How We Can Heal

Lisa Danylchuk
  • 5.0 (22)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A podcast to share deep conversations about How We Can Heal from life’s toughest circumstances. 

  1. 2D AGO

    Running Isn’t Therapy: Katharina Hartmuth on Healing from Trauma and Finding Joy in the Mountains

    What does it really take to endure when the air thins, the quads burn, and doubt gets loud? We sit down with ultrarunner Katharina Hartmuth—Hardrock and UTMB podium finisher and winner of the 330 km Tor des Géants—to unpack the mental game of mountain ultras and the deeper work that fuels lasting resilience. From long stretches above 12,000 feet to the rare quiet of a small, devoted race community, Katharina explains why Hardrock feels both brutal and beautiful—and why she keeps coming back. Katharina is candid about the lows: altitude-driven vision issues, bonks that won’t quit, and the storm-lashed nights where every step is a question. Her toolkit blends practical strategy and inner steadiness—separating pain from harm, checking ego at the door, and letting joy lead and metrics follow. We go further into healing, where she draws a firm line: running is therapeutic, but it isn’t therapy. Years of psychotherapy widened her window of tolerance, rebuilt trust, and turned setbacks into learning. We explore stigma, access, and the biology of stress, showing why mental health care deserves the same respect as injury rehab. Injuries have tested her in recent years: a car accident, knee surgery, a last-minute bone bruise, and a nagging foot issue. Instead of spiraling, Katharina has learned to reframe recovery as training for patience, leaned on cross-training and strength, and practiced self-kindness that maintains her sense of worth and identity. She also shares how she’s reshaping life for sustainability—creating more rest, more nature, and taking a bold step to focus on running full-time. If you’re curious about the psychology of endurance, the Hardrock culture, or how therapy and trail running can work together to heal, this conversation is your map. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs encouragement today, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. What hard thing you’re ready to try next? Support the show

    1h 30m

  2. OCT 27

    Global High-Intensity Activation, Rhythmicity & Healing with Mahshid Hager

    When slowing down feels dangerous, your body might be living in Global High-Intensity Activation(GHIA): always on, always braced, always moving. Today we sit down with licensed marriage and family therapist and Somatic Experiencing faculty member Mahshid Hager to name that pattern, trace where it comes from, and chart a humane path back to rhythm.  Mahshid explains why a body wired for survival often resists rest, and how to work with that reality using micro-rests that your system will actually allow. We unpack the gas-and-brake reciprocity between sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, the difference between hyperarousal and global high, and how swings between overdrive and full collapse can fuel chronic pain, inflammation, and exhaustion. Along the way, curiosity shows up as the quiet superpower ~ because genuine curiosity cannot coexist with threat. Mahshid shares a story about her relationship with the mountains over the years, and how the same thing that triggers panic can become a source of awe years later - not with forced exposure, but with care for the body.  We also reflect on capitalism’s applause for burnout and the 24/7 news cycle that delivers shock without local action. You’ll hear smart, doable suggestions for managing news & technology in a way that keeps you engaged , but not overwhelmed. If you’re always in GO mode, running on fumes, or trying to support clients through trauma, this conversation offers language, tools, and hope. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a break, and leave a review to help more listeners find their way back to rhythm. Support the show

    1h 14m

  3. OCT 20

    How Trauma-Informed Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Nurture Fertility, Birth & Postpartum Healing

    What if the most powerful medicine starts with warmth, rhythm, and trust in your own body? Today we sit down  down with licensed acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, and yoga teacher Tara Tonini to trace how trauma-informed Chinese medicine can steady the nervous system, smooth cycles, and support conception, pregnancy, birth prep, and postpartum in a way that fits into real life. From liver qi and kidney jing to the heart-mind connection, Tara translates complex ideas into simple choices you can make today. We dig into why many people are “acu-curious” yet needle-averse, and how energy work, qigong, and gentle touch can move qi without needles. Tara breaks down yin and yang as a practical parenting tool—intensity peaks, ease returns—and shows how seasonal eating, warm foods, and cozy rituals rebuild blood, improve sleep, and calm anxiety. She shares why chronic heat practices can dry you out, how cold plunges may impact kidney qi, and how warmth is medicine for conception and early postpartum recovery. You’ll hear concrete tips like herbal foot soaks for insomnia, body tapping along meridians to relieve pain, and using familiar yoga postures as targeted meridian stretches for better flow. We also explore postpartum care through the lens of “sitting the moon,” with nourishing herbs, digestible meals, and home scents that signal safety. Tara’s trauma-informed clinical approach centers consent, pacing, and patient agency. If you’re navigating fertility, preparing for birth, or rebuilding after, this conversation offers grounded tools and a kinder way to meet your body where it is. If this resonates, follow and share the episode, leave a review on your favorite app, and tell us the practice you’ll try today. Your story might spark someone else’s healing. Support the show

    57 min

  4. OCT 14

    The Power of Secure Attachment: Supporting Maternal Well-being for Stronger Families & Communities

    Mothers are asked to offer the critical early childhood care that shapes people and impacts communities, while systems fail to offer them the basic care they need to thrive.  We invited Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, health psychologist and IBCLC, to map the real drivers of maternal mental health and the surprisingly simple supports that change everything: responsive care, consistent follow‑through after screening, and communities designed to include mothers instead of isolating them. We trace the chain from attachment to lifelong outcomes—why secure bonds in the first thousand days predict resilience, school success, and adult health—and why rising ACEs signal a collective failure, not individual weakness. Kathleen challenges outdated hormone‑only narratives and explains how stress systems, trauma history, and cultural fit shape postpartum depression. She shares practical shifts any hospital or community can adopt today: walking groups that blend sunlight and peers, Baby Cafés that normalize feeding and connection, and staff who can spot a painful latch and intervene before a spiral begins. We also dig into sleep: red night lights, keeping baby close, and the counterintuitive finding that exclusive breastfeeding moms often sleep more overall because resettling is faster. For families and friends asking “how can I help?”, we lay out concrete steps: protect a lying‑in period, offer hands‑on care, screen out unhelpful voices, and create an emergency four‑hour sleep window when she’s hanging by a thread. We look squarely at high‑risk groups, especially military mothers, where depression rates soar—then expand the toolkit with options beyond medication when needed: CBT, acupuncture, omega‑3s, vitamin D. We discuss innovations like rTMS, as well as emerging research on the careful use of ketamine with severe suicidal depression. Cultural trust matters; offering choices increases access and honors lived experience. We close with resources you can use now, from community programs to free postpartum art that normalizes breastfeeding and early parenting. If this conversation moved you, share it with someone who supports new parents, subscribe for more, and leave a quick review—your words help more families find the care and connection they deserve. Learn more at: https://praeclaruspress.com/ Support the show

    1h 8m

  5. OCT 6

    Nurturing Softness through Meditation with Cara Lai

    What if the moment you stop trying to fix yourself is the moment real relief begins? That’s the surprising turn in our conversation with meditation teacher and parent Cara Lai—authorized in the Theravada lineage (IMS, Spirit Rock) and known for an approach that’s honest, funny, and deeply humane. Cara traces her path from art school and a “soul-sucking” office to early retreats that opened a brighter world, then a year-long retreat that didn’t go to plan. Living with Lyme disease, she discovered that discipline without tenderness can harden into harm, and that the path must be larger than the cushion. We dig into collective pain, intuition, and the limits of control—how Western culture overvalues productivity while dismissing the “soft” skills that stabilize families and communities. Parenting reframes practice: interruptions became invitations, metta becomes embodied, and desire connect us with life-giving intuition. Cara shares how micro-mindfulness moments—feeling joy fully, pausing in a trigger, relaxing the urge to fix—can change a day. She offers practical on-ramps: start with 8 minutes, consider a short retreat if appropriate, and let nature, humor, and community widen your capacity. This is a story about the middle way reimagined for modern life: less about perfect posture, more about real presence; less about control, more about trust. If you’ve ever tried to meditate your pain away, if parenting has blown up your schedule, or if softness feels “inefficient,” this conversation offers clarity, compassion, and tools you can use today. If this resonates, follow and share the show, leave a quick review, and tell us: what will you soften around this week? Support the show

    1h 9m

  6. SEP 29

    Yoga for Real Life: Kitchen Yoga, Fierce Kindness and More

    Yoga doesn't have to be perfect to be powerful. That's the refreshing message from Melanie Salvatore August, who brings her background as a classically trained actor, writer, and veteran yoga teacher into a conversation that strips away pretense and gets to the heart of what makes practice sustainable. Melanie's journey began with meditation books discovered as a preteen and evolved through her years in New York and Los Angeles before motherhood completely transformed her approach. With disarming honesty, she shares how having three children forced her to reimagine what yoga could look like - leading to her book "Kitchen Yoga" and a philosophy of "microhabits within opportunities." These practical strategies include putting self-care tools where you'll actually use them (like a toothbrush in the kitchen drawer) and finding moments for stretching, breathing, or gratitude practice throughout ordinary activities. The conversation explores her concept of "fierce kindness" - the gentle but firm redirection of ourselves from fear-based patterns toward love and connection. Melanie offers wisdom about pausing before reacting, using awareness of death to prioritize what truly matters, and finding community to support your practice. Her evolution as a teacher reveals how yoga itself has changed, becoming more inclusive and adaptable while still honoring its transformative potential. Whether you're struggling to start a practice, finding ways to maintain connection through different life seasons, or seeking to deepen your existing relationship with yoga, Melanie's practical wisdom serves as both permission slip and invitation. As she puts it: "Even bad yoga is good yoga" - a reminder that showing up imperfectly is infinitely better than waiting for perfect conditions that rarely arrive. Ready to discover how simple shifts might transform your everyday experience? This conversation shows the way. Support the show

    1h 3m

  7. SEP 22

    Lose Your Mind – The Path to Creative Invincibility with Josh Pais

    What if the key to living more fully isn’t thinking harder, but reconnecting with your body? In this week’s episode of How We Can Heal, Lisa sits down with actor and teacher Josh Pais to explore what it really means to “lose your mind” and why that might be the best thing you can do. Josh shares how his father's work as a theoretical physicist alongside Einstein sparked a profound insight: emotions are simply atomic vibrations. This perspective forms the foundation of his groundbreaking approach to acting and authentic living. Rather than labeling sensations as "good" or "bad," Josh invites us to experience them fully as energy moving through our bodies—a practice that can transform anxiety into aliveness, fear into fuel for creativity. The conversation explores how suppressing sensations disconnects us from our bodies, triggering what Josh calls "the mind"—that abusive internal voice telling us we're not enough. This disconnection doesn't just limit our creative expression; it affects our ability to form genuine connections with others. Whether you're an actor preparing for an audition, an entrepreneur making a presentation, or anyone navigating daily interactions, this pattern of suppression creates barriers between you and authentic engagement. Josh introduces fascinating concepts like "kinespheres"—energetic patterns extending beyond our physical bodies—and offers practical tools for playing with these energies to transform how we show up in the world. He guides us through understanding impulses as our purest form of self-expression, challenging the cultural conditioning that teaches us to second-guess our natural responses. Ready to increase your tolerance for the full spectrum of human experience? Josh's approach offers a path to greater aliveness, creativity, and connection—not by changing your thoughts, but by stepping out of them entirely and into the vibrant reality of embodied presence. Support the show

    1h 24m

  8. SEP 15

    When Dignity Meets Conflict: Tools for Healing Our Divided World

    Ever feel like polarization makes meaningful conversation nearly impossible? Dr. Donna Hicks returns with transformative insights on navigating our divided world through dignity consciousness.  At Harvard's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Hicks witnesses dignity violations daily yet remains steadfastly committed to her groundbreaking work. She reveals why these violations feel so viscerally painful – our brains process them identically to physical wounds – and offers practical tools for interrupting our instinctive reactions. Forget counting to ten; taking ten deep breaths actually changes your neurochemistry, creating space for thoughtful response rather than reflexive reaction. The conversation explores what Hicks calls our "relentless ambivalence" as humans – we simultaneously crave safety through self-preservation and connection through dignity recognition. This tension leaves us constantly choosing which impulse will guide our interactions. When approaching difficult conversations, Hicks recommends genuine curiosity: "I'm really curious about how you arrived at your conclusions." This simple yet profound shift creates safety and honors the other person's inherent worth. Most powerfully, Hicks shares her vision for a dignity-conscious society built on education and practice. From elementary schools to boardrooms to political chambers, she's witnessing growing receptivity to dignity-based approaches. Her nephew, recently appointed President of Ecuador's National Assembly, explicitly leads with dignity principles – proving these concepts can transform even the most contentious political environments. For those struggling to connect with their own dignity, Hicks offers this bridge: recognize that unworthiness stems not from personal deficiency but from dignity violations experienced. "I'm worthy, no matter what" becomes possible when we understand "something bad happened to me" rather than "something is wrong with me." Ready to transform your approach to conflict? Listen now to discover how dignity consciousness can heal our divided world – one conversation at a time. Support the show

    55 min
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Trailers

5
out of 5
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About

A podcast to share deep conversations about How We Can Heal from life’s toughest circumstances. 

Information

  • Creator
    Lisa Danylchuk
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    79
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 How We Can Heal
  • Show Website
    How We Can Heal

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