Mental Note
Health, Fitness & Longevity
About
Meet Mental Note – a podcast highlighting both the work and the beauty of mental health recovery. Stories will span a variety of mental illness struggles from eating disorders to depression, OCD and Bipolar. We will introduce you to relatable personalities, and dive deep into how they choose health amidst daunting illnesses. At the end of it all, we will provide hope that recovery is possible—and worth it.
Episodes
- Supporting a Partner with an Eating Disorder (Without Losing Yourself) Featuring Dr. Dana Harron
What does it really mean to support a partner with an eating disorder? Does it require becoming the food police? What about the caregiver's needs? Psychologist and author, Dr. Dana Harron sits down with us to examine the unique challenges…
- Building a Life Beyond Treatment: Eating Disorder Recovery and Finding Purpose with Harper Reed
In this episode of Mental Note Podcast, Ellie Pike sits down with Harper Reed—eating disorder survivor and recovery coach—for an honest conversation about eating disorder recovery, grief, anxiety, and what it really takes to rebuild your l…
- You Don't Need 10,000 Steps: The Truth About Exercise and Mental Health with Adee Levinstein
Is exercise really as good as antidepressants—or is that headline missing the bigger picture? In this episode of Mental Note, we sit down with registered dietitian and eating disorder specialist Adee Levinstein to unpack the complex relati…
- Eating Disorders as Responses to Disordered Systems: How Sophie Szew Harnesses Creativity to Imagine a World Without Eating Disorders
Say It Brave On Campus, Episode 3 What if eating disorders aren't simply individual illnesses, but rational responses to disordered systems? In the third and final episode of our college-focused miniseries, Shannon Kopp speaks with Sophie…
- High-Functioning, Quietly Struggling - Male Mental Health, Suicidality, and Choosing Life with Sam Funderburk
Say It Brave On Campus, Episode 2 In part two of our mini-series, Shannon Kopp sits down with neuroscientist and data analyst, Sam Funderburk, to talk about high-functioning depression, male mental health stigma, and the quiet pressure to…
- The Pressure to Push Through: Eli Teel on Eating Disorder Recovery as a Trans College Student
Say It Brave On Campus, Episode 1 We chose to honor this year's National Eating Disorders Awareness Week by trying something new - our first ever mini-series. The topic? Real stories from the intersection of college life, mental health, an…
- Why Simple Tasks Feel Impossible: Executive Functioning Explained with Dr. Leslee Marcom
If you've ever stared at a simple task and felt an unexplainable, heavy resistance… you are definitely not alone - and you are not broken! With the help of psychologist and clinical director Leslee Marcom, we'll unpack the topic of executi…
- Understanding ARFID and OCD: Crystal Weidman's Journey Through Fear, Recovery, and Hope
For most of her life, science teacher and meteorologist Crystal Weidman was labeled a "picky eater." While friends and family fixated on her unique food rules, they completely missed the clues that something more serious was to blame. In t…
- Social Media and Mental Health: A Conversation with Dr. Alyssa Lucker
In this episode of the Mental Note Podcast, psychiatrist Dr. Alyssa Lucker unpacks the complicated relationship between social media and mental health - especially for teens and young adults. We explore the challenges of researching social…
- Depression in High Achievers: Jenny Jacobsen on Burnout, Anxiety, and Healing
Depression doesn't always look like staying in bed or losing motivation. For high-achieving people, it often hides behind packed schedules, perfectionism, and quiet exhaustion. In this episode, therapist Jenny Jacobsen unpacks how depressi…
- Should I Say This in Therapy? Understanding Confidentiality and Informed Consent with Maria Ortiz and Dr. Zoe Ross-Nash
Should I Say This in Therapy? Have you ever wondered what your therapist can and can't share outside the therapy room? Or when therapy confidentiality laws require them to break that trust? In this collaborative episode, Ellie Pike joins c…
- Intermittent Fasting & Mental Health: The Science Behind What Diet Culture Isn't Telling You
Intermittent fasting is everywhere—from influencer feeds to doctor's offices—but is this trending approach to eating really the wellness cure-all it claims to be? In this episode of Mental Note , registered dietitian Jennifer Vittitow join…
- Choosing Treatment: How Writer Lara Jacobs Reclaimed Her Story from an Eating Disorder
A dangerous secret lurked behind author Lara Jacobs' ambition: she relied on anorexia to focus her writing, blurring the line between artistic drive and self-destruction. In this episode, Lara shares how years of chasing a story across con…
- Parenting Through Eating Disorder Recovery: Advice from Those Who've Been There
Supporting a loved one through eating disorder recovery can feel overwhelming—but you don't have to do it alone. In this special Q&A episode, we sit down with experienced parents Beth Ayn Stansfield and Amy Oberholtzer, who have navigated…
- Who Gets to Heal? Akiera Gilbert on Access and Equity in Eating Disorder Treatment
In a world where mental health care is often seen as one-size-fits-all, Akiera Gilbert is on a mission to break down barriers and open the doors of eating disorder treatment to those often left behind. As the CEO of Project Heal, Akiera le…
- Body Image and Liberation with Carly Compton
As an eating disorder survivor turned eating disorder therapist, Carly Compton strives to be the person that she wishes she would have known when she was younger. That conviction led her on a rewarding journey to become a therapist, model,…
- Let's Discuss ADHD with Landon Bryant
From Chaos to Creativity: Storyteller and artist Landon Bryant explores his journey from struggling with life's basic challenges to finding success and support after an adult ADHD diagnosis. Landon shares how he navigated the difficulties…
- Ozempic, Eating Disorders, and Diabetes: GLP-1 weight loss drugs explained with Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar
GLP-1 weight loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have exploded in popularity due to their weight-loss potential. But what do they actually do? How do they function? And why are they the subject of so much controversy? With insight from…
- Addiction, Incarceration, and Transformational Love - How Queer Filmmaker Vik Chopra Found His Voice
Growing up, Vik Chopra was not the kid most people assumed would end up serving a sentence in Federal prison. A student leader with straight A's and numerous volunteer hours, Vik secretly hid pain and shame beneath a shiny outward persona…
- Substance Use Disorders Part 2 - How to Make an Effective Change with Leah Young
Welcome to part two of our Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Discussion with Leah Young where we focus on the proactive steps you can take to find recovery from a SUD. Today's episode is all about what to do once you realize you have a problem…
- Substance Use Disorder 101 - How much is too much? with Leah Young
In our next two episodes, we will explore a disorder affecting nearly one in five Americans - Substance Use Disorder (SUD). From knowing when your patterns are problematic, to building new neural pathways, to measuring success - we want to…
- Securely Attached - Why Relationship Patterns Matter with Eli Harwood aka Attachment Nerd
Close relationships set the tone for how we experience love and security. Yet, keeping those relationships healthy is rarely easy. Fortunately, Attachment Theory researchers have spent decades scrutinizing why we connect the way we do and…
- What is ARFID Anyway? Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder with Dr. Michelle Jones
Today, we investigate Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) - a diagnosis that can be as confusing as its name suggests… But fear not! We are lucky to have Dr. Michelle Jones as our guide. As a clinical psychologist who studied…
- Medication: Musician David Wimbish Normalizes Psychiatric Care Through Art
One chilly Maine morning, enveloped in a snowed-in cabin, musician DW sat at a piano recording a melody that had just popped into his brain. As he played, the phrase "I deserve to be well" tumbled out of his mouth in song. He immediately b…
- How Have You Grown This Year?
The end of the calendar year packs a lot into a short amount of time and it can be easy to deprioritize your mental health in all that noise. One of the best ways to refocus on your values is to remember the ways you've grown this past yea…
- Calming Moody Storms - Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) with Dr. Allison Chase
Today's episode is all about giving you an incredibly practical tool for navigating emotion-focused conversations anywhere and with anyone. To do that, we've invited Dr. Allison Chase to walk us through Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT…
- Getting Feely - Embracing Emotions with Nōn Wels
Have you ever been told that you're too emotional? Or felt the need to hide your heart in order to be accepted and productive? Community builder and writer Nōn Wels can relate. As a sensitive kid growing up in an environment that didn't al…
- Fat in a Thin World: Weight Inclusivity with Aubrey Gordon and Kara Richardson Whitely
Have you ever wondered why our culture treats fat and fat bodies with such vehement scorn? What about the experiences of people who are fat? What does it mean to exist in a thin-obsessed society? With humor, personal stories, and research…
- Thriving as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) with April Snow
Have you ever noticed that you simply notice more? Therapist, author, consultant, and Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) April Snow wants you to know that you are not alone. In fact, the genetic trait responsible for Sensory Processing Sensitiv…
- Unlocking Radical Authenticity with Moe Ari Brown
Have you ever felt like the real you - the one that exists deep, deep down - is not aligned with how you live your life? What would it be like to let the true you break free? That's why we created today's podcast. Licensed Marriage and Fam…
- Anxiety, Depression & Coming of Age as a Dreamer with Mario Gonzalez
Mario Gonzalez moved to the United States when he was only three years old as the son of undocumented immigrants who followed seasonal harvests up and down the West Coast. As a result, his childhood was filled with constant change, insecur…
- Breaking Free from Binge Eating Disorder with Dave Vrablik
Dave Vrablik's lifelong habit of emotional eating never felt like a serious problem. That is, until one heartbreaking phone call five years ago… Upon receiving news about the death of his beloved older brother, Dave's occasional compulsive…
- Healing Through Grief and Loss with Kaylee Kron
For more than 10 years Kaylee Kron has walked alongside the bereaved, companioning them and honoring the memory of their lost loved ones. In a culture that treats death and grief like they are contagious, she is a wise guide prompting us t…
- Adult ADHD & How to Get Things Done with KC Davis
Right as therapist KC Davis gave birth to her second baby, Covid-19 began shutting down normal life. Not only that, but KC had just moved to a new city, her husband began a demanding new job, and pandemic restrictions caused their carefull…
- Anorexia in Diverse Bodies: Nothing Atypical About It
American culture praises weight loss. A quick scroll of social media, magazine racks, or even the news will yield numerous "transformation" stories documenting how a fat person turned their life around by shedding pounds. But at what cost?…
- How Do You Heal at Home?
Beyond the rush and noise of the Holiday Season, hides an amazing treasure - the passing of stories and wisdom from our elders. And we're not just talking about tales of the good ol' days from grandparents! Because an elder is simply someo…
- Bipolar Disorder, Motherhood, and Relationships: Choosing Connection with Kea Yamamoto
As a teenager, Kea Yamamoto's behaviors transformed from being respectful, creative, and empathetic to ones that alienated the people she cared most about. Not only did she lash out, but she also stopped sleeping, began hallucinating, and…
- How Temperament Influences Eating Disorder Recovery with Dr. Laura Hill
Discover how your personality can be both your biggest asset and greatest stumbling block on today's fascinating episode. When Dr. Laura Hill first encountered research showing that a person's temperament - the baked-in personality traits…
- Suicide Prevention with Hope for the Day
Suicide is one of those words that stops us in our tracks. Often, we treat it tenderly — acting like saying it too loudly will inspire someone to do something awful. But the truth is that not talking about suicide is what actually increase…
- The Basics on Mood & Anxiety Disorders with Dr. Howard Weeks
Researching anxiety and mood disorders can be daunting - and deciding who is credible and what research holds up under scrutiny is even harder. That's why we made today's episode! Welcome to our little one-stop-shop-overview of the basics…
- Reframing Joyful Movement for Limited Mobility
Four years ago Jayne Mattingly discovered something was seriously wrong with her health. Not only was she starting to see a loss of mobility, but physicians told her these physical limitations would only progress for the rest of her life.…
- They/Them: Creating Affirming Spaces with Lor Sabourin
Lor Sabourin knows a thing or two about resilience and the power of thoughtfully approaching a relationship - be it with a sport or gender. A professional rock climber who grew up in Detroit, they spent years figuring out how to not hide t…
- An Asian Mental Health Story with Carrie Zhang
Growing up, Carrie Zhang - the founder of The Asian Mental Health Project - felt as though she had no right to talk about her mounting struggles with sadness and anxiety. You see, her parents - two immigrants from China and Taiwan - could…
- What is Virtual Treatment Really Like?
At the beginning of 2020 Mackenzie Carmichael flew to Eating Recovery Center in Denver, Colorado determined to finally overcome a persistent eating disorder. The plan was to slowly step down from residential treatment to an outpatient prog…
- Depression & Suicide Prevention with Kevin Berthia
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses suicide On March 11, 2005, Kevin Berthia became famous…For all the wrong reasons. As he stood on an exposed pipe - with only the wind holding him up from plunging into the waters below San Francisco'…
- Is It Picky Eating or Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)?
So perhaps your child - or even you or another adult - is really particular about food and refuses to eat but you just cannot understand why. You can tell their mealtime anxiety is not normal but how do you know if it adds up to a full-blo…
- Finding Your Own Voice with Vollie McKenzie
Picture this: a warm July breeze stirs my hair as I sit on the back porch. My toddler, illuminated by moonlight and the twinkle of fireflies, gently spins in circles, hands waving in the air as she moves to the strumming of a guitar mixed…
- Can You Pray Depression Away?
What do you do when prayer is not helping your depression but actually making it worse? For author and speaker Abraham Sculley, answering this question and finding lasting freedom from his mental illness meant rethinking and challenging a…
- 47 - I Can't Sleep, Now What?
Here's the thing about sleep - one in three American adults simply do not get the sleep they require on a regular basis. That's not ok! Sleep deprivation kicks off a cascading series of consequences for our physical health, relationships,…
- 46 - Can Exercise Be Fat Positive and Joyful?
Kim Gould Fry is on a mission to help restore your relationship with your body and introduce you to intuitive movement - no big deal, right? Her approach focuses on both physical and mental health through training and partnering with fat a…