick McGowan (04:49.294)Damn.

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (04:57.282)That I will sometimes muster up some of those things that I’ve gone through. I don’t have to tell them that I’ve gone through it, but how can I help them recognize? It’s okay. It’s okay if you’re experiencing this, what can we do with that now? What were some of those things that came up that we can actually do with those now?

Nick McGowan (05:21.847)what heavy questions you know, it can be, I think about sometimes it can be a really safe and fun space for us to riff on these things, talk about them, talk about experiences, all of that, but we’re in a safe bubble right here. You know, you and I are and I’ve assumed the place that you’re in is safe. You know, we’re we’re in a safe spot to be able to talk about this. And we’re also not immediately triggered or in any danger, where we have to think differently or work through it. So it can be

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (05:27.406)Mm-hmm

Yeah, right

KaRon Spriggs-Bethea (05:46.86)Right, right.

Nick McGowan (05:51.832)kind of fun to like just work through the idea. But when people are really stuck in those thing...