Season 3 Premiere – Featuring Special Guest Ava Hart! We're thrilled to kick off Season 3 with a powerful conversation about healing within toxic cultures—and we’re honored to have Ava Hart, LCSW, IMH‑E, EMDR-certified therapist and parenting consultant, join us. Ava brings over 20 years of experience supporting individuals, couples, and families through trauma, attachment challenges, perinatal mood disorders, and more. From her work facilitating therapeutic workshops like "Trauma Bonded Sistas," to speaking on "The Brain, the Body and Trauma" and motherhood on Let’s Talk EMDR, Ava’s insights dive deep into the interplay between mind, body, and language avahart.com. WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN Expert POV: Ava shares how EMDR and acceptance-based approaches can lead to deeper healing in toxic environments.Bridging Practice & Action: Discover actionable tools—like journaling, movement, and digital detox—that support radical accountability and self-care.Community & Connection: Learn about trauma bonding, workplace dynamics, and accountability within communities, especially among Black women. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN How to expose toxic environments and reframe your relationship with themWhy words matter: language’s role in emotional healingEMDR in healing traumas, including emotional wounds tied to communicationPractical strategies for wellness: from unplugging digitally and reconnecting with nature, to movement and journalingRadical accountability + self-forgiveness as cornerstones of change In This Episode: Dee, Shawna, and Ava explore how trauma, power, and divisive language harm our wellbeing—and how repair starts with empowered communication and community accountability. With EMDR, nature, movement, and journaling, they break down healing into manageable daily practices and challenge listeners to reclaim their personal growth journeys. Tune in now: Whether you're healing from workplace or relationship toxicity, navigating motherhood, or on a journey of personal transformation, this conversation offers grounded insights and practical tools. Let’s Co‑Lab Together! What’s one small act you’re going to implement this week—like a 10-minute digital break or a journaling ritual? Send us a message or tag us—we’d love to hear and support your journey. Special shout out to Yvonne McDuffie Winfrey, Executive Producer extraordinaire, and The entire UNCollective family for your dedication and continuous support! Connect with Us Follow us on social media and let us know your thoughts on today's episode! Instagram: @colabbin_podcast Facebook: @Co-Labbin' w/Dee & Shawna YouTube: @Co-LabbinwithDeeShawna Website: www.co-labbin.com This Episode is Sponsored by Girls For Technology We’re deeply grateful to Girls For Technology, our inaugural Season 3 sponsor, for generously providing Shawna with a recording space for Episode 301. Girls For Technology is a Black woman–led Hartford-based nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing women and girls of color—especially in K‑12 and young adult programs—by delivering immersive STEM, entrepreneurship, and leadership training to catalyze economic mobility and systems change. girlsfortechnology.org #mentalhealth #trauma #healing #toxic #radical accountability #digitaldiet #divisivelanguage #selfcare
