The Broken Brain

I am a huge fan of The Because Organization, and all of their hard work helping survivors of Human Trafficking to build successful, healthy, and happy lives after escaping severe exploitation and abuse. Every year they join the podcast to talk about their good work AND the ways you can help. Marcia Holt and Mary Beth Ford join me today to talk about individualized help for survivors, how Because d...

Meg Boberg is a friend, mental health advocate, and a fellow Bipolar-haver. It's been a while since she's been on the show, but we often kick around ideas for recordings. Speaking of ideas, we're talk about our experiences with racing thoughts, hypomania, and mood irregularity.  Go to www.becauseorganization.org to support this month's highlighted charity. The Because Organization helps survivors...

As an evidence-based disability advocate, Jodie Herbert assists individuals who need reasonable accommodations in the workplace. She assesses the person's needs, functional abilities & limitations, and helps them to advocate with their organization. She helps both employees and trains workplace leadership on how meeting the needs of their workers improves productivity as well as morale. Follow her...

Its the Broken Brain's 5th annual live stream for International Overdose Awareness Day! Check out the audio of my wonderful group of friends and colleagues bringing their expertise, experience, and love to this great cause. Check out www.penington.org.au to learn about the nonprofit that sponsors this important day every year. Go to www.becauseorganization.org to find our charity of focus, and imp...

Jamie Alyson Feldman & Rachel Webster noticed that it was difficult to talk about debt...even with a best friend. This led them to create "Debt Heads: A Podcast About Money," taking a true crime approach to answer the mystery: who murdered our bank account?  A lively and fun team, they join me today to discuss societal and psychological elements of dealing with finances, stress, and (of course) De...

Emily Morash is an expert in the use of Emotional Intelligence to resolve conflict and enhance leadership. She also teaches the under-appreciated role that self-awareness plays in developing and applying empathy. Check out her new book, "Unfunk Yourself: Leading Mindfully in the Midst of Mayhem."  Please join the Broken Brain's 5th annual live stream for International Overdose Awareness Day, Monda...

Mychel "Snoop" Dillard is a doer. When she worked in hospitality she opened nightclubs. When she was asked for tips she began speaking. When she wanted to help others she started mentorship programs. When she lost her daughter she invested heavily into grief recovery. You can read about her experince in her new book, "Grieve. Grow. Go." and check out her memoir "Who Is Snoop." You can also watch h...

Returning guest Jess Wright returns to talk about his new book "Dance In A Madhouse," a about a young doctor in the early 1900s committed to an asylum, and engrossed in a murder mystery.  Dr Wright is a renowned expert in psychiatry, and is the author of award winning books on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He is also a Novelist, applying his background in medicine & psychology into fiction. This i...

Doug Pray created the documentary "Louder Than Guns" to chronicle the work of Ketch Secor, lead singer of the band Old Crow Medicine Show, and David Greene, NPR Reporter & Host. Following a shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Secor and Greene started a musical tour focused on getting community members to sit down and share their tragedy and beliefs with each other, with the belief that v...

"What Tomorrow Brings" is a story about 2 sisters who are left to care for themselves with no parental supervision, with the burden of running the household securely on the shoulders of 17 year old Clara.  Filmmaker Matthew Engelbert and star Joely Engelbert join me to talk about their approach to telling this story as a father-daughter team. Every member of their family joined to make this movie,...

Julie Brams is an Earth Centered Psychotherapist, specializing in incorporating nature into therapeutic healing. She is also the author of "The Nature Embedded Mind," recent winner of the Nautilus Gold Award. As both a licensed mental health therapist and Forest Therapy Guide, Julie shares lessons learned from research into what science is finding about therapy and our connection to the rest of th...

Do you like reading or watching media that is an episodic/anthology style one-off story? Or do you prefer the more frequent modern storytelling that follows an overarching arc? Sci-Fi Auhtor Christian Hurst joins to discuss different approaches to creating stories, how they speak to us differently, and how we someitmes can throw the good out with the bad when we fail to balance things out.  Read C...

What is Financial Therapy? Dr Erika Rasure is here to tell us about it. Many sources of financial advice neglect the emotional/psychological components of money troubles. She shares how fear, self-perception, hope, and the lack of or presence of security interact with finding financial solutions, and some tips to face those issues.  Learn more about Erika's work at www.beyondfinance.com , and chec...

Dr Susan Trachman is a Psychiatrist with 30 years of experience specializing in treating medically unexplained illnesses through the lens of psychiatry. She helps patients delves into the brain-body connection, and addresses the damaging misconception that a condition is "all in your head.  Follow her work at www.susanbtrachmanmd.com , and check out her new book, It's Not Just in Your Head: Demyst...

Lena Fein is the author of Shattering The Mirror, a story of her experience with abuse. From an early age Lena Fein coped with abuse and neglect by trying to achieve. She believed that if she could do well enough in school, meet everyone's expectations, and especially avoid anything that would trigger her mother, that she would finally feel safe and happy. Her book tells her story of masking with...

Many films are related to psychology. Nathan Presley's short film, "Flesh and Blood," puts therapy directly in the spotlight. This film recently won the Audience Award for best short film at the Dallas International Film Festival. It is the story of an EMDR therapist trying to help a young girl with selective mutism...or is there something more going on?  Follow Nathan's work @nathanpresley on IG....

Ryan Noufer created his indie short film "Mary The Widow," to tell a story about Dementia from a unique perspective of a woman attending a speed-dating seminar for widowed seniors. In the interview he shares his experiences with his own grandmother, feelings on mental health, and how art can help to process emotion, including our worst fears. You can follow his work @ryannoufer on Instagram. Pleas...

One of the most anticipated films being screened at the 2026 Dallas International Film Festival, Last Shot tells the story of a young basketball prodigy who faces grief over the death of his father and an estranged relationship with his mother.  Producer/Writer Tod Friedman & Director Andy Palmer join me to talk about this film and the personal elements that are there, especially for Friedman. Fol...

Katie Comosy is the director of the new independent documentary GASLIT, showcasing people impacted by the practices of oil and natural gas production in Texas and the Gulf Coast. Hosted by Jane Fonda, the film follows their work to fight rising cases of cancer, economic collapse, and damage to food production. The film is now showing at the Dallas International Film Festival. Follow the film on so...

Filmmakers Joe Zentil and Pierce Csurgo created the independent film Born To Lose, currently making the way around the film festival circuit. Set in the genre of motorcycle culture, this movie depicts a young man caught up in problems related to fractured relationships, self-destructive choices, and the dangers of addiction and the drug trade.  Our highlighted charity this month is Kids & Art, a C...

Alex Mallis and Travis Wood join me to discuss their new film "Travel Companion." The story focuses on Simon, an indie filmmaker who's roommate helps him travel with free airline tickets, and the potential loss of this perk. Kids & Art is the highlighted charity for April. This organization helps kids with cancer through use of art. go to www.kidsandart.org to learn more about this important organ...

A quick look at the shifting vocabulary and perspectives on the hyper-interest associated with Autism.  This month's highlighted charity is Kids & Art, an organization based in California using art activities and education to help children with cancer. Go to www.kidsandart.org to follow and support this amazing nonprofit. 

Another great conversation from the Cinequest Film Festival! Rich Ho spent the past 13 years making his movie "Heavens: The Boy and His Robot," a coming of age story centered on bravery, community, and dedication, set in sci-fi world. He talks to us about story telling and how he learned to overcome personal fear and dedicate himself to a project. The making of this film is a story of goals, follo...

Grief is a complex thing, and can be difficult to approach with children. Dr Korie Leigh is one of the nation's leading experts on childhood grief & pediatric palliative care, a consultant to the Sesame Street Workshop, and the author of the new book "When Everything Changes: Parenting Through Loss and Grief." Today she shares principles to help children through the most difficult times, whether t...

  What is with the stereotype of the Irish Cop? I have seen this in fiction, when I was young it seemed like half of fictional law enforcement were Irish. In the real world Irish culture has a strong present in the culture of modern day policing. Where did it come from? This week's dive into cultural history is a story of immigration, discrimination, brutal capatilism leading to mass corruption, a...