Self-Care September 🌿

Body Image, Ozempic Culture & Protecting Your Self-Esteem

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:29:01 +0000

In this solo episode, Bailey Taylor gets candid about body image, self-esteem, and the pressure to keep up in a world shaped by social media, fashion trends, and Ozempic culture. She opens up about her own weight loss journey, falling out of routines, and what it feels like to start over when your confidence is low. Bailey also shares her honest take on the return of ultra-skinny beauty standards, why she believes health and strength should be the goal, and how comparison online can distort your sense of reality. From small daily rituals to movement, skincare, mindset shifts, and learning to slow down, this episode is a raw conversation about taking your power back and building confidence in a healthier, more lasting way.

Follow Bailey Taylor HERE

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Waking Up with Ryan: Overcoming Overthinking: Your Busy Mind Isn't You

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Your mind is constantly vacillating — between past and future, good and bad, success and failure — and most of us are addicted to following it wherever it goes. In this episode of Waking Up with Ryan, we explore the difference between the mind that never stops moving and the awareness underneath it that never moves at all. Drawing on a line from A Course in Miracles, Ryan guides you through a simple but powerful shift: resting back into the presence that's always here, beneath every thought. Includes a guided meditation to help you practice coming home to yourself. Perfect for your morning routine — a few minutes to wake up, breathe, and remember who you really are.

Tell Ryan about yourself! https://wakingupwithryan.com/hello

Follow on Substack (@WakingUpWithRyan)

You can follow Ryan on Instagram (@wakingupwithryan), YouTube (@wakingupwithryanpod), or visit wakingupwithryan.com.

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Free Therapy with Ben & Kevin: How to heal from your deepest pain #16

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

This week is about what happens when you finally stop trying to be okay with what happened to you.

Ben sits down with his former therapist, Jessica Serber, who helped him work through years of grief and anger after surviving cancer three times before the age of 24. For a long time, Ben thought healing meant moving on, staying positive, and building a life that had nothing to do with cancer. What he eventually learned was almost the opposite: he couldn’t move through the pain until he let himself actually feel it.

They talk about the anger Ben didn’t think he was allowed to have, the parts of his life he felt cancer had taken from him, and how finally telling the truth about those feelings changed his relationship with the experience. They also get into what healing actually looks like when the thing that happened to you never completely goes away, and how to show up for someone you love when there’s nothing you can say to make things better.

We’ve been best friends since college. We lived in the same house while Ben was going through chemotherapy and still barely talked about what was actually happening. Years later, sitting down with Jess brought us back to conversations we didn’t know how to have then.

If you’ve been carrying pain, anger, grief, or something you’ve convinced yourself you should be “over” by now, this episode is for you.

You can’t heal what you won’t let yourself feel.

New episodes every Thursday. Follow on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and on Instagram at @freetherapy.

And as a reminder, we are not therapists, and while this may feel like therapy, it’s not. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional who can help.

0:00 Reuniting with his old therapist
10:00 Allowed to feel his anger
17:51 Seeing his cancer as trophies
28:09 What to say when someone's struggling
35:28 Getting uncomfortable to heal
42:24 Grief camp and giving back

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Waking Up With Ryan: If You're Not Nervous, You're Not Growing

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

That knot in your stomach before something new? It's not a sign to stop — it's a sign you're expanding. In this episode, Ryan explores why fear, nervousness, and anxiety are inevitable companions to any meaningful growth, drawing on stories from legendary performers like Liza Minnelli and Meryl Streep who leaned into their nerves rather than away from them. You'll learn how to reframe that anxious feeling as a signal of impending expansion rather than a warning to retreat — and then settle into a guided practice to help you meet the unknown with more presence, courage, and self-trust. If you've been putting off something because it scares you, this episode is your permission slip to take the leap anyway.

Tell Ryan about yourself! https://wakingupwithryan.com/hello

Follow on Substack (@WakingUpWithRyan)

You can follow Ryan on Instagram (@wakingupwithryan), YouTube (@wakingupwithryanpod), or visit wakingupwithryan.com.

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The Psychology of Your 20s- 445. Your guide to nervous system regulation

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Tips for nervous system regulation are everywhere right now - from breathwork and cold plunges to conversations about burnout, anxiety, and trauma. But what does it actually mean to be regulated, and are we sometimes turning healing into another thing to obsess over? In this episode, we take a grounded, research-informed look at what your nervous system is really trying to do, why fight-or-flight is not the enemy, and how stress, trauma, lifestyle, and hypersensitivity can shape the way we feel in our bodies.

We explore:
• What the window of tolerance can teach us about overwhelm and shutdown
• Why your nervous system is trying to protect you
• The role of trauma, chronic stress, and lifestyle factors in dysregulation
• What a regulated nervous system can actually feel like
• How hypersensitivity can keep us stuck in symptom-monitoring
• Why sleep, safety, nourishment, connection, and routine matter more than expensive wellness tools

Watch on Netflix: HERE

Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast

Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s

For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com

Our favourite sources:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.31887/DCNS.2006.8.4/jbremner
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789413000191?via%3Dihub
https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/44/6/zsaa289/6053003
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTJAjx-AGAo

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Tony Mantor: Why Not Me ?: Elaine Hall: The Miracle Project, Autism, Belonging, and Why We Should Stop Trying to "Fix" People

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 22:00:00 +0000

Show Notes

What if the biggest breakthrough in autism isn't changing autistic people—but changing the way we see them?

In this inspiring episode of Why Not Me?, Tony Mantor sits down with internationally recognized autism advocate, educator, author, and founder of The Miracle Project, Elaine Hall.

After adopting her son from Russia and later learning he was autistic, Elaine's life took an unexpected turn that would ultimately transform autism advocacy around the world.

Together, they discuss the importance of meeting autistic individuals where they are, replacing judgment with understanding, and focusing on strengths instead of deficits. Elaine shares the story behind The Miracle Project, the Emmy Award-winning documentary Autism: The Musical, her work influencing Hollywood toward authentic neurodivergent representation, and why creating communities of belonging matters more than simply talking about inclusion.

The conversation also explores late autism identification, masking, neurodiversity, communication beyond words, and the lasting impact acceptance can have on individuals, families, educators, and communities.

Whether you're autistic, a parent, educator, clinician, advocate, or simply someone wanting to better understand autism, this episode offers hope, compassion, and a fresh perspective on what it truly means to belong.

In this episode you'll learn:

Why behavior is communication
The power of following an autistic person's lead
Why "fixing" autism is the wrong goal
How The Miracle Project is changing lives through the arts
The importance of strengths-based support
The reality of masking and late identification
Creating belonging instead of simply promoting inclusion
How authentic representation is changing perceptions worldwide
Why acceptance begins with listening
Elaine's powerful message of hope for families everywhere

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Waking Up With Ryan: When Life Doesn't Go Your Way

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Life doesn't always go according to plan — and that's exactly where the growth happens. In this episode of Waking Up with Ryan, we explore what it really means when things don't work out the way we hoped, and why those disappointments aren't obstacles to your healing — they're doorways to it.

Drawing on the Yoga Sutras and a reminder from Leonard Cohen ("The crack is where the light gets in"), Ryan walks through how our unprocessed emotions get stirred up in moments of disappointment, and offers a guided practice for pausing, noticing what's arising in the body, and letting yourself be more fully seen and healed — instead of getting swept into old stories and reactive patterns.

You can follow Ryan on Instagram (@wakingupwithryan), YouTube (@wakingupwithryanpod), or visit wakingupwithryan.com.

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Free Therapy with Ben & Kevin: How to manage anxiety and ruminate less #11

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000

This week is about anxiety and rumination, and why trying to get rid of your anxiety is exactly what keeps it going.

Kimberley Quinlan is an amazing therapist who specializes in anxiety and rumination. In this episode she gets into why a thought is not a fact, why avoidance quietly shrinks your entire life, and what she actually does at 3am when her brain won't turn off. It is not what you'd expect!!

We found out during this episode that we've been feeding our anxiety for years without realizing it. She pointed out all the little ways we treat anxious thoughts like they're important, and why attention control is the key to retraining your brain out of the spiral.

If you're the one lying awake at 2am running the same loop, this one is for you.

New episodes every week. Follow on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and on Instagram at @freetherapy.

And as a reminder, we are not therapists, and while this may feel like therapy, it's not. So if you're struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional who can help.

00:00:00 – Intro
00:02:24 – Why You Can't Get Rid of Anxiety
00:09:32 – A Thought Is Not a Fact
00:15:10 – Why We Ruminate
00:22:12 – Avoidance and Doing It Scared
00:24:55 – The 2AM Spiral

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Wellness, Actually: What's the deal with pregnancy brain? (feat. Allison Williams)

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000

This week, Emily and Perry are joined by actress Allison Williams to discuss all things pregnancy brain. Are the fog and forgetfulness due to actual brain shrinkage? Does it replenish itself postpartum? Do women ever actually "bounce back"? What's all this change in the service of, exactly? And, most importantly, how do we support the women in our lives going through this?

Plus: lactate gels at the Tour de France, Bryan Johnson's pesky autoimmune disease, and hail and farewell to the last American Polio survivor.

Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Free Therapy with Ben & Kevin: Let’s stop people-pleasing and start having hard conversations #10

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Our guest this week is my former therapist, Koorosh Rassekh! We talk about where people-pleasing actually comes from, why it isn't a flaw you need to fix but something that once kept you safe, and the techniques that actually make hard conversations easier.

For most of my life I thought keeping the peace made me a better friend, partner, and person. I'd suppress my needs, avoid the conversations I was dreading, and tell myself I was just being easygoing. But it actually just built quiet resentment and slowly ruined my relationships.

If you say yes when you mean no, or you've been sitting on a conversation for months because you're afraid of how it'll land, this one's for you.

– Kevin

New episodes every week. Follow on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and on Instagram at @freetherapy.

And as a reminder, we are not therapists, and while this may feel like therapy, it’s not. So if you’re struggling, please reach out to a mental health professional who can help.

0:00 Intro: people-pleasing and conflict avoidance
6:59 Why you're not broken
9:47 Why expressing needs feels impossible
13:16 People-pleasing caught in real time
24:58 How to have hard conversations
41:08 Signs you're people-pleasing, and the cost

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Health Stuff: Music & Therapy with DJ Hesta Prynn

Wed, 20 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Priyanka and Hari explore the healing power of music with DJ Hesta Prynn, a DJ and therapist blending neuroscience, psychology, and music. From earworms and breakup songs to rave culture, lullabies, and ketamine-assisted therapy, they unpack why certain songs hit so deeply, how music shapes emotion and memory, and whether the songs we obsess over might be telling us something about ourselves.

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Wellness, Actually: What's the deal with hormone replacement therapy?

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000

This week, Emily, a woman, and Perry, a man, wade into the complicated world of hormone replacement therapy, the first of a two-part series on exogenous hormones and the sexes who love them. What do hormones do for women, and what happens when they recede? And why was HRT so closely -- and erroneously -- linked to breast cancer?

Plus: a new type of diabetes, a normie CDC director nominee, and the groovy (?) reclassification of psychedelics.

Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Therapy For Black Girls: Session 460: Self-Worth, Reinvention, & Realness

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

This week we’re back for another session of “Ask Dr. Joy, our exclusive Patreon segment where I answer questions submitted by our community members. Today, we’re talking about the journey of getting back to yourself. If you’ve ever wondered, “Who am I when I’m not performing?” If you’re learning to trust your voice, reclaiming your worth, or finally choosing you after years of everything from caretaking to code-switching, you’ll want to check it out.

About the Podcast

The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.

Resources & Announcements

Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together.

You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.

Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.

Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.

Stay Connected

Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox.

If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.

Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop.

The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.

Make sure to follow us on social media:

Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls

Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls

Our Production Team

Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins

Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis

Producers: Tyree Rush & Ndeye Thioubou

Production Assistant: Bria Mosley

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Wellness, Actually: What's the deal with red light therapy?

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

This week, Emily and Perry shine a light on red light therapy: its origins, its heroic use of the mighty mitochondria, and the supposed countless benefits (better mood, wound healing, facial rejuvenation, hair regrowth?) of sitting in front of a hot red light that may or may not even be able to penetrate your skin.

Plus: the disturbing return of polio, whether multivitamins have an effect on epigenetic aging, and if the pitch clock, while modestly good for Emily's enjoyment of baseball, is ruining pitchers' elbows.

Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DJ Hesta Prynn's Music Is Therapy: Meditate to Get Good at Life (with Emily Fletcher)

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 13:29:03 +0000

This episode is for anyone who has ever said “I can’t meditate.”

Maybe you tried it once. Maybe you felt like you were doing it wrong.

You’re not.

In this episode of Music Is Therapy, DJ Hesta Prynn sits down with meditation teacher Emily Fletcher, founder of Ziva, to talk about what meditation actually is, what it does to your nervous system, and why 60,000 people have learned it from her, including some of the world's highest performers and people who were convinced they couldn’t.

The conversation goes much deeper than meditation.

We talk about coherence in the nervous system, music as emotional technology, why many manifestation teachings skip the rage and grief step, and what it actually takes to change your internal state.

There’s also a moment where Emily turns the mic around and reflects something back to Hesta that lands hard.

Hesta cries.
She left it in.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re failing at stillness or at life, this episode is for you.

In This Episode, We Discuss• Why meditation can give the body rest deeper than sleep
• The difference between ritual and ceremony
• What coherence vs. dissonance means in the nervous system
• The “stress prison” and why humans default to fight-or-flight
• Why authenticity vibrates higher than “love and light”
• Why many manifestation teachings skip the rage and grief step
• The role of pleasure and life force energy in manifestation
• What Taylor Swift concerts might teach us about ceremony at scale
• Why AI may function as amplified intelligence depending on human consciousness
• The vulnerable moment where Emily reflects something powerful back to HestaOne Tool From the EpisodeThe Three-Song Dance Party
(from Emily Fletcher’s Ziva Magic manifestation formula)Emily teaches a practice for moving emotional energy through the body using music. A rage or grief song — feel the block
A release song — move the energy
A pleasure or hype song — embody the dreamMusic moves emotions through the body much faster than thinking about them.Featured Song: Where You Are - John Summit

Pretty Good Year - Tori Amos

Music Connection Therapy: Birthday Class - March 21st 1pm est FREE | Zoom

It's Hesta's birthday month, to celebrate, Music Connection Therapy is open to everyone. One time. Free.

Saturday, March 21st. About an hour. Half writing, half dance party. Let's identify a dream for one area of your life and put it to music.

It's free. It's on Zoom. It's limited to the first 30 people.

https://hestaprynn.mykajabi.com/bday-training

Monthly Playlist

10 Songs That Made Me

These aren't Hesta's favorite songs or the songs she DJs. These are songs that built her.

Now she wants yours. Make your list — ten (or so) songs that made you you. Email it to musicistherapypod@gmail.com. Tell her if she can share it. She wants to know who's out there.

Connect with Emily Fletcher

Website: zivameditation.com use code BLISS15 for 15% off all Ziva offerings
Instagram: @zivameditation

Podcast: Why Isn't Everyone Doing This? — available everywhere
Book: Stress Less, Accomplish More

Connect With the Show

Instagram: @hestaprynnmusic
Substack: hestaprynn.substack.com
Course: Music Connection Therapy
Email: musicistherapypod@gmail.com - questions, thoughts, someone you want on the show, or your 10 songs playlist

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Wellness, Actually: What's the deal with GLP-1s?

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

This week, Emily and Perry discuss GLP-1s, those blockbuster weight-loss drugs that have taken the world by storm -- and not just what you already know about them. From the origins in Gila monster venom to the surprisingly long history of their use, they explore their effectiveness, side effects, lingering questions about long-term usage, and the weird knock-on effects in both the brain (libido?) and our society (protein water?). These drugs are here to stay, so let's understand them from every angle.

Plus: RFK vs. Dr. Mike, a concerning Surgeon General pick, and unsurprising data around football head injuries.

Concussion & CTE Foundation

Submit a question for our weekly mailbag at wellnessactually.fm.

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Tony Mantor: Why Not Me ?: Salima Adelstein: Awakening Hearts: Education with Love and Healing

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 23:00:00 +0000

Send us Fan Mail

This episode of Why Not Me, host Tony Mantor discusses with special guest Salima Adelstein, a renowned Sufi mystic and master healer, about her lifelong dedication to spiritual healing and education. Salima shares her journey from teaching special needs children to becoming a spiritual guide, highlighting the transformative power of Sufi practices.
The episode explores the challenges and successes of alternative education systems, integrating spirituality with healing, and the personal growth and inner peace found through Sufi teachings.
The conversation underscores the importance of understanding and compassion in navigating mental health and autism, offering insights into the programs available at the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism.

Meet Salima Adelstein: Sufi Mystic and Healer
Salima's Journey and Early Career
Challenges and Successes in Alternative Education
Transition to Spiritual Healing and Sufism
Global Reach and Online Programs
Balancing Inner Peace with Outer Challenges
The Five Cs of Inner Truth
Final Thoughts and Contact Information

INTRO/OUTRO: T. Wild
Mantor Music BMI

The content on Why Not Me: Embracing Autism amd Mental Health Worldwide, including discussions on mental health, autism, and related topics, is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only.

The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not reflect those of the podcast, its hosts, or affiliates.

Why Not Me is not a medical or mental health professional and does not endorse or verify the accuracy, efficacy, safety of any treatments, programs, or advice discussed.

Listeners should consult qualified healthcare professionals, such as licensed therapists, psychologists, or physicians, before making decisions about mental health or autism- related care.

Reliance on this podcast's contents is at the listener's own risk.

Why Not Me is not liable for any outcomes, financial or otherwise, resulting from actions taken based on the information provided.

https://tonymantor.com
https://Facebook.com/tonymantor
https://instagram.com/tonymantor
https://twitter.com/tonymantor
https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic
intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)

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The Male Room with Dr. Jesse Mills: The Science of Sleep: Why You’re Waking Up at 3 A.M. (and What Actually Helps)

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 09:01:00 +0000

Dr. Mills sits down with board-certified sleep medicine physician and UCLA faculty member Dr. Sam Kashani to break down what’s really happening when you can’t stay asleep. They demystify REM vs. deep sleep, explain why sleep trackers can sometimes make insomnia worse, and outline the real red flags for sleep apnea—plus how home sleep tests are changing the game. Along the way, they cut through the noise on supplements like melatonin and valerian, and make the case for CBT-I as the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for insomnia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.