Covey Wellness Centre Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sarah Covey
Lisa-Jo was born White in the heart of Zululand during the racial apartheid, and talks about her longing for new future for her children which sent her on a journey to understand where she fit into a story of violence and faith, history and race.
In this episode, we explore what happened when Lisa-Jo naïvely walked right into America’s own turbulent racial landscape when she came to the United States to study to become a human rights advocate, and experienced the kind of painful awakening that is both individual and universal, personal and social. Yet, years went by before she traced this American trauma back to her own South African past. After marriage and motherhood, old wounds reopened and she found herself spiraling into a terrifying version of her father, screaming herself hoarse at her son.
Tune in to hear how Lisa-Jo realized that to go forward—to refuse to repeat the sins of our fathers—we must first go back.
Her story proves it’s never too late to be free.
Sarah asks Lisa-Jo:
- Tell me about the origin story for It Wasn't Roaring, It Was Weeping. What happened in your life that led you to write about this topic in this way?
- Where do you see past pain and sin intersecting with our present health and wellness?
- Talk to the person experiencing pain or rage that could be connected to their past but they have yet to face it. And how do you hope It Wasn't Roaring, It Was Weeping can help them?
- What is currently in your "bedside book stack" that you're loving or being inspired by these days?
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Is God near in the ordinary moments of life? If so, how can we rest in God in the middle of life’s storms, big or small?
Summer is an Anglican Preist and invites listeners to explore what a secure attachment with their Heavenly Father looks like. Attachment Style develops in formative years as a child that we carry into adulthood, understanding what these look like and how they may impact your relationship with God opens the door to deeper and more meaningful connection with God in a way that brings healing and wellness into our daily lives.
In this episode, we explore spiritual formation through the lens of attachment theory, we consider how to awaken to God’s loving presence in daily life – even in life’s hurricanes – and form healthy attachements from where we are.
Tune in for simple sensory and contemplative tools (like emmanuel journaling, Ignation Imaginative Prayer and more) to connect with God in meaningful ways.
Sarah asks Summer:
- Tell me about the origin story for The Emmanuel Promise, what happened in your life that led you to write about this topic in this way?
- Where do you see a presense of our Higher Power - whom we both call God - intersecting with the wellness journeys of readers and listeners?
- Talk to the person experiencing a hurricaine in life that is desperate to sense God's presence. How do you hope The Emmanuel Promise can help them?
- What is currently in your "bedside book stack" that you're loving or being inspired by these days?
Summer references The Critical Journey, by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich.
Resources on Attachment Styles
Find Summer at @revsummerjoy on Instagram and The Presence Project
On Summer’s bedside bookstack: Anatomy of the Soul by Dr Curt Thompson, The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion book series by Beth Brower.
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Are you struggling with the emotional rollercoaster of infertility? Through her own struggles with infertility, Karen uncovers the misconceptions and challenges that many face on this difficult journey, extending emotional strength and support to those that share this path.
In this episode, we explore the truth behind the lies and find hope in the journey of infertility. Whether you're seeking answers or solace, Karen offers a raw and relatable perspective on the path to understanding infertility.
Tune in for deepr understanding of the emotional impact of infertility, discover the difference between infertility truths and myths, and how the journey of infertility can lead to personal growth and change.
Sarah asks Karen:
- Tell me about the origin story for Infertility Lies, what happened in your life that led you to write about this topic in this way?
- Where do you see infertility intersecting with the wellness journeys of readers and listeners?
- Talk to the person or couple experiencing infertility right now. How do you hope Infertility Lies can help them?
- What is currently in your "bedside book stack" that you're loving or being inspired by these days?
Connect with Karen at www.KarenSnow.com or on Instagram @karensnownd or @infertilitylies
Karen is currently reading The Origins of You by Vienna Pharaon and When The Body Says No by Dr Gabor Mate.
We reference Oasis Fertility Support Network and Aundi Kolber’s Try Softer in our conversation.
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
If you or someone you love are living life after trauma, this is for you. Arthur describes himself and a pilgrim paddler and an author. He’s also a pastor and shares his sensitive and penetrating reflections on coming of age in a Dutch immigrant family scarred by violence.
His earliest memory was of shattered glass. His father threw a potted plant at his mother, and she ducked as the plant crashed through a window of the family home. His mother cleaned up the shards that day; later in life, he would find himself called upon to pick up the pieces as well.
In this episode, we explore family violence, the impacts of post traumatic stress, substance abuse, anger, depression and so much more. Unrsolved trauma is not something that gets healed by ‘talking it out’ but it often lodges somewhere in the body.
Tune in for personal conversation and psychoeducation on PTSD, practical insight for people experiencing PTSD, and hope for the future.
Please be mindful that the content of this eposide may trigger difficult personal memories. If that’s you, please listen with care and with someone who cares about you.
Sarah asks Aurthur:
- Tell me about the origin story for Shattered, what happened in your life that led you to write about this topic in this way?
- Where do you see family woundig intersecting with the wellness journeys of readers and listeners?
- Talk to the person who was wounded by someone meant to protect them. How do you hope Shattered can help them today?
- What is currently in your "bedside book stack" that you're loving or being inspired by these days?
You can find Arthur at www.arthurboers.com and contact information is there.
He loves reading work from Margaret Rankl and Rick Bass.
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Are you feeling restless, stuck, or needing change but not sure what that change looks like? We ask different questions during different season in life, and Vantage Point is intended to give you just that: new vantage points for your best story. Dan is a husband of almost 35 years, a father, grandfather, owner of a family chocolate factory and a life coach for those looking for direction and change in life.
In this episode, we explore illuminating angles to look at your life, who you are and who you want to be. Meaning and purpose is intimately connected to our wellness, it’s an innate motivator in our behaviour, yet it’s a difficult thing to give thought and intention.
Tune in for practical perspectives that can shape your answer to meaningful life questions about your story and purpose. Join us to reflect on where you are and where you want to be, rediscover your purpose and potential, and consider purpose-driven perspectives to infuse joy and meaning into every day. This is your opportunity to evaluate you.
Sarah asks Dan:
- Tell me about the origin story for Vantage Point, what happened in your life that led you to write about this topic in this way?
- Where do you see purpose and meaning in life intersecting with the wellness journeys of readers and listeners?
- Talk to the person who feels aimless right now. How do you hope Vantage Point can help them today?
- What is currently in your "bedside book stack" that you're loving or being inspired by these days?
Dan’s previous work includes Unplanned Parenting.
Dan’s currently reading the Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, Doing Life With Your Adult Children by Jim Burns, and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazzero
Find Dan at www.DanBarber.com, or email dan@danbarbercoaching.com and Dan offers free no-obligation consultations on life coaching.
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Maybe you’re in a storm, you have been through a storm, or a few steps away from the next one, we explore how to find calm and steady through the struggles of life. Matt Rattan is a vocational Pastor, father and husband of 23 years, and the host of the Pulse Podcast about wholehearted living.
Turbulence: Devoptionals to steady you through the storms of life came from the struggle in the storms of life as a helpful tool to steady us in the midst of it. During the storms of the pandemic, Matt created this tool to support people struggling.
In this episode, we explore how challenging circumstances in life impact our mental health, the inevidabilty of struggle, ways to equip ourselves for those storms, and how they shape who we become.
Tune in for thoughtful conversation around practices to weather life’s storms well, ways to get help, and find hope.
Sarah asks Matt:
- Tell me about the origin story for Turbulence, what happened in your life that led you to write about this topic in this way?
- Where do you see the storms of life intersecting with the wellness journeys of readers and listeners?
- Talk to the person dealing with their own storm, right now. How do you hope Turbulence can help them today?
- What is currently in your "bedside book stack" that you're loving or being inspired by these days?
Matt’s currently reading The Deconstruction of Christianity by Alica Childers Tim Barnett, The Anxious Generation by Jonathon Haidt, Night by Elie Weisel, The Practice of Piety by Lewis Bayly, and Africanitis by J Ayukekbong.
www.MatthewRuttan.com
www.TheUpDevo.com
Westminister Church Barrie: www.westminsterpc.ca
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Do you or someone you know fee frustrated with your marriage, or on the brink of giving up completely? Do you want a stronger, healthier marriage? There are so many benefits to staying together. Toni Nieuwhof has been married 34 years, is a former divorce attorny and currently practices family law mediation. She has walked through many marriage breakdowns with families, and she and her husband hit rock bottom in their own marriage obstacles and found a healing way forward.
Toni wrote Before You Split: Find What You Really Want For The Future Of Your Marriage packed with so much wisdom, empathy and “unfamillar insight.”
In this episode, we explore the downward spiral of marriage conflict and practical tools to correct it, ways to establish and maintain relational connection in the midst of full daily life, the differences between a unhappy marriage and a harmful marriage, and so much more.
Tune in for insight and tools to help your marriage heal and recover hurt and find hope.
Sarah asks Toni:
- Tell me about the origin story for Before You Split, what happened in your life that led you to write about this topic in this way? You share a story at the beginning of your book about a really tense moment you had in your marriage where you took your wedding band off, can you tell us about what led to that?
- Where do you see marriage or relational breakdown intersecting with the wellness journeys of readers and listeners?
- Talk to the rperson struggling in their marriage right now. How do you hope Before You Split can help them today?
- What is currently in your "bedside book stack" that you're loving or being inspired by these days?
Toni is currently loving Possible by William Yuri, The Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday, and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
www.ToniNieuwhof.com
www.SmartFamilyPodcast.com
Mediation Centre in Barrie: www.themediationcentre.com
Instagram: @toninieuwhof
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
How do you know you’ve got the right therapist for you? Psychotherapists are not a one-size-fits all profession and your relationship with them matters.
Sarah Swain is a client of Covey Wellness Centre and first reached out to Sarah Covey during a season of life where her mindset was no longer enough, her body raised red flags and she could no longer power through her day. Her goal was to make it through the end of the day without anger tipping her over the edge.
This unique conversation with a client explores what healthy therapuetic alliance and safety looks like, and how your relationship with your therapist makes a difference.
Tune in for practical insight on accessing the right therapeutic care for you, and why it matters. Whatever you do, don’t give up looking for the right therapist. We unpack how the right therapist is the the conduit to change, the stages of change, and how your therapist is part of your broader healthcare team.
Sarah Covey asks Sarah Swain:
- What did you notice in your mind, body, or soul that caused you to reach out and seek help initially? How did you feel at that time?
- What was hard for you about the whole process, especially at the beginning? Where did you feel stuck or hesitant? How did you navigate the vulnerability that was needed to go deep into the work?
- What is different in your life since you have been actively engaged in therapy? How do you feel about the role of therapy in your life now?
- What would you say to those who might be on the fence about taking that first step towards therapy or mental health support?
- What is in your bedside bookstack?
- The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton
- Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter
www.SarahSwain.ca
www.monetizeyourmind.ca
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Research shows that we heal in loving communities, but relationships are not always easy. Today we explore what restorative practice is with Anne from Shalem Mental Health Network. Restorative practice refers to a specific way we can respond to breakdown in relationships that develop healthy connections, builds rich community and creates a sense of belonging.
In this episode, we explore ways to deepen relationships, navigate conflict well, and how to have the relationships we really hope for. Learn what a restorative practice framework looks like in real relationships and communities.
Tune in for ways that restorative practice helps you grow, how it can help your relationships grow, and what you can start doing today to take steps toward healthier, better-connected relationships. Restorative practice is not therapy, yet it’s extremely therapeutic.
Sarah asks Anne:
- What is Restorative Practice?
- What are the benefits of Restorative Practice for a community?
- How does a community begin implementing Restorative Practice?
- What helps keep you well in this season?
Resources
Shalem Mental Health Network - https://shalemnetwork.org/
Anne’s contact information - annem@shalemnetwork.org
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
In this episode, we explore the intersection between spirituality, church community and mental health. What does faith have to say about mental health and what is happening in our souls in the midst of our struggles? Jeff Brodie is the lead pastor of Connexus Church, a non-denominational community in Barrie and Orillia, Ontario, and is passionate about seeing people healthy and thriving.
Jeff shares his own mental health journey, his experience with anxiety, and his burden that spirituality is critical to the well-being of human beings.
Learn how a range of spiritual leaders in scripture navigated mental health challenges and how the habits of Jesus shape and heal our neuropathways.
Tune in for a conversation about how the latest psychology research on gratitude, neuroplasticity, and social connection, can point us back to things God teaches us through scripture.
Learn practical ways to identify and avoid common faith pitfalls on the subject of mental health such as trying to “pray it away,” spiritually bypassing pain, and the unnecessary stigma around the use of medication.
Whatever your spiritual journey or faith background, this episode has gold nuggets of wisdom to apply to your wellness journey.
Sarah asks Jeff:
- In your sermon series that focused on prioritizing mental health, you spoke about mental health challenges being an opportunity for people to become spiritually curious. Can you elaborate a bit on the relationship between mental and spiritual health as you see it?
- What do you see as the most significant challenges for churches as it relates to caring for the mental health of their congregations and what solutions have you come to to address those challenges?
- If you are comfortable sharing, how has your mental health journey been intertwined with your spiritual journey and what insights have come out of your work in this area?
- What encouragement would you want to offer those who are dealing with personal or relational struggles?
- “What is keeping you well in this season?”
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Resources:
Anatomy of the Soul - Curt TThompson
Aundi Kolber - Trauma
Leadership Anexiety - Steve Cuss
Dr. Caroline Leaf
The Sanctuary Course
Psychology is exploring what allows people to thrive, and gratitude always shows up. What does gratitude do for our mental, emtional and spiritual wellness? In this episode, we explore the interconnectedness of gratitude on our overall wellness and how to naturally nurture more of it in our daily life.
Today’s guest, Loreli is the director of a young parents program in Toronto that serves pregnant and parenting youth, and the topic of gratefulness has grabbed her heart. She leads gratitude experiments with people who want to learn and explore how gratitude helps us flourish.
Tune in for ways to heal grief, loss, bitterness, burnout and compassion fatigue and use the practice of giving thanks to move toward what a healthier, happier you. We talk about ways to embrace gratitude, cultivate joy, and tangibly feel and show appreciation. Learn how to connect mentally and spiritually to the practice of gratitude and cultivating joy and see how it transforms your heart.
Sarah asks Loreli:
- How would you define gratitude or gratefulness and what intrigued you about it to have you explore and experiment with it so intentionally?
- In what ways do you think gratitude impacts holistic wellbeing?
- How, specifically, do you incorporate gratitude practices in your daily life and why might you encourage someone to make gratitude a central spiritual practice?
- What helps keep you well in this season?
Find Loreli and Gratefulness Experiments:
www.ineverything.com
Join a Gratefulness Experiment: https://ineverything.com/gratefulness-experiment/
Instagram: @InEverythingInsta
Blog post on Gratitude
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
How does the physical alignment of your body influence your overall wellness? Today’s guest has been providing Chiropractic and holistic care for over twenty years. Dr. Melissa Longo is passionate about health coming from within the body, and everyone can benefit from a healthy alignment.
In this episode, we explore spinal mobility, what it means for your body, and how holistic care can transform your health. We know what the body needs to thrive, and we examine different pieces to our overall wellness puzzle.
Tune in for insightful conversation around stress, healing from the pandemic season, and how alignment in the physical body is interconnected to our mental and emotional wellness. If your body is out of structural alignment your function is going to be compromised in some way, although it may not always show up right away. Consider what it looks and feels like to feel well aligned in mind and body, and explore ways to stay embodied and well in your own body.
Sarah asks Dr Melissa:
-
As a chiropractor, you offer specific health services but I know your passions extend beyond adjustments! Tell me about your passion for people to thrive in life and business.
-
Let’s talk about alignment from a holistic perspective - what does that mean for the body, mind, and soul from your perspective?
-
What do you feel are the most important pillars to address in order to maintain healthy alignment in your body, your life, and your relationships?
-
What is keeping you well in this season?
Find Dr Melissa at:
DrMelissa.ca for care
Adjust Your Life podcast
DrMelissaLongo.com for healthcare professionals.
Instagram: @DrMelissaLongo
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Cold Plunging practices are taking off, but why? Billy Brown is trained in Wim Hoff breathwork and cold plunge therapy and walks us through what it is, how to do it and how it can contribute to your personal health and healing.
In this episode, we explore cold exposure methods, research on the benefits and how exposing yourself to discomfort can nurture healing. Wim Hoff discovered powerful benefits to cold exposure, breathwork and mindset and has exposed himself to several rounds of scientific research for the science community to investigate biological processes happening in his practice. Cold exposure and breathwork modulate the immune system, nervous system, cardiovascular system and hormones and for the first time in medical science, we have evidence that people can directly influence the autonomic nervous system at will.
Tune in for a conversation about the nervous system, chronic stress and trauma in the body, learning how to regulate your body, the power of your mind and more. Your body can move toward the healing available to you through cold plunging.
Cold Plunging is a mental, emotional, and spiritual practice that offers a range of benefits for participants. It’s not about achievement, it’s about acceptance. If you can face the cold, what else can you face?
Listen in for tips and tools for starting your personal cold plunge practice and explore your own healing and wellness through cold exposure.
Resources:
Wim Hof VICE video - Inside the Superhuman World of Ice Man
Dr Susana Soberg research - Groundbreaking Approach to Health and Performance
Gabor Mate on trauma
Breath by James Nestor in the bookshop
Dr Caroline Leaf
Instagram: @ eat.learn.grow
Sarah asks Billy:
- What is cold plunging?
- What benefits have you or have you seen others experience from cold plunging? Can you tell us about the latest research around it?
- You recently went to Spain to study Wim Hof breathwork and cold plunge methods - what did you take away from that?
- Talk to the listener who's curious about how to get started - what advice do you have about cold plunging for beginners?
- What is keeping you well in this season?
- Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Today we explore the connections between the creative arts and mental health. Sarah talks to a very special creative leader in her life: Gwyneth Covey. Gwyneth is a singer/songwriter, runs a theatre club and is studying in her 3rd year of Music and philosophy. She is not only passionate about creative arts but also mental health.
In this episode, we explore how creativity helps us process strong emotion, ways you can put that into practice yourself, the power of putting words or sound to something you struggling to express and how music is the sound emotion.
Tune in for thoughtful ways to express emotion through creativity, why we’re at a time in the world that we need the poets, and creative tools that can help you identify with others and name what you’re experiencing. Love of wisdom and search for truth, value of beauty.
Sarah asks Gwyneth:
- In your experience, what connections do you see between creative arts and mental health?
- How has art helped you navigate challenges and stay well in your own life?
- What is the impact of music, poetry, literature and other creative forms on mood and wellbeing and how can it be harnessed to promote wellness?
- What is keeping you well in this season?
Find Gwyneth at:
@GwynethCovey on TikTok and Instagram
Music:
Summer
Autumn
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Movement and our mental health are intrinsically tied, but hearing those words can bring up different things. Exercise and the language around it can bring up mixed emotions about both the activity and how we feel about ourselves.
In this episode, we explore why and how the body is meant to move, how mainstream exercise culture is not always conducive to supporting mental health, and how to tailor your own movement that nurtures greater wellness.
Tune in for ways to replace achievement-focused exercise to embodied-focused movement. Learn how to pay attention to what your body needs today, move in ways that benefit your body and your mental wellness, and dismiss the all-or-nothing approach to exercise so that you can embrace the health your body is longing for.
You can disentangle the connection between movement and body shape or weight loss, and focus on how you move your body for overall wellness.
Sarah asks Julia and Cheryl:
- How might you define the difference between some of the languages used in the fitness world and other languages related to movement in the mental health world? Why are some distinctions important here?
- In what ways have movement and care for your body been central to your own wellness journeys?
- How might you help someone get moving in a way that would support their mental health, especially if they have different backgrounds as it relates to the hustle culture of the fitness world? What kinds of conversations with clients are you having when discussing exercise, for example?
- What are the most important things to consider when you are thinking about a healthy relationship with your body and caring for it through (gentle) movement?
- What helps keep you well in this season?
Find Julia at:
www.LifeandHopeWellness.com
Facebook & Instagram: @LifeAndHopeWellness
Find Cheryl at:
www.LairdCounsellingServices.ca
Instagram: @LairdCounselling
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Today we uncover some of the difficult elements of infertility and fertility treatment. The journey is never easy and we can often feel alone in it.
Erin is the Co-founder of the non-profit Oasis Fertility Support Network to help us could create and hold space for real conversations, support and community. 16% of heterosexual couples in Canada experience infertility and finding other people that have similar stories makes such a difference along the journey.
In this episode, we explore the pain, guilt, fear and uncertainty we face when we face infertility and how we can walk through it well. The journey can be a grief cycle from one season to the next as we move through each step, and it can also include hope and healing.
Oasis is a fertile place in the dessert where water is found; Oasis is a place to get support in the waiting.
Tune in for practical support and encouragement for yourself or someone you love, and if you’re facing infertility, please know you don’t need to navigate the unknown alone.
Sarah asks Erin:
- We’re seeing more people facing this journey, can you speak to this challenge and what you’re seeing in the work that you’re doing?
- What do you think are the most important needs for people facing infertility?
- How does this dynamic impact your relationship?
- What do you wish people knew about this to build empathy?
- What would you say to someone on this journey and what are the resources you have for them?
- What is keeping you well in this season?
Visit www.oasisfsn.com and www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
Oasis Fertility Podcast
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Do you ever feel swamped in your own space or struggle to relax in your own home? Or have you ever created a place in your home just for you to enjoy?
Your mental health is connected to your physical spaces.
In this episode, we explore how our physical spaces affect our mental wellness and what we can do about it. Sonya Hayes runs an interior design firm and loves creating spaces that make people feel good. We’ve all experienced a space that makes us feel good; spaces can energise us, relax us, and inspire us. Sonya designed the Covey Wellness Centre Bookshop to be a wellness space that inspires calm and holistic wellness.
Sonya wants to design spaces that feel like a hug for the person walking in, whether that is you in your home, for your guest or for your client. There are ways to create comfort the minute someone walks through the door.
Tune in for ways your space can be supporting or diminishing your mental wellness, how to make your home spaces your best spaces and ways you can love where you live.
Sonya's Links:
YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_dG2as_9SAsznzU6zPp7-A
INSTAGRAMhttps://www.instagram.com/sunnyhaze13/
Sarah asks Sonya:
- How do you design a space to achieve a specific feeling or vision? (5:22)
- How do you go from ideas and inspirations to final design decisions? (12:02)
- How does colour affect us in terms of mood? (17:10)
- Tell us about allotting space for “stuff”. (23:03)
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
We all have one. Your body communicates with you - but how do we listen and learn from it?Bodywisdom is the practice of listening to what your body can tell you. If you’re skeptical, lean in and see what you find to be true about your own body. We can glean information about what’s happening with us when we listen.
In this episode we explore what it means to listen to our body and how to discern what intelligence it offers. Listening to our body can include paying attention to physical pain, digestive discomfort, asking questions of it, and more.
Your body is going to communication things. It starts with the basics - you’re hungry. You’re tired. You need to go to the bathroom. But it doesn’t end there.
Tune in for ways to build awareness of how your body works and what it might be telling you. Consider your mind body connection in your own life and give attention to the physical parts of you that carry you through the day. Then learn how to attend to what your body communicates.
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
“Take a deep breath” can seem like patronizing advice to someone in crisis or a child in a tantrum. No one ever calmed down by being told to calm down.
And yet…
Breath is a tool you have with you all the time that you can access anywhere. It can be used both proactively and reactively and is one of the simplest ways to create safety in the body.
In this episode we explore exactly what breathwork is, how it can be worked into moments of your day, and why it doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. Our breath is a source of both relaxation and invigoration worth giving attention and intention to.
Tune in for simple strategies, tips and tools for intentional breathing that bring calm and bring safety to your body, and help you control your breath. Learn to breathe with ease. It’s something that you can give yourself at no cost.
Books Referenced:*
How to Breathe - Ashley Neese
Breath - James Nester
*titles available at The Wellness Bookshop
Sarah asks Nancy:
Tell us what you’re doing and excited about with yoga, flexibility and breathwork. (2:45)
Breathwork practice (28:05)
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
When we feel drained, scattered or overwhelmed, knowing what “The Next Right Thing” is can make such a difference in our daily lives. Our lives are a compilation of the decisions we make and being able to choose the next right thing is a skill.
In this episode, we explore what it means to choose the next right thing, how to break down huge decisions, and how to look for ‘the little arrows’ pointing in the right direction when you don’t know what to do.
Tune in for practical ways to discern the next right thing in your life, prompts for meaningful reflections on your season, and food for thought as you move toward the life you want.
Books referenced:
The Next Right Thing - Emily P Freeman
The Next Right Thing Journal - Emily P Freeman
Emily P Freeman on Instagram
Sarah asks Tanya:
- How did you discover the Next Right Thing? (1:33)
- Why do you like the Next Right Thing journal? (14:45)
- What’s your Next Right Thing? (41:15)
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Teenagers are the size of adults, but don’t function like them. The same life stressors that impact adults have a unique impact on teenagers, especially now.
In this episode, we explore the impact the pandemic had on the mental health of teens, how social media has permanently changed their social landscape and why we are seeing such widespread mental health challenges in high schools. The teen years are a huge stage of growth and transition, and depression and anxiety are becoming more and more common both in casual discussion and professional diagnosis.
So often, teens are going through things that a parent doesn’t see. It looks like they never get off their phone, always stay in their room, they don’t want to go to school or do homework, or they just flat out don’t want to talk. What can we do about it?
Tune in to learn about the post-pandemic world of a teenager. We discuss what a window of tolerance is and how it can be helpful in self-regulation. We talk about strategies for regulation and consider the impact hormones can have. And we talk about what co-regulation looks like and helpful ways to respond to struggling teen. If your teen is struggling, know you’re not alone and neither are they… even when it feels like it.
Sarah asks Rebekah:
- Why is anxiety/depression so common in teens? (3:16)
- What symptoms would you see in a child struggling with anxiety or depression? (15:05)
- How does therapy help teens struggling with anxiety or depression? (38:25)
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Sarah Covey and Sarah Piercy discuss the intersection of writing and mental health. Writing is not just for “writers”, it’s a tool that everyone can access regardless of their writing ability. Writing has an incredible impact on mental health because it accesses a new area of our brain and takes us out of the shallows of life into the depths of what matters most.
In this episode we explore evidence for the power of writing, and various writing tools, prompts and practices that have healing potential and therapeutic power.
Tune in for personal inspiration and practical application to make meaningful progress by “writing it down.” Start writing with I think… I feel… or The truth is… and see what you discover about yourself this weekend.
The writing that’s right for you is the writing that you’ll do!
Books referenced:
Resilient - John Eldredge
The Power of Writing it Down - Allison Fallon
The Artist’s Way
Wild Mind
Guided Journals:
Start Where You Are
Wild Calm
The Next Right Thing
The Contentment Journal
Mindful Productivity Planner
Mental Health Workbooks and titles available locally in the Wellness Bookshop.
The power of details gratitude blog post.
Sarah Covey asks Sarah Piercy:
- What draws you to this topic of writing and mental health?
- What does writing do for you?
- Writing Prompts
- What writing practices do you like to use?
- How can people access the power of writing?
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Sarah, Tom and Karen continue the conversation on how perfectionism is about more than a precise, excellence oriented “perfectionist” but about an embedded need within it.
In this episode, we explore how every human being has elements of multidimensional traits of perfectionism, how they show up in different developmental stages and strategies that are freeing from them. Perfectionism is not just about neat and tidy order, it has much deeper roots that develop for all kinds of reasons.
Tune in for an understanding of the difference between socially prescribed perfectionism, self-oriented perfectionism and others-oriented perfectionism, the relationship between control and perfectionism, and how the practice of non-striving helps us embrace authenticity and connection.
Resource links:
Henri Nouwen - Three Big Lies
Sarah asks Tom and Karen:
-
What are the three identified traits of multidimensional trait perfectionism?
-
Tom - what are you thinking about?
-
What is the connection between control and perfectionism?
-
Any final words for listeners?
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Sarah talks to Tom and Karen about expanding our understanding of what perfectionism is. What does it look like, how does it show up, and how does it hold you back from the best version of yourself? Plus, does healthy perfectionism actually exist?
In this episode we explore where perfectionism comes, the surprising ways it surfaces in daily life and why it’s more than a tightly tidied storage closet. Plus, releasing ourselves from perfectionism doesn't mean releasing morals, ethics, excellence, details or the things that matter.
Tune in for practical tools and conversation about naming our perfectionism without living from it. Learn the difference between being a perfectionist versus struggling with perfectionism. How to be a human being, not a human doing.
Resource links:
Bitter & Sweet - Tsh Oxenreider
Finish - Jon Acuff
Titles available locally in the Wellness Bookshop.
Sarah asks Tom and Karen:
-
What are some of the hallmarks of perfectionism?
-
What role do developmental years play in the formation of trait perfectionism?
-
What are some of the co-morbidities that often appear alongside perfectionism?
-
If I want to overcome perfectionism, what might I want to know?
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Jennifer and Sarah focus on the subject of addiction in relationships and how it impacts the ecosystem of a family. Everyone knows someone who is struggling with substance use and abuse, but is it genetic? Why are some more susceptible than others? And what can we do about it?
In this episode we explore the pervasive challenges addiction brings into families and relationships, and the common dynamics that emerge as a result. Varying degrees of dysfunction surface in any family system and addiction adds new layers of complexity.
Tune in for insight into why and how we respond to crisis the way we do, the short and long term results of dealing with substance abuse, and how the body remembers and holds these experiences.
Sarah asks Jennifer:
-
Why is addiction framed as a disease within the family system?
-
How does addiction affect the dynamics within family systems?
-
What are some of the ways therapy can support people who are dealing with addiction in their families?
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Sarah and Rebecca discuss the value of proactive mental health strategies and making meaningful connections with teens and pre-teens. We talk about the value and evidence of having other supportive healthy adults in the life of a teenager and some of the common struggles that face this season.
In this episode we explore what the social world of teens and pre-teens look like and how it impacts their mental wellbeing, including relationships, rumination, and the added complexity that social media and covid layered into their social life.
Tune in for helpful insight on anxiety and depression in teens and pre-teens, helping adolescents navigate new life stressors, and how learned self-compassion can contribute to a brighter future.
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com for support and resources.
Sarah asks Rebecca:
- What is your background with teens?
- What is your favourite part of working with teens?
- What are common struggles in this age group that differ from older clients?
- What resources do you use with teens and how does this differ with your older clients?
- Who is your ideal client?
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Rebekah talks to Sarah about why ADHD is more than the hyper boy who can’t sit still and what it’s not: it’s not a mental health illness, developmental disorder or learning disability.
In this episode we explore how ADHD impacts our executive function, what common symptoms look like, the differences between men and women, and the three different types of ADHD:
- Hyperactivity Type
- Inattentive Type
- Blended Type
Tune in to access perspectives to expand your understanding of ADHD and learn how therapy can serve as a helpful tool to identify parts of you that developed out of ADHD.
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com to reach out for support.
Sarah asked Rebekah:
- What is ADHD?
- Why is ADHD something you specialize in?
- How does ADHD affect women differently?
- How can therapy help those with ADHD?
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
We are often so tired, but not all types of tired are equal. That’s why not all types of rest are equal.
We revisit the 7 types of rest with specific strategies you can try for each:
- Physical Rest
- Mental Rest
- Social Rest
- Spiritual Rest
- Sensory Rest
- Emotional Rest
- Creative Rest
Use this conversation to customize the pursuit of rest you need right now.
Rest is an irreplicable piece of self-care.
Visit www.coveywellnesscentre.com to reach out for additional support.
Sarah Asks Nadera:
- What is the value/benefit of targeting specific areas to feel rested/restored?
- What are some strategies/tools for the different areas of rest?
*This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Sarah and Nadera explore why we still feel exhausted after resting, the seven different types of rest, what restorative self-care offers us.
Tune in and learn why rest is not synonymous with sleep and how to use “rest tools” at the right time to bring you real, rich restoration.
Resources:
Book – Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith
The Rest Quiz:
https://www.restquiz.com/quiz/rest-quiz-test/#quiz
Sarah asks Nadera:
- What drew you to this idea of the different types of RESToration?
- What is full-breath living?
- What are the different types of rest?
This episode is intended for mental health education purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek a mental health professional or other qualified health provider regarding your mental health for personal advice and care.
Sarah talks to Tom and Karen about how Solution Focused Therapy can lead to your desired outcome, why looking back is an important part of the process and the value of setting goals that work.
Listen in and imagine your preferred future or desired outcome for today, for your next therapy session, your next season of life, or your life overall. It all matters.
Sarah asks Tom and Karen:
- What is meant by “the history of the desired outcome?”
- How do you help a client determine/imagine their preferred future?
- What difference do these shifts in perspective make in therapy?
- How can listeners put these strategies into practice in daily life?
Sarah talks to Tom and Karen about how Solution Focused Therapy can lead to your desired outcome, why looking back is an important part of the process and the value of setting goals that work.
Listen in and imagine your preferred future or desired outcome for today, for your next therapy session, your next season of life, or your life overall. It all matters.
Sarah asks Tom and Karen:
- What is meant by “the history of the desired outcome?”
- How do you help a client determine/imagine their preferred future?
- What difference do these shifts in perspective make in therapy?
- How can listeners put these strategies into practice in daily life?
Sarah and Tom talk about what Solution Focused Therapy looks like, how to find hope in hard places and accessing resilience and grit. Plus, quitting the struggle-comparison game and how joy and grief can co-exist.
Sarah asks Tom:
-
How do you support people who may feel so overwhelmed by their challenges that they struggle to see hope in their situation?
-
What do you mean by solution focused?
-
What does that look like in a session?
-
What does that look like in real life?
-
What types of challenges/people might be a good fit for this approach to therapy?
Sarah continues her talk with Rebecca, Jennifer, and Nadera. Today they talk about the resources, podcasts, books, etc. that they recommend and use regularly.
Amazon links to books (many of which are also available at the Covey Wellness Centre bookshop!):
Jennifer's Picks:
Gifts of Imperfection - Brene Brown
When the Body Says No: The Cost of hidden Stress - Gabor Mate
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts - Gabor Mate
Rebecca's Picks:
101 Ways to be Less Stressed - Dr. Caroline Leaf
Affirmation Cards
Mindfulness Cards
When the Body Keeps the Score - Bessel Van Der Kolk
Nadera's Picks:
Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess - Dr. Caroline Leaf
Dr. Caroline Leaf - Podcast
Dr. Margaret Rutherford - The SelfWork Podcast
Today Sarah talks with Jennifer, Rebecca, and Nadera about the following:
-
Tell us a bit about your story and what drew you to working as a therapist?
-
What most excites you about the work that you do with clients?
-
What groups/topics are of particular interest for you?