Hope to Recharge

Joe Brikman joins us to share with us how he has come to thrive, despite adversity. As a boy, he was sexually abused by a female babysitter and at the age of 12, shortly after he told his parents, his father was diagnosed with cancer. Joe was sent off to a boarding school where, no matter his accomplishments, it seemed he could never live up to their strict expectations. This, combined with the fl...

Today’s episode is about a very special and difficult topic that is a struggle for me to talk about. When I heard Erin Bagwell share her perspective on her experience with Postpartum Depression (PPD), I knew I had to have her on the show. In this powerful and raw episode, we discuss our own experiences with mental health in early motherhood and what new moms often go through. All emotions are vali...

Bob Baker has been my virtual mentor for years. I have never actually met him before, but every morning, I listen to his podcast and let him guide me in speaking affirmations over my life. He is here today to share with us his own journey to embracing affirmations. Positivity had such a huge impact on my own healing, and Bob plays a big part in keeping that going in my daily life. Despite what you...

In 2010, Debbie DeMarco Bennett learned that she had borderline personality disorder, (BPD) was in and out of psychiatric hospitalizations, frequently threatening suicide, unable to keep a job and her relationships were very hot and very cold. Having grown up in the foster care system and being placed in group homes, she worked with her psychiatrist and therapist at the health organization Kaiser,...

In this powerful solo episode, we hear a story of a daughter’s disappointment and how her mother makes space for that pain, with love and without judgement. Matana tells us how her daughter so badly wanted to travel abroad for a family wedding but due to covid travel restrictions, was unable to. Like so many facing mild or severe disappointments, regardless of the level of challenge, being there t...

For the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I had the privilege of interviewing one of the few people who were inside the building and survived the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Ari Schonbrun worked on the 101st floor in the accounts receivables department of a stock market firm. Of their 960 employees in that office, only 302 survived. Most of those who lived were not in the...

We asked Dr. Kobernick to come back (her first episode is here : https://hopetorecharge.com/episode/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dr-chaya-lieba-kobernick/) because I have been getting tons of questions about Radical Acceptance, which is a building block of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). I’ve also noticed that our most popular episodes have been those about BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder...

Two experts in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Drs. Galen and Aguirre, have just released a new book called DBT for Dummies . They are experts in explaining this to average people with no background in psychology. Together, we explore one of the basic tenets of DBT: radical acceptance. I tell clients about this practice all the time, and there's always so many questions about how it works....

Two years ago, I talked to Dr. Jen about preparing for crises on this episode. About a year after that, Jen met the love of her life while in the midst of a very sudden, very public breakup. Today, she joins me from their honeymoon to speak about her healing journey. Jen shares how her close friends, family and even her own body had been trying to alert her to the unhealthiness of her romantic rel...

We had to bring Naomi back because so many of you reached out asking for more from her! She left us with so many questions after our first episode together . If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, do!! This one will not make much sense if you don’t. Naomi’s original motivators to lose weight did not work in the long term. This was partly because they were all about avoiding something negativ...

There has been a lot of talk on social media about the Netflix show My Unorthodox Life these last couple weeks, and it has brought up a lot of different emotions for me. I thought I had healed from my upbringing, but I have found that I am still broken. After listening to others express their feelings for several days, I wanted to share how it has made me feel and what I have learned from this exp...

What is intuitive eating and what is the mindset behind intuitive eating? What’s the difference between a registered dietician and a nutritionist? Gila Glassberg, an MS, RDN, CDN, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, answers these questions and more. Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, developed a system called intuitive eating which consists of 10 steps. People placed on what they’d call “sensible m...

Today, my new friend Naomi shares with us the story of how she lost half her body weight. At her heaviest, she was nearly 340 pounds, but today, she weighs about 160. She is active and able to keep up with her five-year-old twin boys, something she could not do when they were two. After struggling with her weight for her entire life, dealing with thyroid issues, and a period of infertility, Naomi...

Atara Weisberger is an expert on the connection between our mental and physical health. She coaches people to improve their lives through nutrition and movement. She shares her experience with coaching health and wellness, how to recognize and choose to change negative habits, and the mental health benefits of a good diet and exercise. Atara helped me with my own struggle to eat healthy food befor...

The power of manifesting one's dreams, goals and hopes into reality isn't magic. Its a power. So powerful is this gift, called the Law of Attraction that we receive from God, which we all have, that we can receive abundance and blessings to move forward on our paths of want. What we want can be manifested into reality and tapping into this power requires a few simple steps. One must first...

We asked nutritionist, biochemist, and holistic health expert Nilli Grutman to talk a bit about the link between our physical health, mental health, and nutrition. She shared with us her philosophy about nutrition and how to approach eating well with an energy of giving rather than an energy of withholding.  Nilli has spent the past seven years healing and guiding people with holistic nutrition. S...

Sometime, we are beset with fear, panic, anxiety, unhappiness or other negative feelings. In this episode, Matana explains how mindset and proper preconditioning can offset negative emotions, but still hold on to them, in the right way. Learning that a teen who blossoms into an adult will be off to higher education away from home can be daunting and downright sad. Learning to cope with a family me...

As Matana celebrates a two year milestone and wishes a Happy Birthday to the Hope to Recharge podcast, she gives gratitude to those instrumental in those who offered support and guidance in its creation. Although the microphone for the podcast was purchased many many months prior, she couldn't get the first step in opening the box and it laid on the side for some time. Through perseverance and...

Dr. John Demartini’s books and podcasts taught me a tremendous amount about the law of attraction and living with gratefulness and changed how I view life. He shares his insight on the topic of core values, which are the vales that are most important to each of us. For some, this is learning or respecting others’ time or not being wasteful. For others, it may be teaching, being present in the mome...

As the Jewish Holiday of Shavuot approaches, Matana faces her Trauma, as this was the date that she had her first panic attack, which was the drive behind creating this podcast and creating a space dedicated to helping those in need who also suffer from depression and anxiety. In this solo episode, Matana shares her gratitude on having found a path to recovery and the techniques that she implement...

Dr. Karin Anderson Abrell shares her story of choosing to let her core values lead her life, even when others don’t understand. She was unwed until her 40’s because she would not settle for a marriage that did not align with her values. Because of this experience, much of her work has been about helping others thrive as a single person. Our decisions and feelings are based on values. We need to un...

Borderline Personality disorder is often stigmatized and rarely mentioned in public circles as a topic of discussion. There is much shame around it and those diagnosed with it often keep it clandestine and private so as not to be exposed for the darkness they carry within them. Dr. Kobernick is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Founder and Director of The CBT/DBT Center. DBT stands for Dial...

As we enter into May, Mental Health Awareness Month, we discuss our gratitude at having reached this milestone, one episode at a time. Reaching a 2 year mark is only because of you, our listeners and in this short episode, we invite you to share your story with us: - What does "Mental health Awareness" mean to you? - How have you gained from the Hope to Recharge podcast, to help your aware...

Lisa Wells is raising a son with Borderline Personality Disorder. As a little boy, her child was diagnosed with ADHD. He was throwing furniture, had to be taken out of school and went through all kinds of treatment. He endured a lot of ridicule, punishment, and rejection from school staff for not behaving in the way they expected. Lisa assumes this contributed to the trauma which led to him to dev...

When Brina and Paul began to date, he was magnetic and charming. They had a connection from the first moment together having a drink. People at work had complained about Paul, saying he was aggressive and difficult. Brina never witnessed that side of him until about 6 months into their relationship, after Paul had too much to drink at a party. Not long after, Paul was diagnosed with Borderline Per...