In Between Sessions

If you've been feeling helpless, overwhelmed, or just exhausted by the state of the world, you’ll be happy to know that Nancy Mays and Martha Lawrence have figured out something really important: action is the antidote to despair. Nancy and Martha are the co-founders of Boots on the Ground Midwest, a Kansas City-based grassroots organization that connects people with meaningful ways to get involve...

Body image work is hard in any cultural moment. But right now? It's a lot. GLP-1 medications are being marketed as a fix for larger bodies. Thin-ideal messaging is back with a vengeance. And the body positivity movement has gotten quieter just when we might need it most. In this episode, Lili sits down with Kate Aragon, a registered dietitian based in St. Louis, for an honest, grounded conversatio...

You made it to therapy. You're showing up every week. You're having the hard conversations. But are you actually getting everything you could out of it? In this episode, Lili sits down with Erin Valente, Los Angeles-based Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and trauma specialist, for a conversation about how to use the therapeutic relationship as a training ground for real life. Because the ski...

In this episode, Lili is joined by special guest host Katie Montgomery, Licensed Professional Counselor and mom, to interview Emilia Mense Caby, co-founder of the Whole Parent Foundation, a Kansas City nonprofit providing free mental health support for parents at every stage of the journey. Emilia is a trauma survivor, community advocate, and mother of five who experienced severe perinatal anxiety...

Making friends as an adult can be awkward, expensive, and we don’t talk enough about how hard it actually is. KC Walk Club is trying to change that, one Saturday morning at a time. In this episode, Lili sits down with Meghan, Maggie, and Jaimee, three of the women behind one of Kansas City's most feel-good communities: KC Walk Club. What started in 2022 with a handful of women who just wanted genu...

What if exercise was never supposed to be a punishment? What if your meditation practice doesn't have to look like anyone else's? And what if healing your relationship with your body requires understanding not just your personal history but the cultural forces that shaped it? In this episode, Lili sits down with Bianca Simmons, Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist (LCMFT) and founder of...

What do a vegan food truck, a wobbly cat, and a life spent performing on cruise ships have in common? They're all part of Mandy Morris's story, and one way or another, they all connect back to mental health. In the Season 2 premiere, Lili Torre, LPC sits down with Mandy Morris: KC restaurant owner, performer, choreographer, and the woman behind some of the internet's most beloved special needs cat...

This season of In Between Sessions has been filled with practical tools, meaningful conversations, and gentle reminders that therapy is just one piece of your mental health journey. In this solo season finale, Lili looks back on the themes that came up again and again: from the power of small daily practices, to letting go of perfectionism, to finding joy and creativity as forms of care. She also...

In this episode, Lili is joined by clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Ashley Clausen for a compassionate and practical conversation about how trauma, stress, and anxiety can disrupt sleep, and how to begin healing that relationship. They talk about the pressure to get the “perfect” eight hours, what to do when your thoughts race at night, and how gentle behavior shifts can help your brain feel safe en...

Content creator and performer Glenn DeVar joins Lili for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, mental health, and the complicated role that social media plays in our lives. Glenn shares how daily hikes in Los Angeles help him manage his mental health, why cooking has become a grounding ritual, and how his drag-inspired “country boy” persona unexpectedly turned into a thriving online commun...

Today’s guest is Pam Hausner, a mindfulness meditation teacher who weaves together wisdom traditions, creative practices, and community care to help people meet life’s joys and sorrows with presence and compassion. In this conversation, Pam and Lili talk about how mindfulness can help us navigate suffering, build resilience, and reconnect with the creativity that keeps us alive to possibility. The...

In this episode, Lili talks with Madoka Koguchi, who is a performer, community builder, and co-founder of Yukari KC, a nonprofit that creates spaces for people with shared Japanese heritage through inclusive gatherings and cultural events. Madoka shares her journey from New York to Kansas City, and how the search for belonging, identity, and creative expression shaped her work. She and Lili talk a...

In this episode of In Between Sessions, Lili is joined by the multi-talented Alie B. Gorrie (artist, educator, and disability advocate) for a conversation about how creativity can support mental health outside the therapy room. They talk about trying new things without needing to be good at them (pottery, anyone?), how creativity can offer relief from anxiety, and the important distinction between...

Therapist and podcast host Lili Torre, LPC is joined by trauma therapist Sarah O’Keefe, LPC for a refreshing conversation on embodiment, aging, and the lifelong process of connecting with our bodies. Sarah shares how her work with trauma survivors has informed her understanding of how the body holds experience, and how practices like bird-watching, community building, and intergenerational connect...

In this episode of In Between Sessions, host Lili Torre, LPC, explores the surprising connection between tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) and mental health. She’s joined by performer, parent, and founder of Tipsy Bard KC, Justin Barron, who shares how TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons have helped him build community, encourage vulnerability, and create meaningful immersive experiences for oth...

In this episode of In Between Sessions, Lili sits down with non-diet, weight-inclusive dietitian Janean Gardea to talk about what it means to rebuild your relationship with food and body from a place of compassion and care. With humor, warmth, and real-life examples, Janean explains how diet culture can disconnect us from our hunger cues, how to tune back in, and why Intuitive Eating isn’t about d...

In this episode of In Between Sessions, Lili chats with performer, producer, and longtime journaler Mikey Wessells, who has kept a journal every day for the past 12 years. What started as a way to process daily life has become a deeply grounding mental health practice, as well as a creative archive of the ups, downs, and everything in between. They talk about how journaling helps Mikey stay presen...

In the very first episode of In Between Sessions, Lili sits down with actor, voice teacher, and habit coach Beth DeMichele to explore how building supportive habits can improve our mental health without the pressure of perfection. They talk about the power of starting small, the importance of self-compassion, and how community and creativity can help us follow through on our goals. Beth shares her...

In this trailer, host Lili Torre, Licensed Professional Counselor based in Kansas City, introduces In Between Sessions, a podcast about how to care for your mental health in the 167 hours between therapy sessions. You’ll hear what inspired the podcast, what kinds of guests and topics to expect, and why mental health work outside the therapy room matters just as much (if not more) than the work don...