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Rooted and Rising

Carmela Maxell, PsyD, MA, MBA, LMHC, SUDP-T
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

R&R is where mental health, storytelling, and real life collide. Hosted by Dr. Carmela Maxell—author, licensed clinician, professor, and mental health advocate—each episode is an honest, unfiltered conversation with yourself and the world. Expect clinical insight delivered without jargon, personal stories that don't ask permission, and the kind of truth that healers, creatives, survivors, and seekers have been waiting to hear out loud. For those carrying too much. For the therapists who need therapy. For the writers who bleed on the page. For anyone rooted in something real and still rising.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Shedding Skin: Why Becoming Yourself Often Feels Like Loss

    Growth isn't always exciting. Sometimes it feels like grief. In this episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores why becoming the person you're meant to be often requires letting go of the person you've always been. Like a snake shedding its skin, personal growth can feel uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and even painful. We outgrow relationships, identities, habits, careers, and expectations that once protected us—but may now be holding us back. Why does change feel like loss? Why do we sometimes mourn the very things we know we need to leave behind? And how do we find the courage to embrace what's next? Join Dr. Maxell for an honest conversation about identity, transformation, resilience, and the quiet courage it takes to keep becoming. Whether you're navigating a career change, healing from loss, leaving a relationship, or simply discovering who you are, this episode is a reminder that growth isn't about becoming someone else—it's about uncovering who you've been all along. Because sometimes the hardest part of growth isn't changing... ...it's letting go of the skin that no longer fits. Follow Rooted & Rising on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Deezer, and YouTube. 📬 Subscribe to the Rooted & Rising Insider Newsletter for behind-the-scenes content, exclusive updates, bonus reflections, and more meaningful conversations.

    18 min

  2. 4d ago ·  Bonus

    SUNDAY SEEDS OF THOUGHT Don't Put It in Your Cart: Weekend Impulse Buys And Avoiding Monday

    Have you ever convinced yourself that a new planner, another notebook, or that random gadget in your online shopping cart was going to change your life? You're not alone. In this first installment of Sunday Seeds of Thought, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology behind weekend impulse purchases and why so many of us find ourselves filling our carts on Sunday evenings. What if those purchases aren't really about what we're buying—but about what we're feeling? Through humor, practical insights, and thoughtful reflection, this episode invites you to pause before clicking "Buy Now" and consider what you're really searching for. Sometimes the greatest investment isn't another package on your doorstep—it's preparing your mind, your heart, and your week. Join us for a lighthearted conversation that just might change the way you think about your shopping cart...and yourself. Sunday Seeds of Thought is a weekly 10-minute series designed to help you begin each week with greater intention, resilience, and perspective. Follow Rooted & Rising on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Deezer, and YouTube. Subscribe to the Rooted & Rising Insider Newsletter for exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more meaningful conversations.

    8 min
  3. MIDNIGHT REFLECTION: It's Okay to Break Down: The Invisible Weight of Modern Parenting

    Jun 25 ·  Bonus

    MIDNIGHT REFLECTION: It's Okay to Break Down: The Invisible Weight of Modern Parenting

    Parenting has never come with a manual—but today's parents are navigating challenges that previous generations could never have imagined. In this episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the emotional, mental, and physical weight of raising children in an era of constant comparison, technology, social media, financial stress, and ever-changing expectations. From the pressure to be the "perfect parent" to balancing careers, relationships, and personal well-being, many parents are carrying far more than anyone realizes. Together, we'll talk about parental guilt, burnout, overstimulation, the invisible mental load, and why so many parents feel like they're failing—even when they're doing their absolute best. Most importantly, we'll discuss why it's okay to ask for help, why breaking down doesn't make you a bad parent, and how giving yourself grace may be one of the greatest gifts you can give your children. If you've ever questioned whether you're enough, felt overwhelmed by the demands of parenting, or simply needed someone to remind you that you're not alone, this conversation is for you. Because strong parents don't never break down... Strong parents learn how to get back up.

    12 min
  4. MIDNIGHT REFLECTION: Doomscrolling Your Dreams: When Social Media Halts Your Life Activation

    Jun 24 ·  Bonus

    MIDNIGHT REFLECTION: Doomscrolling Your Dreams: When Social Media Halts Your Life Activation

    Have you ever picked up your phone to check one notification...only to realize an hour has disappeared? In this episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the hidden psychology behind doomscrolling and why endless scrolling affects more than just your screen time—it can quietly influence your creativity, motivation, decision-making, and even your ability to pursue the life you truly want. Together, we'll unpack concepts like the Zeigarnik Effect, decision fatigue, the psychology of infinite scrolling, and why watching productive people can trick our brains into feeling productive ourselves. More importantly, we'll discuss practical strategies to break the cycle, reclaim your attention, and start investing your time in building your own dreams instead of endlessly consuming someone else's. If you've ever felt mentally exhausted after scrolling, struggled to focus on your own goals, or wondered where your creativity has gone, this conversation is for you. It's time to stop doomscrolling your dreams...and start living them.

    28 min
  5. Surviving Narcissistic Abuse

    Jun 23

    Surviving Narcissistic Abuse

    In this episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Maxell sits down with Joy Larkin, narcissistic abuse recovery coach and founder of Live Narc Free, for an honest conversation about narcissistic abuse, trauma bonds, emotional manipulation, healing, and reclaiming a sense of self. Together, they explore the signs and patterns commonly associated with narcissistic abuse, including love bombing, gaslighting, triangulation, future faking, emotional dependency, and the challenges many survivors face when trying to leave unhealthy relationships. They also discuss recovery, self-worth, boundaries, and practical strategies for rebuilding a life after abuse. Whether you've personally experienced narcissistic abuse, are supporting someone who has, or simply want to better understand these relationship dynamics, this conversation offers insight, education, and hope. Joy's work focuses on helping individuals overcome narcissistic abuse, rebuild self-esteem, and move forward with confidence and healing.  ⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of emotional abuse, coercive control, trauma bonding, manipulation, stalking behaviors, and narcissistic abuse. Learn more about Joy Larkin and her work: 🌐 Live Narc Free

    53 min

  6. Jun 17 ·  Bonus • Subscribers Only

    Bonus Episode 1: Welcome to Rooted & Rising Insider

    🌱 Subscriber Exclusive Welcome to Rooted & Rising Insider. In this special welcome episode, Dr. Carmela Maxell shares the vision behind Rooted & Rising Insider and what inspired the creation of this exclusive community. Whether you've been listening since the beginning or you're just joining us, this space was created for those who want to go deeper—into conversations about healing, growth, resilience, purpose, leadership, grief, and becoming. In this episode, you'll learn what to expect as a subscriber, hear about the journey that led to the creation of Rooted & Rising, and discover how Insider content will provide additional reflections, behind-the-scenes conversations, exclusive insights, and early access to select content. Thank you for supporting the podcast and helping this community continue to grow. We're just getting started. Until next time, stay rooted in who you are and keep rising into who you're becoming.

    4 min

  7. Jun 17 ·  Bonus • Subscribers Only

    Bonus Episode 2: The Cost of Curiosity

    🌱 Subscriber Exclusive Curiosity is often celebrated as the key to growth, learning, and discovery—but what happens when the answers we find change everything? In this exclusive Rooted & Rising Insider reflection, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the hidden cost of curiosity: the truths we can't unlearn, the comfort we may have to leave behind, and the courage required to ask deeper questions about our lives, relationships, careers, and purpose. Sometimes curiosity opens doors. Sometimes it challenges everything we thought we knew. Join me for a thoughtful conversation about growth, awareness, and why the questions we avoid may be the very ones that lead us toward freedom. Because while curiosity may cost us certainty, it often leads us closer to becoming who we were meant to be. Until next time, stay rooted in who you are and keep rising into who you're becoming.

    11 min
  8. When The Ladder is Leaning Against the Wrong Wall: When Success and Fulfillment Become Strangers

    Jun 16

    When The Ladder is Leaning Against the Wrong Wall: When Success and Fulfillment Become Strangers

    What happens when you achieve everything you thought you wanted… and you're still unhappy? In this episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the quiet disappointment that can accompany success when the life you're living no longer aligns with who you truly are. From careers and relationships to family expectations and personal dreams, we examine what happens when we spend years climbing a ladder only to discover it was leaning against the wrong wall all along. Drawing from personal experience, Dr. Maxell reflects on the pressure to pursue a path that looked successful on paper but never felt fully her own. Together, we'll discuss the difference between achievement and fulfillment, the cost of abandoning ourselves to meet others' expectations, and how to begin reconnecting with the person beneath the titles, accomplishments, and obligations. If you've ever looked around at a life you've worked hard to build and wondered, "Why am I still not happy?" this conversation is for you. Because sometimes the bravest thing we can do isn't climb higher—it's choose a different wall.

    18 min
  9. Daft and Devoted: When Loyalty Becomes Self-Abandonment

    Jun 9

    Daft and Devoted: When Loyalty Becomes Self-Abandonment

    How do you know when loyalty has crossed the line into self-abandonment? In this episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the relationships, friendships, jobs, and situations we stay committed to long after they've stopped serving us. Many of us wear devotion as a badge of honor, convincing ourselves that enduring pain is proof of our character. But what happens when our commitment comes at the cost of our peace, identity, and well-being? Join Dr. Maxell as she unpacks the difference between healthy perseverance and unhealthy attachment, the hidden ways people-pleasing keeps us stuck, and why walking away is sometimes the most loving thing we can do for ourselves. If you've ever found yourself holding on because of who someone used to be, what something once meant, or because leaving felt like failure, this conversation is for you. Because sometimes the bravest thing we can do is stop abandoning ourselves in the name of devotion.

    19 min
  10. The Weight We Were Never Meant to Carry

    Jun 3

    The Weight We Were Never Meant to Carry

    What does it cost to survive systems that weren't built for you? In this episode Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the mental health impact of navigating institutions as a person of color or marginalized identity — examining weathering, racial battle fatigue, and intergenerational trauma. This isn't abstract. It lives in your body. And there are ways through.

    22 min
  11. Who I Am and Why I'm Here

    Jun 3

    Who I Am and Why I'm Here

    In this first episode, Dr. Carmela Maxell introduces herself — not just the credentials, but the human underneath them. A clinician, author, professor, director, mother, and Black and Filipino woman who has been carrying a lot and finally decided to say something about it out loud. This episode covers who Dr. Maxell is beyond her titles, what Rooted and Rising is (and isn't), the publication of her debut novel Bereavement, and why done and imperfect will always beat perfect and silent. For the healers who need healing. The strong ones who are tired of being strong. The creatives who've been told to be practical. Welcome to Rooted and Rising. Connect: Instagram: @therealcarmelamaxell Search: Bereavement by Carmela Maxell (on Amazon) Website: http://carmelamaxell.com Email: info@carmelamaxell.com

    10 min
  • 11 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

R&R is where mental health, storytelling, and real life collide. Hosted by Dr. Carmela Maxell—author, licensed clinician, professor, and mental health advocate—each episode is an honest, unfiltered conversation with yourself and the world. Expect clinical insight delivered without jargon, personal stories that don't ask permission, and the kind of truth that healers, creatives, survivors, and seekers have been waiting to hear out loud. For those carrying too much. For the therapists who need therapy. For the writers who bleed on the page. For anyone rooted in something real and still rising.

Information

  • Creator
    Carmela Maxell, PsyD, MA, MBA, LMHC, SUDP-T
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Carmela Maxell, PsyD, MA, MBA, LMHC, SUDP-T
  • Show Website
    Rooted and Rising
  • Provider
    Carmela Maxell