A tribute/re-airing for Paul’s friend Charlie who passed away last week after years of battling his demons. Charlie led an astoundingly painful life especially in regard to his mother (schizophrenia, depression), father (workaholic, hoarder), and sister (drug addict). He describes his descent into drugs (crack), emotionally damaged women and violence before finding the key to understanding his behavior.
Michelle E. is the daughter of Paul’s best childhood friend. Michelle opens up about her struggles with self-worth, her desire to feel seen and appreciated, her time working as an escort, and how she’s dealt with the fact that, as a child, she didn’t have contact with her father and was raised by a single mom with deep trust issues and possibly BPD.
Dr. Scott Lyons (@DrScottLyons) is a holistic psychologist, educator, author, and a renowned body-based trauma expert. Scott is the creator of The Embody Lab—the largest online learning platform for body-based trauma therapies—and developer of Somatic Stress Release, a holistic process of restoring biological resilience. He sits down with Paul to discuss the topic of his newest book, Addicted to Drama.
Ashley Stahl (@AshleyStahl) is a counterterrorism professional turned career coach, the author of the bestselling book, You Turn: Get Unstuck, Discover Your Direction, Design Your Dream Career, and the host of the You Turn Podcast. Her work has a great deal of overlap with mental health because it’s all about self-reflection and discovering who you are. We spend much of our lives working and Ashley aims to help people find a career that aligns with their skills and their values.
Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross join Paul to discuss their new book Your Brain on Art. They share the science behind how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts. This episode will remind you why creativity should be a priority in your life, even if (maybe especially if) you don’t think of yourself as a creative person.
Dr. Will Cole (@DrWillCole) joins Paul to discuss the gut-brain connection and the impact that inflammation can have on all areas of our health. Dr. Cole specializes in clinically investigating underlying factors of chronic disease and customizing a functional medicine approach for thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and brain problems. Be sure to check out his podcast The Art of Being Well and his book Gut Feelings.
Dr. Carolyn Kurle is a Biology Professor at UC San Diego. When she noticed that her students were coming to her for guidance about their mental and emotional struggles, she decided to write a book with her advice–which offers thoughts on finding your authenticity and connecting to your spark. Be sure to check out her book, The Guidance Groove.
Allison (@AllisonRaskin & @EmotionalSupportLady) opens up about her struggles with contamination OCD, sensory issues with clothing, anxiety, depression and compulsive thinking since age 4. The mental health advocate (in the process of getting her Master’s in psychology), podcaster and NY Times best-selling author (her new book is Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships When You Have Anxiety, OCD and/or Depression)shares about being blessed with a supportive family and the progress she has made in finding the nuance in mental struggles so that she can identify what is her and what is her illness. She talks about the hurdles and successes in navigating mental illness while being in a relationship and experiencing a breakup.
Katherine Morgan Schafler is a therapist and an author who studies perfectionism. She talks about healthy vs maladaptive perfectionism and the ways we can harness this tendency for good. Follow her @KatherineMorganSchafler. Check out her book, The Perfectionists Guide to Losing Control.