The Brain Factor: Recent Episodes
Meridian
Is your brain holding you back? The Brain Factor, brought to you by Meridian, where hope, recovery, and wellness has been possible since 1971, is a lighthearted informal podcast that explores, how real people maintain or become resilient through evidence based techniques that increase protective factors. We share stories, tips, skills, and laughs through conversation, occasionally with subject matter experts. Don’t let your brain hold you back. Episodes drop once a month on the second Wednesday of the month, to help you get through hump day, and are always less than 30 minutes, because we know you are busy.
We are tackling an imprortant midset shift: You are not your anxiety. You are simply experiencing a moment of uncertainty. We are breaking down the difference between owning anxiety as part of your identity and seeing it as a temporary state that you can move through.
In this episode, Joy and guest host Stephanie go over the different ways it's important to be kind to yourself, and others with intention.
In this episode: Joy and Laura go over the importance of maintining balance between working hard, and working TOO hard leading to burnout.
On this episode of The Brain Factor in recognitions of Mental Health Awareness month Joy and Laura discuss ways in which you can support people who are struggling.
This episode features special guest, who transformed her mental health by committing to physical fitness, connecting with nature, and other protective factors. She has completed a couple of marathons on her journey, highlighting motivation, discipline, and the cyclical nature of progress and setbacks.
This episode focuses on making a shift from self-criticism to self-compassion—treating ourselves the way we would treat a close friend. Instead of saying “I’m sorry,” we can say “Thank you” and give ourselves the grace to take up space without constant apology.
This episode explores the journey to recovery from addiction through the lens of a married couple who have both experienced and overcome substance use challenges. Now in sustained recovery, they serve as Peer Specialists, helping others. They share their story of resilience in additction recovery.
In this episode, Joy and Laura discuss finding purpose and fulfillment beyond traditional success, showing how it evolves through life stages. They address challenges like comparison and share tools like the VIA Character Strengths Survey and Ikigai to inspire self-reflection, exploration, and openness to new possibilities.
This episode explores the neuroscience behind adolescent behavior, focusing on how brain development affects decision-making, risk-taking, and emotional regulation. It also dives into how social influences, peer pressure, and generational differences shape teenage experiences and resilience.
Joy and Laura take a deep look at a subject that anyone in the world can relate to: Finding Purpose.
In this episode Joy and Laura take a deep dive into feelings - using a tool called the "Feelings Wheel", which catagorizes our feelings into groups and levels.
To see more about The Feelings Wheel visit: https://feelingswheel.com/
Dr. Maggie Labarta joins Joy and Laura on this eye opening episode about trauma. Be prepared to get a better understanding of trauma and the impact it can have your life and your body.
In this episode Joy and Laura discussing the importance of embracing...failure. They discuss ways you can use failure to grow, and how throwing away the fear of failure can lead you to finding new things in life you love doing, and are good at!
What is Enoughness? Joy and Laura explore what the new term means, how you can maintain it, and how you can appreciate what you have and still be ambitious.
On this Episode Joy and Laura deep dive into the world of bias: Your internal bias, how your bias is influenced by the world around you and social media, and how you should navigate the way these biases make you feel.
In this episode Joy and Laura discuss procrastination - and how to structure your life in a way where you can manage your time and achieve goals in a way that relieves stress.
In this episode Joy and Laura discuss the ways communicating in a digital world can make things easier, but also be a challenge. From work e-mails, to texts with your children, and even when a phone call is more convinient or more of a hassle!
Laughter relieves stress, it's no joke. Whether you're laughing at a sitcom or giggling at a cartoon, laughing does your health a favor. Believe it or not, laughter has short term benefits for your body may also have long term health benefits. Laughter just might be the best medicine.
Health vs. Perfection. Joy and Laura dive into the eight dimension of wellness and discuss a model that extends wellbeing beyond physical health.
What did you say? There are levels of happiness? Join Laura and Joy as they unpack how you can discover your character strengths and use those strengths to level up on happiness.
Are you faking your illness? It's your own fault you must be lazy. The weather is crazy! You must be seeking attention. We are crushing stigma and talking about all things stigma this month. Where it comes from, if we stigmatize ourselves, and how it can impact your overall wellness.
Are you going to cry about it or are you going to boss up? Maybe do both. On this episode of The Brain Factor Joy and Laura rewind and do a refresher on resilience and evidence based protective factors.
Mentor, nemisis, frenemy? Work-life relationships can be just as important as our personal relationships, and they can have a significant impact on our overall well-being and success. Joy and Laura discuss the importance of work relationships, what they look like, and what they can mean to us.
On this episode of The Brain Factor, the one about talking to yourself, Joy and Laura discuss positive self talk. Do you talk to yourself? If not, maybe you should, there just might be something good in it for you
This episode of The Brain Factor, the one about how to deal, addresses the protective factor coping skills. Laura and Joy discuss minimizing chronic stress and its importance for overall health. Is stress normal? Managing stress and learning how to cope with the feelings that stress creates is essential to our health and wellbeing. chronic stress harms health and increases your risk of health conditions such as heart disease, anxiety disorders, and depression.
In this episode, Joy & Laura discuss the difference between the things that are within our contol and things that are out of our control.
This episode of The Brain Factor, the one about emotional clutter, addresses the protective factor good problem solving and coping skills. Laura and Joy discuss built environment, how we set up our spaces, and how there are similarities between our environment being cluttered and our emotional clutter. What's cluttering your mind?
On this episode of The Brain Factor, Joy and Laura talk about healthy diet, exercise, and development/ national sleep awareness.
In this episode of The Brain Factor, Joy Riddle is joined by a special guest and friend, Dr. Maggie Labarta! They discuss the importance of loving yourself in order to love others, and how you can do so, especially with Valentine's Day coming up!
On this episode of The Brain Factor, Joy and Laura talk about having fun at work while still following the rules at home school, and work.
What do new year's resolutions look like in a way that is emotionally healthy? In this episode, Laura and Joy are going to discuss permission to not participate at all. Motivation to do it? What is it? Is there a way to do that in a healthy way without setting ourselves up for more guilt or shame?
In this episode of the brain factor Joy and Laura address the protective factors of good coping skills and problem-solving skills. It’s a busy time of year and it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of it all. What can you do to create some calm in the chaos?
This episode of the brain factor addresses the protective factor of emotional and physical health. It’s important to focus on your healthy and preventative care. Laura and Joy discuss topics like Mental Health First Aid, healthcare screenings, nutrition, and their impacts on your daily life.
This episode of The Brain Factor addresses economic and financial responsibility: paying off debt, funding retirement, discussing the best ways to save, and staying on track!
This episode of The Brain Factor addresses the protective factor: good coping and problem-solving skills. Laura and Joy discuss self-care in the workplace. Are you communicating effectively with your employees? And are you, as an employee, communicating effectively to your supervisor? We'll explore those questions, and more, on this episode of The Brain Factor.
Episode 12: The one about self-care as a lifestyle. This episode of the brain factor addresses the protective factor: good coping skills and problem-solving skills. Laura and Joy discuss self-care as a lifestyle. Do you beat yourself up when you take some time for yourself? Or do you celebrate what might feel self-indulgent? Self-care looks different to everyone. Join the conversation about some less than traditional self-care tactics on this episode of The Brain Factor!
Episode 11 of the Brain Factor addresses the protective factors: good coping skills, problem-solving skills, and connection to others. June is Men’s Mental Month and Alan Paulin LCSW joins in the conversation about #mensmentalhealth. What stands out for men that may be different for women? Are men less likely to reach out for help professionally? Learn more on this episode of The Brain Factor!
Episode 10 of The Brain Factor addresses the protective factor: access to support services. May is Mental Health Awareness month so we are talking about how to access care. Quality mental healthcare is essential and we know that, Meridian has been providing quality healthcare for 50 years! On this episode, we take a look at how to access healthcare and other types of support services.
Episode 09 of The Brain Factor addresses the protective factor: emotional self-regulation. It can be really hard to maintain your composure when you are in the moment and your emotions are getting the best of you. It involves taking a pause between a feeling and an action. On this episode, Joy and Laura share with you eight of their favorite ways to hack their emotions. Deep breathing, the knock out punch, PMR, mental games, box breathing, the pre-plan attack, the pause button, and the big guns.
Episode 8 of The Brain Factor addresses the protective factor: Economic and Financial Security. Good financial habits can bring security and peace of mind. Often affording us the opportunity to experience leisure time and fun activities, it can have a positive effect on well-being. Being able to work and pay bills regularly can ease pressure, though not everyone is able to do that. So how can we become more financially secure?
Episode 07 of The Brain Factor addresses the protective factor: Connection to others. Communication is one way that we connect to others. Join us as we discuss constructive and destructive communication.
Episode 6: The Brain Factor takes a look at the protective factor: Healthy diet, exercise, and development. Registered Dietician Katelyn Greenleaf provides expert advice and insights into the nutrition that our bodies need to support our overall wellness.
You can find the recipes discussed in the episode at https://www.nuleaf.pro/
Episode 5 of The Brain Factor is a special holiday edition. The focus is on managing expectations around the holidays.
Episode 4 of The Brain Factor takes a look at the protective factor: good coping skills and problem solving. The focus is on overwhelm and an explanation of both the mental and the physical experience.
Episode 3 of The Brain Factor addresses the protective factor: healthy diet, exercise, and development. Certified Personal Trainer, model, and former law enforcement officer Mandy Spurlin let's us know that it's not just exercise or “working out” but rather small ways we can incorporate body movement into work and home. We give details about the benefits of movement and also share practical examples and personal experiences.
Episode 02 of The Brain Factor addresses the protective factor: optimism. Optimism is great, but sometimes it can become unhealthy, that's toxic positivity. Learn what toxic positivity is, what it might look like in real life, and hear about some specific ways to combat it.
Episode 01 of The Brain Factor is an introduction to the podcast and protective factors as a science, and why the podcast was created.