Conversations With a Wounded Healer

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...

What happens when two ENFJs come together for a light chat? An illuminating conversation about a life lived in the margins, creating spaces for genuine bodily autonomy, and engaging in revolutionary acts within the confines of the current therapeutic system.  Rahim Thawer, MSW RSW , is a queer Muslim social worker, psychotherapist, consultant, clinical supervisor, sessional lecturer and writer liv...

"Trauma" exists in many forms. Sara Moskowitz, LCSW, SEP, can trace some of her wounding back generations through the Jewish experience. Beyond that, much of the ongoing personal healing to which she's committed stems from a thoroughly modern - and complex - family dynamic. Donor-conceived humans - those individuals conceived using a third party to supply the sperm, egg (or combination), or embryo...

"You can speak your truth, and you can be honest, and you don't always need to defend what you did or what you said or how you are. You can just say it." ~Brenna Guinan All of my favorite things conspired to make this chat with fellow therapist and host of Real Fckn Talk Brenna Guinan MHC-LP, CRC a must-listen (IMHO): Instagram friendship;  Some witchy topics; and NARM™.  That last entry is partic...

"Healers have to be so close to the wound...in order to actually heal it." ~Dr. LaNail Plummer Dr. LaNail Plummer, founder and CEO of Onyx Therapy Group, has designed her life around healing her communities. The build process hasn't been easy. As a Black, bisexual woman, she's navigated multiple structural impediments. But the racism, homophobia, and religious rigidity that forced her to the margi...

"It doesn't matter what your purpose is; it could be a doctor or a dog mom. Doesn't matter. But you're not gonna do it wholeheartedly if you're obsessing about the size of your thighs." ~Alexa Silvaggio Chocolate and ketamine.  Yes, that would be a fantastic title for a double album! Instead, they're the ingredients for a vibe-altering conversation with wellness entrepreneur and chocolatier Alexa...

"A lot of the things that we have gone through have taught us a lot of lessons -- have made us stronger in certain ways." ~Dr. Funnies Heads up: This episode with Dr. Funnies features some conversation around still-birth. If such discussions trigger you in any way, please take care should you choose to listen. From professional gaslighting and personal tragedy to hilarious memes and triumph of the...

"It has to be your flag [...]. So, being able to do that internal work and say, 'Oh, what is it that I want to be? What is it that I want to look like? And how do I want to present myself?' and letting that be okay, keeping your flag the one that's flying rather than trying to be somebody else, no matter what it is." ~Brian Thompson In the right hands, financial planning is a healing art. Wait, do...

"I recognize within myself that there were huge cycles that needed to be broken. And, with having two girls, it was so important for me for those cycles to be broken." ~Nellie D. This show, like life itself, is an exercise in connect-the-dots. From listeners linked around the globe (shout out, Saudi Arabia!), to friends met over on IG, to acquaintances made through other guests, we Wounded Healers...

"I really thought, like, if people have the choice to choose what they pay, they're going to undervalue me, and I was so sure that everybody would pick the lower fees. I'm making more money than I've ever made!" ~ Celeste Meyer Celeste Meyer has created something folks on this planet need to see more examples of - a pretty yummy, juicy life for herself and those with whom she's in alliance. From f...

"It's just so important to know that we're so interdependent, and we thrive through the ability to connect, and that's the bigger picture." ~ Shiralee Patel I'm honored and a little bit giddy to be the first podcast on which Shiralee Patel, PT, DPT, has ever appeared. I mean E-V-E-R! So crazy to me because this wise woman isn't "just" a physical therapist; she's my PT.  Shiralee is a skilled profe...

"Aren't you tired of endlessly reading about white men who can't help but murder people of color in our communities? Aren't you tired of being made to feel helpless because of apparent untreatable mental illness problems that apparently lead to mass violence?" ~Sarah Suzuki I recorded this on March 23rd, 2021. March 22nd, there was a shooting in Boulder, Colorado, and on March 16th, there was a sh...