Scoot

Join us for an empowering episode with Gabriella Amaya, a 27-year-old Latina disabled woman from Long Island, New York. Gabriella shares her journey of living with Ollier’s disease, a rare bone disorder that caused malformed growth in her right leg and required multiple surgeries during childhood. Her experiences of navigating a non-typical childhood, physical pain, and later ovarian cancer have shaped her into a passionate advocate for the disability community.

As the founder and host of Re-Define, a podcast dedicated to unpacking life with a disability, Gabriella explores themes of pride, shame, and identity while amplifying disabled voices. She highlights the importance of disabled individuals taking leadership roles and the need for accessibility and compassion in all aspects of society.

Gabriella’s story is one of resilience and self-love, emphasizing the importance of embracing scars, leaning into discomfort, and prioritizing rest as a vital part of healing and advocacy.

Learn more about The Scooty Fund and please consider supporting our work by donating.

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Episode 3 dives deep with a fresh perspective on healing and self-care! Claire Calfo and Howard Cooke are joined by trauma therapist Devin Brooks, an experienced specialist in the field of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), working with people and communities across diverse contexts. They bring a multifaceted lens to understanding mental health, especially for those in high-stress situations and marginalized communities.

This episode delves into how trauma and stress responses are often inherited across generations. Devin breaks down complex trauma, highlighting how repeated exposure to stress impacts self-concept and relationships. Together, Devin and our hosts explore how to reframe these experiences, discussing the concept of finding safety, joy, and self-soothing methods that empower healing.

Tune in to hear Claire, Howard, and Devin examine these deep-rooted patterns and share accessible ways to reconnect with yourself, your emotions, and those around you. This conversation sets the stage for a season that’s all about embracing mental health from a whole-person perspective.

Follow Devin Brooks on Instagram: @talk.trauma

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In this episode, Claire and Howard catch up and discuss how they manage burnout while balancing a busy week of work and school. They cover the basics—getting enough sleep, eating balanced meals, exercising, and practicing meditation. Claire leads a brief gratitude-centered meditation to help them recenter.

Today they interview Katie Potratz, a clinical hypnotherapist and author, who shares her unexpected journey into hypnotherapy, starting from a self-help book to becoming a life coach and exploring the power of the subconscious mind. Katie explains how we naturally enter light-trance states throughout the day, during activities like washing the dishes and listening to a podcast. She shares how hypnotherapy can address issues like anxiety, self-worth, trauma, and physical pain, including a success story of a client whose chronic pain disappeared after working through trauma. Katie emphasizes that hypnotherapy isn’t a quick fix, but with time and effort, it can help clients address their core issues, and even tackle problems such as chronic pain and insomnia.

Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work and about Katie’s work. Please consider supporting our work by donating.

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• Katie’s book: The Uncaged Mind 

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Season 4 of the pod brings exciting news! Claire Calfo has been hosting guests solo and led meaningful conversations for Scoot for the past two seasons. But this season she is joined by a new co-host, Howard Cooke, a previous president and vice president of The Scooty Fund! 

Howard brings his passion to uncover various mental health tools, while Claire shares her journey of pursuing a career as a therapist and meditation instructor. This season, Claire and Howard approach mental health conversations with curiosity as they explore topics like burnout, stress management, and various therapy techniques.

They emphasize that mental health is not one-size-fits-all, discussing options beyond talk therapy, like somatic work and hypnotherapy. They aim to discover accessible mental health practices that don’t require significant resources.

Tune in as they reflect on the mental health taboos they grew up with, explore how life seasons shape coping strategies, and chat about slowing down for better well-being. This episode sets the tone for a season full of insights and real talk.

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Jordan Grainger is a young professional on a sober curious journey. On today’s episode, Jordan will share how her relationship with alcohol has evolved in her post-college years. Her journey started as a 30-day challenge to quit drinking, and led to so much more.

As Jordan experimented with various levels of drinking (or not drinking), she paid attention to the changes in her body and mindset. After cutting out alcohol, her anxiety completely dissolved and her depression was manageable for the first time she could remember. This led to a deeper exploration of why she felt the need to drink in the first place. Through journaling, therapy, and reflection, Jordan has come to a place where she can assess her desire to drink and respond accordingly. If you’ve been interested in a sober curious lifestyle, this episode is for you.

Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org/.

Please consider supporting our work by donating.

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• ‘Still No Plan’ Podcast

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Today we welcome Craig French to the pod. Craig is a performance and mindset coach from Long Island, NY. His clients range from individuals, couples, corporate businesses and sports teams. Craig knew from a young age that he was drawn to spirituality. He was interested in what goes on beneath the surface, and understood that people were chasing more than money, fame, and success. Through his own self-exploration and commitment to a mindful routine, he is eager to share his insight with us today.

Craig shares about his corporate workshops where he brings mindfulness and meditation to the work setting. We talk about burnout and how to forgo your ego to see a new perspective on life. Craig offers thoughts on walking meditation, morning routines, and the importance of consistency. In a world that chases productivity and success, Craig’s message is to slow down and pay close attention to your energy.

Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org/ & learn more about Craig’s work at https://www.craigjaredfrench.com/

Please consider supporting our work by donating.

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Follow The Scooty Fund on IG: @thescootyfund

See more online: https://scootyfund.org/

***Content warning: mention of suicide and body dysmorphia.

Today we welcome Clayton Echard to the pod. Clayton is a physical and mental health advocate, former NFL player, and season 26’s Bachelor. Clayton shares his journey with body dysmorphia, which started in 7th grade. He struggled with feelings of inadequacy, body insecurity, and felt like he was in constant competition with his younger brother. Often, Clayton projected his opinions of himself onto others, expecting friends and family to view him the way he did: not good enough.

Clayton also talks about opening up to family with his mental health struggles, the need to people-please, and life in the public eye after the Bachelor. Through the years, he has learned to sift through the negativity and find constructive feedback. He reminds himself (and us) that even when you think you aren’t making progress, you are. We’ll chat about some mindfulness tools and the five pillars that Clayton lives by: communication, education, preparation, determination, realization.

Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org/ & learn more about Clayton’s work at https://www.claytonechard.com/

Please consider supporting our work by donating.

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Clayton’s book: 180 Degrees

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***Content warning: mention of suicidal ideation and disordered eating.

Today we welcome Christie O. Tate to the pod. Christie is a writer and essayist based out of Chicago, and she has two books on group therapy and friendship. Christie was raised in a home where she wasn’t encouraged to openly share her emotions. She felt compelled to keep secrets and joined group therapy as an affordable alternative to seeing a therapist. At first, she was uncomfortable. Who could possibly be eager to share their intimate feelings and insecurities in a public setting? And yet, she tried anyway, and found relief on the other side of shame.

Group therapy has brought Christie much success, though it didn’t come without the work. She exercised her ability to speak vulnerably and found courage through others. She shares her experience with disordered eating, suicidal ideation, and the loss and rebuilding of friendships. Through it all, Christie realized she never needed a cure, just a witness (or a group of them).

Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org/ & learn more about Christie’s work at https://christietate.com/

Please consider supporting our work by donating.

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• Christie’s books: BFF and Group

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See more online: https://scootyfund.org/

Today’s episode features Logan Cohen, a marriage and family therapist, trauma professional and author. At the core of Logan’s work, he is dedicated to helping individuals heal from unresolved trauma and work through painful transitions. In today's episode, Logan will define trauma and trauma bonding, while also describing the signs of a survival response. He shares the importance of reality training, which helps individuals recognize when they are suffering from psychological abuse. If you think a loved one might be experiencing a mentally abusive relationship, Logan provides tips for reaching out and offering support.

We also touch on feeling lost as a young adult (and why that’s important), how to build human connection in a modern age, and ways to center yourself with the distraction of work and social media.

Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org/ & learn more about Logan’s work at https://www.logancohen.com/

Please consider supporting our work by donating.

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Today we welcome Dom Leventini and Kevin Mertz.  These two friends went to high school together, but that isn’t their only common thread.  Both Dom and Kevin underwent life threatening medical conditions. Kevin was diagnosed with Diffuse large B cell lymphoma in August of 2021 and began chemotherapy weeks later. Dom was hit by a cement truck in January of 2022 while biking and woke up 6 weeks later. While the cause of their trauma was very different, their struggles and the takeaways they carry with them now are very similar.

While they have been close since sophomore year of high school, their relationship deepend over the past year.  After looking death in the face, it can be challenging to feel as if others can relate to what you’re going through.  What they found in each other was understanding. The two would take walks together, and discuss how their lives had changed and what they wanted to accomplish going forward.  They realized it was much easier to open up when doing an activity – shoulder to shoulder.  

Both are here today to tell their individual stories of recovery and how it impacted their lives, relationships, and outlook on life.  In this episode, they discuss some of the takeaways of those conversations. They share helpful tips for supporting a loved one and how their perspective on life has drastically changed.

Follow The Scooty Fund on IG: @thescootyfund

See more online: https://scootyfund.org/