Cryin' & Tryin': The Comprehensive Guide to Cultivating Emotional Intelligence in a F*&%ed Up World

Trauma is complex, and healing from trauma can seem impossible. This week’s guest, Karen Robinson, is both a survivor and a trauma recovery expert. She shares her perspective on different trauma treatments, explains how community is vital to heal, and provides some resources for listeners to begin their own healing process. Resources from today’s episode: 😭 The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind,...

DEI is one of the latest buzzwords (buzzphrases?) in the corporate world. It seems like almost all companies are trying to fill diversity quotas, but they’re missing the mark on actually making the workplace equitable and inclusive. In this episode, Lexi chats with social justice and equity, inclusion, and diversity consultant, Sedruola (Sedie) Maruska about how we can really begin to move towards...

"I'm the stupidest person in the world!" You always ignore me." "Everybody is looking at me and thinks I look weird." We all experience cognitive distortions, a negative way of thinking our brains default to, on a daily basis that impact the way we view the world. But what exactly are they? And what can we do about them? Lexi and their friend Kim share a list of 15 common cognitive distortions tha...

In this continuation of S3E7, Lexi and Marc continue their discussion about race and body image. This episode touches on topics of self-acceptance, self-judgment, and thanking past versions of ourselves for doing the best we could.  ----- Resources from today’s episode: 😭 Marc’s Podcast, Relatively Normal 😭 Seeing White from Scene On Radio (the podcast that Lexi mentioned about the history...

Lexi chats with friend and host of the Relatively Normal podcast, Marc Paisant about race, mental health, and sitting with discomfort in this episode. This is the first part of a series exploring Marc’s experience as a Black man in America who is managing his mental health. Lexi & Marc begin by discussing the relationship between Black and white communities today and how to approach unlearning...

Regulating our emotions & expressing them appropriately is one of the keys to cultivating emotional intelligence (EQ) & improving our daily lives. In the second episode, Lexi introduced the RULER Method of emotional regulation & some tools for identifying emotions, & In this continuation of the EQ series, Lexi walks through how they used the RULER method to navigate a personal conf...

How do you cope with stressful situations and unexpected life changes? How do you handle the stressors of everyday life and things out of your control? In this episode, Lexi and friend John Rosenberger discuss these questions and more! They explore different categories of coping skills, their own go-to strategies, and pros and cons of different classes of coping strategies.  ---- Resources fr...

Lexi interviews Gabby Brost, a triple strength sports athlete and inclusive & trauma-mindful strength and fitness coach about her traumatic brain injury and neuropsychological evaluation that followed. They discuss how life has changed since Gabby’s TBI, medication and symptom management, and what inclusive fitness really means and looks like. ----- Resources from today’s episode: 😭 Neuropsyc...

It's Lexi's 30th birthday! They share some reflection on why birthdays have been difficult historically and how they are taking back the power in celebrating your life. ---- Resources from today’s episode: 😭 Donate to the Black Trans Coalition for Lexi's birthday 😭 Donate to the Black Trans Alliance for Lexi's birthday 😭 Donate to WRAPP (Reproductive Justice) for Lexi's birthday 😭 Donate to th...

If you’re disabled and unable to work, the process for obtaining disability benefits (SSDI) is difficult to navigate and many get denied multiple times. Spencer Bishins, attorney and the author of Social Security Disability Revealed: Why it’s so hard to access benefits and what you can do about it, was a decision writer within the Social Security Administration. He shares information about the pro...

In the Season 3 premiere, Lexi shares an update on their current mental state and their own experience with suicidal ideations. They also acknowledge that as a society, just sharing a post or having a ribbon is not suicide prevention. Rather, that real fundamental change of the oppressive capitalistic regime in which we live is the only true path to liberation and suicide prevention.  TRIGGER...

In their first solo episode, Lexi shares about their current depressive episode, the things they are struggling with, and some analogies helpful to them about riding the wave of emotions instead of fighting them.  TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses suicidal ideation at 21:40. Sorry about the audio quality!  ----- If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please get hel...

For the past four summers, Lexi and their best friend Sam have camped in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. This annual trip has become a necessity, and the besties explain why it’s a vital part of their self care and why getting outside should be part of yours too. ----- Resources from today’s episode: 😭 Spend Time in Nature to Reduce Stress and Anxiety 😭 Nature and Mental Health : 😭 What On...

Lexi talks to their friend Jennifer Brennan about her lived experience with disordered eating, something that is still a daily struggle. Jen is a Certified Personal Trainer & health coach who has dedicated her life to helping people feel good & strong in their bodies, without the added shame and guilt society puts on us.  ----- Resources from today’s episode (if you think you have an...

In this continuation of the APHP series, Lexi and Larissa, discuss the day-to-day in their respective programs, what they got out of the program, and ultimately how partial changed their lives for the better. Discussions also include difficult aspects about putting your mental health first. Curious about the skills you might learn or what group therapy settings look like? Take a listen! ----- Reso...

What should you do if you need extra support measures but do not want to be inpatient/committed? Acute partial hospitalization programs (APHP) are an excellent option! Larissa joins Lexi once more as they discuss what lead up to them both deciding a partial program was right for them and what their experiences looked like.   TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses being suicidal and suic...

This week’s guest Chris Lalavee is the founder of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 825 Members Assistance Program out of New Jersey. Chris shares his story of struggling with his mental health as a construction worker and tells us how his lived experience helped him create positive change within his community. TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses suicide at 18:18, 24:...

Lexi welcomes Sam back to the podcast to discuss something every empath experiences: compassion fatigue. We discuss our experience in caretaking fields where burnout is so high, and some of our tips for coping when you’re numb to every new tragedy.  ----- Resources from today's episode: 😭 Skimm This Podcast 😭 The Cost of Caring: 10 Ways to Prevent Compassion Fatigue ----- If you or someone...

Chris Cogswell, co-host of The Mad Scientist Podcast joins Lexi to discuss his mental health experience as a man in America, and barriers to mental health care for men & how we can begin breaking those down. ----- Resources from today’s episode: (feel free to add anything you reference in notes or think would be helpful 😭 Chris’ The Mad Scientist Podcast 😭 5 Minute Guide to Men’s Mental Heal...

In this continuation from S2E3, Chenni tells us what lead to her cutting out a toxic family member. She shares how her mental health was affected leading up to and after making that choice, and celebrates the freedom that came with it. TRIGGER WARNING: There is talk of suicide/narcissistic abuse at timestamp 9:30. This entire episode briefly comes back to narcissistic abuse. ------ Resources...

Happy Pride!!! This episode’s guest, Chenni, shares her coming out journey. Lexi and Chenni discuss how leaning into your authentic self can be difficult, but how there is nothing more freeing than living your truth (even if it means going no contact with a loved one). TRIGGER WARNING: We discuss narcissistic abuse at 9:51, 21:00, talk of euthanizing gay people at 31:35, and suicidal ideation at 3...

Larissa returns for part two of the last episode. Lexi and Larissa discuss how politics and religion can play into gender identity, how misgendering affects us, and some feel good stories about navigating our new identities. ---- Resources from today’s episode: 😭 “The history of non-binary genders is longer than you know” by Meg Leach on The Tempest 😭 Information on Pronouns and How to Use Them...

Happy Pride!!! This episode’s guest, Larissa Maiden, will share their experience with changing identities, coming out, and how living your truth can impact your mental health, for better or worse. ----- Resources from today’s episode: 😭 Information on Pronouns and How to Use Them 😭 The Coming Out Handbook ----- If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please get help immediately....

How do you respond if someone discloses trauma or needs support as they navigate their mental health? We wish the answer was simple, but it isn’t one size fits all. In this episode, we share some tips and strategies for how to support a loved one and things to avoid. Thank you, Luke, for this topic suggestion! FYI - Ally has since left the show and Lexi is now the sole host. ----- Resources from t...

In this continuation of the Therapy 101 mini-series, Ally & Lexi give brief overviews of some common types of therapy in the mental health sphere today. They share their own experiences using different modalities & discuss pros/cons of each. TRIGGER WARNING: Brief mention of sexual abuse @24:52. Brief mention of self-harm, disordered (binge) eating @38:40. FYI - Ally has since left the sho...