Episodes

  • GUEST HOST: Brooke Bralove with Esther Boykin - Cultivating Compassion & Community on Retreats

    GUEST HOST: Brooke Bralove with Esther Boykin - Cultivating Compassion & Community on Retreats
    Jul 3 2025
    In this episode, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Esther Boykin shares how she cultivates compassion and community on her Compassion Collective Retreats for high-achieving, successful African American women. Esther shares how important providing a safe space for marginalized communities can foster greater intimacy, connection, and community and lead to a profound shift toward self-compassion.

    Brooke Bralove, LCSW-C is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, Master Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) Practitioner, and Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator. Brooke specializes in treating adults, couples, and groups with anxiety, trauma, and sexual and relationship challenges. Brooke helps women of all ages let go of perfectionism and move toward greater authenticity, joy, pleasure, and connection. Brooke’s new passion is Accelerated Resolution Therapy, a brief treatment modality using bilateral eye movements to provide lasting relief and healing to patients with PTSD, trauma, phobias, anxiety, and depression. She has maintained a private practice in Bethesda, Maryland for 21 years.

    Esther Boykin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, executive coach, and keynote speaker recognized for bridging the gap between clinical insight and real-world business strategy. A former CEO and founder of a thriving therapy practice, she is now celebrated for her Compassion Collective Retreat, an immersive experience designed specifically for high-achieving women of color.Rooted in the belief that true success depends on self-compassion, community, and cultural relevance, Esther helps leaders, entrepreneurs, and everyday professionals cultivate workplaces—and personal lives—that “light them up.” From corporate consulting on mental health equity to one-on-one coaching for executives wrestling with burnout, she’s known for her warm, inviting style and thought-provoking insights.A TEDx speaker and media mental health expert, Esther has shaped conversations around modern wellness, challenging harmful norms like productivity obsession in her popular talk, “Laziness is a Lie.” As President of NAMI DC, she tirelessly advocates for more inclusive mental health resources. Drawing on two decades of expertise, Esther offers workshops, retreats, and custom trainings that blend empathy with action, empowering clients to lead authentically and maintain meaningful connections.


    In This Episode:
    Brooke
    • IG: @brookebralovepsychotherapy
    • FB:@brookebralovepsychotherapy
    • TikTok: @bbralovepsychotherapy



    Esther
    • IG & LinkedIn: @estherbmft
    • www.estherboykin.com



    The Trauma Therapist PodcastJoin my email list and receive podcast updates and other news: https://bit.ly/3LuAG2i
    Listen to all Trauma Therapist Podcast episodes here: https://bit.ly/3VRNy8z

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.
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    24 mins
  • Listening As If Our Lives Depended On It with Laura S Brown PhD

    Listening As If Our Lives Depended On It with Laura S Brown PhD
    Jun 30 2025
    Laura S Brown PhD is a mostly retired trauma healer, still teaching and supervising from behind her screen in Seattle. Her most recent book, Decolonizing trauma healing, was released by APA in November, 2024.

    In This Episode
    • Laura’s website

    The Trauma Therapist Podcast
    Join my email list and receive podcast updates and other news: https://bit.ly/3LuAG2i
    Listen to all Trauma Therapist Podcast episodes here: https://bit.ly/3VRNy8z

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.
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    36 mins
  • Guest Host: Amy Stark interviews David Bayer

    Guest Host: Amy Stark interviews David Bayer
    Jun 26 2025
    Amy Stark is a former science teacher, now certified Energy Practitioner who bridges the divide between science and spirit.She channels her extraordinary abilities to demonstrate the unseen, and shares the wisdom and knowledge she’s cultivated over the past two decades helping people to heal their mind, body, and spirit.As the host of The Stark Transformation Show, she has shared her message of hope, healing and transformation with a global audience, catalyzing transformations worldwide.

    David Bayer is a distinguished entrepreneur, researcher, and author renowned for his expertise in human evolution, entrepreneurship, high performance, and emotional intelligence. His innovative approach, rooted in first principles thinking and combining neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and business strategy, helps individuals and organizations identify and eliminate the underlying root cause resistances preventing success, so they can control the levers responsible for more growth in their businesses, joy in their lives, and impact in the world.

    Bayer’s podcast, “A Changed Mind,” quickly rose to over 1 million monthly listeners, his book, “A Changed Mind: Go Beyond Self Awareness, Rewire Your Brain & Reengineer Your Reality,” became an Amazon Bestseller and remains in the Top 100 Personal Development category, and his Powerful Living Experience LIVE event was named “A Top 3 Must-Attend Personal Development Event For Entrepreneurs” by Inc.

    David’s clear, direct, and compassionate communication style, unique blend of academic and real-life experience that challenge conventional thinking, and his pioneering frameworks bridge the gap between science and personal growth provide actionable strategies that enable leaders and high achievers to break free from limiting beliefs, take control of their success, and make creating real change achievable and inevitable.





    In This Episode



    You can learn more about what I do here:
    The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa
    The Trauma Therapist Podcast: I interview thought-leaders in the fields of trauma, mindfulness, addiction and yoga such as Peter Levine, Pat Ogden, Bessel van der Kolk and Bruce Perry. https://bit.ly/3VRNy8z

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.
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    27 mins
  • Empowered and Purpose-Driven with Shauna Brittenham Reiter

    Empowered and Purpose-Driven with Shauna Brittenham Reiter
    Jun 23 2025
    Shauna Brittenham Reiter is an entrepreneur dedicated to the empowerment and healing of herself and others, as well as the3 author of the book You Are the Boss of You.
    In 2018, she founded the wellness company Alaya Naturals based on the principles of holistic health that led her from a life limited by overwhelming ailments to founding a multi-million-dollar wellness company before the age of forty.

    Diagnosed with a plethora of autoimmune conditions over the years, Shauna has cultivated a vast understanding of what the body requires to thrive. And while her focus on natural medicine has made radical healing possible for herself and hundreds of thousands of others, it is Shauna’s exploration of the world within that has cultivated true miracles.

    Shauna wrote You Are the Boss of You to empower others to take control of their lives and claim the emotional freedom that leads to abundance. Prior to founding Alaya Naturals, Shauna was a Montessori school teacher and singer/songwriter—her album Dreamer’s Dream was released in 2017. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.


    In This Episode
    • Alaya
    • Website url: https://www.helloshauna.com/
    • @shaunabrittenhamreiter
    • @alaya.naturals
    The Trauma Therapist PodcastJoin my email list and receive podcast updates and other news: https://bit.ly/3LuAG2i
    Listen to all Trauma Therapist Podcast episodes here: https://bit.ly/3VRNy8z


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.
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    35 mins
  • Esther Goldstein, LCSW interviews Elisa Toha, LMSW - Helping Survivors Tell Their Stories

    Esther Goldstein, LCSW interviews Elisa Toha, LMSW - Helping Survivors Tell Their Stories
    Jun 19 2025
    Esther Goldstein LCSW is a psychotherapist and trauma specialist with a private practice in Cedarhurst, in Long Island NY. Esther specializes in treating anxiety, trauma, complex ptsd, and dissociative disorders. Esther provides trauma informed consultation to therapists committed to improving their trauma-informed practice and attachment focused EMDR consultation to therapists attaining hours towards EMDRIA certification.

    Elisa is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with over a decade of experience working with Anderson Cooper 360 and Good Morning America. Throughout her career, she has helped hundreds of survivors share their stories with renowned journalists including Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, and Anderson Cooper. Deeply committed to trauma healing, Elisa now offers media consulting with a focus on advancing trauma-informed journalism and guiding survivors as they navigate media exposure.


    In This Episode
    • Esther’s site: https://integrativepsych.co/
    • Elisa’s: https://www.elisatoha.com



    You can learn more about what I do here:
    The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa

    The Trauma Therapist Podcast: I interview thought-leaders in the fields of trauma, mindfulness, addiction and yoga such as Peter Levine, Pat Ogden, Bessel van der Kolk and Bruce Perry. https://bit.ly/3VRNy8z

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.
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    42 mins
  • Healing Trauma From the Roots Up with Rachel Aarons, PhD

    Healing Trauma From the Roots Up with Rachel Aarons, PhD
    Jun 16 2025
    Dr. Rachel Aarons has over 40 years of experience as a psychotherapist. Initially trained as a philosopher, she served as an Associate professor at the University of Toronto before transitioning to therapy and earning her Masters in Social Work. Dr. Aarons initially specialized in hypnotherapy and became a Certified EMDR therapist in 2004.

    Her current focus is in the Early Trauma Protocol, a ground-breaking approach to addressing early attachment injuries that shape emotional and relational patterns throughout life. Her mission is to train therapists, heal clients and educate the public on how early childhood experiences impact lifelong challenges.


    In This Episode
    • Rachel’s website

    The Trauma Therapist PodcastJoin my email list and receive podcast updates and other news: https://bit.ly/3LuAG2i

    Listen to all Trauma Therapist Podcast episodes here: https://bit.ly/3VRNy8z


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.
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    37 mins
  • Other People's Problems with Hillary McBride, PhD

    Other People's Problems with Hillary McBride, PhD
    Jun 12 2025
    Dr. Hillary McBride is a registered psychologist, a researcher and podcastor, with expertise that includes working with trauma and trauma therapies, and embodiment, at the intersection of spirituality and mental health.

    Her recent book Holy Hurt: understanding and healing from spiritual trauma, came out in April 2025.
    Her podcast, Other People’s Problems is incredible. Normally, therapy sessions are totally confidential — but this podcast opens the doors.

    This season offers an unprecedented look at psychedelic psychotherapy, breaking new ground in the podcast space and demystifying this often misunderstood practice as a powerful tool in trauma recovery.Hillary leads her clients through drug-assisted therapy, guiding them to new heights on their healing journeys. Experience these real, unscripted sessions firsthand as they unfold in each episode.

    She has been recognized by the American Psychological Association, and the Canadian Psychological Association for her research and clinical work. In addition to being a teaching faculty at the University of British Columbia, she is an ambassador for Sanctuary Mental Health, and the host of CBC's award winning podcast Other People's Problems- season 5 launched May 5 . Hillary can often be found with a cup of chai in hand, or by the ocean. She makes her home in the pacific northwest in British Columbia, Canada.

    In This Episode
    • Hillary’s website
    • OPP Podcast


     You can learn more about what I do here:
    The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa

    The Trauma Therapist Podcast: I interview thought-leaders in the fields of trauma, mindfulness, addiction and yoga such as Peter Levine, Pat Ogden, Bessel van der Kolk and Bruce Perry. https://bit.ly/3VRNy8z

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.
    Show more Show less
    31 mins
  • An Inspiring Advocate for Therapists with Joe Feldman

    An Inspiring Advocate for Therapists with Joe Feldman
    Jun 9 2025
    Joe Feldman founded Cover My Mental Health began advocating for access to mental health care after overcoming denials for a family member’s care, including with a successful federal lawsuit.

    His advocacy work has included policy-driven discussions with legislators and regulators, a board role with The Kennedy Forum Illinois, presentations to parent groups, and publication of actionable guidance such as a 2021 article in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice on medical necessity letters.


    In This Episode
    • Joe’s website

    The Trauma Therapist PodcastJoin my email list and receive podcast updates and other news: https://bit.ly/3LuAG2i
    Listen to all Trauma Therapist Podcast episodes here: https://bit.ly/3VRNy8z

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.
    Show more Show less
    29 mins