My Therapist Is Out!

You have done the work of figuring out who you are. But have you done the work of figuring out what you actually want? In this episode of Queer Hearts Healthy Starts , OSTC Clinical Director Kristen Crowe (they/them) sits down with queer somatic sex and relationship therapist Anna Mayer (she/her) to talk about what it really means to queer your sex life and your relationships. Not in the sense of...

Building queer community sounds beautiful in theory. In practice, it is messy, political, deeply personal, and one of the most radical things we can do right now. In this episode of Queer Hearts Healthy Starts , host and Open Space Therapy Collective founder Renae Johnson (they/them) sits down with Yinka Freeman (she/her), executive producer of Know Other Festival and founder of Triple Pocket Even...

We talk a lot about romantic relationships in queer spaces. But what about everything else? In this episode of Queer Hearts Healthy Starts , OSTC therapists Kristen Crowe, LPCC, BC-DMT (they/them) and Raven Juergensen, APCC, ATR-BC (she/her) get into the queer social friendscape: what it actually takes to build meaningful friendships, why it's so much harder than anyone prepares you for, and w...

The word "toxic" is everywhere. But what does it actually mean, and when does throwing it around start to work against us?  In this episode of Queer Hearts Healthy Starts , OSTC therapists Allison Smith, LCSW (she/they) and Ernesto Martinez, AMFT, APCC (he/they) get into the real definition: not just what's present in a harmful relationship, but what's missing. They break down th...

Welcome to the series Queer Hearts Healthy Starts: Breaking Toxic Relationship Patterns! Queer people know how to love hard. We also know how to stay too long, give too much, and call it devotion. In this intro episode of Queer Hearts Healthy Starts , OSTC therapist Terra Friedman, AMFT, opens the conversation we actually need to have — what makes a relationship toxic, where those patterns come fr...

In Part Two of this closing Q&A episode, Renae Johnson and Kristen Crowe turn toward healing — not as a finish line, but as an ongoing, collective practice. Responding to listener questions, they talk openly about navigating hate-based violence, political attacks, and community trauma without shutting down or spiraling. The conversation explores when storytelling can be healing — and when it c...

In Part One of this listener Q&A, hosts and therapists Renae Johnson (they/them) and Kristen Crowe (they/them) respond to questions from the My Therapist Is Out! community about identity-based harm and what it actually feels like to live inside it. Together, they unpack why so many queer and marginalized folks feel chronically exhausted, disconnected, or unsure whether what they’re carrying “c...

In this episode of My Therapist Is Out! therapists Allison Smith (she/they) and Gio Nigro (they/them) dig into how identity-based harm—like microaggressions, cultural erasure, and systemic exclusion—shows up in LGBTQ+ lives and bodies. They explore why healing doesn’t happen in isolation, the role of therapy in reconnecting us to ourselves and each other, and how community care, mutual support, an...

Renae Johnson (they/them) sits down with Jose Rosario (he/him) of Phoenix Empowered for a powerful conversation about identity, storytelling, and mental health as pathways to collective healing. Jose shares his lived experience as a queer Latino man with a disability and how storytelling has become both a personal and political act—one that resists erasure, challenges identity-based harm, and crea...

In this episode of My Therapist Is Out! , therapists Kristen Crowe (they/them) and Terra Friedman (she/her) unpack how identity-based harm disconnects us from our bodies—and from each other. Through somatic, relational, and systemic lenses, they explore why so many LGBTQ+, BIPOC, disabled, neurodivergent, and immigrant folks feel “too much” in some spaces and “not enough” in others, and how disemb...

In this episode of My Therapist Is Out! , we’re joined by Veronica Velazquez (she/her) from LA Queer Coalition to talk about what real allyship looks like in action —especially as immigrant communities face increasing harm, surveillance, and ICE activity. Together, we explore how LGBTQ+ communities can show up in meaningful, practical ways that go beyond statements of support. This conversation br...

 In this first episode of our series, Ernesto Martinez introduces the concept of identity-based harm and the power of community care . Centered on LGBTQ+ experiences, Ernesto discusses the mental health impacts of discrimination, systemic violence, and ongoing political targeting, highlighting how anger can unite rather than isolate. The episode explores the historical roots of mutual aid within q...

In Part Two of our LGBTQ+ Neurodiversity Q&A , host Renae Johnson (they/them) returns with Mikey Whited (they/them, Psych NP) to dive into the practical side of living as a neurodivergent queer adult. From managing executive dysfunction and workplace advocacy to creating sensory-friendly spaces at home, this episode is packed with strategies to help your neurodivergent brain thrive—not just su...

LGBTQ+ Neurodiversity Q&A (Part One) — Closing Reflections on the Series with Renae Johnson (they/them) & Mikey Whited, Psych NP (they/them) As we wrap up our Neurodiversity Series , host Renae Johnson and returning guest Mikey Whited sit down to answer your biggest questions about neurodivergence through a queer mental health lens. From how to know if you’re neurodivergent, to navigating...

In this episode of My Therapist is Out! , Kristen Crowe (they/them) and Ernesto Martinez (they/he) dive into what it really means to navigate the world as queer and neurodivergent. Together, they unpack how neurotypical standards often miss the mark, why compassionate frameworks matter, and how therapy can shift when it’s designed with neurodiverse folks in mind. From the pressures of societal exp...

In part two, Mikey and Jennie return with Renae to move from personal stories into professional insight. As a Psych NP and ADHD Coach, they unpack the science of ADHD, the role of brain chemistry, and the ways misdiagnosis and stigma often cloud understanding. The conversation dives into medication, lifestyle strategies, and how neurodivergent brilliance can shine when supported instead of suppres...

Host and therapist Renae Johnson (they/them) sits down with siblings Mikey Whited, Psych NP (they/them), and Jennie Larsen, ADHD Coach and Teacher (she/her), for an honest look at what it’s like to grow up with ADHD side by side. Together they share stories of navigating childhood, the different ways ADHD showed up for each of them, and what it was like to watch each other’s journeys unfold. From...

In this episode, OSTC therapist Allison Smith, LCSW (she/they), kicks off our new series on LGBTQ+ Neurodiversity by exploring what it really means to live at the intersection of queer and neurodivergent identities. From ADHD and autism to dyslexia and beyond, we dive into how neurodivergence shapes experiences, relationships, and access to care—while also celebrating the strengths, creativity, an...

In this episode, Renae Johnson (they/them) sits down with Charlie Sprinkman (they/he), founder of Everywhere is Queer , to talk about what it really means to build and sustain queer safe spaces. From Charlie’s journey out of a conservative upbringing to becoming a leader in queer visibility, this conversation dives into the power of community, the challenges of creating inclusive businesses, and w...

Sometimes it’s not just rest you need. Sometimes, it’s a radical reimagining of what you’re carrying—and what you need to set down for good. In this mini summer check-in episode, Kristen Crowe (they/them), therapist and dance/movement therapist at Open Space Therapy Collective, drops in with a soft but honest reflection on what it means when rest stops working. They explore the emotional labor so...

While My Therapist is Out! is on a summer break, we're still popping into your feed with bite-sized mental health moments to keep you grounded and connected. In this mini check-in, therapist Terra Friedman (she/her) invites you to rethink how you're resting—and whether it's really working for you. Drawing from Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s 7 types of rest, Terra offers a compassionate reminder that n...

While My Therapist is Out! is on summer break, we’re popping into your feed with a mini mental health check-in. This bite-sized episode features therapist Ernesto Martinez (they/he), offering grounded reflections on what it means when anger begins to surface — especially for LGBTQ+ folks in healing. Sometimes when we’re reconnecting to parts of ourselves that have been shut down by trauma, grief,...

My Therapist Is Out! is taking a little summer break — but don’t worry, we’re not leaving you hanging. Every two weeks, our queer therapists will still be sliding into your feed with bite-sized mental health check-ins . Think of it as your gentle reminder to pause, breathe, and take care of your sweet self. And if you're out there organizing, protesting, showing up in your full activist heart...

What happens when you mix scissors, stories, and queer magic? You get Folklore —a radically warm and inclusive salon built by community, for community. In this heartfelt episode of My Therapist is Out! , host Renae Johnson (they/them) sits down with artist, stylist, and community organizer Pony Lee Musgrave (he/they) . From cutting hair to cutting through social norms, Pony shares their journey of...

🎙️ My Therapist is Out! Presents: The TGI TownHall – 100 Days In, Our Lives on the Line What does safety, justice, and visibility look like for trans, gender-expansive, and intersex (TGI) communities under the current administration? We’re 100 days in—and it’s time to take stock. In this special episode, My Therapist is Out! is proud to present the TGI TownHall , produced by the LA Queer Events Co...