The Laughing Mind

In the final episode of season 2, this solo episode digs into the simple, psychological experience of taking something out of your brain, and saying it out loud. Unburdening when you hold close to the chest sounds easy, but in practice many of us suck at it (myself included)! E If you'd like to support the show, please leave a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠iTunes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Spotify and anywhere...

What is mental health and well-being? The conversations around mental health are often about what's wrong with us, or what is our diagnosis or symptoms, which can be helpful but once we know what's "wrong with us", what do we aim towards? This episode takes a quick look at Tina Payne Bryson's (psychologist and author) definition of mental health as flexibility and flow. If you'd like to support th...

Acceptance is a gateway to moving through all the crap life has to throw at us. We often get acceptance mixed up with approval, and that by accepting something hard and painful or even just boring, we're saying "I'm ok with that." This episode takes a quick look at making the distinction between acceptance and approval, and how our lives can become much less exhausting if we practice acceptance. I...

Welcome to the podcast clinical therapist, writer, and content creator Gretchen Winterkorn! Gretchen and Ethan discuss how authenticity and honesty from a therapist can impact people in the therapy room, neurodivergence, and post-apocalyptic farming! For more Gretchen, check out the links below: https://gretchenwinterkorn.com/ https://www.instagram.com/gretchenwinterkorn/ https://www.tiktok.com/@r...

Cash Levy (Comedy!, Cashing in with TJ Miller Podcast) returns to the Laughing Mind! Cash and Ethan discuss the role of balance in mental health and happiness, the overwhelming cost of greatness, and how many therapists become therapists to try and heal themselves—and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Check out Cash's tour dates to see if he's coming to a city near you, and his podcast Cashing i...

Welcoming to the show singer-song writer, musician, and producer Dan Decristofaro! This episode is chock full: how music and creativity bring about community, connection and well-being, the ups and downs of being a professional musician, and the anatomy of resilience when it comes to failing and getting better at a craft. Make sure to check out Dan's solo music and the Blue Light Bandits at the li...

Here's another solo episode in the mental health series where Ethan does a quick deep dive. This one is all about the #1 most talked about and prolific mental health concern: Anxiety! Ethan unpacks the evolutionary benefits of anxiety, the way anxiety sounds in our minds, and how we can change our relationship with it. If you'd like to support the show, please leave a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠iTunes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Maintaining things is never a sexy topic, but it's what the richest things in life are built upon! Ethan keeps it short while exploring how mental, physical and relational well-being is found and sustained when we consistently attend to these areas of life. If you'd like to support the show, please leave a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠iTunes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts!...

The lovely and talented Katherine Sikma joins Ethan for a barn burner. They dig into how to make sustainable changes (personal and organizational), cognitive flexibility, Internal Family Systems (IFS/parts work) and getting unstuck when you're life is in a rut. If you want more of Katherine, check out her links below. https://www.instagram.com/ksikma/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/yougottatr...

What are your core beliefs about yourself and the world? How do they shape how you experience emotions, thoughts, and even your behaviors? And can negative, unrelenting core beliefs be fuel for us to become successful? Get into it! If you'd like to support the show, please leave a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠iTunes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts! To stay connected make sure to sub...

Does how we all define masculinity actually impact our mental health? Yes! Do men actually think about the Roman Empire every day? You'll have to listen to find out as Ethan unpacks "toxic" alpha masculinity, the possibility of all humans experiencing both masculine and feminine traits, and Dan Brown's masterpiece "The Da Vinci Code." If you'd like to support the sh...

The lovely and talented Morgan Tuxill (Therapist!) returns to the pod! This episode explores how storytelling and reading can positively impact our mental health, pregnancy, parenthood and the resiliency of the human spirit. So open them ear holes and get cozy, this one's a doozy. If you'd like to support the show, please leave a review on ⁠⁠⁠iTunes⁠⁠⁠ and Spotify and anywhere else you get...

A quick solo episode where Ethan gets into the sometimes embarrassing yet powerful need for human connection and friendship. Friendship, community, and connection all play major roles in physical and mental wellness, and the truth is, everyone feels lonely sometimes! So if you're feeling lonely right now, that's ok - this is the episode for you. Links to the stats and figures found in this...

A chock full hour with comedian and pastor Ellen Lundie. Ellen and Ethan dug into the nature of dealing with uncertainty and suffering and humor's role in both. They tackle questions like "Is Jesus Funny" and "How do you go to your first open mic?" All the big players came out for this episode: comedy, mental health, and religion, so strap in and enjoy! Ellen Lundie IG: @el...

Kicking off season 2 with a quick solo episode! Ethan pulls apart the myth that the perfection standard is motivating, and how stagnant focusing on "where we aren't" can leave us. So sit back, lean back, fall back and spend 20 minutes enjoying an entertaining and meaningful take on the power of accepting the awkward nature of beginning something new! If you'd like to support the...

For the season finale of season 1, Ethan is joined by Jason Clark (Arcade Comedy Theater's General Manager and Stand Up comic). This one's got everything: OCD, ADHD, the evolution of comedy, remaining mentally and emotionally flexible throughout your life, generational differences, and so much more. If you're interested in taking classes, watching performances, or supporting the Arcade Comedy Thea...

You asked and we did it! I had the pleasure of having my wife Morgan Mitchell on the show, who is also a practicing mental health therapist. What is it like for two therapists in a relationship? Listen and you'll find out! We also got into how humor is a strength, as well as a possible defensive mechanism. Morgan is deeply insightful, wise, and very funny so please enjoy this special guest episode...

Co-owner of Total Peace and Wellness CBD (the newest sponsor of The Laughing Mind Podcast!) Carlos Smith joins Ethan for a deep dive into CBD, mental health and comedy. Whether you use CBD regularly or have never even heard of it, this episode covers the basics of CBD, as well as topics like trauma, humor, and peace. Check out the links below for their website and social media! Website: https://to...

Ethan's dear friend Wendy McSparren LCSW (EMDR therapist, consultant, and master therapist!) joins Ethan for a deep dive into the world of therapy. Wendy has deep wisdom and presence that comes through and they get into all of these: healthy guilt vs. unhealthy guilt, working as hard for yourself as you do for others, trauma work, chronic health concerns that come from psychological wounds, practi...

Stand-up comedian and long-time podcaster Cash Levy (Cashing in with TJ Miller Podcast!) joins Ethan for an absurd, at times sobering, and rip-roaring episode. These two dig down deep into topics like handling rejection, death and aging, parenthood, and adult friendships, then come up for air with things like the problem with small talk and playing tennis on glass instead of grass. If you enjoy Ca...

This one is short, sweet, and obvious! Ethan gets into how we can overcomplicate our mental health sometimes, and coming back to simple, concrete basics of self-care can be the most helpful thing for our mental health. The three simple grounding points to come back to this week are: Drink(water), Breathe, and Move. Give this one a listen for some annoyingly simple mental health help!  More ab...

Holy Hog, what an episode! Comedian Danny Berrios is young, hungry, and hilarious. Danny and Ethan get into his comedy career, imposter syndrome, and dealing with the inner critic. Danny shares his hard-won wisdom of keeping your eyes on the road in front while still looking back in the rear view mirror to see how far you've come. Check out his info below for all his social media, where he's perfo...

A hot new solo episode where Ethan tackles people playing the trauma card. We are finally seeing our culture move towards more acceptance and legitimacy for mental health, trauma and PTSD! But now, we have people playing the trauma card like it's a "be an asshole then get-out-of-jail-free card". Trauma's effects are very real, and we need to take responsibility for ourselves; both are true and nec...

Comedian and podcaster Danii Kaufman joins Ethan for a barn-burner of an episode. These two discuss how comedy can be a balm and healing tool in the face of pain and catastrophe, and quickly pivot to how direct mail has a better response rate than unsolicited dick pics! If you are looking for more of Danii and her comedy, you can find her info below! IG: @dammitdaniipodcast https://linktr.ee/dammi...

Comedy, humor, and vulnerability are what this episode is allllll about. Vulnerability, that is, "uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure" (according to New York Times best-selling author Brene Brown) is not a natural instinct for us but is one of the direct gateways to a meaningful and rich life. Comedy lets us connect with feeling human in those ways that aren’t praised or upvoted in other circ...