Best Courtney Novak Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 68: 87 Maternal Mental Health Is A Journey, Not A Destination 26:03

3y ago26:03

26:03

It's Maternal Mental Health Week 2021! Maternal mental health is a cause near and dear to my heart. When I talk and write about maternal mental health, I end up focusing on postpartum depression. That's an important subject that needs attention, but maternal mental health does not end with the postpartum period. We deserve excellent mental health o…

1
Episode 67: 86 Postpartum Pep Talk 30:20

3+ y ago30:20

30:20

This week, I wanted to drop in and say, "Hello!" because the e-book of my memoir, Adventures With Postpartum Depression, is free now, December 8-12, on Amazon. It's my early Christmas gift for all the mamas struggling right now. And while I was saying hello, I thought I would give a pep talk for all the postpartum mamas because sometimes, you just …

1
85 A Very Pandemic Holiday Season 34:47

3+ y ago34:47

34:47

This episode is Episode 17 from my new podcast, Adventures With My Forties. But the things I had to say for that show are just as relevant - possibly more! - for mamas with a maternal mood disorder. I talk about the upcoming 2020 holidays. Spoiler alert: the holidays will be a bit different this year because hello, #pandemic. I am trying my best to…

1
84 Pandemic Parenting 49:39

3+ y ago49:39

49:39

This week, I am sharing Episode 10 from my new podcast, Adventures with My Forties, because I think it is also helpful for any parent. When I had PPD, my recovery focused on managing my worst symptoms like insomnia, anxiety and OCD rituals. But I was also struggling to find my footing as a new parent. In this episode, I talk about the "Jedi mind tr…

1
83 Pandemic Anxiety 43:17

4y ago43:17

43:17

I started a new podcast called Adventures With My Forties. It is now available on iTunes and the usual places for podcasts. For that show, I did an episode about my anxiety during the pandemic. (Spoiler alert: I'm back on Zoloft.) I am sharing that episode here because anxiety is often a big part of postpartum depression. Show notes are available a…

1
82 A Very Pandemic Mother's Day 44:24

4y ago44:24

44:24

Happy Mother's Day 2020! If you are listening to this episode during the week it airs, the Kindle version of my memoir Adventures With Postpartum Depression is FREE from Sunday, May 10 to Thursday, May 14, 2020. This is my Mother's Day gift to you! (Flowers would be tough.) The book is also now part of the Kindle Unlimited universe. And of course, …

1
81 Alexia's Story 1:01:09

4y ago1:01:09

1:01:09

This is episode 81, formerly episode 8, featuring an interview with Alexia Johnstone. This was actually the first interview I ever did for the show! Unfortunately, some earlier episodes dropped off the feed due to storage issues, but I still had the original file. Hooray! I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed getting to talk to Alexi…

1
80 Postpartum Depression During the Pandemic 36:01

4y ago36:01

36:01

Hi, everyone! I retired the show a year and a half ago but felt compelled to post a special episode during the Covid-19 crisis. I am currently sheltering at home with my husband Nathan, daughter Pippa (7 now!) and son Julian (4 years old). I wish I had some special advice for parents with newborns and babies during the pandemic, but mainly, I just …

1
79 Living Beyond PPD 22:33

5+ y ago22:33

22:33

This week, I give an update on the past couple months of my life and the changes I have been making as I enter a new phase of my life. I have fully recovered and healed from postpartum depression, and my intuition told me that it was time to cease my involvement with the peer-to-peer postpartum support group that I started. That was tough. And then…

1
78 Emily Souder's Story And Traumatic Birth Experiences 45:46

5+ y ago45:46

45:46

This week, Emily Souder shares her personal and professional stories on the show. Emily is the mother of two littles, ages one and three, and she shares her personal postpartum adventures, including a traumatic birth experience. She is also a licensed clinical social worker answering the call to work with mothers during their transition to motherho…

1
77 Brandon's Story: When Your Significant Other Has PPD 46:13

5+ y ago46:13

46:13

This week, Brandon shares his story of what it is like to support his wife Tyra during her second round of postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety. If you haven't listened to it already, Tyra shared her story in Episode 74. Thank you, Brandon, for your insights. Show notes will be available at PPDadventures.com. If you would like to share your…

1
76 Looking Ahead To The New School Year 22:10

5+ y ago22:10

22:10

Hello, Adventurers! Pippa started kindergarten yesterday, so today, I'm thinking about my goals for the 2018-2019 school year. I'm also trying to figure out how involved I want to be at my kids' schools and how much time I want to keep for myself and my self-care. As I mentioned during the episode, I've been blogging almost every day. Blog posts re…

1
75 Dyane Harwood's Story of Bipolar Disorder 51:23

6y ago51:23

51:23

This week, I talk with Dyane Harwood, author of the memoir Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder. Dyane's memoir is amazing, and I keep thinking about all the issues she discusses, from the financial constraints of recovery to the difficulty of finding the right medication (and psychiatrist!) and so much more. This is a mem…

1
74 Tyra's Story of Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety 1:02:37

6y ago1:02:37

1:02:37

This week, Tyra Fainstad shares her story of postpartum depression and anxiety. Tyra suffered from PPD and anxiety after the birth of her daughter who is now 2 years old. When she got pregnant with her son, she did everything she could to prepare for and prevent a second round of PPD. When her son was born a few months ago, things seemed to be goin…

1
73 Rita's Story 43:55

6y ago43:55

43:55

This week, Rita shares her story of postpartum depression and anxiety. Rita had a history of depression before she got pregnant. She felt anxious during her entire pregnancy. After her son was born, postpartum depression hit her immediately. Since watching the documentary When the Bough Breaks, she has wanted to help others moms with a maternal moo…

1
Memoir: Chapters 8 and 9 32:54

6y ago32:54

32:54

For the next couple of weeks, I am sharing the audio version of my memoir, Adventures with Postpartum Depression. I don't have the time or resources to put together a fancy-schmancy formal audio version (yet!) so instead, I'm sharing it on the podcast. In this installment, I read Chapter 8: Insomnia and Chapter 9: My Breaking Point. By the end of C…

1
Memoir: Chapters 6 and 7 33:59

6y ago33:59

33:59

For the next couple of weeks, I am sharing the audio version of my memoir, Adventures with Postpartum Depression. I don't have the time or resources to put together a fancy-schmancy formal audio version (yet!) so instead, I'm sharing it on the podcast. In this installment, I read Chapter 6: The First Six Weeks (which describes my descent in depress…

1
Memoir Chapters 4 and 5 35:32

6y ago35:32

35:32

For the next couple of weeks, I am sharing the audio version of my memoir, Adventures with Postpartum Depression. I don't have the time or resources to put together a fancy-schmancy formal audio version (yet!) so instead, I'm sharing it on the podcast. In this installment, I read Chapter 4: Pregnancy, aka A Fancy Word for Hell and Chapter 5: In Whi…

1
Memoir, Prologue, Chapters 1-3 45:58

6y ago45:58

45:58

For the next couple of weeks, I am sharing the audio version of my memoir, Adventures with Postpartum Depression. I don't have the time or resources to put together a fancy-schmancy formal audio version (yet!) so instead, I'm sharing it on the podcast. In this installment, I read The Prologue, Chapter One: The Girl with Hypchondria (some back story…

1
72 Personal Update 25:55

6y ago25:55

25:55

The past few months, I have been working on improving my physical health. As strong as my mental health has been since I recovered from PPD, I know I will feel even better once I lose weight and reclaim my body. My thyroid is not working as well it should; my iron level is low; my cholesterol is way too high; but hey, my Vitamin D is tip-top. I'm a…

1
71 Stephanie Trzyna's Story 46:24

6y ago46:24

46:24

This week, Stephanie Trzyna shares her story of postpartum depression and anxiety on the show. Stephanie is the mother of an eleven and half year old daughter. Although she overcame postpartum depression, she still struggles with anxiety. For years, she has been an advocate fighting to crush the stigma of mental illness. Thank you, Stephanie! I lov…

1
70 Stephanie M.'s Story 17:06

6y ago17:06

17:06

This week, Stephanie M. shares her story of a difficult pregnancy, traumatic birth, emergency hysterectomy, and postpartum depression. As part of her postpartum journey, she was hospitalized in the psych ward for a week. These days, she is feeling much better but her recovery is not yet over. Thank you, Stephanie, so much for sharing your story on …

1
69 Thoughts on Mother's Day 30:16

6y ago30:16

30:16

This Sunday, it's Mother's Day in the United States, and I felt inspired to share some thoughts and rants on the holiday. I talk about my first Mother's Day as a mom, which totally sucked, seeing as I was in the darkness of postpartum depression. I also talk about how one day is not enough to honor a mother. We should feel cherished throughout the …

1
68 Lauren's Story 1:08:48

6y ago1:08:48

1:08:48

This week, Lauren shares her story of antenatal and postpartum depression. Lauren is the mother of two girls, ages 3 years old and 10 months. She did NOT experience a mood disorder during her first pregnancy and postpartum period. When she got pregnant three months after a miscarriage, Lauren then went through pregnancy hell. Her traumatizing pregn…

1
67 Emily Richter's Story of OCD and Postpartum Depression 44:58

6y ago44:58

44:58

This week, Emily Richter, aka The OCD Mama, shares her story of postpartum depressive, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety. As a child, Emily was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder. Her symptoms were effectively managed with medication. In high school, she weaned off medication and for many years, she felt great. After giving birth…

1
66 Courtney Talks About Stomach Bugs, Food, and the Uncertainty of Life 34:22

6y ago34:22

34:22

This week, I talk about the things I have been learning lately from my life. I had a stomach bug last week, and felt really bitter about that, but then realized it was a blessing-in-disguise helping me with my current spiritual journey with food. (whew, try saying that three times fast.) Life is an adventure, and ultimately, I'm so glad that I get …

1
65 Rachel's Story 1:53:10

6y ago1:53:10

1:53:10

This week, Rachel Duff, a single mom, shares her postpartum story. She opens up about a lot of difficult issues, including miscarriage, relationship issues with her ex-fiance, money troubles, and self-harming. Trigger warning: during her darkest days, Rachel cut herself with a blade. In January, she started taking Wellbutrin and she is starting to …

1
64 Laurie's Story 56:21

6y ago56:21

56:21

This week, Laurie Syphard shares her story of postpartum depression. After the birth of her first daughter, she experienced PPD, primarily through extreme anxiety and obsessions. After the birth of her second daughter, she did not experience any PPD. During her recovery, she had to stay briefly at the hospital. She talks about the different things …

1
63 Stress vs. Anxiety 38:53

6y ago38:53

38:53

This week, I talk about my continued adventures with anxiety. Although I'm much less anxious than I was before I had postpartum depression, I recently discovered some buried anxiety after I gave up my food addictions. So now I am physically and emotionally losing weight! As I work through this latest batch of anxiety, I have done a lot of thinking …

1
62 Courtney's Further Adventures With Anxiety 34:41

6y ago34:41

34:41

This week, I give a personal episode about my overall health. In January, I had epic PMS and decided to quit sugar and caffeine. That improved my moods enormously. I did not have any mood swings with my February cycle but instead, I had some insomnia. (Yay.) After a lot of soul searching, I realized that I had been using sugar to numb my anxiety. Y…

1
61 Kelly Thoele's Story of PPD and Pregnancy Depression 1:06:05

6y ago1:06:05

1:06:05

This week, Kelly Thoele shares her story of pregnancy depression and postpartum depression. She describes her difficult pregnancy and scary emergency c-section. For the first twelve weeks postpartum, she struggled and sank into depression. Then, she watched the documentary When the Bough Breaks. That was her wakeup call. She saw her doctor the next…

1
60 Fiona's Story of Adjustment Disorder 1:00:10

6y ago1:00:10

1:00:10

This week, Fiona shares her postpartum story of anxiety, depression and adjustment disorder. During our conversation, she brought up a lot of important issues, like breastfeeding difficulties, shame and guilt, and self-care. Thanks, Fiona, for sharing your journey! For show notes, visit PPDadventures.com. If you would like to share your story on a …

1
59 Jeremy's Story of Postpartum Depression and Anxiety 1:22:39

6y ago1:22:39

1:22:39

This week, Jeremy Hornberger shares her story of postpartum depression and anxiety, which hit hard and fast after giving birth to her daughter. Now Jeremy is leading Team Baltimore for the 2018 Climb Out of the Darkness. Thank you, Jeremy, for sharing your story! Show notes are available at PPDadventures.com. Don't forget to sign up for the email l…

1
58 Sam White's Story of Postpartum Depression and Bipolar Disorder 1:01:25

6y ago1:01:25

1:01:25

This week, Sam White shares her postpartum story. After a difficult pregnancy, Sam quickly became depressed after giving birth to her son. When her son was a toddler, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I loved talking to Sam and was so inspired by her journey. Show notes are available at PPDadventures.com. If you would like to share your stor…

1
57 Katie's Paleo Journey and The Root Causes of Postpartum Depression 1:01:47

6y ago1:01:47

1:01:47

This week, Katie shares her further adventures with postpartum depression. We first heard about Katie's adventures in Episode 43. Check out that episode to hear more detail about Katie's initial journey and thyroid issues. Since we last talked, Katie has made some major dietary changes and experienced vast improvements to her overall health. She al…

1
56 Nikki's Story 49:52

6y ago49:52

49:52

This week, Nikki shares her story of postpartum depression and anxiety. Nikki experienced anxiety after the birth of her first child, but she had a history of anxiety. She assume the postpartum anxiety was within the range of normal new mom feelings. It was not until her second child was 10 months old that she realized something had to change. Last…

1
55 Vivianne's Continued Adventures With Postpartum Onset Bipolar Disorder 1:09:36

6+ y ago1:09:36

1:09:36

This week, Vivianne is back to tell us more about her adventures with postpartum onset bipolar disorder. This episode is EXTRA adventurous because gardeners were working outside my parents’ house during the interview. UGH. You will get to hear me go through all sorts of emotions and frustrations but in the end, I remembered that life is uncertain a…

1
54 The Conclusion of My Personal Adventures With Postpartum Depression 53:14

6+ y ago53:14

53:14

This week, I talked about a lot of good stuff. I gave my latest report on weaning off Zoloft: I'm done! I took my last dose in December 2017. And I feel great! I saw my psychiatrist and we decided I did not need to schedule a followup. So that's it, folks, I am no longer a patient with postpartum depression. Damn, that feels good! But I am not done…

1
53 Sam Kimura's Story of Traumatic Birth, Postpartum Anxiety and Postpartum Depression 1:17:54

6+ y ago1:17:54

1:17:54

This week, Sam Kimura shares her postpartum adventures, starting with the traumatic birth experience of her first child and then the anxiety and depression she experienced after the birth of her second. Although her story is heartbreaking, it is also inspiring, because Sam got the help she needed and is now a coach supporting new moms. Show notes a…

1
52 Exercise, Zoloft and Buddhism 38:21

6+ y ago38:21

38:21

This week, I talk about my progress weaning off Zoloft. I recently jumped from 50 mg to 25 mg, with zero negative side effects. It has however taken me eleven months to go from 150 mg to 25 mg. Exercise has been helping me feel good. So has Buddhism. I recently finished Pema Chodron's When Things Fall Apart and I feel forever changed. Show notes ar…

1
51 Holiday Survival Guide 42:29

6+ y ago42:29

42:29

This week, I share some thoughts and tips for enjoying the holidays as much as possible without sacrificing your mental health. Remember: there's always next year! Don't go crazy trying to get the perfect photo if that means staying up late and not getting enough sleep. YOU are more important than any of the traditions. Show notes will be available…

1
50 Starting A Peer Support Group 46:18

6+ y ago46:18

46:18

This week, I share my tips for starting a mom-to-mom support group. I started a group over three years ago, and it has helped me process a lot of my postpartum experiences. If you have been feeling the call to start a group, I wanted to share some advice to make it less intimidating. Shownotes are available at PPDadventures.com. The intro music is …

1
49 They Don't Get It 36:09

6+ y ago36:09

36:09

This week, I talk about the idea that people in your life just "don't get" what it is like to have a maternal mood disorder - and that's okay! For more information about the show, head over to PPDadventures.com or email me at Courtney@PPDadventures.com. The intro music is "Cute" from Bensound.com. Thanks for listening and have a great week.…

1
48 Ending Therapy, Embracing Intuition 52:36

6+ y ago52:36

52:36

This week, I talk about my adventures with therapy, including my decision to end talk therapy a few months ago. I felt like I needed to be able to articulate my reasons for ending therapy but at the end of the day, I ended therapy because that was what my intuition demanded. For more information, head over to PPDadventures.com or email Courtney@PPD…

1
47 It's Okay If Your Best Is Pathetic 27:34

6+ y ago27:34

27:34

This week, I'm exhausted but I wanted to talk about "doing your best." I'm not trying to convince you to do more and measure up to some impossible standard. I'm trying to explain that "doing your best" is personal, constantly changing, and all you need to do on any given day. maybe your best today is getting out of bed and taking care of your baby.…

1
46 Back from Summer Hiatus 24:27

6+ y ago24:27

24:27

I am back from my summer break, so this week, I'm just catching everyone up on the past few months. I share an update on my slow and steady weaning off of medications and talk about my new interest in learning about menopause. I'm only 38 but I refuse to be blindsided by the next big transition in my life as a woman. Email Courtney@PPDadventures.co…

1
45.5 Vivianne's Story Continued 4:55

7y ago4:55

4:55

In episode 45, Vivianne shared her adventures with maternal mental illness. Since her interview, her diagnosis and medications have been changed. Her psychiatrist now thinks she might have bipolar disorder. In this mini-sode, I read an update from Vivianne, which I will post in the show notes at PPDadventures.com. Thank you, Vivianne, for sharing s…

1
45 Vivianne's Story 1:09:08

7y ago1:09:08

1:09:08

This week, Vivianne shares her adventures with maternal mood disorders. At the time of her interview, it was still unclear what her diagnosis was. Her psychiatrist thought she might be experiencing bipolar II onset. After we talked, she was diagnosed with untreated postpartum depression and ADHD. It never ceases to amaze me how similar but differen…

1
44 Shannon's Story 1:00:13

7y ago1:00:13

1:00:13

This week, Shannon shares her story of postpartum depression, anxiety and OCD. She also talks about the infertility she experienced before having her daughter. She had a long recovery with many ups and downs but eventually found a therapist and psychiatrist who specialized in PMADs and were able to help her make a full recovery. Thank you, Shannon,…

1
43 Katie's Story 1:00:22

7y ago1:00:22

1:00:22

This week, Katie Flores, a holistic health coach, shares her postpartum adventures. Katie experienced postpartum depression but for her, it was actually a symptom of another underlying issue with her thyroid. Katie has lots of great health tips. Her website is KatieEFlores.com. Show notes are available at PPDadventures.com. Head over to PPDadventur…

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Courtney Novak Podcasts

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