Unravelling

In this Disability Pride Month episode of Unravelling, hosts Mary Wilson Kurt White sit down with Cat Milo, former Coordinator of Accessibility and Diversity at Hampshire College and Dr. Madeline Peters, former longtime Director of Disability Services at the University of Massachusetts, to discuss the intersection of mental health and disability. They explore the concept of disability justice, emp...

In the third installment of Unravelling's 2025 Pride series, Mary speaks with Dr. Marley Balasco, an inpatient psychology specialist at the Brattleboro Retreat, about how to support young people as they explore and affirm their gender identities. Dr. Balasco breaks down the difference between gender and sexuality, and offers insight into how children and adolescents come to understand who they are...

In this episode of Unravelling, host Kurt speaks with Evelyn Lee, a music therapist based in Singapore, about how music can be a powerful tool for identity, healing, and connection, especially within the LGBTQ+ community. Evelyn shares insights from her work with queer clients in a country where homosexuality was only recently decriminalized. Together, they explore how music supports self-expressi...

In this episode of Unravelling, Kurt White sits down with poet, playwright, and social worker Britt Billmeyer-Finn to unpack the ideas and impact of queer theory. Far from being just an academic concept, queer theory is presented as a lens that challenges societal norms around gender and sexuality, invites curiosity, and honors fluidity in how we relate to ourselves and others. Kurt and Britt delv...

In this episode of Unraveling , Mary Wilson talks with psychotherapist and group facilitator Donna Harris, LCSW, CGP, about the challenging work of healing across lines of difference. Donna explains that real connection in group settings isn’t built by avoiding discomfort, but by risking it with care, curiosity, and accountability. She speaks to the importance of confronting bias, honoring impact...

What makes a therapy group more than just a room full of people? In this episode, group psychotherapist J. Scott Rutan, Ph. D. joins Kurt to explore the transformative power of group therapy. Drawing on Dr. Rutan's decades of experience, he shares how people often reenact personal dynamics in groups, sometimes unconsciously, which gives therapists and peers the opportunity to reflect those pattern...

In this episode of Unravelling, Mary sits down with Lane Gardner, musician, educator, and founder of Thread, a nonprofit using collaborative songwriting to help communities heal from trauma. Lane shares the story of a powerful workshop with students affected by a school shooting, illustrating how music became a lifeline and a symbol of resilience. Through personal reflection and professional insig...

In this episode of Unravelling, filmmaker and Occidental College professor Aleem Hossain joins host Kurt White for a wide-ranging conversation on the role creativity plays in both personal fulfillment and mental health. Aleem reflects on how making art can serve not only others, but our future selves—leaving behind breadcrumbs of who we were and what we felt. Together, he and Kurt unpack the perso...

In this special crossover episode with Never Post, Unravelling host Kurt White joins writer and digital media expert Mike Rugnetta to explore how the internet shapes identity, self-perception, and mental health. From TikTok trends to the eerie accuracy of algorithmic recommendations, they unpack the tension between authenticity and performance in online spaces. How does the internet reinforce or d...

In this episode of Unravelling , host Mary Wilson is joined by Betsy Stade, research scientist and clinical psychologist at the Stanford Institute for Human Centered AI , to explore the profound ways AI is reshaping therapy, mental health support, and human connection itself. From AI-powered chatbots offering round-the-clock emotional support to cutting-edge research on how large language models l...

In this episode of Unravelling, psychologist Dr. Zoeann Finzi-Adams speaks with Mary about the complexities of mental health in Black women, examining how racism and sexism intersect to shape their experiences. She challenges the "Strong Black Woman" archetype, which often forces Black women to prioritize resilience over their own well-being, making it harder to seek help or even believe they dese...

In this episode of Unravelling, Kurt White sits down with Professor Nnamdi Pole, Harold and Elsa Israel Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Psychology Department at Smith College, to discuss his course, The Psychology of the Black Experience. Professor Pole shares insights from his long-running course, delving into the role of psychology in understanding Black identity, collective experiences...

This episode of Unravelling dives into the cultural, social, and personal complexities of alcohol use. As Dry January wraps up, many are reflecting on the role alcohol plays in their lives. Mary Wilson speaks with Jeanette Hu, a California-based psychotherapist and creator of the Sober Curiosity Lab, to explore the concept of "sober curiosity." Jeanette shares her insights on how alcohol is deeply...

In this episode of Unravelling, Kurt White sits down with his colleague Dr. Geoff Kane, MD, MPH, Emeritus Chief of Addiction Services at the Brattleboro Retreat, to delve into the evolving understanding of alcohol’s health risks. This timely discussion comes amid growing research, including the U.S. Surgeon General’s call for alcohol warning labels and Canada’s updated guidelines, which reveal sig...

Start the New Year with a special thought-provoking episode of Unravelling. Hosts Kurt White and Mary Wilson are joined by Brattleboro Retreat postdoctoral psychology fellow Mary Iellamo to revisit a compelling panel from the Brattleboro Literary Festival. Moderated by Iellamo, this conversation brings together authors Anna Shechtman (The Riddles of the Sphinx) and Emmeline Clein (Dead Weight), wh...

In this episode of Unravelling , Kurt White sits down with Anna Shechtman, author and renowned crossword creator, at the Brattleboro Literary Festival to discuss her book, The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle . At age 15, Anna began crafting crossword puzzles while navigating the complexities of disordered eating—two practices tied by perfectionism, co...

In this episode of Unravelling , Mary Wilson interviews Emmeline Clein, author of Dead Weight: Essays on Hunger and Harm and a featured guest at the 2024 Brattleboro Literary Festival. Emmeline critiques the systemic failures in diagnosing and treating eating disorders, highlighting the emotional invalidation many patients face—particularly the harm of being told they don’t "qualify" for certain d...

Description: In this episode of Unravelling, Mary Wilson speaks with Angel Cassin, CEO of Together Estranged, about the complex and often taboo topic of family estrangement. Angel shares her own journey of going no-contact with her mother, the stigma she encountered, and the community she found through Together Estranged. The conversation explores the spectrum of estrangement, the role of boundari...

In this episode of Unravelling, Kurt White speaks with Dr. Kevin Smith, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, about the connection between politics, stress, and mental health. They discuss Dr. Smith's research indicating that political engagement can trigger physiological stress responses, with increased attention to politics in our information-saturated environment correlat...

Description: This episode of Unravelling delves into peer-led mental health care by exploring the work of Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu, founder of Project LETS. This national grassroots organization centers the voices of individuals with lived experience through its peer support model. Mary Wilson interviews Stefanie who recounts their personal journey of founding Project LETS in high school, s...

Description: In this episode of Unravelling , Kurt speaks with psychologist Dr. Jaakko Seikkula about his pioneering work in Open Dialogue. Developed in the 1980s in Western Lapland, Open Dialogue reshapes the way we respond to mental health crises, focusing on the power of human connection and the importance of involving a person’s entire social network in their healing process. Dr. Seikkula disc...

In this episode of Unravelling , Mary interviews Anna Mueller, a sociologist and leading expert on youth suicide and prevention. Anna’s groundbreaking work examines the social roots of suicide and how these underlying factors create vulnerability in young people. Drawing from her fieldwork and new book, Life under Pressure: The Social Roots of Youth Suicide and What to Do About Them , she sheds li...

Special early release of Unravelling - one day early to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day, Sept. 10. In this episode of Unravelling , Kurt White interviews Kirk Woodring, a licensed social worker with extensive experience in suicide prevention. Kirk shares how his brother’s suicide and his work in crisis intervention have shaped both his personal and professional life. He discusses the st...

In this episode of Unravelling , Mary interviews Pedro Fabião, a psychotherapist, psychodramatist, and clown! Pedro shares how embracing playfulness and reconnecting with one's inner child can lead to deeper self-awareness and authentic connections. Drawing from his experiences leading workshops internationally, Pedro discusses how the art of clowning invites us to shed societal roles, be fully pr...

In this episode of Unravelling , Kurt interviews Dr. Drew Pate, a psychiatrist, who discusses the complex nature of grief and loss. He shares his journey into understanding grief, which began early in his career and became more personal after the losses of his father and wife. He highlights how grief is often misunderstood and pathologized in society, rather than recognized as a natural part of th...