Never Perfect

In this episode, Beth interviews nurse coach Therese Parks to find out the numerous benefits of meeting with a nurse coach, which seems to be a mix of having a medical cheerleader and a personal organizer for your medical information. Nurse coaches might come for a home visit or attend doctors appointments with you and even go to the grocery store with you to help guide you in your food choices. T...

This is Beth’s long overdue podcast on the Cluster B Personality disorders, honing in specifically on a subtype of covert narcissism called “vulnerable narcissism” (see attached article for more details.) This insecurity or vulnerability is often surprising since most people associate narcissism with arrogance or feelings of superiority (which can be more of a defensive posture/facade). Beth revie...

In this short episode, after Dr. Beth throws herself under the bus for some of her own unhealthy drinking habits, she shares some of the biggest reasons for cutting back or stopping drinking. Her reasons includes the impact on relationships, mental health, physical health, disease, aging, and the increased likelihood of being a victim (or perpetrator) of assaults, accidents, etc.  Alcohol and Aggr...

Kelsi Ray became a believer in the effectiveness of neurofeedback through the benefits she received personally — brain mapping and training led to such significant decreases in anxiety and depression that Kelsi got off of medication completely and has maintained these results for the past 5 years. After mapping Dr. Beth’s brain, Kelsi Ray of Tennessee Neurofeedback explains the basics of Neurofeed...

Today, Dr. Beth is going to be talking about the advantages and disadvantages of knowing your diagnosis, that is, if you have one… She has been involved of some lively discussions in our about whether it’s beneficial to get evaluated (or diagnosed) for a condition that you might have. Beth recalls conversation with someone last fall, who said “ all of my children probably have ADHD, but I never wa...

We need to help the next generation and see their gifts, and to believe in them, often before they even see the best in themselves and have a positive narrative about themselves. Unfortunately teens are often miss portrayed and seen in a negative light. Research has shown that most adults hold negative biases about teenagers. And yet teens long to be understood and viewed in a favorable light, and...

Ella Green is a high school senior, who shares her story of anxiety, trauma, and loss as a “tween” and how multiple losses in her life crippled her and brought her to her knees, literally. She’s written a book about her experience with debilitating anxiety and how her faith carried her through. Read Ella's Book Here: "Dear Anxious Mind" Listen to this episode and more: neverperfect.org Follow us o...

Joe Timberlake is a businessman and yoga instructor, who grew up with alcoholic father. He never felt good enough: his father was always critical and disappointed in him. As a young adult, Joe himself discovered that alcohol, lowered his social anxiety and made him the life of the party, so he became an addict himself. At age 35, Joe became sober and benefited greatly from 12 step, meetings, and s...

Today Dr. Beth is thrilled to have relationship expert. Dr. Carol Stoney return to discuss the ongoing conflicts and struggles that all couples deal with. They discuss Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman’s research, specifically their work on perpetual problems and unsolvable issues. No matter who you end up with, you will have a distinctive set of issues pop up, and more than 2/3 of t...

How do you define success ? Is it based on the money you make? Or status? or does it relate to finding a job that matches your gifts and passions? You have the right to define success in your own way, and not in the way that society, or even your family might measure it. Many people feel like failures, because they never give themselves permission to discover their gifts or pursue a Calling, that...

In this episode, Beth provides a basic description of OCD, using clinical examples and sharing her favorite ways to explain and understand OCD. Almost everyone has intrusive or unwanted thoughts at times, which is the nature of obsession, but this does not mean they have OCD, unless they meet diagnostic criteria for the Disorder. The compulsion is the repetitive behavior or mental act that is used...

In this short episode, Dr. Beth talks about social anxiety, and how taking the spotlight off of yourself can reduce self consciousness and performance, anxiety, instead leading to focusing on showing interest and others, and asking them questions. We all you’re in for social connection and want to feel that others like us and are interested in us.. Beth calls it “giving people the welcome sign “....

In this short episode, Beth’s client “Allie”, a 30 year old, talks about the her different style of showing love than her partner. He is more expressive, emotional, and affirming than she is, which makes her question herself and wonder whether she’s giving him enough. Coming from a family of mid western farmers, Allie is more matter of fact and shows her love through acts of service and more nonve...

Living in the moment, and seizing the day can be pretty amazing, but split second decisions can have uncomfortable or painful consequences. Spontaneity has upsides and downsides. I am night of “fun “with no boundaries can ruin the next day, and sometimes have long-term effects on your life, ranging from hangovers to legal problems to unplanned, pregnancies or STDs.) how can we protect ourselves an...

In this episode, Beth‘s client, Dana, shares her experience of growing up with very little emotional support from parents. Dana, now is a middle aged mother of 3 children, shares her story of having “nothing to draw from “ due to childhood deficits, and the gradual process of 20 years of being tapped out, exhausted, and having “the joy sucked out.” Dana recently began doing therapy to help her sel...

In this episode, Beth interviews Mara, a recent high school graduate from China, and her mother about their experience of navigating Mara’s mental health journey on opposite sides of the world, as Mara moved to the USA a boarding student for high school. They discuss cultural factors that impacted their feelings about therapy and medication, and how the family came together to support Mara and her...

Bipolar disorder is often misunderstood and goes undiagnosed. It can be very tricky l because it manifests in unexpected ways in many cases. In this episode, Beth shares an overview of the types of bipolar disorder, which of her on a spectrum, like many other disorders. It seems especially tricky for most people to understand the differences between bipolar I and bipolar II disorder and to disting...

Many people with Attention Deficit Disorder become overwhelmed and paralyzed because they overestimate tasks and underestimate themselves. Common struggles include unrealistic expectations (like perfectionistic, thinking, or all or nothing thinking,) and trouble prioritizing and breaking tasks down into steps. Beth Capecchi shares clinical examples as well as her own personal examples and some tip...

Beth was inspired to record this episode after a 45 year old woman with ADHD described her shame and guilt for being too angry and reactive with her 15 year old son. It’s important for all of us to recognize our strengths as well as our weaknesses. All of us will make mistakes, and we need to be honest about those as well as our positive qualities. Beth outlines observations from Dr. William Dodso...

Jojo is a recent high school graduate who courageously shares her story of recovery from a life-threatening eating disorder, including several hospitalizations. Jojo shares factors that contributed to her eating issues, including avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID, see attached article) as well as her journey, back to health. Jojo also outlines some of the dangers and long term damag...

Vicki Steine is a licensed social worker, educator and nutritionist who believes that mental health and your ability to handle life’s stressors are affected by many factors, especially exercise, sleep, nutrition, and community. In this episode, she vulnerably shares how her own eating habits impacted her mental health. Dr. Steine shares some of her favorite advice for sleep, exercise, and nutritio...

What if sharing stories about your life, on a regular basis, could build self-esteem and compassion, and reduce isolation and loneliness? What if children and adolescents practiced communicating about themselves and listening to their peers in order to improve the social skills that have been inhibited by technology and social media? What if social connection could decrease anxiety and depression...

Dr. Susannah Bozzone is passionate about empowering patients to choose a lifestyle that optimizes their health and their genetic potential. She reminds us that 80% of our health and outcome results from lifestyle choices. In this episode, she offers some of her favorite advice for getting healthy, including the monumental role that a sense of purpose plays in health and longevity.  Genes vs. Lifes...

Do you feel as if your teenagers are pushing you away? Are they becoming more independent, private, pushing back, and leaving you out of more things? Do they question your authority and talk to you less and listen less? These are common experiences for parents of adolescents, including Beth Capecchi. This stage of parenting can be very painful and sometimes it feels personal, but research says tha...

This short episode addresses the following: Are you an open book or extremely private? Where are you on the spectrum of self disclosure and what are the implications of this? Is this healthy? Is it helping your relationships and connections or interfering with them? How does self disclosure impact your mental health? Beth encourages listeners to think about where they want to be on the sharing con...