Shows
Wisdom Through Fire (WTF)"From Shame to Spotlight: Overcoming Anxiety Through Courage"In this powerful and deeply human episode, I sit down with my bestie, Irina Bogomolova to explore her journey of overcoming debilitating social anxiety, alcohol misuse, and the isolating experience of living with a blushing disorder.Irina, a Russian immigrant who came to the United States as a child, shares how unbearable blushing in social settings became a source of intense shame and fear, and how alcohol slowly became a way to cope. What began as overdrinking to “get through” social situations eventually reinforced the anxiety, creating a painful cycle of avoidance, self-doubt, and disconnection.But...
2026-02-091h 12Wisdom Through Fire (WTF)When Strength Looks Different: A Chronic Pain JourneyIn this episode, I sit down with Joy McGowan to explore her deeply personal journey with chronic pain, a journey that began unexpectedly in her 40s and reshaped every part of her life. As a wife and mother who once identified strongly as athletic and physically capable, Joy shares the grief, frustration, and identity rupture that followed injury and persistent pain.Joy speaks honestly about what it’s like to navigate chronic pain while holding family roles, managing expectations, and mourning the loss of a former version of herself. Rather than allowing pain to define her solely thro...
2026-01-211h 25Wisdom Through Fire (WTF)Choosing Love Without Certainty: A Relationship OCD ConversationIn this episode, I sit down with Lily Duffy to explore her lived experience with relationship OCD—a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder that targets the very relationships we care about most. Lily shares how a series of difficult life events and an overwhelming fear of the unknown triggered intrusive doubts, anxiety, and relentless questioning about her relationship and future.At its peak, relationship OCD nearly stood in the way of her marriage, convincing her that certainty was required before commitment. Through the support of a thoughtful and deeply attuned therapist, Lily was introduced to Internal Family Systems (IF...
2026-01-161h 19Wisdom Through Fire (WTF)Expectation Meets Reality: The Path of a Foster ParentIn this episode of Wisdom Through Fire, we explore how becoming a foster parent can unravel assumptions, surface unhealed wounds, and fundamentally reshape how we understand care, control, and expectations.I sit down with Danielle Martinelli-Taylor who entered foster parenting with a supportive partner, an open heart, and the belief that love and good intentions would be enough. While fostering has been deeply meaningful and something she genuinely enjoys, it has also been far more emotionally and mentally confronting than she ever anticipated. The role has brought her face-to-face with her own emotions, past experiences, and ways...
2026-01-131h 08Wisdom Through Fire (WTF)Motherhood as Medicine: When Rest Becomes a Radical ActIn this episode of Wisdom Through Fire, we explore how life sometimes forces a reckoning when we refuse to slow down on our own.I sit down with a psychotherapist and private practice owner whose identity was deeply rooted in productivity, caretaking, and achievement—until a high-risk twin pregnancy changed everything. As an African American woman, she carried not only two babies, but the very real fear shaped by alarming maternal mortality statistics for Black mothers in the United States. Working through burnout, medical risk, and the looming fear of death, her body demanded a pause she co...
2026-01-1258 min
Wisdom Through Fire (WTF)Finding Wholeness: Eating Disorder RecoveryIn this episode, I sit down with therapist and social worker, Darlene Brace, to explore the deeply human journey of healing from an eating disorder—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Darlene opens up about her own path through trauma, the painful pursuit of control, and the slow and sacred work of learning to trust her body again.We talk about what happens when survival strategies become identity, how the nervous system holds our stories, and what it really means to let go—not all at once, but moment by moment. Darlene brings not only expertise, but...
2025-11-1055 minWisdom Through Fire (WTF)The Forgotten TwinToday’s episode is a powerful walk through the darkness of avoidance, fear, and the call to connection. I sat down with a therapist and speaker, Matt, who shares the deeply personal story of his relationship with his twin brother, a relationship shaped by trauma from birth, and fractured by discomfort and distance. His twin was injured during delivery, leaving him deaf, blind, and profoundly disabled. For years, the weight of fear and the unknown kept them apart. But in this conversation, we explore what it took to face that fear, return to that relationship, and find healing through re...
2025-07-141h 07Wisdom Through Fire (WTF)The Road to Healing: Traumatic Brain InjuryIn today’s episode, "The Road to Healing: Traumatic Brain Injury," we sit down with Daniel, a man whose life was forever changed in high school after a traumatic brain injury. What followed was a slow, painful, and powerful process of rebuilding; physically, emotionally, and mentally. Daniel had to relearn how to move through the world, how to slow down, and how to be present in ways he never had before.Now, years later, Daniel has turned his pain into purpose. He works with men navigating their own trauma, offering guidance, presence, and a powerful reminder that he...
2025-07-1335 min
Wisdom Through Fire (WTF)Breaking Free from Perfectionism & People-Pleasing with Desiree ArgentinaIn this episode, I’m joined by therapist and coach Desiree Argentina, who specializes in helping clients break free from the cycles of perfectionism and people-pleasing. Together, we explore the symptoms that often go unnoticed, the deep-rooted beliefs and narratives that keep these patterns alive, and the impact they can have on mental health and relationships. Desiree also shares practical tools and therapeutic strategies she uses with clients to support healing, build self-worth, and foster more authentic living. Whether you're just becoming aware of these tendencies or looking for ways to shift long-standing habits, this conversation offers both insight an...
2025-06-1355 min
Drug Stories ProjectSicily Owings -I Work at a Methadone ClinicAt the methadone clinic where she works, Sicily Owings hears from clients about the relationship between trauma and addiction in their lives. She also knows about it firsthand.
2018-09-2707 min