Mind In View

Do you ever just want to indulge feeling really sorry for yourself? Well we certainly do but then we end up feeling worse in the long run. It's important to feel our feelings but when we find ourselves on an island by ourselves, thinking we're all alone in our suffering, it's kind of a road to nowhere. In this episode Thea and Kate discuss ways to fight the pull toward self-pity, and instead to co...

Let's face it--at some point in our lives, we all need help. Are you like Thea, who has natural ease and confidence about making requests of others? Or maybe you are more aligned with Kate, for whom asking a favor doesn't even occur to her unless she's in an extreme state. Thea offers Kate some much-needed pointers in this episode, and they discuss how we can all cultivate a healthier approach to...

Here's the thing about seasons: they affect us, whether it's a change in the weather or a subtle evolution to a new phase of life. And yet we act like they shouldn't, like something is wrong with us if we find it harder to wake up in the morning or we miss what we used to have. In this episode, Thea and Kate examine their own relationships with seasons--physically and emotionally, literally and fi...

It feels counter-intuitive when you're experiencing trauma or pain, but sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is fall apart. Thea and Kate talk in this episode about how it can actually be a faster path to healing; they share their own experiences and some strategies for releasing the need to fight our feelings. Think of the Phoenix, the gorgeous mythical bird that bursts into flames an...

Do you ever wonder whether you should walk away from a situation or stick it out? Do you question whether your "chickening-out" or making a healthy choice for yourself? These decision points can feel stressful, and sometimes its hard to know even our own motivations! In this episode, Thea and Kate discuss intentional decision making in difficult situations (micro and macro), and examine the differ...

Do you ever see some old classmate's social media, or find a picture of an ex and realize that you are holding onto negative feelings? Even though it doesn't hurt anyone but you? Thea and Kate explore why we might hold tight to old hurts, and discuss ways to release negativity that's keeping us from being our most joyful selves.  

Do you ever see some old classmate's social media, or find a picture of an ex and realize that you are holding onto negative feelings? Even though it doesn't hurt anyone but you? Thea and Kate explore why we might hold tight to old hurts, and discuss ways to release negativity that's keeping us from being our most joyful selves.  

No one likes to feel uncertain, unsteady, unmoored. And yet these days it's a pretty universal state of being--plans are being put into question, health and safety concerns are once again top of mind, and we are just really freaking exhausted of living like this. Thea and Kate explore their own frustrations and worries, and discuss ways to center ourselves and live in the moment, informed by perso...

You've likely heard some of the media stories lately around a certain ultra-famous pop star's conservatorship woes, but do you know what exactly all that means? Thea and Kate were curious about how these legal arrangements work, especially in the context of mental illness. So they brought in an expert, Dr. Jacob Appel--a bioethicist, psychiatrist, lawyer, and accomplished author, among his myriad...

Being a parent is full of tough moments, hard decisions, and worry about somehow messing up your kid. Can you imagine how much harder it gets when your child is diagnosed with a debilitating anxiety disorder? Annabelle was just 7 years old when she began to experience severe OCD. Her mother, Becky, sits down with Thea and Kate in this episode to tell their family's story of tenacity, bravery, and...

Whether you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist, reality can pack a tough punch, especially when you're expecting one thing and get another. In this episode, Thea and Kate explore the various lenses (rose-colored and otherwise) through which they see the world, including how they process expectations in their own experiences and relationships. i

Money is one of those things that we all kind of have to have a relationship with in order to live in the world...but we don't really talk about it. And the thing is, cash flow (or lack thereof) and decisions about spending, saving, and earning can really take a toll on our mental health. Thea and Kate explore their own relationships with dollars and cents, and discover that often our issues come...

Brush and floss? Check. Work out three times a week? Check. Put a quarter in the piggy bank? Check. How often do you sit down and think about your habits? Probably....never. And yet they inform so much of how we experience the world. In this episode, Thea and Kate explore their own habits and examine what kinds of strategies make new ones more likely to stick. 

Is there anything more complicated and dynamic than our sense of identity? When confronted with interpretations of ourselves that don't line up, that can be confusing or even traumatizing. In this episode, we pick up where the last one left off, and explore why the Enneagram results made Thea feel seen and Kate feel misunderstood. Then we dive further into what identity means to us, and how we def...

Personality tests can be fun to try and offer interesting perspective on ourselves and our loved ones. Based on a listener suggestion, Thea and Kate took their official Enneagram assessments. In this episode, you'll hear which of them is an Achiever whose results lined right up with her self-perception, and which one is an Individualist who was, frankly, triggered by the inaccuracies in hers. You'...

Are you a goal-setter like Thea, who likes to develop a vision for the future and plan out each benchmark to achieve it? Or are you more of a goal-finder like Kate, whose Pisces heart has to feel its way to the next step? The Mind In View ladies talk about their personal relationships with goals, and how they can be both helpful tools as well as paralyzing pressure-cookers.     

Can you remember the first time you felt guilt? It's such an intense, visceral emotion, and yet most of the time we feel guilty even when we've done nothing wrong!   Thea and Kate discuss the power of guilt and it's close relative, shame. They also explore their own experiences with that pull of self-blame and punishment, and discuss how they are trying to take some of its power away and get out o...

When you experience a major life change that people think of as good--a new job, a move, an addition to the family--do you feel like you aren't allowed be anything but happy about it? Even though along with the great it might still be hard, or sad, or feel like a loss? Thea and Kate explore how even positive transitions can cause all kinds of different feelings. Let's give ourselves and each other...

As important as mental health is to our overall well-being, opening up about our struggles can feel like a big risk. What are we afraid of? Thea and Kate talk about the stigmas they've experienced and observed, and try to start chipping away at some assumptions or generalizations that can make people suffering with mental illness feel misunderstood.

Is gratitude an attitude? Is optimism a strategy? Sure. Those positive approaches to life can certainly benefit our mental, emotional, and physical health. But when we don't allow them to co-exist with the hard parts--when they become avoidance or denial in disguise--they can become shallow and toxic. Thea and Kate discuss the importance of acknowledging and embracing the full range of experiences...

Do you remember the day when "I wouldn't be caught dead leaving the house in sweatpants..." became "it's been so long since I've worn non-elastic clothing I'm not sure it still fits?" This pandemic has done a number on our physical appearances--it's changed our movement habits, what we wear, where we go, and how we see ourselves. Thea and Kate begin to explore the topic  by starting with their own...

You now how some situations or interactions just feel like they totally drain your life force? Yeah, we do too. In this episode, Thea and Kate talk about their own experiences with "energy vampires," and offer some simple ways we can make sure we are protecting ourselves and our inner peace when we inevitably come upon  these people or moments in our daily lives.  

Do you have a relationship with your intuition, that little quiet voice inside you that tells you what you really need to know? As valuable as it is, sometimes we can avoid, mistrust, or mislabel it, and as a result we miss out on a connection with our innermost knowing. Thea and Kate discuss their own thoughts on the topic, and offer some ways to "tune in" to that place.       

Some of us are great at setting and maintaining our own boundaries. Others ( *cough*Thea&Kate*cough* ) struggle to understand how best to establish these self-protecting guidelines--and to properly communicate them--before they are crossed by unsuspecting friends and family. In this episode, Kate and Thea consider ways to develop clear boundaries, which in turn helps to recognize and respect those...

She knows anxiety intimately as both a sufferer (with diagnoses of OCD and PTSD) and as a therapist who's devoted her professional career to healing. And that is her superpower. In this episode, guest Bronwyn tells Thea and Kate her story, and the three of them discuss her unique perspective on mental disorders as both a consumer and a provider of mental health treatment.