Our first prescriber on the show! Jeremy is joined this week by Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Rachel Jones, owner of Cup of Tea Psychiatry. Jeremy and Rachel talk about her winding path through nursing school and into the psychiatric side of the field, how the for-profit medical model creates an unhealthy environment for both patient…

Jeremy is joined this week by artist and mental health advocate Jenna Knapp. Jenna is an artist in residence with the labyrinth at the Lynden Sculpture Garden on the north side of Milwaukee. Jeremy and Jenna talk about her mental health journey prior to creating the labyrinth, how and why labyrinths can be so helpful to mental health, and the commu…

Ebbing and flowing, teaming with life, soft to the touch. Some things are better left to themselves. Thanks to Emily Kramer for today’s hidden lore poem “An Absence of Ants.” Emily is a poet from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with an MA in English from Ohio University. She currently works at a nonprofit for domestic violence and crime survivors. Outside…

A blast from the past! Jeremy is joined this week by Rachel Beam, owner of Understand You, LLC. Jeremy and Rachel were in the same cohort at Marquette University way back in the day, and Rachel shares her journey in the field up to now opening her own practice. Jeremy and Rachel discuss some of their memories of what grad school did and did not pre…

Jeremy is joined this week by the fabulous Emily Vander Velden for a great chat. Emily talks about specializing in EMDR to work with trauma, how being a parent is a juggling act with being a therapist, and shares about getting her recent ADHD diagnosis. Jeremy and Emily talk about self-care, and how holding space for others is such a powerful exper…

Jeremy is joined this week by Alyssa Zajdel to jump into the world of sports psychology and performance. Jeremy and Alyssa talk about different sports requiring different mindsets, the difference in support that elite athletes can get from club or high school sports, and how it was not fun for student athletes or mental health professionals when CO…

We’re calling in slow media. Feeling into the need for slow, emotionally grounded, and resonant content, we’ll be pausing weekly episodes to fully embody a slow media approach. The past ten years of interviews have shown us how media should be slow, rooted, and steadying, and this shift to slow media will honor all that we have learned from years o…

Jeremy is joined this week by the incredibly insightful Alita Taylor. Jeremy and Alita talk about the shortcomings of the medical model, the secondary trauma of working in a failing system, and Alita shares her expertise about Open Dialogue, a practical and philosophical approach to navigating mental health crises. We also chat about Finnish metal …

This week we are rebroadcasting our episode with Dori Midnight, originally aired in October 2022. “With a prayer to imagine beyond the current structures and systems, and kind of weave ourselves into, and be wrapped inside of, the invisible cloak that is interdependence, that is mutual aid, that supports us to reach towards each other and reach tow…

Jeremy is joined this week by author, activist, and poet Mark Green to talk about his new book Round We Dance. Jeremy and Mark talk about the need for a book on how to do rituals, why ritual is so important to the human psyche, and how to approach ritual outside of an organized religious setting. It’s a wide-ranging chat that covers a lot, and the …

Night is Earth’s shadow and many creatures call it home. The moon’s shadow is a different sort of night entirely. Thanks to Nicolette Nuytten for today’s hidden lore, “Water Beetles.” Nicolette works at the library and spends her free time walking in the woods or reading everything she can get her grubby little hands on. She lives in Manitoba with …

This week we are rebroadcasting our episode with Kimberly Ann Johnson originally aired in April 2023. Feeling into the state of our nervous systems and our relationships with each other and ourselves, this episode offers a powerful perspective on the importance of recognizing and tending to how life feels. Together, Ayana and this week’s guest Kimb…

Jeremy is joined for a fascinating conversation by Kelsey Philippi from ERA Wellness. Kelsey shares her journey of becoming a therapist from a background in biology and research before eventually landing in the mental health field, how couples and families exist as their own ecosystems, and how nature helps us to ground, center, and heal. To learn …

This week we are rebroadcasting our episode with Sophie Strand which originally aired in November 2022. In this winding and lucid conversation, guest Sophie Strand invites us to investigate our relationality, to embrace rot and decay, to welcome our demons to the dinner table, and to prepare for uncertain futures with tenderness. Sophie brings to l…

This week Jeremy is joined by the ultra-talented Lane Moore. Lane is a comedian, actor, author, and musician. Moore is the creator of the hit comedy show Tinder Live, bestselling author of How To Be Alone and You Will Find Your People, the frontperson in the band It Was Romance, and host of the podcast I Thought It Was Just Me on Patreon. Jeremy an…

What counts as a ghost is, perhaps, open to interpretation. Thanks to Steve Shell for voicing today’s field report. Steve is a co-creator, writer, and voice of the narrator on the Old Gods of Appalachia podcast. Old Gods is entering the homestretch of their fourth season and will be heading out on tour again this summer. Thanks to Emilie Lygren for…

This week we are rebroadcasting our interview with Maya Khosla which originally aired in November 2022. What can the forest teach us of grief, of joy, of humanity? This week, poet and scientist Maya Khosla invites listeners into the forests of Northern California to find deep reverence for the power of biodiversity. Maya’s expertise on wildfires sh…

Jeremy gets the chance to sit down with the delightful Kit Weathers for a neurodivergent chat. We talk about Kit’s journey from pastor’s kid, to missionary, to deconstructing and becoming a sex therapist and religious trauma recovery coach, with some mental health diagnoses sprinkled in. Kit and Jeremy talk about finding the good parts of church ou…

Inviting listeners into his deep connection with the forest and the natural world, Ross Reid brings an inspirational energy and commitment to this interview. Connecting around their shared love for old growth and wild places, Ross and Ayana consider what it means to get people interested in protecting the places that sustain us. How can we inspire …

Jeremy is joined this week by Elise Birch for an open, authentic chat. Elise shares their unique journey into the mental health field, and the niche areas they focus their practice working with. Jeremy and Elise explore the complexities of art therapy, highlighting its benefits in processing trauma and expressing emotions, even in telehealth settin…

I want to start a rumor about a place in Minnesota where the people know salvation not by confession or creed but by tomatoes and dirt and the light of the sun and the rhythms of the moon. I want to tell you a story about a village where people of all ages live in relationship with each other, and with the earth and with the river and with the tree…

An early morning record focusing on starting the day The CryptoNaturalist way. Thanks to Joseph Giglio for today’s hidden lore, “The Sky.” Joseph is currently an MFA student at George Mason University and originally from Buffalo, NY. He has been previously published in Corvus Review and Dead Fern Press amongst others. He is often somewhere he shoul…

This week we are rebroadcasting our interview with Jarod K Anderson, originally aired in January 2023. Bringing us into his world of nature, awe, and magical poetry, guest Jarod K. Anderson reminds us that our human journey is worthy of just as much love and affection as the natural world around us. When we come to nature with intention, how might …

Jeremy is joined this week for a great chat by Dr Gabby Miniscalco. During our talk Dr Gabby shares some insights into the immigrant experience and the pressures of conforming to American culture while grappling with her Polish identity, feeling caught in between worlds but not belonging in either. The conversation delves into the trauma and grief …

This week we are thrilled to bring you a special conversation from a dear friend of the podcast, Bayo Akomolafe. Recorded while in Ghana for the Three Black Men Tour, this conversation features the voices of Bayo Akomolafe, Resmaa Menakem, Orland Bishop, Victoria Santos and Okhiogbe Omonblanks Omonhinmin, all of whom were involved with the conversa…

Jeremy is joined this week by the authentic and genuine Becca Ferguson. Becca and Jeremy talk about growing up in conservative households that didn’t talk about mental health, Becca’s horror stories with her own therapy, and getting to a place where she now helps other therapists build the practice of their dreams. It’s a fun chat that covers a lot…

There’s something playing music just down the path, but that isn’t the only worthy mystery beneath the trees. Today’s hidden lore was “The Bone Mother’s Daughter” by Tim Goldstone. Tim Goldstone is based on a true event. He has roamed widely and currently writes in remote rural Wales Published internationally in numerous print and online journals a…

This week we are rebroadcasting our interview with adrienne maree brown which originally aired in April 2019. adrienne maree brown begins this week’s episode by asking, “If we were not ashamed of our pleasure, what would become possible? If we started to understand that pleasure is something that everyone should have access to, what would become po…

Jeremy is joined this week by the incredibly insightful David Hayden. Jeremy and David talk about growing up with the desire to help others from an early age, the various chapters of growth therapists go through with their clients, and David’s winding path with different modalities that allow for deeper healing with clients. You can learn more abou…

Introducing listeners to his way of worship and connection to the Earth, this week’s guest Erik Assadourian offers insight into the religious framing and practical applications of the Gaian way. Erik shares his spiritual path of recognizing interdependence with the Earth and shares how he dreams towards a future where we exist in a mutualistic rela…