TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series

Ethical Narrative Storytelling Agency

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Mental Health

TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series

Jun 5

Perinatal Recovery & Shame-Free Care With Amber Williams

What does it look like when a patient becomes the CEO? Amber Williams walked into Janus of Santa Cruz suffering with substance use disorder as a teen mom with a newborn son and no insurance coverage left. Twenty years later, she runs it — and this September, Janus opens its first major infrastructure project: a 25-bed perinatal facility built so mothers in recovery won't have to be separated from their babies. In this conversation, Amber talks with Autumn Payne about what it takes to put clients at the center of every decision — from building environments that raise expectations, to asking providers to check their biases before they walk into a patient room. She also gets personal about the moment her own bias crept into her clinical work, and what she did about it. If you work in healthcare, treat patients with substance use disorder, or care about what recovery looks like for families — this conversation is for you. In this episode: Why environment is a clinical tool, not an amenity The three barriers keeping providers from treating substance use disorder What happens when you recognize your own bias before it reaches a patient Why perinatal-specific facilities are so rare — and what's at stake without them The aging population being left behind on medsurg floors Where a bottomless well of hope comes from Chapters 0:00 Introduction 1:20 How Amber first came to Janus as a patient 4:00 The decision that changed everything 5:30 Putting clients at the center of every decision 7:00 Why environment is a clinical tool 9:00 The new 25-bed perinatal facility 11:30 Why perinatal facilities are so rare 13:45 Three barriers providers face with SUD patients 18:00 Checking your own bias — a personal story 21:30 What to do when you can't check it at the door 23:00 Self-care for clinicians in high-intensity settings 25:00 Warm handoffs in a 15-minute appointment 28:00 Resources: 988 and the ED Bridge program 29:30 The California SUD landscape 33:00 The aging population left behind on med surg floors 36:00 Where Amber finds hope Interview Recorded On: March 20. 2026 TNT Open Mind Insights is a video series linking personal stories to solutions in mental healthcare. Sponsored by UC Irvine's Train New Trainers Primary Care Psychiatry Fellowship and produced by Ethical Narrative Storytelling Agency. 🔗 Hear more insights: [tntopenmind.org] Connect with Amber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-williams-laadc-98779b111/ Connect with Janus of Santa Cruz: https://janussc.org #SubstanceUseDisorder #AddictionRecovery #PeriNatalCare #BehavioralHealth #MentalHealth #HealthcareProviders #TNTOpenMindInsights #HealthcarePolicy #StigmaFreeRecovery Tags: substance use disorder, addiction recovery, perinatal care, behavioral health, mental health, healthcare providers, stigma, recovery, Janus Santa Cruz, TNT Open Mind Insights, healthcare policy, maternal health, addiction medicine, California healthcare, substance abuse treatment, harm reduction Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

38 min
Jun 5

When Diabetes Meets Depression - Lessons from the Bronx with Dr. Alyson Myers

What happens when you treat diabetes without addressing depression? Or prescribe insulin to a patient with no refrigerator? Dr. Alyson Myers has spent her career answering questions like these — and her answers challenge how most clinicians were trained to think.Triple board-certified in internal medicine, psychiatry, and endocrinology, Dr. Myers practices in the Bronx, where the gap between clinical guidelines and patients' lived reality is impossible to ignore. In this conversation, she breaks down the bidirectional relationship between metabolic and mental health, reframes what "non-compliant" actually means, and shares how a five-year chart review revealing a 44% amputation rate led her to co-found a multidisciplinary limb preservation clinic.This is whole-patient care in practice — not as a concept, but as a necessity.In this episode:Why treating diabetes without addressing mental health guarantees worse outcomes for bothThe real meaning of "non-compliant" in underserved communitiesHow inaction violates the oath to do no harmA data-driven response to a 44% amputation rate in the BronxThe cost of diabetic foot ulcers to patients, families, and the healthcare systemWhat telehealth rollbacks mean for urban populationsHow Dr. Myers protects her own mental health while carrying the weight of this work⏱ Chapters 0:00 Introduction 1:01 Why diabetes became personal — and professional 3:20 Listening as a clinical tool 4:27 The whole-patient model: why silos fail 5:38 Food insecurity and glycemic control 6:49 No refrigerator? Getting creative with insulin storage 8:02 Reframing "do no harm" — inaction is harm too 8:47 Diabetes and depression: the bidirectional relationship 12:39 Med-psych training and what most physicians are missing 14:02 Women's health, menopause, and the data gaps 15:05 Social drivers of health and what "non-compliant" really means 17:48 Telehealth rollbacks and the CMS policy gap 18:28 Health equity, DEIB, and the Albert Einstein legacy 20:55 A 44% amputation rate and the clinic built to change it 23:50 The true cost of diabetic foot ulcers 26:06 Physician wellness: how Dr. Myers stays grounded 28:36 Reasons for hope 32:26 Connect with Dr. Myers🔗 Hear more insightful interviews :🌐 tntopenmind.org 📸 Follow Dr. Myers on Instagram: @dr.savalimbTags: diabetes and mental health, health equity, behavioral health, integrated care, diabetic foot ulcer, limb preservation, Bronx healthcare, health disparities, endocrinology, diabetes depression, social determinants of health, whole patient care, telehealth policy, physician wellness, TNT Open Mind Insights, healthcare leadership, diabetes care, underserved communities, non-compliant patients, biopsychosocial model Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

32 min
May 9

Bilingual Providers: Building Trust With Kids with Marcos Cota

What happens when a provider speaks your language?Bilingual pediatric physician assistant Marcos Cota knows firsthand. Growing up in a Spanish-speaking household in Truckee, California, he watched families struggle to be heard in a system that wasn't built for them. Now practicing at Community Health Alliance in Reno, Nevada, Marcos is doing something about it.In this conversation, Marcos shares what it really takes to build trust with Latino families, why kids should never have to translate for their own healthcare, and the very real gaps in pediatric mental health access that are leaving families with nowhere to turn. As a TNT Fellow training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UC Irvine, he's expanding what's possible for the communities he serves.If you work in healthcare, advocate for mental health access, or care about equitable care for kids — this conversation is for you.Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction: Meet Marcos Cota, PA-C01:26 — From Family Medicine to Pediatrics 02:20 — Why Language Barriers Fall on Kids 03:43 — Culture, Trust, and Better Patient Outcomes 06:01 — The Limits of Interpreters 07:20 — Marcos's Personal Connection to the Work 09:08 — Community Health Alliance: Filling the Gaps 10:38 — Barriers Facing Underserved Families 12:51 — Why Marcos Joined the TNT PC-CAP Fellowship 14:41 — Seeing the Whole Patient: A Pattern of Purpose 17:07 — Pilates, Wellness, and the Mind-Body Connection 20:55 — The Real Barriers to Wellness Recommendations 22:19 — Magic Wand: What Pediatric Care in Reno Really Needs 24:20 — What Gives Marcos Hope 25:25 — How to Connect with Community Health AllianceInterview Recorded On: Jan 17, 2026🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on mental health, equity, and the people closing the gaps in care. 🔗 Watch more interviews in the series: www.tntopenmind.orgbilingual healthcare, pediatric mental health, language access, mental health equity, bilingual providers, Latino health, child adolescent psychiatry, pediatric care, community health, TNT fellowship, health equity, Spanish speaking provider, underserved communities, mental health advocacy, cultural competency, physician assistant, bilingual PA, kids mental health, healthcare access, Community Health Alliance, Reno Nevada healthcare, pediatric psychiatry, language barriers healthcare, Latino families, behavioral health Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

28 min
Apr 25

Educating Providers - The Key to Perinatal Mental Health with Kelly O'Connor

The biggest challenge in perinatal mental health is that providers aren't trained to recognize it.Kelly O'Connor, Executive Director of Maternal Mental Health NOW, shares how one mother's dismissed symptoms sparked an 18-year mission to transform perinatal mental healthcare. From training OB-GYNs to children's librarians, the organization has worked to close the provider knowledge gap that leaves too many families struggling in silence.Topics Covered: Why "postpartum depression" is actually a range of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. How provider training changes outcomes for entire families. California's groundbreaking legislation requiring provider education. Why a simple "How are you doing?" can be life-changing.Founded in 2007, Maternal Mental Health NOW transforms perinatal mental healthcare by training providers, supporting families, and advocating for policy change across Los Angeles County. Their mission is to ensure all new and expectant parents have access to culturally responsive mental health support. Learn more at https://maternalmentalhealthnow.org/The Impact: Untreated perinatal mental health conditions don't just affect parents— they impact bonding, child development, family stability, and multi-generational outcomes. But when providers are equipped to recognize and respond, early intervention becomes possible.Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction2:58 - The Founding Story: When Care Failed4:36 - Lack of Informed Providers: The Number One Barrier6:28 - Kelly's Personal Journey into This Work8:43 - Misconceptions About Perinatal Mental Health9:13 - Beyond "Postpartum Depression": Understanding the Full Spectrum10:14 - How Common Is It Really? The 1 in 5 Statistic10:45 - Why the Stigma Exists: Social Media vs. Reality11:19 - Provider Fear and Lack of Resources17:24 - The Training Work: From OB-GYNs to Librarians19:09 - Integrating Care into Primary Settings20:50 - Home Visitors vs. Clinical Settings: Screening Rate Comparison24:03 - Whose Responsibility Is Screening?25:00 - The Power of "How Are You Doing?"26:09 - A Pediatrician's Question That Changed Everything26:38 - Advice for Providers Watching This26:59 - California's Groundbreaking Legislation (AB 2193 & AB 3032)29:15 - The Accountability Gap in Current Laws31:15 - Multi-Generational Impact of Untreated Conditions33:45 - Social Media's Role in Unrealistic Expectations37:27 - Success Story: The Power of Storytelling41:01 - How to Support This WorkInterview Recorded On: March 20, 2026🔔 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of mental health and policy. 🔗 Watch more interviews in the series: [tntopenmind.org] YouTube Tags (under 500 characters):perinatal mental health, postpartum depression, provider education, maternal mental health, healthcare training, OB-GYN training, perinatal anxiety, mental health advocacy, postpartum support, pregnancy mental health, provider screening, community health, California healthcare, maternal health policy, perinatal care, mental health stigma, healthcare professionals, clinical training, home visiting programs Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

36 min
Apr 11

Foster Youth & Mental Health Access - With Angelina Medina

Providers often see a foster youth who survived and think they're resilient, strong, and got-it-handled. But surviving doesn't always mean thriving. And having one’s basic needs met doesn't mean all their needs are met.Angelina Medina, Regional Lead at iFoster, discusses the critical gap between survival and healing for foster youth. Resources exist, but young people often don't learn about them until adulthood when they're struggling. Now, Angelina is working to change that.What You'll Learn: Why the "basic needs checklist" fails foster youth’s mental health. Concrete practices to build trust: go slow, ask permission, don't assume resilience. How lived experience creates peer connections traditional models miss. Why mental health is a policy issue and what providers can do now.Guest Bio: Angelina Medina is a Regional Lead at iFoster, where she provides support to current and former foster youth and leads groups of foster youth as they gain employment skills. Having entered the foster care system at age six, Angelina completed iFoster's internship program and is committed to utilizing her lived experience to aid others navigating similar challenges. She graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in environmental occupational health and has been advocating for foster youth since joining iFoster at age 21. Her lived experience informs her work connecting foster youth with the resources they need, from mental health and wellness support to education and employment opportunities. About iFoster: iFoster is a national nonprofit employing former foster youth to bridge the resource gap. Medical professionals, caregivers, and anyone supporting foster youth can access their free resources at iFoster.orgMental health is a policy issue. Who gets resources and what those resources are shapes whether foster youth can heal or just get by.Chapters: 0:00 Introduction0:55 Angelina's Background & iFoster's Mission3:17 What is iFoster? Services & Resources5:58 The Gap: When Basic Needs Aren't Enough7:28 Policy Changes Needed for Mental Health Access9:34 The Power of Peer Support & Lived Experience12:29 Technology & Housing Resources for Foster Youth15:59 iFoster Jobs Program: Training Peer Specialists19:28 Enhanced Care Management & Social Determinants22:06 Advocacy & Hope for Current Foster Youth25:29 Advice for Healthcare Providers: Go Slow & Ask Permission27:11 Don't Assume Resilience28:44 The Importance of Consistency in Care31:19 Mental Health is a Policy Issue32:26 How to Connect with iFosterInterview Recorded On: Jan 17, 2026🔔 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of mental health and policy. 🔗 Watch more interviews in the series: www.tntopenmind.org YouTube Tags: trauma informed care, peer support, foster youth, mental health policy, social determinants of health, iFoster, behavioral health, youth advocacy, child welfare, pediatric care, health equity, lived experience, community mental health, child psychiatry, social work, case management, transition age youth Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

28 min
Mar 28

Self Compassion In Elite Performance - with Stephen Hauschka

What does it take to perform at your best when the pressure is at its highest? Super Bowl Champion and Performance Coach, Stephen Hauschka, spent his entire career learning how. In this conversation with TNT Open Mind Insights, Stephen breaks down the mental performance framework he built, which goes beyond athletic performance into the heart of what it means to be human under pressure.From missing a game-winning kick and getting cut, to winning the Super Bowl in Seattle, to a final playoff moment that brought everything full circle — Stephen's journey is a masterclass in fear response management, psychological safety, and the science of self-compassion.Whether you are a healthcare professional, mental health advocate, or someone navigating high-pressure environments in your own life, this conversation will challenge how you think about fear, identity, and what it really means to perform freely.Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction01:35 — Stephen's Background: Neuroscience Meets the NFL04:44 — His First Experience With Pressure and Fear08:13 — Pressure Is Real: The Neuroscience Behind Fear11:20 — Missing the Game-Winning Kick and Getting Cut15:05 — Arriving in Seattle: How Culture Changes Performance16:40 — Working With Dr. Michael Gervais19:30 — The Paradox of High Performance and Worthiness23:50 — Self-Compassion as a Performance Tool25:45 — Psychological Safety and the Freedom to Perform28:00 — The Playoff Moment That Changed Everything30:21 — Tools and Routines: Breath work, Tapping, and Mindfulness38:00 — Fear Never Disappears — Here's How to Work With It41:33 — What Stephen Teaches Others TodayInterview Recorded On: Jan 17, 2026🔔 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of mental health and self-compassion. www.tntopenmind.orgTags:mental performance, self-compassion, psychological safety, fear response, elite performance, NFL, Stephen Hauschka, mental health, mindfulness, breathwork, performance psychology, neuroscience, high performance, sports psychology, mental wellness, peak performance, Michael Gervais, self-compassion research, Kristin Neff, TNT Open Mind Insights, healthcare, mental health advocacy, fear management, inner game Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

41 min
Mar 16

What Is the Cost of a Human Life? | TNT Open Mind Insights Season 2

What happens when the people closest to the behavioral health landscape — a Super Bowl champion, a state senator, frontline clinicians, and system architects — speak without a filter? Season 2 of TNT Open Mind Insights brings together leaders across behavioral health to confront what's broken, what's possible, and what it actually costs us to look away. From a lawmaker who spent nights wondering where his loved one was, to a primary care doctor who became the last line of care by default, to a policy director whose own loss exposed the price of bad decisions — these are the conversations happening at the edges of the official agenda. Watch the full Season 2 interviews at 👉 www.tntopenmind.org Featured in this reel: Steven Hauschka | Super Bowl Champion & Performance Consultant Dr. Bruce Leewiwatanakal | TNT Core Faculty Angelina Medina | iFoster Dr. Robert McCarron | Founder, TNT Fellowships Dr. Emily Shipley | Nevada Health Centers Dr. Alyson Myers | TNT Fellowships Allied Faculty NP Marcos Cota | Community Health Alliance Luke Bergmann | Health Management Systems Senator Tom Umberg | California District 34 Dr. Sarah Arshad | TNT Core Faculty Dr. Steve Delisi | TNT Core Faculty Autumn Payne | Ethical Narrative Storytelling Agency Madhuri Jha LCSW | Thriving for All Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:04 The pressure is real 0:17 State of behavioral health: "Terrible" 0:38 When policy fails people 0:48 A senator's 3am 0:59 What is the cost of a human life? 1:13 The answers aren't complicated 1:19 Hope is always somewhere 1:29 Love the moment Tags behavioral health, behavioral health reform, behavioral health access, mental healthcare transformation, primary care behavioral health, behavioral health policy, healthcare innovation, health equity, lived experience, California behavioral health, TNT fellowship, UC Irvine, integrated care, healthcare leaders, Open Mind Insights, TNT Open Mind Insights Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

2 min
Feb 28

Child Psychiatry: Identity, Culture & Care with Dr. Sarah Arshad

What does it really mean to know the patient in front of you? In this episode of TNT Open Mind Insights, Dr. Sarah Arshad — triple board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist, pediatrician, and TNT Fellowships PC-CAP Co-Director— makes a compelling case for cultural psychiatry as the foundation of good pediatric care.From emergency rooms to rural communities where psychiatric services simply don't exist, Dr. Arshad draws a direct line between the gaps in our systems and the children left on the other side of them. She challenges the assumption that culture only belongs to visibly diverse populations, shares what she teaches her trainees about cultural humility, and opens up about what it takes to truly sit with a family and hear what they're telling you.This is a conversation for anyone who works with children and families — and wants to do it better.CHAPTERS00:00 — Introduction 01:00 — Who is Dr. Sarah H. Arshad? 02:30 — What is cultural psychiatry and why does it matter? 05:00 — The Cultural Formulation Interview as a clinical tool 07:00 — Everyone has culture 09:00 — A family who couldn't say the word suicide out loud 12:00 — Stigma, fear, and what families bring into the room 14:00 — Teaching cultural humility to the next generation of providers 17:00 — Sitting with patients20:00 — Where health systems are falling short for children and families 23:00 — The school-to-dropout pipeline and structural inequity 26:00 — When the prescription is: move counties 29:00 — Bridging the gap — cultural psychiatry in primary care 32:00 — The TNT PC-CAP Fellowship 35:00 — Where Dr. Arshad finds hope and joy Interview Recorded On: Jan 17, 2026🎧 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE for new episodes from TNT Open Mind Insights — connecting personal experiences to solutions within the behavioral healthcare field.🔗 Learn more about the TNT Fellowship: [tntopenmind.org] YouTube Tags (under 500 characters):cultural psychiatry, child psychiatry, pediatric mental health, mental health education, cultural humility, primary care mental health, child and adolescent psychiatry, health equity, pediatrics, mental health advocacy, immigrant mental health, rural mental health, behavioral health, TNT fellowship, psychiatric training, cultural formulation, youth mental health, pediatric primary care, mental health disparities, healthcare gaps Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

32 min

TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series

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Ethical Narrative Storytelling Agency
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2K
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52
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© 2026 Ethical Narrative Storytelling Agency
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TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series