Therapy is Dope with Alicia and Laura

Alicia
  • 4.6 (7)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Biweekly

Alicia is an addiction and mental health therapist & Laura is a stress & mindset coach. We share a passion for helping people feel better inside and out, so our focus is making self-help free and easy! We dedicate this time to help those that maybe can't access services or just want extra support. We want you to know that you are powerful, capable, and have what you need to heal, connect, and feel better!

  1. 5h ago

    S3E16: From Feeling to Healing with Michael Anthony

    On this episode of Therapy is Dope with Alicia and Laura, we sit down with Michael Anthony for a wide-ranging conversation on men's mental health, ketamine-assisted therapy, and martial arts. We start with the heart of it: why so many men learn to armor up instead of feel, what it actually takes to drop that armor, and how strength and vulnerability stop being opposites. That opens into ketamine-assisted therapy and trauma work—Michael breaks down in plain language what ketamine assisted therapy is, who it can help, and why the therapeutic container and integration after the medicine matters more than the medicine itself. From there we move into martial arts, where discipline, presence, and physical resilience become a doorway into the emotional work rather than a distraction from it. If you're curious about men's emotional healing, psychedelic-assisted therapy, or how the body holds what the mind won't say, this conversation meets you there—no protocols, no clichés, just the real work. Connect: 📧 michael@integrativecounsel.org 📞 386-400-3854

    54 min

  2. 5d ago

    S3E15: A Veteran's Bio-Spiritual healing journey

    This week on Therapy is Dope with Alicia and Laura, we sit down with Nahum "Justin" Vizakis — a former Army veteran who served in Iraq and came home carrying the kind of weight that doesn't show up on a scan. Nahum's story moves through loss, a near-death experience, and the slow unraveling that so many veterans and trauma survivors know well: the moment the armor that protected you starts to suffocate you instead. Nahum gets honest about what his healing actually looked like — not a straight line, not a single breakthrough, but years of reaching for meaning in different places. He shares how plantmedicine became part of his personal journey, how he turned to bodybuilding as a daily ritual of reclaiming himself, and why he came to believe that emotional pain we don't process tends to find a home in the body. This episode is a raw, honest conversation about masculinity, grief, trauma, presence, and the long work of coming home to yourself. This one's for anyone who's ever wondered what's underneath the things they don't talk about. In this eposide we discuss: •      Nahum's path from bomb technician in Iraq to author andembodiment coach •      How unprocessed trauma and grief can settle into thebody •      What his personal healing journey actually involved —and why it wasn't linear •      Plant medicine as part of his own story, told as livedexperience rather than prescription •      Bodybuilding and physical discipline as a form ofself-reclamation •      Masculinity and emotional honesty •      What "radical self-responsibility" means Nahum Vizakis is a former Army bomb technician, author, and holistic coach whose work centers on trauma recovery, embodiment, and what he calls "spiritual bodybuilding." Heis the author of The Indigo Flame, a memoir of his journey from war and trauma to healing, and The Biohacker's Guide to Spiritual Bodybuilding. Through his practice, Optimizing Human, he works with men and women on nervous-systemhealing, physical strength, and reconnecting with a sense of purpose. You can find him at optimizinghuman.com and on Instagram @spiritual_bodybuilder. Note for listeners: Nahum shares his personal experiences with plant medicine and alternative healing practices. These reflect his own journey and are not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Substances like ayahuasca, iboga, and kambo carry real physical and psychological risks and are not appropriate for everyone. If you're navigating trauma, mental health concerns, or substanceuse, please work with a licensed professional. Therapy is Dope is for education and conversation — it isn't a substitute for individualized care.

    48 min

  3. May 25

    S3E14: Offline Now with Eli Singer

    Are you addicted to screens — or just overwhelmed by it? There's a difference, and it matters. In this episode, I sit down with Eli Singer, founder of Offline.now and author of Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance, to have an honest, shame-free conversation about our relationship with technology. Eli isn't here to tell you to throw your phone in a river. After spending years building one of the early social media agencies in North America, he pivoted — and started helping people actually live with their devices instead of being run by them. That backstory alone is worth the listen. We get into: What digital overwhelm actually looks like (and why it's showing up in therapy offices everywhere)The difference between problematic use and everyday distractionHis Offline.now Matrix — a practical, shame-free framework for understanding your digital habitsWhy "digital detox" culture often does more harm than goodSmall, sustainable changes that don't require you to go off the gridBuilding Tech That Doesn't Break People Eli is also bringing his digital wellness framework to the startup world — working with the tech entrepreneurship community at the University of Toronto's Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus. Because if we're going to build a healthier digital culture, the people building the technology need to be part of that conversation too. Whether you're a clinician seeing this come up with clients, a parent trying to navigate screens with your kids, or someone who just knows something feels off — this conversation will give you language, tools, and a little relief. 🎙️ Guest: Eli Singer | @offline.now | Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance 📲 Follow Therapy is Dope with Alicia and Laura 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode — and drop a comment below: What's your relationship with your devices actually like?

    53 min

  4. May 20

    S3E13: Soul Journey Relationship Dynamic Duo

    What happens when a licensed therapist and a certified coach who are also married work together to help people heal and grow? You get a level of depth, balance, and real talk that most therapy or coaching spaces can't offer on their own. In this episode, I sat down with Kiana and Andrew Joyner of Soul Journey Therapy & Coaching Services — a married therapist-coach duo doing something genuinely different in the wellness space. Kiana is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 12 years of experience specializing in grief, trauma, and emotional health. Andrew is a Strategic People Advisor, SHRM-certified HR professional, and Certified Professional Coach with over 15 years in corporate leadership and communication strategy. Together, they've built a practice that doesn't make you choose between healing and moving forward — you get both. We talked about what it really means to do this work alongside your partner, how financial stress and unspoken desires affect relationships, the difference between therapy and coaching (and why most people don't actually know which one they need), and what it looks like to take that first step toward change when everything in you wants to stay stuck. Kiana is also the author of Take The Step, a guided reflection journal rooted in her own experience with grief, and both she and Andrew are Certified Wealth Educators — bringing a lens to the emotional side of financial conversations that doesn't get nearly enough airtime. This one is layered and practical. Make it to the end for a real thought-provoking, controversial question. 🔗 Learn more about Soul Journey at souljourneyproject.com 📸 Follow them on Instagram: @souljourneyproject

    58 min

  5. May 7

    S3E12: Relationship Myth Busters with Monica Tanner

    What if the marriage advice you've been following your whole life is the exact reason you're stuck? This week, Alicia and guest co-host Kishima Garcia sit down with Monica Tanner — certified relationship coach, host of Secrets of Happily Ever After, and author of Bad Marriage Advice — to bust open the myths that keep couples disconnected, resentful, and talking in circles. Monica has spent years helping couples unlearn the clichés baked into how we think about love. Her approach, rooted in Relational Life Therapy, isn't about compromise and communication hacks — it's about telling the truth and building something real. In this episode, we get into: Why "happy wife, happy life" is doing more damage than you thinkThe problem with compromise — and what to do insteadHow to reframe sex and intimacyWhat actually breaks communication down in relationships The difference between conflict avoidance and real conflict resolutionNegotiation and Renegotiating through life transitionsWhy most couples aren't broken — they're just exhausted and under-equippedWhether you're a therapist, a partner who's tired of having the same fight on repeat, or someone who's wondered why the advice never quite works — this one's going to hit. Monica doesn't do sugarcoating. Neither do we. Connect with Monica: 🌐 monicatanner.com 🎙 Secrets of Happily Ever After (podcast) 📱 Instagram: @monitalksmarriage 📖 Bad Marriage Advice — badmarriageadvice.com

    53 min

  6. Apr 27

    S3E11: The journey of self with Sarah Barnes-Humphrey

    In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Barnes-Humphrey — entrepreneur, podcast host, bestselling author, and fierce advocate for self-worth — to talk about what it actually takes to find your voice, own your identity, and keep growing across a lifetime. Sarah is the founder of Let's Talk Supply Chain™, the Blended podcast, and the Blended Pledge nonprofit, which is dedicated to giving underrepresented voices a real seat at the table. Her debut memoir, I Buried Her in a French Press: A Memoir About Finding My Voice and the Power of Being Heard, is the kind of book that makes you want to bury a few old versions of yourself too — and brew something entirely new. Sarah's story isn't a clean, linear success arc. She lost her family's business at 37, sold her house, and stood at a crossroads with no safety net. Instead of shrinking, she picked up a microphone. What followed was the building of a global platform rooted in one word she chose to define her entire brand: self-worth. In this conversation, Alicia and Sarah go deep on: What it means to truly find your voice — and why so many of us are still searchingAuthenticity's role in finding your voiceHow identity shifts across a lifetime, and why that's not a crisis — it's the workThe courage it takes to be seen, especially when you've spent years making yourself smallHow vulnerability and growth are inseparableThis one is for anyone who's ever felt buried — by expectations, by roles they didn't choose, or by versions of themselves they've long outgrown. Sarah is proof that what you brew on the other side can be extraordinary.

    48 min

  7. Apr 22

    S3E10: Music and Healing with Dr. Barbara Minton

    What if the most powerful tool for your mental health was already in your ears? In this episode of Therapy is Dope, Alicia sits down with Dr. Barbara Minton — psychologist, neuroscientist, musician, and Diplomate in Quantitative EEG — to break down the real science behind music as medicine. This isn't just about putting on a playlist when you're sad. Dr. Minton explains why music works, how it changes your brain, and what you can actually do with that information starting today. In this episode, we cover: How music directly affects your nervous system and brain statesWhat neurofeedback is and how it works alongside music to rewire the brainThe role of frequency-based healing techniques in mental health treatmentWhy music is one of the most accessible tools for anxiety, depression, and trauma recoveryDr. Minton's neuroscience-informed album Calm the Storm — and how it was designed specifically to support the brain's healing processWhether you're a therapist, someone navigating anxiety or trauma, or just a person who's ever felt moved by a song and wondered why — this conversation will change the way you think about what you listen to. 🌐 Learn more about Dr. Minton: musicandhealing.net 🎵 Listen to Calm the Storm 📲 Follow Therapy is Dope with Alicia & Laura #MusicTherapy #MentalHealth #Neuroscience #Neurofeedback #HealingMusic #TherapyIsDope #BrainHealth #AnxietyRelief #TraumaHealing #SoundHealing #MentalHealthPodcast #CalmTheStorm #FrequencyHealing #MusicAndTheBrain #TherapyTools

    1h 5m

  8. Apr 13

    S3E9: Microdosing Ketamine with Sharon Niv

    What if relief from treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, or PTSD was already FDA-approved, accessible from home, and working on your brain in ways traditional medications can't? In this episode, we sit down with Sharon Niv, co-founder of Joyous — the at-home microdose ketamine program changing how people approach mental health treatment. We cover the neuroscience, real-world outcomes, how dosing and program length actually work, medication compatibility, the debate around therapy-assisted versus unassisted ketamine, what therapists need to know about training and integration, and — Alicia's favorite part of the whole conversation — what low-dose ketamine reveals about consciousness itself. This one is for the clinicians, the skeptics, and the people curious of what they are actually capable of- link to the work below. 🔗 joyous.team

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Alicia is an addiction and mental health therapist & Laura is a stress & mindset coach. We share a passion for helping people feel better inside and out, so our focus is making self-help free and easy! We dedicate this time to help those that maybe can't access services or just want extra support. We want you to know that you are powerful, capable, and have what you need to heal, connect, and feel better!

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