CapacityConvos

In Episode 13 of CapacityConvos , RaQuel Hopkins sits down with Sasha Ayad, a licensed professional counselor who has spent the last 10 years working with young people and families navigating gender identity and gender dysphoria. Sasha has worked with more than 1,100 families and previously hosted the podcast Gender: A Wider Lens , where she interviewed clinicians, whistleblowers, and people direc...

Episode 12 features Rogerrick Jones in a candid conversation on masculinity, vulnerability, safe spaces, and what men actually need. Rogerrick, a clinical psychologist and addictions counselor, shares the thinking behind his viral “Men Don’t Need Safe Spaces” video and what he was actually trying to communicate. Together, RaQuel and Rogerrick explore the difference between safe spaces and brave sp...

Episode 11 features Naomi Pilula in a candid conversation on going viral, self acceptance, and the role of faith in shaping identity. What happens when a simple selfie gets 20 million views for all the wrong reasons? Naomi shares her experience of going viral overnight and how a moment that could have been defined by public criticism became an invitation to look inward. From navigating negative co...

Episode 10 features Dr. Sumi in a candid conversation on personal responsibility, systemic awareness, and where clinicians draw the line. Dr. Sumi shares her perspective on how systems oriented therapy is often misunderstood, and what it actually looks like in practice. From exploring the role of context in shaping identity to unpacking how clinicians can hold both individual responsibility and sy...

Episode 9 features Joe Nucci, licensed psychotherapist and author of Psychobabble , in a candid conversation on mental health myths, emotional intimacy, and reclaiming the language of healing. Joe shares his perspective on how modern mental health discourse has become overused, misunderstood, and in some cases counterproductive. From questioning the idea that “everyone has trauma” to unpacking how...

Episode 8 features Kendall L. Williams, founder of the Mom’s True Tea platform, in a powerful conversation on estrangement, motherhood, identity, and the courage to set boundaries. Kendall shares her personal journey of becoming a mother at 17 and raising her sons largely on her own, without a co-parent or consistent support system. She opens up about the difficult decision to go no contact with h...

Episode 7 features Dr. Kristin Neff, pioneering researcher and author, in a powerful conversation on self-compassion, shame, and the deeper work required for real emotional change. Dr. Neff shares insights from over 20 years of research, breaking down what self-compassion actually is and why it goes far beyond positive self-talk or affirmations. She explains the three essential components of self-...

Episode 6 features Brenda in a powerful conversation on faith, obedience, identity, and the tension between spiritual surrender and modern mental health culture. Brenda shares the heart behind her book The Journey of Yes, framing life as a continuous decision to say yes to God. She reflects on her faith journey beginning at a young age, navigating seasons of obedience, distance, and return, and wh...

Episode 5 features independent historian and filmmaker Chad Jackson in a bold conversation on responsibility, mental health, faith, and rethinking history. Chad shares his journey from blue collar beginnings to building a successful plumbing business and media platform, rooted in a commitment to obedience over approval. From there, we explore the tension between personal agency and a culture incre...

Episode 4 features psychologist Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, author of Rise Above, in a powerful conversation on resilience, victimhood, self actualization, and personal growth. Dr. Kaufman shares his early experience being placed in special education due to an auditory processing disability and the self advocacy that helped him challenge limiting narratives about his potential. From there, we explore...

Ashley shares her 20 plus year journey living with generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder after her first panic attack at nineteen. What began as a diagnosis slowly became an identity, leading her to question who she was if she could not trust her own brain. In this conversation, we unpack the difference between labels and lived experience, the quiet ways anxiety reshapes life choices, an...

A powerful conversation with Kelly about capacity, agency, and choosing life in the face of uncertainty. She shares her rare ampullary cancer diagnosis, how she self advocated across hospitals, and why she declined chemo to pursue a clinical trial. We dive into self trust during a major career transition to a federal executive role, finding the right support system at work and at home, and redefin...

In the premiere episode of CapacityConvos, therapist and capacity expert RaQuel sits down with her very first guest, her dad, for a raw, funny, and deeply human conversation about mental health, faith, family, and what it really means to have capacity. Together, they explore the difference between mental health and mental illness, generational beliefs about therapy and discipline, growing up with...