But For Real

Valerie Martin & Emerson Ryder
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Biweekly

Welcome to But For Real: the podcast where all your swirling thoughts about mental health, pop culture, and how to human are blended into one delicious variety show, co-hosted by therapists Valerie Martin (resident elder millennial ✌️) and Emerson Ryder (resident Gen Z 🫶).

  1. 1d ago

    Psychiatric Medication + ADHD 101 with Dr. Chanel Thomas

    What if the thing you've written off as a personality flaw your entire life is actually ADHD? And what if the way ADHD gets diagnosed, treated, and talked about has never really accounted for who you are? This week, Val and Em sit down with Dr. Chanel Thomas, founder, CEO, and clinical director of Blue Sage Wellness — a multi-state psychiatric group practice built specifically to serve communities that mainstream mental health has historically failed. They get into late ADHD diagnosis, medication stigma, what it actually means to practice psychiatry from an anti-oppressive lens, and why "high-functioning" often just means nobody can see how hard you're working to hold it together. This episode covers: (00:00) Tea & Crumpets — Val on Dungeon Crawler Carl; Chanel on One Piece (1,200 episodes and counting); Em becomes a Lego adult(05:00) Step Into My Office — 47 productivity apps and still barely functioning: is it ADHD, burnout, or something else?(09:00) The DSM — high-functioning on the outside, treading water on the inside(13:00) What ADHD actually looks like in adults who've spent their lives masking(20:00) Late diagnosis, grief, and what it felt like when Chanel took medication for the first time(23:00) Medication stigma, the "will I lose my personality" fear, and what collaborative care looks like(28:00) Practicing psychiatry from a decolonized, anti-oppressive lens(32:00) "...but for REAL"(33:00) Now That's What I Call— OKAYY! — "Served" by XLOV(34:00) Dumpster Fire Phoenix + Rapid Fire Q&A ...but for REAL: ADHD doesn't just look like the hyperactive white kid bouncing off the walls. It presents differently in Black and brown, queer, and trans folks — often internalized, masked, and shaped by survival. If that's been your experience, your presentation is just as valid. Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode: Blue Sage Wellness — Dr. Chanel's multi-state psychiatric group practice XLOV — "Served" — Chanel's song pick One Piece — manga and anime series; available on Crunchyroll and NetflixDungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman — Val's current readTeddy the dog rescued from Helvellyn — Good News Network Connect with Dr. Chanel: Blue Sage Wellness @chanelpsychnp on IG@bluesagewellnesspllc on IG BIO Dr. Chanel Thomas is a doctorally prepared, dual board-certified nurse practitioner (FNP/PMHNP) and the founder, CEO, and clinical director of Blue Sage Wellness PLLC, a multi-state psychiatric group practice serving Tennessee, Kentucky, and New York. She built Blue Sage from the ground up with a clear mission: to provide culturally affirming, high-quality psychiatric care to communities historically failed by mainstream mental health systems, including communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and neurodivergent individuals. But Dr. Thomas doesn't stop at the clinical chair. She is also the founder of Aligned & Abundant, a clinician empowerment and conference platform, and the Flourish Collective, a practice incubator and coaching program designed to help licensed clinicians build sustainable, values-aligned practices. She brings a decolonized lens to psychopharmacology, a neurodivergent-affirming approach to care, and a signature style that weaves anime, gaming, and geek culture into clinical work in ways that are as effective as they are unexpected. Whether she's in the clinical space, on a conference stage, or building the next chapter of her legacy, Dr. Thomas shows up the same way every time: fully, unapologetically, and with purpose. Connect with Us: More about the pod / past episodesWatch us on YouTubeNow That's What I Call... OKAAAAY PlaylistSend us a story for The Lore segmentSend in a request for advice for our Step Into My Office segmentConnect with us on IG: @butforrealpodThe Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenterVal on IG: @existentiallyvalThe Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.

  2. Aug 19

    Why Pelvic Floor Health is Important AF with Dr. Jen Le Cougic

    Dr. Jen Le Coguic is a pelvic health physical therapist with over 15 years of experience and the founder of Nashville Pelvic Health — and she's here to talk about the body part most of us are either ignoring, overtightening, or doing Kegels for when we absolutely should not be. This episode covers way more territory than you'd expect: why bladder leaks, pelvic pain, and constipation are common but not normal, why "just do your Kegels" is actually bad advice for a lot of people, what the pelvic floor has to do with your back pain and your breathing, and why men are even less served by this conversation than women. Val and Em also bring a listener who has memorized the bathroom layout of every movie theater in her city, and they have thoughts. This episode covers: (00:00) Tea & Crumpets — Em's analog Sudoku era; Val's proud moment of discernment; Jen on the pelvic floor–nervous system connection and Asheville's dog-friendliness (05:00) Step Into My Office — a listener who knows every public bathroom in her city asks: when does "annoying" become worth getting help for? (10:00) The DSM — what the pelvic floor actually does, why "just do your Kegels" is bad advice for a lot of people, and why the medical system keeps siloing symptoms it should be connecting (17:00) The vFit, breathwork, pregnancy, postpartum, men's pelvic health, and what to expect at your first appointment (30:00) "...but for REAL" (31:00) Now That's What I Call— OKAYY! — "Undone" by Weezer (32:00) Dumpster Fire Phoenix + Rapid Fire Q&A ...but for REAL: These problems are common, but they're not normal. If something is bothering you — even if it's just annoying, even if you haven't had a baby, even if it doesn't feel "serious enough" — reach out to a pelvic floor therapist, do a consult, and get the help that's out there for you. Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode: Nashville Pelvic Health — Dr. Jen's clinicvFit by Joylux — the red light therapy pelvic device Val spotted at the STIMULATE Conference (#NotSponsored)"Undone — The Sweater Song" by Weezer@omgitsheidiii — the viral reel about Grandma CaroleKhruangbin — Jen's other recent musical obsession! Connect with Dr. Jen: Nashville Pelvic Health websiteJen on IGNPH on IG Connect with Us: More about the pod / past episodesWatch us on YouTubeNow That's What I Call... OKAAAAY PlaylistSend us a story for The Lore segmentSend in a request for advice for our Step Into My Office segmentConnect with us on IG: @butforrealpodThe Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenterVal on IG: @existentiallyvalThe Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.

  3. Aug 5

    Attention Activism: A Liberation Movement to Combat the Societal Attention Crisis

    Did you know your brain will ask if it should be doing something else about four seconds into this episode? That's not a joke — that's the real documented average. And honestly, it's kind of the whole point. In Episode 50, Val and Em go deep on attention — not the "just delete TikTok" version of this conversation, but the real one. The systemic, political, whose-profit-is-this-serving one. Val brings fresh insights from her Attention Activism 101 course with the Strother School of Radical Attention (SoRA), and Em brings a fracking metaphor nobody asked for but everyone needed. They also get into Em's "less is more" era, Val saying a meaningful goodbye to her grandfather and the existential questions it's cracking open, and a letter from a social media manager who builds lives AND works in the attention economy and is starting to feel like the villain in her own story. This episode covers: (00:00) Tea & Crumpets — Em on "less is more" as a values-based practice; Val on consciousness, death, and the science-meets-woo rabbit hole she's currently in(07:00) Step Into My Office — a social media manager asks: is it possible to do this job without becoming this person?(13:00) The DSM — Attention Activism: what it is, where it comes from, and why individual willpower was never the answer(15:00) Surveillance capitalism, behavioral data, and the fracking metaphor(21:00) Spotlight, starlight, and daylight — philosopher James Williams' three-tier framework for what we actually lose(25:00) Attentional ecologies, flow state, hyperfocus, and why "good attention" is more complicated than we think(30:00) Who owns your attention? (And what does it mean that we pay it?)(34:00) Attentional debt — and how it shows up as burnout(38:00) What to actually do: dérive, app blockers, microdosing quiet, and the SOS framework(43:00) "...but for REAL" — the mic drop moment(45:00) Now That's What I Call— OKAYY! — music segment(49:00) Dumpster Fire Phoenix — SoRA's growing momentum + Val's Kindle era ...but for REAL: Losing your focus in a world that is literally engineered to fragment it is not a personal failing. It is the business model. Attention was never supposed to be this hard to fight for on your own — so remember that you don't have to. Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode Strother School of Radical Attention (SoRA) — the Brooklyn-based nonprofit behind the Attention Activism movement; Attention Activism 101 & 201 courses (please verify URL before publishing)The Attensity Manifesto — the movement's foundational text (please verify URL before publishing)Opal — app blocker Val and Em recommendScreenZen — app blockerJomo — app blocker (Val's current go-to)Brick — physical app-blocking device (please verify URL before publishing)Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism — the book behind the surveillance capitalism framework Em referencesJames Williams, Stand Out of Our Light — spotlight/starlight/daylight frameworkNatasha Dow Schüll, Addiction by Design — the casino/slot machine researchDonnie Darko (2001) — where Gary Jules' "Mad World" first appeared; highly recommended if you haven't seen it"Reign Me In" — Sam Fender ft. Olivia Dean — Em's song pick (please add Spotify link)"Mad World" — Gary Jules — Val's song pick (please add Spotify link) Connect with Us: More about the pod / past episodesWatch us on YouTubeNow That's What I Call... OKAAAAY PlaylistSend us a story for The Lore segmentSend in a request for advice for our Step Into My Office segmentConnect with us on IG: @butforrealpodThe Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenterVal on IG: @existentiallyvalThe Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.

  4. Jul 22

    Divorce Law 101 + Protecting Kids & LGBTQ Families with Family Law Attorney Rachel Welty

    Rachel Welty is a Nashville-based family and juvenile law attorney and the founder of Welty Law Office, where she has spent nearly 20 years doing things differently. Named to the Tennessee Mid-South Super Lawyers list and a Tennessee Rule 31 Listed Mediator, Rachel takes a child advocacy-centered approach to family law — because she genuinely believes that when kids' needs come first, parents do better too. She works with clients navigating divorce, child custody, support, orders of protection, adoption, DCS involvement, and LGBTQIA+ family law issues, and she's known for bringing a trauma-informed lens to a legal system that often doesn't have one. She's also a single working mom, which means she brings both professional expertise and hard-won personal experience to everything she does. This episode covers: (00:00) Tea & Crumpets — Val on The Telepathy Tapes, Rachel on the NHL playoffs and emotional men, Em on her poolside ADHD hack(05:00) The Lore — Rachel on military spouse life, her husband's deployment to Afghanistan, and what losing a house in divorce taught her about herself(08:30) The DSM — trauma-informed lawyering, what the legal process gets wrong, and how Rachel helps clients stay out of their fear brain(12:00) High-conflict vs. healthy divorce — what it costs kids, and what most family attorneys miss(16:00) The biggest misconception people bring into divorce court(20:00) Discernment counseling, mediation, and the couples who pause their divorce and come back changed(27:00) What LGBTQIA+ couples need to know right now to protect their legal rights(32:00) Why therapists and family attorneys should be talking to each other(34:00) "...but for REAL" - the mic drop moment(36:00) Now That's What I Call— OKAYYY! - music segment!(37:00) Dumpster Fire Phoenix — Dolly Parton wisdom and Em's birthday era(41:00) Rapid Fire Q&A ...but for REAL: Stay in the here and now. If you're in the middle of a divorce, a custody battle, or any kind of legal storm — the what-ifs will eat you alive. Empower yourself with information, find people you trust, and take it one step at a time. Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode Welty Law Office — Rachel's Nashville family and juvenile law practiceThe Telepathy Tapes — Val's Tea & Crumpets rec: the podcast about nonverbal autistic individuals and telepathic communicationDiscernment Counseling — the protocol Val references for couples where one partner is leaning out of the marriageLittle Beautiful Things by Maggie Smith — Rachel's most-recommended book, a memoir about divorce and moving forward (note: confirm exact title before publishing — Rachel mentioned it as "Little Beautiful Things" but the published title is You Could Make This Place Beautiful)"Open Up Your Eyes" by Tonic — Rachel's song pick for Now That's What I Call— OKAYY!Answer Nashville — Rachel's go-to Nashville dinner spotNashville Conflict Resolution Center — one of the nonprofits Rachel volunteers with Connect with Rachel: Welty Law Office websiteInstagram: @weltylawFacebook: Welty Law Office Connect with Us: More about the pod / past episodesWatch us on YouTubeNow That's What I Call... OKAAAAY PlaylistSend us a story for The Lore segmentSend in a request for advice for our Step Into My Office segmentConnect with us on IG: @butforrealpodThe Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenterVal on IG: @existentiallyvalThe Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.

  5. Jul 8

    LGBTQ+ & BIPOC Mental Health with Ashley Hampton

    Ashley Hampton is a licensed therapist, certified clinical supervisor, adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University, and the co-founder of two organizations doing quietly revolutionary work in Tennessee. As co-founder and clinical director of Hampton House Counseling, she's built one of Nashville's first BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ centered group therapy practices from the ground up — with diversity not as an afterthought, but as its foundation. As co-founder and executive director of Healing in the Margins, she's created a nonprofit that addresses the therapy access gap for Black, brown, and queer communities through clinician training, a therapy fund, community partnerships, and more. In three years, Healing in the Margins has funded over $80,000 in therapy across the state of Tennessee. Ashley is a bold, grounded, and genuinely funny human being doing work that this state desperately needs. This episode covers: (00:00) Tea & Crumpets — Em on Wayward (spooky, queer-coded, Stranger Things-ish vibes), Ashley on Married at First Sight season that apparently went feral, and Val doing show and tell with her new Gaian Tarot deck by Joanna Powell Colbert(10:00) Step Into My Office — a listener is out to their parents and friends but not their aging grandmother, and the Pride Month pressure to finally do it is real. Ashley drops an immediate mic: What is it you actually want? To be known, or to check a box?(20:00) The DSM — Ashley on how she built Hampton House and Healing in the Margins, why every space she's created is one she didn't have herself, and what it took to learn to serve her own communities without a roadmap(28:00) What "safe and affirming" actually means in practice versus what it looks like on an Instagram grid — and why humility has to precede safety(35:00) How Healing in the Margins works: the therapy fund, clinician trainings, community partnerships, and why it's working in Tennessee specifically because Ashley has been here her whole life(43:00) The joy, comradery, and community that exists in Black and queer spaces — and what gets lost when we only talk about the struggle(48:00) On being a first and an only: the vulnerability of leading openly, constantly having to prove yourself, and why not caring what people think has been her greatest professional asset(54:00) "...but for REAL" — from Ashley and Em: if you're Black, brown, or queer and living in the South, there are options for you now. Go look at Healing in the Margins.(56:00) Now That's What I Call— OKAYY! — Ashley's pick: "Notice" by Lola Young, and why she's in a season of being seen(60:00) Fire Dumpster Phoenix — Em on swimming as survival, Ashley on a Mother's Day letter from a Healing in the Margins recipient, and Val on two apps that help people help animals in emergencies(66:00) Rapid Fire Q&A — Oprah for dinner, a very Pride Month-appropriate tradition, and Ashley's four-year-old daughter who, when asked if she'd consider therapy, said "f**k no" and honestly same ...but for REAL: If you're Black, brown, or queer and you've spent your whole life thinking there's no space in mental health for someone like you — there is one now. And you deserve more care and support than you've probably even let yourself imagine. Go find it. And to everyone else: ask how you can help, then actually wait for the answer. Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode Hampton House Counseling — Ashley's BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ centered therapy practice in NashvilleHealing in the Margins — Ashley's nonprofit funding therapy access and clinician training for Black, brown, and queer communities across TennesseeWayward — Em's Pride Month watch rec (troubled teen industry meets mind control, queer rep, eight episodes)Married at First Sight — Ashley's reality TV guilty pleasureGaian Tarot: Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves by Joanna Powell Colbert — Val's show and tell"Notice" by Lola Young — Ashley's song pick for Now That's What I Call— OKAYY!"All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled — Ashley's walk-on-stage songAnimal Help Now app — Val's Fire Dumpster Phoenix: free nationwide wildlife emergency app connecting people to local rehabilitators, vets, and resourcesPet Help and Rescue app — companion app to help neighbors evacuate pets during disasters or emergenciesEven the Rat Was White by Robert Guthrie — the psychology research history book Val references on who has and hasn't been centered in the field Connect with Us: Ashley & Healing in the Margins on IGHealing in the Margins nonprofitHampton House CounselingMore about the pod / past episodesWatch us on YouTubeNow That's What I Call... OKAAAAY PlaylistSend us a story for The Lore segmentSend in a request for advice for our Step Into My Office segmentConnect with us on IG: @butforrealpodThe Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenterVal on IG: @existentiallyvalThe Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.

  6. Jun 24

    Turning Grief into Action With Allie Phillips

    Allie Phillips is a working mom of two, a Tennessee native, and a first-time political candidate turned relentless advocate. After being denied lifesaving reproductive care under Tennessee's abortion ban following a devastating diagnosis at her 20-week anatomy scan, Allie was forced to leave the state to terminate a pregnancy her doctors confirmed was not compatible with life. She documented her experience publicly in real time — and the response changed everything. Allie went on to co-file a landmark lawsuit against the state of Tennessee with the Center for Reproductive Rights, challenging the narrow scope of the state's medical exceptions. She's now running for Tennessee House District 75 to fight for working families, public schools, healthcare access, and the kind of leadership that actually gives a damn. This episode covers: 00:00 - Introductions + Tea & Crumpets06:04 - Allie's story and the insane battle for reproductive rights21:54 - Finding Purpose in Loss29:42 - Challenges in Education and Advocacy35:01 - Affordable Housing and Childcare Crisis43:25 - Introduction to Political Identity51:14 - The Impact of Patriarchy and Social Interactions ...but for REAL: Why aren't y'all voting?! Montgomery County had a 6% turnout in the last primary. 6%. Your vote matters more at the local level than almost anywhere else — these are the people deciding your schools, your roads, your healthcare, and your judges. August 6th and November 3rd. Get there. Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode Allie Phillips for Tennessee House District 75Center for Reproductive Rights — the organization behind Allie's lawsuit against the state of TennesseeZurawski v. Texas — the similar Texas case Allie referencesParadise on Hulu (Val's rec)Euphoria on Max (Allie's rec)Pura Smart Home Diffuser (Em's birthday gift obsession)"The Man" by Taylor Swift — Allie's campaign anthemTennessee's Abortion Ban — SB 1257 — the trigger ban referenced throughoutNashville Star commuter rail — the model Allie references for a Clarksville-Nashville railKHS America Musical Petting Zoo at CMA Fest (Em's Fire Dumpster Phoenix pick)Nashville Zoo Night Owl Program — where Allie's daughter's Girl Scout troop spent the weekend Connect with Allie Phillips: Allie's campaign website@allie4tn on IG Connect with Us: More about the pod / past episodesWatch us on YouTubeNow That's What I Call... OKAAAAY PlaylistSend us a story for The Lore segmentSend in a request for advice for our Step Into My Office segmentConnect with us on IG: @butforrealpodThe Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenterVal on IG: @existentiallyvalThe Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.

  7. Jun 10

    It Takes a Village: The Power & Challenge of Building Community

    Val and Em are flying solo (duo?) this week — no guest, just the two of them getting into one of their favorite obsessions: community. Why is it so hard to find your people as an adult? Why do we feel lonely even when our calendars are full? And what does the actual research say about what makes community work? They get into the loneliness epidemic (yes, it's as bad as you've heard), the concept of third spaces and why we're losing them, the underrated power of weak ties (heeey Diane from Pilates), and what Priya Parker's The Art of Gathering taught them about the difference between filling a room and actually hosting people. Plus—Val shares about resurrecting her guitar, her Buffy rewatch, and her tarot practice all at the same time, Em reflects on a trip back to the UK after 16 years and what it stirred up about cultural identity and belonging, and they answer a listener question from someone who keeps showing up and trying — but can't seem to break in anywhere. Stuff we mentioned: The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker Priya Parker on We Can Do Hard Things podcastUS Surgeon General's 2023 Advisory on Loneliness and IsolationHackney Mosaic Project (East London) Community micro-hydro power in the Northern PhilippinesCamp Gaia (our online membership!) Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction to But For Real Podcast05:12 - Exploring Community and Connection09:52 - The Importance of Community and Connection27:23 - The Importance of Structure in Community Building30:13 - The Birth of Camp Gaia: Building Community Online Connect with Us: More about the pod / past episodesWatch us on YouTubeNow That's What I Call... OKAAAAY PlaylistSend us a story for The Lore segmentSend in a request for advice for our Step Into My Office segmentConnect with us on IG: @butforrealpodThe Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenterVal on IG: @existentiallyvalThe Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.

  8. May 27

    They Can't Kill Us if Our Art Survives - with Wednesdae, @queer.art_therapist

    In this episode of But For Real, we delve into the transformative realm of expressive arts therapy with our distinguished guest, Wednesdae Reim Ifrach. Their expertise lies at the confluence of queer embodiment, complex trauma, and creative healing, offering a profound perspective on how art can serve as a conduit for emotional expression and personal growth. We explore the misconception that art therapy is merely "arts and crafts for sad people," illuminating its true potential to facilitate deep, somatic healing beyond verbal communication. The conversation traverses the intersections of identity, creativity, and resistance, emphasizing the vital role of authenticity in both personal and professional spheres. Join us as we unpack these intricate themes, and discover how embracing one's multifaceted identity can foster resilience and empowerment in the face of societal challenges. Takeaways: This episode explores the intersection of expressive arts therapy, trauma, and queer identity, highlighting their profound connections.We discuss how art therapy transcends mere creative expression, serving as a legitimate therapeutic modality for adults.The conversation emphasizes the importance of authenticity and personal expression in combating systemic oppression and fostering resilience.Listeners are encouraged to pursue their own creative endeavors as acts of resistance against societal norms and expectations.Wednesday's experiences illustrate the transformative power of art in healing trauma and affirming one's identity in a complex world.The episode concludes with a call to action for increased accessibility and understanding of mental health resources and creative therapies. LINKS + Referenced in the Episode: Wednesdae's websiteFollow Wednesdae @queer.art_therapist on IGThe Gaia Center: Therapy in Nashville + coaching worldwideFollow us @butforealpod and @thegaiacenter on IGMOMAFire Road Foods

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Welcome to But For Real: the podcast where all your swirling thoughts about mental health, pop culture, and how to human are blended into one delicious variety show, co-hosted by therapists Valerie Martin (resident elder millennial ✌️) and Emerson Ryder (resident Gen Z 🫶).

Information

  • Creator
    Valerie Martin & Emerson Ryder
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Valerie Martin & Emerson Ryder
  • Show Website
    But For Real

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