The Yes Collective Podcast with Audra & Justin: Recent Episodes
Audra and Justin Wilford
Yes Collective is a parent-focused emotional fitness platform combining therapist-designed tools, practices, and support for doing the inner work to become more connected and conscious parents.
The Yes Collective Podcast is our space to bring parents the top mental and emotional wellness experts from the Yes Collective app. Episodes include conversations with psychologists, therapists, coaches, and loads of other experts who are in the trenches helping parents thrive in body, mind, and soul. In each episode, we promise to bring you authentic, cutting-edge, and actionable conversations on the topics that will help you and your family thrive.
EPISODE #81 - Lisa Gungor is an artist, author, yoga instructor, and a facilitator in Yes Collective’s new Root Work Immersive Circles. When she was introduced to the Yes Collective team, she was just "Lisa" the yoga and ecstatic dance teacher. But the team later found out that she's a Grammy-nominated Christian indie rock musician who traveled the world, started churches, and then left Christianity and her entire career and identity behind.
So not only does Lisa have a super fascinating story, she's an all around amazing human being. So, we had to have her on to talk about her journey, what led her to make such a monumental move away from Christianity and "the church," and how she came to facilitate retreats focused on a this-world sacredness.
If you care about making massive life transitions, finding new identities and meaning grounded in honesty and compassion, and stepping into the everyday sacred, you're gonna love this interview with Lisa Gungor.
- Lisa's personal website is here: https://www.lisagungor.com
- Lisa's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/direct/inbox/
- Lisa's music (as Isa Ma): https://open.spotify.com/artist/0pWvGTyszb31m9wq2cLlJ0?si=fGPeFvBiT3Orb19LvrnNAw
- Lisa and Dr. Hilary McBride's Sacred Feminine retreat: https://sacredfeminine.co/
- Lisa's book, The Most Beautiful Thing I've Seen: Opening Your Eyes to Wonder: https://a.co/d/i0Sg7CH
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
EPISODE #80 - Welcome to this special edition of the Yes Collective Podcast. This one is a collaboration with our new friends at REVcovery podcast, Sarah Heath and Justin Gentry. The REVcovery podcast is focused on life after Christian ministry, recovering from being a professional Christian, and finding meaning in the aftermath.
Justin doesn't fit the bill for their typical guest: he's never been in Christian ministry and never was a professional Christian, although his father was, and he researched Christian megachurches for his first dissertation, so he's no stranger to this world. But the main reason we had this conversation was to talk about community and transcendence after church, or what Justin calls "post-church."
Justin W., Sarah, and Justin G. had a really good time chopping it up about what a post-church space could look like, the importance of embodiment and dancing, what spirituality can be after religion, and who the "post-church" is even for.
If you care about building new spaces for community, transcendence, and personal growth then buckle up, you're gonna love this collaborative episode with Sarah Heath and Justin Gentry at the REVcovery podcast.
- Check out the REVcovery podcast here: https://www.irreverent.fm/show/revcovery/
- Sarah Heath's personal website is here: https://revsarahheath.com
- Justin Gentry's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justin.gentry/?hl=en
- Justin Wilford's "Post-Church" essay is here: https://www.justinwilford.com/newsletter-archive/we-need-post-church-churches-full
Yes Collective is hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
EPISODE #79 - This week we're thrilled to welcome on the podcast Colin Pugh, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Psychedelic Society. Colin is the Executive Director of Brooklyn Psychedelic Society (BPS), an organization founded in 2015 whose mission is to serve as a prototype of a psychedelic co-op, which is to say a democratically governed, community-based healing center. BPS's current focus is on creating Trellis, an open-source community-based healing model that maximizes the safety, accessibility, and effectiveness of psychedelic journeying both underground and above. Colin is originally from Syracuse, NY and has lived in Brooklyn, NY for the past nine years.
We talked about how Colin first came into contact with psychedelics, how he connected with the Brooklyn Psychedelic Society and eventually became its Executive Director, and how he helps the BPS today grow a model of community-based healing that could one day spread across the country. We then dive into Justin's idea of "post-church spaces" aimed at intentionally nurturing community, transcendence, and personal growth outside of religious institutions. If you care about how we can find rich, healing community outside of traditional religion, then you're going to love this discussion!
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
EPISODE #78 - We're thrilled to announce our first 8-week Root Work program is filled! three weeks of preparation and four weeks of integration surround 4-day retreat in Temecula, California. This program supports deep inner healing and new levels of self-acceptance, self-clarity, and self-expression.
If you're interested on getting on the email list for the next one, just sign up here.
On this episode, we have on one of our amazing retreat facilitators, Kirby Slager. Kirby is a somatic movement, breathwork, and sound practitioner who is dedicating to creating spaces for people to find their own capital-S Self. We talk about Kirby's past career as a comedian and actor, how dancing saved her, how she almost missed her calling as a breathwork guide, and how she crafts experiences as a facilitator.
We couldn't be more excited to have Kirby on our team and we're grateful we get to share her talents with y'all!
But first, a quick announcement about an upcoming Yes Collective Studio Circle that you can join today. It's called Internal Family Systems for Your Daily Life - Level 1, facilitated by Yes Collective cofounder, IFS practitioner, and podcast cohost Justin Wilford, PhD.
Through out this four-week, live online program, we’ll:
- Learn about the paradigm-shifting model of Internal Family Systems
- Discover how all of your parts inside work to protect and defend you (and how there are NO bad parts)
- Connect more deeply with your True Self and all your parts
- Practice noticing, listening, witnessing, holding, and caring for every part of you
- Learn tools to help parts relax, trust, flow, and connect with each other
- Open up opportunities to bring IFS into your relationships, personal projects, career, and spirituality
You can learn more about the program and sign up here!
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
EPISODE #77 - We just finished Week 1 of our newest 4-week Studio Circle called Internal Family Systems for Your Daily Life, facilitated by Yes Collective cofounder, IFS practitioner, and podcast cohost Justin Wilford, PhD.
In this podcast episode, Justin talks with lead trainer for the IFS Institute, Sue Richmond, LCSW. If what you hear makes you want to dive deeper, then you can still hop into the Yes Collective network with this 7-day free trial and join the IFS Studio Circle. If you're already a member of the Yes Collective then click here. Through out the four weeks, we’ll:
- Learn about the paradigm-shifting model of Internal Family Systems
- Discover how all of your parts inside work to protect and defend you (and how there are NO bad parts)
- Connect more deeply with your True Self and all your parts
- Practice noticing, listening, witnessing, holding, and caring for every part of you
- Learn tools to help parts relax, trust, flow, and connect with each other
- Open up opportunities to bring IFS into your relationships, personal projects, career, and spirituality
If you're really into IFS or you've just heard about, you're going to love this interview with Sue Richmond. She's a licensed clinical social worker and lead trainer with the Internal Family Systems Institute. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Keene State College, and her Master’s of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut, with a specialization in social group work and casework. She works with people living with a wide range of disorders including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and a variety of stress-related disorders. She’s also taught social work and individual and group psychotherapy at a variety of institutions.
Show notes:
- Sue's official website
- Mariel Pastor's IFS Unburdened System Mandala
- The Internal Family Systems Institute, where Sue is a lead trainer
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #76 - We are beyond excited to launch our next Studio Circle live on July 25th! It's called Internal Family Systems for Your Daily Life, facilitated by Yes Collective cofounder and IFS practitioner, Justin Wilford, PhD. Justin has a doctorate in designing and evaluating mental health programs and is trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Authentic Relating, and Internal Family Systems.
In preparation for this Studio Circle, Justin grabbed a bunch of questions from his clients, friends, and colleagues new to IFS and collected them into the top 10 questions people have about IFS. In this episode, Justin goes solo and answers these questions from his perspective. He doesn't mess around and goes straight to the heart of each question. We think you're going to love Justin's honest, revealing, and experienced takes on these pointed questions.
After listening, be sure to hop into the Yes Collective network with this 7-day free trial and join the IFS Studio Circle. If you're already a member of the Yes Collective then click here. Beginning with our first live session on July 25th, we’ll:
- Learn about the paradigm-shifting model of Internal Family Systems
- Discover how all of your parts inside work to protect and defend you (and how there are NO bad parts)
- Connect more deeply with your True Self and all your parts
- Practice noticing, listening, witnessing, holding, and caring for every part of you
- Learn tools to help parts relax, trust, flow, and connect with each other
- Open up opportunities to bring IFS into your relationships, personal projects, career, and spirituality
This is the work I do one-on-one with clients all the time. But let’s face it, not everyone can afford one-on-one IFS work. But all members of Yes Collective can join in this IFS Studio Circle (and membership to Yes Collective is only $50/month).
When you join the Yes Collective and IFS for Your Daily Life, you’ll get:
- Four 90-minute, live workshops on Zoom, led by Internal Family Systems Institute-trained practitioner, Justin Wilford, PhD
- Four weekly self-paced lessons
- Four at-home practices to explore what it means to be Self-led and thrive as a harmonious system of parts
- Video recordings along with transcripts of each live session
EPISODE #75 - Perhaps you've seen a 60 Minutes episode or a Netflix documentary on the emerging science of psychedelics in mental health. Or perhaps you've even found your way into a psychedelic-assisted therapy session or retreat. Or maybe psychedelics are a totally uncharted territory for you. Regardless of where you are on this spectrum, you're going to love this conversation with Dr. Alicia Wuth.
Alicia is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Denver, Colorado. She did her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at a major children's hospital, and she's also on the executive team here at the Yes Collective. A few weeks back, she had the opportunity to attend the largest psychedelic science conference ever held. 12,000 attendees (thousands of them were therapists) and 500 speakers over a full week in Denver, Colorado. The biggest names in the field representing Johns Hopkins, MIT, UCLA, Stanford, and countless other research institutions were there alongside celebrities like Aaron Rodgers and Jada Pinkett-Smith. It was quite an event!
Alicia joined us today to talk about the experience, the science, what she learned, and how it changed her views on the rapidly expanding world of psychedelic science. We dig into the science, the culture, and the practice of using psychedelics for mental and emotional health, and what's on the horizon for the Yes Collective.
If you're at all curious about how psychedelics might change the landscape of mental and emotional health then you're going to love this conversation about Psychedelic Science 2023 in Denver Colorado.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #74 - Have you ever been told you're “too sensitive," “too dramatic,” “too shy” or you “think too much”? Do you often feel overwhelmed and aren't sure why?
What if all of your sensitivities were just untapped resources for living a connected, creative, and thriving life?
If this resonates for you, then you're going to love this conversation between Justin, Jenny, and licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Alicia Wuth on what it means to thrive as a highly sensitive person (HSP). They talk about what HSP really means on the ground in people’s lives, their own personal HSP journeys, and they dive into Jenny's new 4-week live Studio Circle, The Sensitive Uprising: How to Thrive as a Highly Sensitive Person.
Starting live on June 13th, Jenny and the Yes Collective team will help you:
- Learn what it means to be a highly sensitive person (HSP)
- Discover how all of the common HSP traits can be gifts that HSPs bring into the world
- Connect more deeply with our own unique truth as HSPs
- Practice noticing how sensitivity shows up in our systems while sharing with each other in a safe, caring, and supportive environment
- Learn tools to deal with overwhelm and overstimulation
- Open up opportunities to bring your distinct sensitivity into your personal projects, career, and relationships 4-week live studio circle on Jenny’s expertise in HSP and explore how she works with HSPs to unlock their potential. We’re calling it “The Sensitive Uprising: How to thrive as a Highly Sensitive Person”
If you're already a member of Yes Collective then you can join the Studio Circle today by clicking here. And if you're not yet a member, then click here to get started with a 7-day free trial.
If you think you might be even a little HSP, then join the Sensitive Uprising, and buckle up for this beautiful conversation.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #73 - We are thrilled to launch our first Internal Family Systems Studio Circle in July! It's called "IFS for Your Daily Life," and it's a live 4-week workshop led by IFS Institute-trained Justin Wilford, PhD, and his expert therapist team Jenny Walters and Alicia Wuth. They'll cover the foundational model of IFS, the big ideas, and most importantly the real-world, on-the-ground, life-changing practices you can do to bring IFS self-healing into your daily life. You'll leave the course with more clarity around your internal system, a better connection with your true self, and sustainable practices to continue your own self-healing work.
If you’re already a member of Yes Collective, then you can join this studio circle today for no additional cost. And if you’re not yet a member of Yes Collective, then come on in! As a member you get immediate access to all our live Studio Circles - right now, as of late May, we’re in the middle of an amazing Circle on Authentic Relating. And in June we’re going to launch one on thriving as a highly sensitive person (HSP).
If all this talk about internal family systems is new to you, then today’s podcast is going to blow your mind. If you’re old hat with IFS, then you’re still going to love what we have in store. Today’s guest is Dr. Frank Anderson, psychiatrist, therapist, author speaker and trauma specialist. He did his residency in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, worked with Bessel van der Kolk at the Trauma Center, is the former director of the Foundation for Self Leadership, a senior trainer of Internal Family Systems therapy and is an advisor to the International Association of Trauma Professionals.
We are so excited to have Frank on because he’s a leader in Internal Family Systems therapy, and IFS is a major part of what we do here at Yes Collective. We had him on last year to talk about IFS and parenting, and we couldn’t wait to have him back to dive into other IFS topics like relationships, grief, forgiveness, and spirituality.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #72 - Hey there, before we get started we want to let you know about an incredible 4-week online program—we call them Studio Circles—that we're launching in the Yes Collective, with the first live session on May 13th. This Studio Circle is all called "Creating Authentic Relationships." We designed this powerful 4-week live program to teach you the fundamentals of Authentic Relating. Each week, in our 90-minute live online sessions, we're going to dive into new relationship ideas and skills, and then we get to practice them together. We guarantee you there is no better way to super boost every single relationship in your life.
And you don't have to take our word for it! The last authentic relating studio circle we did was with a group of licensed therapists—people who do relational work for a living. And they loved it. In their testimonials, they called it "transformative," "impactful," "nourishing," "surprisingly deep but safe," and "a lot of fun."
We'll be doing Studio Circles on new topics each month - in June we'll be doing one on Highly Sensitive People and one on Internal Family Systems. Details below
One of the inspirations for this Studio Circle is the practice of Circling. It's a close cousin of Authentic Relating but Circling is more meditative and slightly less structured. Today's guest is a world-class Circling facilitator and relationship coach. Her name is Cathy Courtenay, and Justin met her at an amazing retreat in Sedona last year. She helped lead the most beautiful Circling session on the final day of the retreat and it absolutely blew everyone away.
Cathy has been on a path of personal and spiritual growth for most of her life. She brings her heart and deep listening skills to everything she does. Her range of experience with dance, somatic bodywork, marketing, parenting, Relational Coaching (RLT Certified), and facilitating the Circling Method gives her a unique ability to cultivate authentic, meaningful relationships with her clients and students and she meets them right where they are.
Her greatest strength is creating a safe space that allows others to be with things that feel difficult, to stand fully in what’s real for them and to ultimately experience true transformation. Her warmth and love evoke the full expression, truth, and authenticity of those she serves.
On this podcast, we talked with Cathy about what Circling is and how it was discovered, how it creates deep relationships, how it builds greater self-awareness, and what it's like to go to a Circling event. If you care about creating deeper relationships in your life then you're going to love this episode with the wise and wonderful Cathy Courtenay.
CATHY'S LINKS:
Cathy Courtenay's website: https://www.cathycourtenay.com
Cathy Courtenay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathycourtenay/
YES COLLECTIVE LINKS:
Link to join Yes Collective: https://home.yescollective.app/
When you join Yes Collective, you automatically gain access to all of the live Studio Circles.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #71 - Before we begin, we want to tell you about about a brand new way to build connection, personal growth, and modern spirituality into your life. Starting in May, Yes Collective is launching brand new 4-week, live online workshops called Studio Circles. Each Circle focuses on cutting-edge, transformational practices and ideas that help you connect to others more authentically, grow personally and professionally, and tap into profound moments of spirituality in your daily life.
These four-week, live workshops are led by the top psychologists, therapists, and coaches, some of whom you’ve heard on this podcast. To join, all you need to do is become a member of Yes Collective by going to https://home.yescollective.app/. If you’re already a member, then you can join right here: https://home.yescollective.app/spaces/11007464/content.
Our first Studio Circle, starting on May 8th, is on learning the skills of authentic relating and circling to create deep, meaningful relationships. I’ll be leading it with the help of licensed clinical psychologist, Alicia Wuth. Sign up today for full access to Yes Collective and join us in May!
Ok, on to the podcast! So, we’ve been wanting to have more conversations around modern spirituality. And Last November we spent the whole month talking about the power of spirituality but we don’t just want to relegate it to one month. So, we reached out to licensed clinical psychologist, Jordana Jacobs to talk about modern spirituality in a therapeutic context.
Jordana currently practices in New York City and has years of experience treating patients there. She completed her predoctoral internship at Bellevue Hospital Center and postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University. She also trained at various other major hospitals, including Memorial Sloan Kettering and Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center, gaining experience working with a diverse range of patients, including people diagnosed with terminal illness, substance users, and emerging adults.
Although she considers herself a generalist, she writes, speaks, and leads retreats on the relationships between love and death, which was the primary focus of her dissertation.
Her aim is to help people accept inevitable mortality, so that they may live and love more fully. Learn more about Jordana's work here: https://www.drjordanajacobs.com/
In this episode, we dive deep into the topic of modern spirituality, how Jordana came to recognize spirituality in her own life as well as her professional practice, how love and death are cornerstones of any spiritual practice, and how she helps her patients get closer to their own spirituality. So, without any further ado, I’m thrilled to present the wise and wonderful Jordana Jacobs.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, an Internal Family Systems practitioner, and a conscious dance DJ. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #70 - We are thrilled to welcome on the podcast the accomplished entertainment executive turned mental health advocate and best-selling author, Tara Schuster.She just released Glow in the Fcking Dark: Simple Practices to Heal Your Soul, from Someone Who Learned the Hard Way* -- an amazing memoir slash emotional healing guide. It’s really beautiful and powerful and you don’t need to take our word for it. It received glowing endorsements from Glennon Doyle, Adam Grant, Chelsea Handler, Dick Schwartz, the creator of IFS, and many others.
In February 2020, Tara released her first book titled Buy Yourself the Fcking Lilies: and Other Rituals to Fix Your Life from Someone Who Has Been There. The book was a runaway hit -- it was a finalist for Goodreads’ Best Non-Fiction Book of 2020; and was selected by Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, Goop, Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of the year on mental health and self-care. Previously, Tara served as Vice President of Talent and Development at Comedy Central, where she was the executive in charge of one of our favorite shows of all time, Key & Peele*.
On this episode, we talk to Tara about what it was like to reveal so many intimate details about her life so freely in her books, what it actually means to glow in the effing dark, how emotional healing has transformed her dating life, and of course we get into her drama-infused, stint as a bartender on the Vanderpump Rules Aftershow. You won't want to miss this one!
Show LinksTara's official website: http://www.taraschuster.com/
Glow in the F*cking Dark: http://www.taraschuster.com/glow
Tara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taraschuster/
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #69 - This week, Jenny and Justin are thrilled to be joined by Lauren Lovett, an embodied artist coach who is on a mission to support people in their pursuit of embodied empowerment. Lauren started acting on stage at the age of 10, and went on to pursue a BFA in drama from The Juilliard School. After performing in theaters across the country, she eventually realized that her true calling was in teaching and coaching other artists. Today, she is passionate about helping her clients connect with their bodies, hearts, and minds to unlock their full potential.
Through her expertise in somatic experiencing, acting, and creative expression, Lauren helps artists cultivate greater awareness, resilience, and joy in their lives. Whether you're a creative professional seeking to deepen your craft, or simply looking to live a more embodied, authentic, and empowered life, Lauren's insights and guidance can help you tap into your innate wisdom and inner resources.
In this conversation, we'll explore how Lauren uses somatic experiencing in her work, including the role of the body in emotions, trauma, and creativity; the importance of embodied presence in our daily lives, and the challenges and opportunities of living a fully embodied life. We'll also hear some inspiring stories from Lauren's own journey as an artist and coach, and gain practical tips and tools for cultivating greater presence, purpose, and joy in our lives.
So without further ado, let's dive into this conversation with the wonderful Lauren Lovett, and discover how she can help support you on your own journey toward embodied empowerment.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #68 - We're thrilled to welcome back clinical psychologist and reiki master, Nadia Torres-Eaton, PsyD, ABPP. It's not too often you get in one person the clinical experience and expertise combined with the openness to alternative healing modalities, which is why we always love learning from Nadia. Currently she privately practices individual and family psychotherapy as well as energy medicine in Santa Ana, CA. We talk about what cycle-breaking means to Nadia, how she helps her clients recognize and break cycles, and how she went through her own massive year-long cycle-breaking journey.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #67 - Each month in Yes Collective we focus on a central theme that ties together our new therapy tools, podcasts, and conversations. This month, we’re focused on cycle-breaking! Cycles are the patterns of behaviors, emotions, and beliefs. There can be inter-generational patterns that get passed down from one generation to the next. There can be personal patterns that have set in over years of coping, defending, and managing one's internal world. Or there can be relational patterns that take root in long-term relationships. Cycle-breaking is the conscious act of freeing yourself from destructive, unhealthy, or disruptive patterns in any area of your life.
This week, Jenny & Justin are kicking off March by talking about what cycle-breaking means to them, how it's shown up in their lives, how it shows up for their clients, and some steps they've taken in their own lives to notice cycles they might want to modify, if not break. They also, talk about the amazing guests they have lined up for March. Best-selling author and former Comedy Central executive, Tara Schuster will join them for the March 8th pod, and somatic experiencing coach and author, Lauren Lovett, will join them later in the month.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #66 - We're continuing our February focus on building and maintaining authentic relationships with this podcast rewind from last year with the relationship coach Jayson Gaddis. We've long known about Jayson and the amazing work he does at The Relationship School and we couldn't wait to have him come on the podcast. We dove into Jayson's journey to becoming a relationship expert (a title that he rejects, but we're giving it him anyway!), how his relationships with his partner and kids have blossomed because of his work, how conflict in any relationship is inevitable, and how repair and growth are always possible.
We also get some amazing tools and strategies from his new book Getting to Zero: How to Work Through Conflict in Your High Stakes Relationships. We talk about practices that can help anyone repair relationships and achieve deep connection amidst any conflict. If you have a high-stakes relationship in your life, whether it's your marriage, your kids, at work, or a friendship, then you'll absolutely want to tune in.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #65 - All February we’re focusing on building and maintaining authentic relationships. This week, Jenny and Justin talk with executive matchmaker and dating coach Sophy Singer because she helps people find those authentic connections that lead to lifelong relationships. Sophy knows a thing or two about how to start an authentic relationship, and we wanted to hear it all. Like, how do people start relationships authentically? Don't we all want to put our very best foot forward, hide all the uncomfortable stuff, and hope to reel a person in before getting authentic? And what does it mean be authentic in the dating world?
In this episode, Sophy tells us about how she built her decade-long career as an executive matchmaker, how she coaches clients as they navigate the dating world, why dating is so damn hard these days, why the practices of authentic relating are the key to finding the right person, and how she's disrupting the dating and matchmaking world today. Even if your like us and your dating days are far in the past, you're gonna love hearing Sophy's wisdom, her stories, and her passion for helping people connect deeply and authentically.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #64 - This is our second time around with Ryel Kestano, author, coach, and CEO of ART International, the world's leading authentic relating training organization. We had to have him back on to kick off our February theme of building authentic relationships.
Nothing has a bigger influence on our emotional health than relationships. Yet how much time and effort do we spend on learning HOW to create and maintain rich, meaningful relationships? These certainly don't happen on their own. Thankfully, Ryel joined us this week to explain and demonstrate the art and science of authentic relating.
We talked about the natural tension we all face as children between staying true to our own authenticity and creating a secure attachment with our caregivers, what authentic relating is, the five practices of authentic relating, and how to use authentic relating in our lives. Ryel even walked us through an authentic relating demo!
If you care about deepening literally any relationship in your life then you're going to love this episode with the wise and wonderful Ryel Kestano.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #63 - All January long we’re working on new beginnings, fresh starts, and new year renewals. For us this means setting aside time to step back and think about what do we really want to focus on? What do we really want to commit to? Spend our time on? In considering these questions, I thought about Chris Gray, authentic relating trainer, coach, and conscious leadership consultant. Chris has many perspectives on new beginnings. He worked in silicon valley at one of the biggest names in tech and then left it all to start fresh as an authentic relationship trainer and coach. And today he helps companies make fresh starts as emotionally healthy workplaces. Today we dig in to Chris’s story, how he made his fresh starts, and how he helps companies and people around the world slow down and rethink how they relate to each other and themselves.
If you care about making a real, authentic fresh start then you're going to love this episode with the amazing and insightful Christopher Gray.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #62 - Hello 2023! Welcome to our first podcast of the new year! All January long, the Yes Collective is focused on ideas, feelings, and acts around renewal. For us, the beginning of 2023 is not so much about starting something novel but of renewing, refreshing, and remembering our deepest commitments in life.
We think that everyone, in their own core inner knowing, can feel these deep commitments and knows that they’ve been there all along, even when we were distracted and couldn’t hear this inner knowing. So as we kick off 2023, we’re diving headfirst into a new year renewal with practices, ideas, and conversations that help us re-center our mental, emotional, and spiritual health by renewing our deepest commitments in life.
In this episode, co-hosts Jenny Walters and Justin Wilford talk with Yes Collective co-founder Audra DiPadova about the amazing things happening this year at Yes Collective. We also talk about what we learned in 2022 and want to keep going in 2023, and then we talked about what we want to renew in his new year. We chop it up, we get real, we give you our one-word mantras for 2023. You’re gonna love every bit of it, so buckle up and enjoy!
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #61 - Grief is often an unseen and unacknowledged companion for many of us throughout the holiday season, whether we feel the loss of a loved one or feel the sorrow of another's loss. In this very special holiday episode of the Yes Collective Podcast, Jenny and Justin talk with grief expert and licensed therapist, Vanessa Fierstadt, LMFT. We dove into the definition of grief, how we come to acknowledge and process grief, the importance of rituals around grief, and the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness to access grief more fully.
Vanessa became a young widow at the same time she was coming to work in mental health. As a wife in her 20s, deep in the throes of loss, she struggled to find a place as a young griever. Inspired by the daringness of the way in which her partner lived in the face of adversity, Vanessa enveloped herself in a process of mending. She began to connect to her own broken pieces with light and meaning by specializing in grief work for those in more complex grief. Today, she channels her lived experiences and specialized training to create containers for courage, support, and community in the face of despair. In 2023, she'll be doing this work at her newly opened Kintsugi Grief Center.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #60 - Throughout the month of November here at the Yes Collective, we’ve been diving deep into the mystical and magical world of woo for emotional health. From energy healing to Tarot to astrology, our amazing team of therapists, psychologists, and coaches have been exploring how “woo” practices can be more than fun diversions or guilty pleasures. They can be intentionally used in our mental and emotional health routines.
This week Jenny and I talk to licensed therapist and voiceover artist Janell Cox about how she uses “woo” in her therapeutic work. Originally from Chicago, Janell received her BA in theatre arts from Indiana University Bloomington and her MA in clinical psychology from Antioch University with a focus on Spiritual and Depth Psychology. Today she's a licensed Marriage Family Therapist, with a strong mind-body-spirit and psychodynamic lens. She's also taught yoga for 11 years and is trained in the art of applied esoteric astrology through Debra Silverman. Today Janell practices therapy at Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles.
If you’re interested in how you can bring more of the unseen, mysterious aspects of life into your own mental and emotional health journey, then buckle up. You’re gonna love our talk with the joyous, funny, and wise Janell Cox.
Yes Collective is co-hosted by Justin Wilford, PhD and Jenny Walters, LMFT.
Justin Wilford, PhD, is a co-founder of Yes Collective, an educator, a writer, and an emotional health coach. He earned doctorates from UCLA (cultural geography) and UC Irvine (public health), and specializes in translating complex, scientific ideas into actionable programs for mental and emotional health.
Jenny Walters, LMFT, is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is the founder and director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy in Los Angeles, California.
Welcome to Yes On-the-Go, where we bring Yes Collective members the audio version of Yes Collective expert team content straight from the app. This episode of On-the-Go is a podcast version of our Wellness Reset Meditation on Accepting Yourself Completely. As a Yes Collective member, you can download 5-minute meditations like this one and scores of other emotional health resources, tools, and articles right in the app.
Check out the full Wellness Reset here: https://home.yescollective.app/posts/🎧-wellness-reset-accepting-yourself-completely
Welcome to Yes On-the-Go, where we bring Yes Collective members the audio version of Yes Collective expert team content straight from the app. This episode of On-the-Go is a podcast version of our Wellness Reset Meditation on Accepting Yourself Completely. As a Yes Collective member, you can download 5-minute meditations like this one and scores of other emotional health resources, tools, and articles right in the app.
Check out the full Wellness Reset here: https://home.yescollective.app/posts/🎧-wellness-reset-accepting-yourself-completely
EPISODE #59 - This month’s theme in the Yes Collective is all about the power of "woo" for supporting our mental and emotional health. In this episode, Justin and Jenny explore the power of woo: understanding what it is, what it could be, and how we can use it consciously in our mental and emotional healing journeys. We also introduce Jenny as Justin's new co-host on the Yes Collective Podcast! The Oxford Dictionary defines “woo-woo” as “unconventional beliefs regarded as having little or no scientific basis, especially those relating to spirituality, mysticism, or alternative medicine.” For us, woo refers to not just beliefs but also practices that bring us into something beyond our own minds and the physical, empirical world. Justin and Jenny talk about their "woo" journeys and why even the most hard-nosed, materialist scientist should be ok with woo in the context of mental and emotional health. Whether you're woo-curious or a crystal-loving, sage-burning, tarot-card-reading, energy-healing lover of woo, you'll love listening to Justin and Jenny chop it up! https://jennywalters.com/ (Jenny Walters) is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the https://www.pacifica.edu/ (Pacifica Graduate Institute) and is the founder and director of https://www.highlandparktherapy.com/ (Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy) in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #59 - This month’s theme in the Yes Collective is all about the power of "woo" for supporting our mental and emotional health. In this episode, Justin and Jenny explore the power of woo: understanding what it is, what it could be, and how we can use it consciously in our mental and emotional healing journeys. We also introduce Jenny as Justin's new co-host on the Yes Collective Podcast! The Oxford Dictionary defines “woo-woo” as “unconventional beliefs regarded as having little or no scientific basis, especially those relating to spirituality, mysticism, or alternative medicine.” For us, woo refers to not just beliefs but also practices that bring us into something beyond our own minds and the physical, empirical world. Justin and Jenny talk about their "woo" journeys and why even the most hard-nosed, materialist scientist should be ok with woo in the context of mental and emotional health. Whether you're woo-curious or a crystal-loving, sage-burning, tarot-card-reading, energy-healing lover of woo, you'll love listening to Justin and Jenny chop it up! https://jennywalters.com/ (Jenny Walters) is a licensed marriage family therapist and senior expert contributor to the Yes Collective. She is a graduate of the https://www.pacifica.edu/ (Pacifica Graduate Institute) and is the founder and director of https://www.highlandparktherapy.com/ (Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy) in Los Angeles, California.
EPISODE #58 - This month’s theme in the Yes Collective is work/life wellness, and we’re diving even deeper with an outstanding leader in organizational psychology and leadership development, Dr. Avina Gupta. She’s pioneered leadership and coaching engagements in organizations from small family-owned businesses to billion dollar multi-national corporations. She’s a former consultant with Deloitte, has founded 2 boutique leadership development firms, and has taught courses across the globe, from Vienna to New York City. Born and raised in Canada, Avina is fluent in Hindi and can ask for a beer and directions in both German and French. She met her German-born husband Sebastian on a mountain in South Africa; and is Mom to their delightful 4-year-old son, Sai and 4-month old baby girl, Lani Mae. Avina and company currently live in Atlanta GA. In this episode, we talk about Avina's professional journey, how she helps companies create cultures of authenticity, connection, and meaning, and the different ways we all can care for our mental and emotional health across the work/life continuum.
EPISODE #58 - This month’s theme in the Yes Collective is work/life wellness, and we’re diving even deeper with an outstanding leader in organizational psychology and leadership development, Dr. Avina Gupta. She’s pioneered leadership and coaching engagements in organizations from small family-owned businesses to billion dollar multi-national corporations. She’s a former consultant with Deloitte, has founded 2 boutique leadership development firms, and has taught courses across the globe, from Vienna to New York City. Born and raised in Canada, Avina is fluent in Hindi and can ask for a beer and directions in both German and French. She met her German-born husband Sebastian on a mountain in South Africa; and is Mom to their delightful 4-year-old son, Sai and 4-month old baby girl, Lani Mae. Avina and company currently live in Atlanta GA. In this episode, we talk about Avina's professional journey, how she helps companies create cultures of authenticity, connection, and meaning, and the different ways we all can care for our mental and emotional health across the work/life continuum.
Welcome to Yes On-the-Go, where we bring Yes Collective members the audio version of Yes Collective expert team content straight from the app. This episode of On-the-Go is a podcast version of our Wellness Reset Meditation on Rest. As a Yes Collective member, you can download 5-minute meditations like this one and scores of other emotional health resources, tools, and articles right in the app. Check out the full Wellness Reset here: https://home.yescollective.app/posts/%F0%9F%8E%A7-wellness-reset-to-rest (https://home.yescollective.app/posts/🎧-wellness-reset-to-rest)
EPISODE #57 - We’ve got a really special episode lined up this week. We’re kicking off our theme of the month—work/life wellness—with the amazing Jenn Cornelius, Chief People Officer of Ritual, an innovative personal wellness brand dedicated to transparency and science. Jenn has worked in leadership and organizational development at Apple, Pinterest, and Sweetgreen, and also as a private consultant. She’s passionate about helping organizations grow into people-first, values-driven places to work. We’ve known Jenn and her families for years through our work with MaxLove Project. She’s a childhood cancer mom, a fierce advocate for families, and an all around amazing person. We talk about Jenn’s professional journey, how she helps others build deep, trusting relationships at work, how we can bring our whole selves to work, and the tools and resources to care for our mental and emotional health across the work/life continuum. If you care about bringing your whole self to work and back home at the end of the day, then you’re going to love listening to us dive deep with the wise wonderful Jenn Cornelius.
Welcome to Yes On-the-Go, where we bring Yes Collective members the audio version of a Yes Collective expert team content. This is for all of us parents who are too busy or — let’s face it — too worn out at the end of the day to read. But we still want the mental and emotional wellness tools the Yes Collective expert team serves up. This episode of On-the-Go is an audio version of our Five Things Friday article, Five Things You Need to Know About Trauma. In this audio article, one of our amazing Yes Collective therapists, Jenny Walters, LMFT, explains what attachment trauma is, how it's related to attachment styles, and first steps to start healing attachment traumas we might be carrying. This and tons of other amazing mental and emotional wellness content is available in the Yes Collective app. Link to original article: https://home.yescollective.app/posts/things-you-need-to-know-about-attachment-trauma (https://home.yescollective.app/posts/things-you-need-to-know-about-attachment-trauma)
Welcome to Yes On-the-Go, where we bring Yes Collective members the audio version of a Yes Collective expert team content. This is for all of us parents who are too busy or — let’s face it — too worn out at the end of the day to read. But we still want the mental and emotional wellness tools the Yes Collective expert team serves up. This episode of On-the-Go is an audio version of our Five Things Friday article, Five Things You Need to Know About Trauma. In this audio article, one of our amazing Yes Collective therapists, Jenny Walters, LMFT, explains what attachment trauma is, how it's related to attachment styles, and first steps to start healing attachment traumas we might be carrying. This and tons of other amazing mental and emotional wellness content is available in the Yes Collective app. Link to original article: https://home.yescollective.app/posts/things-you-need-to-know-about-attachment-trauma (https://home.yescollective.app/posts/things-you-need-to-know-about-attachment-trauma)
EPISODE #56 - Buckle up. This month’s theme in the Yes Collective is emotional trauma and we’re kicking everything off with our interview with the incomparable Tanner Wallace, PhD. Tanner is a trauma recovery coach and educator, a level 1 practitioner in Internal Family Systems, a complex trauma survivor, and a parent. She also earned a PhD in education from UCLA and was a tenured professor at the University of Pittsburgh studying psychological safety and the motivation to learn. Tanner describes herself as a compassionate, no-contact daughter, supportive sibling to an also-in-recovery human, a second wife, an ex-wife, a biological mother, a stepmother, a holder of space, a cheerleader, and a champion for Self Energetic living. We dove deep into trauma, complex trauma, and healing from trauma as a parent, partner and person. Tanner dropped so many nuggets of wisdom, you’ll need to listen to this episode multiple times—on half speed. So, grab a cup of tea, relax into your favorite chair, and meet the amazing and wise Tanner Wallace, PhD.
EPISODE #55 - Buckle up. This month’s theme in the Yes Collective is emotional trauma and we’re kicking everything off with our interview with Ruthie Duran Deffley. She’s the founder of Healthy Mind/Mente Sana and a licensed clinical social worker and therapist in Savannah, Georgia who specializes in trauma recovery. She grew up in Mexico City, earned degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Minnesota, and is also a certified facilitator of trauma-sensitive yoga. We talked about Ruthie’s winding path into the field of mental health, her own recovery, how she uses trauma-sensitive yoga and other modalities to help people recover from trauma, and how parents can take a trauma-informed approach to parenting and their own wellbeing.
EPISODE #54 - Welcome to a special “Best of Yes” episode of the Yes Collective Podcast! We’re bringing back our conversation with the amazing Ryel Kestano, https://authenticrelating.co/ (CEO and cofounder of ART International), to share how the practice of Authentic Relating (AR) can help strengthen and nourish family relationships. Ryel shares how he got started with AR, the impact it’s had on him, and how he’s sharing the practice around the world and within his own home.
EPISODE #53 - On this episode of the Yes Collective Podcast, we talk to executive matchmaker and mom Sophy Singer. She finds life partners for CEOs, lawyers, and brain surgeons, and on this episode she's bringing her years of experience to the world of friendship. We talk about why it was so much easier to make friends as kids, whether parenthood makes it harder to find really good new friends, how we can find really good new friends in adulthood, how we can nurture these friendships, and so much more. Tune in to hear us dig deep on friendship with the amazing and wise Sophy Singer.
We’re so excited that this month's theme in the Yes Collective is emotional health and friendship. As busy working parents, we know how our friendships get pushed way down the priority list, so we are starting the month talking to Blake Blankenbecler, a licensed therapist who specializes in trauma, anxiety, eating disorders, and - most importantly - friendships. She specializes in helping people be better friends and have deeper more meaningful friendships. We were joined by Yes Collective contributor and therapist, Jenny Walters, to talk about making new friends, navigating conflicts with your friends, and how to know when a friendship is coming to an end. Without further ado, here’s the wise and wonderful Blake Blankenbecler.
EPISODE #51 - Welcome to a special “Best of” episode of the Yes Collective Podcast! We’re bringing back our conversation with the amazing Dr. Kate Simon to close out our month on embodied mental and emotional health. This month the focus has been on all the things we can do through our body to support our mental and emotional health. And there is nothing–and we mean nothing–more fundamental to our embodied mental and emotional health than sleep. In this episode, Dr. Simon breaks it all down for us, tells us what sleep is, why it’s so crucial to all aspects of our health, and how you can start getting a better night's sleep right away. And Dr. Simon is really the best. She’s a sleep scientist and a mom who studies how sleep affects kids of all ages. She’s a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, Irvine (where I got my public health PhD - go anteaters!) and has worked at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where our son Max was treated for his brain tumor for 10 years. So, get a cozy blanket and some chamomile tea, and settle in for a conversation that will change the way you think about sleep . . .
Welcome to Yes On-the-Go, where we bring Yes Collective members the audio version of a Yes Collective expert team content. This is for all of us parents who are too busy or — let’s face it — too worn out at the end of the day to read. But we still want the mental and emotional wellness tools the Yes Collective expert team serves up. This episode of On-the-Go is an audio version of our 5 Things Friday article, 5 Body-Based Wellness Strategies for Working Parents. In this audio article, our expert team put together five body-based strategies that are shown to improve mood and energy levels and reduce anxiety and depression. This and tons of other amazing mental and emotional wellness content is available in the Yes Collective app. Link to original article: https://home.yescollective.app/posts/things-friday-5-body-based-wellness-strategies-for-working-parents (https://home.yescollective.app/posts/things-friday-5-body-based-wellness-strategies-for-working-parents)
EPISODE #50 - We’re so excited to kick off embodied mental health month with Betsy Powers, a licensed therapist, yoga teacher, and mother who specializes in somatic therapy in addition to traditional talk therapy. Her journey into the field of mental and emotional health began over a decade ago when she began her own healing process from addiction and what she calls “self-inflicted hardship.” She earned her graduate degree from Naropa University specializing in somatic psychology and body psychotherapy. She now has a thriving private practice in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, where she lives with her partner and two children. We talked about Betsy’s own journey out of addiction and into mental wellness, what led her into the healing arts and body-based psychotherapy, and how all of this weaves together in her parenting. If you’re fascinated by the body-mind connection, you’re going to love this interview. Without further ado, here’s the wise and wonderful Betsy Powers.
EPISODE #49 - We're switching things up this week! We're dropping a 5-minute, stress-busting Wellness Reset meditation on the power of three deep breaths. We have loads more of these 5-minute, quick-hit meditations on our members-only private podcast feed. So, if you want to be sure to access all that plus a ton of other amazing Yes Collective audio content, become a subscribing member today at https://www.yescollective.co/ (www.yescollective.co).
EPISODE #48 - Welcome to Yes Collective's June Mom-isode, a monthly episode where Yes Collective CEO and mother of two, https://home.yescollective.app/members/6215926 (Audra DiPadova), chats with Yes Collective Editor-at-Large and fellow mother, https://home.yescollective.app/members/5401928 (Anne Watson), about the mental and emotional challenges of working motherhood. Quick note: Mom-isodes stream in their entirety on our private, members-only feed. (The public feed only has the first 30 minutes.) So, if you want to be sure to catch all future Mom-isodes plus a ton of other amazing Yes Collective audio content on our members-only private feed, become a subscribing member today at https://www.yescollective.co/ (www.yescollective.co).
EPISODE #47 - Welcome to the Yes Collective Therapist's Circle, a space where we bring on our expert psychologists, therapists, and coaches to answer parents' mental health questions, talk about the mental health theme of the month, and give us some practical emotional fitness tools to bring in to our daily lives. This week, we welcomed into the circle the amazing Bridget Cross, licensed maternal mental health therapist, and Yes Collective expert contributor. Bridget answered parents' questions about going back to work after maternity leave, how to respond when your teenager says they hate you, handling a child who's anxious about trying new things, and a lot more! So many amazing practices, tips, and nuggets of wisdom were dropped!
EPISODE #46 - On this In-between-isode of the Yes Collective Podcast, Anne and Justin breakdown the Erin Erenberg episode on fighting for working mothers. They talk about "leaning in" versus "leaning out," how humans didn't evolve to parent and work like this, the unique challenges of single working motherhood, and so much more!
EPISODE #45 - What a joy it was to kick off our theme this month around working moms’ mental wellness with Erin Erenberg. Erin is CEO and Founder of Totum Women, a moms’ Advocate, a founding mother at the Chamber of Mothers, IP Attorney, serial entrepreneur, and mom of three. With Totum Women, Erin helps moms in the workplace through products, community events, and research-backed resources. And with Chamber of Mothers, Erin is a leader in the fight for federal paid leave and policies that support mothers. Erin and her family live in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina not to far from us here in Savannah, Georgia. We talked about the real struggles working moms face, the lack of support at work and at all levels of government, how the world isn’t ready to hear the real challenges working moms face but how Erin is speaking out anyway, and a whole lot more. If you care about working moms’ wellness then you’re going to love this episode.
EPISODE #44 - Welcome to Yes Collective's Mom-isode, a monthly episode where Yes Collective CEO and mother of two, https://home.yescollective.app/members/6215926 (Audra DiPadova), chats with Yes Collective Editor-at-Large and fellow mother, https://home.yescollective.app/members/5401928 (Anne Watson), about the mental and emotional challenges of working motherhood. In this Mom-isode, Audra and Anne bring on Yes Collective's Director of Mental and Emotional Health, https://home.yescollective.app/members/5761021 (Alicia Wuth, PsyD). They talk about the emotional labor, maternity leave, going back to work, and a lot more! Quick note: Mom-isodes stream in their entirety on our private, members-only feed. (The public feed only has the first 30 minutes.) So, if you want to be sure to catch all future Mom-isodes plus a ton of other amazing Yes Collective audio content on our members-only private feed, become a subscribing member today at https://www.yescollective.co/ (www.yescollective.co).
Welcome to the Yes Collective Therapist's Circle, a space where we bring on our expert psychologists, therapists, and coaches to answer parents' mental health questions, talk about the mental health theme of the month, and give us some practical emotional fitness tools to bring in to our daily lives. This week, Audra welcomed into the circle the amazing Dr. https://home.yescollective.app/members/5761021 (Alicia Wuth, PsyD), clinical psychologist, therapist, and Yes Collective's Director of Mental and Emotional Health. Alicia answered parents' questions about dealing with feelings of stuckness at work, how to let go of parenting habits inherited from your parents, how to respond when your child rejects you, and more. So many amazing practices, tips, and nuggets of wisdom were dropped!
Welcome to Yes On-the-Go, where we bring Yes Collective members the audio version of a Yes Collective expert team content. This is for all of us parents who are too busy or — let’s face it — too worn out at the end of the day to read. But we still want the mental and emotional wellness tools the Yes Collective expert team serves up. This episode of On-the-Go is an audio version of our 5 Feelings Parents Don't Want to Talk About (But Need To). In this article, the Yes Collective therapy team names these scary feelings so that more parents can talk openly about them and relate to them in healthier ways. This and tons of other amazing mental and emotional wellness content is available in the Yes Collective app. Link to original article: https://home.yescollective.app/posts/five-feelings-parents-dont-want-to-talk-about-but-need-to (https://home.yescollective.app/posts/five-feelings-parents-dont-want-to-talk-about-but-need-to)
Welcome to Yes On-the-Go, where we bring Yes Collective members the audio version of a Yes Collective expert team content. This is for all of us parents who are too busy or — let’s face it — too worn out at the end of the day to read. But we still want the mental and emotional wellness tools the Yes Collective expert team serves up. This episode of On-the-Go is an audio version of our 10 Laws of Emotional Physics. In this article, we learn about what emotions are and how they work in our bodies, hearts, and minds. This and tons of other amazing mental and emotional wellness content is available in the Yes Collective app. Link to original article: https://home.yescollective.app/posts/ten-laws-of-emotional-physics (https://home.yescollective.app/posts/ten-laws-of-emotional-physics)
EPISODE #42 - We are incredibly honored to kick off parent mental health awareness month with Tammy Sollenberger, a licensed therapist, author, an Internal Family Systems (IFS) Certified Supervisor, and the host of The One Inside, an amazing podcast where she talks with the leading figures in Internal Family System therapy. Most importantly, Tammy is a mom who brings her work home—all of the skills, insights, and practices she uses to help other parents live more present and connect lives are the same ones she uses at home with her family. Audra and I loved digging into all the wisdom Tammy has around parenthood, stress, healing emotional wounds, and cultivating more compassion, curiosity, and playfulness in our lives. Without further ado, here is the insightful, wise, and wonderful Tammy Sollenberger.
EPISODE #41 - Welcome to the Yes Collective's Mom-isode, a monthly episode where Yes Collective CEO and mother of two, Audra DiPadova, chats with Yes Collective Editor-at-Large and fellow mother, Anne Watson, about the mental and emotional challenges of working motherhood. They'll have other amazing moms on with them to reflect on practices, ideas, and tips and tricks for getting through the daily grind with a bit more patience, presence, and peace. It's a space to just let loose, get real, and say yes to the ridiculously challenging events that make up working motherhood. This initial Mom-isode is airing in its entirety on the public feed. If you want to catch all future Mom-isodes plus a ton of other amazing Yes Collective audio content on our members-only private feed, become a subscribing member today at https://yescollective.co/ (yescollective.co).
EPISODE #40 - Welcome to the Yes Collective Therapist's Circle, a space where we bring on our expert psychologists, therapists, and coaches to answer parents' mental health questions, talk about the mental health theme of the month, and give us some practical emotional fitness tools to bring in to our daily lives. This week, we have the incredible Nadia Torres-Eaton, PsyD, clinical psychologist and therapist. Nadia answers parents questions about kids' conflicts at school, ADHD, teens sending revealing pictures on their phones, dealing with feelings of stuckness, and more. So many amazing practices, tips, and nuggets of wisdom were dropped! These sessions are available exclusively on our members-only podcast feed. If you're a subscriber in the Yes Collective app and want the private podcast feed, head into the app and message us at "Audra & Justin at the Yes Collective." If you're not a subscriber yet, then sign up today and we'll send you a link to the private feed today!
EPISODE #38 - On this In-between-isode of the Yes Collective Podcast, Audra and Justin breakdown the Frank Anderson episode on emotional healing through Internal Family Systems, but not before talking about Audra's grief around the loss of their puppy, Zeus. NOTE: You can hear this entire episode on our private, members-only podcast feed, where we have full episodes like this one, but tons more amazing emotional wellness content, including our Therapist’s circles, on-the-go articles, parent-focused meditations, and special episodes you won’t want to miss. So head on over to http://yescollective.co (www.yescollective.co), become a supporting member, and we’ll get you your own private podcast feed today.
EPISODE #37 - Dr. Frank Anderson is a sort of super hero in the field of mental health. He’s a psychiatrist, author, speaker, and trauma specialist. He did his residency in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, worked with Bessel van der Kolk at the Trauma Center, is the former director of the Foundation for Self Leadership, a senior trainer of Internal Family Systems therapy and is an advisor to the International Association of Trauma Professionals. He’s also a father of two boys and is an expert on Internal Family Systems and parenting. What this résumé boils down to is this: there is no better expert than Dr. Anderson to help us kick off cycle-breaking month. His entire career has been dedicated to breaking patterns of trauma, neglect, and emotional wounds. And he doesn’t just do this in his day job. He’s a father of two boys who brings all of training, wisdom, and compassion home to practice what he preaches. In this episode, we talk about the groundbreaking and mind-blowing mental health therapy called Internal Family Systems, trauma, breaking cycles, parenting through your True Self, and we even touch on psychedelics. This is one of the best conversations we’ve had on the Yes Collective podcast.
EPISODE #35 - Welcome to the Yes Collective Therapist's Circle, a space where we bring on our expert psychologists, therapists, and coaches to answer parents' mental health questions, talk about the mental health theme of the month, and give us some practical emotional fitness tools to bring in to our daily lives. This week, we have the incredible https://christinafurnival.com/ (Christina Furnival, LPC), therapist, children's book author, and mom. Christina answer parents questions about self-care during a divorce, dealing with religious grandparents when raising kids without religion, giving space to your child experiencing big emotions vs. engaging with them, and more. So many amazing practices, tips, and nuggets of wisdom were dropped! Starting next month, these sessions will be available exclusively on our members-only podcast feed. If you're a member in the Yes Collective app and want the private podcast feed, head into the app and message us at "Audra & Justin at the Yes Collective." If you're not a member yet, then sign up today and we'll send you a link when our private feed goes live!
EPISODE #34 - Welcome to Yes Collective On-the-Go, where we bring Yes Collective members the audio version of a Yes Collective expert team article. This is for all of us parents who are too busy or — let’s face it — too worn out at the end of the day to read. But we still want the mental and emotional wellness tools the Yes Collective expert team serves up. This episode of On-the-Go is an audio version of "How to Talk to Your Teen About Their Love Life" by health professor and sexual health expert Dr. Jena Curtis. This and tons of other amazing mental and emotional wellness content is available in the Yes Collective app.
EPISODE #33 - Welcome to our new recurring series, Yes Collective On the Go, where we bring members the audio version of a Yes Collective expert team article. This is for all of us parents who are too busy or — let’s face it — too worn out at the end of the day to read. But we still want the mental and emotional wellness tools the Yes Collective expert team serves up. Before we dive in, just a quick note: in the future all Yes Collective on the go episodes will be available exclusively on our members-only feed, so if you’re not a member of Yes Collective head on over to http://yescollective.co/ (yescollective.co) and sign up today! This episode of Yes Collective on the go is an audio version of our expert team’s article for 5 Things Friday, entitled five tips for a super dope date night. This and tons of other amazing mental and emotional wellness content is available in the Yes Collective app.
EPISODE #32 - Welcome to the Yes Collective Therapist's Circle, a space where we bring on our expert psychologists, therapists, and coaches to answer parents' mental health questions, talk about the mental health theme of the month, and give us some practical emotional fitness tools to bring in to our daily lives. This week, we have the always amazing, wise, and wonderful Jenny Walters, licensed marriage and family therapist, founder & clinical director of Highland Park Holistic Psychotherapy, and creator at www.jennywalters.com. Jenny answer parents questions about the balance they have to make between caring about their children's health and falling into anxious, over-controlling behavior; parent sleep and insomnia; how working parents can bring more energy home at the end of the day; and what to do when two parents have an irresolvable difference. So many amazing practices, tips, and nuggets of wisdom were dropped! Starting next month, these sessions will be available exclusively on our members-only podcast feed. If you're a member in the Yes Collective app and want the private podcast feed, head into the app and message us at "Audra & Justin at the Yes Collective." If you're not a member yet, then sign up today and we'll send you a link when our private feed goes live!
EPISODE #31 - On this In-between-isode of the Yes Collective Podcast, Audra and Justin breakdown the Jayson Gaddis episode on relationships, conflict, love, and repair. They talk about their own relationship, how they used to argue, how they argue now, and how doing deep inner work is the key to truly healthy relationships.
EPISODE #30 - We've known for quite some time about Jayson and the amazing work he does at The Relationship School and we couldn't wait to have him come on the podcast and help us kick off relationship month here at Yes Collective. We dove into Jayson's journey to becoming a relationship expert (a title that he rejects, but we're giving it him anyway!), how his relationships with his partner and kids have blossomed because of his work, how conflict in any relationship is inevitable, and how repair and growth are always possible. We also get some amazing tools and strategies from his new book Getting to Zero: How to Work Through Conflict in Your High Stakes Relationships. We talk about practices that can help anyone repair relationships and achieve deep connection amidst any conflict. If you have a high-stakes relationship in your life, whether it's your marriage, your kids, at work, or a friendship, then you'll absolutely want to tune in. So without further ado, here's our conversation with the wise and amazing Jayson Gaddis.
EPISODE #29 - We're back! We're returning from hiatus with a new name and look, a refined mission, and ground-breaking mental wellness & coaching programs just for parents. In this episode we catch you up on what’s new, what’s changed, and what’s gonna keep being awesome.
EPISODE #28 - Greetings friends! We’re taking a break from our normal podcasting schedule to bring you a big update on The Family Thrive and the podcast. Listen in to get the big scoop, and stick around for the most relaxing holiday meditation for parents you'll ever hear.
EPISODE #27 - If you’re old enough to be a parent, then you most likely grew up with Melissa Joan Hart on your TV. From Clarissa Explains it All to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa seemed like she was mainstay on television in 1990s. All these years later, she continues to have an amazing career not just as an actor but as a director and producer as well. More importantly, she’s a mom of 3 and an amazing human being. We met Melissa several years ago after our son Max went on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, which is a whole story in itself. It led to Melissa’s oldest son rainbow looming for Max and them supporting a fundraiser for our nonprofit, MaxLove Project. Melissa has stayed in touch over the years, continuing to support Maxlove Project, and now The Family Thrive. We had an absolute blast talking with Melissa. We dug into her childhood, her upbringing, her career, but most of all we talked about real parenting issues: The shock of finally becoming a mother, the struggle to raise authentic, caring kids in this age of smart phones and social media, getting kids to do chores, coping with the last tooth lost, the last kindergarten graduation, and who would her kids choose to save in a burning car: her or her husband, Mark?
This was a super fun episode, so buckle up!
EPISODE #26 - You know today’s guest from dozens of roles in television and movies, starting as one of Will Smith’s crushes in the iconic Fresh Prince of Bel Air to her most recent role as Elise Torres in Netflix’s hilarious and endearing comedy, Never Have I Ever. Along the way she lived her best life, working as an actress in Hollywood, falling in love with and marrying Saro, a Sicilian chef, coping with his later cancer diagnosis, adopting a daughter, and then eventually caring for Saro and their daughter as he passed away in 2012. Her journey then turned toward understanding and living through grief, the lessons of which she turned into a 2019 memoir called From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home. The book has been adapted into a series by Netflix, produced by Reese Witherspoon, coming out next year. We met Tembi way back when she started doing work around grief and caregiving after her husband passed away. Our work with childhood cancer families in MaxLove Project provided a lot for us to connect over. Now all these years later we get to connect over parenting, growing through grief, finding resilience in the face of tragedy, and planting roots and choosing love no matter what life throws our way.
EPISODE #25 - What is there to say about our amazing friend and licensed marriage and family therapist Jenny Walters? We've had her on the podcast in episode two. We also published an AMA with her, and now we have her back to talk about maybe one of the hardest topics of all marriage or life partnerships, whatever you want to call that relationship where you're committed to another person for the long haul. We get deep and vulnerable in this episode. Jenny shares some really intense and amazingly healing stuff about her own marriage, and Audra and I do the same, and we basically just lay it all out there. We talk about a saying that goes something like, "If you don't face your deep childhood emotional wounds, then your marriage will force you to." And there's another saying we discuss, "Our wounds happen in relationships, but we are also healed in relationships." If you're ready to dig deep with us and get real about the pain and frustration of marriage, but also the joyful connection that comes from doing the hard work, then buckle up. This episode is for you.
EPISODE #24 - Justin first met Busy Philipps when they both went to the same high school in Scottsdale, Arizona. He knew her as a totally unique and artsy kid who danced to her own beat. They hung out in similar circles, and so I got to know her well enough that when she broke into the entertainment industry with a major role in the iconic “Freaks and Geeks,” it was absolutely no surprise to me. In her book, This Will Only Hurt a Little, Busy describes herself as a sparkly person and not in a self-important way. It's actually unassuming in matter of fact, when she describes it, and the thing is, it's a perfect description. She's always had that sparkle, even back in high school, and now we get the chance to bring that sparkle on The Family Thrive Podcast. We cannot express to you how much we loved talking with Busy. We covered childhood trauma, becoming a better parent, doing the deep inner work of healing our emotional wounds, showing up as an authentic, connected parent and human in the world, and we covered way more than that. We'll just stop this intro now so you can hear our conversation with the wise and talented and truly sparkly, Busy Philipps.
EPISODE #23 - If you could only focus on one health behavior and had to let all the others slide, what would it be for you? Here at the family thrive, it’s sleep without a doubt. If you’re not well rested, then you don’t have the energy, attention, or motivation to do much of anything else. So we take sleep pretty seriously, which is why we couldn’t wait to have on this week’s guest, Kate Simon, a sleep scientist and a mom who studies how sleep affects kids of all ages. In this episode we get all the latest science and wisdom on optimal sleep not only for kids but for adults as well. If you care about the health benefits of good sleep as much as we do, then you’re going to love this episode. So, get a cozy blanket and some chamomile tea, and settle in for a conversation that will change the way you think about your family's sleep. Kate Simon is a postdoctoral fellow at University of California, Irvine who studies sleep — specifically how it can affect people of all ages, including kids. She’s been a part of multiple sleep studies, so be sure to check those out!
EPISODE #22 - This was one of the funnest conversations we've had so far! Christina Furnival is a mom of two, a licensed mental health therapist, and a children’s book author who blogs under the handle “Real Life Mama.” She and her family live in San Diego, California and despite the beautiful weather of her home town, parenthood hasn’t been all sunshine and roses. We invited her on the show this week to talk about the real stuff: what happens when motherhood isn’t the cakewalk we dream it to be, how Christina realized she was experiencing postpartum mood disorder after her first baby was born, what tools have helped her most in flourishing, and how we can help our kids (and ourselves) set healthy boundaries in life. At the end we talk about Christina’s newest work around anxiety, positive self-talk, and growth mindset. So, you’ll want to stick around for the entire episode!
EPISODE #21 - For many parents, the teen years are like a terrible storm they just have to weather and get through. But today’s guests are here to show us that it doesn’t have to be that way. Jena Curtis is an expert in sexuality and gender, and a professor of health at SUNY Cortland, and Vanessa Baker is professional parent-teen relationship coach who specializes in helping parents and teens reconnect and actually strengthen their relationship during those rocky adolescent years. They’re just two of eight amazing experts we’ve collected at The Family Thrive to create a groundbreaking workshop called Thriving Through the Teen Years: Building and Keeping a Deep, Loving Relationship With Your Teenager. In this episode we talk about Jena and Vanessa’s experience as parents of teenagers - they have parented 7 teens between them! - we talk about their experience as professionals working with teens and young adults, we cover some common problems that parents run into with teens, and we finish by discussing how parenting a teenager is an amazing opportunity for personal growth for parents. Your’re going to love this conversation, we guarantee it. So, without further ado, here’s the always wise and insightful Jena Curtis and Vanessa Baker.
EPISODE #20 - Kristin is a unique and powerful voice in the parenting space. Her blog, Rage Against the Minivan, continues to be as funny and wise as ever, she has a hilarious yet authentic Instagram account, she’s an International speaker, and she just published a truly amazing book called Rage Against the Minivan: Learning to Parent Without Perfection. Oh and she’s also a licensed marriage and family therapist! Kristen grew up in a conservative Christian home in Florida and went off to a bible college where she fell in love with a boy who was destined to become a pastor. Next thing you know he’s a new pastor in Orange County, California and she’s trying to live the life of a pastor’s wife. After several heart-breaking miscarriages, she and her then husband were able to adopt two boys, one from Los Angeles, and one from Haiti, and quickly learned about the challenges facing two white parents raising two black sons in America. She then went on to naturally give birth to two girls. So if you’re counting that’s 4 kids in all. And today they’re all in their teens. Along the way there is a harrowing trip to adopt their second son in Haiti right when the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the island in 2010, a transition in her faith, a divorce, and a truly inspiring journey to discover what it means to parent with love and authenticity. This one's a must-listen. So, buckle-up!
EPISODE #19 -SPECIAL EPISODE! We love bringing on amazing experts each week who teach us about family thriving through the lens of their expertise. But this week, the experts are us! We talked about childhood cancer awareness month, our own journey toward thriving in the face of childhood cancer, how thriving for us meant creating MaxLove Project and now The Family Thrive, and what we have in store over the next few months in The Family Thrive. In this episode, we also keep it super real. Audra shares how hard things have been this year with our big MaxLove Project Farm to Fork fundraiser and how sometimes even super meaningful work can feel exhausting and overwhelming. Justin shares his uncertainties and insecurities around starting a new company and leaving academia as well. But we also tap into and share the core vision that inspires us both to get up everyday and join forces with an amazing team of experts to help families, just like ours, thrive against the odds.
EPISODE #18 - You ever wonder about what exactly is in those supposedly healthy snacks you buy at the grocery store? Sure, it says all-natural, organic, you know, grass-fed on the package. But is it actually good for you and your kids? In this episode, we get to talk to a food industry insider, Josh Field, who has worked in test kitchens for some pretty big food companies. The guy knows his stuff. We asked Josh to come on to answer all our questions about what goes into supposedly healthy packaged food products. We talk proteins, fats, fibers, and artificial sweeteners, and we get to find out how all this stuff gets made and what we as parents should be looking out for. There's a lot of information in this episode, and so you'll definitely want to check out the show notes where we'll provide links, definitions, and a whole lot more. All right. Buckle up, here we go with food industry insider Josh Field.
EPISODE #17 - We have an amazing power couple on this episode. Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis are the husband and wife duo behind the Grammy Award winning Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band. The Emmy Award-winning PBS kids show “Lishy Lou and Lucky Too,” several records and books which we'll link to in the show notes and several more awards. They are also the parents to two amazing kids. We met Lucky and Alisha way back after our son Max was first diagnosed. They were the real deal from the get-go: loving, honest, kind, and amazingly creative. Through MaxLove Project, we were able to get them into children's hospitals to perform for the kids and they just lit up the place. We've stayed in touch and followed them over the years as they won award after award and branched out to write books, TV shows, and movies. In this interview, we dive deep into what it means to be creative parents and partners, how they take care of themselves so they can show up as their best selves with their kids and in their work, how their art affects their parenting, and parenting affects their art and so much more. You're not going to want to miss a second of this episode, so grab some tea or if you're listening to this on a walk or in your car, settle in for the wonderful Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis.
EPISODE #16 - For Alexandra Tataryn, parenting isn't about tips, tricks, and hacks. It's about doing the hard inner work of understanding, processing, and expressing our deepest emotions so that we can become more present and connected to our family. Alexandra is a bio-emotive coach, a mother, and a movement artist. She works 1 on 1 with clients, and leads in-person and online classes in emotional health, healing movement, and a relationship practice called circling. In this episode, we learn what emotions really are, why they’re so important, how we can use them for healing and connection, the unique emotional experiences of mothers and fathers, and so much more.
If you want to learn more about your own emotions and the emotions of your kids and your partner, then buckle up—you’re definitely going to want to hear this!
EPISODE #15 - Bridget Cross is quite literally helping to save the world. She’s doing this as a perinatal psychotherapist who helps moms and dads grow through the mental and emotional challenges that naturally come with pregnancy, childbirth, and raising a newborn. We wish to god we had a Bridget when our kids were born 14 and 11 years ago. Bringing a new life into this world is a joyous moment and we all see the pictures on social media of a happy but tired mom and dad with the brand new baby. But what we don’t see is the numbness, anxiety, marital conflict, rage, and overwhelm that is also a very real part of the parenting journey. In this episode, Bridget talks with us about the mental and emotional challenges new parents face, the role of shame in motherhood, the role of avoidance in fatherhood, the stress of this new school year and sooo much more. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who is a new parent, an old parent, maybe a parent someday, or has a parent in their life—so basically, everyone!
EPISODE #14 - This conversation is mind-blowing! Justin is joined by good friend and parent and teen relationship coach, Vanessa Baker. They dive straight into the raging river of teenagehood and talked about all the hard things parents come up against. Vanessa breaks it all down and lays out a plan for parents to reconnect and rebuild a deep, loving relationship with their teens. You won’t want to miss this!
During this week’s AMA, we had Jena Curtis, EdD, who is THE EXPERT when it comes to talking with your kids about sex, sexual health, gender, identity, and intimate relationships. She is a professor of gender and sexuality at SUNY Cortland. After years of being on the main stage for HIV/AIDS advocacy, Jena turned to academia, where she teaches classes on public health, health education, and gender & sexuality. We had an amazing AMA, where parents asked questions about how to repair relationships when "the talk" doesn't go well, where to find the best resources for sexuality and gender for yourself and your kids, and how to communicate honestly, lovingly, and clearly when the topic might be super uncomfortable.
EPISODE #13 - In this episode Justin chats with Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE about what low-carb diets can do for overall health. She’ll discuss different types of low-carb diets, talk about some popular diets and debunk myths that revolve around the low-carb lifestyle. Franziska also offers stress-free tips on how to adjust your family’s diet and lower your carb intake.
ABOUT OUR GUEST - Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE, known online as the Low Carb Dietitian, is focused on using low-carb nutrition for blood sugar control, healthy weight management and increased vitality. A former court reporter, Franziska became a dietitian in 2008 in order to “help people improve their health through good nutrition.” Her work promotes low-carb and whole foods to help people manage or beat a number of ailments, including diabetes, hormonal disorders, obesity, and more. Although she no longer consults patients, she continues her work through content creation and research. To read Franziska’s work, head to Diet Doctor or take a look at her book, The Low Carb Dietitian's Guide to Health and Beauty!
EPISODE #12 - Ryel Kestano, CEO and cofounder of ART International joins Audra and Justin to share how the practice of Authentic Relating (AR) can help strengthen and nourish family relationships. Ryel shares how he got started with AR, the impact it’s had on him, and how he’s sharing the practice around the world and within his own home.
EPISODE #11 - Justin and Audra are joined by Tiffani Ghere, RD, CSP, CLEC to talk about some serious food for thought: neonatal and pediatric nutrition. Tiffani discusses formula versus breastfeeding, how to transition babies to solid foods, how to feed kids as they grow up, and much more.
EPISODE #10 - This week, licensed pediatric acupuncturist Maria Barrera joins Audra and Justin on The Family Thrive Podcast. We hear some amazing stories about how Maria’s childhood led her into a life of service and healing, how she went from political organizing to traditional Chinese medicine, how her cultural heritage influences her approach to healing, and we get her recommendations for how parents can bring more health, healing, and thriving into their daily practices. Check out this awesome episode at the link in bio. Enjoyed the podcast? Let us know by rating and subscribing in your preferred podcast app!
EPISODE #9 - Justin and Audra are joined by the founders of the Metabolic Health Summit, Angela Poff, PhD and Victoria Field, to talk all about metabolic health and what it means for families. From the in-depth discussion on the connection between metabolism and overall health to some simple tips on how to start making healthier choices today, this episode is definitely serving up some food for thought.
EPISODE #8 - Audra and Justin are joined by Sofia Pertuz, PhD to talk about the difference between race and ethnicity, how Sofia learned that difference, getting bullied as a child, and how White parents can start talking to their kids about racism. Then they dig into Sofia's work and teen mental health and suicide prevention. You can also check out Sofia’s Cheat Sheet for common terms!
EPISODE #7 - In this episode, Justin talks to Dr. Nadia Torres-Eaton, PsyD about her calling to the psychological field, exploring emotional trauma, and how to show compassion to others and ourselves. They dive deep in this podcast talking about childhood trauma, how parents can keep from passing their own childhood emotional wounds onto their kids, and how parents can start taking care of their own stress.
EPISODE #6 - Justin and Audra discuss culinary medicine and making empowered food choices with The Family Thrive’s lead dietitian Lexi Hall, RDN. Lexi tells shares why she’s passionate about the idea that the right foods can be healing to our bodies and how making even the smallest adjustments in our family’s diets can make a huge difference. She’s also going to bust a few popular food myths for us—you’re definitely going to want to hear this!
EPISODE #5 - Audra and Justin reconnect with dear friend, partner in healing, and highly accomplished practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dr. Ruth McCarty. Ruth discusses her beginnings as a healer, finding her calling for helping others, and the importance of using both Western and Eastern modalities to achieve holistic healing. Audra, Justin, and Ruth also talk about how true thriving happens when healthcare providers focus on the family as a whole, rather than an isolated individual.
BONUS EPISODE: Welcome to a subscribers-only recording of The Family Thrive’s weekly expert Ask My Anything. Each week in The Family Thrive app, we bring back an expert for parents to ask them questions live and on the spot. This week, we brought back Jenny Walters, licensed marriage & family therapist, to answer parents' questions on communication skills, relationships, caring for highly-sensitive children, re-emerging from pandemic lockdown, and more! If you like what you hear, be sure to sign up for our email list at www.thefamilythrive.com to be notified when the app subscription goes live. Thanks for joining us!
EPISODE #4 - Dr. Colin Champ is a physician and researcher who walks the talk. He not only conducts research on diet and exercise, and works with his patients to improve their lifestyle, but he’s also passionate about finding the evidence-based practices that will help him, his wife, and daughter thrive as well. In addition to his clinical work, Colin has a massively popular and totally free newsletter where he keeps his patients and the general public up to date on the latest health science. On top of all this, he’s also the Chair of The Family Thrive’s Scientific Advisory Board. You’re going to want to tune into this one as Justin connects with Colin (FKA the Caveman Doctor) to discuss fatherhood, medical research, and ancestral approaches to health and wellness.
EPISODE #3 - Are you ready to have “the talk”? In this episode, Audra and Justin are joined by Jena Curtis, EdD, professor of gender and sexuality at SUNY Cortland, to learn how and when to talk to our kids about everything from gender identity to sexuality to romantic love. Not only will Jena go over how to have healthy discussions about sex, but she’ll also touch on what parents should know about biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality. So get comfy and get ready to have THE TALK!
EPISODE #2 - Today on The Family Thrive Podcast, licensed marriage family therapist Jenny Walters joins Justin and Audra to discuss Highly Sensitive People, living with pain and trauma, expectations, and the inner critic. Jenny recounts her life-altering journey to become a psychotherapist after working as an artist, Justin shares a story on how a moment of parent impatience revealed room for exploring his innermost emotions, and Audra discusses what she can do as a parent to stand by her kids and help them process pain, discomfort, and negativity rather than try to block them from those experiences.
EPISODE #1 - Welcome to The Family Thrive Podcast! In this inaugural episode, The Family Thrive cofounders Audra DiPadova and Justin Wilford tell listeners about who they are, what they do, and what people can expect from future conversations. The husband and wife duo discuss how their son’s terrifying brain cancer diagnosis changed their lives and led them to start their first organization, MaxLove Project. Through MaxLove Project they’ve empowered thousands of families like theirs, and now they're on a mission to reach all families through their newest project, The Family Thrive. The couple then offers a sneak peek of what amazing content awaits parents in The Family Thrive community: on the website, in the app, and—of course—on this podcast.