What if the marriage advice you've been following your whole life is the exact reason you're stuck?

This week, Alicia and guest co-host Kishima Garcia sit down with Monica Tanner — certified relationship coach, host of Secrets of Happily Ever After, and author of Bad Marriage Advice — to bust open the myths that keep couples disconnected, resentful, and talking in circles.

Monica has spent years helping couples unlearn the clichés baked into how we think about love. Her approach, rooted in Relational Life Therapy, isn't about compromise and communication hacks — it's about telling the truth and building something real.

In this episode, we get into:

• Why "happy wife, happy life" is doing more damage than you think
• The problem with compromise — and what to do instead
• How to reframe sex and intimacy
• What actually breaks communication down in relationships
• The difference between conflict avoidance and real conflict resolution
• Negotiation and Renegotiating through life transitions
• Why most couples aren't broken — they're just exhausted and under-equipped

Whether you're a therapist, a partner who's tired of having the same fight on repeat, or someone who's wondered why the advice never quite works — this one's going to hit.

Monica doesn't do sugarcoating. Neither do we.

Connect with Monica: 🌐 monicatanner.com 🎙 Secrets of Happily Ever After (podcast) 📱 Instagram: @monitalksmarriage 📖 Bad Marriage Advice — badmarriageadvice.com

In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Barnes-Humphrey — entrepreneur, podcast host, bestselling author, and fierce advocate for self-worth — to talk about what it actually takes to find your voice, own your identity, and keep growing across a lifetime.

Sarah is the founder of Let's Talk Supply Chain™, the Blended podcast, and the Blended Pledge nonprofit, which is dedicated to giving underrepresented voices a real seat at the table. Her debut memoir, I Buried Her in a French Press: A Memoir About Finding My Voice and the Power of Being Heard, is the kind of book that makes you want to bury a few old versions of yourself too — and brew something entirely new.

Sarah's story isn't a clean, linear success arc. She lost her family's business at 37, sold her house, and stood at a crossroads with no safety net. Instead of shrinking, she picked up a microphone. What followed was the building of a global platform rooted in one word she chose to define her entire brand: self-worth.

In this conversation, Alicia and Sarah go deep on:

• What it means to truly find your voice — and why so many of us are still searching
• Authenticity's role in finding your voice
• How identity shifts across a lifetime, and why that's not a crisis — it's the work
• The courage it takes to be seen, especially when you've spent years making yourself small
• How vulnerability and growth are inseparable

This one is for anyone who's ever felt buried — by expectations, by roles they didn't choose, or by versions of themselves they've long outgrown. Sarah is proof that what you brew on the other side can be extraordinary.

What if the most powerful tool for your mental health was already in your ears?

In this episode of Therapy is Dope, Alicia sits down with Dr. Barbara Minton — psychologist, neuroscientist, musician, and Diplomate in Quantitative EEG — to break down the real science behind music as medicine. This isn't just about putting on a playlist when you're sad. Dr. Minton explains why music works, how it changes your brain, and what you can actually do with that information starting today.

In this episode, we cover:

• How music directly affects your nervous system and brain states
• What neurofeedback is and how it works alongside music to rewire the brain
• The role of frequency-based healing techniques in mental health treatment
• Why music is one of the most accessible tools for anxiety, depression, and trauma recovery
• Dr. Minton's neuroscience-informed album Calm the Storm — and how it was designed specifically to support the brain's healing process

Whether you're a therapist, someone navigating anxiety or trauma, or just a person who's ever felt moved by a song and wondered why — this conversation will change the way you think about what you listen to.

🌐 Learn more about Dr. Minton: musicandhealing.net

🎵 Listen to Calm the Storm

📲 Follow Therapy is Dope with Alicia & Laura

#MusicTherapy #MentalHealth #Neuroscience #Neurofeedback #HealingMusic #TherapyIsDope #BrainHealth #AnxietyRelief #TraumaHealing #SoundHealing #MentalHealthPodcast #CalmTheStorm #FrequencyHealing #MusicAndTheBrain #TherapyTools

What if relief from treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, or PTSD was already FDA-approved, accessible from home, and working on your brain in ways traditional medications can't?

In this episode, we sit down with Sharon Niv, co-founder of Joyous — the at-home microdose ketamine program changing how people approach mental health treatment. We cover the neuroscience, real-world outcomes, how dosing and program length actually work, medication compatibility, the debate around therapy-assisted versus unassisted ketamine, what therapists need to know about training and integration, and — Alicia's favorite part of the whole conversation — what low-dose ketamine reveals about consciousness itself.

This one is for the clinicians, the skeptics, and the people curious of what they are actually capable of- link to the work below.

🔗 joyous.team

We loved having Dr. David Olges on so much the first time that we had to bring him back — and this conversation did NOT disappoint. Dr. Olges gave us updates on his war efforts, and then we explored another side of his career: working with athletes and high performers on the mental game. We're talking about mindset under pressure, the dangerous relationship between identity and success, and questions we can ask ourselves to help get clarity. We even found themes and overlap to other areas of life! This is the stuff therapists talk about behind closed doors — and we're putting it all on the table. Watch the full episode and let us know what you think in the comments!

What if healing didn't have to happen on a couch? In this episode of Therapy is Dope with Alicia and Laura, we're joined by guest co-host Kishima Garcia and special guest Matt Sandoval, M.Ed., LMSW — CEO of Art Heals Arizona — for a warm, eye-opening conversation about the power of art to transform trauma into resilience.

Matt shares how Art Heals Arizona uses creative expression and trained volunteer mentors to serve children and teens who have experienced abuse, neglect, and homelessness. We dig into the research behind the program, the profound impact of mentorship on kids in foster care, and the intentionality behind the training of the volunteers.

Whether you're a mental health professional, an artist, or someone who just wants to make a difference — this one is for you.

🎨 Art + Mentors = Resilience

Find out more: https://arthealsaz.org

What happens when you stop living in your head and come back to your body? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Julie Merriman, Ph.D., LPC-S — nervous system expert, burnout specialist, and author — to explore one of the most overlooked paths to healing: getting back into your body.

We dive deep into:

✔️ What it really means to "get in the body" — and why so many high achievers have checked out of theirs

✔️ Grounding techniques rooted in somatic and nervous system science

✔️ How perfectionism keeps you stuck, exhausted, and disconnected from joy

✔️ Letting go of "performing" your life and rediscovering what genuinely lights you up

✔️ Why joy isn't a luxury — it's a nervous system need

Whether you're dissociated, emotionally numb, or just running on fumes, this conversation will give you practical tools to come home to yourself.

🌐 Learn more about Dr. Julie Merriman & take her FREE Somatic Signature Quiz: https://www.juliemerrimanphd.com/

📖 Get her IG: dr.juliemerriman

#MentalHealth #NervousSystemHealing #Grounding #Perfectionism #Joy #SomaticHealing #Burnout #WomensWellness #Podcast #MindBodyConnection #SoulJoy #DrJulieMerriman #CompassionFatigue #Healing #Mindfulness

On this episode of Therapy Is Dope with Alicia & Laura, we sit down with Martyn Williams — author of Sure, Let’s Go, the first person to lead a trek from the South Pole to the North Pole, avid climber, former monk, and lifelong seeker of insight and adventure.

While his outer journey spans the most extreme points on Earth, our conversation dives into something deeper: the inner expedition. Martyn shares what his years as a monk taught him about presence, awareness, and the subtle shifts in mindset that shape a meaningful life. We explore the role of humor in spiritual growth, the power of gratitude as a daily practice, and how intentional routines supported his enlightenment journey — not as rigid discipline, but as conscious choices that cultivate clarity and connection.

This episode is about more than adventure. It’s about living awake. It’s about how mindset becomes medicine. And it’s about remembering that enlightenment isn’t somewhere else — it’s here, in how we show up moment to moment.

Learn more about Martyn and his work at
https://www.enlighteningadventures.com/

In this powerful episode of Therapy Is Dope with Alicia & Laura, we sit down with renowned herbalist and classical Asian medicine expert David Crow, who brings over 40 years of experience in Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine, and Chinese medicine.

Together, we explore the spiritual and cultural foundations of traditional Asian medical systems—and how they differ from (and often expand beyond) Western approaches to health.

David breaks down:

• The shared principles of Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine, and Chinese medicine
• How herbs are used differently across cultures for similar—and sometimes very distinct—purposes
• The critical relationship between diet, gut health, and mental well-being
• Why nutrition advice must be personalized based on age, environment, and constitution
• How to simplify your diet instead of overcomplicating it
• The real purpose of meditation—beyond stress relief
• The difference between mindfulness for relaxation and the deeper spiritual goal of moksha (liberation or enlightenment)

As a mental health counselor committed to integrative, mind-body healing, this conversation was especially meaningful. We discuss how ancient systems understood what modern neuroscience is now confirming: the gut, the mind, and consciousness are deeply interconnected.

David also shares information about his telemedicine consultations and meditation courses available through CrowConsultations.com, where he continues to teach and guide students worldwide.

If you’re curious about herbal medicine, holistic mental health, meditation, or bridging ancient wisdom with modern therapy—this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now and reimagine what healing really means.

In this episode of Therapy Is Dope with Alicia & Laura, we sit down with M.D. Selig, author of the provocative novel Hush, to explore some of the biggest questions humans have ever asked—about aliens, consciousness, and what it really means to be human.

M.D. Selig is a writer known for blending speculative fiction with deep philosophical and psychological inquiry. In Hush, he challenges readers to look beyond conventional explanations of reality and examine how silence, awareness, and perception shape our understanding of the world—and ourselves. His work sits at the intersection of science fiction, metaphysics, and consciousness studies, inviting curiosity rather than certainty.

Together, we dive into:

• What we mean when we talk about “aliens” and non-human intelligence

• Consciousness as something that may extend beyond the brain

• Why humans are both fascinated and unsettled by the unknown

• How storytelling allows us to safely explore realities we’re not ready to name outright

This conversation moves beyond the sensational and into the reflective—less about belief and more about curiosity, awareness, and the ways our minds try to make meaning of experiences that don’t fit neatly into existing frameworks.

If you’re interested in consciousness, the nature of reality, or why stories about the unknown resonate so deeply with us, this episode will stretch your thinking in all the right ways.✨🎧

Resources:

https://www.mdselig.com/

https://www.gaia.com/series/cosmic-disclosure

https://www.farsightprime.com/