The Wellness Pod

In this episode, I talk with Helen Adrienne. She is the author of On Fertile Ground: Healing Infertility. Helen is a licensed clinical social worker in general private practice since 1979, with a speciality in infertility. She uses her training in mind/body therapy and clinical hypnosis to provide powerful stress reduction strategies to individuals and couples. You can learn more about Helen and h...

Hey everyone, in this episode I had a lively chat with Dyane Harwood, the author of "Birth of a New Brain. Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder". Birth of a New Brain, is a gripping account of the awful juxtaposition of childbirth and the onset of bipolar illness. Check out her book and other resources in the links below.   Resources: Forest Bathing Link:"Pine Soul" - a great and brief article...

In this episode, I chat with Lisa Tremayne. She is the founder and director for the Center for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders at Monmouth Medical Center in NJ. This Center is one of the few mother/baby programs for PMADs in the United States. Lisa also started the Bloom Foundation as a response to the extraordinary lack of maternal mental health resources, support and treatment available to...

In this episode, I had a lovely chat with Anna Gannon. Anna is a mom, the Community Guide and Editorial Lead at Expectful, a Writer and a Yoga & Meditation Guide. Her work has been featured on The Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, Yoga Today and The Expectful Blog. Anna is passionate about the importance of the mind, body, and sometimes baby connection. You can find Anna at: https://www.annagannon.c...

In this episode, I chat with Lauren DePaola who is the co-founder of the Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative. We talk about the great work being done in the state of Florida to bring awareness to maternal mental health. Lauren is also the founder of the Alachua County Perinatal Mental Health Coalition, and the FL chapter liaison for Postpartum Support International. Lauren is a licensed c...

In this episode, I chat to Aurélie Athan, Ph. D. Aurélie is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and member of the faculty in the Department of Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, my Alma Mater. Aurélie is a co-founder of the Sexuality, Women, & Gender Project with its first graduate-level training certificate in Reproductive & Maternal Well-being. Her scholarly interests cen...

On this special episode of the Wellness Pod, I am joined by my five year old daughter Maya. Maya is an energetic and full of life kindergartener, who had much to say on her podcast debut about school and home life.

On this episode, I chat with Andrea Schneider, MSW, LCSW. Andrea is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in San Dimas, CA. She specializes in maternal wellness, narcissistic abuse recovery, special needs parenting, and grief/loss. She is also a co-coordinator for Postpartum Support International in her state of CA, and provides volunteer phone support and resources for women and f...

On this episode, I talk to Maureen Fura, the writer and director of the very important film, "Dark Side of the Full Moon". "Dark Side of the Full Moon delves into the unseen world of maternal mental health in the U.S. It will uncover the disconnect within the medical community to effectively screen, refer, and treat the 1.3 million mothers affected each year, giving a face and voice to the countle...

On this episode, we turn our attention to infertility and how it relates to aspects of womanhood and maternal mental health. I interview Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Amber Rukaj. Amber specializes in the treatment of perinatal mood disorders, infertility, and reproductive psychology. She was instrumental in the integration of mental health programs in OB/Gyn, Reproductive Endocrinology,...

On this episode, I chat to Paige Bellenbaum LMSW. She is the program director of the brand new Motherhood Center of New York. They provide supportive services for new and expecting moms, including a range of treatment options for women suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). For more than 20 years, Paige has been committed to social work and focuses her efforts on direct servi...

In this episode, I interview Dr. Amanda Bouque, a board certified Acupuncture Physician in the state of Florida. We talk about her journey into Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, and her special interest in women's health including infertility, pre and postnatal care. You can find out more about Traditional Chinese Medicine at https://nccih.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/chinesemed.htm Dr. Bo...

In this episode, I interview Dr. Susan Liipfert Shelton, nurse educator and researcher. She is interested in the well-being of mothers as they transition from pregnancy and birth to motherhood. She is a coordinator for the Tallahassee chapter of Postpartum Support International (PSI). She is also an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Florida State University, where her research focuses on exercise...

In this episode, I interview Suzannah Neufeld, MFT, RYT. She is a psychotherapist and yoga therapist in Berkeley, CA. She specializes in supporting women's mental health through evidence-based psychotherapy, mindfulness, and yoga. She is a co-founder of Rockridge Wellness Center in Oakland, where she has a private practice. She leads yoga therapy workshops for those recovering from eating disorder...

In this episode, I interview Dr. Wendy Davis. She is the Executive Director for Postpartum Support International (PSI) www.postpartum.net , where she coordinates PSI services, programs, and 300 U.S. and International Support Volunteers. Wendy is the Founding Director of Baby Blues Connection www.babybluesconnection.org , Oregon's first perinatal mental health support organization, and now serves a...

On this episode, I interview Maria Fontanez, the founder of Aisha Neris Postpartum Depression Awareness foundation. Maria loss her daughter Aisha to postpartum depression, and is committed to increasing awareness of maternal mental health disorders. She shares her daughter's story, hoping it will help another family avoid this kind of loss. You can find more information about Maria's foundation at...

On this episode, I interview Allika S. Alce, IBCLC. She's a Board Certified Lactation Consultant, practicing in Orlando, FL. Allika shared her inspiring story as a young mother breastfeeding for the first time, and how the challenges she endured and her triumphs led her to become a lactation consultant and an advocate for breastfeeding. Apart from her lactation consulting practice, Allika also run...

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Beatriz Reyes-Foster, an Anthropologist at the University of Central Florida. We talk about her journey into the field, and her work with the milk sharing initiative and breastfeeding support and awareness in the community. We talk about birth and VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section), and maternal health and wellness. It was a very enjoyable and enlightening conversa...

In this episode I welcome my sister to the podcast. We take some time from our holiday vacation together, to talk about her experiences with pregnancy - the ups, downs, joys and challenges. For more information, visit  http://www.perinatalwellness.net

In part 2 of my introduction to mindfulness, I will focus on mindfulness and motherhood. I will guide you through several exercises to de-stress and become more balanced, as well as an exercise for moms and partners to be more mindful with themselves and your baby. For more information, visit  http://www.perinatalwellness.net

In this episode, I talk briefly about what led me to the field of Psychology and maternal mental health. We begin exploring the topic of mindfulness. What is it? How can you find it? Look out for Part 2 of my exploration of mindfulness: Mindfulness and motherhood. For more information, visit  http://www.perinatalwellness.net

I am Dr. Shari-ann James, licensed psychologist. I specialize in maternal mental health, wellness, and women's mental health in general. Please subscribe to my podcast and look out for future episodes. For more information on maternal mental health and helpful resources, visit  http://www.perinatalwellness.net