Internal Chatter

MB Studios
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  • Mental Health

Melissa and Staci are giving mental health the transparent examination it needs. Using lightness and levity they explore big topics and local resources in the Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA area. Welcome to the chat.

  1. 09/17/2025

    Nora Stevens, Licensed Psilocybin Facilitator

    Internal Chatter welcomes Nora Stevens, Licensed Psilocybin Facilitator from Portland, Oregon. Wondering how psychedelics work on the brain, what a facilitator does, what the experience can be like, the benefits for mental health, how the safety of the product is monitored, or who shouldn’t take it?. We facilitate the facilitator to take you on an audio journey around all things psilocybin.

  2. 07/17/2025

    Dr. Cynthia McNally on Menopause

    If you missed her at the Vancouver Kiggins’ Theatre panel on Menopause in May 2025, Dr. Cynthia McNally is dropping by the chat for an encore! Staci leads up this interview and gets into all the good stuff with Dr. McNally: comparing peri vs. post menopause symptoms, Dutch testing drawbacks, a breakdown of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and supplement efficacy, anxiety, night sweats (and why she calls it being uncomfortably hot), anxiety and rage, the WHI study that started the HRT panic, testosterone replacement and methodologies, and caps it all off with a robust discussion of libido. Given Staci’s history of breast cancer, they also discuss the intersection of breast cancer and HRT risks. Basically all the physical changes in peri-and post menopause that might start off in the physical health sphere, pretty quickly cross into everything to do with your mental health, so we’re lucky to have her. Welcome Dr. McNally!

  3. 05/14/2025

    Brandon Shewbert: Know Pain, No Gain

    Joining us on the chat today is everybody’s favorite strength coach, Brandon Shewbert. Brandon talks about his Know Pain, No Gain (and No Pain, Know Gain) philosophy in strength coaching and sustainable development. Staci discovers that there is something she dislikes more than exercise, and she and Melissa both get educated around Myokines and how they affect your mental and physical health. Along the way, we talk about pole vaulting, blue zones, crossfit, and juicing with Jack LaLanne. There’s something for every - body, even if you only remember exercise as dodgeball in gym class. Welcome, Brandon!

  4. 03/19/2025

    Sgt. Kevin Allen, PIO with the Portland Police Bureau

    In this episode we cover topics such as: What is the PPB doing in regards to officer wellness? Has the wellness program improved outcomes for officers? What is the Crisis Negotiators Team vs. the Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team - and when do these specialists get called in? What happens in the police Crisis Intervention Training? How does the Portland Police Bureau work with Portland Street Response? What is the PPB Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT)? Who staffs it? What are Kevin’s thoughts on the Defund the Police movement? Are there 3rd locations to divert people (besides jail and the ER) a police officer can bring someone?  What options are available? What coordination exists to link these providers together?

  5. 01/13/2025

    Curtis Miller of Connect Ed

    If you’ve heard any of our other shows, you know how often belonging comes up as a critical piece of mental health across all topics we have covered. So, today we get into belonging in detail with Curtis Miller of Connect Ed. Lest you think it’s all woo-woo and esoteric, let’s cut through that right now and get practical as we do. He talks about how he got started in Battle Ground, why blaming teachers and parents is a false dichotomy, utilizing non-violent communication, the systemic connections that we all need, enneagram types, and why suicide’s metaphor is really the canary in the coalmine. It’s not the canary that has the issue, it’s the coalmine and how to begin to adapt systems to better serve us all.

  6. 09/10/2024

    Fostering Teen Mental Health

    It’s a teen (and tween) double-header today with Dr. Paula Pilcher, Naturopathic Physician at 11-22 Integrative Medicine and Founder of Empowerteen, and Yshai Boussi, author of Staying Connected with your Teen of Portland Family Counseling joining us.  We get into some of the biological drivers of teen behavior, preventive health activities to help tween and teen adolescents to connect with peers and parents, and what teens really need to remain emotionally and physically regulated.  Spoiler alert… their biology really is different from that of kids and adults.   While discussing Dr. Paula’s Empowerteen program and Yshai Boussi’s new book, we venture into the poly-vagal theory, coping mechanisms, emotional freedom tapping techniques, values identification, relationship boundaries, empathy development, common nutritional deficiencies, and the melatonin delays that keep teens sleeping long into the morning.  Welcome Dr. Paula and Yshai!

  7. 06/13/2024

    President of the Oregon Food Bank, Susannah Morgan

    The accomplished Susannah Morgan, President of the Oregon Food Bank, stops by the chat to discuss food, hunger, and why having things to do makes all good ideas possible.  Along the way, Melissa and Staci find out about lots of other tasty morsels like:  how food insecurity affects mental health (yes, we said that in the right order) or when would you call 211, what is WIC, how does one cook a rutabaga, and why hunger has a lot more to do with macroeconomic forces, than just matching hungry people up with excess food.  We talk about the many facets of food banking as well as a smorgasbord of other topics that feed into food banking like:  universal school meals, programs to feed hungry kids in the summer, and why the data on those seeking food fall into the bimodal distribution in “the tale of two tails”.  She also discusses why she thinks the Oregon Food Bank is seeing a lot more chronic hunger than episodic hunger, especially post-pandemic and what you can do to help.  Please join us as we are inspired by her energetic style and infectious laughter along the way.  Welcome Susannah!

  8. 05/15/2024

    NAMI SW WA Executive Director Kim Schneiderman

    Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Well, the esteemed Kim Schneiderman from NAMI SW WA is here to remind us. In addition, she gives us the lowdown on why she knows everyone at her grocery store, getting into mental health by way of phlebotomy and bubble packs, and how her volunteer service at NAMI translated into her dual roles now as Board President and Executive Director. We talk about how NAMI supports and provides Education, Support, Advocacy, and Awareness for people dealing with mental health issues, and their loved ones and about the annual NAMI SW WA walk, coming up this weekend, and annually following, on the Saturday of the weekend prior to Memorial Day. Welcome Kim!

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About

Melissa and Staci are giving mental health the transparent examination it needs. Using lightness and levity they explore big topics and local resources in the Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA area. Welcome to the chat.

Information

  • Creator
    MB Studios
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Melissa Beatty All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    Internal Chatter