Beyond Well With Sheila Hamilton

Michelle DeCourcy is one of tens of thousands of women who are choosing to have their breast implants removed. After battling leukemia in her thirties, and learning about a type of cancer that is related to breast implants, the designer and performer investigated the pros and cons of replacement. BII (breast implant illness) is not well understood, but the impacts can be debilitating. Women suffer joint pain, brain fog, and other immune system irregularities. Immediately following the procedure, Michelle noted less inflammation in her body, and her frequent bouts with anxiety and depression disappeared. (This is one woman's story about a profound change that had a positive impact on her life and is not meant to be interpreted as medical advice. For more information, see resources below and talk to your doctor.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAprdn6bt9I     https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/health/breast-implants-cancer.html NYTImes Article https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstructio

Dr. Jenna LeJeune and Dr. Brian Goff talk about navigating the holiday season, and dealing with internal and external stress.

Farzana Nayani (she/hers), is a recognized DEI specialist, international keynote speaker, and business coach. Of multiethnic Filipina-Pakistani background, Farzana is a passionate advocate for the multiracial community, and through her coaching practice, she supports individuals to move towards healing, transformation and achieving their full potential in a culturally sensitive and grounded way.  Nayani talks about:  Taking care of your employees and giving them a sense of well-being with ERGs Supporting marginalized groups who have faced tragedy and also have to carry on with work: How can we support them effectively as leaders and colleagues, or, if we are these professionals ourselves – how do we best address these issues? Will women and other marginalized groups suffer the highest consequences of “quiet quitting” and "labor hoarding"

Jennifer Cassetta witnessed the attack on the twin towers and, months later, endured a personal attack. Jennifer turned to the wisdom of the dojo and the training and discipline of martial arts to strengthen her body, steel her mind, and expand her compassion for herself and others. The Art of Badassery is Jennifer's program for helping women feel safe and powerful from the streets to the boardroom. A third-degree black belt in Hapkido and a master's degree in nutrition, Jennifer teaches women how to fuel themselves to rise above fear and reclaim their power.

Dr. Pritham Raj joins Sheila to discuss the newest FDA-approved treatments for depression, including Spravato, ketamine, and a fast-acting anti-depressant. For many people suffering from treatment-resistant depression, these new modalities combined with transcranial magnetic resolution may offer the best hope yet for remission.

Domi Shoemaker identifies most strongly as a "Superfat gender flexing kinky queer writer and seeker of justice." Domi has always known they are different and did not try to "fit in" with the conservative, rigid norms of Idaho. Instead, Domi played little league with the boys, came out to their mother, and moved to Portland, Oregon, to find community and purpose. Domi explored their gender fluidity long before it was acceptable, paving the way for mid-life joy and meaning. Domi's courageous insistence on authenticity has proven critical to their ability to survive and even thrive, "I am so glad I stayed alive," Domi says. "I didn't always believe it was possible." To work with Domi, go to https://www.corporealwriting.com/corporeal-community

Carolyn Donohoe Marieb already had a busy career and one child when she learned she was pregnant with triplets. The overwhelm she felt led Marieb to lean on alcohol to cope, a familiar crutch for many overstressed mothers. Carolyn finally realized that she could no longer lead a life controlled by alcohol, and when she sought help, she discovered a community of smart, capable women who had also put their wildest hopes and dreams on hold to serve an addiction. Anyone who is struggling with substance abuse will relate to Carolyn's candor, her humor in dealing with her previous mistakes, and her newly expanded joyous life as she nears some of the biggest opportunities offered by sobriety and mid-life.

Julia Stoops is an accomplished visual artist who took an extended break to write and publish her first novel.  While the writing fulfilled her, the marketing and publicity experience was not what she imagined, and the pressure left her feeling empty and alienated. "We don't talk enough about what happens when the dream doesn't work out," Julia observes.  Through a deliberate process of evaluation and acceptance, Julia returned to the work that sustains her with a clear-eyed view of what success really means. 

One of the main components of mental strength is living in congruity with your values and your desires. We are focusing on stories of women who made complex and sometimes controversial decisions in mid-life to turn toward the version of their lives that they'd always imagined for themselves.  Karen Karbo uprooted her life and career as a bestselling author to live in Couillure, France, and make her way through the mountain of paperwork and bureaucracy to become a French citizen. At the same time, Karen's daughter gave birth, complicating the long-distance relationship. With exquisite grace, consideration, and compelling reasoning, Karen talks about why it's essential we navigate our own wishes with as much care as we offer to our loved ones. 

Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal is a world-renowned psychiatrist, public speakinger, and best selling author who is known for his innovative research and inspirational writing. In this interview, Dr. Rosenthal talks about poetry as medicine for the soul. In a world that is maared by loss and deprived of pleasure, Rosenthal believes poetry can help fill in the gaps, offering a retreat from a troubled world and hope for a better future. 

No two people will experience the same range of emotions during grief. The experience of loss is as unique as our DNA, and any attempt to define its duration, intensity or lasting impact falls short. Dr. Jim Polo discusses the intimacy of grief.

Ivan Maisel is Vice President/Editorial and Senior Writer at on3.com. He has covered college football for nearly four decades, at ESPN, where he served as Editor-at-Large for ESPN College Football 150, Sports Illustrated, Newsday, and The Dallas Morning News. His conversation on navigating a year of grief after the suicide of his only son is one of our favorite interviews of the year.   

Cheryl Strayed is a New York Times bestselling author, playwright, and screenwriter. This interview is a must listen for anyone who is also navigating grief and encountering people who cannot hold another person's suffering.

Dr. Brian Goff and Dr. Jenna LeJeuene join us to talk about the myth of the "five stages of grief." 

Kimi Culp is a multi-talented producer, writer, and person living with bipolar disorder. As a creative working in the demanding field of journalism, Culp relied on her hypomania to help her succeed--until she suffered her first devastating depression and could no longer function. Kimi kept the secret about her diagnosis for decades. In this interview, Culp describes the impact of coming out regarding her diagnosis. 

Dave Dahl is the face of a multi-billion dollar bread-making company and the marketing genius behind the name, 'Dave's Killer Breads.' Dave isn't a killer, but he has made some pretty bad mistakes that landed him in prison, where he began to recognize that his early drug and alcohol use was an attempt to self-medicate his bipolar disorder.  In this interview, Dave talks about the necessity of dual diagnosis and what leveling up to his potential really means. 

Willa Goodfellow's extraordinary run through bipolar disorder may be familiar to others whose diagnosis was missed for many years: incredible highs, devastating lows, a difficulty maintaining relationships, a mercurial run through life. When Goodfellow finally sought help through medication, she thought her challenges might be over. For many people with psychiatric problems, medicine does not work. The side effects are so numbing and intolerable that people find other ways to cope with their minds and behaviors. Goodfellow has done just that with resilience and a belief in her own self-discovery, she is living proof that it is possible to live well with bipolar disorder.

Dr. James Polo talks about the psychiatric complications of Bipolar Disorder and why it can be so difficult to diagnose and treat. People with bipolar disorder often wait to seek help until they have experienced a devastating depression following a manic or hypomanic episode.  Polo brings hope to anyone who is living with bipolar disorder, as well as those who love someone suffering from this type of mood disorder.

Andrew Solomon is a NYTimes bestselling author, and a thought leader on mental health and well-being. In his widely viewed Ted Speech, Solomon says, "The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality, and it was vitality that seemed to seep away from me in that moment." This is an interview that is so important for anyone you know who battles depression.  Solomon has taken an eye-opening journey into his own experience with depression and interviewed hundreds of other people who also suffer from this brain disorder. With empathy, sensitivity, and understanding, Solomon discusses the complexity, the mystery, and the difficulty of living with depression. 

Lidia Yuknavitch is the author of several bestselling books, including her latest 'Thrust' which the Los Angeles Times calls the "Best Book of the Summer."  Yuknavitch talks about the power of storytelling to make sense of the world we are living in and the one we might just be barreling toward. She describes how, after the death of her infant daughter, Yuknavitch pieced her life back together with small scraps of paper and threads of awareness.  Please share this episode with anyone who is suffering from a traumatic loss. Yuknavitch holds the listener with exquisite care and tenderness--a gift to anyone who currently can't see their way forward.