In the Open

Theresa and America are back to start a new series surrounding community. They each share their particular connection with their community and some feelings of not belonging. They talk about ways of finding community, their draw to their culture’s music and food and looking for the positives where community and culture intersect. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information...

America got to have a meaningful conversation with Em Skehill and Luis Cornejo about gender identity and culture. Em and Luis share how their queerness opened up new possibilities for them and how it exists outside of the binary system. They talk about how they each navigated their gender identity in their respective cultures and how we’re seeing more visibility and representation but yet it’s sti...

America and Em are joined by Phii Regis to have a conversation about what it means to be Nonbinary. Phii takes us through their journey about when they started expressing their gender and when Phii started really focusing on their queer identity. They talk about why Phii identifies as Nonbinary Transfem and what that means, Phii’s ongoing safety concerns about being nonbinary out in the world and...

Em Skehill takes over this week with Schroeder Stribling to talk about being confused about the concept of gender. They were both assigned female at birth and they have both spent a lot of time thinking about the concept of gender expression and identity. They talk about reclaiming the word “queer”, Schroeder shares experiences growing up around gay culture and the spectrum of sexuality, sexual or...

Theresa speaks with Cate Desjardins, who provides LGBTQ+ Competent Therapy, to help us better understand gender. Cate explains how they help explore people’s curiosity and why they want to help deepen people’s understanding of gender among other things. They talk about Cate’s research project, choosing what gender best fits you and attempting to be wide open to the experiences of the people you lo...

Theresa is joined by Debbie Plotnick (Executive Vice President for State and Federal Advocacy at Mental Health America) to touch on the importance of connecting through nature. Debbie is a nature person at heart and she explains how it stemmed from her childhood growing up in Philadelphia. They connect mental health and nature and how nature can help you become more present. To take a mental healt...

America brings on Brenda Mitchell (a survivor of gun violence) to talk about her and her family’s experience with gun violence. Brenda talks about her work with Everytown Survivor Network and why she specialized in trauma. There is a conversation about the impacts of gun violence on the families who lose their loved ones, the power of finding people with shared experience and the importance of sel...

America brought on Dr. Joe Dzierzewski, the Vice President of Research and Scientific Affairs at the National Sleep Foundation, and they discuss ways to improve your sleep. Dr. Dzierzewski shares how his current sleep schedule is with two young children and the impact of the pandemic on people’s sleep. They talk about creating a comfortable sleep space, technology use before bed and the role of na...

America helps guide Theresa through a personally difficult topic about not feeling safe at home. Theresa shares her experience of feeling paralyzed at home and how she was sent to live with another family in an environment that was not safe for her. They talk about claiming your power and protecting yourself, creating safe places and using the resources that are available to you. To take a mental...

Theresa enlists the help of Em Skehill to kick off a new series about the effects of a person’s environment. The general discussion is about physical environment and how it impacts their personal wellbeing. They zoom out on personal environment and go global to discuss their fears of the global environment and touch on the importance of creating pieces of home within yourself. To take a mental hea...

Theresa and America bring on Alora as a part of the addiction series and they discuss stress induced drinking. When you ask the question: “do I have a problem?” it is usually a sign that there might be an issue. They talk about recognizing healthy coping methods, how depression can play into triggering unhealthy habits and finding the thing that best suits you to stop bad habits. To take a mental...

Theresa and America speak with Joshua about how the people around him ruined their relationships because of excessive drinking and using drugs. Joshua’s family members struggled with addiction and he shares how he learned young about their problematic relationships with drugs and alcohol. They talk about recognizing the warning signs, generational trauma and remaining hopeful. To take a mental hea...

America and Theresa bring on Vicente to explore how to deal with cravings. Vicente shares his journey growing up in a low-income party town and how those experiences fueled his addictions. They talk about the moment when Vicente decided to stop drinking, why he had to become the man of the family and how he found a sense of community in his local teen center. To take a mental health screen, or to...

America and Theresa bring on Bill to talk about his lived experience with an addiction. Bill is a certified peer specialist who shares his recovery journey and what that means to him. They talk about the burden of shame that comes with addiction and how other people in recovery can be a real asset in your recovery. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources,...

Theresa brings Rachel on the show to talk about her lived experience with an addiction. Rachel shares how her addiction affected her everyday life and her road to recovery. They talk about removing yourself from your toxic environment and how Rachel’s son saved her life. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit  mhascreening.org To submit questions,...

Theresa and America explore the art of making habits stick. There is a discussion about being in tune with your body and building routines. They talk about the importance of rituals and boundaries, how to turn a habit into a routine and trying to replace your bad habits with good habits. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit  mhascreening.org To...

Dr. Stew Shankman, a Professor and Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Northwestern, joins the podcast to discuss therapy and the brain. Dr. Shankman explains what happens with the brain when it’s at rest and when it’s doing tasks and he also shares information on the affect therapy has on the brain. They talk about the time it takes to heal the brain, the benefits of Cognitiv...

America and Theresa talk about a topic they struggle with…asking for help. They share the scale of asking for little and big types of help and when they first remember asking for help. They talk about why people struggle even asking for any kind of assistance, finding the right people to ask for help and some available resources if you are seeking help. To take a mental health screen, or to find m...

America and Theresa identify what matters and how that ties into personal values. There is a discussion about how in middle school their value systems started to begin to take form and how their culture shaped what mattered to them. They talk about why America values family and why Theresa values honesty plus they speak on why exposure and introspection matters. To take a mental health screen, or...

America and Theresa dive into the topic of finding your purpose. When googling this topic one of the main search results was creating a vision board so they share the process of putting a vison board together. They talk about what they believe their purpose is, finding meaningful roles and why it’s more important to accept who you are. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health infor...

Theresa and America talk through what it’s like giving love to others. They ask each other if they feel like they are good at loving others and they describe their individual love language. They talk about the signs of a healthy relationship, loving through touch and how to give and receive love genuinely takes vulnerability and humility. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health in...

America and Theresa go through the feelings of being happy. They both share their relationships with happiness and how it’s evolved over time. They describe their versions of happiness, trying to be present in the moment and finding validation and feeling grateful. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit  mhascreening.org To submit questions, comme...

America and Theresa explore how to be mentally strong. They feel some anxiety when talking about strength, so they explain how society has played such a big part on how the world views strength. They talk about control and power, the differences between strength and confidence and building better mental habits. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, vis...

Theresa and America talk through how they learned how to calm down when tensions are high. America starts off by sharing why she’s triggered by the phrase “calm down” in the moment and where that comes from. They talk about using productive and non-productive energy, their personal definition of “being calm” and learning how not to be reactive even when you don’t feel calm. To take a mental health...

America and Theresa add onto their conversation last week and discuss building confidence. They talk about what confidence looks like and believing in your confidence. They link confidence and competence, having friends to help build you up and they talk about building confidence around an illness. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit  mhascreen...