By Bigger Picture
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The podcast currently has 12 episodes available.
As a college student majoring in psychology, Dr. Rheeda Walker quickly discovered her calling after recognizing Black people were largely absent in her field. “People who looked like me didn't seem to be represented in the psychology texts. Not in the theories, not in the stories, not in the hypotheses, not in anything,” she says. Today, as a licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Walker focuses on suicidal ideation and the prevention of suicide and the urgency it has in Black mental health.
In 2016, she noticed a troubling pattern. Research showed that the suicide rate among 5 to 11 year old Black children exceeded the rate of white kids at the same age. Additionally, while suicide rates for white children declined, they'd actually increased for Black children. When these statistics only worsened through repeated studies, Dr. Walker knew that she had to act.
In 2020, she wrote a book called “The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health” arguing that “in this era of discrimination, invisibility, and psychological warfare, Black people need so much more than mental health or well-being. They need an impermeable web of protection for [their minds].” Dr. Walker calls this "psychological fortitude” and she believes it goes beyond serving individuals. “It's about healing the community…then we're able to not just heal ourselves, but maybe be a model for a larger society,” Dr. Walker says.
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Dr. Rheeda Walker is a licensed clinical psychologist, psychology professor at Wayne State University, and author of several books including “The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health.” You can find more of her work on her website rheedawalkerphd.com.
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In 1986, after two marriages, three children and a successful career, Byron Katie found herself in a downward spiral. She was so depressed she could barely leave the house and her family walked on eggshells around her. After years of feeling hopeless and isolated, she enrolled in a halfway house to get some help. And one day while she was there, she had an epiphany: our thoughts are so powerful they can create a painful reality that doesn’t actually exist. This breakthrough provided the foundation for “The Work” or self-inquiry, a simple four-step technique.
Byron Katie models this practice, guiding Tim from anxious thoughts about the future into the beautiful reality of the present. “A fearful mind is a dangerous mind,” Byron Katie says, “so when I question what I was believing, then it shifts my world.” She says that practicing the work “leaves you freer to do important things in the world” by helping you live with an open mind ready to “love the world without conditions.”
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Byron Katie is a self-taught practitioner, speaker, and bestselling author of “Loving What Is.” You can visit her website thework.com to find her book, her podcast, and upcoming events.
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve all been wounded (some more than others) and “we’re all in need of recovery,” Killian Noe says. After four decades of working with people healing from all kinds of addictions, she has found that the most powerful support we can offer is a caring community where people can show up fully as themselves, without judgment.
In 2003 in Seattle, Killian co-founded Recovery Cafe, a community center that provides everything from meals to barista training to medical care to people in recovery. Guided by the truth that every human being is precious and worthy of love, the cafes appoint “ministers of presence” whose focus isn’t to fix the person in front of them but to sit with them and listen to their story. Killian talks with Tim about how presence shows up in her own life, guiding him through what she calls “a practice of return to unconditional love,” an exercise that helps her deal with shame, anger, and pain. “At any point in the day, [I can] return to that place of unconditional love… where my true identity lies,” Killian says.
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Killian Noe is the founding director of Recovery Cafe. Before starting Recovery Café in 2004 with Ruby Takushi, Killian co-founded Samaritan Inns, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. which provides transitional and longer-term drug- and alcohol-free, community-oriented housing for people recovering from homelessness, addiction, and other mental health challenges. She has written about Samaritan Inns in Finding Our Way Home and about Recovery Café in Descent Into Love.
Learn how to bring a Recovery Cafe to your town or city at recoverycafenetwork.org. Killian’s team will provide the training, support and all of the community you need.
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On his hit shows “On the Road with Steve Hartman” and “Kindness 101,” CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman shines a light on the extraordinary human beings he meets across the country, the nuggets of wisdom they share, and the compassionate actions they take in response to the needs of those around them: a girl raising money to grant ‘wishes’ for local nursing home residents, popular kids ensuring students on the fringes never have to eat lunch alone, or a man who simply takes the time to sit and listen to his neighbors. “We all need examples,” Steve says, “We can't just be told to do these things. We need to see people doing them and see the results that they earn before we can really want to internalize it and make it part of our lives.”
In moments when the country feels especially divided–like this election year–Steve’s secret is that he refuses to dwell in negativity. He believes that focusing instead on the very best in humanity, one story at a time, especially in news coverage, is the key to finding our way back to one another. “You put seeds out there and they may not grow right away. A seed can sit in the soil for 20 years and still come up,” Steve says, “Changing our course starts with empathy…and helping others.”
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Steve Hartman has been a CBS News correspondent for almost thirty years. He’s best known for his weekly feature segment “On the Road With Steve Hartman” modeled after the late, great newsman Charles Kuralt’s long-running series of the same name. On the show, Steve shares heartfelt stories about the incredible people he meets as he travels around the country. With the help of two of his kids, Meryl and Emmett, he hosts a segment called “Kindness 101,” airing weekly on CBS Mornings. They cover everything from purpose, altruism, gratitude, and empathy. Stories that are now being used to teach character in classrooms all around the world.
You can find more of Steve’s work on CBSNews.com and watch his stories from On the Road and Kindness 101 on the CBS Evening News and CBS Mornings YouTube channels.
Watch the stories mentioned in this episode:
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Before running 26 marathons and winning 6 gold medals in the Special Olympics, Loretta Claiborne dealt with a lot of anger. She was bullied for her intellectual disability by both her peers and teachers. But when Loretta discovered running, she found a way to process her emotions as well as a community where she was cherished. She compares discovering her identity as an athlete to finding a new pair of pants that fit perfectly. Loretta believes that teamwork and play have a spiritual quality, one that can bring us together. “Everybody says, ‘Oh, we're all the same.’ We're not all the same. We are different. But it doesn't matter, we have a common bond,” Loretta says.
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Loretta Claiborne is runner, motivational speaker, and Special Olympics Athlete. You can find out more about her work at lorettaclaiborne.com.
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Simon Sinek’s mission is to figure out how to build a world where we’re more connected to each other through shared purpose and service. His research, which included studying businesses around the country and being embedded in the military, has brought Simon to some surprisingly simple truths. “Every single person who is at work is a human being,” he told Tim. “And it turns out all human beings want the exact same things. They want to feel seen. They want to feel heard. They want to feel understood. They want to feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves.”
His TED Talks have been seen by millions of people, and his book “Leaders Eat Last” is a bestseller. But his approach isn’t complicated. He told Tim that if we treat people better, they’ll be more engaged and ready to treat other people better, too. That ripple effect could have world-changing possibilities. “I believe in idealism. And if you want to call me naive, I think every idealist on the planet is naive. We're so stupid to believe that we can actually build a better world… Idealism is naive. That is the exact point.”
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Simon Sinek is an author and host of the podcast "A Bit of Optimism". You can find out more about his work at his website: simonsinek.com
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It’s hard to admit when we’ve failed. What if we’re judged? What if our shame is too heavy to bear? Or what if we’re seen as unlovable because of what we’ve done? Father Mike Schmitz believes that in order to be loved, we need to take that risk and show others our true selves, flaws included. “As long as I hold the mask on,” he told Tim, “...as long as I say this is the version of me that I want others to see, [that] I want God to see… We will never let ourselves be loved.” As a Catholic priest, Fr. Schmitz sees the act of confession, also called reconciliation, as an opportunity to let go of shame and to let another person (and God) see your whole self, the good and the bad. “What reconciliation is meant to be is not only… reconciled to God, but also reconciled to the community.”
In this practice episode, we explore why the act of confession is an important practice for Catholics, and why it is a vital skill for all of us to learn.
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Fr. Mike Schmitz is the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and Chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He hosts "The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast" and "The Bible in a Year" podcast. You can find out more at: bulldogcatholic.com
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How do you stay in relationship with someone when you deeply disagree? Especially when the stakes are high? For Aziz Abu Sarah, Robi Damelin, and Yonatan Zeigen, Palestinian and Israeli peace activists, the answer lies in finding humor and empathy in each other’s stories, and not avoiding the hard conversations, especially when it comes to the areas that they do agree on: an end to violence in their region, justice and equality. “I think to have an equal relationship is something very hard… because we live in an unequal reality, ” Aziz told Tim. “There is still an occupation, an occupier and an occupied.”
Aziz, Robi and Yonatan met through their work with The Parents Circle, which brings together Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones due to violence and are pushing for peace in the region. Robi lost her son, Aziz his brother, and Yonatan his mother, Vivian, who was murdered in her home on October 7th, 2023. Even though loss brought them together, their sense of humor keeps them connected. They joke around. They tease each other. In fact, as they told Tim, being able to laugh together is essential to how they build bonds and maintain relationships while doing the difficult work of peacebuilding.
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You can find more about The Parents Circle Families Forum at their website: parentscirclefriends.org. You can find Aziz’s work at: AzizAbuSarah.com.
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Michael and Nicole Phelps are experienced competitors – and winners. In 2010, Nicole won Miss California USA, and Michael is the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 Olympic Medals (23 of those gold). But the Phelps also know that winning sometimes comes at a cost.
In 2014, Michael hit an all-time low in his struggle with mental health, but he found the courage to seek help. Michael checked himself into The Meadows, a residential treatment facility in the desert of Arizona, where he spent 45 days, addressing his depression and anxiety. Michael often felt like he couldn’t talk about his struggles while competing as a swimmer, but the tools he learned in treatment helped him bounce back even stronger than before. In 2015, Phelps opened up about his mental health challenges, becoming one of the first and most prominent athletes to do so. “My last go at the Olympics, it was completely different…I was basically just like, I don't care. I'm going to share and I'm going to be vulnerable. And to me it almost felt like a superpower.”
Michael’s focus on vulnerability was not only the catalyst to his healing but it also helped restore his relationship with his then girlfriend, now wife, Nicole. Today, as strong advocates for mental health, together they’ve learned to balance high achievement with emotional well-being and embrace both wins and losses. Nicole says they use these skills to instill a sense of resilience in their four young boys. “Please don't ever hand our children a participation trophy, because that's not how we function in this house. There is winning and there is losing. And we have to be able to understand both because you're gonna come out from both still alive, still safe, still breathing.”
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Michael and Nicole Phelps are experienced competitors and advocates for mental health. Find out more about the wonderful work they’re doing in the world of sports and mental health by visiting their website: michaelphelpsfoundation.org.
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Author Min Jin Lee’s novels have received accolades and awards, but they’ve also gotten some horrified responses from readers. “They would cite a page where something really terrible happened to one of my characters,” she said. “I've had people tweet at me, like, ‘@minjinlee, what the f**k?’”
Lee’s characters may sometimes suffer horribly, but her writing is fueled by tenderness. “I'm going to sound so strange for saying this, but I want you to know how much I love you,” she told Tim. “I want people to know how much I love my characters and how much I love my reader.”
Even though the worlds she creates are not friendly, sanitized places, her novels are still full of beauty and empathy. Lee takes on big political questions about discrimination, assimilation, and racism. Her characters are often overlooked and oppressed. The goal is to touch readers’ hearts, so maybe, just maybe, they’ll want to be better people. It’s not an easy task. Lee says it’s already hard enough to tell a good story. “And then, somehow, can I get you to do the right thing? Ooh, gosh, that's even tougher, right?” In this episode, Lee talks with Tim about how she’s able to walk the fine line between writing complicated moral lessons and preaching at us
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Min Jin Lee is the author of “Free Food for Millionaires” and “Pachinko”. You can find out more about Min Jin Lee’s work at her website: minjinlee.com
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Our theme music was written by Andy Ogden and produced by Tim Lauer, Andy Ogden and Julian Raymond. All other music that you hear in this episode is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The podcast currently has 12 episodes available.
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