The State of Mental Wellbeing: A Podcast on Mental Health and Substance Use

National Council for Mental Wellbeing
  • 4.0 (4)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

The State of Mental Wellbeing: A Podcast on Mental Health & Substance Use is a weekly series from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing that explores the people, policies and systems influencing mental health and substance use care across the United States. Hosted by Mohini Venkatesh, chief of staff at the National Council, the podcast brings together leaders, practitioners and advocates working every day to strengthen mental wellbeing in their communities and advance the field. Stream our latest episode wherever you listen to podcasts.

  1. 3d ago

    How to Solve Problems by Starting at the End

    How can behavioral health leaders build partnerships that turn complex public-sector challenges into measurable progress? Social Finance’s Jake Segal joins Mohini Venkatesh to explore outcomes-based contracting, prevention, adaptive leadership and cross-sector collaboration. He explains why starting with the result you want can unlock better solutions for mental health, homelessness and other entrenched social problems.  Jake and Mohini break down “wrong pocket” problems, where one organization funds an intervention while another receives the savings, and shows how multiyear agreements can support long-term impact. They examine the limits of value-based care, rigid compliance and one-size-fits-all programs, while making the case for consumer voice, flexible governance and better data. From supportive housing to workforce services to government contracting, Jake reveals how leaders can act amid uncertainty, strengthen public-sector capacity and make small but meaningful changes that improve outcomes for individuals and communities without chasing novelty or perfection.  Listeners will learn:  How outcomes-based contracting can improve behavioral health and public services  Why consumer voice, flexible governance and better data strengthen decision-making  What effective leaders do when evidence is uncertain and systems resist change  How small, strategic changes can produce lasting impact  Jake Segal is Social Finance’s managing director for the public sector practice. He oversees the firm’s work to help governments achieve better outcomes. That work is about connecting money, data, and partners around effective delivery, and linking payment to results.  Follow for weekly conversations shaping mental health and substance use care

  2. Oct 14

    How One Coach Is Changing States’ Mental Health Policies

    High school lacrosse coach Matt Triplet shares how a player’s mental health crisis transformed his approach to coaching and launched a movement. Learn how Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), honest conversations, and stronger team culture can help coaches recognize warning signs, support young athletes, and connect them with the right help before a crisis dangerously escalates.  In this episode, host Mohini Venkatesh talks with Ohio lacrosse coach and advocate Matt Triplet about how supporting one athlete's mental health led him to drive statewide change. After supporting a player in crisis, Matt discovered MHFA and helped champion Ohio’s requirement that coaches receive mental health training. He explains how coaches can build emotional vocabulary, respond without trying to treat, organize community support, and navigate setbacks in policy advocacy. A practical, inspiring conversation for coaches, parents, educators, and anyone working to strengthen youth mental health.  Content note: This episode includes a discussion of suicide. Please take care while listening.  Listeners will learn:  How coaches can create trust and emotional safety for young athletes  What Mental Health First Aid teaches adults to do when a player may be in crisis  How Ohio made mental health training part of coach certification  How one personal experience can grow into grassroots advocacy and policy change  Matt Triplet is the head boys lacrosse coach at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio. He has a professional career in commercial banking and is currently the Policy and Advocacy director for Alston for Athletes.  Follow for weekly conversations shaping mental health and substance use care.

  3. Oct 7 ·  Bonus

    Bonus Episode: Fixing Fragmented Systems on America Trends

    For this week’s bonus episode, we’re sharing Mohini's appearance on the America Trends podcast. She joins host Larry Rifkin to examine why mental health and substance use care remains so difficult to access, and how more connected systems can help people get support when they need it most.  Their conversation moves from the human toll of fragmented care to practical paths forward. Mohini explains how state-by-state systems, workforce shortages, licensure barriers and repeated intake processes can delay treatment, especially in rural communities. She also highlights promising solutions, including Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, Mental Health First Aid, peer support, school-based services, primary care integration, telehealth and 988. The episode offers an honest look at persistent gaps while showing how policy, sustainable funding and innovation can build a behavioral health system that is easier to navigate and access consistently. Listeners will learn:  Why fragmented systems make mental health and substance use care difficult to access and navigate. How workforce shortages, licensure barriers and geography contribute to delays in treatment.How CCBHCs, peer support, telehealth and integrated care are expanding access.Why initiatives like Mental Health First Aid and 988 are essential to early intervention and crisis response.  Larry Rifkin has mastered the language of television and radio over his career in both. Now, he turns his attention to podcasts, which he believes can incorporate the best of both media to create a new form of communication.   Follow for weekly conversations shaping mental health and substance use care.

  4. Sep 23

    What the Latest Research Says About Alcohol Addiction

    Alcohol use is evolving in ways that affect public health, clinical care and recovery. In this episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing, host Mohini Venkatesh sits down with Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, to discuss alcohol use disorder, emerging research and opportunities to improve treatment.  Drawing on decades of research, Dr. Koob explores changing alcohol use trends, the science of addiction and the growing understanding of how alcohol affects brain and physical health. He and Mohini discuss why alcohol screening should become a routine part of health care, what promising treatments could mean for the future of recovery, and how researchers and providers can work together to improve outcomes. Listeners will gain practical insight into prevention, treatment, stigma reduction and the evolving landscape of alcohol use disorder care.  Listeners will learn:  How alcohol use patterns are changing across age groups and populations  How alcohol use affects the brain, stress and emotional wellbeing  Why alcohol screening should become a routine part of health care  What emerging research may mean for alcohol use disorder treatment  Why stronger connections between researchers and providers can improve care  Dr. George Koob is director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. He is also a senior investigator at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, where he directs the Neurobiology of Addiction Laboratory in the Integrative Neurosciences Research Branch.   Follow for weekly conversations shaping mental health and substance use care.

  5. Sep 16

    How Growing Strong Leaders Improves Behavioral Health Care

    Strong leadership is essential to the future of mental health and substance use care. This week, host Mohini Venkatesh talks with Tami Lewis-Ahrendt, president and CEO of CenterPointe, about building leaders, strengthening organizational culture and helping teams thrive amid workforce challenges, change and growing community needs.  Mohini and Tami discuss practical lessons on leadership development, psychological safety, feedback and growing through change. From preparing clinicians to become supervisors, to navigating mergers, to supporting staff through uncertainty, the conversation explores how mental health and substance use care organizations can invest in people at every level. Listen for candid insights on how stronger leaders lead to better care for communities.  Listeners will learn:  Why leadership development matters for employee engagement, retention and quality of care.  How psychological safety helps emerging leaders learn from mistakes.  Why strong clinicians still need training to become effective supervisors.  What leaders can learn from mergers, workplace culture change and community context.  Tami Lewis-Ahrendt has spent more than 15 years in leadership roles at CenterPointe. She has helped transform the organization’s culture, led the acquisition of the Campus for Hope, and guided the rollout of innovative programs CenterPointe's CCBHC.  Follow for weekly conversations shaping mental health and substance use care.

  6. Sep 2

    Why Investors Are Banking on Behavioral Health

    Behavioral health is entering a new era of innovation, and impact investing is helping shape what comes next. This week, host Mohini Venkatesh and Anjlee Joshi explore impact investing, mental health innovation, behavioral health technology and the evolving relationship between providers, startups and investors working to improve care, strengthen organizations and expand community impact.  Anjlee Joshi, principal consultant for the impact investing initiative at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, shares how investors evaluate behavioral health startups, what founders often misunderstand about community-based care, and why provider perspectives matter in technology development. From workforce challenges and operational efficiency to AI, reimbursement and patient outcomes, this conversation offers practical insights for behavioral health leaders, entrepreneurs and anyone who’s invested in the future of mental health and substance use care.  Listeners will learn:  Why investors, startups and providers are increasingly working together to address mental health and substance use challenges.  How the National Council serves as a bridge between behavioral health organizations and emerging technologies.  What it takes for behavioral health innovations to deliver both financial sustainability and meaningful community impact.  Anjlee Joshi leads the impact investing work for the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, which prioritizes investing in solutions that drive impact and innovation for members, strengthening member innovation capabilities, and enabling technology companies to better understand and serve them.  Follow for weekly conversations shaping mental health and substance use care.

  7. Aug 26

    Can GLP-1s Transform Addiction Treatment?

    GLP-1 medications are changing how we think about addiction. This week, an addiction medicine physician outlines the emerging science linking these drugs to reduced cravings, improved impulse control and recovery support, and shares why they may represent a major shift in addiction treatment and prevention.  In this episode, Mohini talks with Dr. Steven Klein about the growing evidence that GLP-1s may help treat addiction by reducing cravings and interrupting addictive behaviors. Drawing on both research and clinical experience, Dr. Klein explores the connection between obesity, substance use disorders and the brain’s reward system. He also discusses what these medications could mean for alcohol use disorder, impulse control, stigma reduction and the future of recovery care as this rapidly evolving field continues to develop.  Listeners will learn:  How GLP-1s may reduce cravings and substance use by acting on the brain's reward pathways.  What current research reveals about GLP-1s and alcohol use disorder, as well as emerging evidence across other substances.  Why concepts like agency, impulse control and dopamine regulation are becoming increasingly important in addiction treatment.  Dr. Steven Klein is a compassionate and highly accomplished physician-scientist specializing in addiction medicine. Dr. Klein is dedicated to advancing innovative, evidence-based approaches to support recovery for teens, young adults and individuals facing relapse challenges.  Follow for weekly conversations shaping mental health and substance use care.

  8. Aug 19

    Safe, Supported, Expected, Rewarded: A Road Map for AI Adoption

    Before behavioral health organizations can transform with AI, they first need the confidence to start. In this episode, AI expert Trent Gillespie shares practical insights on building trust, driving experimentation and helping teams embrace change while keeping people, purpose and mission at the center of AI adoption.  Mohini and Trent explore how organizations can move beyond AI experimentation and build lasting adoption. Drawing on lessons from his time as an executive at Amazon and his work with leaders across industries, Trent shares a practical framework for making AI use safe, supported, expected and rewarded. The conversation covers AI leadership, change management, workforce adoption, behavioral health innovation and how AI can expand access to care while helping organizations prepare for the future.  Listeners will learn:  Why AI should be treated as an organization-wide leadership strategy, not simply an IT project.  Practical ways to foster experimentation, share AI learnings and build an organizational culture of continuous improvement.  How AI can help behavioral health organizations expand access to care, reduce administrative burden and create more meaningful human connections.  Trent Gillespie is a former Amazon executive who left one of the world's most powerful AI companies to serve the organizations it was disrupting. He translates that insider perspective into something you can act on immediately. Not someday. Monday morning.  Follow for weekly conversations shaping mental health and substance use care.

See All (32)

Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The State of Mental Wellbeing: A Podcast on Mental Health & Substance Use is a weekly series from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing that explores the people, policies and systems influencing mental health and substance use care across the United States. Hosted by Mohini Venkatesh, chief of staff at the National Council, the podcast brings together leaders, practitioners and advocates working every day to strengthen mental wellbeing in their communities and advance the field. Stream our latest episode wherever you listen to podcasts.

Information

You Might Also Like