Solace and the City

Some of you may remember an episode from last February in which I recorded with Brandon Berman, one of the co-hosts of the popular live dating show UpDating.  Well if you liked that conversation you're in luck, because this week I was lucky enough to sit down with the other genius behind the New York phenomenon!  In this week's episode, Harrison and I talk about the relationship between mental hea...

This week I brought on Mia Davis to talk about sex! Mia is the founder of Tabú Wellness, an expert-driven community for shame-free conversations about all things related to sex, relationships, and mental health.  In fact, research actually shows that the more open you are to talking about sex, the more sexually satisfied you will be!  Mia answers some of your questions from our Instagram...

This week I sit down with Matt Pavich, a comedian and low-key YouTube phenomenon, to talk about his experience with Bipolar Disorder.  Like Caroline who spoke on a previous episode, Matt was not fully diagnosed with anything until his late teens.  Since then, Matt has continued to ride the waves of mania and depression but has an incredible support system to help him manage both states.  I am so g...

This week I spoke with Victoria Garrick, who may just be one of the most iconic young mental health advocates in the country right now.  After giving a TED Talk on the prevalence of mental health issues in College Athletics, Victoria continued using her platform to be a voice for those who are struggling.  In this episode we talk about Victoria's own struggles with mental health which le...

Welcome to the new spinoff series from Solace and the City and The Real Dietitians of New York City called Hot Girls Hot Takes!  Each week, Liz Gunner and I will focus on a topic related to mental health and/or body image.  After sharing our own thoughts on the episode theme, we will then call in some male experts (a.k.a. our guy friends and Hinge matches) to get an opinion from the opposite sex....

I recorded this episode with Vanessa Grimaldi -- a.k.a the WINNER of Season 16 of The Bachelor, a.k.a the most beautiful person to ever walk up the steps of the Bachelor mansion, a.k.a. my girl crush -- and I couldn't be MORE excited to share our conversation with you all!  Vanessa explains how she got onto the Bachelor to begin with, despite having never owned a television set and not seeing a si...

For those who aren't aware, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  I thus thought that for the first episode of October, it was appropriate to share my conversation with the amazing, beautiful, and courageous Megan Siniscalchi.  Megan is the Chair of the Young Professional Board of Exhale to Inhale, a nonprofit that empowers survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault throu...

On this week's BONUS episode, I sat down with Governor Phil Murphy to discuss how he sees the government's responsibility to address the mental health challenges that face both my home state of New Jersey and the country as a whole.  Governor Murphy touches on why he decided to sign a budget earlier this week that would restore a New Jersey school mental health program, and towards the end of the...

I couldn't think of a better first guest for the Solace and the City Season 2 premiere than the one and only Lucie Fink!  Lucie and I missed each other by one year at Johns Hopkins, but she is well-known throughout the school for being one of the most successful alumni in recent years.  Safe to say I was beyond exited and honored to record with her!  In this episode, Lucie talks about her journey...

This year, my 25th birthday fell on a Monday.  Despite this being possibly the worst day of the week to ring in a quarter of a century, I felt that it was a sign to share a full-length solo episode to celebrate!  After spending the first portion of this episode opening up about the current state of my own mental health, I then decided to take a look back on this year and share bits and portions of...

I have a very special episode to share this week.  I had a virtual recording with Samantha Tirone, who is an amazing woman with a powerful story.  Samantha was engaged to a wonderful man named Ryan, but two months before their wedding he passed away from an overdose.  This life-shattering event caused Samantha to reevaluate what was truly important in her life and begin to be an advocate for those...

Happy Labor Day from me and the one and only Mike Johnson!!!  I have SUCH an exciting episode to share with you all.  I (virtually) sat down with the fan favorite from Hannah Brown's season of the Bachelorette and had the most amazing conversation.  We talked about his experience on the show and thereafter.  After long talks with executives of the franchise, Mike was unfortunately not picked as th...

It's Virgo season so you know what that means!  I finally was able to speak with an astrologer to learn more about my own chart and, let me tell you, it was worth the wait.  I was lucky enough to speak with none other than Colin Bedell, the co-founder of Queer Cosmos who was featured in my favorite New Yorker article about, you guessed it, astrology!  Colin and I talk about the fascinating statist...

This week I caught up with Catie Orlando, my friend from college who inspired me to open up about my own mental health issues by sharing her story of recovery.  Like myself, Catie has a long history dealing with her mental health.  In this episode we talk about the ways in which our anxiety helped manifest disordered eating, and Catie opens up about her time in rehab which has led her to sobriety....

Surprise! I decided to release a BONUS episode to give you guys a bit of insight into my life! I’m sure that over the past few months you’ve come to realize that I have a plethora of mental health issues to speak to. I thus wasn’t sure where to begin, and so I decided to use one of my favorite card games as prompts! If you so desire, take 24 minutes out of your day and listen to me answer some dee...

This week I was lucky enough to speak with one of my favorite podcast hosts and bloggers, Cameron Rogers!  Cameron is the founder of the Freckled Foodie account on Instagram, where she works to promote a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle.  After working at an intense Investment Banking job for five years, Cameron decided to focus on her passion and make Freckled Foodie a full-time job.  We...

I am humbled to be sharing my conversation with actress, model, and transgender activist, Angelica Torres.  Angelica stars in Season Two of Pose (an absolutely amazing show), but I first heard her speak on a panel hosted by The Grapevine.  I was so inspired by her kindness and eloquence that I took a chance and asked if she would speak on the Solace and the City.  Safe to say I was through the moo...

Kanye West. Mariah Carey. Demi Lovato. Robin Williams. Russell Brand. Frank Sinatra. -- What do all of these incredibly talented celebrities have in common?  They all have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.  With the recent news of Kanye West's tweets, I wanted to sit down with my friend Caroline Moley to learn more about this extremely stigmatized mental illness that is so prevalent in our soc...

BONUS EPISODE! Words cannot express how excited and humbled I feel to be sharing this episode with the amazing Solace and the City community. I had the opportunity to speak with my beautiful friend Brookie McIlvaine about the work she is doing for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Project 2025. The goal of this initiative is to reduce the suicide rate by 20% by the year 2025. We tal...

This week I'm sharing my conversation with the Founder and CEO of Inception, a dynamic new approach to mind and body wellness.  Inception is a mental health gym that's changing the ways we think about exercise and emphasizing the irrefutable connection between physical and mental well-being.  During this episode, David talks to me about the story behind Inception and the various over avenues he ex...

I had such an incredible conversation with Natasha Tiwari that I am humbled to be sharing with you all!  Natasha Tiwari is an award winning Psychologist, Entrepreneur, Mentor Investor.  She is also a licensed yoga teacher and psychotherapist, and she combines her command of strategy with he knowledge of neuroscience, the unconscious mind and ancient wisdom both with private clients, and to propel...

This week I am SO excited to share my conversation with Ben Greiner.  Not only is he an amazing friend, but he also is the founder and CEO of an absolutely incredible organization, TalkAboutDepression.org!  After receiving a troubling text from a friend, Ben realized that there aren't many online tools that support the friends and family of those in crisis.  The TAD Project provides an online reso...

This week I am SO excited to share my episode with Connor Saeli from Season 15 of The Bachelorette!  I have always been fascinated by the psychological aspect behind reality TV, specifically The Bachelor franchise.  It's thus safe to say that I was pretty pumped to speak with Connor!  We talk about his journey on Hannah Brown's season as well as his brief time on the spinoff show, Bachelor in Para...

This week I am so excited to share my conversation with the iconic Ali Kriegsman, Co-Founder and COO of Bulletin!  For those who don't know, Bulletin is a curated wholesale marketplace filled with the most coveted brands.  Since launching in 2015, Bulletin has helped hundreds of female- and minority-led brands access physical retail space for the very first time, unlocking one of the most powerful...

This week I sat down with Dr. Daryl Appleton, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Fortune 500 Executive Coach!  I have been wanting to bring on a professional therapist as a guest for so long, and I truly feel that I hit the jackpot when I got connected with Dr. Appleton.  We talked about how her interest in crime shows spiked her interest in mental health and eventually led her to starting a p...