What's the F***ing Point episode 19: Megan Bruneau on Worthiness and the Ethics of Mental Health Care

/

Megan Bruneau is one of those women with a résumé that should make you instantly dislike her because she’s so g*ddamn successful (and gorgeous).

And you want to be like JUST. STOP IT. But then you can’t, because she’s actually really fucking great. Yes, she writes for Forbes and is BFF with Deepak Chopra (or, ok, at least she interviewed him on her podcast and is a faculty member with The Chopra Center — so basically BFF 💁‍♀️). More importantly, though, she is wise, talented, humble, and the REAL DEAL.

Plenty of people with Megan’s level of success and demands on their time would have seen my crazy-ass DM and been like, “girlfriend does not have enough followers to even merit my reply.” I guess she sensed the genuineness and excitement of my message, and she was like “hell yeah, let’s do this!” — then cue a shared enthusiasm about early 2000’s Eminem, and voila, a friendship was born.

In this episode, Megan and I get into SO 👏MUCH 👏GOODNESS 👏around topics like:

  • how we conceptualize mental health vs. “mental illness”

  • the need for validation and non-judgment with medication, while ALSO holding medical providers accountable for more responsible prescribing and aiming to address root issues rather than just mask symptoms

  • the ethics of the wellness industry, therapy, coaching, and psychiatry

  • the insanity of dating in 2018, and how Megan sees it as an opportunity for spiritual practice

  • the risk of spiritual bypassing in today’s affirmation and manifestation obsessed wellness world — and how this is completely tone deaf re: privilege and systemic oppression across marginalized identities

  • the 3 things women tend to fall back on for worthiness/sense of self when they lack a greater sense of meaning, purpose, and identity

  • why millennials need to elevate conversation around finding meaning (especially for women) for non-mothers (whether by circumstance or by choice)

  • And holy shit, a lot more.

To listen to this episode, you can stream or download from the embedded player below, or find and subscribe in your fave podcast listening app. 

Thanks for listening, and if you dig, please share it with a friend and review the podcast on iTunes because it helps more people find it! xx

About Megan Bruneau, M.A., RCC

Quoted by multiple NYT bestselling author Melissa Hartwig as “The most authentic voice in the self-love world,” Megan Bruneau, M.A. RCC is known as the “Millennials’ therapist.” Her no-bullshit, relatable voice has garnered of 30m views, and landed her appearances on The T.D. Jakes Show and New York 1 Morning News. Transparent about her own mental health struggles, frequent heartaches, and uncertain entrepreneurial life in New York City, Megan’s vulnerable and humorous writing-style has inspired dozens of viral articles – making her a HuffPost– homepage regular, MindBodyGreen Expert, and Forbes favorite.

Megan hosts the the formerly iTunes New and Noteworthy podcast, The Failure Factor: Stories of Career Perseverance, interviewing notable guests such as Deepak Chopra, Joe Cross, Whitney Wolfe, Danielle LaPorte, Mark Sisson, Melissa Hartwig, Jessie Andrews, and more. A Chopra Center faculty member and speaker at press-worthy events such as STRONG New York and Entrepreneur Organization’s Nerve, Megan is a sought after summit speaker and podcast guest. She’s been featured on Forbes, MindBodyGreen, Huffington Post, Gaia, Thought Catalog, Elephant Journal, Entrepreneur, Quartz, Thrillist, Verily Mag, Lola, The Aloha Way, and more; she has also been quoted as an expert on DailyMail, The New York Post, Bravo TV, Psych Central, Psychology Today, Bustle, SparkPeople, The List, LifeHacker, Brit + Co, and more. Megan is also part of the MindBodyGreen Collective of experts; a video course instructor for MindBodyGreen, Jiyo.com, and The AO Project; and a regularly interviewed expert on BALANCE Eating Disorder Treatment Center’s recovery YouTube channel.

Megan has a master of arts in counseling psychology (Simon Fraser University), and a bachelor of arts in family studies (University of British Columbia). With 12+ years experience providing crisis support, mental health counseling and coaching, she’s a Registered Clinical Counselor (RCC #6420) in the province of British Columbia, and sees clients globally as a coach. Using her unique combination of personal and professional experience and powerful written and spoken voice, Megan seeks to change the way people relate to their inner and outer worlds.

Mentioned on This Episode:

  • And as always if I forgot anything and you can’t find the link you want, just comment here, shoot me an email, or DM!

/ / Comment
, ,
, , , , , , , ,

Valerie Martin

Valerie Martin, LMSW, is a Primary Therapist at The Ranch residential treatment center, where she works with eating disorders, addiction, trauma, and co-occurring mental health issues. Valerie focuses on a holistic treatment approach of mind + body integration, using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), somatic and bioenergetic therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), psychodrama, 12-step, and shame resilience. She is also a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) Candidate. Valerie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Master of Science degree in Clinical Social Work at the University of Texas in Austin. She is an active member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville, and emphasizes spiritual exploration in her work with clients.

What's the F***ing Point episode 18: 5 things i've learned about friendship as an adult

/

In this short-and-sweet solo podcast episode, I’m sharing *cue backup music* a few of my faaavorite [recent] things, and some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about friendship in adulthood.

For most of us, the whole friend thing gets a lot more challenging when we move or drift away from the “built in” friends we had growing up. (And hell, friendship during those years can be hard enough!) Some people might get lucky to find great friends in college, a job, or another community— but a lot of the time, depending on circumstances, we really have to seek that shit out, and doing so can feel super awkward and challenging.

In this episode, I get real about some of the lessons I’ve learned about making and keeping good friends in adulthood.

To listen to this episode, you can stream or download from the embedded player below, or find and subscribe in your fave podcast listening app. 

Thanks for listening, and if you dig, please share it with a friend and rate/review the podcast on iTunes so more people can find it! <3

Mentioned on This Episode:

/ / Comment
,
, ,

Valerie Martin

Valerie Martin, LMSW, is a Primary Therapist at The Ranch residential treatment center, where she works with eating disorders, addiction, trauma, and co-occurring mental health issues. Valerie focuses on a holistic treatment approach of mind + body integration, using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), somatic and bioenergetic therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), psychodrama, 12-step, and shame resilience. She is also a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) Candidate. Valerie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Master of Science degree in Clinical Social Work at the University of Texas in Austin. She is an active member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville, and emphasizes spiritual exploration in her work with clients.

What's the F***ing Point episode 17: Liz Ward on Pivoting Toward Your Passion

/

Most of the people I know who love what they do didn't get there in a linear way.

And of course, many of us are still figuring it out and iterating, reformulating our professional lives as our skills and interests evolve. Liz Ward is a shining example of this, and she now dedicates her work to helping others do the same, with her coaching business, Slick Pivot.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Liz for this episode and learning all about her fascinating history doing marketing for Bacardi and working on the campaign for the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. By all external measures, she had it made. But a total lack of work/life balance or harmony left her searching for work that felt more meaningful and allowed her to actually have a life.

Now, living with her partner in the London countryside with her almost 2-year-old daughter and a baby on the way, Liz has found a sense of inner peace that only comes through hitting a bottom and fighting your way to the other side.

So many elements of Liz's story resonated with me, and I'm sure they will for many of you, too. (And we also got into some of the practices and tips she shares with her coaching clients, which are gold!) Enjoy the episode!

To listen to this episode, you can stream or download from the embedded player below, or find and subscribe in your fave podcast listening app. 

Thanks for listening, and if you dig, please share it with a friend and review the podcast on iTunes because it helps more people find it! xx

About Liz Ward

Liz is a London based AOC (Association of Coaching) accredited Personal & Business coach and NLP Practitioner with over 12 years experience developing, coaching and mentoring high performing individuals, from entrepreneurs in the start up world to teams in her corporate management roles.

With a background in brand, digital and business development, her career history includes the rebrand of the Millennium Dome to The O2, London 2012 Torch Relay and Opening Ceremony campaigns and global digital strategy for spirits giant, Bacardi-Martini.

Liz pivoted her career in 2013 and left the 9-5 corporate world for startup land. She led marketing and product strategy for disruptive tech startups, before launching her pivot coaching company Slick Pivot in 2016

Liz has with a mission to help people to pivot their careers and businesses for more happiness and growth. Because life is too short to spend time doing work that is not enjoyable. She works with people that are stuck in their current jobs and can’t see a way out, people suffering from burnout and balance and who are stuck with a business that is not working for them. Liz works with them on rebranding themselves, developing the right mindset for success, how to be more productive and get good at change. She supports their pivot journeys through one to one coaching, team workshops, and events.

Mentioned on This Episode:

  • And as always if I forgot anything and you can’t find the link you want, just comment here, shoot me an email, or DM!

/ / Comment
,
, , , , , , , ,

Valerie Martin

Valerie Martin, LMSW, is a Primary Therapist at The Ranch residential treatment center, where she works with eating disorders, addiction, trauma, and co-occurring mental health issues. Valerie focuses on a holistic treatment approach of mind + body integration, using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), somatic and bioenergetic therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), psychodrama, 12-step, and shame resilience. She is also a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) Candidate. Valerie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Master of Science degree in Clinical Social Work at the University of Texas in Austin. She is an active member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville, and emphasizes spiritual exploration in her work with clients.

What's the F***ing Point episode 16: Lauren Martin on Embracing "Petty Problems"

/

Y’ALL. Lauren Martin is a force of nature, and by the end of this episode I know you’ll adore her as much as I do.

We talk about everything from emo music to keeping it real as a new mom, her transition to Orthodox Christianity to what it means to embrace and validate the idea that "if it matters to YOU, then it matters."

To listen to this episode, you can stream or download from the embedded player below, or find and subscribe in your fave podcast listening app. 

Thanks for listening, and if you dig, please share it with a friend and review the podcast on iTunes because it helps more people find it! xx

About Lauren Martin, LPC-MHSP

Lauren Ruth Martin is a psychotherapist at a group practice in Nashville, TN, and she believes that therapy should be anything but boring. Lauren practices from the philosophy that feeling "stuck" is actually good news because it is a signal that something needs to change. She loves, loves to help clients with severe and pervasive depression in addition to working with anxiety, phase of life issues, codependency, self-harm, suicidality, eating disorders, and self-esteem issues. 

Lauren is intensively trained Radically-Open DBT (RO-DBT), a specialized treatment for disorders of Over-Control (OC) . Radically-Open DBT promotes openness, flexibility, and direct communication. Lauren practices DBT and Cognitive Behavior Therapy to fidelity, specializing in Adolescents.

In addition to her mental health practice, Lauren shares her personal practice of coping skills with a dash of sarcasm on Instagram at @allthepettyproblems. With the philosophy of "if it matters to you, then it matters" she addresses the big meanings behind the small stuff that get to her (which means it might also get to you too). The concept of duality is a constant in her life...whether it is loving rap and emo music, practicing Christianity and cussing, or eating cupcakes and doing yoga...she is all about living the life that works not the one that "should" be done. 

Mentioned on This Episode:

/ / Comment
, ,
, , , , , , , , ,

Valerie Martin

Valerie Martin, LMSW, is a Primary Therapist at The Ranch residential treatment center, where she works with eating disorders, addiction, trauma, and co-occurring mental health issues. Valerie focuses on a holistic treatment approach of mind + body integration, using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), somatic and bioenergetic therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), psychodrama, 12-step, and shame resilience. She is also a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) Candidate. Valerie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Master of Science degree in Clinical Social Work at the University of Texas in Austin. She is an active member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville, and emphasizes spiritual exploration in her work with clients.

What's the F***ing Point episode 15: Tina Pocha on the Magic of Self-Reinvention

/

Tina Pocha is one of those women you lose track of time talking to. The wisdom she shared about the process of self reinvention, but learning about her life story and perspective was just as interesting.

I know you’ll dig this interview, and since I’m a little brain-dead at the moment, there’s not much I want to say about it other than GO LISTEN! Links to references in the episode are below.

Also, Tina is generously offering a free discovery coaching session for any WTFP listeners during the months of September, so take advantage of that shit, y’all!

To listen to this episode, you can stream or download from the embedded player below, or find and subscribe in your fave podcast listening app. 

Thanks for listening, and if you dig, please share it with a friend and review the podcast on iTunes because it helps more people find it! xx

About Tina Pocha, PhD

Tina is a writer, teacher, and Women’s Re-invention Coach. She works with smart, talented, accomplished women to help them get clarity on why they feel stuck in their careers, in their lives. She supports her clients in reconnecting with what they really want to do and who they really want to be — to ultimately find and follow their heart’s desire. You can find her online at thenextstepcoaching.net, and her blog at tinapocha.com.

Mentioned on This Episode:

/ / 1 Comment
, ,
, , , , , , , , ,

Valerie Martin

Valerie Martin, LMSW, is a Primary Therapist at The Ranch residential treatment center, where she works with eating disorders, addiction, trauma, and co-occurring mental health issues. Valerie focuses on a holistic treatment approach of mind + body integration, using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), somatic and bioenergetic therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), psychodrama, 12-step, and shame resilience. She is also a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) Candidate. Valerie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Master of Science degree in Clinical Social Work at the University of Texas in Austin. She is an active member of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville, and emphasizes spiritual exploration in her work with clients.