Open Mind Night

Joining me on this episode is my guest Leslie Lew. She is the Founder of Reclaiming Your Courage, Keynote Speaker and Trauma-informed Self-Defense Coach. She became the “Self-Defense Mama” when she made the decision to become the mother she always needed by breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma. Leslie is a second generation Korean and Chinese American, mother of two and wife. She is a San Francisco native and has been a martial artist for 20 years with a black belt in Tae Kwan Do Hap Kido and Kenpo Karate. Today she is passionate about Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu. Her mission is to save the lives of AAPI womxn and allies to the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Neurodivergent, and Differently Abled communities.  She does this by teaching her clients how to become stronger self-advocates through mind, voice and body. She empowers womxn to stand in their power by rewriting their instincts and rooting themselves in LOVE and COURAGE.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Leslie's personal journey
• How she creates a holding space for someone for people who have been through traumatic experiences
• How someone would know if they would benefit from self-defense
• The self-defense mindset and how that connects to mental health
• Self-advocacy as self-defense

Leslie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reclaimingyourcourage/

Want to know your self-defense readiness score? Take the quiz here: https://www.reclaimingyourcourage.com/take-the-quiz

Reclaiming Your Courage Website: https://www.reclaimingyourcourage.com/

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

Joining me on this episode is my guest Audrey Schoen. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Northern California with an exclusively online practice working with adults and couples seeking to create a more connected and congruent life. As a police wife herself, she especially enjoys supporting partners and spouses of law enforcement and first responders. She brings a real-life, even-keeled approach to counseling, coming alongside her clients as they shine light into the dark and challenging places in life.

Audrey also provides business coaching support to therapists in private practice seeking to find balance and fight burnout by designing a private practice that supports the life they and their families deserve.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Motherhood grief: what you had before motherhood, what you thought it would be like and expected it to be like
• Postpartum rage: how it happens, what leads to it, and what helps

Audrey's private practice website: https://www.audreylmft.com/

Audrey's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreylmft/

Audrey's tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@audrey_out_loud

Audrey's business coaching for therapists: https://www.balancedprivatepractice.com/

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

Joining me on this episode is my guest Karyn Inder. She is a Model, Mental Health Advocate & Founder of Trauma Tree. Karyn was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at age 14 along with C-PTSD and Anxiety at age 23. Her advocacy style focuses on empowerment and crisis prevention. In January 2022, she launched Trauma Tree: a website dedicated to identifying safe, accessible & inclusive spaces for anyone living with symptoms of mental health disorders, chronic pain and chronic illness. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Karyn's experience with Bipolar Disorder, BPD, C-PTSD, fibromyalgia, and hospitalizations
• What it’s like living with diagnoses now: the good and the bad, realistic and not realistic 
• Self advocacy in healthcare, mental health, and employment
• Tips and tricks that can be used to make life easier
• Crisis prevention
• Trauma Tree

Trauma Tree website: https://traumatree.ca/

Karyn's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karyninderr/

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

Joining me on this episode is my guest Annie Alpers. Annie is a psychologist in San Francisco specializing in OCD and anxiety. She not only treats obsessive-compulsive disorders, including OCD, body dysmorphic disorder, and body-focused repetitive behaviors, but has them herself. Similarly, she both has and treats misophonia, which is a common additional diagnosis for people with OCD. She is passionate about disseminating accurate information about these conditions and about neurodiversity in general to fellow professionals, people who have these conditions, their family and friends, and interested members of the general public. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Misophonia: symptoms, how to best characterize it, what treatment looks like, and how friends and family members can be helpful.
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors: common misconceptions and how friends and family can be helpful

Annie Alpers website: https://www.alperspsychotherapy.com/

International OCD Foundation: https://iocdf.org/

Duke Center for Misophonia: https://www.misophonia.duke.edu/

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

Joining me on this episode is my guest Harry Au. He is a social worker and therapist who lives on the Indigenous territory of Dish with One Spoon, which is a Wampum Treaty of the Houdenosaunee and Anishinaabe. This is commonly referred to as the city of Toronto, Canada. As a therapist, Harry works with Asians to explore their own unique identities, and pursue the freedom to live the life that they want.

In this episode we discuss:

• Harry's personal experiences in activist and community work
• The impact and experience of being a model minority activist
• Complexities in identities and structural forces that affect their life (e.g. racism, sexism, cultural traditions, family obligations, etc.)
• Challenges that Asians face when looking for a therapist

Harry's website: https://www.harryautherapy.com/

Harry's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapywithharry/

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

Joining me on this episode are Julie Kraft and Shaley Hoogendoorn. Julie Kraft is a Canadian author, artist, and mental health advocate devoted to spreading awareness and shattering stigma. Since her bipolar II diagnosis in 2010, Julie has come to a place of fully embracing her bipolar mind- she credits it with allowing her to live a vibrant and full life. Julie is thrilled to have published her memoir, The Other Side of Me, and a children's book, Tilda Whirl- both in an effort to start the conversation on mental health at all ages. She has contributed to publications for Psych Central, Psycom, and BP Hope magazine. Julie currently co-hosts ‘This is Bipolar’ vlog and podcast. Shaley Hoogendoorn is a speaker, vlogger and mental health advocate who aims to dismantle the stigma around mental health and create a safe community for those that struggle. She lives with bipolar ll disorder, and is passionate about educating and empowering others about mental health disorders. She has contributed to publications for Sanctuary Ministries, Psych Central and BP Hope magazine. She hosted a series interviewing women living with mental illnesses at SheLoves Magazine in a series named Sisters in Mental Illness. Shaley currently co-hosts “This is Bipolar” podcast. Shaley is also an elementary school teacher and an event planner. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Their journey before, during, and after their Bipolar Disorder II diagnosis
• When they noticed symptoms
• What it looked like getting help and treatment
• Diagnosis and misdiagnosis
• How Julie and Shaley met
• What led to the This is Bipolar Podcast

This is Bipolar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/this.is.bipolar/

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

Joining me on this episode is my guest Shanni Liang. She is a licensed clinical social worker in New York City. She is a proud Asian American trauma therapist that specializes in EMDR and psychoanalysis which helps adolescents and young women with life transitions and overcoming anxiety, depression and attachment issues that hold them back in life. As a therapist who works with young Asian American women, she has noticed a pattern of perfectionism, pressure to perform and people pleasing until burnout and exhaustion. She teaches women to stop feeling small and start taking up space. In this episode, we discuss:

• Asian and Asian American racism
• AAPI and Shame
• How checking in with the body in therapy helps AAPI clients
• Working through trauma in therapy with EMDR and AEDP
• AAPI and intergenerational trauma symptoms passed down the generations

Shanni Liang's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapy.shanni/

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is not psychotherapy or counseling. If you need to speak with a professional, you should find one local to you and contact them directly. IF THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE CALL YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY NUMBER OR GO TO YOUR NEAREST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Joining me on this episode is my guest Yu Chak Sunny Ho, Ph.D. (he/him) is a licensed psychologist and social justice advocate in Seattle, WA. He's mainly working with AAPI-identified individuals, international students, and immigrant population at Interconnections Healing Center, a group private practice in Seattle. He's also an adjunct faculty at the Seattle Pacific University. He's the founder of the Division on International Students and Professionals in Asian American Psychological Association and is heavily involved in American Psychological Association Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) International Section. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa's Counseling Psychology Program, and was an international student from Hong Kong.

In this episode we discuss:

• Dr. Sunny’s personal journey as an international student, professional journey, and passion around multiculturalism and minority rights
• International students: what’s overlooked, how to orient them here, and nuances among the population
• International student identity, visas, and visiting scholar
• The gift of speaking different languages and reclaiming identity
• Allyship and sharing cultural story
• Resources for international students
• Mental health in international students
• Immigration referrals as a resource
• Mental health stigma 
• The different ways of healing, other than talking
• Art and Psychodrama therapy
• First and second generation family dynamics and values work

If you would like to contact Sunny Ho, Ph.D. please email him at [email protected]

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is not psychotherapy or counseling. If you need to speak with a professional, you should find one local to you and contact them directly. IF THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE CALL YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY NUMBER OR GO TO YOUR NEAREST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Joining me on this episode is my guest Tiffany Romito. She got her masters degree in special education, is a special education teacher, and writer for bphope magazine for bipolar disorder, and has been featured in Healthline & the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ newsletter. She’s also a mom of 4 boys. 

In this episode we discuss:

• Tiffany’s experience with Bipolar Disorder and Substance Use
• Diagnosis, suicide attempt, hospitalization
• Postpartum depression
• What led Tiffany to become a writer
• Community and support social media
• Handling mental health and mental illness on social media 
• Boundaries on social media to manage bipolar symptoms
• How social media can trigger hypersexuality
• Positive feedback from sharing relatable experiences on social media
• Robyn’s tip when it comes to hypersexuality in Bipolar Disorder
• Tiffany’s self-care signs

Read Tiffany’s blog about  Social Media & Its Effects on My Bipolar Disorder: https://www.bphope.com/blog/social-media-its-effects-on-my-bipolar-disorder/

Tiffany’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyromito/ 

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is not psychotherapy or counseling. If you need to speak with a professional, you should find one local to you and contact them directly. IF THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE CALL YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY NUMBER OR GO TO YOUR NEAREST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.

Joining me on this episode is my guest Kimmil Hollis, LMFT. Kimmil Hollis, is a Licensed Marriage & Family therapist, She enjoys working with children, teens, and adults who experience depression, anxiety, psychosis, and crisis, and has a passion for seeing people experience emotional healing and freedom through therapeutic techniques. She speaks and facilitates mental wellness workshops at churches while spreading her message about how we must intentionally focus on our mental state because out of it flows the issues of our life. 

In this episode we discuss: 

• The 7 different types of tired
• What has led to the increase in depression
• Dysregulation of children at school during the pandemic
• The types of losses during the pandemic
• Secondary losses
• Signs of tiredness in adults
• Mental health tips
• How to create a wellness schedule
• Spiritual practices 

Kimmil’s Instagram: @kimmilholliscounseling

Kimmil’s Website: https://heaveninspiredchristiancounseling.com/

Open Mind Night website: https://openmindnight.captivate.fm

Support The Podcast: Like what you hear? Help us to keep this going by giving us a tip on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/openmindnightpodcast

Stay up to date: If you would like to stay up-to-date, please subscribe to this podcast and follow the podcast Instagram: @openmindnightpod

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is not psychotherapy or counseling. If you need to speak with a professional, you should find one local to you and contact them directly. IF THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE CALL YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY NUMBER OR GO TO YOUR NEAREST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT.