Never Perfect

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...

Beth Capecchi believes that everyone is gifted and the types of intelligence are impossible to number. The good news is everyone is gifted, but the bad news is it’s often difficult to figure it out. In this episode, she interviews Ben Van Winkle, a musician with an engineering degree. It’s heartbreaking that so many people go through life not realizing how gifted and intelligent they are. no matte...

In this episode, Beth Capecchi talks about communication skills and how essential assertiveness is for healthy relationships and a healthy life. The majority of people have poor communication skills. Beth explains her assertiveness scale, including the full range from passive to aggressive as well as passive aggressive communication. Beth shares some of her favorite advice on healthy communication...

It’s exciting to welcome back Dr. Allen Coffman, a pediatrician full of great perspective and advice for parents navigating healthy boundaries and limits on Technology for their kids. He shares some of the recent research on the impact of technology and healthy ways for parents to approach this nearly impossible task of monitoring children when they know more than most of us parents do about moder...

In this episode, Beth interviews Phil, a 65-year-old who describes himself as a “hopeless mess “ from age 20 to 60 as a result of childhood trauma, low self-esteem, social anxiety/phobia, alcoholism, and a lack of coping skills. Phil began counseling around age 40, and stuck with it for 20 years and he became sober around age 60. He was determined to make changes, not only to change his own path,...

Are the holidays a time of celebration, togetherness, magic and hope, or are they times that bring a sense of dread and sadness? Loneliness and grief can bubble to the surface at a time when it’s “supposed “ to be the most wonderful time of the year. There is pressure on the holidays to be the best time of our lives: we want them to fill the voids we all have in our hearts at times. Although this...

To be honest, I hope that you’re not tiptoeing around people OR walking all over them. But unfortunately, many of us have an unhealthy dynamic with at least some of the people in our lives. This episode is about relationships and how people feel around you (and vice versa!) We need to take a look at our relationships and how healthy they are. How emotionally safe do we feel with others? And how di...

This episode is about using your story to help others. Specifically, sharing lessons learned from mistakes, regrets, tragedy, and lack of information. Those who want their loved ones or even just strangers to have an easier and less painful life than they did it’s a beautiful thing. Beth shares the stories of two different men who are sharing their stories of addiction and pain with as many people...

Beth encourages people to check in with themselves about how they’re doing and how close they are to the edge… Which might mean a nervous breakdown, a divorce, or a risk of suicide. We need to find ways to heal and recover from loss and stress so that we don’t get too close to the edge. Beth shares some personal examples of being close to the edge as well as client images of running on fumes or wh...

In this short episode, Beth outlines what she’s been learning from Therese Parks, a Wellness Nurse Coach, about blood sugar and glucose levels and the implications for your health, both mentally and physically. Beth wants to share with the listeners things she wishes she had known or DONE earlier; she hopes others will avoid making some of the same mistakes. Much of this advice is gleaned from the...

In this episode, Beth interviews Brianna, a woman in her 30s who shares her story of dating a narcissist who became abusive. She explains the insidious nature of abuse, how it affected her and how she got out of it. Beth shares some information emotional abuse and the traits of an abusive mentality (possessiveness, control, and entitlement).  Resources: Human Magnet Syndrome: Why We Love People Wh...

In this episode, Beth interviews Brianna, a woman in her 30s who shares her story of dating a narcissist who became abusive. She explains the insidious nature of abuse, how it affected her and how she got out of it. Beth shares some information emotional abuse and the traits of an abusive mentality (possessiveness, control, and entitlement).  Resources: Human Magnet Syndrome: Why We Love People Wh...

Hello this is Beth Capecchi and this is going to be my first peptalk (of many, I hope). This one is geared for young adults and college students, even though it could apply to anyone at any age. Almost EVERYONE feels like a failure at times, and gets disappointed in themselves and their jobs/career path in early adulthood. It can be very hard and discouraging to figure out what you will enjoy and...

So many people are losing loved ones to suicide these days. The rates of suicide are staggering and still on the rise. In this episode, Beth shares some thoughts which might be helpful for those who find themselves grieving loved ones who took their own lives. Key points:  1) Most people who contemplate suicide or complete suicide are depressed, in agonizing pain, and hopeless.  2) Those who want...