Embrace Mental Health

We launch our Season 3 Series, Behind the Label, starting out with a deep dive into anxiety. Anxiety is a universal human emotion—but for millions of people, it’s also a diagnosable disorder that shapes daily life in powerful ways. In this episode of Embrace Mental Health , we unpack what anxiety really is: from its neurological roots and physical symptoms to what differentiates everyday anxiety f...

Artificial intelligence is showing up everywhere — even in mental health. From chatbots that offer 24/7 “support,” to therapy apps that track our moods, AI promises accessibility, affordability, and personalized care. But can a machine truly understand us? In this episode, Kelsey and Autumn explore the growing role of AI in mental health — what it gets right, what it misses, and what it means for...

Welcome back for Season 3 of the Embrace Mental Health Podcast! We are ready for another season of great topics and deep discussions surrounding all things mental health. You'll hear the same familiar voices, but some different names for the those who the voices come from. In this episode, our cohost Wesley shares something deeply personal: he's changing his first name to Rowan. Join us as...

A couple brief announcements and a big celebration of all that we did in Season 2! Thank you so much to our listeners! We look forward to seeing you again in the Fall for Season 3. Tell your friends :)

As we discovered from last year's episode about spirituality and mental health (S1E23), it's a subject that has a lot to unpack. So much to unpack, in fact, that we decided to do another episode this season. In this episode, Wesley and guest Jon Shinabarger discuss the topic of spirituality and religion, and some of the positive and negative ways they can impact our mental health. Connect...

In this episode, we dive into the powerful intersection of mental health and rejection—how being turned down, left out, or criticized can deeply affect our emotional well-being. We explore reasons why rejection hurts so much, and also how to build resilience in the face of it. We break down how to use the 5 steps of dealing with feelings in order to navigate rejection in a healthy way and turn it...

Most people expect to pay a lot of attention to a woman's physical health while she's pregnant and after giving birth, but how about her mental health? Postpartum depression and anxiety are very common experiences, but not as commonly talked about or prepared for, and as a result, many women not only suffer, but suffer alone. In honor Mother's Day and Maternal Mental Health Month, we i...

In this powerful episode, Kelsey and Autumn explore the concept of hope as resistance —how choosing to believe in something better becomes a radical act in the face of darkness, oppression, and pain. This episode isn’t about naïve optimism—it’s about the fierce, grounded hope that gives people the strength to keep fighting even when the world feels heavy. It's the hope of spring in the harshes...

Disappointment can be one of those complex emotions that can stick with you or even haunt you for a long time. In this month's edition of the emotions series, Wes and Kels look deeper into disappointment, including the role that expectations can play, the different areas in our lives that can bring disappointment, and some of the ways to deal with it in a way that doesn't leave you with gh...

We all know that, at it's best, social media is a bit of a mixed bag. There can be some truly beautiful and meaningful ways to engage with it, but it can also be really easy to get sucked into doom scrolling, tangling with keyboard warriors, and other things that may not bring much benefit to our lives. In this episode, Kelsey and Autumn take a deep look into some of the specific ways social m...

In this week's episode, Kelsey will guide you through a Wellness Check In exercise, during which you can assess and take inventory of your physical, mental, and relational health and wellbeing. This exercise is designed to help you consider your values, your needs, and your goals for your physical, mental, and relational health in order to help you increase your awareness, live life with more inte...

The unpredictability of life can often trigger anxiety, stress, and feelings of helplessness. Sometimes Google just can't answer all of our questions and we find ourselves grasping for control in uncontrollable situations. So how do we cope with the stress that not knowing what the future may hold often brings? Join Wesley and Kelsey for the March installment of the emotions series as they discuss...

On this week's episode, Autumn and special guest Alyssa talk about disordered eating and its intersections with mental health. From culture to social media, and diet fads to AI, we are all surrounded by voices telling us what and how to think about our bodies, about food, about fitness, and our sense of self and worth. While both Autumn and Alyssa had different journeys and experiences, there...

Join Mark Harris as he shares with Wesley about his journey through caregiving for his wife, his grief from her passing, his healing over time, and the lessons he's learned about mental health along the way. Mark offers firsthand wisdom to anyone going through a difficult change or a loss. Connect with us! Website - www.embracementalhealthnsc.org Instagram - @embrace.mental.health Facebook - w...

We've all been there - wanting to maximize the output of the work we put in, or at least the work we want to put in. But productivity is often something that eludes us, whether we lack focus, follow through, motivation, or stamina, the pursuit of productive can be frustrating. This episode is filled to the brim with ideas on how to understand our own needs and desires for productivity, and als...

In the February installment of our emotions series, Autumn and Kelsey dive into the topic of loneliness. Loneliness is not an emotion many people like to admit they are experiencing, but if you are experiencing loneliness, you are not alone. Autumn and Kelsey talk about some of the common causes of loneliness, some of the misconceptions, how alone time is actually underrated, and some of the thing...

One of the bigger buzzwords around pop psychology today is boundaries. But what do healthy boundaries mean and look like, and what do they have to do with mental health? Kels and Wes dive deep into this topic to understand the importance and purpose of boundaries, the relationship between boundaries and needs, and how it all can affect our health within all our different contexts and pieces of our...

We had so much to say about rest, we had to split it into two episodes! So join us for some "bonus" content, (ironically during our rest week) where we continue our conversation on the importance of rest. In part 2, we discuss some of the common misunderstandings about resting and some of the perspective shifts that can help overcome them, and also practical ways you can implement rest i...

In this episode, Embrace co-host Autumn is joined by guest star Gonie Cha, as they dive into the unique mental health challenges faced by communities of color. From stigma and cultural influences to systemic barriers, they explore why many people of color struggle to seek help. As women of color, they share personal stories and discuss how to break toxic narratives surrounding mental wellness in t...

Our next chapter of the emotions series is all about sadness. Lots of emotions get a bad rap, but perhaps one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated emotions is sadness. Sadness can make us feel weak, vulnerable, even childish, but sadness often carries many gifts beneath its surface. Join Wes and Kels as they discuss what purpose sadness can serve in our lives, whether sadness is always g...

Life is a lot. And we all know what it's like to feel exhausted, worn out, and in need of some rest. So when you're feeling exhausted, the best remedy is to lay on the couch, put up your feet, and maybe even take a nap, right? Well... maybe not always... In this episode, Autumn and Kelsey talk about 5 different areas in our life in which we can feel fatigued, and also how to experience rest in tho...

Guilt and shame are powerful forces that can have significant impact on people's lives and mental health. But what really are they? Are guilt and shame the same thing? Are they feelings? Beliefs? Are they good? Bad? Something in between? Join Autumn and Kelsey this week as they untangle some of the complexities knotted around these concepts, and offer some practical ways to break through some of t...

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" may be a catchy song, but it doesn't always ring true. The holiday season can often be one of the hardest times of year for a lot of people, and can be especially painful if you've recently (or even not so recently) lost a loved one. So what are some ways you can cope with the sadness and angst you are feeling when the rest of the world is full of peace a...

Assertiveness is an invaluable skill to have, but not one that always comes naturally. And assertiveness can also play a vital role in our mental health, starting from the development of the belief that our needs and our voices do in fact matter, all the way to setting boundaries and working through conflict in a way that is still respectful the needs of others. Wesley and Kelsey discuss how to de...

"It's okay to not be okay!" is a very common statement floating around right now. And it is one we agree with. We even have a shirt/mug that says it! But are there limits? Are there times when it actually isn't okay to not be okay? Kelsey and Autumn discuss some of the ways that this statement can be used in a way that is dismissive of people's pain and the very real danger that mental illness can...