The Dr. Random podcast

In this episode of the Dr. Random Podcast, host Dr. Sarah speaks with Amanda Wilde, Harvard biology researcher and founder of Wilde Research, an independent organization focused on maternal health. Amanda shares her groundbreaking research on matrescence, the profound developmental transition women undergo when becoming mothers, and how psilocybin may hold transformative potential for postpartum care.

- What matrescence is and why it deserves the same developmental recognition as adolescence

- The MINDS framework: Matrescent Integration via Neuroplasticity, Dyads, and Psilocybin

- Why the mother-baby dyad should be the central unit of postpartum care rather than treating mother and infant separately

- The neurological changes in the maternal brain, including shifts in the default mode network, salience network, and reward network

- Why intrusive thoughts during postpartum are developmentally normal and not automatically signs of pathology

- How cultural pressures, consumerism, and lack of community support contribute to postpartum anxiety and depression

- The ongoing longitudinal study enrolling postpartum women to gather the first non-anecdotal data on psilocybin use during the postpartum period

- Why postpartum women have been excluded from psychedelic clinical trials and the ethical case for ending that exclusion

Resources and People Mentioned:

- Wilde Research: wilderesearch.org

- Amanda Wilde on Instagram: @mermandawilde

- Amanda Wilde email: [email protected]

- Dana Raphael, anthropologist who coined the term matrescence in 1975

- UC Davis 2025 mouse study on postpartum psilocybin and lactation

- University of San Francisco self-reported psilocybin study (referenced)

- Michaela de la Micho, Mothers of the Mushroom Womb community

- Compass Pathways and Epic Biosciences (synthetic psilocybin research organizations)

In this episode of the Dr. Random Podcast, host Dr. Sarah sits down with her distant cousin Jason Berning, a civil engineer turned owner's rep project management consultant who has built a life centered around meaningful work and outdoor adventure in the Teton Valley area of Idaho and Wyoming. Jason shares the journey that took him from the Front Range of Colorado to the mountains of Jackson Hole, where he has spent over two decades building civic and community projects while pursuing a life rich in backcountry skiing, motorcycle travel, fly fishing, and mountain biking.

- How Jason manifested his dream of living and working in a mountain town straight out of college with a civil engineering degree from CU Boulder

- His 25-year career in construction management, including landmark projects like the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts and the Lawrence Rockefeller Preserve at Grand Teton National Park

- What an owner's rep project manager does and why organizations like museums and nonprofits benefit most from hiring one

- The history of Jason's father-in-law, John Simms, a Jackson Hole ski patrol legend, fly-fishing guide, and inventor of neoprene waders and early avalanche safety equipment

- Jason and his wife Evan's motorcycle adventures across Ecuador, Nepal, New Zealand, and the backcountry of Idaho, including a harrowing encounter with 17 landslides near the Colombian border

- The AAA framework Jason uses when adventures go sideways: Accept, Assess, and Act

- How social media is concentrating crowds at iconic outdoor destinations and the broader challenges of affordability and community sustainability in mountain towns

- Jason's life advice: live where you want to live first, say yes to experiences, do what you say you will do, and stay genuinely curious about the people around you

Resources and People Mentioned:

- Book: The Power of Feelings

- Berning Project Management (www.berningpm.com)

- Big Hole Indoor Golf (bigholeindoorgolf.com)

- Jackson Hole History Museum

- Lawrence Rockefeller Preserve, Grand Teton National Park

- Jackson Hole Center for the Arts

- John Simms, founder of Simms Fishing Products and co-founder of LifeLink avalanche safety equipment

- TGL (Tiger Golf League)

- TV series: 1883 and 1923

In this episode of the Dr. Random Podcast, host Dr. Sarah sits down with Jim Dorey, President and COO of Inserra Supermarkets, a family-owned operation running roughly 30 ShopRite locations across New Jersey and New York. Jim shares over 20 years of experience in the supermarket industry, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it truly takes to run a large-scale grocery business and lead a team of thousands. Leadership, Legacy, and 75 Years of Feeding Communities. 

- How the Inserra family built a 30-store supermarket operation from a single corner butcher shop over 75 years

- The surprising role AI and robotics have played in grocery stores long before the mainstream AI conversation

- What it really takes to get a product on a grocery store shelf, and how entrepreneurs can approach the process

- The leadership philosophy behind reopening a full supermarket in just four days

- How community impact, from first jobs to charitable fundraising, sits at the core of the Inserra culture

- The importance of building the right team, giving people freedom to perform, and celebrating wins not just failures

- Jim's book "Just Keep Swimming" and the life lessons he compiled for the next generation

- The enduring role grocery stores play in connecting communities, supporting elders, and serving as a social anchor

Resources and People Mentioned:

- Jim Dorey, President and COO of Inserra Supermarkets

- Wakefern Food Corporation (cooperative of approximately 40 families, 350 stores)

- ShopRite (retail banner operated by Inserra)

- PriceRight Marketplace (Wakefern subsidiary)

- Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program

- Amos Farm, New Jersey (third and fourth generation local produce supplier)

- General Mills and the Partners in Caring fundraising initiative with Cheerios

- Little Words Project (jewelry brand, mentioned as employer of Jim's daughter)

- Rythm Blood Test / ProMix Nutrition / Devon Levesque of Sweet Honey Farm (connection through Behind Closed Doors community)

- Book: "Just Keep Swimming" by Jim Dorey, available on Amazon 

- Podestos Market & Deli of Stockton, California, Dr. Sarah's 1st Job as an Italian Deli Girl 

- Dr. Sarah's great-grandfather's (from her mother's mom's side) rubbish business, aka Garbage Business - 1st in LA - Started with a donkey and a wagon during the Depression era in Nebraska, then onto Texas, then to LA 

In this episode of the Dr. Random Podcast, host Dr. Sarah sits down with Bella, a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and nationally board-certified health and wellness coach, for a wide-ranging conversation on nutrition, supplementation, gut health, and women's hormones. The two cover everything from practical daily habits to the science behind trending wellness topics, offering both expert guidance and honest personal experience.

- The evolution of nutrition guidelines from the food pyramid to functional, whole-food approaches

- How to build a supplement routine, avoid common overlaps, and prioritize your top five essentials

- The gut-hormone connection and why meal hygiene, fiber, and bowel regularity matter more than most people realize

- Why broccoli sprouts, cruciferous vegetables, and seed cycling are powerful tools for women's hormone health

- The truth about peptides, NAD, and the unregulated wellness landscape

- Women's hormone health, testosterone, perimenopause, and why stress is the silent disruptor

- How to eat well while traveling without restriction or guilt

- The 80/20 rule for sustainable, balanced nutrition and a healthy relationship with food

Resources and People Mentioned:

- Well Theory (welltheory.com) - Bella's employer, specializing in functional nutrition and autoimmune health

- Seed (pre and probiotic supplement)

- Moon Juice Super You and Super Hair

- Nordic Naturals (algae omega)

- Kion Aminos

- Promix (fish oil and protein)

- Everyday Dose (non-dairy creamer)

- Rythm at-home blood testing

- The Dirty Dozen list (EWG)

- BPC-157 (peptide)

- Women's World and Forbes (publications featuring Bella's articles)

In this episode of the Dr. Random Podcast, host Dr. Sarah sits down with Kendell, a Charleston-based musician, yoga instructor, former competitive gymnast, and mother of three who traded a 15-year career in public accounting for a life driven by creative purpose and physical healing.

- How Kendell went from tax senior manager to emerging songwriter with no prior musical background

- The emotional challenge of pursuing a creative path in midlife and dealing with silence from people you expected to support you

- How journaling and poetry evolved into original songwriting across rock, Americana, and surf rock

- The message behind upcoming original songs including "A Mama Finds Her Way" and "Sing for the Woman"

- How Bikram hot yoga healed two years of chronic back pain that no medical treatment could resolve

- A full walkthrough of all 26 postures in the traditional Hatha 90-minute hot yoga series and the benefits of each

- The mind-body-spirit connection in hot yoga and how the practice creates space for emotional release and spiritual clarity

- Why it is never too late to pick up an instrument, try something new, or stop labeling yourself

Resources and People Mentioned:

- 360 Yoga Charleston

- Joseph Insignia, yoga instructor and former world champion, Sun Lotus Studio (online)

- Kendell's music on Spotify under the artist name Kendell

- Kendell's latest single: "Left Against My Right"

- Website: kendellmusic.com

- Social media: Kendell Music on Instagram and Facebook

- Show listings on Bandsintown

In this episode of the Dr. Random Podcast, host Dr. Sarah Laverone sits down with Mary Snyder, traveling archivist, MLIS holder, and PhD candidate in American Studies at Boston University, for a wide-ranging conversation about the work of preserving history, recovering erased narratives, and what it really takes to pursue doctoral research in the humanities.

- The mission and methodology behind Whitney Plantation, the only historic plantation site dedicated exclusively to interpreting the stories of enslaved individuals

- Mary's archival work recovering plantation store records damaged by hurricanes and building a digitized, publicly accessible archive

- The First Church Roxbury project and the effort to trace the names and legacies of enslaved and free Black individuals connected to one of Boston's oldest congregations

- Documenting the founding history of Boston University's African American Studies program and training students in archival practice

- The ethics and complexity of building archives for marginalized communities, including navigating outdated Library of Congress subject headings

- Why so many historic sites skip over Reconstruction and Jim Crow when interpreting the legacy of enslavement

- The difference between an EdD and a PhD, and what the dissertation process actually looks like from the inside

- Digital preservation as an urgent and underappreciated field, including the threat of cultural erasure from war, neglect, and institutional gaps

Resources and People Mentioned:

- Whitney Plantation, Louisiana (whitneyplantation.com)

- Dr. Ashley Rogers, Executive Director of Whitney Plantation

- First Church in Roxbury, operated by UU Urban Ministry

- Roxbury Historical Society

- Boston University African American Studies Program

- Museum of Reconstruction, Historic Columbia, South Carolina

- Library of Congress subject headings

- Mary Snyder: travelingarchivist on Instagram and TikTok; snyderarchivesandresearch.com

- Dr. Sarah Laverone: Dr. Sarah Consulting Services on Instagram; www.drsarahlaveronesalesandconsulting.com

Mary Snyder, MLIS

Snyder Archives & Research LLC

Boston, MA

www.snyderarchivesandresearch.com

Archival Guides Store: https://payhip.com/TravelingArchivist 

Latest Feature, Influential Women: https://influentialwomen.com/connect/mary-snyder

In this episode of the Dr. Random Podcast, Dr. Sarah sits down with Amanda Sellers, an award-winning voice actor, guided meditation creator, emerging motivational speaker, and former rock band frontwoman. The two connect over their shared experience at the Running Man wellness festival and dive into Amanda's unconventional creative journey, the business of voiceover, and the power of showing up authentically in life and work.

- How Amanda went from theater school and touring in a van to building a 17-year voiceover career

- What it is like to voice major brand campaigns like Ziploc, Expedia, Toyota Super Bowl commercials, and video game characters

- How AI is reshaping the voiceover industry and why Amanda refuses to let it stop her

- The unexpected way a meditation she created for her son during a personal crisis launched an entirely new chapter in her life

- How guided meditation led Amanda to working with Jesse Itzler and the All Day Running Co. community

- The honest realities of being a single mother, navigating loneliness, and keeping your heart open

- Amanda's core message around taking risks, rejecting social norms, and choosing fun over the relentless rush of life

- Practical insight for aspiring voice actors on how to hustle, find agents, and know your value in a crowded market

Resources and People Mentioned:

- Runningman Festival - Wellness Focused 

- Insight Timer app

- Jesse Itzler and All Day Running Co.

- BYLR Radio

- Behind Closed Doors (Devon's entrepreneurship group)

- The Voice Arts Awards

- Book: Unreserved (contributing authors including Amanda Sellers)

- Melissa Wood Tepperberg (Melissa Wood Health)

- Misty Copeland

- Tony Robbins

- Diary of a CEO podcast

- DJ D Wiz

- Carl Sagan (quote referenced: "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known")

- The Amanda Sellers Show (podcast on Spotify and Apple)

Amanda Sellers is an award-winning voice actor, known for her work with top global brands.

Her voice has been featured in a Toyota commercial during the 2022 Super Bowl, animations,

video games, commercials, and even your household Roomba. A multi-time Voice Arts Awards

nominee, she’s been recognized for Best Commercial Campaign (Ziploc) and Best Video Game

Character (SkyForge).

In 2017, she discovered a passion for writing and recording guided meditations, amassing

millions of listens on YouTube and Insight Timer. Now, she’s stepping into the world of

motivational speaking, sharing insights on authenticity, fulfillment, and self-expression.

A former rock band frontwoman, radio DJ, and backup singer for New Kids On The Block,

Amanda is no stranger to the spotlight. Off the mic, she thrives on adventure—running

endurance races, sharing glimpses of her cats on Instagram, and cherishing her greatest role:

being mom to Beck and Trace.

Guest: Brianne Davis – Hollywood actress, author, trauma-informed coach, and podcast host

Episode 29 Overview:
Dr. Sarah welcomes actress and author Brianne Davis to discuss her journey from a successful but unfulfilling Hollywood career to becoming a leading voice on sex and love addiction recovery. The episode explores the gap between external success and internal emptiness, the recovery process, and how breaking generational trauma transforms relationships and parenting.

Key Topics Covered:

The Awakening Moment: Brianne shares the pivotal moment on a film set when she realized she was engaging in compulsive relationship patterns despite having a loving partner, leading her to discover she was a sex and love addict with 17+ years of recovery experience.

Understanding Sex and Love Addiction: A nuanced discussion of how this addiction manifests differently in everyone—from compulsive flirting and affairs to pornography use—and why recovery isn't one-size-fits-all like abstinence-based programs.

The Fantasy Loop vs. Reality: Brianne explains how individuals attach magical qualities to people or situations to fill emotional emptiness, creating toxic push-pull relationship dynamics, and contrasts this with the healing loop that leads to genuine recovery.

Breaking Hollywood's Narrative: How Disney narratives and entertainment media perpetuate fantasy-based relationship expectations, and why real healthy relationships feel different from the dramatic, intense feelings portrayed on screen.

Healthy Dating Tools: Practical advice including slowing down the dating process, understanding the five types of intimacy (physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social), and recognizing that butterflies are often a red flag for sex and love addicts.

Her Books:

The Secret Life Podcast: With 350+ episodes, the show creates a safe space for guests (often anonymous) to share their deepest secrets and struggles. Recent format focuses on mental health topics like narcissism, body dysmorphia, limerence, and trauma.

Marriage and Parenting Transformation: After 21 years together, Brianne's husband notes she's a completely different person—able to apologize, communicate openly, soften into her feminine, and parent with emotional honesty while breaking generational trauma patterns.

Upcoming Work: Two new books in progress—My Relationships Are Killing Me (examining eight types of toxic relationship dynamics) and The Fantasy Loop Book (a practical guide for readers to work through the recovery process independently).

Practical Takeaway:
Brianne offers a simple tool: notice when you believe something external will fix you (a job, person, text message). Pause and ask what emptiness you're trying to fill, then work to regulate your nervous system and provide that fulfillment for yourself.

Resources Mentioned:

In this episode of the Dr. Random Podcast, host Dr. Sarah sits down with Emma Gurnell, a lifelong competitive ice hockey player, to talk about her journey from a small Connecticut town to Division 1 college hockey and beyond. Emma shares the highs and lows of a decade-plus athletic career, including injuries, the recruiting process, transferring schools, and ultimately stepping away from the sport to prioritize her mental health.

- How Emma started skating at age two to correct a physical condition and became obsessed with hockey by watching her older brothers

- What it was like being the only girl on boys hockey teams growing up

- Battling recurring stress fractures in both shins throughout high school and how injury shaped her resilience and future career interests

- The college recruiting process, including being noticed by Division 1 coaches at age 13 and how the NCAA changed its recruiting rules

- Her experience transferring across three universities, including the University of Maine and Assumption College, and the mental toll of constant change

- The decision to step away from Division 1 hockey to protect her mental health and what she found on the other side of that choice

- The unique culture, lingo, and athleticism demanded by hockey that sets it apart from other sports

- Her future plans, including graduate school options in clinical psychology, physical therapy, or clinical social work

Resources and People Mentioned:

- Ethos Athletic Club, Charleston

- Westminster School (boarding school)

- Deerfield Academy (postgraduate year)

- University of Maine

- Assumption College

- College of Charleston (club field hockey)

- Lululemon

- Dr. Kathy Platoni, clinical psychologist (previous podcast guest)

- Pat Verbeek, former NHL player

- The Off Campus book series by L. Kennedy and its television adaptation

- Equipment brands Bauer and CCM

In this episode of the Dr. Random Podcast, host Dr. Sarah sits down with Sam Reedy, a Dallas-based DJ and producer who goes by the moniker Midway. Sam shares how his faith as a former missionary shapes every aspect of his work in the underground electronic music scene, and how he navigates the tension between artistry, commerce, and calling.

- How Sam discovered electronic music in middle school and taught himself to produce using Ableton before he ever played a real DJ set

- The loss of a close friend and fellow musician that became the turning point pushing Sam to commit fully to music in Dallas

- What the underground electronic music scene in Dallas actually looks like and why most serious artists leave for bigger cities

- How Sam weaves faith into his sets through Gregorian monk chants, old sermons, and prayer during live performances

- The Sawyer Effect and how the shift from passion to paid work can quietly kill an artist's creative drive

- Why Sam believes the best art, like the best faith, requires dying to yourself and making room for something beyond your own ego

- The challenge of being an openly Christian creative in secular nightlife spaces and how genuine relationship-building matters more than direct evangelism

- Practical advice for aspiring DJs and Christian creatives on finding like-minded collaborators and staying rooted in intrinsic motivation

Resources and People Mentioned:

- Mimosa and Deadmau5, artists who first introduced Sam to electronic music

- Ableton, music production software Sam learned at age 15

- Pioneer and Allen and Heath, industry-standard DJ hardware

- Moodyman, Detroit house music legend, track recommended: "The Thief That Stole My Sad Days"

- Maceoplex, Dallas-connected underground electronic artist

- Back to the Underground Network, a private party concept started by Sam

- Techno Rotica and Balam's Den, Dallas DJ collectives

- Boogies, It'll Do, and Silo, recommended Dallas venues for live house music

- Hebrews 6:19, Bible verse Sam references around hope and prayer

- Book mentioned: How to Heal Your Brain, touches on Gregorian chants and neural health

- Kanye West's album Jesus Is King, cited as a cultural touchpoint for faith in mainstream music

- Sam Reedy on SoundCloud and YouTube under the name midway_dj

midway_dj: https://linktr.ee/midway_dj?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=39908851-11f2-49d7-ba67-82c55eecdb8d