Conversations With a Wounded Healer

Whiteness is the problem. Many white folks know it; many more don't. Or won't. None of us are at the same point in the journey, yet all of us play a role in dismantling this inherited concept of racial identity. So, how can we nurture discovery, recovery, and anti-racist action without replicating the same judgments, shame, or gaslighting that whiteness thrives on?  Shelly Tochluk doesn't have all...

Being a practice owner isn't *all* bad. The folks who do it well just know how to set industrial-strength boundaries. Not me, but some folks…like Alicia Taverner, LMFT, owner of Rancho Counseling in California. Private practice ownership is Alicia's jam. How is that possible, you ask? There's keeping the practice small and cash-only. While this may astonish some, Alicia shrugs off their incredulit...

Having a uterus and ovaries isn't for the faint of heart. Just when we've figured out how to successfully navigate (or at least tolerate) periods and possibly pregnancy, the body decides to school us once more. Giulietta Durante, the nutritionist and women's health expert behind Hormones In Harmony and one-half of the Femme Powered Podcast team, wants folks to get curious about how their menstrual...

There's a thin line between burden and bliss when you own a group practice. Rebel Therapist™ creator Annie Schuessler didn't realize she'd crossed it until she weighed her past motivations against her ownership experience. Annie joins me to discuss assuming the risks of practice ownership, the importance of having a supportive bestie, and predictions for the future of the group practice model. GUE...

Capitalism sucks. But living beyond this suffocating system is difficult if you struggle to comprehend how you'll make a living in a liberated society. This episode is an invitation to jump despite that confusion. Bear Hébert helps folks get a little bit more free via their work as an artist, anti-capitalist business consultant, and social justice educator. They help tiny business owners build thr...

Hey, practice owner, how would you define your role in that business you worked so hard to create? Are you a visionary focused on pursuits related to company culture or community initiatives? Or are you a dedicated integrator, dutifully keeping up with basics like billing, payroll, and website upgrades? Maureen Werrbach, LCPC, is a visionary for sure. She owns Urban Wellness, a multi-location grou...

Even if you aren't a fan of Hollywood films from the 1980s through the early 2000s, chances are you can name the ethnicity of the "baddie" in 99.9% of them. Sure, my math might be a bit fuzzy––H'wood has a legacy of demonizing all brown-skinned folks––but an overwhelming number of screen villains during this period were either vaguely or expressly rendered as Muslim.  Decades of prejudicial portra...

The decision to sell a practice is fraught with more questions than answers (a lot like owning a practice!). Selling is a lonely headspace to navigate because folks who've gone through the process often keep those helpful emotional and transactional details to themselves. Why?! Gabrielle Juliano-Villani and I are breaking that curse! Gabrielle is an LCSW, consultant, coach, entrepreneur, and educa...

Heyyy, burnt-out practice owner! Yeah, you, the one who's overburdened, under-resourced, and lonely. The practice owner who thinks that no one understands their particular pain. I feel you. I know you. I WAS you. Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Burnt Out Practice Owner (BOPO). I'm Sarah Buino, a heart-centered, liberation-minded consultant helping individuals, groups, and organizations in...

It's a difficult time to identify as a fiercely open-hearted, optimistic human. That's especially true for folks embodying marginalized identities. And yet, somehow, Michael J. Morris finds ways to lead with love. They're a powerhouse multi-hyphenated talent committed to personal and collective healing and liberation through their work as an astrologer, tarot reader, artist, writer, teacher, facil...

One of the things I love about Anne's episodes is I get to experience them as a fangirl first. Anne's conversation with Nadia Gilani, a London-based yoga teacher and author of The Yoga Manifesto, is no exception (there's a reason Anne calls Nadia "a warrior pose of a woman").  Sure, the tl;dr header is appropriation vs appreciation within the retail-oriented, whitewashed atmosphere of modern yoga....

In the words of post-punk pioneers Talking Heads, "This ain't no party! This ain't no disco! This ain't no foolin' around!" Instead, we're getting serious about ketamine and psychedelic-assisted therapy with Heather Friedman, a New Hampshire-based psychotherapist, NARM-certified therapist, EMDR practitioner, and witchy-witch. Whether you're psychedelic curious or cautious, it's worth noting that t...

When I say "it's all connected," I'm not pushing a love 'n light colloquialism; I preach the gaddang truth! That cranky back you woke up with this AM? That IBS that took you down during a meeting? That nagging knee injury that kept you from your run? It's ALL connected to the way we treat ourselves. Those messages are often tied to big "T" or little "t" traumas that we haven't correctly processed,...

I'm gonna subhead this one, "A Simpatico Of Sarahs," not just because the alliteration pleases me. Sarah Bryski-Hamrick is a like-minded liberation-focused, anti-exploitation-oriented therapist and business coach who believes therapy IS political. She also believes that caring for our personal and professional selves is imperative, especially if we hope to break free from capitalism. We're talking...

Anne's recent conversation with Movement Coach Olive Walton is an excellent reminder of how much mental anguish and physical damage the shame monster can inflict. It's no surprise, then, that shame is a favorite weapon of both white supremacy and many in the fitness industry. Olive: "Conversations I've had recently with a lot of people is how their firsthand experiences with physical education wer...

My guest procurement process is pretty standard: a social follow or professional acquaintance morphs into an invite and eventual recording session. For this episode, however, I gotta thank the gods of analog alignment. They placed me in my favorite wellness collective at a personal low point. Here, I encountered a flier announcing a special event featuring Lama Rod Owens. The topic? Tantric Buddhi...

You, who are about to experience the brilliance of this episode for the very first time, are in for an extra special treat. With glitter on top. This one had me hootin', hollerin', AMENing, and researching tons of new-to-me things. Ladies, gentlemen, and those who eschew binary categorizations, please welcome the extraordinary Dr. Cheddar Gorgeous in conversation with our own amazing Anne. That's...

Healing takes on many forms. While our lists may vary, I'll wager that not many of us place "business stewardship" in the top ten. The thing is, in a capitalist society, doing business differently just might be the antidote to community disinvestment and unsustainable consumption of people and physical resources. And, since we gotta start somewhere, why not with a little fizzy bevy?  Mindy McCord,...

Let's tug on the thread woven through much of the world's established (ahem, accepted) architectural design. Yep, it's racism. I'll be honest: before Anne's fantastic conversation with Wandile Mthiyane, an Obama leader, TedX fellow, founder and CEO of Ubuntu Architecture Group, and social entrepreneur, I hadn't given this aspect of institutional racism much thought.  Nor had I considered the heali...

Witchcraft has always been a radical act, and I am never more in my element than when I'm playing with tarot, crystals, and even my houseplants. This tracks since witches often work with the elements of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit to enact personal or societal transformation.  Elena Rego isn't "just" a witch; she's the force behind The Holy Witch and The School of Holy Witchery , and our c...

Whatcha hungry for? It's a cheeky question with answers that reveal more than our immediate desire for something salty or sour, crunchy or creamy. As Anne discovers in conversation with UK-based chef and social justice change-maker Neha Patel Hampton, food can heal literally and figuratively, bringing us back to ourselves and each other.  Neha sprinkles tales of personal reclamation with lessons i...

This episode contains a conversation about suicide & suicidal ideation. Do you struggle to complete basic tasks and have tactile sensitivities? Do you overshare in conversation or perpetually interrupt others? You might be neurodivergent. Or not. ADHD––attention deficit hyperactivity disorder––is one possibility that often goes underdiagnosed. While greater awareness could lead to vastly better AD...

The more I learn about indigenous and traditional approaches to well-being, the more I understand that humans ARE nature, not something outside or above it. Shay Grant, an herbalist and yoga teacher who relocated to the UK from Canada, operates from a similar POV.  As Anne discovers, the land around us has the power to enhance our mental and physical well-being. All we have to do is stop and smell...

Christine Leone, LCSW, has experience shining a light on realities folks would rather leave in the dark. As a child, she and her family left liberal NYC for Portland, OR, the little-big city advertised as a cultural and political utopia. In actuality, life in that PNW paradise was anything but. Christine and her family discovered that the city's progressive patina obscured a very different––and da...

When I say there's a palpable spiritual quality running through Anne's chat with Dr. Isha McKenzie-Mavinga, it's not me getting all woo-woo as I'm wont to do. Dr. Isha is an integrative transcultural psychotherapist, trainer, and supervisor in the UK with over three decades of professional experience. She's a lecturer, writer, and Reiki master as well as a published author, poet, editor, and, as A...