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Verywell Mind

This season of the Verywell Mind Podcast will be focused on the power of community and hosted by Minaa B, a licensed social worker, mental health educator, and author of "Owning Our Struggles." Minaa is also a community care expert who helps people build healthy relationships. Every Friday, we'll be speaking with experts, wellness advocates, and individuals with lived experiences about community care and its impact on mental health.
Episodes 1 – 263 were hosted by Amy Morin, psychotherapist and former editor-in-chief of Verywell Mind.

The Verywell Mind Podcast

Felicia "The FeeNom" Spencer is a math teacher turned UFC fighter. After winning the Invicta Featherweight Championship, she went on to continued success in the UFC, taking on some of the elite fighters of all time (including Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg).
Felicia offers some great tips that can apply to anyone who wants to face challenges, test their limits, and step outside their comfort zones.
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44 - Face Your Fears with UFC Fighter Felicia Spencer

Sometimes a slight shift in the way you establish a goal can greatly increase your chances of success.
Setting a goal like, “I’m going to lose three pounds a week,” or “I’m going to pay off $500 in debt this month,” aren’t actually good goals to set.
Sure, they’re measurable. But they involve a sort of all-or-nothing mentality. And a "success versus failure" mindset can zap your motivation and cause you to quit. 
So today I’m going to teach you the science behind goal setting.
I’m sharing a secret formula for establishing a goal that can motivate you to succeed. In fact, when you set a goal like this, studies show you’ll probably exceed your expectations.
It’s not just studies that convince me it’s effective. I’ve seen this simple strategy work well in my therapy office as well as in my own life.
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45 - Friday Fix: A Simple Trick to Increase the Chances of Reaching Your Goals

John Tesh is a musician, radio host, TV show host, and author. His impressive resume includes job titles like news anchor and host for the Olympics as well as host of Entertainment Tonight and creator of the NBA theme song. He’s won six Emmys, been nominated for two GRAMMYs, and has four Gold albums. He has also been awarded an Associated Press award for his investigative journalism. 
He’s written several books, including his most recent one which is called Relentless: Unleashing a Life of Purpose, Grit, and Faith. John overcame a lot of obstacles in life, including being suspended from college, being homeless, and facing a grim health prognosis.

In this episode, he shares how to motivate yourself when you're struggling, how to use visualization in a helpful way, and the one kind of list everyone should create for themselves. 
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46 - How to Stay Relentless with Legendary Composer and Talk Show Host John Tesh

The way you talk to yourself matters. Your inner dialogue can either inspire and motivate you to do your best or it can be the one thing that stands between you and living your best life.
For some reason, we think harsh self-criticism will help us do better. We’re afraid to cut ourselves some slack or to use kind words after we’ve messed up.
We call ourselves names, put ourselves down, and try to talk ourselves out of doing hard things. 
But a harsh inner critic does more harm than good. Studies consistently show self-compassion is the key to feeling and doing your best.
So today I’m sharing a question that can help you treat yourself with more kindness. Just ask yourself this one thing to develop a healthier inner dialogue.
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47 - Friday Fix: Ask Yourself This Question and You'll Be Kinder to Yourself

Steve Francis is a three-time NBA All-Star who played for the Houston Rockets, the Orlando Magic, and the New York Knicks. He was so dominant on the court that he earned the nickname "Franchise." He’s known for his speed, fancy ball-handling skills, and extreme dunks.

Steve’s rise to NBA stardom wasn’t an easy one, however. He overcame much adversity in his childhood.
Unlike some NBA players who had plenty of money and parental support growing up, Steve grew up in poverty. For a while, he even resorted to selling drugs. But he was determined to change his life around, and he shares the strategies that helped him turn the adversity he experienced into an advantage. 
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48 - How to Use Adversity to Your Advantage with NBA All-Star Steve Francis

When you’re feeling depressed, your brain will lie to you. It will work hard to convince you to do things that keep you stuck in a depressed state.
If you’ve battled depression, you are likely aware of the struggles that come with it. Your thoughts will be negative. You’ll feel bad—both emotionally and physically. And you'll have a hard time trying things that might help you feel better.
So on today’s Friday Fix, I describe my favorite exercise for combating depression. It can help you feel better and grow stronger.
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49 - Friday Fix: An Exercise to Help You Grow Stronger When You're Feeling Depressed

“I can say, ‘I forgive you and no, you're not allowed to do this.’ That way I can show up more readily with other people in my life and still be kind.”
Amy talks to kindness advocate, Houston Kraft. He's reached millions of people with his message that just might change the way you think about kindness.

Houston shares why hanging posters that say, "Be Kind," might be doing more harm than good. He also talks about the different types of kindness, how to establish boundaries that help us to become kinder, and how to create a regular kindness practice.

Houston is proof that you can be both kind and strong.
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50 - How Being Kind Makes You Stronger with Kindness Expert Houston Kraft

Whether you're terrified of public speaking or you have claustrophobia, fears and phobias can take a toll on your life.

And while some people avoid the things that scare them the most, other people go about facing their fears the wrong way.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to overcome your fears. On this Friday Fix, I share a therapist-approved strategy that can help you conquer your fears once and for all. 
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51 - Friday Fix: How to Conquer a Specific Fear or Phobia

“We can manage our minds. Our minds are malleable. It's a skill that we can actually learn. It's not a therapy technique. It's not a little magic trick. This is hardcore science.” 

Dr. Caroline Leaf is a cognitive neuroscientist who has spent more than 30 years studying the brain. Her research has found that changing the way you think and changing the way you approach problems can physically alter your brain.

She shares how her five-step approach to mind management can reduce toxic thinking as well as depression and anxiety by 81%. It's a simple but effective way to physically transform your brain so you can feel and do your best.
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52 - How to Clean Up Your Mental Mess with Dr. Caroline Leaf

After 53 episodes of Mentally Strong People, I'm excited to share a huge announcement!

We're partnering with Verywell Mind to reach even more people. So starting next week, we're going to look a little different. But we'll keep sharing mental strength tips and strategies that can help you think, feel, and do your best.

On today's Friday Fix, I share the deeply personal reason behind why this partnership means so much to me. 
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53 - Friday Fix: The Mentally Strong People Podcast Is Becoming The Verywell Mind Podcast

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford is a Licensed Psychologist. She’s also a speaker and the Founder & CEO of Therapy for Black Girls, and host of its wildly popular mental health podcast, which received a Webby award in 2023. 
In this episode, Dr. Joy sits down with Minaa to discuss her new book, Sisterhood Heals: The Transformative Power of Healing in Community. Her work focuses on making mental health topics more relevant and accessible for Black women and she specializes in creating spaces for them to have fuller and healthier relationships with themselves and others.

For more info visit: verywellmind.com/podcast

The Verywell Mind Podcast is produced by:
Minaa B., LMSW - Host
Kristen Altmeyer - GM/VP, Verywell Mind
Jeremiah McVay - Podcast Producer/Editor
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275 – How to Build Your Sisterhood With These Small Steps from Dr. Joy

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