The Sync'd Self

No matter how different our lives look on the surface, there is something underneath all of it that connects us: we are human. In The Art of Being Human: More Alike Than We Think, I reflect on what becomes visible when the titles, accomplishments, roles, and expectations fall away. Through conversations with clinicians, psychologists, military leaders, public officials, experts, and small business...

What does a healthy relationship actually look like—and have we become so focused on spotting red flags that we’ve forgotten how to recognize the green ones? In this episode of The Sync’d Self , Jesse sits down with psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker Irene Sofia Koutsidis-Martelli, LCSW , for an honest, relaxed conversation about relationships in the modern world. Together, they e...

We’re always reaching for something—the next opportunity, the next relationship, the next milestone, the next version of ourselves. In What Are We All Chasing? Jesse explores how technology, dating, success, comparison, and self-improvement can keep us constantly looking toward what comes next. From endless scrolling and endless options to the pressure to achieve more, be more, and keep up with ev...

Technology has transformed nearly every part of our lives. It helps us stay connected, learn, work, and create in ways that were unimaginable just a generation ago. But as our digital world continues to evolve, so do the questions surrounding our attention, relationships, and mental health. In this episode of The Sync'd Self, Jesse sits down with Dr. Dustin Weissman, PsyD—licensed clinical psy...

The version of you that got you here was shaped by what you had to survive, what you were taught to believe, and the ways you learned to protect yourself. Maybe that looked like perfectionism, independence, people-pleasing, overworking, emotional distance, or becoming the person everyone else could depend on. In this episode of The Sync’d Self , Jesse explores what happens when those old survival...

Everyone knows they can count on you—but who are you counting on? For many of us, being dependable becomes more than something we do. It becomes part of how we understand our worth. We keep showing up, carrying the emotional weight, solving problems, and making sure everyone else is okay—even when we are slowly losing touch with ourselves. In this episode of The Sync’d Self , Jesse is joined by Dr...

We're surrounded by messages telling us to become more. Read another book. Build better habits. Wake up earlier. Work harder. Optimize your life. Unlock your potential. But what if our pursuit of becoming better has quietly convinced us that who we are today isn't enough? In this episode of The Sync'd Self, we explore the psychology behind the modern self-improvement movement and ask a...

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...