Rooted and Rising

What if the healthiest thing you could do for your next chapter... was protect it? In this Midnight Reflection, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology of sharing our successes, the emotional complexity of being celebrated, and why not everyone has the capacity to rejoice in our growth. Drawing from psychological research, personal experience, and reflections on human connection, this episode e...

What do you do when no one invites you to the table? You build one. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Carmela Maxell sits down with  Dr. Melvin King —Transformational Friendraising Strategist, executive leader, entrepreneur, and community advocate—to discuss what it truly means to create opportunities rather than wait for them. Together, they explore networking beyond business cards, the differen...

This week's Sunday Seed is different. It's not advice. It's not a productivity hack. It's a confession. For years, I believed that exhaustion meant I was successful. If I answered emails late at night... If I worked through lunch... If I skipped vacations... If I always said "yes"... I thought it meant I cared more. I thought it made me a better leader. The truth? I wasn't just teaching myself tha...

What makes an ordinary person leave a cruel comment online? Is it anonymity? Anger? Loneliness? A desire to belong? Or is there something deeper happening beneath the surface? In this Midnight Reflection, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology of internet trolling, online outrage, and the emotional distance that screens create. Together, we'll examine why people say things online they would ne...

Growth isn't always exciting. Sometimes it feels like grief. In this episode of  Rooted & Rising , Dr. Carmela Maxell explores why becoming the person you're meant to be often requires letting go of the person you've always been. Like a snake shedding its skin, personal growth can feel uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and even painful. We outgrow relationships, identities, habits, careers, and expec...

Have you ever convinced yourself that a new planner, another notebook, or that random gadget in your online shopping cart was going to change your life? You're not alone. In this first installment of  Sunday Seeds of Thought , Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology behind weekend impulse purchases and why so many of us find ourselves filling our carts on Sunday evenings. What if those purchase...

Parenting has never come with a manual—but today's parents are navigating challenges that previous generations could never have imagined. In this episode of  Rooted & Rising , Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the emotional, mental, and physical weight of raising children in an era of constant comparison, technology, social media, financial stress, and ever-changing expectations. From the pressure t...

Have you ever picked up your phone to check one notification...only to realize an hour has disappeared? In this episode of  Rooted & Rising , Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the hidden psychology behind doomscrolling and why endless scrolling affects more than just your screen time—it can quietly influence your creativity, motivation, decision-making, and even your ability to pursue the life you t...

In this episode of  Rooted & Rising , Dr. Maxell sits down with  Joy Larkin , narcissistic abuse recovery coach and founder of  Live Narc Free , for an honest conversation about narcissistic abuse, trauma bonds, emotional manipulation, healing, and reclaiming a sense of self. Together, they explore the signs and patterns commonly associated with narcissistic abuse, including love bombing, gasl...

What happens when you achieve everything you thought you wanted… and you're still unhappy? In this episode of  Rooted & Rising , Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the quiet disappointment that can accompany success when the life you're living no longer aligns with who you truly are. From careers and relationships to family expectations and personal dreams, we examine what happens when we spend years...

How do you know when loyalty has crossed the line into self-abandonment? In this episode of  Rooted & Rising , Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the relationships, friendships, jobs, and situations we stay committed to long after they've stopped serving us. Many of us wear devotion as a badge of honor, convincing ourselves that enduring pain is proof of our character. But what happens when our commi...

What does it cost to survive systems that weren't built for you? In this episode Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the mental health impact of navigating institutions as a person of color or marginalized identity — examining weathering, racial battle fatigue, and intergenerational trauma. This isn't abstract. It lives in your body. And there are ways through.

In this first episode, Dr. Carmela Maxell introduces herself — not just the credentials, but the human underneath them. A clinician, author, professor, director, mother, and Black and Filipino woman who has been carrying a lot and finally decided to say something about it out loud. This episode covers who Dr. Maxell is beyond her titles, what Rooted and Rising is (and isn't), the publication of he...