Read. Talk. Grow.

By Mayo Clinic Women's HealthMedicine Health & Fitness Mental Health Arts Books

Read. Talk. Grow. episodes

March 26, 202553. Human connection in the hospital: The unique patient-nurse relationship
When you wind up in a hospital, you’re suddenly surrounded by – and often, dependent on – health care workers like nurses. Garth Greenwell explores the relationships between a patient and his medical team in his novel “Small Rain.” Mayo Clinic nursing administrator Melania Flores joins us to discuss the importance of nurses and the unique connection, humanity and support they can provide to patients.
This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.
We talked with:
Garth Greenwell is the author of What Belongs to You, which won the British Book Award for Debut of the Year, was longlisted for the National Book Award, and was a finalist for many other awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Award, the LA Times Book Prize, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. His second book, Cleanness, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and was longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize, the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and the Prix Sade, among others. His cultural criticism has appeared widely, and he writes regularly about books, music, and film for the Substack newsletter To a Green Thought. A 2020 Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the 2021 Vursell Award for prose style from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he is currently a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.
Melania Flores has been in healthcare since 1991. Her clinical time was predominantly spent in Intensive Care and Progressive Care Cardiac Units. Since 2001 she has held progressive leadership positions at Mayo Clinic in Arizona serving in Administration overseeing ambulatory, procedural and inpatient practices. She is passionate about mentoring and in her free time loves to trail run.
Purchase “Small Rain.”
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We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
45 min
March 19, 202552. Science or snake oil? Examining the wellness industry
Are you eager to try the latest serum or supplement — or are you suspicious of every wellness influencer who crosses your social media feed? Either way, there’s much to learn and consider in Kelsey Rae Dimberg’s novel “Snake Oil” about the wellness industry. Kelsey and Mayo Clinic integrative medicine expert Dr. Brent Bauer give us a nuanced view of integrative medicine and the business of wellness.
This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.
We talked with:
Kelsey Rae Dimberg is the author of Snake Oil and Girl in the Rearview Mirror. She received an MFA from the University of San Francisco and is a recipient of the Swarthout Award in Writing. She was the Editor-in-Chief of Arizona State University’s literary magazine, Lux. Before writing novels, she worked for startups like Google and Groupon. Born in Seattle, she’s moved all over the West and Midwest and currently lives in Chicago.
Brent Bauer, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine. He is the research chair for Mayo Clinic Integrative Medicine and Health and a doctor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. He is also a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Dr. Bauerfocuses on the scientific evaluation of integrative medicine therapies. He has served as medical director of Rejuvenate, the first spa at Mayo Clinic, and of the Well Living Lab, a collaboration between Delos and Mayo Clinic that is exploring the impact of the indoor environment on wellness.
Purchase “Snake Oil”
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From Amazon.
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Got feedback?
If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
44 min
March 12, 202551. Embracing poetry and releasing perfection
Don’t consider yourself a poetry person? You might be surprised! Comedy writer and poet Lyndsay Rush joins us to talk about her book “A BIT MUCH” and the power of poetry to think, process and heal. Dr. Shelley Noland, medical director for the Center for Humanities in Medicine at Mayo Clinic, helps us better understand how poetry and other art can improve our wellness.
This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.
We talked with:
Lyndsay Rush is a comedy writer, cofounder of the branding agency Obedient, and the poet behind the popular Instagram account @maryoliversdrunkcousin. Her debut book of poems, A BIT MUCH was an instant USA Today Bestseller and her writing has been featured in Reductress, McSweeney’s, New York magazine, and The New York Times. Lyndsay spent most of her adult life freezing in Chicago, but currently swelters in Nashville with her husband and young son.
Shelley S. Noland, M.D., is a hand and peripheral nerve surgeontreating hand and wrist conditions, brachial plexus injury, peripheral nerve injuries, peripheral nerve tumors and Dupuytren’s disease. She has been in practice for more than 10 years and collaboratively studies new and innovative nerve repair methods. She also focuses on surgical ergonomics and surgical diversity. She is the medical director for the Center for Humanities in Medicine at Mayo Clinic.
Purchase “A Bit Much.”
From Bookshop.org.
From Amazon.
From Barnes & Noble.
Got feedback?
If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
40 min
March 05, 202550. The gift-curse of fully inhabited grief
Grief from an unexpected, tragic or too-early death is devastating. And all too often, loved ones don’t know how to deal with someone else’s deep, uncomfortable and “unfixable” sadness. Memoirist Amy Lin talks about the trauma of suddenly losing her husband with grief researcher and author Dr. Joanne Cacciatore. They help us understand what Dr. Cacciatore calls "the gift-curse of fully inhabited grief," and how we can better support our grieving friends and loved ones.
This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.
We talked with:
Amy Lin completed her MFA at Warren Wilson College and holds BAs in English Literature and Education. Her work has been published in places such as Ploughshares and she has been awarded residencies from Yaddo and Casa Comala. She writes the Substack At The Bottom Of Everything where she wonders: how do we live with anything? Here After is her first book.
Joanne Cacciatore, Ph.D., is a bereaved mother and the founder of the MISS Foundation, an international NGO that serves families whose children have died, and the Selah Carefarm, a sustainable restorative community that provides aid to anyone suffering traumatic grief. She is also a Professor and Senior Scholar in the Wrigley Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, spearheading the Graduate Certificate in Trauma and Bereavement. Her best selling book, Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief, is a national award winning best seller that has helped revolutionize the way our culture thinks, and feels, about grief.
Purchase “Here After”
From Bookshop.org.
From Amazon.
From Barnes & Noble.
Purchase “Bearing the Unbearable.”
From Bookshop.org.
From Amazon.
From Barnes & Noble.

Got feedback?
If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
50 min
February 26, 202549. Listening to people with speech differences
Children who stutter have historically been met with impatience, derision or disregard when they can’t quickly express their thoughts and emotions. That’s the case for Maggie, the protagonist of author C.C. Harrington’s book WILDOAK, which urges us to listen to and support those with communication challenges. Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Heather Clark joins us to share her clinical expertise as a speech language pathologist.
This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.
We talked with:
Christina Harrington graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English Literature and has since worked for a national newspaper, studied printmaking and taught literacy to children with learning differences. She now lives in Maryland with her family and a dog who loves to eat manuscripts. WILDOAK is her first book.
Heather M. Clark, Ph.D., is a speech-language pathologist serving children and adults with communication, cognitive, and/or swallowing difficulties. In addition to her clinical activities, Dr. Clark is active in research and education, providing mentorship to residents and fellows.
Purchase “WILDOAK.”
From Bookshop.org.
From Amazon.
From Barnes & Noble.
Got feedback?
If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
39 min
February 19, 202548. More than a headache: How migraine can disrupt your life
Migraines can be absolutely debilitating, and many people with migraine live in fear of the next migraine attack. But when they try to talk about their symptoms, they may not be believed … or they might be told to take some ibuprofen and get over it. C. Michelle Lindley shows us what it’s like to live with migraine in her novel “The Nude.” She joins us with Mayo Clinic expert Dr. Rashmi Halker Singh to talk about migraine and its common misconceptions.
This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.
We talked with:
C. Michelle Lindley’s work can be found in Conjunctions, The Georgia Review, and elsewhere. She is a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow for 2024 and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University and a BA in English and Art History from the University of California at Berkeley. “The Nude” is her first novel.
Rashmi B. Halker Singh, M.D., is a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She studies primary and secondary headache disorders, including migraine and chronic daily headache.
Purchase “The Nude.”
From Bookshop.org.
From Amazon.
From Barnes & Noble.
Resources:
Mayo Clinic on migraine
American Migraine Foundation
Mayo Clinic Press migraine resources
Got feedback?
If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
40 min
February 12, 202547. Coping with grief and unanswerable questions after suicide
When someone dies by suicide, their loved ones are often left asking questions like “How could this have happened?” The protagonist in Onyi Nwabineli’s debut novel “Someday, Maybe,” wrestles with these questions after the untimely death of husband. Onyi and Mayo Clinic psychologist Dr. Craig Sawchuk discuss processing grief, loss and guilt – and the importance of showing up and supporting those who are grieving.
This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.
For immediate help
If you're feeling overwhelmed by thoughts of not wanting to live or you're having urges to attempt suicide, get help now.
Call a suicide hotline.
In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or use the Lifeline Chat at 988lifeline.org/chat/. Services are free and confidential.
If you’re a U.S. veteran or service member in crisis, call 988 and then press 1, or text 838255. Or chat using veteranscrisisline.net/get-help-now/chat/.
The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. has a Spanish language phone line at 1-888-628-9454.
Call 911 in the U.S. or your local emergency number immediately.
We talked with:
Onyi Nwabineli is a Nigerian British head-wrap aficionado. Born in Benin, Nigeria, she grew up in Glasgow, the Isle of Man and Newcastle, and now lives in London. Onyi is the cofounder of Surviving Out Loud, a fund that provides fiscal support for survivors of sexual assault, and the founder of Black Pens (black-pens.com), a writing retreat for Black womxn. Someday, Maybe is her debut novel.
Craig Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P., is a psychologist and the chair of the Division of Integrated Behavioral Health within the Department of Psychiatry & Psychology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is also the co-chair for Clinical Practice in the department and a professor of psychology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. His research aims to improve the treatment of anxiety and depression in primary care.
We talked about:
Purchase “Someday Maybe.”
From Bookshop.org.
From Amazon.
From Barnes & Noble.
More resources:
What to do when someone is thinking about suicide
Suicide and suicidal thoughts
More suicide prevention resources from Mayo Clinic
Got feedback?
If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
39 min
February 05, 202546. Beyond the stigma of bipolar disorder
Amid rising understanding and support for mental health disorders, some — like bipolar disorder — remain heavily shrouded in stigma. Author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova’s new book, “More or Less Maddy,” tackles this subject with accuracy and compassion. We talk to Lisa and Mayo Clinic licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Lorelei Rowe about how bipolar can affect those with the disorder and their loved ones. TW: self-harm, suicidal thoughts.
This episode was made possible with the generous support of Ken Stevens.
We talked with:
Lisa Genova, Ph.D., is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, and Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar–winning film. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She is featured in the documentary films To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg. Her TED talks on Alzheimer’s disease and memory have been viewed over eleven million times.
Lorelei S. Rowe, Ph.D., L.P., is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical director of the Adult Transitions Program at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester. Dr. Rowe's clinical practice focuses on recovery from an acute mental health crisis and treatment of chronic mental health conditions. She has expertise in cognitive behavioral therapies for mood disorders, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and couple relationship functioning, couple therapy, and group therapy.
Purchase “More or Less Maddy”
From Bookshop.org.
From Amazon.
From Barnes & Noble.
Got feedback?
If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.
Resources:
Different Types of Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder - National Institute of Mental Health
More about bipolar - NIMH
Mayo Clinic resources:
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar treatment: Are bipolar I and bipolar II treated differently?
Bipolar medications and weight gain
Are you thinking about suicide? How to stay safe and find treatment
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
49 min
January 29, 2025 45. Not your typical adoption story
Either your family is messy and complicated at times or you’re lying. Author Laurie Frankel talks us through her wonderfully complex novel exploring adoption and the very concept of family. Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Dr. Sandra Rackley gives us her perspective on the nuanced realities of family relationships.
This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.
We talked with:
Laurie Frankel is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of five novels. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Poets & Writers, Publisher’s Weekly, People Magazine, Lit Hub, The Sydney Morning Herald, and other publications. She is the recipient of the Washington State Book Award and the Endeavor Award. Her novels have been translated into more than twenty-five languages and been optioned for film and TV. A former college professor, she now writes full-time in Seattle, Washington where she lives with her family and makes good soup.
Sandy Rackley, M.D., is a psychiatrist within the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Her clinical practice focuses on care of children and teens presenting to the Emergency Department in a psychiatric crisis, and of youth who need psychiatric care while undergoing inpatient treatment for medical or surgical conditions. Dr. Rackley is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and the Assistant Dean for Trainee Well-Being for the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education.
This episode references another RTG episode, listen here: 1. It's complicated: Making decisions about your reproductive health
Purchase “Family Family.”
From Bookshop.org.
From Amazon.
From Barnes & Noble.

Got feedback?
If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
44 min
January 22, 202544. Hope for the long road after stroke
Stroke is an often sudden and scary experience — and it can be followed by months of uncertainty about recovery. Tracey Lange depicts the aftermath of stroke, including the disruption of daily life and changing relationship dynamics, in her new novel “What Happened to the McCrays?” Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. Courtney Hrdlicka joins to lend her stroke expertise.
This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.
We talked with:
Tracey Lange was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in psychology before owning and operating a behavioral healthcare company with her husband for fifteen years. While writing her debut novel, We Are the Brennans, she completed the Stanford University online novel writing program. She currently lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband, two sons, and beloved German Shepherd.
Courtney Hrdlicka, M.D. is a neurologist with subspecialty expertise in stroke and cerebrovascular disorders at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Her clinical focus includes expertise in management of both acute and chronic neurologic illnesses, cerebrovascular diseases, acute stroke treatments, and telemedicine in stroke treatment. In addition to her clinical duties, Dr. Hrdlicka is active in research and education, working with medical students, residents and fellows. She authors expert content and publishes in scientific journals.
Purchase “What Happened to the McCrays?”
From Bookshop.org.
From Amazon.
From Barnes & Noble.

Got feedback?
If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected].
We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.
Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on
Mayo Clinic Connect
, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.
The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.
36 min

About Read. Talk. Grow.

From the publisher's feed

A podcast where we talk about books — especially fiction, memoir and narrative nonfiction — that deal with important health topics. In each episode, host Dr. Denise Millstine invites an author and a medical expert into conversation on subjects like miscarriage, cancer, relationships, mental health and more.