Above Ground Podcast

We first talked with Rob in episode ninety four where he felt uncomfortably numb. A hose of truth was used to put out the fires of mental health stigma. Now Rob is back, wanting more, doing more, and ultimately doing whatever is necessary to achieve it!!! Rob is a member of the peer ranks in spreading awareness and believes silence does nothing but strengthen stigma. His  work with Boots On The Ground can attest to that. Rob’s ketamine diaries help us understand what it’s like to bear witness to trauma and death and find life again. 

What’s up everyone and welcome to episode two hundred eighteen of Above Ground Podcast. We welcome back guest, Rob Leathen  to talk about his “trips” to Field Trip, where he underwent Ketamine treatment for his PTSD from a long career as a first responder in Canada. We also hit the peer-spective by discussing his work as warm line peer for Boots on the Ground, a 24 hour a day peer service for first responders. 

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic, but as we are finding out in recent studies, there is a positive benefit to people living with depression and ptsd. With 30 years of experience being a first responder he is no stranger to traumatic events. Rob shared his diaries and experience through the process. He shares how he connected and realized in order to bloom, we must let go and allow the mind to bloom. 

With so many types of therapy available and Rob being open to them, ketamine was a very effective therapy treatment for him. As he states, he no longer approaches situations with his brain, instead he approaches them with his heart.  

Join us today and every Wednesday as we stomp out the stigmas of mental health. Follow us on your social media of choice and hit that subscribe button so you will stay up to date on all our new episodes!!!

Check the links below for Field Trip and Boots on the Ground below to find out more. Until next Wednesday get well, be safe, stay Above. 

https://www.bootsontheground.ca

https://www.fieldtriphealth.com

A simple definition of neuroscience is the study of the nervous system. What’s not so simple is how the brain and nervous system work together. This week we are geeking out in the hemispheres of our mind. 

Hey, welcome to episode two hundred seventeen of Above Ground Podcast. This week Will & TPP look at neuroscience and the brain with our,  I’m not a scientist, but I pretend to be one on a podcast for an hour selves. 

Click the link below  to check out Psychology Today’s neuroscience center and get some knowledge of your hard drive. Tune in next week when we have Rob Leathen back on to talk about his ketamine diaries and psychedelic assisted therapy for PTSD. As always get well, be safe, stay above.

https://www.psychologytoday.com

Twenty two service men and women die by suicide everyday. Those are just the ones that can be counted. Countless others suffer alone. You can only embrace the suck so long, before you need to change your operation. 

What is up and welcome to episode two hundred sixteen of Above Ground Podcast. This week we are joined by Gunny Claus. Gunny, is a retired Marine Drill Sergeant, who adopted his persona of Gunny Claus, to make some meaning and give back to the community. 

Upon returning home Gunny wanted to make a difference and found his way to helping Toys for Tots. When asked to appear as a living example, Gunny was forced out of his box. Gunny opened himself up to allow parts of himself to be touched that as a Marine would not have been otherwise. 

Gunny provides us a chance to witness in real time that how we affect someone has ripple effects throughout our world. And you never know when you might run into one of those particular individuals. Be careful, you meet the same people on the way up as you do on the way down. They just look differently from your back, so remain on your toes and treat people kindly. 

Irreverent Warriors is a national organization that helps vets heal through shared experience,  humor,  and providing understanding, connection and camaraderie to help mental health and prevent suicide. Gunny will be in NYC on August 26, 2023 for the Silkie’s Hike NYC. A non athletic hike kicking off at W 67th Street at 7:00am. 

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of Above Ground Podcast. Thank you to everyone who came out to NipperFest last week and spoke with us. We were grateful to be part of the connection and the community. Please continue to rate, review, subscribe and share. Until next Wednesday, get well, be safe, stay Above.

https://irreverentwarriors.com

Are you curious about what healing can bring into your life? Are you fed up with your past experiences hindering your present and blocking your future? If you answered yes to either, we've got an episode for you!! We all have mental health. We all have hurdles. And we all have the ability to improve in some small way so never underestimate the power of you.

Welcome to episode two hundred fifteen of Above Ground Podcast. This week we celebrate the book, Never Underestimate the Power of You, by none other than AGP's Timothy "TPP" Parent. Because well, we all have the power inside…sometimes we just need a light, a nudge, or even a smack right upside the head. With Tim's mantra of, Educate.Inspire.Support, Tim created a book that can help accomplish those things for you. This book can be your guide to tap your power and become the person you want to be. When you’re ready, the book is waiting. What are you waiting for?

Arey ou down with TPP?? Start here with this episode and get a brief glimpse into the book and the author. Pick up this help yourself book today and stop underestimating yourself and start your healing journey. You're worth it. 

You can find, Never Underestimate the Power of You here on Amazon. If you’re in the 518, you can go pick up a copy at The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany NY or stop in to our favorite boutique in Glenville- The Sages Circle, Glenville NY. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and click the notifications, that way you know when it's live.If you enjoyed this episode please share it with someone you think may also enjoy it and get back here next Wednesday for episode two hundred sixteen. Until next week get well, be safe, stay ABOVE.

https://www.amazon.com/Never-Underestimate-Power-You-Project/dp/B0BM43J534

Yoga is challenging, but it forces you to be in the moment. The more times we put ourselves in the moment we push ourselves.  The postures provide you a physical map to lead you into the moment. This week we are talking yoga and rebuilding the mountain that is self. Through the trauma fires, fisticuffs and rage, Marc Salvi rebuilt his mountain and its construction of yoga, metal and connection. 

Welcome to episode two hundred fourteen of Above Ground Podcast. Another week, another real conversation about mental health and wellness from the peer-spective. Summer is dashing like a thoroughbred and before we know it the race will be run. Prioritizing self care and exercise is important. Yoga may be the perfect addition to your physical, mental and spiritual health. 

Our guest this week is Marc Salvi. Marc is a Nippertown based yoga teacher. Marc’s classes are designed to bring non yoga people to the practice. Marc came to yoga for help recovering from his aches and pains of the gym rat life. In 2021 Marc completed his RYT200 with Michelle Pollard, owner of Studio 4 Hot Yoga and Pilates of Schenectady, NY. Marc aims to help students cultivate greater body awareness by becoming mindful of every part of the body. With breath work, building strength, gaining mobility, and stability, you will move through your life smoother and more confident. 

Marc can be found on the schedules of Studio 4 Hot Yoga & Pilates, 151 Lafayette Street, Schenectady, NY. Marc also teaches in Slingerlands at JAI Yoga School, 5 Vista Blvd, Slingerlands, NY. 

When Marc is not teaching yoga, he takes part in his other passions. He is a dad of twins(boy/girl). Marc trains Tae Kwon Do with them and is a huge fan of the martial arts. His day job is a  construction project manager with more than twenty years and counting in the industry.  Not to mention he loves metal and hardcore music. 

Thanks for listening to this week’s Above Ground Podcast. Please stop by our table at NipperFest this Saturday and say hey!!! NipperFest will be rocking from 11a-10pm, Saturday at Central Park Music Haven, Schenectady, NY.  Get there and support local music. Until we meet again next week, get well, be safe, stay ABOVE. 

Self love is huge. Our deficit of self love is huge too. Accepting the real is a true test of mindfulness. People with abandonment issues often have difficulty staying in the real, for fear of being let down by the real. This week we are throwing down and singing gimme three steps, gimme three steps mista, gimme three steps to self love. Or, at least help us narrow it down.

Welcome to episode two hundred thirteen of Above Ground Podcast. We are speeding through the summer of 2023 and continue to bring real, raw conversations about mental health from what we deemed the peer-spective. This week is no different. We hope you enjoyed last week's show with our guest, John 'Bloodclot' Joseph. Next week we are joined by Yogi Marc Salvi. Check it out every Wednesday.

Mindfulness is the amusement park of the self. Within these walls resides emotion. Our connection. Our pain and the path to our healing. Our forgiveness. And our letting go. In the bigtop is the circus of life. All it's balancing acts, high flying acrobatics and sometimes a clown falls off their bike or their horn is stuffed. Either way, the clown who is an extra, might lose faith in themselves. When their bucket is empty. The clown blames himself. Our friend might not love himself after. With blame comes shame and Pagliacci may never regain his smile again. 

Have no fear, sad clown, Above Ground Podcast has some steps to learning how to love yourself again. Remember mindfulness is a process, a concept. Yes, it's acceptible that a clown, is a clown. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less. It's accepting that as a clown, you're expected to entertain people all the time. No matter how you feel. But, if you're causing yourself suffering by holding onto dreams of being one of the flying trapeze performers, please take the step of letting go. Forgive yourself and accept that you are the greatest clown ever, toot your horn like no one else can. And shout that I am Pagliacci, the horn tootinist', insightful and forgiving mo fo to ever paint a sad face. 

Thanks for checking in this week. Please come by Empire Live Albany, this Sunday from 11am-5pm for the next installation of Upstate Punk Rock Flea Market. Come to 93 North Pearl St. Albany, NY, and get your hands and eyes on some of the darkest, coolest, unique items anywhere. It's macabre. Lots of your parents wouldn't approve. Get outta the swamp of 'Toga tierras and come get ya some devil horns, animal remains and beard oil. 

Don't forget to come to Central Park Music Haven in Schenectady, NY for NipperFest 2023. Saturday July 22, from 11am-10pm. Come to Central Park and listen to some great 518 music and grab yourself a fistful of mental health resources to share with your neighbors. Be there or wish you were. Thanks for listening to episode two hundred thirteen of Above Ground Podcast. Please subscribe and turn on notifications in order to hear a new episode every Wednesday, four years and growing.  Until next week when we are joined by Marc Salvi, get well, be safe, stay ABOVE.

John Joseph is the definition of never giving up. John grew up in some of the most abusive environments a human can withstand. John nearly lost his human form on more than one occasion. John slung dope and shot dope. He was an addict and a criminal. Then finding himself begging for a way to stay above. John found service to be his path. 

Welcome to episode two hundred twelve of Above Ground Podcast. This week we are joined by John Joseph. John is a vegan triathlete, author, and  singer in his namesake band,  Bloodclot (Upstate Records). John wrote the help yourself classic, The PMA Effect; how a positive mental attitude can make you the badass you were born to be. This week we discuss substance abuse, real life on the streets and just who you need to become for a life of survival of the fittest. This is dedicated to the memories of Kevin McQuaid and Frank McGowan. 

From John’s earliest days the deck was stacked against him. Having gone from an abusive home where his prize fighter dad would use his mom for a punching bag. Then through the horrendous foster system where  his childhood was nearly erased from existence. Rather taking his chances, John, eventually ran away and claimed Alphabet City as his playground and training ground.  

John found a spiritual path out of the pain and torment he was in. Finding the teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.  John learned that freedom comes in the form of service.  Begging for help on the steps of the Krishna Temple, was the opening of the light. 

John Joseph says knowledge without application is useless. Don’t just read his books. Use them. Use them to find your own path. Knowledge can take us from hell to heaven in a minute.  Get a camp together and don’t be surprised by the ones who leave. Be surprised by the ones who stay. Stay humble and more tolerant than a tree and don’t let your ego get in the way of your life. 

John is currently the singer for Upstate Records recording artist Bloodclot. Thank you to Mario Cangemi for connecting us with John.  Check out John at these links:

https://www.upstaterecordsny.com

https://www.johnjosephdiscipline.com

https://prabhupadabooks.com

Without the cloudy days we wouldn’t know the sun. We wouldn’t use those days to create new grooves. Self-care, gratitude and celebration will lead you to say I can see clearly that the rain is gone and growth is on the way. 

Welcome to episode two hundred eleven of Above Ground Podcast. This week we are discussing the recognition of growth and our ability to see it in others, steward our own and connect the dots between insight and integration. 

Next week we have the former lead singer of the Cro-Mags, author, and vegan IronMan,  John ‘Bloodclot’ Joseph as our guest. We had a great conversation about Positive Mental Attitude and how a hardcore will is forged in someone. John’s journey was dangerous, traumatic, and could have ended his life on more than one occasion. Tune in and check it out. 

In July come see AGP at Upstate Punk Rock Flea Market, Sunday July, 16, from 11a-5p at Empire Live 93 North Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12207. Then stop by our table at NipperFest 2023, Saturday July 22 at the Central Park Music Haven Stage, 500 Iroquois Lane, Schenectady, NY, 12309.  11a-10pm rain or shine, family friendly. Until next week get well, be safe, stay Above. 

Without the cloudy days we wouldn’t know the sun. We wouldn’t use those days to create new grooves. Self-care, gratitude and celebration will lead you to say I can see clearly that the rain is gone and growth is on the way. 

Welcome to episode two hundred eleven of Above Ground Podcast. This week we are discussing the recognition of growth and our ability to see it in others, steward our own and connect the dots between insight and integration. 

Next week we have the former lead singer of the Cro-Mags, author, and vegan IronMan,  John ‘Bloodclot’ Joseph as our guest. We had a great conversation about Positive Mental Attitude and how a hardcore will is forged in someone. John’s journey was dangerous, traumatic, and could have ended his life on more than one occasion. Tune in and check it out. 

In July come see AGP at Upstate Punk Rock Flea Market, Sunday July, 16, from 11a-5p at Empire Live 93 North Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12207. Then stop by our table at NipperFest 2023, Saturday July 22 at the Central Park Music Haven Stage, 500 Iroquois Lane, Schenectady, NY, 12309.  11a-10pm rain or shine, family friendly. Until next week get well, be safe, stay Above. 

Insight, humor and a good dose of reality sounds like a great way to approach a conversation about therapy, the secret lives of teenagers  or anything, when you think about it. That’s just it, maybe you haven’t thought about the benefits of therapy. You should, and maybe a bit of BFF therapy is just what the doctor ordered. 

Hey everyone, time for episode two hundred ten of Above Ground Podcast. We attempt to live out the tenants of what  Dr.Jaimee Arnoff Ph.D. offers her clients and kiddos. Dr.Jaimee is a Clinical Psychologist based in Beacon, NY.  No topic is off limits, including trashy young adult novels and tap dancing. We talk therapy and how we can help parents struggling  with talking about mental health to their kiddos. 

If someone is having a hard time starting the conversation with their child about mental health, you can help. Start by asking why this is difficult or what barriers they face to just having a conversation? Let them know sometimes it is as easy as saying, I’m here for you if you ever want to talk, and I will listen". Let the parent make the choice about how to act, but guide them along the way by sharing your own tips and this podcast. 

We don’t always have the answers. It’s ok to not know how to proceed.  That vulnerability can be a benefit, not a barrier. At least for your child. For you, your ego may revolt and force you into unmindful tact or energy. You only get one chance to make a first impression on anyone, but especially our children. We do not want to leave them with a sense that speaking to us is not safe. Trust me, you can have hard conversations. You might be surprised at just how much it helps your kiddo and you.  When you can't, call Dr. Jaimee. That's what she is there for. 

You can find Dr. Jaimee Arnoff Ph.D down in Dutchess County at BFF Therapy. Located at 33 Henry Street, Beacon, NY 12508. Dr. Jaimee has a very active  BFF Therapy Instagram page and is also part of the team for James's Warrior's. You can find all of Dr. Jaime's appearances at her Linktree. 

Until next week get well, be safe, stay Above.