BeREAL

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Diana and Ednesha are joined by Jolene Blackbourn to discuss mental health in the legal field. Jolene Blackbourn is a California attorney who left her senior level position at a Fortune 100 company to help students graduate from college and law school in less time, with less debt and with less stress so they can live the life they always dreamed. She has been advising law students since she was one herself and has been giving speeches at universities for 20 years.    Jolene starts off the episode by explaining her stance on law school and the entire legal journey. She looks to promote safety in the application process and financial process. By safety this is both physical safety (student debt can lead to big issues in life) but also mental safety (both applications and finances are stress inducing). Ednesha uses this to jump into a conversation about the cost of law school. Specifically how the high cost of tuition leads to high average student debt which can create a feeling within law students that they must work long unhealthy hours to outrun their debt.   Following this, Jolene gets into talking about how to avoid law school debt. A big myth that she wants to bust is that you need to go to a top ranked law school. This mindset is what gets so many people into debt and it’s entirely untrue. In many circumstances actually, depending on what field of law you want to work in, it can be better to have a lower ranked school on your resume. And, on top of that, you’ll be leaving your law school years with less debt. Many top ranked law schools don’t even serve as gateways to a good paying legal job. Even big law has hidden costs that are often overlooked because of the big salary.   After a short break, the women return to talk about gender in the legal field. Jolene discusses the rise she sees in the number of women attending law school, and how this impacts the field. However, she also points out that many firms are still not family friendly. She offers her own experience as an example that in big law, after she had her first child, she was still expected to work long hours and neglect her role as a mother. Luckily, there are still some firms that are very hospitable to working mothers and some that were even completely remote before COVID.   Lastly, Jolene talks explicitly about mental health in the legal field. She gives examples of many stress inducing practices within law firms and how many lawyers are expected to meet unrealistic goals. To reduce stress, Jolene recommends looking for a practice that accommodates your lifestyle, and looking at ways to reduce your debt. Some suggestions she makes are taking a gap year or taking a lighter course load in law school.   Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for an all new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure you check out last week’s episode with Bridget Shannon and Dana Barron about diet culture.   For more information on Jolene or Legal Learning Center, visit the links below:   Website: www.legallearningcenter.com   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@legallearningcenter?lang=en   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolene-blackbourn-esq/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legallearningcenter/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Legal-Learning-Center-107193834095918/?modal=admin_todo_tour   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPv_-9VJZ1sJ9hTk-VrJ-Jw/   Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-legal-learning-podcast/id1540380466   For more information on BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast) and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:   To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today    www.beher-now.com    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Diana and Ednesha are joined by Dana Barron and Bridget Shannon of Wellness Lately to discuss diet culture and its impacts on mental health. Bridget Shannon and Dana Barron are the Founders of Wellness Lately. They help women stop binge eating and obsessing about food every day. Their mission is to reclaim wellness from diet culture. And their work is rooted in body liberation and food freedom, helping women all over the world escape the painful diet-binge cycle and embrace true well-being. Through their coaching programs, events and community they teach the principles of Intuitive Eating, Health at Every Size, Body Neutrality and Holistic Wellness.   Ednesha begins the episode by sharing a little history on her experience with dieting. She is what you may call a “chronic dieter” and has tried quite a few diet variations. Diana shares about her partner’s new intermittent fasting diet and how it has affected her life as someone who does not diet. Bridget and Dana jump in to discuss how they realized that in their past jobs within the wellness field, they were promoting the concept of an “ideal body.” Now, however, with their work at Wellness Lately, the women look to heal people’s relationship with eating and body image.   Dana and Bridget continue by defining the beliefs of their practice. They discuss intuitive eating and what it means to eat in response to your body and not your brain. They also define Intuitive eating (capital “I”) as the framework used to train women to connect with their bodies. These two concepts are utilized to teach how one can eat and still enjoy life without fear of weight gain. They go on to explain where the fear of weight gain originates in society. There are overarching messages instilled in business and advertising that weight loss is a good thing, but many people also have personal experiences that may have amplified a fear of weight gain. Ednesha ties the conversation back to her experiences as a Black woman. Beauty standards in America are all Euro-centric and along with thinness they also promote whiteness.    After a short break, the women return to discuss eating disorders. Diet culture has only worsened eating disorders and it can have numerous other negative effects on mental health. Part of this trend originates from orthorexia. Orthorexia is an obsession with healthy eating and such an obsession is not healthy within itself.    To finish off the episode, the women discuss why it is so hard to separate weight and health in American society. They talk about how consumer culture has shaped these two into one and some ways to untether them in your mind. Dana and Bridget also emphasize how the coronavirus pandemic has amplified diet culture. Fears of food scarcity and constant self-viewing on Zoom have altered eating habits and body image.    Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for a new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, check out last week’s episode with Melanie from GiRLiFE on empowering women to empower girls.   For more information on Dana, Bridget, and Wellness Lately, visit the links below: Website: https://www.wellnesslately.com/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellness_lately/   Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wellnesslately   Podcast: https://www.wellnesslately.com/podcast/   For more information on BeREAL (our mental wellness podcast) and BeWELL (our therapy practice in New York City and Hoboken, NJ) visit the links below:   To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today    www.beher-now.com    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/

Welcome back to BeREAL! Diana is back in the studio with Ednesha! Joining the two today is Melody Pourmoradi the founder of GiRLLiFE. She joins the team today to discuss profitable girl empowerment. Melody Pourmoradi is an empowerment coach, author, twin girl mom and the creator of the GiRLiFE Certification Program: A platform that trains women to create profitable girls empowerment businesses. Her greatest goal is for every young girl and woman to find her own voice and live a life that lights her up from the inside-out.    Melody begins the episode by explaining the goals of GiRLiFE. She defines the program as one that empowers women to empower girls. Oftentimes women are compared to each other and it creates tension and competitiveness. Melody wants to put this narrative to rest and instead promote camaraderie amongst women and teach them how to support each other. She traces one reason she got into this work to the observation that men often have lots of confidence. She believes this is because men are taught to take risks, while women are taught to over prepare for everything.   Melody continues on by walking Diana and Ednesha through the journey GiRLiFE students take. The program begins with girls as young as five years old, because Melody wants to catch them before they reach peak self confidence at age nine. These young girls have full lives ahead of them, and their confidence should not diminish as they age in the way it currently does in the world. She also points out that as the GiRLiFE girls age, they become less vocal in workshops. This is because teenagers begin focusing their attention on what they think others are thinking of them, and therefore coax themselves into silence.   After a short break, Melody returns to discuss some messages promoted in the GiRLiFE workshop about the power of one’s words. This workshop teaches that we don’t always say what we mean, and sometimes what we say can have dire consequences. The workshop also promotes nutrition, with a juice party finishing off each session.   Lastly, the women all discuss the ideas of profitability and passion. Often people are told that their passions should be hobbies. This is especially resonant in the social work field because service work is often expected to be free. However, due to the nature of the world, people cannot devote all their time to an activity that does not sustain their living. That is why GiRLiFE teaches that you should not be ashamed of doing good while also making money and supporting yourself.   Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week! Be on the lookout for an all new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure you check out last week’s episode with the Black Woman Be Whole team and Alex Elle about self care for Black women.    For more information on Melody or GiRLiFE, visit the links below:   Website: Www.getgirlpower.com   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlifeempowerment/   Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/girlsempowermentbiz/   Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empowering-her-with-melody-pourmoradi/id1525658264   For more information on BeREAL (our mental health podcast) and BeWELL (our therapy practice in Midtown Manhattan and Hoboken, New Jersey) visit the links below:   To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today    www.beher-now.com    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/  

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week marks the final episode of the Black Woman Be Whole takeover. Ednesha, Kim, and Marquia are joined this week by Alex Elle. Alex was on BeREAL last year, but she is back again to talk more about self care for black women.  Alexandra Elle is an author & wellness consultant living in the Washington, DC metro area with her husband and children. Writing came into her life by way of therapy and the exploration of healing through journaling. Quarterly, Alex teaches workshops and retreats centered around assisting others in finding their voices through storytelling, poetry, and narrative writing rooted in truth without shame. Her mission is to build community & self-care practices through literature & language. Alex is the author of multiple books and journals, most recently After the Rain, Neon Soul, and Today I Affirm: A Journal That Nurtures Self-Care.  Alex begins the episode by talking about what has changed since she was last on the show. Her career has taken off, and her book that was published in October, After the Rain, is already in its sixth printing. She discusses how the pandemic has drawn people to her messages of self care, and how her book withstands the changing mental health landscape during coronavirus. She talks about her experience on Good Morning America, and how she doesn’t like being termed an “influencer” because she wants people to listen to her because of her message, not because of her follower account. Marquia asks Alex for some advice on tackling old wounds that resurface. Alex stresses the importance of knowing what you need out of yourself and what you need out of your community and vocalizing both of those ideas. Alex brings up the conversation point that many black women nowadays find themselves as the sole healing matriarch in their family. The quartet discuss the stigma that black women need to be tough and how that impacts their daughters and mothers. The conversation shifts so Alex can discuss her relationship with her mother and how it is addressed in her book. Alex explains how the book is written to show black women that they are not alone and other women are experiencing similar struggles in life. Marquia backs up this explanation by joking that she felt called out by some of Alex’s passages.  To close off the episode, Alex recounts a recent experience she had with a white reader. Alex was told to not strictly identify as a black author because it makes her works less universal. Alex goes on to explain how this made her realize that she must hone in on her identity as a black author because self care for black women needs more representation. Thank you for tuning into the final Black Woman Be Whole takeover at BeREAL! Tune in next Tuesday for an episode back with the usual BeREAL team. In the meantime, make sure you go check out Black Woman Be Whole and their upcoming podcast. For more information on Alex Elle and all her work, visit the links below: Website: https://www.alexelle.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_elle/ For more information on Black Woman Be Whole, check out the links below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomanbewhole/    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackwomanbewhole/    For more information on BeREAL (our psychotherapy podcast) and BeWELL (our psychotherapy office in Midtown Manhattan NYC) visit the links below:   To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today    www.beher-now.com    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/  

Welcome back to the Black Woman Be Whole takeover on BeREAL! On the penultimate episode of this takeover, Ednesha, Kim, and Marquia are joined by Marla Renee Stewart to discuss sexuality, kink, and sexual confidence in Black women. Good thing Diana isn’t here this week (there’s a lot of “applesauce” talk)! Marla Renee Stewart, MA is a sexologist, coach, and author who runs her own sexuality education company, Velvet Lips, and is also a Co-Founder of the Sex Down South Conference. She has studied human sexuality for more than 20 years and has given over 500 workshops all over the world. She also has been featured on a variety of media outlets, including Netflix’s Trigger Warning with Killer Mike and Love & HipHop Atlanta. She co-wrote her first book, The Ultimate Guide to Seduction & Foreplay with Dr. Jessica O’Reilly, which debuted in April 2020.   Marla begins the episode by talking about her background and how she got into the sexology field. She recounts her coming out when she was 16 and how she would talk to her female friends and learned that they were not having orgasms. Ednesha relates this to the fact that a lot of sex dialogue around women is about pregnancy and STD prevention, and rarely about pleasure and sexuality.    The women move into the topic of sexual communication. Marla addresses when it is beneficial to be direct versus sensitive when talking to your partner about your sexual needs and concerns. They touch on the idea that often women will say something and others will take the statement to be something they must analyze for underlying context. It can create strain on a relationship when someone expects their partner to know things they won’t vocalize. Because of this, a simple change in communication can create a big change in a relationship. To make this change, it is important to learn if your partner is a visual, auditory, or tactile communicator.    After a short break, the women return to discuss Marla’s Sex Down South Conference. Marla outlines the goals of the conference, and how the coordinators works to uplift black, queer, disabled, and sex worker voices. Kim chimes in to tell about her experience at the conference two years in a row (pre-COVID of course). She tells that past the titillating fun of the sex dungeon and kink demonstrations, Kim sat in on some very informative panels about consent, sexual trauma, and sexual shame.    Lastly, the women talk about how to prioritize joy as a woman of color. Often, sexuality and kink for women of color are overlooked or stigmatized. However, that is what Marla is seeking to change through her workshops and conferences to inspire sexual confidence in black women.   Thank you for tuning into the Black Woman Be Whole takeover of the BeREAL Podcast this week! Be sure to catch the final takeover next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure you checked out last week’s takeover with Anzala Alozie about domestic violence against women of color.   For more information on Marla or Velvet Lips Sex Ed, check out the links below:   Website: https://www.velvetlipssexed.com/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1marlastewart/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VelvetLipsSxEd/   For more information on BeREAL (our therapy podcast) and BeWELL (our therapy office in NYC and Hoboken) visit the links below:   To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today    www.beher-now.com    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/

Welcome back to BeREAL this week… well kind of. The team at Black Woman Be Whole are back for another takeover this month. Kimberly, Marquia, and Ednesha are joined by Anzala Alozie to discuss domestic violence against women of color.  Anzala B. Alozie is a social impact strategist, change maker and executive. Anzala is a recognized  leader on women and girls’ empowerment, leadership development and diversity, equity and  inclusion. Anzala’s expertise includes organizational development and management, strategic  planning, global policy, DEI culture & systemic change, strategic partnerships, program development and transformational leadership & social change. She is a national speaker and trainer.    Anzala begins the episode by giving listeners a little backstory on her. She’s a lawyer that specializes in immigration law. Specifically, she would work cases revolving around the sexual assault of immigrants. She touches on the theme of history, which you already know is big at Black Woman Be Whole. She grew up with only brothers, so she talks about the sisterhood she has formed with her girlfriends, such as Marquia.    Next, Anzala discusses households where domestic violence against women of color occurs. Anzala shares her experience of being in this situation, and Kimberly shares a similar story that happened to a friend of hers. Kimberly brings up the trauma that is imbued within events of this sort, and Ednesha adds that trauma in the Black community is not spoken about often. People believe that trauma is a result of very specific events in one life, but the truth is trauma can emerge from any event, especially ones horrific as intimate partner violence. Adding to this, Ednesha brings up the statistics that 40% of Black women will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and that domestic violence against women of color is the number one health issues affecting Black women.    After a short break, the women return to discuss how domestic violence against women of color has seen an uptick due to the coronavirus pandemic. Not only are couples stuck together for longer periods of time now, but many outlets of support have been closed off. Examples of these outlets are staying at a friends house, or going to a women’s shelter. Marquia shares a story of a friend of hers who was socially isolated with her violent intimate partner during the pandemic.   To finish of the episode, the women speak about how to support a friend who opens up about their experience with intimate partner violence. Anzala brings up why phrases such as “why don’t you just leave?” are not helpful, because often attempts to flee domestic violence significantly increase the rate of fatality. They also discuss why many Black women may not want to report their partners to the authorities. Black women have to juggle both racial and sex based issues, and they often choose to put race based isses first. This means they would not want to report a Black man to the authorities, because there is an increased likelihood they will die in the hands of authorities.    Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for another Black Woman Be Whole take over next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure you check out last week’s rebroadcasting of our live 50th episode on cultural competence in therapy practices.    If your seeking out resources for victim of domestic violence, for you or a loved one, visit the links below:   National Domestic Violence  https://www.thehotline.org/get-help/local-resources/   800-799-SAFE   National Coalition against Domestic Violence https://ncadv.org/   National Dating Abuse Helpline  1-866-331-9474 www.loveisrespect.org   National Resource Center on Domestic Violence  1-800-537-2238 www.nrcdv.org and www.vawnet.org   For more information on Black Woman Be Whole, check out the links below:  

Welcome to BeREAL’s very first live episode! To celebrate our 50th episode, Diana and Ednesha went live a few weeks ago with guests Dr. Nathalie Edmund, Veronica Vaiti, Lyrica Fils-Aime, and Kerrie Mohr. The roundtable is here to discuss anti-racism in therapy practices. Kerrie Mohr has focused her career on seeking out solutions to individual, family, and community problems through clinical work, policy reform, organizing, managing teams, and building nonprofit social service programs.In addition to her 1:1 clinical work with psychotherapy clients, she supervises and coaches clinical social workers; facilitates professional development and training groups, and oversees all aspects of care, training, and fidelity to A Good Place Therapy’s various models of service delivery. She also volunteers for ​Sidewalk Talk, A Community Listening Project​, as the NYC chapter leader.   Nathalie Edmond, PsyD, RYT-500 is a licensed clinical psychologist and experienced yoga teacher who takes an integrative perspective to her consultations and trainings.  She believes that transformation happens when we integrate mind-body-spirit and have an embodied dialogue.  She is trained in multiculturalism and intersectional feminism and takes a trauma informed approach to her work.  She believes that anti-racism work includes addressing all marginalized groups and identities and working towards liberation of all beings. She regularly leads anti-racism and diversity trainings for clinical practices, libraries, school districts, corporations, nonprofits, activism groups and yoga communities.     Veronica Vaiti, LCSW-R, CCATP is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Bhava Therapy Group, a group private psychotherapy practice with offices in Midtown Manhattan and Riverdale, NY and now also providing Teletherapy. Veronica deeply values and respects the unique life journey each and every person she encounters is on. Whether working with a couple, an individual or a team of professionals at an organization, Veronica provides a safe and open space in which her clients can explore their truths, gain clarity around core issues and discover new, healthier ways of relating to themselves and the others in their lives.    After the group introduction, these amazing women get right into the discussion of anti-racism in the workplace. As social workers, these women organize trainings for predominantly white businesses on how to make the workplace more accessible and mental health positive for BIPOC co-workers.    This conversation sparks a realization in some of the practice owners, and the conversation shifts to focus on anti-racism in therapy practices. Veronica discusses her experience hiring therapists for her practice and how she has and has not incorporated anti-racism practices in these interviews. One thing the women touch on is what an all white practice truly reflects. It may reflect you as a leader, but more importantly it reflects the mental health field as a whole. The barriers to entry to the mental health field are very high and costly, something that many BIPOC cannot afford due to institutional racism.    Focusing in more on the importance of cultural competence in the mental health field, the women begin discussing education. Teaching anti-racism in therapy settings means teaching the curriculum to address many different dynamics; there could be a BIPOC clinician with an ignorant patient, a white clinician with a BIPOC patient, or a BIPOC patient with a BIPOC clinician. Although this may seem like a lot to learn, it is crucial to move the mental health field in a positive direction. The ladies give excellent examples of what can happen when people invest themselves in the curriculum as well as the downfalls that could occur if people choose to ignore the curriculum.    To finish off the discussion, the women discuss the current state of the mental health field.

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week we mix things up a little and Ednesha is coming to you without Diana. Ednesha is joined by the amazing Kimberly Moore and Marquia Farmer to announce their brand new podcast Black Woman Be Whole! To celebrate the new podcast and Black History Month, the women at Black Woman Be Whole will be taking over the BeREAL podcast for the entire month of February. Ednesha begins the episode by explaining how Black Woman Be Whole will be different than BeREAL. She highlights that she will not be coming to the new podcast as a therapist, instead she will simply come as herself. Along with Kim and Marquia, the group is looking to showcase different versions of what it means to be black.    Marquia continues on by telling listeners about how the three women met. Ednesha and Kim knew each other from high school, but Marquia didn’t meet them until much later. Marquia heard Ednesha talk at a conference and reached out in hopes that Ednesha would be her therapist. However, due to financial reasons that did not work out. Ednesha and Kim later asked Marquia to test a group they were forming. From there, Black Woman Be Whole was formed and Marquia joined the team. Now that team is excited to create their next project, the Black Woman Be Whole podcast.   After a short break, Marquia explains how she got into this work. She had found herself in a job position that was not fully utilizing her degree, and she was developing mental health issues. Marquia’s story about a specific breakdown she remembers having sparks a conversation around black women and mental health. People often discount the experiences had by black women and that leads to a stigma that they don't face mental health problems. Black Woman Be Whole is looking to break down these stigmas and expose the truth of what it means to be a black woman.   The team wraps up with a discussion of sisterhood during the pandemic and also offers commentary on the presidential inauguration. More specifically, they debate whether or not JLO should be considered an icon.    Thank you for tuning into the Black Woman Be Whole takeover on BeREAL! Be on the lookout for more Black Women Be Whole content next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure to check out the latest BeREAL episode with Kimberly Daniels on adoption and mental health.   For more information on Black Woman Be Whole, check out the links below:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackwomanbewhole/    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackwomanbewhole/    For more information on BeREAL (our psychotherapy podcast) and BeWELL (our psychotherapy office in Midtown Manhattan) visit the links below:   To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today    www.beher-now.com    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/

Welcome back to BeREAL! This week, Diana and Ednesha are joined by Kimberly Daniels to discuss adoption and motherhood. Kimberly is a Brooklyn based Board Certified Holistic Health Counselor with a Master’s degree in Psychology and over 10 years of professional experience. She is the founder of Wellness by Kimberly, a Holistic Wellness and Mindset Coaching practice that transforms the lives of women through a combination of energy and mindfulness work, practical psychology, and nutritional counseling.   Kimberly begins the episode by giving a little backstory on herself and her partner. Her partner was adopted, and so they planned to have one adopted and one biological child. Kimberly explains how easy it is to get caught up in expectations of family and begin to plan around these ideas. So, when she found out that she wouldn’t be able to have biological children, there was a great shock to their plans. From here, she realized how important it was to focus on having children, instead of birthing them.    Kimberly continues by diving into how surprised she was by the adoption process. She found herself having to answer questions she was unsure of how to answer. For example, should she choose an adoption agency or adoption attorney. She also explained the difficulties of creating a profile, especially as a non-married, interracial couple. Her partner and her had to scan every photo to make sure there was no suggestive materials in the background (wine glasses, etc.), that they looked happy, and that it was clear they loved children. While it was all stressful, she also points out how it helped to further bond her and her partner. Through building a book that included letters about each other, plans for their future child, and their views on parenting, the couple learned more about each other.   Kimberly finishes by explaining a bit about her relationship with her son’s birth parents. She touches on the differences between her relationship with the birth mother versus the birth father. Lastly, She retells their journey of going down to Florida during the pandemic to experience the birth of their son, including their first moments together.    Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week to hear about adoption and motherhood. Be on the lookout for a brand new episode next Tuesday. In the meantime, make sure to check out last week’s episode on fertility and family planning.   For more information on Kimberly Daniels or her work, visit the links below:   Website: http://www.wellnessbykimberly.com/about-me   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovekimberlydaniels/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.m.daniels/   For more information on BeREAL (our therapist podcast) and BeWELL (our psychotherapy office in NYC) visit the links below:   To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today    www.beher-now.com    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/

Welcome back to BeREAL! In this minisode, Diana and Ednesha are joined by BeWELL’s very own, Dr. Victoria Rodriguez, to discuss mental health in the workplace and in positions of leadership. As a psychotherapist, Dr. Rodriguez has experience working with clients facing depression, anxiety, mood disorders, grief and loss, and major life transitions.  In addition to working in private practice, she has also completed her Doctorate in Strategic Leadership, is a certified running coach, has worked as an imagine consultant, and is active on the mental health team at her church. Her experiences in these areas allow her to uniquely blend psychotherapy with leadership coaching to assist her clients in achieving their career goals and overcome obstacles in the workplace. Dr. Rodriguez begins the episode by giving a bit of background on her professional and personal life. She focuses on her recently completed doctorate in Strategic Leadership. She explains how she marries her doctorate with her background in psychotherapy to better understand social work in terms of business. One issue she touches on is that many people feel as though they present themselves differently at work and at home. This division can cause anxiety in people’s lives, as they might feel as though it is difficult to show up completely to both social settings.  The conversation shifts to a more business focused issue; what separates a manager and a leader? Dr. Rodriguez explains the importance that a boss leaders their employees in the workplace. They lead through example. They should serve as role models for what they want the whole company to look like, and their employees will look up to that and learn. Being a leader also means building trust within a workplace. With trust, a business can produce better, more desired outcomes.  Lastly, your hosts touch on how leaders can improve mental health in the workplace. It is important that leaders acknowledge obstacles to good mental health, and offer solutions so their followers can better their mental health.  Thank you for tuning into BeREAL this week. Be on the lookout for our first ever Live Show next week. In the meantime, be sure to check out Tuesday’s episode on fertility and family planning.  For more information on BeREAL (our mental health podcast), BeWELL (our therapy practice in Manhattan), or Dr. Rodriguez visit the links below:   To schedule a therapy appointment text BeWELL to 484848 today    www.beher-now.com    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Be.WELL.Psychotherapy/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewell.psychotherapy/