The Sync'd Self

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't your past... but the story you've been telling yourself about it? We all carry regrets. Some are loud enough to change the course of our lives. Others quietly follow us, showing up in the conversations we never had, the opportunities we let pass, and the people we assumed we'd have more time with. Regret has a way of convincing us that w...

Half the year is already behind us — so what happened to the person we said we were becoming back in January? In this episode of The Sync’d Self , we unpack the pressure behind New Year’s resolutions, why falling off can feel like failure, and why waiting for the “perfect” starting line may be keeping us stuck. We explore the psychology behind fresh starts, the difference between life getting in t...

Where the hell have I been? After 15 episodes this season, I hit pause. Not because The Sync'd Self is ending. Not because I ran out of things to say. And not because life fell apart. Over the last month, I've been studying for my board certification as a mental health coach, reflecting on the future of this platform, and asking some difficult questions about growth, purpose, and where we&...

What if the place where you used to stop was never meant to be the ending? Last season, Episode 15 was where The Sync’d Self came to a close. This season, Episode 15 is only the middle, and that shift feels bigger than a number. Because life has places like that, too. The point where we usually shut down. The conversation we avoid. The dream we keep postponing. The moment we start to doubt ourselv...

Some of what you’re carrying… may have never been yours to begin with. In this episode of The Sync’d Self, Jesse sits down with trauma therapist Katie La for a deeply honest conversation about grief, intergenerational trauma, and the quiet ways emotional weight can be carried across generations. Together, they explore the kinds of grief that don’t always look like grief. The survival patterns peop...

You’re not faking it. It just feels like you are. There are moments where you’re doing everything right—showing up, putting in the work, moving forward—and still questioning if you actually belong. Quietly. In this episode, I sit down with therapist Ghadir Saad to talk about the reality of imposter syndrome—not just as a mindset, but as something shaped by the world we’re living in. The pressure t...

What happens when you are trying to stay grounded, but still do not fully trust yourself? In this solo episode of The Sync’d Self, Jesse explores the quieter side of growth: the part that feels uncertain, unsteady, and often invisible to everyone else. This conversation reflects on the pressure to seem okay, the weight of self-doubt, and the very human experience of trying to stay connected to you...

You didn’t lose your faith… you just didn’t have the words for what you were feeling. A lot of people are quietly carrying a tension they don’t talk about. They’re showing up. They’re functioning. They’re doing everything they’re supposed to do. But internally… something feels off. Because when they’re struggling, the question isn’t just “what am I feeling?” It becomes… “what does this say about m...

Most students entering mental health and healthcare careers are taught how to care for others. But no one really talks about what it takes to stay human while doing it. In this episode, Jesse sits down with Dr. Michele Nealon — President of The Chicago School and a licensed clinical psychologist — for a conversation centered on what leadership actually looks like when you’re still learning, growin...

What if nothing is “wrong” with you… you just had to grow up too soon? A lot of people move through life being the strong one. The reliable one. The one everyone leans on. But underneath that strength is something we don’t talk about enough: Exhaustion. Anxiety. A constant sense of responsibility that never turns off. In this episode of The Sync’d Self, we sit down with therapist Stephanie Sorady...

At some point in life, most of us look around and ask the same question: What happened to my plan? Maybe you had a timeline. A clear direction. An idea of how things were supposed to unfold. But life has a way of rearranging things. Opportunities arrive out of order. Some doors open later than expected. And sometimes the path forward looks nothing like the one we imagined. In this reflective solo...

Coping helped you survive — but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. In this episode of The Sync’d Self, we slow down and talk about what often comes after survival. The quiet weight that shows up once the crisis has passed. The exhaustion, confusion, and grief that didn’t have space at the time. The moment you realize you got through it… but you’re not the same. We explore how coping looks different fo...

Resilience is usually talked about as strength — pushing through, staying positive, bouncing back as quickly as possible. But real life doesn’t usually work that way. In this episode of The Sync’d Self, we talk about what resilience actually looks like when life changes you — when plans fall apart, burnout shows up, or the version of you that used to work just doesn’t work anymore. This is a conve...

What does a prescription really mean? For many people, medication isn’t just a medical decision — it’s an identity moment. It can bring relief and hope, but also hesitation, fear, and questions that no one always feels comfortable asking. In this episode of The Sync’d Self, Jesse is joined by Dr. Kimberly Hoffman, Pharm. D., an advanced practice clinical pharmacist who brings a rarely heard perspe...

What happens after you admit, “I’m not fine”—but before you know what to do next? For many of us, awareness doesn’t bring relief. It brings pressure. Pressure to decide. Pressure to explain. Pressure to turn a feeling into a plan—or a label. In this episode, we slow that moment down. We explore why awareness can feel urgent from a nervous-system and psychological perspective, how fear of identity...

We say “I’m fine” so often that we stop checking if it’s true. Sometimes it’s not a lie — it’s a reflex. A way to keep things moving. A way to stay composed. A way to avoid opening something we don’t know how to carry in the moment. This episode is a quiet reflection on strength, survival, and the cost of always holding it together. It explores how being “the strong one” can slowly turn into emoti...

Leadership is often talked about in terms of titles, authority, and strength. But the part we don’t talk about enough is what leadership actually feels like. The weight of decisions. The uncertainty. The moments that stay with you long after the role or title changes. In this episode of The Sync’d Self , Jesse sits down with General Robert Caslen Jr., a retired three-star general and the 59th Supe...

By the end of January, the noise usually fades. The resolutions. The pressure to reinvent. The sense that you were supposed to have everything figured out by now. This Season 2 opener of The Sync’d Self isn’t about starting over. It’s a check-in. A moment to slow down and reflect on what’s actually been showing up in your life so far this year. In this episode, Jesse shares what it looks like to s...

We’re taught that the holidays are supposed to feel joyful—but for many people, they don’t. This bonus episode of The Sync’d Self is an honest, grounded conversation about seasonal depression, grief, and the quiet stress that often shows up during the holidays—especially for those who are used to holding it together. Joining me is Cesar Pacheco, LMFT, founder of Warrior Path Therapy. Together, we...

The Season 1 finale arrives with a message many of us didn’t know we needed: slow down, breathe, and recognize how much has shifted inside you this season. This episode pulls together the breakthroughs, the tough truths, and the quiet inner work we’ve explored — from burnout and boundaries to micro-habits, emotional clarity, sleep, self-awareness, and the courage it takes to finally pause. It’s a...

Why is it that the moment the world gets quiet, your mind gets loud ? Why do the hardest thoughts, the old memories, the fears, and the “what ifs” all seem to wait until you finally lie down to rest? If you’ve ever felt exhausted but somehow still wide awake — this episode is going to feel like someone finally turned the lights on inside your experience. In this deeply personal and eye-opening con...

If you’ve ever kept yourself busy to avoid slowing down… If stillness makes you anxious instead of calm… If you’ve relied on work, scrolling, productivity, or even substances to take the edge off… This episode is going to resonate deeply. In this conversation with Paige Abbott, a Registered Psychologist and practice owner of Sana Psychological, we explore why many high-performing individuals strug...

This episode is for the helpers — the teachers, caregivers, therapists, support staff, medical workers, social workers, and all of us who hold space for others every single day. We talk a lot about caring for people… but we don’t often talk about the weight that comes with caring. The emotional labor. The quiet exhaustion. The pressure to stay “strong,” steady, and supportive — even when we’re str...

We’ve all heard the voice that whispers: “Who am I to be doing this?” “What if I’m not good enough?” “What if I mess up?” In today’s episode, we’re talking honestly about perfectionism and imposter syndrome — the pressure to perform, to sound confident, to always have it together… even when we don’t. I’ll share my own story of navigating these feelings while building The Sync’d Self, and how I lea...

Big dreams don’t start with giant leaps — they start with small, intentional steps. In this milestone 10th episode of The Sync’d Self, host Jesse Quijada explores how micro-goals can help you beat procrastination, rewire your brain for progress, and turn small actions into unstoppable momentum. Drawing on research from Harvard, Stanford, and leading psychologists, Jesse breaks down why our brains...