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 visi ..read more

Dr. Raquel Martin is on a mission to radically reimagine Black possibility by promoting Black mental health as key to legacy-building and longevity for generations to come. In this episode, she sits down with Minaa B to discuss black mental wealth -- what it is and what it looks like in practice. Dr. Martin is an experienced licensed clinical psychologist, devoted professor, acclaimed researcher, and scientist. She deeply believes in the power of Black mental wealth – an affirming, lifelong journey, that encourages Black people to center mental health practices as integral and intentionally li ..read more

Your home environment and mood are connected. So, take a moment and look at your home surroundings. How does your home make you feel? Anxious? Sad? Cagey? Whatever emotion just popped up for you likely has something to do with the interior of your home. Even if some negative feelings come up for you—fear not!—because we can use interior design as a therapy tool. In fact, therapist-turned-interior-design Anita Yokota swears by it! In this episode, Yokota teaches us how to identify the emotional climate of our homes and the interior design changes we can make to our homes look—and feel better.&n ..read more

 We're excited to introduce Minaa B., who will be hosting a new season of the Verywell Mind podcast starting September 1st. This season, we will be focusing on the power of community and discussing topics such as friendships, navigating difficult relationships, and how to seek support for your mental health. Minaa B. is a licensed social worker, mental health educator, and author of Owning Our Struggles: A Path to Healing and Finding Community in a Broken World. She's also a community care expert who helps people build healthy relationships and form connections. Every Friday, she wil ..read more

Every week, my inbox is flooded with questions from podcast listeners and readers who want to know about mental health, mental strength, and therapy. As much as I’d love to be able to respond to each message, it’s no longer feasible to do so.  So that’s where these "Ask Me Anything" episodes come in. Every month or so, I pick a few questions and address them on the podcast.  On today’s show, I answer questions about recognizing if you have depression, dealing with in-law relationships, and self-talk ..read more

While some people say you should always give others the ‘benefit of the doubt,’ other people say doing so means you let people take advantage of you. After all, not everyone has good intentions.  But assuming the best in others doesn’t have to come at your own expense. In fact, you can still assume other people are doing their best while also establishing clear boundaries with them.  There’s a surprising upside of assuming the best in others; it actually lowers your stress level.  But it takes some practice. You might find yourself jumping to conclusions that assume bad intentio ..read more

Panic attacks involve an intense fear that comes out of the blue. It creates physical symptoms within the body, such as a rapid heart rate, dizziness, and sweating. Many people live in great fear of when they'll have another panic attack and often worry that it will happen in public. Fortunately, there are some strategies that can help you get through a panic attack while also making the fear another one a lot less scary. The 5-4-3-2-1 strategy can help ground you when your body and your mind are in a state of sheer panic ..read more

Johnny Crowder is the CEO of a mental health/tech startup. But he wasn't always in a position to help other people. In fact, for many years he lacked hope that there were any mental health resources that could help him. He struggled with a variety of symptoms, and he attempted several different avenues of treatment — but nothing seemed to work. Fortunately, he didn't give up, and he learned that he had the power to change his brain. Now, he shares what he learned about neuroplasticity and the steps anyone who is struggling can take to manage their mental health with both traditional treatment ..read more

It's easy to blame other people for wasting your time or for ruining your day. It's also easy to feel as though your kindness is being taken advantage of or that other people are using you to get their needs met. That's why boundaries are important. You get to set the rules on how other people treat you. While that can feel uncomfortable at first, healthy boundaries are the key to helping you live your best life. Here are some signs that you could benefit from creating better boundaries in your life ..read more

Mike Bayer is a New York Times Best-Selling author and a top life coach. He's also the CEO and founder of CAST Centers, a Hollywood-based treatment center that provides intensive outpatient services to people seeking help for addiction or mental health issues. In today's episode, Mike explains intensive outpatient services. He talks about how to find help, who could benefit from this level of care, and how to pay for intensive services. He also shares the common pitfalls people should avoid when seeking quality treatment. To learn more, check out his website or CAST Centers ..read more