Mental Health News Radio

Mental Health News Radio
  • 4.4 (105)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Exploratory conversations about mental health, neurodivergence, relationships and spirituality. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

  1. Fangirling, Neurodivergence & the Internet’s Parasocial Fever Dream

    MAY 8

    Fangirling, Neurodivergence & the Internet’s Parasocial Fever Dream

    What happens when hyperfixation, fandom culture, loneliness, attraction, projection, and neurodivergence all collide online? In this wildly honest episode, Kristin sits down with Alicia Deer to talk about fangirling, parasocial relationships, emotional attachment, identity performance online, masking, attraction, internet intimacy, and why neurodivergent people often experience connection so intensely. Funny, uncomfortable, self-aware, and surprisingly healing — this conversation goes way deeper than celebrity crushes. She describes herself as "like both of the Property Brothers in one lesbian body" with a BA in Creative Writing (FSU) and a Realtor since 2018. But also a Matrix Breaker & Systems Decoder. Find Alicia on TikTok at @alicioliofficial or just Google "Alicia Deer Realtor" because she is all over! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

    59 min
  2. The Intimacy of Feeling Safe with Andre Lazarus

    MAY 6

    The Intimacy of Feeling Safe with Andre Lazarus

    What if intimacy isn’t primarily about sex — but about safety, presence, vulnerability, and finally feeling at home inside your own body? In this deeply honest episode, Kristin sits down with intimacy practitioner and surrogate partner therapist, Andre Lazarus, for a powerful conversation about touch, nervous system regulation, neurodivergence, masking, dissociation, body image, trauma, and what it actually means to feel emotionally safe with another human being. Andre shares how his work helps people reconnect with themselves through breath, somatic awareness, relational safety, and compassionate presence — especially those navigating late-diagnosed autism, ADHD, trauma histories, body dysmorphia, intimacy challenges, and emotional shutdown.  Together they explore: • Why so many neurodivergent people struggle with intimacy and physical connection • The relationship between masking and disconnection from the body • Dissociation, vaginismus, shutdown, and nervous-system protection • Why intimacy is often about vulnerability more than sexuality • The importance of communication over “mind reading” in relationships • Somatic intuition and learning to trust the body’s signals • Emotional safety, touch, and relational healing • Why compassion matters more than performance This episode is gentle, grounded, emotionally rich, and deeply validating for anyone who has ever felt “too much,” disconnected, guarded, touch-starved, or unsure how to fully let another person in. About Andre Lazarus: Andre Lazarus is an intimacy practitioner, sex educator, and surrogate partner therapist specializing in sacred intimacy, somatic connection, vulnerability, emotional healing, and relational growth. For over a decade, he has worked with individuals and couples navigating intimacy challenges, trauma, body image struggles, neurodivergence, emotional shutdown, and physical connection through a deeply compassionate and human-centered approach. Find Andre at: www.coming-closer.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

    36 min
  3. Late Diagnosis, Real Life: From Masking to Meaning with Jeff Thompson

    MAY 4

    Late Diagnosis, Real Life: From Masking to Meaning with Jeff Thompson

    In this episode, Kristin sits down with cohost Julie Raines (enjoy her gorgeous writing at https://substack.com/@julesraines) and guest Jeff Thompson for a raw, unfiltered conversation about late-diagnosed autism, identity collapse, and what happens after the mask falls off. Jeff shares his powerful story—from being labeled with multiple diagnoses and told something was “wrong” with him, to discovering autism later in life and finally understanding himself. That single word reframed everything: not broken, just different—and wired for something specific. Together, they explore:The fallout of late diagnosis on relationshipsThe “mask collapse” moment and why there’s no going backSuicidal ideation, burnout, and rebuilding from zeroWhy helping others became Jeff’s form of medicineHow neurodivergent traits can become real-world strengthsThis isn’t theory—it’s lived experience. And if you’ve ever felt like you were the only one… this conversation will hit. About Jeff Thompson: Jeff is an entrepreneur, autism advocate, and founder of a clinic for children with autism in Missouri. After decades of misdiagnosis and internalized shame, a late autism diagnosis transformed his life and purpose. He now focuses on helping neurodivergent individuals build businesses, understand their wiring, and create lives that actually work for them. Websites: jeffthinksdifferently.com and genesisstpeters.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

    58 min
  4. Ferrari Brains, No Brakes

    APR 23

    Ferrari Brains, No Brakes

    What happens when an oil rig engineer walks away from “safe,” follows curiosity, tears his Achilles (literally), and accidentally builds a multi-million follower neurodivergent ecosystem? In this episode, we sit down with Jason Iyeke... founder of NeuroJumpstart and the mind behind several ADHD and autism platforms reaching over 2 million people... to talk about diagnosis, identity, masking, grief, and what it actually means to find your lane as a neurodivergent human. We get into: The messy reality of late diagnosis (and why it’s not a “happily ever after”)The tension between “superpower” narratives and lived struggleAudHD and the internal tug-of-war between chaos and orderWhy belonging... not pathology... is driving the explosion in self-identificationHow neurodivergent minds may be uniquely wired for the AI eraIt’s funny, honest, occasionally chaotic, and exactly what happens when two high-processing brains stop pretending to be normal and just…talk. Connect with Jason: Website: https://www.neurojumpstart.com Email: jason@neurojumpstart.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhd_todayhttps://www.instagram.com/autism_feedhttps://www.instagram.com/adhd_elitehttps://www.instagram.com/neurodivergent_minds Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

    44 min
  5. What Real Change Actually Feels Like (From the Therapist’s Chair)

    MAR 28

    What Real Change Actually Feels Like (From the Therapist’s Chair)

    In this episode of Mental Health News Radio, I sit down with therapist and somatic practitioner Cody Gauthier to explore something we almost never talk about—the moment therapy starts to work. What happens when a client begins to change, set boundaries, and show up differently in their life… and it feels uncomfortable, destabilizing, or even worse than before? We talk about the lived reality of growth from the therapist’s chair: – why change often feels like something went wrong – what happens when clients hit their goals and it’s time to let go – the attachment that forms in therapy—and how to navigate ending well – why understanding something cognitively is not the same as embodying it – how trauma lives in the body, and what it takes to actually release it – the evolving role of men in relationships, emotional expression, and therapy This is a grounded, human conversation about healing that doesn’t skip the messy middle. Connect with Cody Gauthier: Website: Cody Gauthier Therapy (South Bay, CA) TikTok: @codygauthier Board Member: South Bay Eating Disorder Coalition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

    44 min
  6. The Body Remembered What I Couldn't: Dissociative Amnesia, A Childhood of Trauma, and Radical Healing

    MAR 18

    The Body Remembered What I Couldn't: Dissociative Amnesia, A Childhood of Trauma, and Radical Healing

    This is not a story about something that happened once. This is a story about what the body carries when the mind cannot. In this episode, Aspen Michael shares his lived experience of memory returning in midlife—after decades of success, stability, and a life that, by all appearances, was fully intact. At 52, everything changed. What had been held outside of awareness began to surface through the body, through collapse, through fragments that refused to stay buried. What follows is not a linear narrative, but a reconstruction of self. Aspen speaks to the reality of sexual abuse and institutional harm within the Catholic Church—not as theory, not as commentary, but as something he lived through, survived, and later pursued through legal channels. He describes what it means to have memory come back in pieces, to navigate dissociation, to lose the structure of a life that once made sense, and to rebuild without a clear map. This conversation does not rush to resolution. It moves through what it actually takes to face something the mind once protected you from—the disorientation, the physical toll, the unraveling of identity, and the long, deliberate process of putting yourself back together. There is no performance here. No clean arc. Only a man speaking from the place where healing becomes a daily decision. We talk about the nervous system, about fragmentation, about what it means to reclaim your body after it has held what you could not name. We talk about support, about the difference between surviving and actually healing, and about the quiet, often invisible work required to come back to yourself. And underneath all of it, there is something else: Not redemption. Not resolution. But a refusal to disappear. Aspen Michael is a former Chief Technology Officer turned trauma survivor, advocate, speaker. and healer also focused on his own healing, memory recovery, and nervous system restoration. Today, Aspen shares his lived experience to help others understand complex trauma, dissociation, and the long path back to wholeness. His work centers on the power of daily healing practices, supportive community, and reclaiming personal agency. In addition to his advocacy, Aspen is also a jewelry designer and founder of energyoftribe.com, where he creates handcrafted pieces infused with intention, grounding energy, and symbolic meaning. His designs draw from natural stones, numerology, and personal resonance—offering wearable reminders of presence, strength, and self-connection.  You can learn more about his work at: energyoftribe.com aspenmichael.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

    1h 7m
  7. AI as a Thinking Mirror with Jeremy G. Schneider, MFT, LMSW

    MAR 11

    AI as a Thinking Mirror with Jeremy G. Schneider, MFT, LMSW

    Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of how people think, reflect, and process their lives. But what role should it actually play in mental health? In this episode, Kristin Sunanta sits down with therapist and technology expert Jeremy G. Schneider to explore the evolving relationship between AI and therapy. Jeremy is a licensed marriage and family therapist, trauma-informed mental health coach, and former chief technology officer who now works at the intersection of emotional wellness and human-centered technology. Together, they explore how tools like ChatGPT can function as a kind of “thinking mirror” — reflecting our thoughts back to us and helping us notice patterns in the way we process emotions, relationships, and decisions. Rather than replacing therapists, AI may become a powerful companion tool for reflection, journaling, and practicing psychological skills like self-awareness and boundaries. Kristin and Jeremy discuss the opportunities, the risks, and why learning to use AI with intention and agency may become an important part of mental health in the years ahead. In this episode they explore: • how AI can support emotional reflection and interactive journaling • why some therapists are wary of AI — and why that may change • the concept of AI as a “thinking mirror” for understanding our own minds • how people can use AI safely while maintaining self-awareness and agency • how emerging tools may reshape therapy and personal growth Jeremy also hosts free educational classes on Meetup where he teaches people how to thoughtfully and safely use AI tools like ChatGPT for reflection, emotional insight, and personal growth. He also writes about artificial intelligence, therapy, and mental health for Psychology Today. Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/buildonyourstrengths/events/313301636/ Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/jeremy-g-schneider-lmsw-mft Learn more about Jeremy’s work, workshops, and writing: https://buildonyourstrengths.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

    52 min
  8. When No Contact Isn’t the End: A Real Conversation About Mother–Daughter Estrangement, Addiction, and Repair

    FEB 12

    When No Contact Isn’t the End: A Real Conversation About Mother–Daughter Estrangement, Addiction, and Repair

    What happens when a mother and daughter go no contact for four years — and actually find their way back? In this powerful and unfiltered conversation, I sit down with authors Leslie and Lindsey Glass, co-creators of The Mother-Daughter Relationship Makeover: 4 Steps to Bring Back the Love and its companion workbook for lasting change. Together, we dive deep into addiction, recovery, enmeshment, control, accountability, anger, forgiveness, and the cultural rise of estrangement between mothers and adult daughters. Lindsey shares how her journey through addiction recovery, therapy, EMDR, Al-Anon, and deep self-inquiry helped her understand her role in the breakdown of their relationship. Leslie speaks candidly about micromanagement, control masked as care, and the painful realization that “helping” can sometimes feel like domination. We explore: • The epidemic of no contact in women  • The difference between toxic danger and reactive pain • Negotiated separation vs. total cutoff • How addiction and family trauma distort memory and identity • Why anger is often unprocessed hurt • What real accountability looks like on both sides This isn’t about blaming mothers or daughters. It’s about doing the work. You can learn more about Leslie and Lindsey Glass, their books, articles, and resources at reachoutrecovery.com — where they offer over 2,000 articles on addiction recovery, mental health, and family healing. This is a conversation about self-discovery, letting go, and what becomes possible when both people are willing to evolve. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

    54 min
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4.4
out of 5
105 Ratings

About

Exploratory conversations about mental health, neurodivergence, relationships and spirituality. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mental-health-news-radio--3082057/support.

Information

  • Creator
    Mental Health News Radio
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2026
  • Episodes
    657
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Mental Health News Radio
  • Show Website
    Mental Health News Radio

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