Episodes

Being present can be one of the most powerful forms of self-care for caregivers. In this short episode I reflect on caring for a loved one’s mental health, navigating a heavy season, and why treating everyday moments like they matter is a gift—for them and for you. This season of This Way Up has looked a little different for me. My mom is going through cancer treatment, and over the past several months I’ve been spending more time traveling back to be with my family. It’s meaningful time—but i...

Explore felt emotion and somatic techniques with Dr. Jen Rapkin to notice, endure, and move through anxiety, anger, and other challenging emotions. Summary Dive into the essence of 'felt emotion' with author Jen, as she gives an in-depth exploration of her book 'The Feeling Muscle: How Felt Emotion Can Help You Sit With and Outlast Hard Feelings.' Jen and Andrea discuss the concept of felt emotion—our body's physical experience of emotions such as anxiety, rage, and contentment. The conversation...

Being a parent doesn’t stop addiction—but it can be a reason to fight for recovery. In this raw and powerful episode, Emily Redondo, author of Wife Mother Drunk, shares her journey with alcoholism, recovery, and breaking cycles of generational trauma. Having been in rehab and psychiatric institutions over 20 times, Emily opens up about what it’s like to navigate life as a parent while struggling with alcohol, and how addiction isn’t about being a “good” or “bad” person—it’s about what’s...

Imagine a treatment that wakes up the parts of the brain that have been dimmed by depression, anxiety, or trauma—without medication or downtime. That’s exactly what Andrea explores in this episode with Dr. Suzanne Kerns, a leading expert in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), one of the most exciting advancements in mental health care today. TMS uses gentle, targeted magnetic pulses to activate and strengthen mood-related networks in the brain—essentially giving those underactive areas a nu...

So many neurodivergent kids grow up thinking they’re the problem, when in reality they’re carrying ADHD, anxiety, or bipolar symptoms no one ever recognized. This conversation digs into what that actually feels like through Arthur Williams’ story—growing up undiagnosed, masking to survive, and constantly being praised for traits instead of effort, which only widened the gap between who he was and who he thought he should be. Arthur opens up about the pivotal moments that helped him finally under...

What’s Really Behind Our Need to Control? We all like to think we’ve got it together… until life throws a curveball, and suddenly we’re trying to control everything around us. In this episode of This Way Up, I chat with Kati Morton, LMFT — licensed therapist, bestselling author, and mental health educator — about why control feels so necessary, how it shows up in our relationships, and what it’s really trying to protect. We dig into the ways control can sneak into parenting, friendships, romanti...

What if the key to healing anxiety, trauma, or depression wasn’t just found in an office — but in the quiet connection with a horse? In this episode, I sit down with Summer to explore the world of equine therapy and how these incredible animals are helping people transform their mental health. We dive into the difference between traditional hippotherapy and ground-based horse therapy, why spending time with horses has such a powerful impact on the nervous system, and the unforgettable breakthrou...

Every year, thousands of babies are born into the chaos of opioid addiction—fragile, frightened, and in need of care. Tara Sundem, founder and executive director of Hushabye Nursery, has dedicated her life to giving these babies—and their mothers—a fighting chance. Through her work, she has already saved over 1,000 babies, transforming not just their lives, but the lives of their families.Through her work, Tara reminds us that every family deserves support, understanding, and a chance to thrive....

Chris Segrin from the University of Arizona opens up about the messy, complicated reality of supporting someone you love who’s struggling with mental health. Instead of handing out quick fixes, Chris invites us to lean into empathy, reminding us that the illness is not the person — and that separating the two is where compassion really begins. He challenges us to communicate without judgment, to listen with curiosity instead of fear, and to find strength in acceptance. At the same time, Chris ge...