Guns and Mental Health by Walk the Talk America

In this episode, Brandon teaches about the stages of grief that many of us experience when dealing with the pain of loss. While we don't necessarily experience all of them (and certainly not necessarily in order), understanding that it's normal to feel this stuff can be quite liberating for those are.  Book: Elizabeth Kubler-Ross - On Death and Dying Send us Fan Mail Walk the Talk Americ...

In this episode, we sit down with Eric Jones , the Director of Man Therapy Partnerships, to explore the intricacies of mental health. Man Therapy stands out for its innovative, comprehensive approach, designed to engage men effectively by meeting them right where they are in their mental health journey. Eric sheds light on the organization's mission and unique strategies for promoting mental...

John is a reporter for the Milwuakee Journal-Sentinel who covered gun deaths, specifically focusing on gun suicides.  discusses the need to use language carefully and avoid catchphrases that may be misunderstood or divisive. The conversation also touches on the reception and backlash to the coverage, highlighting the importance of understanding different perspectives. John emphasizes the complexit...

Olympic shooter, freedom champion, 2A advocate, mom, and military wife Gabby Franco joins the show to share her thoughts, opinions, and insights on a variety of topics. A native Venezuelan, Gabby understands very well the need to protect rights in the face of those who would rather oppress and control. This conversation also spends a great deal of time on a different mental angle, that of performa...

Holly Schneider and Andrew Nett join us to talk about their work within and around  Delta Defense , the parent company of USCCA . Leadership at both organizations has prioritized mental health in the workplace, employing Holly and Andrew full-time and making them available for therapy during office hours for all 600+ employees.  The clinical team talks about this process, how it began, how it was...

In an incredibly redemptive interview, Jake and Mike sit down with Emon Alexander Mahban , who survived a suicide attempt with a firearm. With the bullet still lodged in his skull, this discussion explores where Emon was mentally during that time, the series of events that led up to the suicide attempt, the events of that night, and where he is in life now.   Emon's story serves both as inspi...

 As the national spokesperson for The Liberal Gun Club, Lara Smith bridges a unique gap between the political left and firearms ownership, highlighting the growing demographic of left-leaning gun owners. She shares the challenges of addressing root causes of violence and the need for practical solutions while also touching on the impact of tribalism and the lack of accountability in politics and s...

Join hosts Jake Wiskerchen, Michael Sodini, and Kevin Berry in this episode as they delve into the revealing insights uncovered by Walk the Talk America's latest mental health survey conducted in September. Gain an in-depth understanding of the survey methodology, explore anticipated outcomes, and discover the surprising revelations that emerged. This engaging discussion goes beyond the numbe...

Jake Wiskerchen and Michael Sodini interview Dustin Hayes, a Navy veteran and CEO of Red, White, and Badass Brew , a coffee company that offers badass flavors like Whiskey Business and Vanilla Warfare. In this conversation, Dustin talks about facing a lot of challenging times during his life, which sets the stage for discussions in the back half of this episode about mental health and suicide.  As...

Dr. Andrew Hartz is the founder of Open Therapy Institute, which is working to re-establish the fundamental tenets of professional psychotherapy. In the face of an increasingly polarized (and politicized) culture, Dr. Hartz and OTI aim to restore reason, balance, and an appropriately welcoming environment to all those who need help, including centrists, moderates, conservatives, libertarians, and...

Johnny Sanders is a LPC in Oklahoma and Texas. He started an online Christian Counseling practice to align with his conservative Christian values. Johnny provides online individual and group counseling for adults in Oklahoma and Texas. He specializes in homeschooling mothers struggling with anxiety, firearm owners (including police officers/military), and pastors dealing with burnout in the minist...

The WTTA clinical team addresses common misconceptions about the mental health field. In many instances, non-clinical people have widely divergent (and inaccurate) opinions on practices, treatment plans, diagnoses, insurance coverage, and confidentiality.  If you have questions or feedback, we welcome your input through our social media channels or website contact.  Send us Fan Mail Walk the Talk...

In this episode, Jake dissects and explains the 10 core emotions inherent in every human being's brain. Understanding one's emotional functioning is critical not only to navigating life itself and all the stimuli we encounter as we move through the day, but it can also improve communication, intimacy, leadership, parenting, work ethic, patience, and so much more. To learn more about this...

Guest host Kevin Berry interviews Eddie Davenport in this episode, which lets the audience get to know a member of our clinical podcast team better. Eddie gets vulnerable in this conversation, telling us about his journey from a gun owner to a gun-owning therapist.  Send us Fan Mail Walk the Talk America would like to thank our partners who make these conversations possible and would like to highl...

The WTTA clinical team, led this episode by Dr. DB Palmer, explores the concepts and foundations of one of counseling's oldest (but least understood) orientations: existential psychotherapy. In this exploration, Dr. Palmer and the team discuss how to handle all sorts of life matters - including death - as viewed through the existential therapy lens. To learn more about this, we recommend read...

Dr. Christian Conte , creator of Yield Theory and one of the world's foremost anger management experts, joins the WTTA clinical team to discuss improving communication, avoiding conflict, and de-escalating potential problems. Dr. Conte has written multiple books and workbooks, including Walking Through Anger , Advanced Techniques for Counseling and Psychotherapy , and 21 Days To Change Your L...

Mike and Jake have a frank discussion with Russell Lemle and Aimee Johnson about their multiple decades of experience working with the veteran community and dispelling myths about veteran care within the VA system and how best to help someone who is in need. Russell B. Lemle, PhD is a Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute Policy Director . He’s authored numerous scientific publications and media co...

When presented with new information, sometimes we don't handle it in the best manner, which means sometimes we get defensive.  But what are we defending? We all try to maintain our worldview in a way that makes sense to us so when we get information that conflicts with the way we see things, our minds will deploy certain mechanisms.  In this episode, Jake teaches about psychological defenses...

A year after first appearing on the show to tell us about being victimized by the New York SAFE Act, US Army Veteran Isaac Richey returns to give an update on the injunctive releif lawsuit he has filed against the State of New York. The ins and outs of the story are enough to make any reasonable person's blood boil, but hope exists for all those who cherish freedom and respect the rule of law...

CBT has been around for more than six decades and although it is well known in the clinical counseling community, very few people outside the profession truly understand how it works - and more importantly - that they can use these skills without even coming into the therapy office.  In this episode the clinical team explores the foundational concepts of this modality and shares why it works so we...

Brandon Covey leads this episode, teaching us about EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Brandon is certified in EMDR and gives us a basic understanding of EMDR. Then he answers the group questions about this method that is commonly used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Send us Fan Mail Walk the Talk America would like to thank our partners who make these convers...

Returning to our traditional format in this episode, Mike and Jake interview Jerah Hutchins to discuss her work helping get women out of abusive relationships, being a 2nd Amendment actionist, and more.  Jerah is a firearms trainer, 2nd Amendment actionist, and entrepreneur.  She began shooting when she was 11 years old, taught by her grandfather (a Sicilian immigrant who loved the 2nd amendment)....

In this episode of the podcast Walk the Talk America's clinical team dives into the importance of making conscious decisions in order to achieve fulfillment and really get what you want out of life. Jake Wiskerchen leads the first half giving you a background on Dr. Glasser's work and the five basic needs that all humans possess - and most importantly, how to get them met. Then the group...

Guest host Kevin Berry interviews Michael Sodini, the founder of Walk the Talk America, to shed light on the pressing issues that gun owners face today. During the interview, Sodini recounts his experience at the prestigious Aspen Ideas Festival, highlighting the key takeaways that resonated with him and how he was treated at an event where he was the only person from the firearms industry.  Sodin...

The team takes on the newly adopted SB23-170 in Colorado. The bill, which allows school counselors and mental health professionals to petition for Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO), has sparked heated debates amongst supporters and detractors alike. In this episode, Walk the Talk America delves into the arguments of those who claim that the ERPO's expansion will lead to a reduction in sui...