Beautiful Voyager

In this episode of the Anxious Achiever podcast Morra and I dig into some of the new techniques for managing stress and anxiety I first wrote about in the Beautiful Voyager Stress Relief Cheat Sheets on Substack. I love Morra's description of the episode: “In the high stakes world of technology companies, a lot of lip service is paid to well-being and mental health. But Meredith Arthur has been researching practical ways to manage anxiety and overthinking since before it was cool. In this episode, Morra speaks with the author and Beautiful Voyager creator about everything from polyvagal theory, clinical somatics, self-regulation and internal safety. They share their favorite routines for managing anxiety and stress.”If you haven't listened to the Anxious Achiever podcast before, this is your chance to learn more about Morra's work (and check out her book too). You can also listen to my previous Anxious Achiever episode which first came out in Feb 2023.Thank you, Morra Aarons-Mele, for everything you do to help people understand what anxiety means and how it works. The energy and expertise you bring to this field is inspiring. And thank you to Mary Dooe for the production work on the episode. 

Special guest episode from NYC-based nonprofit Girls Write Now! In this episode of the Writing Our Way to Wellness podcast series, Meredith finds herself in the role of interviewee instead of interviewer. This wide-spanning conversation between Meredith and Girls Write Now Staff Member Vahni Kurra covers everything from the pitfalls of ambitions to mental health memes; the connection between physical and emotional pain to the importance of learning to journal as if no one's watching. Girls Write Now is an award-winning nonprofit make up of "a diverse, multi-generational, passionate community of writers, creatives, leaders, artists and activists who all share a love of stories." Sign up for Writing Your Way to Wellness: https://girlswritenow.org/writing-our-way-to-wellness-podcast/Donate to Girls Write Now: https://girlswritenow.org/give-to-girls-write-now-2024/

Obi is offering our podcast listeners a special discount! Find a trained peer supporter on peers.net who understands exactly what you're going through, then use code "BEVOYA" to book up to 4 FREE SESSIONS and share it with any teen or young adult in your life who could benefit from some extra support.A bit about this episode: I've been wanting to speak with Obi Felton on this podcast for years because of her unique blend of product incubation experience (she was the first non-engineering member of the team behind Google's Moonshot factory) and her passion for mental health innovation. Since I also am a non-engineer working at an innovation lab with a passion for mental health, Obi seemed like someone I needed to know.Obi is the founder and CEO of Peers.net, a telehealth platform where anyone between the ages of 13 and 30 can book 1:1 sessions with a peer supporter of their choice within 24 hours. To experience how powerful it is to talk to someone who has actually been in your shoes, just visit peers.net and pick a supporter that feels right to you.This conversation traces Obi's career arc along with the personal experiences that led her to found Flourish Labs, a startup focused on elevating professional peer support (a new concept to many) using the tool of technology. We talk about the power of this kind of peer support, especially for people who are just learning to accept their mental health challenges or people who are transitioning out from in-patient care, etc. We discuss what is currently known in the world of mental health treatment, and what the future might look like. Good stuff.Train to become a peer supporter or sign up for peer support using the code "bevoya" for a discount!

Megan Cornish is a former social worker and writer who's been tackling big questions about how mental health is discussed on Linkedin. That's where she caught my eye: I loved her authentic, honest voice and risk-taking in what tends to be a pretty stuffy and status-quo environment. I felt like Megan was wrestling with the same kinds of things I was about the "industry" of mental health. So when she wrote a list of the companies and people who intrigued her and included me on that list, I wrote back and said I would love to get to know her more in my favorite way — on a podcast conversation. Here we dig into the world of wellness products, the role of faith and spirituality in Megan's own mental health journey, going "dry" on social media for January, and much more. To learn more about Megan, check out: The Therapy Trust Collective and Megan's site.

Ximena Vengoechea is a user researcher, writer, illustrator, and the author of the new book, Rest Easy: Discover Calm and Abundance through the Radical Power of Rest. In this conversation, we dig into what rest really means and why it's not just napping, for example. We talk about her path to writing and her first book, Listen Like You Mean it: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection. Ximena has worked at Pinterest, Linkedin, and Twitter. She's also a contributor at Fast Company and writes a newsletter, Letters from Ximena. I really loved hearing some of Ximena's insights about a perfectionist's journey to rest. There's something in here for all overthinkers.

Kevin Kelly is best known for co-founding the award-winning Wired magazine  in 1993, but his work spans widely beyond that. He's the founder of the Cool Tools website and podcast (which I've appeared on in the past!), which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. He also puts out the Recomendo newsletter with Claudia Dawson, who has also appeared on this podcast. He's the co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking. And he's written multiple best-selling books about the future of technology. I wanted to sit down and talk to Kevin about his newest book, Excellent Advice for Living, but our conversation spanned many topics, and at the end Kevin gave me some great advice for myself, too, which I will cherish. Thank you Kevin!

B Dukes is so many things. A queer, non-binary filmmaker, a photographer, an activist, a student, and a healer. They tell the incredible story of their journey from a child in the backwoods of South Carolina to the world of Silicon tech...with many stops in between. We talk about what ancestral healing means, the fascinating world of psychedelics being used to address trauma, and B's travel around the globe to understand new ways of connecting with our "shadow selves." This is the first part of a multi-part episode, with the next episode coming after B's research trip to Ecuador next month. Learn with me, then become as big of a fan of B as I am.Check outB's vision: https://www.wtfwth.com/B's book: https://www.amazon.com/Truth-Behind-Empty-Pen/dp/1621472566 B's work with Freedom Community Clinic lead by Bernadette Lim: https://www.freedomcommunityclinic.org/Follow B on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bdukesthetruth

Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Creativity and Emotions lab at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Born in Croatia, Zorana shares cultural perceptions of creativity. Her research centers on the role of emotions in creative work. Zorana and I were lucky enough to get to work together on the How We Feel app, out now and free to all. I've learned so much about the role of creativity in my own life from Zorana and think you will too! Follow Zorana on Twitter for her latest work. 

Jeffrey Sparr is a father, husband, mental health advocate, teacher, and nonprofit founder who used his early experiences with OCD to fuel his life as a self-taught artist. In this conversation, Jeffrey and I talk about what he's learned from helping people use creativity as a means of self-expression and what an unlikely candidate he was for this kind of work. Through PeaceLove Foundation  and in partnership with Hasbro and Amazon, Jeffrey's working on a new game to help people with their mental health. Jeffrey says, "You can't reverse engineer authenticity." You definitely couldn't reverse engineer his story.LinksThe artist: http://www.jeffreysparr.com/The organization: https://peacelove.org/Online classes: https://peacelove.org/scribl/#

Claudia Dawson is a psychonaut -- and if you don't know what that is, you should listen to this podcast. She co-produces one of my favorite weekly newsletters, Recomendo, which features 6 tools for thought each week. She's the Founding Editor of a publication called Phantom Kangaroo, "an eerie place for poems." In this conversation, we cover everything from the Carlsbad Caverns as a metaphor for the self, how mental health can be helped by psychedelics, Claudia's fantastic advice for all beautiful voyagers ("accept that you are a prism"), and many other inspiring ideas. Claudia is very inspiring herself, in fact. You should get to know her work. Start here!LinksPhantom Kangeroo: https://www.phantomkangaroo.com/Recomendo newsletter: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/Recom... Claudia's collection of short stories: https://www.amazon.com/New-Temple-oth...Claudia's newsletter: https://claudiadawson.blog/newsletters

Larz May is the founder of an incredible mental health nonprofit called #HalfTheStory. The nonprofit's mission is to empower the next generation's relationship with social media through advocacy, education, and providing access to resources. What I love about Larz is her ability to cut through social media's rapidly evolving landscape and point to deeper truths, in a very timely manner.I look to Larz as a leader in digital wellbeing and think you should too. She founded the Global Day of Unplugging, an internationally recognized day every August that encourages divesting from technology to plug back into life. In this conversation, we talk about what it means to approach daily life with honesty, forge that path for others, and so much more.

Rosie Acosta has studied and taught yoga and mindfulness around the world. She is the  award-winning podcast host of Radically Love and the author of You Are Radically Loved: A Healing Journey to Self-Love. A first generation Mexican-American, Rosie grew up in East LA in the 1990's. We talk about how she taught herself to reframe her perspective as a kid, and how those lessons have played out in her life. Rosie's warm, presence, and depth are irresistible. You will want to spend time with her as I did!  LinksRosie's website: https://www.radicallyloved.com/Rosie's book - You Are Radically Loved: https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Radically-Loved-Self-Love/dp/0593330153Rosie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosieacosta/?hl=en 

Could there be a more natural and intuitive connection than mine with the Anxiety Sisters? I don't think so. Abbe Greenberg and Maggie Sarachek have built an online community of 200K people and host a popular podcast called The Spin Cycle. In their work, they blend their personal experience with their professional training as counselors, mental health advocates, researchers, and educators. They are about to release their book, The Anxiety Sisters' Survival Guide: How You Can Become More Hopeful, Connected, and Happy from Penguin Random House. I read an early copy and it's terrific. The down-to-earth, actionable advice that Abbe and Maggie share is dead on. Great work, sisters!

Jessica Poundstone is an artist who lives and works in Portland, Oregon. Named a Top 100 artist by Saatchi Art, Jessica has found creative process through intuition and exploration. She says, "I work on each image until I feel everything click into place: that feeling of 'rightness' tells me it's done" -- I love that. Jessica's journey through the world of corporate jobs and into the life of an artist is fascinating, as is her own identity journey and the role emotional wellbeing plays in it. I really enjoyed digging into creativity and mental health with Jessica. 

Dr James Kaufman is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut and the author/editor of more than 50 books, including Creativity 101 and the Cambridge Handbook of Creativity with Robert Sternberg. In this podcast, we talk about the connection between mental health and creativity, a topic that endlessly fascinates me. It was an honor to talk to one of the world experts on this topic!

Peter M. Krask, a New York-based writer and photographer, is the founder of an unusual consulting business called The Creativity Guide. Using his twenty years of experience in theater, television, visual art, and business, Krask acts as a personal "project whisperer" for creatives and entrepreneurs. His consulting work is informed by the practical know-how of a seasoned creative director, project manager, grant writer, community engagement speaker, and development partner. I loved getting to speak with him about how he helps people navigate the anxiety and stress of transitioning into—or starting—something new.  Linkshttps://www.petermkrask.com/https://www.pmkcreativityguide.com/

Michael Phillips Moskowitz is the founder of AeBeZe, a cutting-edge research product lab dedicated to establishing a new mental health standard called "Digital Nutrition™." Their app, Moodrise, brings together curated images, videos, and audio to positively affect brain chemistry.Michael has also served as a Middle East foreign policy research analyst at think tanks in the United States and overseas. He co-founded the award-winning menswear label, Gytha Mander, and TODO Monthly magazine; he also spent several years at IDEO, a design and innovation firm in Palo Alto. Michael served as the Global Chief Curator at eBay before embarking on mental health innovation.LinksAebeze Labs: https://www.Aebeze.com

Zach and Michael Zakar call themselves the "Middle Eastern Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen,"  which gives you a taste of how funny they are. Writers, models, and actors, the Zakar Twins most recent book, "How to Be Fucking Happy," is out now. I love this line from their book description, "Happiness takes practice, so grab a pen because you're writing this story too."As you'll tell by watching this interview, I have a ton of fun with these Iraqi brothers. Based in Detroit, their first book, "Pray the Gay Away" dug into their experiences growing up in a conservative family and coming to terms with their sexuality (and finding out they were both gay after hooking up with the same guy!).The Zakar twins are like fun friends you want to discuss your own mental health journey with as they share theirs. We'll be hearing more from them.Links- Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578937379/- Instagram: @zakartwins

Maurice Chiang is the CEO and Co-Founder of Prairie Health, a new startup bringing genetic testing to a patient-centered approach to mental health. This is incredibly promising and forward-looking! Genetic testing provides useful information to psychiatrists and prescribing physicians about  to how to treat people with varied cultural backgrounds. Did you know that American women are often prescribed SSRIs at inappropriate dosages, for example, because of a "one size meets all" mentality that pervades our health system? Using data from genetic testing is a great first step toward addressing this issue.Maurice earned his undergraduate degree in bioengineering at Stanford (which is where he met his co-founders), then got a master's in computer science. In this podcast, we talk about where the team is now, and where they're going. I will definitely be keeping my eye on Prairie Health as I really admire their approach and work. Links- Prairie Health: https://www.prairiehealth.co/- Prairie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prairie_health/

Kevin Dedner is the Founder & CEO of Hurdle, a startup dedicated to building a pipeline of mental health professionals who understand how to help people  with varied cultural backgrounds. On the Hurdle website are the thoughtful words: "Your culture will always be honored."Kevin's path to this work is fascinating. In this interview I describe him as a superhero who has fought some of the biggest enemies of our time including childhood obesity, HIV/AIDS, and tobacco control through the lens of public health policy. He's worked clients like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, on political campaigns, and successfully led health policy wins.Having conversations with people like Kevin is incredibly energizing for me. I think you, too, will be inspired to hear about the growth of Hurdle and where the company's going in the future. Links:- Hurdle's site- Hurdle's Instagram

Pelumi, whose full given name is Oluwapelumi Ajibade, is a research coordinator at the University of Washington, where she is involved in fascinating work about interracial communication and anxiety. In this conversation, we cover all kinds of things including Pelumi's experiences as a Nigerian-American woman, her future as an obstetrician (fingers crossed), the podcast she started when COVID hit, and her life as an overthinker.Linkshttps://www.instagram.com/pelums_posts/https://anchor.fm/pelumi03

Do you or someone you love have bipolar disorder? If so, this episode is for you. Dr Bill Selig is a clinical psychologist in the Bay Area and author of the new book "When Your Partner Has Bipolar Disorder." In this episode Bill and I talk about changing perceptions of bipolar disorder, the best new treatments, and the relationship to creativity (which was also the topic of his dissertation at Stanford University’s Bipolar Disorders Clinic). He co-led a 2014 revision of the psychotherapy for bipolar disorder treatment track at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, where he later cofounded the dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program. This is a great conversation with a very knowledgeable man.

This episode, which will be simultaneously released here and on Vanessa Soto's new book coaching podcast, is a behind-the-scenes on book publishing. In it we discuss how I approached writing GET OUT OF MY HEAD, the stops and starts of the process, and surprise learnings along the way. Vanessa is a Managing Director at Charles Schwab and Book Proposal Coach. Follow her on @vanessasotobookcoach on Instagram to learn more!

Suhail Rasheed is an Indian writer, editor, and curator currently living in Dubai. A longstanding member of the Beautiful Voyager community, Suhail has written about his mental health journey in the past, but in this very special and personal interview he covers new terrain. Childhood abuse is not a topic that is often discussed in his culture. He is incredibly courageous to open up about his own experience of abuse in this interview. He says he is doing it "in order to connect with others who have had similar traumatic experiences in their past." I admire Suhail. He brings a voice to things that others have experienced but might feel too ashamed to share. He fights against stigma and shares a perspective on mental health in Dubai and India that is rarely heard.

It was such a treat to have this conversation with superstar Product Manager Anamita Guha. Anamita is the Global Lead of Product Management at IBM, where she focuses on Quantum computing (yes, we talk about what that means) and she's dedicated to inspiring the next generation of female innovators and pioneers. As a national ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Anamita serves as a role model and advocate for women in STEM. She's been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, Marie Claire, Lifehacker, and was named one of the “Top 25 Software Product Executives Of 2020”, “9 Millennial AI Leaders to follow” in 2019, and “6 Women in STEM to watch out for” in 2018.We discuss overthinking and how anxiety may be holding women back from studying science and technology while brainstorming what we can do about it. We can all learn from Anamita, take a listen!

Joshua Kemble lives in Antelope Valley, California, where he is an Art Director and illustrator. A Xeric Award Winning Cartoonist, Josh's newest book is a labor of love: an autobiographical graphic novel about depression and panic attack called Two Stories. In this conversation, Josh and I talk about the comic book artists he admires, why "making" is good for mental health, and how his son helped him take action on his own mental health needs. Follow Joshua on Instagram: @joshuakemble and learn more about his work on his site. And take a look at his book Two Stories.

Dr. Tameika Lawrence holds a doctoral degree in counseling psychology and is a member of the Hudson Valley Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association. She's the author of Outgrow Your Comfort, a 6-step self-help model and book. In this conversation, Dr. Lawrence and I talk about how she felt "different" growing up, and how it helped later in life. We also talked about her dissertation work about African-American fathers, and what being a role model means in single-parent families.

Robert James is a podcaster and mental health coach originally from the UK. Robert developed OCD at the age of 16 and spent his twenties trying everything he could to face it. He read every book he could find on the topic and made a commitment to personal development. This rough ride taught him some lessons along the way, and now he helps others to do the same while sharing what he learned. In this conversation, we talk about how he landed in Barcelona, some of his favorite books about anxiety, and how he learned to think differently about his mental health experiences. To get in touch with Robert you can head over to his website.

Caitlin Schiller and I first met on the audio platform Anchor many years ago. I liked her immediately: she clearly has a love of language and is sharp as a whip. Caitlin lives in Berlin and works as an Executive Producer of New Content at Blinkist, where she produces and co-hosts the podcast Simplify. A true word person, Caitlin's been writing online for more than a decade and has lived in a handful of countries. I admire the way Caitlin approaches new ideas and engages with the world with thoughtfulness.

Comedian Sara Schaefer is proud of her new book, GRAND: A Memoir, and she should be! It is the kind of delightful and moving tale that makes you feel like you know Sara, even more so if you listen to her read it, as I did. I loved talking to Sara about what it was like to write this book after years of comedy writing, how her own internal critic (nicknamed DOOM) tried to sabotage her along the way, and why the Babadook is a perfect metaphor for loss. If there's one thing I love more than funny people, it's funny people who are real, and that is definitely Sara.

Johnny, aka "The Anxious Beard," is a former nurse who was born and raised in Southern California (though he spent time in Las Vegas as well). He describes himself as having "31 flavors of mental health:" anxiety, panic, and agoraphobia disorder, as well as ADHD and a learning disability. Johnny's been married for 12 years to his high school sweetheart, and they have a family, including a son with autism and Down Syndrome. He's experienced a lot and is beginning to share it more widely in the hopes that he can help others--guys in particular--feel less alone. Find him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theanxiousbeard/

In honor of World Mental Health Day, today's special guest is singer and activist Meredith O'Connor. Meredith originally came to attention when her music video for the song "Celebrity" went viral on Youtube. Her music was then featured on Teen Nick, and she began to tour and perform around the world. She then found her voice as an anti-bullying activist. Meredith is now releasing a new single "You Are Not Alone" to raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Health, along with other celebrities like Mary Wilson (original member of the Supremes!), Rebecca Black, Ar'mon & Trey, Italian star Ruggero Pasquarelli, Mackenzie Sol, Lexi Jayde, K-pop star Minzy, Bollywood singer Asees Kaur, and more! In this conversation, we talk about Meredith's experiences going viral and her own mental health experiences.

Born and raised in Quebec City (he's French-Canadian), Patrice worked in pharmaceutical marketing in Boston when he experienced serious mental health challenges that almost took his life. His recovery took him on a new career path and led him to California, where he found a government-funded role I didn't even know existed: Certified Peer Specialist in mental health. Just last week, Gov Gavin Newsom passed a bill to bring this program to CA, which Pat and I discuss in this episode. Pat is also a writer, blogger, and speaker, and is building his own platform called Human Experience: A Peer Perspective On Mental Health. His goal is to humanize healthcare and break the stigma through voicing the Peer Values and the trauma-informed model. He's also got a great sense of humor...which I greatly appreciate!

Amanda Stern is the author of Little Panic, a memoir about growing up in 80's New York with undiagnosed panic disorder. She also wrote The Long Haul, and eleven books for children. She's an advisory board member of the non-profit The Child Mind Institute. The founder of New York City's iconic Happy Ending Music and Reading Series, widely considered the gold standard for literary events, Amanda currently hosts an outstanding podcast about books and authors called Bookable. She lives in Brooklyn with Busy, the cutest possible canine sidekick.Find more information on:Little PanicChild Mind InstituteBookable podcast

Writer Rachel Murphy and I work at Pinterest together. Earlier this year we founded Pinside Out, Pinterest's first mental health employee resource group. Rachel recently launched her own new mental health site, Us & Our Stories, a place to have real conversations around emotional wellbeing from a Christian perspective. Rachel lives in San Francisco with her husband, Tom, who also works at Pinterest.

Mental health writer Cassie Clark grew up in Appalachia and moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina when she married her husband Brandon 17 years ago. Cassie writes a blog, Cozy in Carolina, which she describes as "hygge anxiety writing." In this interview we talk about homeschooling, her diagnoses of PTSD, OCD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and what it's like to speak out about mental health in the South.

Jordan Brown is a mental health advocate, writer, and entrepreneur. Since 2016, he’s been blogging to make mental health more accessible and meaningful (a project near and dear to our hearts). Formally trained as a social worker, Jordan considers his mental health struggles and open-heart surgery the greatest, most life-affirming lessons. He is the author of the book In Search of Happiness: Healing Through Mental Health Poetry. He is tolerated by his lovely wife and cats in Missoula, Montana.

I've known Leslie Dotson Van Every for over a decade. We first worked together at CBS, where she rocked her role as Director of PR. Since then, she's led communications and content for companies like Overstock, Scribd, and Future Family. In her spare time(!), she and two partners built a powerful and well-respected community action group called Solidarity Sundays. With over 17K active participants, Solidarity Sundays gathers people together in real life to develop and share current action for political change.Leslie and I discuss mental health, procrastination, and crafting. Leslie digs into her identity as a White-presenting-Black women, and how it has changed recently. She shares helpful ideas for how to feel better in challenging times. Learn more about Solidarity Sundays: https://www.solidaritysundays.org/ Follow Leslie on Instagram: @missdottie

Ryan Fan is a writer and special-ed teacher in Baltimore, Maryland. A co-editor of the Medium publication Invisible Illness, Ryan is a passionate advocate for new writers in the mental health space. In his free time, Ryan runs marathons.To read some of Ryan's writing on his faith, mental health, and education, follow him on Medium @ryanfan.

Ashwini Dodani is a poet and writer who lives in Mumbai, India. Originally trained as a mechanical engineer, Ashwini switched career paths to work in the ever-evolving realm of social media, helping support the launch of major TV shows from the likes of Amazon in India.We talk about his adopted city and I learn how Mumbai is a way of life, but Bombay is a feeling. We also discuss his philosophy of how to help people whenever he can. I got such a positive feeling from this talk and am sure you will too. For more good vibes, follow Ashwini on Instagram @ashwinidodani and on Medium @AshwiniDodani.

This the first experimental episode of the Beautiful Voyager podcast! I talk with Logan Johnston, community builder extraordinaire. Logan and I first met years ago at a startup called Outdoorsy ("the Airbnb of RVs"). He now works with community leaders of Facebook Groups. We delve into social media use and community-building in a difficult environment, as well as overthinking, habit building, and the feeling of taking on roles in movements and in communities.