lens aimed at listening, collaborating and validating what can’t always be measured and is often what makes a person ‘Sick Enough’ & deserving of care. Her approach is captured in the 2nd edition of Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders.  Validating, Inspiring, Educational & Refreshing.   Dr. Jen Gaudiani is the founder and medical director of the Gaudiani Clinic (Est. 2016). Board certified in internal medicine, she completed her undergraduate degree at Harvard, medical school at Boston University School of Medicine, and her internal medicine residency and chief residency at Yale. Dr. Gaudiani served as the medical director at the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders. The Gaudiani Clinic offers specialized, trauma-informed outpatient medical care to individuals seeking support for eating disorders, undernourishment related to complex medical issues, and weight-inclusive primary care. The Gaudiani Clinic is based in Colorado with a satellite location in North Carolina and is licensed to practice in almost every US state via thoughtful telemedicine. The fully updated and significantly expanded second edition of Dr. Gaudiani’s bestselling book, Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders and Undernutrition is now available wherever books are sold.  
——————————–
Chapters
(0:00) Intro to Dr. G Credits
(5:15) Gaudiani Clinic & “Sick Enough”
(7:35) Unmeasurable Illness & Stigma
(9:22) Families: What to Ask & Observe
(12:20) Whole Team & Value Approach
(15:33) Barriers to Provider Care & What Works
(21:15) Clinical Team & Psychiatry
(22:20) Not Afraid – “You’re Not Too Sick”
(25:50) Medical Stability Variations
(31:00) Athletes & ED (34:30) Provider Distress Tolerance
(37:10) Youth/Adolescents & ED (40:50) GI Issues & Origins
(44:20) Alternative Options (46:30) Long Standing ED
(49:50) Trauma & Stellate Ganglion Block
(55:46) Self-Compassion & Love

Being human entails a complex interplay of biology and culture, and while there are important differences between women and men, there are also many variations and overlap. Sex Is a Spectrum offers a bold new paradigm for understanding the biology of sex, drawing on the latest science to explain why the binary view of the sexes is fundamentally flawed*. 

Our conversation explores patterns across animal species, bio-cultural roles and impact, historical perspectives on sex & gender, why men have nipples, how female hyenas are bad a**, where political and social structures can occlude progress & how an honest, science-based foundation is paramount for being curious, learning & talking about the human experience at large.

Agustín Fuentes is professor of anthropology at Princeton University. His books include Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You: Busting Myths about Human Nature; The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional; and Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being.

*from Princeton University Press 
Princeton University Press
————————————————————

Chapters: (0:00) Introduction & Why this Book
(2:50) Princeton Professor
(3:45) Learning from Animals
(4:45) Sex Biology v. Gender
(6:45) Talking About Genitals is OK!
(8:10) Lives influence Gender Presentation
(9:18) 3G Sex Categories
(10:15) Sex as a Spectrum
(11:05) It’s about Patterns & Variations
(12:38) Sea Horses & Spotted Hyenas
(14:38) Fish Sex Changing
(15:10) Bio-Culture: Look at a Baby Toe
(16:20) Gender Rules are Contemporary
(18:00) Anecdotes & Stories v. Science
(20:05) No Male or Female Brain
(23:10) Men are Mammals.  Men have Nipples
(26:55) Differences in Current Cultures w/Bodies
(27:45) What DNA Defines
(30:05) Global & Political Challenges
(31:10) The Binary is Two Completely Different Things
(33:00) Using a Spectrum as Descriptive
(36:05) Backlash, Hate & Official Government Doctrine
(38:50) You Can Hate: But Don’t Mask it w/Biology
(40:05) K-12 Education Needed
(41:50) It’s Okay to Not fit in the Binary
(43:10) Accessing the Book – Go Local
(44:55) It’s Been Amazing & Difficult
(45:10) Wrap Up

Local Cleveland Area Bookstores: 
Mac’s Books, Coventry Mac’s Backs Book Store
Fireside Books, Chagrin Falls Fireside Book Shop
Black Cat Books & Oddities, Medina Black Cat Books & Oddities
Loganberry Books, Larchmere Loganberry Books
Apple Tree Books, Cleveland Heights Apple Tree Books
Clevo Books, Cleveland Clevo Books

“I have been to hell & back & now it’s my time.” And now in his inspiring voice!
Like a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes: The Antonio Levert Story. 
Antonio Levert has a mission to educate and inspire advocacy for children & young adults in foster & adoptive care.  His story is tough to digest but vital for conveying the gravity of need to protect & support our young people and the people who help them matriculate through life.  Antonio bounced between over 10 placements including an adoptive home, numerous foster care settings, inpatient & residential stays and various levels of county and therapeutic interventions.  He endured interpersonal disruptions, emotional and physical abuse, neglect & a scripted narrative that “he wasn’t good enough to be loved.”  Even through these obstacles, glimmers of his value surfaced – he was a gifted & bright student, kindred & loving, eager, loyal, spiritual, strong willed & driven.  But it would not be an easy path.  At 30, he has evolved into a ‘phoenix rising from the ashes’: a rare & unique success story built on a shaky & sometimes cruel foundation.  He teaches that what you learn to take away from your journey by having faith, addressing mental health, connecting with a community and finding grace and forgiveness will set you free and keep you ‘Rising!’

Chapters:
(00:00) Intro: Antonio Levert
(01:15) History of Placements & Story
(05:00) Statistically Unique
(05:56) Sullivan Deckard Scholarship
(07:20) Need for Community
(08:19) A Brother & Mrs. Cross
(10:43) Disrupting & Being Labeled
(12:21) Neglect, Abuse & Acting Out
(14:01) Generational Impact / BioMother’s Story
(17:16) Faith’s Impact & Chapters in Life
(19:10) ‘Mixed’ Families & Authenticity
(21:10) Trusting In Self After Being ‘Given Up’ & Judged
(24:15) Resilient Spirit v. Being a Victim
(25:35) Residential Treatment & Learning Self
(26:10) Mr. Lavelle: “You Can Make Something of Yourself”
(29:05) Ongoing Impact As Adult: Trauma, ADHD, Relationships
(31:05) Antowne Fisher Movie: Finding Value & Setting Boundaries
(33:00) Community of Hope / Open Table
(34:25) Chad Raymond & Family
(35:00) Forging Career & Medicine Pathways
(38:20) Challenges of Adulting w/o Parents
(40:56) Desires for Own Family
(41:45) Normalizing Making Mistakes (for anyone!) (42:27) Working through Trauma Ongoing
(44:15) Keeping His Hand on the Plow
(46:08) An Abuse Story & Lack of Oversight (Sensitive Content)
(56:00) Challenges of Foster Parenting
(57:51) Advocacy & Education
(01:01:30) Give Love a 2nd Try
(01:04:35) Resilience: A Phoenix Rising out of the Ashes
(01:05:31) Wrap Up
————————————————————-

Foster Care Aging Out Support: The Sullivan-Deckard Scholarship Opportunity Program | Cleveland State University

https://www.csuohio.edu/prattcenter/sullivan-deckard-scholarship-opportunity-program

Academic Services | Foster Love
https://academics.fosterlove.com/

Youth in Transition (Aging Out) – The Annie E. Casey Foundation

https://www.aecf.org/topics/youth-in-transition?msclkid=58ab8852d41e1279e14de0e5c074cd0c&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Youth+in+Transition+-+Topics&utm_term=older+foster+kids&utm_content=Youth+in+Transition

Open Table Transforms into Community of Hope: Year 3 in Cleveland

https://cuyahogacounty.gov/cuyahoga-county-news-now/news-detail/cuyahoga-county-news-now/2019/01/28/open-table-transforms-into-community-of-hope-year-3-in-cleveland

Community of Hope
https://www.hopecle.org/programs

Foster or Adoptive Parent Resources:
Become a Foster Parent | Beech Brook | Cleveland, OH
https://www.beechbrook.org/become-a-foster-parent

Foster Care – Bellefaire JCB
https://www.bellefairejcb.org/FosterCare#why-you

Become a Foster Parent – Pressley Ridge
https://www.pressleyridge.org/become-a-foster-parent/

Dr. Jillian Lampert is the Vice President of Strategy and Public Affairs for Accanto Health, the parent company of The Emily Program and Gather Behavioral Health. She also serves as Executive Director for The Emily Program Foundation, is a Co-Founder and President of the REDC and a Board Member of the Eating Disorders Coalition, a DC-based national organization for eating disorders policy and advocacy. She holds an adjunct graduate faculty position in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lampert is a Registered Dietician (RD) for her clinical training. Dr. Lampert is a clinical Registered Dietician and has completed her doctorate degree in Nutrition and Epidemiology and Master of Public Health degree in Public Health Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. She earned a Master of Science degree in Nutrition at the University of Vermont and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics. Dr. Lampert has served on the Board of Directors of the Academy for Eating Disorders as the Electronic Media Portfolio Director and co-chair of the Academy for Eating Disorders Nutrition Special Interest Group. She is a Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (FAED) and a member of the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics, and BHN (Behavioral Health Nutrition) dietetic practice group. Dr. Lampert is the author of numerous book chapters and articles addressing the nutritional treatment of eating disorders, body image, sports participation, adolescent health, and disordered eating and she regularly speaks regionally and nationally on numerous eating disorder-related topics. As someone with lived experience with an eating disorder, Jillian strives to bring more care to more people and help people recover from an eating disorder. 
REDC Consortium
https://redcconsortium.org/

Accanto Health – Beside You Every Step of the Way
https://accanto.com/

Eating Disorders Coalition:
https://eatingdisorderscoalition.org/

Jillian Lampert, PhD, MPH, RD, LD, FAED – The Emily Program
https://emilyprogram.com/about-us/leadership-team/jillian-lampert/

Thanks for listening! Therapist Caise
Find Me: https://www.caiserodemchale.com
Reach Me: therapistcaise@gmail.com
Follow Me: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn & YouTube
“Capturing Stories & Inspiring Recovery!”
 —————————————————————————-
For Mental Health emergencies please go to your nearest Emergency Room or dial 911 or 988 on your phone. Mobile Crisis can also be helpful: Text 4hope to 741741. Disclaimer: The Mental Health Spotlight Podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not meant to replace mental health or other professional health care services. Mental health treatment and recovery requires assessment by a mental health professional. Please consult with your care providers before engaging in new methods of care. The use of information provided in this podcast is at the user’s own risk.

“I say, BE SAFE.  He says, ALWAYS.”  Fire Family Benefits & Challenges w/Kris Weir 
Kris Weir, a licensed massage therapist, Reiki master teacher and NAET (Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Techniques) practitioner and wife of 20 years to a firefighter/paramedic with whom she has two fabulous children. 
Kris learned about my first responder series & shared how wonderful her life has been with her first responder but also quickly educated me on how first responder families can be overlooked and don’t have many resource for support.  Kris wanted to share this story as part of the series to bring both the benefits and the challenges of being ‘married to fire’ to the forefront.  She tackles everything from parenting, managing emergency situations, negotiating schedules, giving space where needed, maintaining the community and the impact of PTSD.  Kris hopes to extend this conversation and build more support services for families starting from a local, grass roots approach! 

Kris’ Business 
Naet | Body, Mind and Soul, LLC
https://www.thebodymindandsoul.net/

Book Resource: I Love a Fire Fighter by Ellen Kirschman
I Love a Fire Fighter: Second Edition: What the Family Needs to Know
https://www.guilford.com/books/I-Love-a-Fire-Fighter/Ellen-Kirschman/9781462541003

Fraternal Order of Firefighters
Home – IAFF
https://www.iaff.org/

National Volunteer Fire Council
Resources for Families of Volunteer Responders – National Volunteer Fire Council
https://www.nvfc.org/family/

The Code 3 Families Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/33VO14Ri1WqTv0QnR9UF7j?si=c383e468f7564868

Thanks for listening! Therapist Caise
Find Me: https://www.caiserodemchale.com
Reach Me: therapistcaise@gmail.com
Follow Me: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn & YouTube
“Capturing Stories & Inspiring Recovery!”
 —————————————————————————-
For Mental Health emergencies please go to your nearest Emergency Room or dial 911 or 988 on your phone. Mobile Crisis can also be helpful: Text 4hope to 741741. Disclaimer: The Mental Health Spotlight Podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not meant to replace mental health or other professional health care services. Mental health treatment and recovery requires assessment by a mental health professional. Please consult with your care providers before engaging in new methods of care. The use of information provided in this podcast is at the user’s own risk.

“We’re not looking for answers outside ourselves, we know how to find them within.”

Today’s guest is Estefana Johnson, LCSW, a trauma therapist and Director of Clinical Training at ARISE Alliance, who’s leading the launch of a powerful new therapy model called Critical Memory Integration (CMI™). CMI™ is a modality that marries many components of evidenced-based trauma informed care into one gentle, quick and safe template for providers.  CMI™ teaches that the client is the expert who can heal with experiential space where their subconscious can learn what it already intuitively knows.  Engaging components of the program include using curiosity as an asset and defining mood and traumatic signals to learn and modify how you have adapted to past experiences.  Estefana brings a passion and energy to this modality borrowing from her background with at-risk and foster care children with ASA Now, being a team player on Jacob’s Law legislature & her own personal journey as a first generation Mexican-American woman.  CMI™ is potentially groundbreaking as a simple, intuitive & effective intervention for anyone suffering from trauma or mood dysregulation.     
———————————————-
Chapters  
(00:00) Intro: Estefana Johnson background 
(04:50) The gift of adversity
(06:50) Foster care support & Jacob’s Law
(07:22) Trauma-Informed School 
(08:33) Jacob’s Mission Community Center
(10:55) Trauma modality limitations & modifications
(12:50) Melding practice modalities  
(13:20) Critical Memory Integration Defined
(14:25) Therapist perspective 
(15:30) Working with trauma
(16:00) Case study: learning to like myself 
(16:55) An experiential, subconscious & client-based model 
(18:00) Attachment styles & negative self-talk 
(18:47) “It happens organically” 
(19:50) Logic v. emotion / shame & complex trauma 
(20:20) Using signals for cues
(24:00) Being tuned in and self-aware
(25:50) Awakening & adapting to childhood memories 
(26:43) T3 Skills for regulation 
(28:56) The compass within & life worth living 
(33:00) Case study in curiosity 
(34:41) Tapping into organic knowledge 
(36:10) It’s about how we adapt, not what we experience 
(37:28) Cautious and careful following the signal to integration 
(38:53) Brain learns subconscious signs 
(42:30) Staying curious 
(43:25) Learn to be loved and love one’s self
(46:30) Managing deportation fears, etc. 
(48:00) Looking for answers within not outside of ourselves
(48:40) Evidence based options, provider list & training
(54:00) Living in ‘Awe’ 
———————————–

https://www.instagram.com/ariseallianceinstitute/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5MyzV9KBg0eJ0uY88N-zCw https://www.facebook.com/AriseAllianceInstitute/  

Mental Health & Wellness Training- ARISE Alliance Institute
https://arisealliance.org/
ASA Now – Home
https://www.asanow.org/
Jacob’s Law: Bringing Hope to their Futures | Foster Arizona
https://fosterarizona.org/jacobs-law-bringing-hope-to-their-futures/

Roxanne Fernandes and Megan Peta Hill are co-writers & co-directors on ECHO, a short film exploring the true and painful recovery journey of an eating disorder.  Roxanne & Megan co-direct the film & Megan is a lead actor. They have put together a talented and dedicated team including producer, Makalya McIntosh; Dave Chick, composer and Robert Zawistowski, director of Photography.  

The short follows a day in Lana’s life where the noise and pressure of her eating disorder play host to every moment and experience.  The short film takes a stark, poignant and uncomfortable look at the impact of an eating disorder, including how the disorder hijacks Lana’s entire physical & psychological wellness & threatens her relationships.  Sharp, pulsing & emotive sounds & cinematography paint a picture on screen to how her ED brain misinterprets innocuous comments, how she fights to keep her story stuffed down in a self-shaming silence and how behaviors can be a comforting release from the relentless ED ‘noise.’  

The film is currently finding exposure in film festivals across the US and Canada while fundraising for a feature length opportunity.

https://seedandspark.com/fund/echo-post-production#storyhttps://www.instagram.com/echoshort2024/

Home – Looking Glass Foundation
https://www.lookingglassbc.com/

Echo (Short) – Full cast & crew – IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35463275/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cst_sm 

“I’m Not Alone: A teen’s guide to living with a parent who has mental illness or trauma.”
Both books illustrate the depth, strain and nuances of managing these challenging relationships. They offer detailed steps, visual guides, skills & practice, reflection options & real-life stories to inspire and support families and loved ones.
Michelle recognizes the barriers to accessing and maintaining mental health support for anyone, but she and her Mo wrote this book deliberately to fill a large void in addressing families who suffer, particularly teens.
They wonderfully craft a resource that can serve as your mental health support encyclopedia as well as a soothing tool that relays: “you are not alone & you can be supported & understood!”
———————————-
https://www.seedsofhopebooks.com/about
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/loving-someone-with-a-mental-illness-or-history-of-trauma-skills-hope-and-strength-for-your-journey
https://a.co/d/3qJwDHk
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loving-someone-with-a-mental-illness-or-history-of-trauma-michelle-d-sherman/1145837826?ean=9781421450506

“You don’t have to live this way!”  For over 10 years Corinne Santore has been treating first responders & teaching them how to accept and regulate their nervous system and process work traumas!  She demystifies trauma, ‘little T’s’ and ‘big T’s’ and the impact work trauma can have on a first responder’s personal & work life if left unresolved or filed incorrectly in the brain. Bilateral stimulation from movement, beats or EMDR are just a few tools she explores.  A vulnerable and underserved population, she advocates for global awareness & tolerance to getting help and a world where EMDR, emotional processing and regulation tools are preventive and normative.  

First Responders’ Bridge Retreat – First Responders’ Bridge
SpeakEasy on Mayfield
IAFF Center of Excellence – Rehab & Treatment for Fire Fighters
Bluecoats
OAPFF – Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters

“Taking medicine and then being a completely different person is scary'” 
It’s easier to list the meds Ian hasn’t taken, then the ones he has over his recovery journey! He has a long history managing an eating disorder, mood & sleep disturbance.  Now in a solid recovery place, he shares how meds were essential at times, how to use genetic testing to gauge efficacy, when treatment overshadows meds, going to your baseline and trusting yourself (sometimes) even without chemical support!  

Genetic Testing Cost | Genetic Testing Insurance | GeneSight
Medicaid Coverage | Genetics Policy Hub
Billing and Coding: Molecular Pathology and Genetic Testing (A58917)

Sensitive Content Warning: discussion contains anorexic behaviors, self-harm and medical restraints. 
Restraint chairs, sedatives, forced feeds, isolation from family, misdiagnoses and COVID make for a super daunting recovery ride – but Luisa rides the wave like a boss into her current recovery!  
Luisa offers 3 takeaways:

1-     Misdiagnosing Anorexia and ARFID
2-     Medical Trauma in ED recovery
3-     Impact of being young in treatment

“You wouldn’t have recognized me: I was a completely different person!”
Luisa is now 17, telling us about her mental health and eating disorder recovery journey that started at 7.  She was identified and treated for ARFID at 11 when panic attacks started, but that only told half her story.  Eventually, she was diagnosed with Anorexia, and proceeded to be bounced between treatment centers, medical floors and psychiatric wards for the next 3 years.  Learning to label and forgive the traumas, learning to trust her resilience and voice and learning how to find better ways to serve young people in the mental health community are just a few of the gifts she shares!

“It can be like Jekyll & Hyde!” Supporting a struggling friend can feel daunting and confusing.  Takeaways: 1 – Listen  2 – Support 3 – Self Care!      El tells about her personal story with a very close friend struggling with mental health and eating disorder challenges for many years.  El informs on how to ask questions, learn boundaries and protect your own mental health w/knowledge and self-care.    

Diets, Trends, Pills, Fads Don’t Work! 
3 Takeaways:

1. OA versus FA versus ED Treatment
2. 2. Semaglutide for the Win
3. 3. learning you are more then your size – so much more!

Tracie Guggenheim has tried it all and has a lot to share about her recovery path for binge eating disorder and anorexia.  She shares what it’s like to be told to lose 10 pounds at 11 years old, then watch your weight swing like a pendulum for years and years rarely feeling comfortable in your own skin and then finally finding peace with her body and an intention to feel well, not to fit a certain aesthetic. 

Eating Disorders are Messy & so Is Recovery!
Eating Disorder Coach Kate Ely, ‘Recovery with Kate’, shares 3 take aways: 
1. What to expect with an Eating Disorder Coach
2. How to get and assess an Eating Disorder Coach
3. How to become an Eating Disorder Coach. 
It takes a village and a robust team to support ED recovery.  ED coaching is a newer layer that proves efficacious and supportive!  

Chapters  
(00:00) Intro: Kate Ely Profession
(01:25) ED Coaching Defines
(03:45) ED Coaching as a Profession & Options
(04:55) Lived Experience
(06:26) Support in a Casual Setting
(08:00) Coaching Training  – Carolyn Costin
(09:56) Connecting with Clients 
(10:48) Certification & Expectations
(13:32) Boundaries & Supervision 
(17:32) Working in a Team Setting
(20:35) Creative Support Options & Connection
(25:04) Positive Recovery Stories
(28:38) Financial Options & Insurance 
(31:30) Knowing Your Ready to Be a Coach
(33:30) Recovery Is Messy
(36:15) Free Services & Project Heal 

Kate Ely | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach
Home – International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals
ANAD Home | ANAD – National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
Training and Certification for Eating Disorder Coaches | Carolyn Costin Institute
Project HEAL

Thanks for listening! Therapist Caise 
“Capturing Stories & Inspiring Recovery!”

NO Rubric or Standard Curriculum = Misinformation!
Join my colleagues on me on a mission to replace moralizing & quantifying food & body  personal anecdotes, euphemisms and metaphors with evidenced-based science for student health literacy! 

His vast experience spans several safety forces settings. Here he his graciously willing to discuss mental health opportunities available to first responders in his community and particularly, the Police Department. He talks at length about these innovative opportunities and how these have shown efficacy in supporting not only police enforcement officers but the community at large. He straight talks about the demands of a job that have evolving challenges for maintaining balanced mental health.  I am so appreciative of his insightful and informative approach and ideas for globalizing the police officer’s mental health story across communities.

(00:00) Introduction to Mental Health in First Responders
(02:40) The Evolution of Mental Health Awareness
(05:55) Training for Mental Health Crises
(08:37) Wellness Programs and Peer Support
(11:51) Innovative Approaches to Mental Health
(14:40) The Importance of Taking Timeouts
(17:24) Resources for Mental Health Support
(20:39) Preventive Measures in Mental Health
(23:25) Critical Incident Debriefs (26:08) Personal Reflections on Mental Health
(29:17) The Future of Mental Health in First Responders

Bluecoats
Safety Forces Center
Assist 77 – Safety Forces Center
News, Training, Products for Police, Law Enforcement Professionals
Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness (LEMHWA) Program Resources | COPS OFFICE

Makayla talks producing, acting, filmmaking & life in the entertainment industry and how her pivot to find value in something that can’t be shaken evolved into her feature film SHREDDED and in her role as a producer on the upcoming short ECHO.  Enjoy – “You’re only control is showing up”!  

Follow/Learn About Makayla: @shreddedthefilm @echoshort2024 @iammakaylamcintosh  

RESOURCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH & EATING DISORDERS
NAMI | National Alliance on Mental Illness
Home – National Eating Disorders Association
The Entertainment Community Fund Offers Mental Health Services | SAG-AFTRA
United Talent Agency : Home
Vancouver – Mental Health Commission of Canada

Watch Shredded: 
https://filmzie.com/content/shredded-2024#google_vignette

15 year old M has many years of treatment behind her and a beautiful recovery for the last 2 years where she followed both vegetarian and vegan choices.  She sheds light and how to manage theses preferences, resources to increase access and nutrition balance and cautions on how to look out for that ED voice and subtle restriction. 

Weekly Meal Prep Recipes & Meal Planner – Workweek Lunch

ChatGPT

Everyone defines an emergency differently but ER staff have to respond every single time with balance and competency – a daunting ask!   
Many of us may find ourselves or a loved one needing emergency services.    At that time, we are often in a vulnerable space or in crisis and dependent on the individuals who have chosen this unpredictable and often intense & traumatic setting. My guest today is Dr. Jason Milk – he Is the medical director of a Cleveland Clinic emergency department and overseas 6 additional emergency departments including supervision of emergency staff.   He provides a window into the challenges of these first responders & provides direction and empathy for those who walk this integral path.  Dr. Milk highlights how the controlled chaos of an emergency room is as unique one moment to the next as are the individuals who need these services.  Working from a human approach, he speaks on the value of training to find equilibrium, utilizing a team dynamic, changes that impact the care model and how empathy and learning to take a Pause personally and professionally can make the job humbling, rewarding and sustainable. 

“I completely erased my plan & started living by the seat of my pants.”  
G is a 19 yo college student who tells us exactly what she experienced when her life flipped upside down thanks to the onset of panic attacks. G was paralyzed and overwhelmed at first, but she’s a true fighter who already tamed an eating disorder 2 years prior.  She does not relent, and between sharing with others, returning to therapy & medication support she learned about anxiety.  Then she started to ride the wave, finally creating the ultimate exposure for her fear, going solo to costa rica where yoga and solitude taught her how to sit in her own space & allow what comes, even if it’s panic.  

Kevin highlights the benefit of higher level of care, medication support, not sitting in isolation, and learning how to do the daunting task of focusing your positive energy and that helping vibe towards yourself to prioritize your own healing and recovery.  I am honored to share space with his honesty, vulnerability and insight for this poignant conversation!

(00:00) The Journey to Seeking Help
(02:58) Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health
(05:27) Childhood Influences on Mental Health
(08:37) The Impact of First Responder Work
(11:12) Therapeutic Approaches and Experiences
(13:38) Coping with PTSD and Anxiety
(16:46) The Importance of Community and Support
(19:16) Firefighters: Center of Excellence Residential Care 
(21:46) Finding Peace and Self-Discovery
(38:52) Navigating Mental Health Treatments
(41:14) Personal Medication Journeys
(46:42) Building a Daily Anxiety Plan
(49:22) Inner Child Work and Self-Care
(55:09) The Importance of Peer Support
(01:00:37) Creating Supportive Environments
 (01:06:14) Facing Fears and Shifting Perspectives

IAFF Center of Excellence – Rehab & Treatment for Fire Fighters
Bluecoats
OAPFF – Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters

A native of England, she has found a creative and welcoming home in Cleveland, Ohio.  Helen has performed across the globe with many symphony orchestras & in big band shows & musicals including on Broadway and with the renowned Cleveland Orchestra as a frontline vocalist. In 2016, her musical release, “Spellbound” was an entry for the Traditional Pop Category of the Grammy Awards.

Her current show “A Little More Naughty than Nice! w/the Skatch Anderssen Orchestra is at the Maltz Performing Arts Center in Cleveland on 12/22:  A Little More Naughty Than Nice with Helen Welch | Maltz Performing Arts Center | Case Western Reserve University

In our conversation, we explore how her musical focus on Karen Carpenter and the Carpenters has been personally & musically rewarding but also has served as a spotlight on how mental health is addressed universally and for performers in particular.  Several of her current shows highlight the music of the Carpenters & are featured on her album: Superstar: The Carpenter’s Reimagined.

With Helen, there will be stories, laughter & wisdom and this episode is no exception –  I am so pleased to bring Helen Welch Close to You.

Home – Helen Welch

YOUTUBE:
Sizzle Reel
https://youtu.be/FEg8EMxbLvk?si=Fa3zmt_zce7xTyRu

“Superstar. The Carpenters Reimagined”
https://youtu.be/LXBuK-qZapA?si=xBprPcB1bmMEU05D

I Won’t Last a Day Without You
https://youtu.be/onScJdWFfOs?si=vgJJau2lKTnwqhq-

Ohio & National Performer Resources 
Home – OAPN
Home  · Actors’ Equity Association
Amplifying Midwestern Creativity – Arts Midwest
NAMI | National Alliance on Mental Illness
The Entertainment Community Fund Offers Mental Health Services | SAG-AFTRA

My guest is Samsung who has several years of mental health and eating disorder recovery.  She reflects on her experience where these kinds of friendships proved both beneficial and hurtful.  She offers insight on boundaries, communication and inevitably how to trust your family or community and your treatment team to support your recovery.  I’m continuously amazed by her overall recovery and her perspective and candidness – thanks for listening!  

Her conversation illuminates specific benefits and challenges of managing mental health and eating disorders in the Jewish community at large, and sepcifically for those in the Orthodox Jewish community.  Judy’s experience and professionalism blend well with her passionate and dedicated voice to this important cultural story.  

What We Discuss:

• (00:30) Intro
• (01:30) Judy Neuman Clinical History
• (05:15) ARFID & Trauma Support 
• (07:40) Judaism Defined 
• (10:15) Variations in Strictness & Adherence
• (12:00) Social Media Options & Impact
• (14:00) ED Trends
• (15:15) ED & Mental Health Support in Schools
• (16:30) Small Community/Improved Prevention & Awareness
• (19:30) Screening & Awareness At Large 
• (22:15) Holiday Impact on Interventions
• (24:30) Rabbi Support in Treatment 
• (28:15) Orthodox & Kosher Meals
• (16:30) Small Community/Improved Prevention & Awareness
• (19:30) Screening & Awareness At Large 
• (22:15) Holiday Impact on Interventions
• (24:30) Rabbi Support in Treatment 
• (28:15) Kosher Meals & Treatment 
• (31:00) Jewish Population Overall 
• (32:30) Fasting & ED 
• (38:45) Higher Level of Care Impact 
• (43:00) Personality/Prototype Traits of ED
• (45:00) Resoources

Access the full show notes for this episode at caiserodemchale.com.

Episode Resources:

NAALEH Cleveland 
Contact – naalehcleveland.org
216-591-6191

Home | The Jewish Federations of North America

Orthodox Judaism Today | My Jewish Learning

When Tracey’s daughter is diagnosed with complex mental health and eating disorder challenges, Tracey discovers that she can only support Faith’s journey if she is willing to truly immerse herself in her own recovery journey & to begin dispelling generational self-narratives & addressing negative behaviors. Tracey beautifully illustrates how shame lives in the silence and how we need to learn to just listen, be safer places for each other to land & redefine self-care to develop a loving relationship with ourselves that eventually enriches our families and ostensibly, all or relationships. Tracey’s tone in bloodlines is sharply honest & starkly specific but it lands the reader in a safer place where healing & hope are vibrant & exciting!  

Bloodlines: A Memoir – Tracey Yokas Creates

Amazon.com: Bloodlines: A Memoir of Harm and Healing eBook : Yokas, Tracey: Kindle Store

Follow Tracey on Instagram: @TraceyYokas

Nope, Shawn teaches it is possible, yes, it is hard but it can also be an opportunity for personal growth and for developing strong communication and a safe, supportive place with a partner.  He paves an honest and hopeful path based on his experience with his person who struggles with an eating disorder and Shawn’s own mental & physical health complications.  Shawn offers us wonderfully inspiring perspective and life tools for cultivating relationships on a recovery path.  

A great add-on layer or replacement for talk therapy.  EMDR is non-invasive and focuses on resetting negative core beliefs or stuck thoughts.  Equine assisted therapy supports self-regulation, emotional soothing and a safe play to practice mindfulness and self-nurturing for oneself and a therapeutic animal partner.  In this shared approach, challenges including complicated trauma can be addressed in a safe, supportive setting.  Toni touts amazing outcomes for herself and others and the benefit of a life spent in the community of horses.  

Green Fisher Farm LLC | horse therapy | Geauga County, 9001 Kinsman Road, Novelty, OH, USA

EMDR Therapy: What It Is, Procedure & Effectiveness (clevelandclinic.org)

EA-EMDR, the home of EquiLateral – Equine Assisted EMDR (eaemdr.com)

Therapeutic Horsemanship | Professional Certifications | PATH Intl

Home – EAGALA

Most of these interventions are short term and can complement outpatient therapy – which can be more long term for those with complicated diagnosis or symptoms.
This is a quick surface dive for the following: Eye movement desensitization & processing (EMDR), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Ketamine, Acupuncture, Hypnotherapy, Bio & Neuro Feedback & Virtual Reality Therapy. See below for starting points on the internet and related podcasts.

Acupuncture: What You Need To Know | NCCIH (nih.gov) – NCCIH

Alternative Therapy Resources

Transcranial magnetic stimulation – Mayo Clinic – Mayo Clinic

TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation): What It Is (clevelandclinic.org) – Cleveland Clinic
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2HLgbxNLBCayFwHBHy4EHK?si=Bg90J4jpQja9X38PiORbGQ – EMDR Podcast

EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) (webmd.com) – Web MD BrainStimulation Therapies – National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (nih.gov) – NIMH

How Ketamine Drug Helps with Depression > News > Yale Medicine – Yale Medicine

What is Ketamine? How it Works and May Help With Severe Depression (webmd.com) – Web MD

Ketamine as an antidepressant: overview of its mechanisms of action and potential predictive biomarkers – PMC (nih.gov) – NIMHBiofeedback | Johns Hopkins Medicine – John Hopkins https://open.spotify.com/episode/06kOfTkCpoBkZ01qphv39m?si=83bd7d2706414ea2 – VR Therapy Podcast

Therapist Resources — Elizabeth McMahon, PhD (elizabeth-mcmahon.com) – VR Therapy Author

Hypnosis – Mayo Clinic – Mayo Clinic

She has become an instrumental voice for this on-trend and effective modality and has authored many pieces on these topics, most notably are Virtual Reality Therapy for Anxiety: A Guide for Therapists & the self-help workbook, Overcoming Anxiety and Panic interactive guide. These tools offer detailed, evidence-based direction for those struggling with anxiety & ample case studies & specific applied examples for clinicians. She also contributes to Psychology Today & PESI.com. She graciously shares her time with us to discuss her anxiety model & treatment process including using VR for exposures that are safe and wildly effective. A true, passionate pioneer helping those with anxiety find relief and a life worthwhile.

Dr. McMahon’s books are available on Amazon*:
https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Anxiety-Panic-interactive-guide/dp/0979640806

Other Elizabeth McMahon Resources:
Website: https://www.elizabeth-mcmahon.com/therapist-resources
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/overcoming-anxiety-and-panic
PESI: https://catalog.pesi.com/item/virtual-reality-vr-anxiety-phobia-treatment-guide-vr-practical-rapid-effective-exposure-therapy-78551?
Society for Virtual Reality Therapy: https://www.svrt.org/
VR & Eating Disorder Treatment: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34048622/
*I have no financial or business affiliation with Dr. McMahon or Amazon. 

M struggled early in life with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder where she built skills she used to manage her ED at first on her own. But like many who struggle with ED, a village of support is almost always needed to find true and sustainable recovery. Her tenacious strong will, positive outlook and complete willingness and openness to find recovery draw an inspiring path for others to emulate. She brings us a young hope-filled & refreshing voice in a tough ED world! 

Peer Support borrows from the success of Alcoholics Anonymous in matching persons with lived experience & good recovery with someone currently seeking recovery.  Ann illustrates how peer support strengthens the therapeutic team, offers hope, and provides flexibility and accountability for the Mentee.  Ann educates on the protocols, boundaries & expectations of this new modality that is slowly becoming acknowledged in the ED community.  Ann highlights how honesty, openness and willingness are key components in the success of this valuable partnership. “Eating Disorders are very isolating disorders, you get a peers supporter, and it helps you to become connected to the world and what a wonderful thing that is for someone.” 

Stephanie is a brilliant Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who is currently in private practice at the Hull Institute in Cleveland, OH. She also borrows from past experience at the Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders in Arizona. She is a graduate of Arizona State university and Miami University of Ohio. She blends her education & experience with a furtive dedication to helping people find freedom from the grip of their ED.

Already dealing with anxiety through childhood, anxiety became exacerbated during the next few years on her treatment path. She and her family searched furtively for years for a correct diagnosis – not accepting that her symptoms were only anxiety and GI issues. She inspires as an advocate for medical accountability and as holder of hope on her beautiful & complicated recovery path.

He informs on the blurred lines between physiological and disordered eating origins and how mental health and navigating stages of gender transition can muddy the waters of recovery. Not willing to be deterred by these hurdles, he stopped resisting change and started to hear and share his voice while leaning into coping skills to unravel all these entangled obstacles to land in the now, where he is willing to share and inspire with openness. Gray is a true champion of perseverance and patience.

She tells of incessant battering by her inner voice, hidden behaviors and the ongoing battle to listen to and regulate her body. She educates on self-advocacy in speaking up, especially in the medical field and reflects on using skills and learning emotional language to help allow food to be satisfying, pleasurable & nourishing. She doesn’t hold back one bit so her voice rings loud and true for anyone on a recovery path.

Her many years of expertise as a clinical psychologist in higher level of care settings, in private practice and as a clinical director and teacher informs poignant discussion points including autonomy and ethics in ED care, being beautifully infallible and vulnerable in your practice, finding the right fit & options to find a recovery that is real, doing the hard work that sucks and willingness to wade through the sh– river of recovery. She unabashedly explores using humor, therapeutic eye rolls, protective factors, fairy dust, flexibility and learning to leverage her patients’ strong emotions to help them find their own unique recovery.”

Panic Disorder is a clinical disorder with an often-debilitating set of symptoms that affect the mind & body. Panic & Anxiety can be treated with a combination of professional support, education & skills and sometimes medication. Learn 2 Stages to approaching panic including a review of 4 Sensory Cues and preventive, reactive and post-care regulation and tolerance skills.

She graciously and starkly takes us on her journey with her daughter towards recovery. From test, questions and missed diagnoses to exhausting changes in their personal lives to teaming up with several community supports and powering through with persistence to beautiful outcomes. Her story is educational and motivating.

She helps us unravel ARFID’s presentation, symptoms & medical concerns. Additionally, she breaks down intervention, recovery factors and impact on the family system. She insightfully delves into the import of individualized, specialty care and focusing treatment on exposure therapy, distress tolerance and building trust in the therapeutic relationship. The journey her clients take with her starts with being flexible: willingness to be uncomfortable tackling food avoidance which develops into global success strategies which evolve into beautiful hope and the prospect of recovery.

Her thoughts a scary place and her independence & sense of safety threatened. She takes us on an informative & private journey highlighting how her recovery progress demanded she be intentional, do the hard strenuous work, lean on her support group, and challenge entrenched thoughts. Get ready to be moved & educated as she goes from crisis to personal transformation. “I had to look panic right in the eye and move through it because you can’t go past it, you can’t go around it, you have to feel it in order to get past it & recover.”