Conversations With a Wounded Healer

Here's a hot take for you: The teachings of a privileged white dude from the past can help us sort through our modern existential crises. OK, in the world of Jungian psychology, my pithy opening salvo is far from controversial; it's indisputable. One of the folks translating Carl Jung's classic analytical foundation into a contemporary application is Satya Doyle Byock, LPC.  At The Salomé Institut...

My guest Kerri Kelly landed on the perfect summation for this episode: "It's gonna be juicy y'all!" And it is, since our discussion centers on whiteness. Ha––leave it to whiteness to center itself here, there, everywhere. In this instance, however, whiteness and the cacophony of capitalism that almost always accompanies it, is drowned out by Kerri's challenging, meaningful call-in. And she keeps t...

The magic of great photography is that it uncovers emotions on both sides of the lens. But what if subject and audience are the same? That exposure arrives with all sorts of charged, squishy feelings––including a healthy dose of healing. That's what I'm experiencing as I circle back to the beautiful new collection of branding images my guest Meagan Thomas took of me. Meagan is a boudoir photograph...

It's not every day that I speak with an animal psychic. Allow me to head off any skepticism by saying this is no "talk to the animals" farce. If you've ever experienced the special bond from loving an animal, you likely shared moments of complete synchronicity, as if you both spoke a common language. When that beloved animal passes, the loss is immense. Overwhelming. I say this as someone who has...

If I had to pick one word to describe this conversation with Dr. Barbara Shabazz, PsyD, my choice is easy: intentionality. And possibility. And community. And… Y'all know by now that I refuse to play nice with arbitrary limits!  I could turn to the 20k folks who follow her over on IG for additional superlatives. Not to mention the clients who seek Barbara's guidance via Intentional Activities , he...

Where organized religion goes, the need for therapy often follows. There's no shortage of examples in which Christianity's original pitch––to love and care for one another––has gotten corrupted by those delivering Jesus' message.  But what if you're called to fight for your faith? What if you believe that your generation is the breath of fresh air its stagnant lungs need? Or, what if you want to o...

What a time to be alive, huh? I say so with tongue firmly planted in my cheek because when crisis cycles like the one we're currently in arise, instinct often overrides my ability to analyze. I rush for the deep end with an overwhelming need to do everything, even as I realize I've stretched myself too thin to do anything. Raise your hand if you've been there; done that. Val Jencks, MS, LMFT, LCPC...

I have long wished for one complete website where I could find information about every trauma modality––the who, what, where, why, and how of trauma-informed care if you will––because I want training in all of them!  The truth is, whether we're therapists, specialized healers, or lightworkers, there's a reason why we call what we do practice: we never arrive at a place of absolute knowing.  Shelby...

This one has all the hallmarks of those "very special episodes" from TV days gone by. Awesome guest? Check. Witty banter? Check. A lesson on the power of vulnerability? Check. We're talking *chef's kiss* from start to finish, not least because I get to publicly gush over my friend Rayell Grayson, LCPC, CADC. Knowing Rayell brings me so much joy on the daily. I'm proud to be in her orbit and utterl...

If you look up the word "radical", you'll find definitions for its noun- and adjective-based usages. Marvin Toliver, MSW, LCSW , embodies both. He's a self-respecting bisexual man of color who refuses to bear the crushing weight of racist, capitalist, heteronormative systems. Instead, Marvin advocates fiercely for marginalized folks and won't accept anything less than complete liberation and revol...

Oh, nothing, just me and Heidi Savell, LCSW , my new fave polyamory coach, replacing capitalism with divine feminine energy, repairing acute attachment wounds, and returning agency to anyone frustrated by the limits of monogamous relationships.  OK, before we go any further into this convo, let me emphatically state that neither Heidi nor I have anything against monogamy. Furthermore, monogamists...

Moin Subhani is a Toronto-based psychotherapist who practices the Gestalt method. Moin likens the modality to emotional intelligence 101, an awareness of intra- and interpersonal truths. That inward/outward journey is one Moin knows well. "Growing up in this society, especially as a Brown person, queer, it was hard for me to sit comfortably in my skin and love myself."  His corporate career made t...

Let's settle this once and for all: astrology is a science like quantum physics and theoretical math. Please don't come at me; I've got a former chemical engineer on my side. Actually, my guest Sara Calvarese, the aforementioned former chemical engineer, made that bold proclamation at the top of our chat. Throughout the convo, Sara drops truth bombs supporting astrology's place alongside other ana...

Shout out to all the black sheep! Given the interactions I've had with many of you over on IG, self-declared black sheep make up most of this Wounded Healer's audience. We kindred souls are a misunderstood bunch.  With so many black sheep about town, you'd expect to find volumes written in our honor. Where are the books detailing our experiences or offering keen insight into the unique psyche of b...

Pardon me while I drop my first ever LIVE episode into this space! And, wouldn't you know it, my guest and I cover all the Conversations With a Wounded Healer favorites: community, connection, spiritual anchors, resiliency, the white-washing of mental wellness spaces, and the importance of therapists engaging in their own work (natch).  What a joy to sit beside Camesha Jones, LCSW , at Sista Afya...

If you're a baby therapist (or a seasoned pro) looking for a sign, this is it! Lean into moments of extrasensory perception. Take leaps of faith toward alternative career paths. Trust that your current discomfort heralds growth. My longtime friend and one-time coworker Virginia Castillo, LCPC , is a chill, uplifting study in clearing space for all three. Our convo is such a gift for this quiet tim...

I've lately found myself having conversations about certainty––or uncertainty if you like. When philosophical words fail me, I express my meaning by sharing life experiences from the mundane to the mystical. Reverend Maureen Cotton is good with words. She also happens to be great with stories. So many profoundly moving stories in this one! A few trippy ones, too, as well as a flip-the-script momen...

Grab your fave beverage because my guest Courtney Wells, PhD, and I are about to spill the kombucha on taking down the patriarchy.  Courtney is many things, including a licensed clinical psychologist and executive director at Pivot Psychological Services in Chicago, and tamer of two Pekinese. Additionally, they're simply an amazing human with profound insights into dismantling the systemic oppress...

Sarah Santacroce isn't a therapist. She's an author, podcaster, and successful marketing specialist who helps folks heal from the hustle and still earn a decent living. Through her humane-focused approach, she's created a global movement that encourages people to bring more empathy and kindness to business and marketing.  Sarah knows what she's talking about because she, too, used all the same sta...

Emily Morris is my friend, fellow NARM practitioner, and colleague in the therapy world. For anyone who's deep into that gray area of life––that nagging "middling" feeling of half-living, the push/pull of a sham existence––this story of sobriety and identity will resonate with you. Her trajectory from weekend partier to sober-curious to four years sober affirms that life needn't fall apart in spec...

Do you ever meet someone whose spirit surrounds your own with warmth and light and knowing ? Yeah...Ebony Rutko is that spirit in human form. A clinical social worker with her practice in Canada, Ebony applies her advanced clinical training in NeuroAffective Relational Model™ (NARM) to help adults address issues with attachment, relational and developmental traumas.  If you're new around here and...

Spoiler Alert: The Cranky Therapist is not at all cranky. At least, this is the conclusion I came to after our chat. Instead, Jess Sprengle, the meme queen behind a catchy social persona, manages her private practice as well as her popular profiles and keeps herself grounded, in part, because she does her own work.   It's important to highlight for folks that as therapists, we get something out of...

Melody Li has built a practice around getting smashy--and I am here for it! This Hong Kong-born, diasporic settler is a queer therapist of Color, mental health liberation activist, and all around badass. Their work focuses on liberating communities long neglected or, worse, harmed outright by whiteness in therapeutic spaces. What I find so magical about Melody is that they knew what they wanted bu...

Cédric Lebigre, an NLP practitioner, hypnotist, and musician living and working in France, scores his truth bombs with beats. If you're binaural beat curious, fascinated by music and science, or want to cultivate a better understanding of what Shamanism is (and isn't), welcome to a conversation with its own soundtrack. I've been listening to Cédric's work via Insight Timer for a while now. There's...

Grief, especially for those experiencing the death of a parent who may have neglected, abused, ignored, or invalidated them, is complex and contradictory. Margo Jacquot, PsyD, agrees. We flip the script on standard responses to loss, explore the gifts and grind associated with addressing our wounds as therapists and discover a mutual fascination for a particular taxicab medium. For those whose chi...