Conversations With a Wounded Healer

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...

"As we can release things that we're holding, we get to be more of ourselves and more of our own energy and more of our own essence and power. " ~Dr. Sonali Deepika Of all the excellent words spoken in this conversation between Dr. Sonali Deepika and I, the one that stands out is pretty simple: shift. As in shift the male-dominated, white-centric, evidence-based paradigm that currently governs our...

"It is my goal to own me, to own myself." ~Dr. Davia J. Crutchfield, Ph. D. If you measure life along a linear trajectory, then yeah, Dr. Davia J. Crutchfield, Ph. D., and I have known each other for about a minute. But when it comes to anti-racism and healing wounds caused by white supremacy? Oh…we're firing on a deeper, symbiotic wavelength! This is a chat between old friends who've just met. Fo...

"Let's get this very clear: therapists are humans; humans are human. And, therefore, we experience the same things as our clients." ~Bianca Hughes Perfectionism, professional pivots, and the privilege of creating space for healing. So many bases covered in this conversation with Bianca K. Hughes, LPC ! Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the cultural exchange insights - Bianca's a British ex-pat resi...

"Humor is how I handle the world." ~Jim Martin This one's for the pun lovers, the meme-generators, and...the meditation-curious. Jim Martin is all of these things and a potato. As founder of The Unusual Buddha, a multi-platform community that explores meditation, spirituality, and metaphysics through an irreverent, contemporary lens - and that lens often has a potato filter over it. Jim says the g...

"So, here's the thing: liberation work is about imagination." ~Shawna Murray-Browne What a treat this episode is (IMHO), and what a gift Shawna Murray-Browne is! That exclamation point is not hyperbole, as you'll soon hear. As founder and executive director of Kindred Community Healing, Shawna is a liberation-focused practitioner whose forward-thinking mental health care has the power to restore g...

"What's the point of getting better if everyone you know and love is still sick?" ~Mishara Winston Mishara Winston, LCSW, believes that healing is the byproduct of communal joy. A hundred episodes ago, this Black queer woman redefined for us what it meant to be an adventure therapist. Three years later, she's back to share her leveled-up vision. Mishara's one of my most favorite people and most fa...

"My relationship with power and control has evolved. One thing I am not afraid to say anymore is that I'm on a mission to get more power so I can redistribute it." ~Kim Young Let's get into some trouble, shall we? Good trouble. The kind that shifts paradigms, creates opportunities, and leaves plenty of room for rest. For that we're going to need a dope accomplice. Kim Young, aka Dope Black Social...

"Compassion and relationships create all opportunities." ~Dr. Nzinga Harrison Revolutions need revolutionaries. What's true for the social justice movement is true in the drive to create more equitable mental health opportunities; after all, these threads have been entwined throughout this country's history. Meet my new favorite person in the whole wide world, psychiatrist, podcast host, and amazi...

"I do want to help people build something big and awesome and impossible and that's of a very high value and that is client-centered." ~Annie Schuessler How much do I adore Annie Schuessler? Let me count the ways so you, too, can fall hard for this business coach who helps therapists make an impact beyond a traditional private practice.  She's also the host of two podcasts: Rebel Therapist™ and Li...

"I think as therapists, there is no such thing as true neutrality, right?...The importance is knowing and owning your bias so that we can prevent it from doing harm." ~Jessica Fern Polyamory. Well, now that I have your attention…let's get into it, shall we? Ohhh, y'all, this episode is meaty with material courtesy of the brilliant Jessica Fern , psychotherapist, coach, public speaker, relationship...

"It takes serious dedication to kind of chip away at rules and the contracts that we've picked up over our life that we didn't get to choose." ~Ryan Herrick Healer, humanitarian, and homebuilder Ryan Herrick wears many hats. But the topper that compliments every aspect of his life best is the one labeled musician . The ongoing pandemic has forced Ryan to explore alternate methods of delivering his...

"What would it look like if I stopped trying to contort myself to fit other people's ideas about how I should be?" ~Christina Watkins A new year...and breathe! Let's get into it. But first, we need to get honest at the micro and the macro. Who are we, personally and professionally? What do we want for ourselves and our careers? What are we no longer willing to tolerate in others or ourselves? What...

"Ultimately, I think for anybody who is struggling, just find that tiny bit of spark, that little bit of hope, and hold onto it." ~Natalie LeSueur There's no better way to end this ____(insert your fave adjective here)___ year than hanging with Natalie LeSueur and me for Part II of our conversation. If you've not yet listened to Part I , go back! Get acquainted with this luminous lady and then joi...

"I really feel like I not only deserve love, but I am love. I really am." ~Natalie LeSueur The brilliant, wise-hearted Natalie LeSueur of The Light Collective is many things: mother, breathwork teacher, intuitive… the list is extensive. Natalie's also a survivor of complex psychological and sexual trauma. I'm grateful for her honesty and willingness to share her multi-layered experience. To that e...