As artificial intelligence becomes part of how we seek advice, reassurance, and emotional support, what happens to our ability to tolerate uncertainty and trust ourselves?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Romith Naug, a dually board-certified family physician in Canada and the United States who now practices psychotherapy. Dr. Naug completed a fellowship in Medical CBT with CBT Canada and has since expanded his work to incorporate a range of integrative therapeutic modalities. He has developed an individualized model that brings these approaches together within an adapted CBT framework.

Alongside his outpatient psychotherapy practice in Kingston, Ontario, Dr. Naug serves as a senior CBT consultant and supervisor with CBT Canada. He is also an assistant professor at Queen’s University, where he supervises medical residents through the departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry.

We explore a thought-provoking conversation about artificial intelligence, human connection, and what it means to remain deeply human in an increasingly digital world.

In this episode, we unravel:
• Why understanding a pattern does not always change it
• How overthinking can create a perceived sense of safety
• Whether AI is strengthening or weakening our self-trust
• Why reassurance is not the same as genuine human connection
• How AI could begin to function as an attachment figure
• The relationship between consciousness, spirituality, and technology
• Why slowing down and returning to the body matter more than ever

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Sometimes, you can understand a pattern intellectually, but your body still reacts as if nothing has changed. 

In this episode, I explore the concept of associative learning through a somatic lens—how experiences, emotions, bodily sensations, and expected outcomes can become connected over time.

We unravel: 
• Why insight alone may not be enough to change an established pattern
• How emotional and bodily associations can develop through lived experience
• Why rest, boundaries, intimacy, or calm may sometimes feel risky
• How reproductive loss can create complex and layered experiences around intimacy
• What memory reconsolidation may teach us about updating old emotional learning
• Why protective responses can make sense in the context of what we have lived through
• A simple somatic practice I call "Pause, Place, and Prove"

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered, “Why am I reacting this way when part of me knows this moment is different?” or “Why does my body pull away when I genuinely want to stay present?”

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In this episode, I’m joined by registered clinical counsellor, author, and adoption advocate Catherine Moore for a tender and deeply insightful conversation about adoption, abandonment, belonging, and healing the nervous system.

Catherine brings a unique perspective as an adoptee, adoptive mother, counsellor, and co-director of We Are Adopted. Together, we explore the emotional complexity of adoption, including the impact of early separation, the longing to know where we come from, and the hidden grief, shame, and anxiety that can live beneath the surface.

Catherine shares her own story of reunion, the silence and secrecy that often surround closed adoption, and how these early experiences can shape attachment, identity, relationships, and the felt sense of safety in the body. We also talk about how somatic therapy, mindfulness, movement, breath, and compassionate presence can help soften old imprints and support healing.

In this episode, we unravel:

• The emotional complexity of adoption and reunion
• How early separation can shape attachment and belonging
• Why abandonment wounds often live in the nervous system
• How shame, anxiety, and hypervigilance can show up in adoptees
• The difference between who we are and the adaptations we developed to survive
• How somatic therapy can help heal preverbal trauma
• How to support someone you love who is adopted
• Why being seen, heard, and understood can be profoundly healing

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Burnout does not always begin with collapse. It often begins quietly, while we are still functioning, still showing up, still getting things done, and still being praised for the very behaviours that are disconnecting us from ourselves.
In this episode, I explore the early signs of burnout. I discuss how burnout can hide inside over-functioning, responsibility, productivity, and being the person everyone relies on.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How burnout can begin long before collapse
• Why burnout is different from ordinary tiredness
• How over-functioning, productivity, and responsibility can mask depletion
• Why rest does not always feel restorative when the body is deeply depleted
•  How nutritional nourishment may support capacity and recovery
• Why burnout recovery may require both physiological support and deeper honesty

Referenced Research & Resources
World Health Organization. (2019, May 28). Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases

Freudenberger, H. J., & North, G. (1985). Women’s burnout: How to spot it, how to reverse it, and how to prevent it. Doubleday.

National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (2025, June 27). Vitamin D: Fact sheet for health professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (2025, July 2). Vitamin B12: Fact sheet for health professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/

Whyte, D. (2001). Crossing the unknown sea: Work as a pilgrimage of identity. Riverhead Books.


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In this episode, I’m joined by author and podcast host Menaka Raman-Wilms for a thoughtful conversation about creativity, writing, loneliness, and the long process of bringing a story to life.

Together, we explore the inspiration behind her novel The Rooftop Garden, how her time in Berlin shaped the book, and what it takes to stay connected to a creative project over many years. Menaka also shares how writing fiction can help us make sense of the world, process complex emotions, and look beneath the headlines to the human stories underneath.

In this episode, we unravel:

•  The creative journey behind The Rooftop Garden
• How nature, cities, and Berlin inspired the novel
•  Why writing can help us process complex emotions
• What it takes to keep going with a long creative project
• How loneliness shows up in the book and in modern life
• The human stories behind climate anxiety and extremism
•  Why creativity can shape us as much as we shape it

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In this episode, I’m joined by cognitive scientist, author, and professor John Vervaeke for a profound conversation about the modern meaning crisis, mindfulness, flow states, loneliness, and the deep human longing for connection.

Together, we explore why so many people feel empty in the age of constant stimulation and digital connection, and how practices like mindfulness, contemplation, and self-awareness can help us reconnect to what is truly meaningful. John also shares insights from cognitive science, philosophy, and psychology to help us better understand consciousness, self-deception, intuition, wisdom, and the patterns shaping modern life.

In this episode, we unravel:

• What the “meaning crisis” really is
• Why social media can leave us feeling more disconnected
• The difference between pleasure, happiness, and meaning
• How mindfulness helps us become aware of unconscious patterns
• What flow states are and why they feel so meaningful
•  Why insight and transformation require cognitive flexibility
•  The relationship between self-awareness and human connection
• How wisdom is cultivated through relationship, presence, and practice
  
  

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Maybe your nervous system is not asking for more discipline right now. Maybe it is asking for a different relationship to life. In this episode, I explore the connection between the nervous system and nature, and why time in natural environments may support stress recovery, emotional regulation, and a greater sense of inner settling. Drawing from both personal reflection and research, I speak about rumination, restoration, awe, and the quiet ways the body can begin to soften when it feels less overexposed and more rooted. This is an episode about healing, environment, and remembering that regulation is not just psychological — it is physiological too. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  How nature may support the nervous system in shifting out of chronic activation 
•  What research suggests about rumination, stress recovery, and time spent in natural settings 
•  Why awe, slowness, and sensory contact with the natural world can feel regulating 
•  How to begin noticing which environments help your body soften and settle 
•  Why regulation is not laziness, and rest is not disengagement 

Referenced Research & Resources
Antonelli, M., Barbieri, G., & Donelli, D. (2019). Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Biometeorology, 63(8), 1117–1134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01717-x

Kobayashi, H., Song, C., Ikei, H., Park, B. J., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2019). Combined effect of walking and forest environment on salivary cortisol concentration. Frontiers in Public Health, 7, 376. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00376

Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): Evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15(1), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9

Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(28), 8567–8572. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510459112

Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11(3), 201–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80184-7

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In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Romith Naug, a dually board-certified family physician practicing psychotherapy and hospital medicine, for a thoughtful conversation about cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and the power of reshaping our inner world. 

Together, we explore how thoughts, feelings, behaviours, and physical sensations are deeply interconnected, and how CBT can help us become more aware of the patterns that shape our lives. He also shares his own adapted CBT model, offering a practical and compassionate framework for understanding emotional spirals, building awareness, and creating meaningful change. 

In this episode, we unravel:

•  What cognitive behavioural therapy is and how it works
• The relationship between thoughts, feelings, behaviours, and physical reactions
• How awareness can interrupt negative thought spirals
•  Why thoughts are not always facts
•  The connection between breath, mindfulness, and emotional regulation
• The difference between false resilience and true resilience
• How CBT can help build agency, flexibility, and self-understanding
• Why small shifts in perspective can create meaningful change

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In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Robyn Murphy, a naturopathic doctor and scientific advisor for DNA Labs Canada, for a fascinating conversation about the intersection of genetics and mental health. 

Dr. Murphy has worked alongside medical geneticists to develop lifestyle genetic panels and is deeply passionate about translating complex genetic research into practical tools that can support people’s health.

Together, we explore the long-standing debate of nature versus nurture, the emerging science of epigenetics, and how our genes may influence everything from stress sensitivity to neurotransmitter function. We also discuss how lifestyle, environment, and daily habits interact with our genetic blueprint—and why your genes are not your destiny.

We dive into the concept of “genetic scars,” how experiences can shape gene expression across generations, and how genetic testing is beginning to inform more personalized approaches to mental health treatment.
This conversation blends science with empowering insights that can help us better understand our bodies, our brains, and the choices that shape our health.

In this episode, we unravel:

• The difference between genetics, gene expression, and epigenetics
• The debate of nature vs. nurture in shaping health and personality
• How genes may influence stress sensitivity, depression, and anxiety
• The role of dopamine, serotonin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in mental health
• Why lifestyle choices can influence how genes are expressed
• What genetic testing can reveal about mental health and medication response
• How pharmacogenomics may help personalize mental health treatment
• Why understanding your genetics can be empowering rather than limiting
  
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In this special anniversary episode of Unravel, I’m reflecting on one year of the podcast and the journey that has unfolded since the very first episode.

Over the past year, Unravel has released 23 episodes and reached listeners in 41 countries around the world, with conversations exploring trauma, addiction, nervous system healing, relationships, meditation, psychedelics, and the science of happiness.

This episode is a moment to pause and look back on the insights that have emerged from conversations with psychologists, neuroscientists, therapists, authors, and practitioners who are helping us better understand the human experience.

In this episode:
✨ Reflections on the biggest themes that emerged from a year of conversations
✨ Why healing is rarely linear—and what that means for growth
✨ The powerful role the nervous system plays in trauma and recovery
✨ Why curiosity, compassion, and connection are essential to healing
✨ What’s ahead for the next chapter of Unravel

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