It's The Fix

2021 was a year of challenges, to say the least, but also a year filled with tragic losses.  We often don't process traumas and loss until it's too late and boils over, so in this episode Nicole Winkler returns to guide us through helpful ways to process things AND focus on how we can improve just one percent in 2022, to hit those major goals.   O2AmmwTBEgqjCZOvJR4Z

A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish - It is quickly approaching the time of year where we all set goals and resolutions, which are then all too often followed by failing to achieve them.  Today we talk about 2 simple techniques to keep it simple and actually accomplish your goals, whether they be sobriety, professional, or personal.

What advice would you give yourself 20 years ago? It's probably a long list, but the question really is - are you taking that same advice today? In this episode we try a thought experiment to learn how to take our own advice

How much does the food we eat effect our mental health? Dr Kristin Saxena, host of the podcast "Feeding The Family," joins us to talk about food and mental health, how we can approach the obesity epidemic, and simple ways to get your own diet on track.

When the opioid epidemic began, millions of Americans were lied to, deceived, and abused by their own doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare industry as a whole.  How much does this reasonable doubt influence the current refusal to trust in the science of vaccines today, with the current pandemic? We talk about this to try to understand why people feel the way they do, and learn what we can do about it, with today's guest Nicole Winkler.

What is the "Trans Experience" in 2021? What are the mental health challenges of finding your own identity and how you're accepted by others? We talk about the journey of Eli Rigatuso, who's transformation is not just about his identity but also his history and culture.  To understand someone we must first learn, and this episode we learn so much from Eli's story

We know the golden rule of being nice to others so they are nice in return to us, but first we have to apply that to ourselves. Being nice to yourself and helping yourself is key to your own happiness, joy, and success (professionally and personally).  Today we talk about the power and impact of positive thought through the basic premise of being nice to, and helping, others.  In other words, Don't Be A Dick. 

The Mayor of Omaha, NE, Jean Stothert, joins the podcast to talk about the tragic loss of her husband, Joe, who died by suicide.  It happened in the middle of her re-election campaign on a public stage, yet she leaned into therapy and learned so much that she hopes helps others by sharing her story today

On today's podcast Matt and Wendy talk about when you know if you are addicted. You most likely have bad habits, but how do you know when a bad habit has become an addiction you need help with? We focus on behavioral addictions to Social Media and Mobile Devices and show the comparisons to Matt's Opioid addiction, what the signs are that you're addicted, and simple steps you can take to start correcting your unhealthy habits.

Coming Clean is the theme for this season and Matt comes clean about how and why his mental health has declined this year, causing severe anxiety and depression. Executive Coach Nicole Winkler shows us how using Emotional Intelligence can change how we are influenced by unhealthy situations, people, and habits.

Executive Coach Nicole Winkler returns to share her insight on Imposter Syndrome, and setting Boundaries and Routines For Success!

When is it time to step away from a job, a situation, or a person that triggers your depression or anxiety? Mental Health struggles can be triggered by major Traumatic events, but it's often the smaller traumas on a daily basis that build into a major negative impact on your life. Today we discuss how to identify those triggers, how to have the courage to walk away from negative situations, and how this all plays into where Matt has been for 7 months.

Matt sits down with Willie Miller, who went from Memorial Stadium to a decade of alcohol and prescription painkiller addiction before he got the help he needed, got into recovery, and shed his former 400 lb self to become the man you meet today, with an incredibly inspiring story to share.

Erik Johnson is 'The Podcast Talent Coach' as well as an award winning hockey coach, manager, and on air radio personality.  He's currently the Vice President of Programming for iheartmedia and he's worked in the radio broadcasting industry for over 30 years. Erik brings his advice and thoughts on coaching, being a good leader, and being a good manager. We also discuss how to handle tough times like losing your job and how to deal with it and move forward. Plus I share 15 things that make a good leader, it's all on today's podcast, It's The Fix!

Matt and Wendy talk about 3 ways to implement a new way to show up to your life differently and take control of the positive thought that has both a mental and biological effect on every action and outcome of your day

Matt and Wendy talk about 8 ways to reset your mindset for the upcoming year. How to get back into those healthy routines and what things you should consider leaving behind. Plus several easy ways to increase endorphins and boost your mood right now!

The election is over but it's not over, and the stress of this year's election is only compounded on top of the stress of 2020.  Matt discusses 6 practical and simple tips to cope with that added post-election stress on this special episode of It's The Fix!

Bitsy Jennings is a brand ambassador for the Joan Rivers clothing and accessories line at QVC. She has starred in a variety of TV shows and commercials. She recently went through a transformational weight loss and exercise program, and has started on the path of hormone replacement therapy. Matt & Wendy discuss all of that and much more on this week's episode!

There is a brutal truth about life that many people can't accept: you have no control over most of the things that will happen to you. What you do about that truth next is the key. Matt sits down with his dad, Pastor Russ Tompkins, to discuss 6 key questions to ask yourself when it comes to the things you can't control, with simple practical things you can do today.

From our health care institutions to our prisons, schools, and local non-profits, just how broken is our system? Matt welcomes back Nicole Winkler to talk about what IS working and ways that people can still find the help they need, along with her perspective on just how well the system is or isn't doing for us all.

Why is letting it go so hard to do? Why do we dwell on that insult, that mean thing someone said, that person who cut you off in traffic, and cling to these negative feelings? The only person who ends up suffering is you, not the person who said or did the thing to trigger these negative emotions. So today we'll talk about the healthy way to work through the process to Let Things Go, not ignore them, but accept, recognize, and re-direct their energy. Matt shares his experience from just this week, from literally today, that is all too common for all of us when something bad happens and we can't help but cling to the negative ways it makes us feel.

Most Americans have fallen off of their healthy routines and Matt explains why that's happening, the impact, and 3 new tips to get back on track with your healthy routine. Matt also covers new studies that show Keto can be bad for you, whether it matters when you workout during the day, and the impact that America's record breaking Obesity numbers are fueling COVID 19.

Turns out that the Virtual World is just as deceptive and dangerous as the real world, perhaps more so since it is cloaked in disguise. Matt sits down with Nicole Winkler, a Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner and Drug and Alcohol Addiction Counselor, to discuss how anyone who uses social media is most likely addicted to social media and the mobile phones that we use them on. Social Media on Mobile Devices has put our children at an unprecedented high risk for suicide, self harm, and life long developmental limitations due to never developing basic social skills and losing empathy at a rapid rate.

Matt talks with the Co-chairs of the American Foundation Suicide Prevention, Nebraska charter about suicide, Amy Reed and Jen Sparrock, about why it happens, what we can do to prevent it, and how we can have open conversations to break the stigma.

Matt talks about how he lost 43 pounds in 9 months and offers the short and simple answer along with the longer, more detailed answer with specifics on his meal plan, nutrition, supplements, and workout plans.

On today's podcast, Matt is joined by Certified Sex Therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Author Kristen Lilla to talk about sex and its impact on our mental well-being. How do we know if we have a healthy relationship with sex? What are ways I can better communicate what I want (or don't want) in bed? How is COVID exacerbating existing problems with sex and physical intimacy? As always we have helpful tips to implement today too!

Matt and Wendy celebrate their wedding anniversary and share their experiences, the rock bottom they hit due to Matt's addiction, and how they worked through those struggles to overcome them and get to a healthy place today. They also share 11 specific keys to strengthening your relationships, not just with a spouse but with every person in your life from your friends to co-workers, parents and children, and more.

Matt Tompkins and Wendy Townley have a tough question to ask ourselves: How much of the problem are we? Just how much of the negative influences in our lives are we willingly allowing to happen? The good news is that when we answer that question honestly - we are also the solution. We give you several things you can regain control over and 7 ways to feel more control over your life.

Matt and health care practitioner and expert on mental health, Robyn Burnett, discuss the hard costs for companies if they ignore mental health. They also discuss the hard costs for individuals and how ignoring your mental health will affect your job performance. In this podcast we offer several practical tips for Companies, Employers, Managers, Team Leaders and employees to implement immediately and see results fast.

Matt and Wendy talk about why a healthy sex life is important for your overall mental health, why working through your lunch is a recipe for disaster, and how the Pandemic has taken so many lives but may be saving millions more.

Matt's guest on this podcast is TV and Radio host Tom Becka, who's storied comedy and broadcasting career has taken him all over the country...but today Tom is here to share his story of enabling a loved one and how AL-ANON helped him. Tom also talks about his childhood and how Comedy became a way for him to cope with an often challenging home-life. Plus Matt and Tom reflect on the lack of Mental Health care in the U.S. and how that is having dire effects on politics, tribalism, and respectful discourse.

Sure, diets can help you lose weight but the reason that 90% of people gain the weight back (and then some) is because diets are not sustainable.  Instead of chasing a fad diet, let's go over ways to commit to a long term lifestyle change that is simple, realistic, and tastes good too!

Dave Wingert shares his inspiring story overcoming depression, family suicide, addiction and his path to recovery today.

We were all under an unmanageable amount of anxiety and stress prior to 2020, and now it may feel impossible to regain control and not feel like breaking down. In this episode, Matt and Wendy talk about 3 practical, real world tips that you can implement right now to help you reduce stress and anxiety. Stop anxiety attacks in their tracks and avoid letting the negative side effects of stress impact your mental and physical health in this episode of 'It's The Fix.'

Matt and Wendy talk about creating routines and setting boundaries. Routines and boundaries go hand in and and overlap quite a bit but they both serve crucial purposes to finding balance in your life. As many people continue to work from home, creating boundaries (including physical boundaries in your house) will help your brain know what 'mode' it needs to be in and creating new, healthy routines will go a long way in a very short amount of time. You'll be surprised at the power you have to turn things around quickly.

Matt and Wendy talk about failures and why failing is not a bad thing, but rather a good thing that we need. They talk about how to overcome failures, adversity and criticism from those outside the arena. Eric Crouch is our special guest this week and he opens up about how he adjusted his mind going from 90,000 people cheering to what is next in his life, and how to block out the critics and the haters. He also opens up about is final two games, which were losses on big stages, and how he has taken only the good memories from his playing days.

Matt Tompkins and Wendy Townley discuss how they've identified problems, challenges, and traumas and how they worked to overcome those dangerous triggers that can cause negative emotional reactions for years.  Then Mike'l Severe sits down with Matt to discuss the evolutions in Mental Health in sports, from youth league to the Pros in a candid and fascinating conversation.

Matt Tompkins and his partner, Wendy Townley, sit down for an abbreviated podcast that explains what The Fix is all about and what you can expect in the weeks ahead. Episode 2 and 3 are posted already as a bonus to check out what a full episode sounds like!